Dumb Mommy!!!

As usual, I am busy (?) on the laptop.
The kid shows her palms and says,
Mom What do I have in my hands?
I stop and think. (!)

She says, Come on! It starts with the letter Z.

I say, Zebra!!
(Z for Zebra is all that comes to mind
I wonder who was my KG teacher. She is to be blamed.)

No!!!! Not Zebra. Its a number!!
She is kind enough to give clues and I am dumb enough to not take it seriously.

There is NO number that starts with Z!!!

What are you saying?
There is! ZERO.
I have nothing in my hands!!

Gee...
Why do I have a feeling that this is just the beginning.
Of "smart kid dumb mom" series.

Bored kid... Help!!

Whats with children and "Mom! I am bored"?
Boredom is natural and according to me constructive. Spells of doing nothing for hours. Can help one develop patience, being introspective, even get more creative.
What with the 24 hour cartoon channels, On Demand and the internet, Boredom threshold has sure gone waaaay down.

The kid sets off for school 7:15, comes back 3:35. Has 2 of her favourite programs between 4 to 5. Arthur and Word girl. At 5, she puts off the TV, yells, "I AM BORED"...You JUST put off the TV kid! left thumb still on the TV remote power button....Bored?

And today morning, while I am surfing away, she is watching Spongebob Squarepants. She goes, "I am bored". I am like, "excuse me, i think you are watching Spongebob?" Yes! But its the commercial break!! And I am bored!!

Boo hoo!!!!!!!!!!!

Meteor Shower

As I lie down on the bed and look at the cloudy sky from the bedroom window, I say to hubby:
There's going be a Meteor shower tonight.

He is like, What Shower?

Meteor Shower!!

What is it?

Remember this thing that happened some 8-10 years back? Its like....

WAIT!!! Before you delve into a scientific explanation, just answer one question.

Err.... What?

Is it going to rain?

NO!!!

Then its ok. Coz if it does, I don't want to get up in the middle of the night to close that window.

@#@#@#@#

Clean energy

We get our electricity from this company www.greenmountain.com
You can choose your electricity company and not rely on what's there. Say MSEB. We chose this one.

The electricity bill says something like this each month. Very unique.

Thanks for helping clean the air we breathe! By purchasing Green mountain energy electricity, you have helped avoid the emission of this much CO2, pollution over the past month

KWh Electricity used : 1,316
CO2 emissions avoided (pounds) : 280
Equivalent Automobile miles not driven : 312

Quite something to have on an electricity bill?

nimbooda

There's this small Indian restaurant nearby. They play hindi movies. Were there for breakfast on the morning of July 4. They were playing "Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam".
The point where Aish gets married, she is reading the letters from Salman.
One of the letter ends like

Tumhara,
Khatta Nimbooda

Ok.. what I am trying to say? The best part about watching Hindi movies in US, for me, is the English subtitles.
The above part was translated like-

Undersigned

Your's
Tangy Lemon

Passports renewed in a week...yay!

Hubby and kid's passports had to be renewed.
After a month's procastination, I decided to take action. Made hubby fill up the online forms (read: harassed him) and get the printouts. Filled the blank spaces on the form with pen.

Decided to spend 18$ for passport size photos taken at Walgreens. Hubby insisted on taking prints from our digicam photos. But my decision prevailed. The last thing I wanted here was a returned application due to some issue with the photos.

Made out cashier's checks in favor of CGI Houston.

Got a stamp-pad from Office Max for the kid's thumbprint. I am sure she can now sign her initials, but may not be able to reproduce the signature. Thumb print was safer.

Printed out a Change of appearance form...for the kid...infant to child

Bought a set of 2 sized paper clips. organised the documents using small paper clips...eg utility bills together, marriage cert, 'add spouse name' application, my passport photocopy together.....and wrote on the top document what the bunch was for. eg- For addition of spouse name.
Took the small clip bunches together and secured with a large paper clip along with the application, remaining 2 photos(1 affixed on application) and original passport.

