Of late, Iam more content being full time house-wife. From second week of August iam at home, not that i have bid adieu to my office, but due to unexpected holidays for my son and other commitments. Soon should work out my time to go to office. Its both advantage and dis-advantage having your own business which is predominantly taken care by dear aathukkarar. One of the main advantage is the attendance. Yippee.. Iam enjoying this phase especially.
Mornings from 6.00-9.30 - fast paced life as my kid usually refers to me as the "super-fast machine". After that the machine slows down. And picks up again at 2.30 P.m.
Meantime, iam browsing for the recipes and experimenting with them. Since my kid refuses to acknowledge any vegetable other than potato iam into research mode in finding new ways of adding the veggies to his diet. One thing i have found of late is that he likes kurma ( that too after having tasted it once in Ginger, pondicherry while on the trip) , so it has made my job easy.
So, i have started adding the veggies to it and another method is to make the soup which he would take in any form if it is garnished with bread.
My next headache is with the fruits, somehow i force him to have it in the milk shake format. But, he refuses to eat raw ones. The very sight of the fruits and the smell especially drives him 100m apart. Any one please suggest... I have tried begging, thrashings , forcing and even bribery, but nothing works....
Coming to my experimentation, today iam going to try a new recipe with soya chunks . Since, my aathukkarar is on strict diet ( pls dont say "wow" - this is his nth time) to reduce his cholesterol and BP, (he is jus 30) he is also trying out new diet regimes. One of the new discovery is BLUEBERRY . He got this idea from google search. The name always strikes chord with DORA for me - remember "Blueberry malai" .
Today my menu is mullangi sambar, thakkali rasam, kothavaranga paruppu usili, and new recipe involving soya.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Monday, August 10, 2009
Unexpected holidays!!!!
P's school is closed for a week as a precautionary measure. Thanks to the parents who are in constant panic. No, it is not in velachery but in Mylapore. Suddenly the suburban has umpteen hits in google pages and especially Akshaya matriculation school, were the poor boy studied. My heart goes to the parents who are quarantined in the hospital. Their plight is unimaginable with having lost one child and another with the symptoms in the hospital. My humble prayers to God to give them the mental strength to handle this.
Suddenly all the parents are worried if the child gets cold, cough or fever, though there is nil chance of communicating the disease. It is called parenting psychology , i suppose. Even i didn't take my kid to the dance class and thanks to yesterday's program conducted by VIJAY TV, i didn't send my kid to school today. Though it was sheer co-incidence , iam relieved that he stayed home. Or else, i would have been worried.
But, yesterdays program kindled other kind of worries. The program was a concert by Aruna Sairam on Lord krishna for Vijay Tv with hundreds of school children dressed as krishna. Though only a selected few were made to sit on the stage, the other children were given considerable coverage. They say that the whole concept was to capture the childrens "kurumbu" who are dressed as krishna. But, to me it was more of cost minimisation project with full publicity. Cos, the parents had taken utmost care with the dressing and makeup with the hope that their wards would be aired on the TV . So, the make up cost and organisation part were delegated to the parents and the concerned school authorities. Second , is the publicity part which would be also taken care by the parents by spreading word of mouth of the program in which the little ones were expected to be captured. Iam no exception to this.
But, the best and the saving part was the children had fun, the whole evening and not to mention the dressing part. My kid hated the first few hours where i cajoled , scolded , begged him to wear the accessories. He cooperated with the make-up part but it became futile once his eyes filled up when i asked him to wear those earrings (only pressing type). So, i immediately dropped and saved the rest of the make-up.
Coming to the program, it was fantastically conceptualised with aruna sairam at her best. She was able to share a rapport with all the hundreds of the children and was able to make them sing and dance. Her numbers were well chosen with a mixture of melody as well fast numbers. If , i write i may face legal proceedings also. The organiser and the producer were constantly making appeals to the parents not to record the proceedings in their mobile phone / handy cam / stills in their camera.
