Every single day, the Security personnel responsible for courier/ letter delivery comes to me atleast 4 times with his request for signing letters for people absent from their seat / travelling. I have repeatedly told him to come at 5.00 pm with the entire set of letters and I will sign them.
It is annoying when the entire day I am made to sign for letters that don't belong to me and secondly will not be opened by the addressee that day. I have been sweet, I have been rude but never yet had the heart to refuse to sign and turn the person away. He still does not get the hint. "Madam please, 1 signature, 2 minutes only." And this goes on for 4 times in a day.
Why can't anybody respect the other person's wishes to be left undisturbed.
Same goes for the odd job person in the complex who comes to me at all times and especially just before I am leaving for work to get signatures on bills. Inspite of being told that he has to come right after I reach home from office for such stuff.
Same for the maids who demand a RS 500/- advance right before I am going to office. I have passed a blanket rule that I will not pay any advance under any circumstances to the 2 maids. It is highly inconvenient to go to the ATM and get money to pay them advance every 10 days in such days of credit card dependence. All salary dispersal only at month end henceforth. A day after the rule is passed they demand for Rs 100 advance which I flatly & promptly refuse.
The Scorpios
Friday, September 28, 2007
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Chicken Out
Went to the newly opened Java Green at Indira Nagar. Was badly in need (check the word) of juicy chicken snack and a brownie after working all the day on a cake concept presentation.
The guy insisted that I take a sandwich but I settled for a chicken wrap, picturing many pieces of chicken inside.
The tray arrived, nicely browned wrap cut attractively into 2 clean pieces.
1st anticipatory bite- hmm, onions.
2nd- onions again
The 1st piece was over in no time and I thought since I was focused on the TV I did not register the taste of chicken.
I pried open the 2nd piece and chanced upon a teeny weeny piece of chicken which I quickly removed and put it in my mouth to satisfy the urge of having chicken. It simply vanished inside my mouth. A girl needs a chicken big and substantial.
The 2nd portion also suffered the same fate. Still no flavour of chicken.
The server asked me for a feedback. I asked him where is the chicken in my chicken wrap.
"I am so sorry madam, please try our sandwich"
After a few no's I relented. A sandwich was packed for me. Complementary.
The brownie was good, a little dry but since it was served warm, it made up for it.
I went home after an hour in the gym, eagerly waiting to sample the free sandwich, the aroma inside my car tantalising me.
I reached home and tore open the brown paper packaging the sandwich. To my immense disappointment, the sandwich had not been toasted as was the photographer's sandwich- a delicious looking sandwich he was photographing for the newspaper. He even called a customer to pose along with his coffee.
I gingerly opened the sandwich to view the promised feast of chicken inside the sandwich. I could count some 5 or 6 teeny weeny pieces in a bed of coriander chutney, mayo and onions.
Conclusion & resolution- Never, visit Java Green
The guy insisted that I take a sandwich but I settled for a chicken wrap, picturing many pieces of chicken inside.
The tray arrived, nicely browned wrap cut attractively into 2 clean pieces.
1st anticipatory bite- hmm, onions.
2nd- onions again
The 1st piece was over in no time and I thought since I was focused on the TV I did not register the taste of chicken.
I pried open the 2nd piece and chanced upon a teeny weeny piece of chicken which I quickly removed and put it in my mouth to satisfy the urge of having chicken. It simply vanished inside my mouth. A girl needs a chicken big and substantial.
The 2nd portion also suffered the same fate. Still no flavour of chicken.
The server asked me for a feedback. I asked him where is the chicken in my chicken wrap.
"I am so sorry madam, please try our sandwich"
After a few no's I relented. A sandwich was packed for me. Complementary.
The brownie was good, a little dry but since it was served warm, it made up for it.
I went home after an hour in the gym, eagerly waiting to sample the free sandwich, the aroma inside my car tantalising me.
I reached home and tore open the brown paper packaging the sandwich. To my immense disappointment, the sandwich had not been toasted as was the photographer's sandwich- a delicious looking sandwich he was photographing for the newspaper. He even called a customer to pose along with his coffee.
I gingerly opened the sandwich to view the promised feast of chicken inside the sandwich. I could count some 5 or 6 teeny weeny pieces in a bed of coriander chutney, mayo and onions.