Went to the Fedex shipping center where they have a notary. Got all photocopies notarised. For passport copies, only the pages with a picture.

Sent everything to CGI Houston, along with a pre-paid self addressed envelope. It reached them on June 24. I got the new passports today, July 1. In exactly 1 week. I'd like to believe its the organised paperwork I sent, that got the process speeded up. Could be the efficiency of their staff? Yes, lets give them half the credit. :)

And for those of you who are in the process and have bumped into my blog looking for information

Photocopies:

Got 2 copies of my passport, 3 of hubby's and 1 kid's
a copy of my passport each with both their applications, a copy of hubby's passport with both (even his own...wierd i know) and a copy of both their passport for our records.
2 photocopies of both of their I94s and Visa pages. - 1 to be sent and 1 for records
Photocopies of marriage cert and kid's birth cert.

This is what i attached :
For husband
1. 3 passport size photos, including 1 pasted on the form
2. photocopies of first 5 and last 2 pages of passport, I-94, and visa page.
3. Passport application
4. original passport - along with the I-94
5. An application for addition of Spouse name
6. Two utility bills - cable and phone
7. Photocopy of my passport
8. Cashiers check 40$

For daughter
1. 3 passport size photos including 1 pasted on form
2. passport application
3. Original passport along with the I-94
4. Change of appearance form
5. Photocopy of both parent's passport.
6. Cashier's check 25$

home coming

Was on India visit jan of this year. Stayed home for about a week,(remaining time at in-laws place) relished mom's cooking, had dahipuri in Shivkrupa, took my daughter to play in the park at Sagar Vihar, met old friends, And stayed home a lot. :)

Sitting there by the window, watching the chaotic traffic move by, most vehicles with no regard for the environment puffing black poison. Man! how did I never see it before? Was Vashi always so polluted? Was it always so difficult to breathe? Was it always this warm in January? The beautiful scene from the mini-seashore which i saw every evening...why does it look lost in fog? Wait! Is that the pollution? It wasn't there 6 yrs back. Or was it?

Have the roads always been so unsafe? Did I really cross these roads every day in full traffic? Were the drivers always this horribly rash? Little school kids forming a human chain waiting on the sidealk for a chance to cross the road. Was I one of them? Were the stairs in most buildings always this Dungeon dark? When were the buildings last painted? Whats the black soot like thing on every standing structure in the city? They looked so fresh a few years back.

Were my school age photos this yellow right out of the studio? Was our house this small? No, its got smaller over the years I am convinced. Was there so much dust behind the furniture before? When did the Fridge get its beautiful blue paint all chipped off? Did we never have a closed shoe rack? Was the neighbour's conversation always audible in our house? The adjacent building was not this close, looks like its moving closer by the day.

The TV, the dining table, the Fridge were much bigger. Believe me. They have been sheddding weight. The ceiling too was higher before, its caving in. The fans actually made the rooms airy and cool, not go in circles just for the sake of it. Like they do now.

A few years away from there, and how things have changed in my absence. huh.

Finan-sense

We, as a couple are not alike. Quite the case of opposites attract.
Inspite of it, thankfully we vehemently agree on money-issues. And that, is the secret of our happy married life :)

1. We don't head for Calvin Klein, Levi's, Gucci and their kin. (Man! I am having to rack my brains for brand names.) We both are happy to wear what looks good and is fairly priced. No, the factory outlets are no good too.

2. Our car is a means to get us from point A to point B. Without leaving us on the the road midway. As long as it can do that, we are happy.

3. Furniture doesn't have to come from from Ikea. We look for good deals on Craigslist. Heck with so many people moving back to India, its so easy.

4. We lived in California for 2 years and never, i repeat never even thought of seeing Las Vegas. I'd rather not get started on whys of it. Would just quote Liz Pulliam Weston, the famous personal-finance writer.
"A city based on the squandering of wealth really should be allowed to melt back into the desert from which it came."