The moment P got his gift(usual mysurpa from krishna sweets and the biscuits) he impatiently removed everything right in the hall and proceeded to wear his own clothes.
Its a miracle that he agreed to wear those things in the first place, and it shows my ingratitude that i complain now. ( :((( parental psychology)
Suddenly all the parents are worried if the child gets cold, cough or fever, though there is nil chance of communicating the disease. It is called parenting psychology , i suppose. Even i didn't take my kid to the dance class and thanks to yesterday's program conducted by VIJAY TV, i didn't send my kid to school today. Though it was sheer co-incidence , iam relieved that he stayed home. Or else, i would have been worried.
But, yesterdays program kindled other kind of worries. The program was a concert by Aruna Sairam on Lord krishna for Vijay Tv with hundreds of school children dressed as krishna. Though only a selected few were made to sit on the stage, the other children were given considerable coverage. They say that the whole concept was to capture the childrens "kurumbu" who are dressed as krishna. But, to me it was more of cost minimisation project with full publicity. Cos, the parents had taken utmost care with the dressing and makeup with the hope that their wards would be aired on the TV . So, the make up cost and organisation part were delegated to the parents and the concerned school authorities. Second , is the publicity part which would be also taken care by the parents by spreading word of mouth of the program in which the little ones were expected to be captured. Iam no exception to this.
But, the best and the saving part was the children had fun, the whole evening and not to mention the dressing part. My kid hated the first few hours where i cajoled , scolded , begged him to wear the accessories. He cooperated with the make-up part but it became futile once his eyes filled up when i asked him to wear those earrings (only pressing type). So, i immediately dropped and saved the rest of the make-up.
Coming to the program, it was fantastically conceptualised with aruna sairam at her best. She was able to share a rapport with all the hundreds of the children and was able to make them sing and dance. Her numbers were well chosen with a mixture of melody as well fast numbers. If , i write i may face legal proceedings also. The organiser and the producer were constantly making appeals to the parents not to record the proceedings in their mobile phone / handy cam / stills in their camera.
The moment P got his gift(usual mysurpa from krishna sweets and the biscuits) he impatiently removed everything right in the hall and proceeded to wear his own clothes.
Its a miracle that he agreed to wear those things in the first place, and it shows my ingratitude that i complain now. ( :((( parental psychology)
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Yippeee!!!! Shopping
After a long time, purchased some salwars. Long time , because my last purchase was for diwali (naduvila vaangina pattu pudavai ellam kanakkila varathu , cos u can wear it only for occasions-i have reserved it for my son's b'day).
Went to Globus and iam very happy since i got my favourite combination there - black and white. There is a sale going on in Globus , and the gift vouchers which they give as complimentary for purchase above Rs.3000/- are sutthha waste. One is a discount voucher for Rs.200/- to be used on whirlpool appliances and another one is a health check up thing from malar hospitals. Both are odhavakarai for me.
Actual intention of shopping was to get a panchagacham sort of pyjama for my son , which is needed for the krishna jayanthi dressup . But, we ended up purchasing few t-shirts and a pant. And not to mention my salwars.
Had this frankie outside Globus which was good indeed. Bayangara pasi , so fault onnum theriyala. And he does brisk business. There is also a burger counter there just at the entrance, yet to try. Anyway, iam not comfortable with this burger and all. When it comes to food, both me and my aathukarar and my son as well are comfortable with south indian food only.
So this purchase would last till Diwali i think;))))))
Went to Globus and iam very happy since i got my favourite combination there - black and white. There is a sale going on in Globus , and the gift vouchers which they give as complimentary for purchase above Rs.3000/- are sutthha waste. One is a discount voucher for Rs.200/- to be used on whirlpool appliances and another one is a health check up thing from malar hospitals. Both are odhavakarai for me.