Conclusion & resolution- Never, visit Java Green
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Wedding Invitation
More often than not, on recieving a wedding invite, after a few polite questions, people start recalling details about their own wedding, something that may happened anytime between recent or few decades ago.
It happened when I gave my invitation to my colleuges, relatives, grandparents, bosses... you name it and they were all recalling their wedding. Whenever there was talk of the arrangements for the wedding, people used to discuss what happened in theirs, the clothes they wore and the gifts they received.
A gang of us went to greet the new bride in the neighbourhood. We asked about photographs- out of politeness. There it came out, a preserved, 25 year old album of the parents wedding because the son's wedding album had not yet come!
It happened when I gave my invitation to my colleuges, relatives, grandparents, bosses... you name it and they were all recalling their wedding. Whenever there was talk of the arrangements for the wedding, people used to discuss what happened in theirs, the clothes they wore and the gifts they received.
A gang of us went to greet the new bride in the neighbourhood. We asked about photographs- out of politeness. There it came out, a preserved, 25 year old album of the parents wedding because the son's wedding album had not yet come!
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Alma Mater
Out of the 6 institutions I have been attached to (marriage excluded), I am emotionally attached to 3 as yet- my school, my MBA college and my first job.
This weekend, I had a chance to visit my MBA college (Pondicherry) for alumni interview. It was quite disheartening to see the poor turnout and more so apart from my husband and another friend, there were none from my class. It was heartening to see us treated as VIPs, we being among the seniormost people present and my husband being the CEO of our new company! Surprisingly we did not feel as ancient as I thought I would. Relived memories, interacted with teachers and bossed over and gave gyaan to the current batch.
A special request from teachers and the current batch was to come and deliver guest lectures to make the students aware of corporate world.
I am tempted to oblige. May be if time permits, I should try my hand at training workshops. The combined benefits would be- giving back to my alma mater who made me what I am today, self satisfaction and venturing into a new arena.
This weekend, I had a chance to visit my MBA college (Pondicherry) for alumni interview. It was quite disheartening to see the poor turnout and more so apart from my husband and another friend, there were none from my class. It was heartening to see us treated as VIPs, we being among the seniormost people present and my husband being the CEO of our new company! Surprisingly we did not feel as ancient as I thought I would. Relived memories, interacted with teachers and bossed over and gave gyaan to the current batch.
A special request from teachers and the current batch was to come and deliver guest lectures to make the students aware of corporate world.
I am tempted to oblige. May be if time permits, I should try my hand at training workshops. The combined benefits would be- giving back to my alma mater who made me what I am today, self satisfaction and venturing into a new arena.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Enquiry Service Anyone
Me- Can you please give me the number of HSBC office?
Enquiry- Madam do you want a loan?
Me- No, please give me the number
Enquiry- Madam, please give me your mobile/ e mail and I will send you an instant sms/ e mail
Me- I would prefer having the number right now (knowing fully well she will sms me the call centre number)
Enquiry- Madam an instant sms has been sent to your mobile, do you want the number of other banks who will give loans.
Me - I dont want a loan
Enquiry- Why mam? (what the f*&k)
Me-Can you please let me know the number, I am in a rush
Enquiry rattles of 3 numbers
Me- dial the first number- turns out to be the call centre number stored un my mobile. Dial the 2nd number, gritting teeth, Is this HSBC Bank?
2nd Number- Did you get this number from Enquiry
Me- Yes
2nd Number- What is the number you asked from enquiry
Frustrated Me- Are you HSBC bank or not
2nd number- no
Me slam the phone down.
Enquiry- Madam do you want a loan?
Me- No, please give me the number
Enquiry- Madam, please give me your mobile/ e mail and I will send you an instant sms/ e mail
Me- I would prefer having the number right now (knowing fully well she will sms me the call centre number)
Enquiry- Madam an instant sms has been sent to your mobile, do you want the number of other banks who will give loans.
Me - I dont want a loan
Enquiry- Why mam? (what the f*&k)
Me-Can you please let me know the number, I am in a rush
Enquiry rattles of 3 numbers
Me- dial the first number- turns out to be the call centre number stored un my mobile. Dial the 2nd number, gritting teeth, Is this HSBC Bank?