5. Most movies are not worth spending 15$ per person for ticket and insanely high food prices in their cafeterias. Not to mention the fuel expenses.
We prefer to wait until it comes out on a DVD. Rent it for a dollar. Enjoy it from the comfort of home. Make sure the volume is in control. (And most songs are skipped altogether.)

6. Alcohol and cigarettes is something we both have never fallen for. No estimates on how much we save, don't even know what it costs to be alcoholic. But going by popular opinion, I assume we save there. And have better chance of being healthy grandparents.

7. With all the attention and love I get, I don't feel the need for make-ups and manicures and haircolors and so on.(its afterall for attracting attention, ain't it?) Guys, another money saving trick.

The list can go on, but for now, I'll be frugal with the blogger space and end it here. :)

Foodie talk - 2

Samosa
Deep fried cone pastry filled with potato and peas.

Utthapam
Indian pancake with the topping of Bell pepper, Onions and Tomatoes

GulabJamun
Wheat flour balls dipped in flavored sugar syrup

Rasmalai
Homemade cheese balls with ceamy sweet sauce.

fork

Not the better half of a spoon.
The supposed fork/s in life.
At some point you reach a fork they say.
You can go one way or the other.
The choice makes you who you are.
All the forks you cross
make the life you want for yourself.

How I would like to reach one.
I cannot even see any fork.
The only one direction available
is the one i keep going on
No choices available.
Its all decided for me.

The only choice I have here is
to be happy on the predestined road
Or curse the fate, be unhappy.
What choice do I make you ask?
happy I choose to be
but wait, unhappy at the same time.

Twister scare in Dallas

Quite a day, for someone coming in from California. See my post from jan 08. That storm was really not a big deal. but I apologise for, and rollback my general statements in that post.
Leaving the safe haven of bay area has been an eye-opener.
In Dallas/ north Texas, june 10, there were thunderstorms predicted in the forecast. It was dark since afternoon and all we expected was, Well rain.
By 6PM, they(weather guys) were suddenly talking tornado. By 6:45, the quiet quickly dissipiated. I could hear sirens going off. Didn't know where they came from until a neighbour filled me in. There are poles on all streets, and the fire department starts off the sirens. What they are saying is, "Take shelter immediately" It was pitch dark, rain was sure on its way. TV programs were interrupted to warn us about a probable Tornado. And we were advised to stay indoors and away from windows.

Within 5 min of the siren going off, wind picked up. Up and up. got really scary all of a sudden. Siren and the kid both wailing, hubby at office. Not ideal at all. We had wind gusts upto 80mph i heard later. About 15 min of ferocious wind followed by equally ferocious thunder and lightning. Thunder rumbles like crazy. Someone who has no idea whats happening would pee his pants. God. Even the window panes shake, like they would in an earthquake. We can call this one a skyquake? The rain whacked us for about an hour and then died down.

As if the whole storm scare wasn't enough, later in the evening, there was a Raccoon on our patio (balcony). The pizza box i kept there (to take out to trash dumpster later) was what it came for. I had never seen the animal before, did not know what it was. Thought of calling 911. But it went away.
The thunder and lightning went on through the night. Another funny thing was, when the thunder rumbles reeeaal bad, the cars start panicking. We got up once or twice to check if it was our car. There were 4-5 cars panicking at the same time. There goes the night's sleep. :(

As of today, june 11 morning, no wind gusts. But thunder. lightning. rain still here.
To quote weather channel, The storm is still flexing it muscles over the city of Dallas. :)

Man!! I love these weather guys. Have written about the weather forecast before. Its here
They predict the time and location of the storm and are fairly accurate. The wind gusts started within 5 min of the wailing alarm. You can at least get to a safe area.
Isn't that all we want?