Actual intention of shopping was to get a panchagacham sort of pyjama for my son , which is needed for the krishna jayanthi dressup . But, we ended up purchasing few t-shirts and a pant. And not to mention my salwars.
Had this frankie outside Globus which was good indeed. Bayangara pasi , so fault onnum theriyala. And he does brisk business. There is also a burger counter there just at the entrance, yet to try. Anyway, iam not comfortable with this burger and all. When it comes to food, both me and my aathukarar and my son as well are comfortable with south indian food only.
So this purchase would last till Diwali i think;))))))
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Survival
Today when i was in the kitchen busily packing up the lunch box for the kid, i heard violent cawing of the crows. Our locality is well amidst the trees and it gives such a pleasure to watch birds of all varieties.
It was around 6.30 in the morning and i was about to wake up my son when i heard the commotion in the next house backyard. Natural curiosity led me to peep through my window. Around 25 - 30 crows along with some 5-6 pigeons were surrounding something , which was not clear from my view point. So i waited patiently to see what it was. The time was actually running out for me, cause once i wake up my son , i got to be with him totally ( my aathukkarar is not in town, else he would take up that job wherein i can just handle the kitchen work).
Then only i noticed an owl. All the crows were assaulting him by hitting and pushing the owl from all the sides. Though they didn't bother to go near the owl at a stretch, they just scratched it with their claws while flying over it. I felt pity for the owl but was unable to do anything. Just i was wondering why it didn't fly away from the scene, rather getting mopped. And though it was a predator , it was not able to do anything against the flock of birds. Then as the clock was ticking away i just left the scene and went to wake up my son.
When i was explaining the scene to my son while he was brushing , he asked me " En maa athukku kannu theriyathu illaya, athanala thaan athala thappikka mudiyalaya"
The simple statement reminded me the basic concept that owl cannot see in the daylight. And i was admiring his presence of mind and the ability to relate and co-relate the facts. 'Cos the week before i had told him the panchatantra story of " The owl and the swan"
How preoccupied i am with the routine that i forgot the basic concept. We are so tied to the routine and to the gadgets that we tend to forget the basics. With the modernisation and the hunger for earning more we are slowly losing our basic selves.
It was around 6.30 in the morning and i was about to wake up my son when i heard the commotion in the next house backyard. Natural curiosity led me to peep through my window. Around 25 - 30 crows along with some 5-6 pigeons were surrounding something , which was not clear from my view point. So i waited patiently to see what it was. The time was actually running out for me, cause once i wake up my son , i got to be with him totally ( my aathukkarar is not in town, else he would take up that job wherein i can just handle the kitchen work).
Then only i noticed an owl. All the crows were assaulting him by hitting and pushing the owl from all the sides. Though they didn't bother to go near the owl at a stretch, they just scratched it with their claws while flying over it. I felt pity for the owl but was unable to do anything. Just i was wondering why it didn't fly away from the scene, rather getting mopped. And though it was a predator , it was not able to do anything against the flock of birds. Then as the clock was ticking away i just left the scene and went to wake up my son.
When i was explaining the scene to my son while he was brushing , he asked me " En maa athukku kannu theriyathu illaya, athanala thaan athala thappikka mudiyalaya"
The simple statement reminded me the basic concept that owl cannot see in the daylight. And i was admiring his presence of mind and the ability to relate and co-relate the facts. 'Cos the week before i had told him the panchatantra story of " The owl and the swan"
How preoccupied i am with the routine that i forgot the basic concept. We are so tied to the routine and to the gadgets that we tend to forget the basics. With the modernisation and the hunger for earning more we are slowly losing our basic selves.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Kiddie Talks - III
They say you shouldn't compare kids. Comparing increases the criticism in the child. But, sometimes it works. So , I tried a modified version. Rather, comparing with others i compared with his earlier days!!!!!
Me : P, nee paappaava irukkarche rombavum samaththa iruppa theriuma.