2nd Number- Did you get this number from Enquiry
Me- Yes
2nd Number- What is the number you asked from enquiry
Frustrated Me- Are you HSBC bank or not
2nd number- no
Me slam the phone down.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Caught in the Act
Spotted
Ojas & subsequently Tejas covering a potato on the floor with a piece of paper and then lifting the potato via the paper... this act happens to be similar to what we do when there is a blob of shit on the floor.
Bite your Tongue
They clap and laugh and repeat "Oh Shit" after me. They are progressing really fast on their education. 2 weeks ago they learnt "stupid".
Privacy?? What's That?
If there is someone listening by my bedroom window, they will know when I am changing- both gleefully and intelligently point and say -Duddu. Come to think of it, they even point at themselves and say the same thing.
Hold me Not, Touch me Not
Dadda cannot even lay a finger on me. Ojas hits him for doing that.
Survival Instinct
When there is a fight, each one wants to be the last one to have struck the blow...how do they know that the one who get's the last word is the winner?
Ojas & subsequently Tejas covering a potato on the floor with a piece of paper and then lifting the potato via the paper... this act happens to be similar to what we do when there is a blob of shit on the floor.
Bite your Tongue
They clap and laugh and repeat "Oh Shit" after me. They are progressing really fast on their education. 2 weeks ago they learnt "stupid".
Privacy?? What's That?
If there is someone listening by my bedroom window, they will know when I am changing- both gleefully and intelligently point and say -Duddu. Come to think of it, they even point at themselves and say the same thing.
Hold me Not, Touch me Not
Dadda cannot even lay a finger on me. Ojas hits him for doing that.
Survival Instinct
When there is a fight, each one wants to be the last one to have struck the blow...how do they know that the one who get's the last word is the winner?
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Words are Concepts
My teacher used to say- "Mind the words you use... Words are Concepts."
Profound.
At that time, perhaps we did not fathom the world of meaning in those three words.
My ex-CEO used to say, "getting that right word is important." He used to not rest until he found the right word to convey the point he was trying to make for his aticle in the magazine.
Each word conveys the import of the point one is trying to make. It conjures a mental landscape of events for the listener or the reader and substitutes for the actual experience of the event. The right set of words have the power to add life, drama and excitement to an otherwise dull description of events.
Most good story tellers have a larger linguistic map to convey their thoughts apart from a knack of spinning a tale.
Words have the power to communicate emotions, cause misunderstandings and most essentially, act as pointers or definitions to an object.
New words are born in our mindscape when we come across them in print or in speech, but only when we use them in our speech or written word, we give a life to them.
Another ex-boss would say- your communication should flow like a story, whether it is a simple e-mail or a presentation. Half the job is done if the first level of communication is correctly done. The continuity, the thought process and the assumptions all need to be taken care of while making your case.
For my part, often I find myself groping for the right word to convey my thoughts. The impact of what I am trying to convey is most of the time better when I select the correct word. I even take back my statement and replace it with the new word saying "that is the apt word." Don't feel good until I do that.
Profound.
At that time, perhaps we did not fathom the world of meaning in those three words.
My ex-CEO used to say, "getting that right word is important." He used to not rest until he found the right word to convey the point he was trying to make for his aticle in the magazine.
Each word conveys the import of the point one is trying to make. It conjures a mental landscape of events for the listener or the reader and substitutes for the actual experience of the event. The right set of words have the power to add life, drama and excitement to an otherwise dull description of events.
Most good story tellers have a larger linguistic map to convey their thoughts apart from a knack of spinning a tale.
Words have the power to communicate emotions, cause misunderstandings and most essentially, act as pointers or definitions to an object.
New words are born in our mindscape when we come across them in print or in speech, but only when we use them in our speech or written word, we give a life to them.
Another ex-boss would say- your communication should flow like a story, whether it is a simple e-mail or a presentation. Half the job is done if the first level of communication is correctly done. The continuity, the thought process and the assumptions all need to be taken care of while making your case.
For my part, often I find myself groping for the right word to convey my thoughts. The impact of what I am trying to convey is most of the time better when I select the correct word. I even take back my statement and replace it with the new word saying "that is the apt word." Don't feel good until I do that.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
1, 2, and counting
It was 00.45 hours in the Itchy household. All was silent. The 4 members of the household had just gone to bed and only Tejas was fast asleep. At exactly 00.47 hours, a tiny voice rang out loud and clear...
one, two, thee, fou, fie, tick, seben, nie, eight (or ten whichever)... aaaa, clap clap clap sounds....