Curious case of LIFE

The Curious case of Benjamin Button

Not a movie, but an insight into how we think about aging, wrinkles, love and life.
If every birthday makes you peer in the mirror looking for crows feet, this movie is for you. It will change the way you think about aging.

The main character Benjamin Button (Brad Pitt) is born with wrinkly skin, arthritis, fading eyesight and little hearing. In short, he is born 80 year old. He works his way backwards from there. When he is 10, he meets Daisy (Cate Blanchett). She is 5. They instantly form a special bond. At 17, with the spirit of a teenager and a body of a 65 year old, he leaves home to be a sailor. After being thrown in World War 2 and surviving it, he comes back

To quote Benjamin, "It's a funny thing about comin' home. Looks the same, smells the same, feels the same. You'll realize what's changed is YOU."

He is already in love with Daisy. But can never really express it.
She is now a famous dancer in New York, with lot of young men swooning over her.

When he is 49, there is finally, an intersection of body and spirit. Both of a guy in his 40s. Daisy comes back to him, she is 43. Just that one of them is going forward and one backwards.

My favourite dialogue comes in this phase

Daisy : Will you still love me when I am all old and wrinkly?
Benjamin : Will you still love me when I have acne? And i wet my bed? When I am scared of whats under the stairs?

Brad Pitt has played the whole inverted life of Benjamin in a way only he can. He has this southern accent which i am sure he had to work on. He sounds like a true New Orleans guy. Its not easy to do accents and in such natural, believable way.

The curiosity, energy, enthusiasm, spirit, innocence of a 15 yr old boy who has a body of a 65 year old. The poignance, serenity, been-there-done-that look of a 60 year old person who looks like a teenager. Very well done. By Brad and the digital Benjamin for first 50 min of the movie.

A must-watch.

Roger Rocks!!

Saw the French Open match between Roger Federer and Tommy Haas. Saw a few hours later, not live. Did not know it until the match ended. Good! made me stay glued to the TV and not google the result.

What a sportsperson he is!

In the countless encounters between Federer and Nadal, I have always cheered for Nadal. 1. I am the root-for-the-underdog types and 2. I always thought Federer was too full of himself, trophy-churning-robot.

Today's match was really special.
It takes towering character, confidence, composure, not to mention ability and belief in self to come back from 2 sets down to win.
Roger lost first 2 sets, 6-7 5-7. Looked totally out of sorts. I am sure most people had already accepted the idea of French Open sans Nadal and Federer. Readying for a new champion.

But people with a towering character have it in them to come back from the ashes.
Federer came back to win the match, last three sets 6-4, 6-0, 6-3
Thats one thing i like about tennis. Any player can win from any point of the game, unlike cricket.

I remember watching Ramesh krishnan in Davis Cup. Don't remember the year/ opponent. (Was it Ivanisevic?). He was 2 sets down, went ahead to win 2 sets and the rain stopped play during the 5th set which he won the next day.

Of course, winning after being 2 sets down is not unheard of. Still is a great achievement, so much so, that i am writing my first ever Sports post :)

Whether Roger wins the title or no, this perfomance overflowed with tons of grit and character. Kudos to Federer.

Foodie talk 1

A sample read on menu card of an Indian restaurant
Medu wada Sambar:
Lentil DOUGHNUTS deep-fried in Coconut oil and dipped in Sambar- A concoction of lentil soup with spices.

Chitale bakarwadi:
Crispy tasty Spring roll to jazz up your coffee or tea time.

Mix chiwda:
Mixture of roasted nuts with beaten rice and gram flour balls

To be continued when some such stuff catches my eye......

Q & A

Since the whole Slumdog Oscar craze, all of us Indians staying abroad have to face : "So, what do u think of SM?" situations This is how I faced one of them. In a physiotherapist office

So, what do you think of THE movie?

THE movie?
(I knew what she meant, but acted up :) Did not like the idea of SM being THE movie.)