Appollam TV paakkave maatta, "amma intha book sollithaa athu sollithaa" nnu keppa. Kadaikku ponaa ethuvum kekka maatta. Appave ethanum vaangi kudukkarennu sonnakooda "illappa athu vendamnu, namma kitta thaan irukke " thaan solluva!!!!!!!
( You used to be quite those days. You wouldn't watch TV at all. And used to ask me to teach you from the books. Even if your father offers to buy something from the shop , you would decline saying you have that already)
P : Neekoodathamma, appollem enna thittavum , adikkavum maatta.
( Even you used to never scold or beat me those days)
Henceforth, i decided to meticulously think before i open my mouth!!!!!!!!!
Me : P, nee paappaava irukkarche rombavum samaththa iruppa theriuma.
Appollam TV paakkave maatta, "amma intha book sollithaa athu sollithaa" nnu keppa. Kadaikku ponaa ethuvum kekka maatta. Appave ethanum vaangi kudukkarennu sonnakooda "illappa athu vendamnu, namma kitta thaan irukke " thaan solluva!!!!!!!
( You used to be quite those days. You wouldn't watch TV at all. And used to ask me to teach you from the books. Even if your father offers to buy something from the shop , you would decline saying you have that already)
P : Neekoodathamma, appollem enna thittavum , adikkavum maatta.
( Even you used to never scold or beat me those days)
Henceforth, i decided to meticulously think before i open my mouth!!!!!!!!!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Kumbakonam trip - II
Morning journeys are always refreshing. Its a special visual treat enroute thirunallaru via chidambaram. We had our breakfast in chidambaram in a mess just diagonally opposite to the temple and food was delicious. There was a steady crowd all the while even at 7.30 a.m and the service was prompt. Especially, the ven-pongal. Never ever miss a trip to the mess if u happen to visit the temple. Heard, that the people around the temple usually get their breakfast and tiffin from there only. Since, in our agenda chidambaram temple didn't feature, we made a miss. Thinking of covering the temples en route next time.
Around 8.30 a.m we reached the temple tank and decided to take a dip. Since, both my son and me are in the 71/2 period my aathukarar made sure that we make this journey as early as possible. The temple tank's steps are too slippery and it is high time considering the depth the authorities take proper action regarding this. There is a bee-line of stores around tank selling all the soap, seeyakkai , shampoo and nallannei samacharangal. But, it is wise to take bath before and just taking a dip there(that's wat we did).
But, still people tend to follow over rituals by actually taking a bath in the tank with nallennai and seeyakkai all the way contaminating the tank. Athuleyum ange oru family nalla yennai massage for both body as well head pannindu , kulikkarthukkagave thirunallaru vanthathaa nenachindu seeyakka pottu antha kolathaiye naara adichuttanaga. Please...... Its just a ritual to take a dip and not to go and take a leisure bath.
There is a 10*10 room of asbestos on top of the steps for the ladies to change their clothes. Only problem is we are not supposed to bolt the door. Instead of a big room , they can erect small rooms of more numbers.
After taking a dip , before proceeding to the main temple we are supposed to take the blessings of vinayagar present on the rear side of the temple. The dip is meant to take effect only after u break a surai thengai for the vinayagar.
So after all this we proceeded to the main temple and there is another one tank in front of the temple. Please don't wonder whether we are supposed to take a dip in that too... cos same thought came to my mind. But, neenga nenachalum athula dip edukka mudiyaathu, avvalavu kodumai. So if u r a staunch believer in following traditions jus dip your feet or else ignore and proceed to the temple.
Being a sani prathosham day, the temple was brimming with hundreds of people. So it is best to get into the main shrine of lord shiva without waiting in the queue to go to the saneeswara bhagavan. When u get into the main shrine there would be so many mamas waiting to offer you special pariharams. So, if you can afford , say around 500 rs (yaruppa sonna recession nnu, jus look at the money flow in the temples) do some pariharam, and he would himself would take u to the saneeswarar sannidhi through short-cut.