The parents sat up straight in their respective sleeping areas, watching Ojas with gaping mouth and slowly broke into goofy grins mirrored in each others face. And as if this was not enough, an encore was given.
Thanks baby, for making us proud last night!
Other Updates
1. They can sing- chidiya chidiya uusshti jaaye (Tejas) & chidiya chidiya oo ta ta (Ojas)
2. They love the picture books and flash cards given by their Mami's (mamis always pamper right!!, mine).
I am listing what they know for my reference...They know watch (oatch), butterfly (butter-pie), fish (phisssh- bihari), bird (chiiya), cat (cat kaate maaauu), spoon (moon), knife (choodi), fork (kaata), juice, water (paani), bowl, bed (sleep on the book), caterpillar (pillu..with index finger wriggling), potato, onion (aaloo, piyaaj- and promptly potatoes, onion, garlic mistaken as onion is piled in the living room), toothbrush (mime brushing teeth), teddy, truck, wheel (chakka), cycle (kaikil), apple (aappu).
3. They often fight- each one will hit the other and want to be the one to give the last hit. Ojas pulls tejas' hair and if I pull Ojas' hair to show him how it feels, he pulls Tejas hair back, not mine.
4. They like to ask me to draw stuff for them.
5. They are planning to discipline all of us. When we watch TV, they start crying- cartooo. When hubby watches the match, I try to remind them that they would like to see cartoo..
6. They insist on eating the full apple, not cut slices.
7. Yesterday Tejas ate a piece of green chilly from my plate and was extremely annoyed with the sensation. He had lots of jam to counter the pungency.
one, two, thee, fou, fie, tick, seben, nie, eight (or ten whichever)... aaaa, clap clap clap sounds....
The parents sat up straight in their respective sleeping areas, watching Ojas with gaping mouth and slowly broke into goofy grins mirrored in each others face. And as if this was not enough, an encore was given.
Thanks baby, for making us proud last night!
Other Updates
1. They can sing- chidiya chidiya uusshti jaaye (Tejas) & chidiya chidiya oo ta ta (Ojas)
2. They love the picture books and flash cards given by their Mami's (mamis always pamper right!!, mine).
I am listing what they know for my reference...They know watch (oatch), butterfly (butter-pie), fish (phisssh- bihari), bird (chiiya), cat (cat kaate maaauu), spoon (moon), knife (choodi), fork (kaata), juice, water (paani), bowl, bed (sleep on the book), caterpillar (pillu..with index finger wriggling), potato, onion (aaloo, piyaaj- and promptly potatoes, onion, garlic mistaken as onion is piled in the living room), toothbrush (mime brushing teeth), teddy, truck, wheel (chakka), cycle (kaikil), apple (aappu).
3. They often fight- each one will hit the other and want to be the one to give the last hit. Ojas pulls tejas' hair and if I pull Ojas' hair to show him how it feels, he pulls Tejas hair back, not mine.
4. They like to ask me to draw stuff for them.
5. They are planning to discipline all of us. When we watch TV, they start crying- cartooo. When hubby watches the match, I try to remind them that they would like to see cartoo..
6. They insist on eating the full apple, not cut slices.
7. Yesterday Tejas ate a piece of green chilly from my plate and was extremely annoyed with the sensation. He had lots of jam to counter the pungency.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Tagged- Knack for Nicks?
That I don’t…
Still mentioning all the nicks we use, as per K’s Mom’s tag
1. Abbreviations- Eeshuu for Eshan & Aary for Aryamman, Teju for Tejas & Oju for Ojas
2. Horrible yet Typical nomenclature- Badku – Chutku further changed to Bakku- Chuttu/ Chukku and Badkan- Chutkan..all meaning elder and younger… I hate doing this yet I did it.