Yeah, Slumdog Millioniare!!

Ah ok. I haven't seen it.

No? Why, you don't feel like seeing it?
(Ok, she has heard desis grumblin about it.)

Nothing like that. Just never got a chance

She does not believe me, can make it out from the way she looks at me.

Is India really like that?

"A part of it, and that part too is exaggerated. Movies always work on exaggeration, don't they?"

Yes. But the Indian colleagues I have here, say India IS like that.

As I said, A part.

She realised I am not happy talking about SM, and changed up the topic

"How did you learn English?"

In School

You had English as a language in School?

No! I learnt all my subjects in English

Wow, they have such kind of schools in India? Great. But how did you get the accent?

That i worked on. After coming to US

I saw the movie after a few days. Totally over-rated.
Also read the book, Vikas Swarup's Q & A in hindi. This was my first Hindi book ever. There is a Hindi language collection in Sunnyvale library, but had never accessed it before.
The book, as is the case with all movies based on books, is better than the movie.
1. The protagonist is named Ram Muhammed Thomas in the book. A priest finds him abandoned in a church donation box and names him this way to avoid getting in trouble with hindu/ muslim communities.

2. The Priest who rears this guy is a nice person. But he has an illegitimate child. Another priest in the same church is a child molester. No mention in the movie, where Jamal is born and raised in the slums.

3. The boy is left in a church donation box. His mother is not killed in Hindu-Muslim riots. But yes, he meets Salim in a foster-home(after the priest's death). And Salim's family is killed in riots.

4. There is no childhood love-story. There is of course, one short-lived love story. But it does not affect the main story-line at all.

5. He lived in the church, in a foster home, as a servant with an Australlian Ambassador, as a servant at an actress's place, in Agra, in a chawl next to an astronomy professor. And the Slum. Logical explanation for all his answers is there in his varied contacts/places of residence. In SM, the blind beggar boy knows which US president is on a 100$ bill!!!

6. Overall, the book is interesting. Each of the 15 questions has the weightage of a quiz-show worthy question.

My analysis goes like
Q&A + filth + poverty + slums (oh yes! USP) + latika + Bollywood masala + communalism = Slumdog Millioniare

From Dora to Cinderella

Move over Dora and boots, Cinderella is here. Dora toothpaste/ shoes/ underwear is all a thing of the past. Disney Princess is the new craze.
Thats what my little one is doing. And she is 5.
Isn't it a little too early? Or is it just Mommy thinking?

The very beautiful Cinderella dressed in rags. a fairy godmother magically turns her clothes into a beautiful gown. Complete with a carriage, coachman and the glass slippers. The prince obviously is bedazzled by her beauty. He marries her.

The girl is enchanted by these Disney stories. And why not? They are enchanting.

The very practical mom (the old hag me?) thinks : Caution.

As beautiful these fairy tales are, every little girl would grow up waiting for a handsome prince to sweep her off her feet?
We, who grew up on a staple of Bollywood movies certainly know better.
For instance, if by 18 you have not had a guy crazy for you, lovey-dovey, ready to be a love-slave, your life as a woman is cursed. And of course, you can dance like Madhuri Dixit. No? Too bad.
Isn't that bollywood message for girls in a nutshell?

Coming back to the fairy tale,
And they lived happily ever after......
With each other and the everyday issues like paying bills/rent, maintaining relations, fighting, making up, growing old, piling up pounds (not the currency),dealing with medical issues, kids issues...

Wait, what am I trying to say here?

Just a mommy rant. Or old hag rant.

Paan khaye saiyya hamaro

While grocery shopping in India store, a chinese/japanese/phillipino - American lady asked me - "Excuse me! I am looking for the white thing you put on a pan. You know where it is?"

To myself: White thing to put on a pan? meaning tava?... hmmm...butter? ghee? what does she want?
I did not say a word, maintained the confused expression.