But, beware you have to carry the wraths of people waiting in the hour-long queue. But, when you are accompanied by kids or old people this is the best way and intha wraths ellam jus like that thodachi pottundu poyinde irukkanum.
Many people say that you should not bring the thengai prasatham to home, but there is a board written there which states that you can always take it home since it is parihara kadavul. It is better to rely on one's own instinct.
Then, there is a perumal temple opposite to the first mentioned tank and it is an old temple recently renovated. The speciality is the "panchamukha anjaneyar " and " chakkarathazhwar". Please visit and do not miss it. Its a visual treat and you can view all the five mukhas through the openings present on all the sides.
With this thirunallaru episode ends and then our next stop was thirumeichur - Lalithambigai temple.......
Around 8.30 a.m we reached the temple tank and decided to take a dip. Since, both my son and me are in the 71/2 period my aathukarar made sure that we make this journey as early as possible. The temple tank's steps are too slippery and it is high time considering the depth the authorities take proper action regarding this. There is a bee-line of stores around tank selling all the soap, seeyakkai , shampoo and nallannei samacharangal. But, it is wise to take bath before and just taking a dip there(that's wat we did).
But, still people tend to follow over rituals by actually taking a bath in the tank with nallennai and seeyakkai all the way contaminating the tank. Athuleyum ange oru family nalla yennai massage for both body as well head pannindu , kulikkarthukkagave thirunallaru vanthathaa nenachindu seeyakka pottu antha kolathaiye naara adichuttanaga. Please...... Its just a ritual to take a dip and not to go and take a leisure bath.
There is a 10*10 room of asbestos on top of the steps for the ladies to change their clothes. Only problem is we are not supposed to bolt the door. Instead of a big room , they can erect small rooms of more numbers.
After taking a dip , before proceeding to the main temple we are supposed to take the blessings of vinayagar present on the rear side of the temple. The dip is meant to take effect only after u break a surai thengai for the vinayagar.
So after all this we proceeded to the main temple and there is another one tank in front of the temple. Please don't wonder whether we are supposed to take a dip in that too... cos same thought came to my mind. But, neenga nenachalum athula dip edukka mudiyaathu, avvalavu kodumai. So if u r a staunch believer in following traditions jus dip your feet or else ignore and proceed to the temple.
Being a sani prathosham day, the temple was brimming with hundreds of people. So it is best to get into the main shrine of lord shiva without waiting in the queue to go to the saneeswara bhagavan. When u get into the main shrine there would be so many mamas waiting to offer you special pariharams. So, if you can afford , say around 500 rs (yaruppa sonna recession nnu, jus look at the money flow in the temples) do some pariharam, and he would himself would take u to the saneeswarar sannidhi through short-cut.
But, beware you have to carry the wraths of people waiting in the hour-long queue. But, when you are accompanied by kids or old people this is the best way and intha wraths ellam jus like that thodachi pottundu poyinde irukkanum.
Many people say that you should not bring the thengai prasatham to home, but there is a board written there which states that you can always take it home since it is parihara kadavul. It is better to rely on one's own instinct.
Then, there is a perumal temple opposite to the first mentioned tank and it is an old temple recently renovated. The speciality is the "panchamukha anjaneyar " and " chakkarathazhwar". Please visit and do not miss it. Its a visual treat and you can view all the five mukhas through the openings present on all the sides.
With this thirunallaru episode ends and then our next stop was thirumeichur - Lalithambigai temple.......
Monday, July 13, 2009
Kumbakonam trip
Well my long time prayers were answered atlast. It was really a scintillating and on the whole a very new experience for all of us. The prayers were long time pending since the birth of my son which involved lots of complications.