3. Luddan – Guddan- given by Nani
4. Sona/ Sonu, Goji berry, Gugu- given by Mamma
5. Chugga, Chidiya, Kitten, Billi ka bachcha
I think they call each other Chikaa, have often heard Ojas call Tejas by that name
Tejas calls Ojas Amaaaan (Ayamman) and Ojas calls Tejas Chuttu/ Eshuu
Still mentioning all the nicks we use, as per K’s Mom’s tag
1. Abbreviations- Eeshuu for Eshan & Aary for Aryamman, Teju for Tejas & Oju for Ojas
2. Horrible yet Typical nomenclature- Badku – Chutku further changed to Bakku- Chuttu/ Chukku and Badkan- Chutkan..all meaning elder and younger… I hate doing this yet I did it.
3. Luddan – Guddan- given by Nani
4. Sona/ Sonu, Goji berry, Gugu- given by Mamma
5. Chugga, Chidiya, Kitten, Billi ka bachcha
I think they call each other Chikaa, have often heard Ojas call Tejas by that name
Tejas calls Ojas Amaaaan (Ayamman) and Ojas calls Tejas Chuttu/ Eshuu
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
How did they align themselves so fairly?
One looks like Mom the other like Dad
One is Mamma’s boy the other is Dadda’s boy
One likes roti the other prefers dosa
One picks up Hindi and the other selects Tamil
One prefers Nani/ Mausi and the other Patti
One will wait until Mom comes out of the house the other will happily follow the Dad to the car
-----------------------------------------------------------
I don’t know whether this means anything but while taking a walk, when I give my index finger to Tejas, he clutches to it tightly, whereas Ojas does not. He gives his hand to me and allows me to hold on to his wrist.
One is Mamma’s boy the other is Dadda’s boy
One likes roti the other prefers dosa
One picks up Hindi and the other selects Tamil
One prefers Nani/ Mausi and the other Patti
One will wait until Mom comes out of the house the other will happily follow the Dad to the car
-----------------------------------------------------------
I don’t know whether this means anything but while taking a walk, when I give my index finger to Tejas, he clutches to it tightly, whereas Ojas does not. He gives his hand to me and allows me to hold on to his wrist.
Monday, September 10, 2007
To The Grand Old Folks!
Yesterday was Grandparents’ day. So this one is to record about them ….
I have always and still do, associate grandparents with vacation, good food, plenty of mangoes and litchi, gifts, gossip sessions and surprise in their cupboard. Perhaps because most of the summer vacations and some of the winter ones too were spent lazing around in my grandparents’ homes- both paternal and maternal. In fact even when I was carrying, and was slogging in office, struggling with house work and disliking all food in general, I had vivid images and almost made plans to go off to my native place and relax and get fed by my aunt there. The high risk situation and the need to stay close to the doctor prevented me from taking off!
Every summer the bunch of cousins used to camp at grandparents’ place – the prime activities that I remember were competing with each other in terms of number of mangoes eaten or the degree of cleaning up the mango seed of all flesh & fibre, or completely turning the living room upside down by converting the sofa backs/ cushions into make believe houses or aircraft, swinging on the large swing placed in the aangan, sampling pickles, visit the local supposedly hi fi club, watching unlimited movies and TV… seems to be very drab stuff as per today’s standards but still, I can’t imagine a phase more exciting than that.
I must say, no kid should be deprived of the most important benefit of grandparents- gifts! I may see a little shallow and material but then who does not like getting gifts? And gifts reflect and speak out the thought behind the giver. And kids love this materialistic expression. I don’t remember of any occasion that my mom’s mom has omitted gifting me with anything…till date. My Mom’s Papa’s gifts have been his largesse in terms of flight tickets, share of cash received from ancestral property etc.
My grandma taught me Maths problems whenever she visited us and also ised to tell me some great bed time stories. Grandfather used to take us out for drives, wonder how he was not annoyed by the bunch of us troubling him!
My paternal grandparents were not great In-laws to Mom but we did receive our share of affection from them. My memories of my Grandfather were of those compulsory boxes of Nutrine toffees he used to get us, the competition between him and us siblings for being the first one to read the new magazine, and the Rs 100 that he used to give me when I used to go back to the hostel. My Grandma was a little too obvious in her liking for the male progeny but as time goes, I don’t seem to feel hurt about it. After all, my own brother was included in her fold of favouring the boys. I remember the tiny paper clothes we used to make in the lazy afternoons on the terrace along with her and the various cock & bull tales she used to concoct for our benefit.