She tried to clarify "The thing thats put on a leaf?"

Still no answer from the confused me.
Leaf? what leaf? The leaf plates we make in India? What white thing is put on them?

She went on "You know the calcium white thing you put on a leaf and eat it. The thing that turns the mouth red?"

Tubelight on. "Ah yes, thats called chuna."

"Chuna? Oh Ok. Where can i find it?"

"I have no idea, please ask the guy at the counter."

Off she went, saying, "Excuse me!! Where can I find 'Chuna?'"

I wonder what she wanted chuna for?

American Airlines

Have read/heard about the US domestic airlines making you pay for snacks/ checked baggage. Experienced it last week on the SFO-DFW flight.
The announcement goes like, "Snack service on the flight today: Chips 3$, Pretzels 3$, Cookie 4$, xyz 6$. Beverages free :) " We were smart enough to eat at the airport. Before boarding the flight.
Was almost like travelling on Mumbai-Pune Indrayani express. Attendants handing out snacks and collecting/counting dollar bills. Almost expected them to start yelling...thanda cold drink/ vada garam/ chaiii chaiii

And the announcement i liked was "There would be 2 snack trolleys. One starting at the rear end of the plane working its way forward. And the other starting from the front going backwards. Please remain seated during the service to avoid being caught between the two trolleys."

After three hours, as i was getting up to use the lavatory, hubby said, "Ask if you have to pay at the lavatory door. Or better wait till we land" :)

Puppet

We are all puppets
with someone pulling the strings
strings we can see not, touch not
Just the tension we can feel

The string puller takes me left
when i want to go right
Cannot let go of the pull
Try as i might

The strings could save me
as i am about to fall
why o why! they let go
and let me tumble and all

I need the strings then
to pick me from the ditch
And start believing again
that my destiny maketh me...
No sir, There are no strings

Banjar

Going for a drive in the neat neighborhood. Crisp spring weather. A cd playing assorted list of songs. And i feel a strange connection to this one...Banjar..from Kabul Express

Banjar ret hai ....
Zameen banjar hai ...
Banjar aasmaan ...
Yeh ghar banjar hai ...

Beautiful spring bloom all around and the setting sun giving a lovely orange tinge to the white fluffy clouds.
And yet....

Is banjar sheher ke dil mein dundhu... mein gili mitti ka manjar

The crescent moon beginning to make its presence felt in the twillight sky, the wind carrying sweet smell of Spring.
And yet....

Banjar lamhaa hai
Waqt banjar hai
Banjar waqt si yeh raat banjar hai

Banjar raat! khwaab banjar
Chand taaron ka saath banjar hai

Is it the United states? Or the state of my mind? Or both?

Answer these..

Just like many parents of curious 4-yr olds, I have no answers to some questions. ..
Sample this-
"Jivanta" mhanje kay? (Whats the meaning of "Alive"?)

Really, what does it mean?
I can handle the "Why was I not invited to your wedding?" types. Not these.

Moving

Haven't been writing for some time, we still are with the homeschool regimen. Most days its about cleaning, sorting and more importantly, giving away. We will be moving soon, where and when yet to be decided.
Our little girl had to part with many toys. With the restrictions on luggage on all US airlines, we have to downsize. I was not sure how she would take it. Was worrying for no reason. She seemed to have caught up with our moving-spirit. I did explain to her that we cannot take all your stuff with us, we have to give away most. Some other kid will get to play with your toys.
She was absolutely fine with it. Except for her bright red toy kitchen platform. It was beautiful, with the range, oven, sink, faucet and a clock. She loved it. Hubby said to her, "Its too big for our suitcase, right? Let's give it away, some little girl might want it. She'll be so happy."
She did accept the idea. The trip to Goodwill store with the toys was smooth. She did not even look back. And now, never even mentions any of her toys. Wow, I was dreading all of this for no reason.
We still have her tricycle, few small toys, books and crayons. And now that its not very cold, we go out in the afternoon, me for a walk and she, on her tricycle. Wonderful with the spring landscape, the white/ pink all over.
See snaps ....fall, winter and spring :)

Height of laziness

I have called myself lazy in a few of my posts.
No More!!! Today, i give the honor to someone.
My own daughter.
Now i know why people call her a replica of me.