We started around 6.30 pm on friday night along with one of our friends family. They have a daughter who is 2 yrs older than my son . God!!! They made quite a pair. They immediately gelled well despite few hiccups here and there (chaos are what guaranteed when kids meet and wats fun without few hiccups). This prompted me to have one more!!!!!!!! Lets see;)))))
I thought everybody were leaving chennai on one purpose or the other thro ECR. There was heavy traffic on that lane and it took almost 3 hrs to reach pondicherry. And though our original plan was to stay in karaikkal , we altered it and stayed in GINGER. It was worth staying there except for the food. Its truly a paradise for couples or newly married non-vegetarians. Vegetarians should stay away from the food though the rooms are good.
When my son asked for dosai they said we have to choose the side-dish among the curry items. It was a blow for my son who always has a craze for the sambar-chutney combo. Luckily he didn't fuss that day and adjusted with veg kurma. And when my truly dedicated tamilian aathukarar asked for rasam, the waiter gave a wary smile. Ist a crime to ask for rasam in south india, or does he always dwell on fried rice and noodles. When my aathukarar pointed that they serve rasam even in TAJ and PARK he then said that they dont have it there. Then why do they print vegetable thali on the menu. On the contrary, the room was spacious and ventilated with AC, refrigerator, shower working.
They have Landmark and Cafe day in their reception area which does quite brisk business. Nice marketing strategy.
Next day in the morning 5.30 we left for Thirunallaru. The drive was pleasant and we got to watch the sunrise amidst the waterways which was an enduring experience. After a long time i got to peruse my long time passion i.e clouds watching. Somehow, it fascinated me in my adolescent years. I always used to sit in our terrace (ours was an independent house) in the pretext of studying though my motive my altogether different(it was not clouds watching even ;))) ). I like to form faces and patterns and imagine things while watching them move. The first time in went in aircraft not even i wasted one minute in chatting. I was totally engrossed in the scenic view of flying above and among the clouds........
Hmm, its taking more time than i expected, let me continue later
We started around 6.30 pm on friday night along with one of our friends family. They have a daughter who is 2 yrs older than my son . God!!! They made quite a pair. They immediately gelled well despite few hiccups here and there (chaos are what guaranteed when kids meet and wats fun without few hiccups). This prompted me to have one more!!!!!!!! Lets see;)))))
I thought everybody were leaving chennai on one purpose or the other thro ECR. There was heavy traffic on that lane and it took almost 3 hrs to reach pondicherry. And though our original plan was to stay in karaikkal , we altered it and stayed in GINGER. It was worth staying there except for the food. Its truly a paradise for couples or newly married non-vegetarians. Vegetarians should stay away from the food though the rooms are good.
When my son asked for dosai they said we have to choose the side-dish among the curry items. It was a blow for my son who always has a craze for the sambar-chutney combo. Luckily he didn't fuss that day and adjusted with veg kurma. And when my truly dedicated tamilian aathukarar asked for rasam, the waiter gave a wary smile. Ist a crime to ask for rasam in south india, or does he always dwell on fried rice and noodles. When my aathukarar pointed that they serve rasam even in TAJ and PARK he then said that they dont have it there. Then why do they print vegetable thali on the menu. On the contrary, the room was spacious and ventilated with AC, refrigerator, shower working.
They have Landmark and Cafe day in their reception area which does quite brisk business. Nice marketing strategy.
Next day in the morning 5.30 we left for Thirunallaru. The drive was pleasant and we got to watch the sunrise amidst the waterways which was an enduring experience. After a long time i got to peruse my long time passion i.e clouds watching. Somehow, it fascinated me in my adolescent years. I always used to sit in our terrace (ours was an independent house) in the pretext of studying though my motive my altogether different(it was not clouds watching even ;))) ). I like to form faces and patterns and imagine things while watching them move. The first time in went in aircraft not even i wasted one minute in chatting. I was totally engrossed in the scenic view of flying above and among the clouds........
Hmm, its taking more time than i expected, let me continue later
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