The tribute would be incomplete without writing about the grandparents from Ojas’ & Tejas’ point of view.
Without the grandmoms, Mom would have been clueless on how to handle them. In sickness or in health! These grandmothers nurtured them before birth by feeding the mom what was good for them and what the mom liked best during that phase. Even making clothes to adequately accommodate the big home they were living in. Once they were born, they took care of all the little needs like bathing, washing the poop, stitching clothes, making food, making them sleep, the mom was busy being mother dairy, rest of it was taken care of.
The Mom has been able to go about the task of bringing her share of bread & butter and paying for the loans while the Grandmoms took care of the kids at home. If not for them, the family’s net worth would have considerably reduced.
The grandpas took care of the outings morning and evening. The compulsory exposure to the sun and oxygen at the right time and the walk/ pram rounds in the evenings were taken care of. While the grandmas ensured that Ojas & Tejas were dressed to kill during their evening walks… so much so that the Mom feared she would herself cast the evil eye on them.
Mom has learnt patience from grandparents who inspite of being bone tired never raise and angry voice at the kids. The grandparents are there to take over whenever Mom & Dad would like to go for shopping or a movie or dinner for two. Most of the toys/ equipments/ clothes have been grandparents’ contribution – both birthday and unbirthday presents- (as put in Alice in Wonderland).
I have always and still do, associate grandparents with vacation, good food, plenty of mangoes and litchi, gifts, gossip sessions and surprise in their cupboard. Perhaps because most of the summer vacations and some of the winter ones too were spent lazing around in my grandparents’ homes- both paternal and maternal. In fact even when I was carrying, and was slogging in office, struggling with house work and disliking all food in general, I had vivid images and almost made plans to go off to my native place and relax and get fed by my aunt there. The high risk situation and the need to stay close to the doctor prevented me from taking off!
Every summer the bunch of cousins used to camp at grandparents’ place – the prime activities that I remember were competing with each other in terms of number of mangoes eaten or the degree of cleaning up the mango seed of all flesh & fibre, or completely turning the living room upside down by converting the sofa backs/ cushions into make believe houses or aircraft, swinging on the large swing placed in the aangan, sampling pickles, visit the local supposedly hi fi club, watching unlimited movies and TV… seems to be very drab stuff as per today’s standards but still, I can’t imagine a phase more exciting than that.
I must say, no kid should be deprived of the most important benefit of grandparents- gifts! I may see a little shallow and material but then who does not like getting gifts? And gifts reflect and speak out the thought behind the giver. And kids love this materialistic expression. I don’t remember of any occasion that my mom’s mom has omitted gifting me with anything…till date. My Mom’s Papa’s gifts have been his largesse in terms of flight tickets, share of cash received from ancestral property etc.
My grandma taught me Maths problems whenever she visited us and also ised to tell me some great bed time stories. Grandfather used to take us out for drives, wonder how he was not annoyed by the bunch of us troubling him!
My paternal grandparents were not great In-laws to Mom but we did receive our share of affection from them. My memories of my Grandfather were of those compulsory boxes of Nutrine toffees he used to get us, the competition between him and us siblings for being the first one to read the new magazine, and the Rs 100 that he used to give me when I used to go back to the hostel. My Grandma was a little too obvious in her liking for the male progeny but as time goes, I don’t seem to feel hurt about it. After all, my own brother was included in her fold of favouring the boys. I remember the tiny paper clothes we used to make in the lazy afternoons on the terrace along with her and the various cock & bull tales she used to concoct for our benefit.
The tribute would be incomplete without writing about the grandparents from Ojas’ & Tejas’ point of view.
Without the grandmoms, Mom would have been clueless on how to handle them. In sickness or in health! These grandmothers nurtured them before birth by feeding the mom what was good for them and what the mom liked best during that phase. Even making clothes to adequately accommodate the big home they were living in. Once they were born, they took care of all the little needs like bathing, washing the poop, stitching clothes, making food, making them sleep, the mom was busy being mother dairy, rest of it was taken care of.
The Mom has been able to go about the task of bringing her share of bread & butter and paying for the loans while the Grandmoms took care of the kids at home. If not for them, the family’s net worth would have considerably reduced.