Today, she woke up and went straight to the TV, as usual.
She was hungry. I said, Brush first and I'll get your breakfast.
No Mom! I'll eat first and then brush...
Abslutely not, you can eat ONLY after you brush...

(We have this argument almost everyday
Keeps going back and forth until she gives up.)

After some time, when she got REALLY hungry, she said,
OK I'll brush, but I'll brush only the front teeth, not the ones at the back.....

True hallmark of a Genius!!! How did she come up with that??

Now you know why I am giving her the honor .. :)

homeschool update

We got around to it today.
The weather chart was updated, check pic :)




Did some assignments from the pre-school workbook. Sorting, counting, concepts:more/less, same different...etc. A counting assignment where there is a number on the left, color as many fishes as the number suggests. For reasons unknown, the kid colored all the fishes black. Controlled the urge to intercept. Was a COUNTING assignment anyway.

Did something unique. Asked her to be MY teacher. Need to practice writing with left hand anyway, wrote my alphabet with the left hand. She gave instructions on how to write each letter. Gave me a "Great Work" sticker when i was done :)

25 random things about myself

Not sure if i can manage 25, lets see

1. I loved Mumbai, hated Pune. Fell in love with Pune when we moved there and now very happy in California, don't want to leave.

2. I always hated saas-bahu serials. Never followed a single serial after dekh bhai dekh i guess.

3. I grew up thinking i was UGLY

4. I rebelled just for the sake of it during my teens. Many a times aware that parents/ teacher were right.

5 I once went to NBSA (New Bombay Sports association), to enquire about Tennis classes. 1992. Was inspired watching Steffi Graf. They charged 500Rs a month which i thought was insanely high. For the racquet, i told them I have the badminton one. I was dismissed and told that Tennis Racquet is different and expensive. Never went there again. Have been playing Tennis regularly after coming to US. Bhagwan ke ghar mein der hai andher nahin :)

6. I can never catch a lie/ fraud/ cheater. I believe everything everyone says. Very easy to cheat me.

7. I cannot make friends easily anymore. I'd rather hang out alone at the library or at home with the laptop.

8. I need 10 hours of sleep every night. I admire people who wake up early.

9. I wanted to be an astronaut when i was a kid. Was fascinated by astronomy.

10. I get a headache after watching a movie, in a theater. Esp if it has songs/ violence etc. The decibel level too high, cannot tolerate. Very often, while in the movie hall, i am looking for the remote control to reduce the volume, only to realise there's none.

11. During my college i always worried that my parents will marry me off to someone i did not like/ approve of. My kundali said, marriage age 19-21. Was really scared. Nothing of that sort happened of course :)

12. I hate Sarees. I am extremely uncomfortable in them. I have a snap of 6 yr old me. Made to wear a saree, clearly not happy at all.

13. I dreamt of inventing a machine where i write name of a movie on a piece of paper, insert it in a slit, and the machine plays the movie on a screen. Doesn't that sound like youtube? I did not invent youtube, of course... Just proves that crazy impossible thoughts of today can be realities in a few years.

14. I was a huge fan of Rahul Dravid. Wrote many letters to him (pre e-mail days). Have 2 thick scrapbooks filled with all about Dravid. I wish i can show him my collection some day.

15. I believe in god. But i don't fast, follow any rituals, perform pooja etc. And i feel guilty about it.

16. I have read Linda Goodman's sunsigns a thousand times probably.

17. I stay away from old marathi movies. Hech majha maher, Dhakti soon, chaukat raja type haunting movies. Would deeply affect me as a kid. Deliberately stayed away for years until the era of bindhaast, kaydyacha bola, Golmaal etc. Am back into the fold now :)

18. When i was 18, people used to ask me, aapke husband kya karte hain? Kitne bachhe hai? etc. When i am 80 they'll say, How come u r still alive???

19. I hated the rainy season, getting wet on the way to college, forgetting the Umbrella, salwar splashed with mud...Yuck. Summer i tolerated thanks to the mango season and maternal grandparents in Ratnagiri. Winter was my favourite season. Still is.

20. Cannot imagine living in Mumbai anymore.. the heat, pollution, traffic. I wonder how i spent 24 years of life in Mumbai

21. I am lazy. My house is never neat. But if someone is coming over, i can give the house a makeover in 15 min. In short, if someone's planning to drop by, i need a 15 min notice.

22. I did a correspondence course in journalism. Worked as a journalist in Twin City Times during a vacation. Salary 1500/ month. Was a lot of money for a first salary. Before finishing college.

23. We once travelled in a 33 seater plane from Nairobi to Kisumu, saw Lake Victoria from the sky. The origin of river Nile. Bugged hubby about how i helped a friend's sis with "Give reasons: Egypt is called a gift of river Nile", her teacher was very happy with her answer....that river Nile, originates from here... crazy!! Also visited Tsavo from "Ghost and the darkness". Unforgetable.

24. I have a wierd problem, have to visit the toilet before leaving home. Very often, after i am ready, have put on shoes, suddenly i realise ... gotta go...
Hubby gets really angry, psychological problem...

25. I cannot draw. I always got 36/100 in drawing beacause they could not give anyone less than passing marks. Inspite of it, i can make excellent mehendi.

I did come up with 25 random things...Wow. Nice little memories. wierd, crazy. Good for myself to read again.

Whats up with homeschool?

Have been planning a fresh start for the whole last week.
Does not look like its happening soon.
She starts her daycare next week. 3 days/ week. Will chalk up a plan for 2 days/ week. Thats all i can handle for the time being.

The kid made me proud today though.
While in the shower, heard her announce that she dropped a whole jug of water. Jeez. I calmly asked her to just put a towel on it and leave it for me to handle. Was really happy that i could stay calm, calming effect of the shower i guess. Its just water, won't stain (ouch!!) the carpet...Relax...self talk.
Decided to stay put and see what she comes up with.
5 min later, Knock knock...MOM!! I used some kleenex, soaked up as much water as i could, trashed it and then put the towel on it.

Bravo!!! Good job!! I had to say :) It was indeed a good job.
She got praised for the good recovery plan, and was not reprimanded for dropping water in the first place.

Btw, I later realised, she dropped a "cup" of water on the "table", not a jug of it on the carpet....how we imagine, hear and believe the worst. Thank God, i did not make a hue and cry about it, just let her handle the situation. huh!

Lesson for me:
1 Brush up the listening skills and tone down "Assuming" skills?
2 She is smart enough to find her way out, MOM doesn't need to step in. TRUST THE KID

At times I wonder who's homeschooling whom!!!!!!!!!!

My dear 16-year-old-me

Things i'd like to say to my 16 yr old self...........

-You are beautiful.....VERY BEAUTIFUL
-Miss talented/ beautiful/ popular is not going to have a better life than you
-Not having a boyfriend is OK, that doesn't make u any less beautiful
-Being fat is not a sin, its OK
-All the girls that wear trendier, smarter clothes are NOT smarter than you.
-You can wear what you like, people won't laugh. You can wear a jeans even if u don't have waist 28"
-Don't get so embarassed of the pimples, even they make u look beautiful
-Hanging out with smart-ass people is not necessary to get noticed around the campus.
-People are liars, don't believe everything everyone says
-you will have a nice husband and No! ur parents won't marry you off to a jerk at 18
-Wait for 10 years and then name your best friend from college life