The grandpas took care of the outings morning and evening. The compulsory exposure to the sun and oxygen at the right time and the walk/ pram rounds in the evenings were taken care of. While the grandmas ensured that Ojas & Tejas were dressed to kill during their evening walks… so much so that the Mom feared she would herself cast the evil eye on them.
Mom has learnt patience from grandparents who inspite of being bone tired never raise and angry voice at the kids. The grandparents are there to take over whenever Mom & Dad would like to go for shopping or a movie or dinner for two. Most of the toys/ equipments/ clothes have been grandparents’ contribution – both birthday and unbirthday presents- (as put in Alice in Wonderland).
Both kids had the good fortune of being fed their first solid food by my grandparents, their great grandparents. Also, their first birthday cakes were cut in turn via their grandmas and grandpas...something we insisted, as a tribute to the grandparents and to honour their bonding with the kids.
The kids love the patient on the phone conversation and songs from the grandmoms and the now expected popcorn/ chocolate from Grandfather. A bundle of fun, gifts, indulgence is all grandparents are about!!!
Friday, September 07, 2007
The Legacy of My Blog
A year ago I was contemplating about updating the baby books for Ojas & Tejas. I religiously uploaded their pictures on Kodak Gallery and created monthly albums. Soon I came across blogging and with time my blog became a medium to update my family about the kids. It serves the purpose of recording every milestone or event or life stage connected with my kids and thereon I visualize it as a record book for not only my kids but also my family and the extended family. I have archived funny incidents to look up at posteriety and important events for the reference.
Well, why do this? Not only I but many in our blogging community will leave it as a gift for their kids... for the kids to understand the person we were at our hey days and the joys and otherwise of bringing them up. We wish to leave behind this legacy for our progeny and hope to live forever on the wide web of the internet. We immortalize each and every event connected to us, the kids, the family. We speak out our opinions and mature in front of all in our views, our style of writing and collective opinion. Our blog posts map our state of mind and the simple pleasures or vivid displeasures we have experienced.
In perspective, we are talking of gifting our kids their life story and the gift will be perhaps truly understood and appreciated some 20 years down the line. A long time, a long journey...
A person who gives a gift loves to see the look and anticipation in the eyes of the receiver and then the appreciation of it all. We are talking of a 2 decade wait to see and experience this simple pleasure of gifting.
That leaves me with another thought. Will I be able to continue full throttle with this gifting process until and much after the gift is handed over? Or will I leave gaps and unanswered questions? Will I lose steam mid way... we are talking of a lifelong commitment to blogging if we wish to leave behind a true record...Aren't we?
Well, why do this? Not only I but many in our blogging community will leave it as a gift for their kids... for the kids to understand the person we were at our hey days and the joys and otherwise of bringing them up. We wish to leave behind this legacy for our progeny and hope to live forever on the wide web of the internet. We immortalize each and every event connected to us, the kids, the family. We speak out our opinions and mature in front of all in our views, our style of writing and collective opinion. Our blog posts map our state of mind and the simple pleasures or vivid displeasures we have experienced.
In perspective, we are talking of gifting our kids their life story and the gift will be perhaps truly understood and appreciated some 20 years down the line. A long time, a long journey...
A person who gives a gift loves to see the look and anticipation in the eyes of the receiver and then the appreciation of it all. We are talking of a 2 decade wait to see and experience this simple pleasure of gifting.
That leaves me with another thought. Will I be able to continue full throttle with this gifting process until and much after the gift is handed over? Or will I leave gaps and unanswered questions? Will I lose steam mid way... we are talking of a lifelong commitment to blogging if we wish to leave behind a true record...Aren't we?
Monday, September 03, 2007
Rakshabandhan
After atleast 2 years we sisters tied Rakhi to little brother who ensured his presence. This time more so because one never know whether he will be able to take leave from his new job next year.
Sis tied rakhi for Ojas & Tejas in the evening. Since last year we have started this concept of Rakhi being a concept of Raksha (protection) which anyone can tie to any one. Not just sister to brother. After a good amount of struggle the rakhi was tied and summarily plucked off to bits.
Tejas discovered Gulabjamun- among the array of bite size gulabjamuns and rasgullas he picked up gulabjamun- just like his Mom – the last food that she had eaten before delivery was gulabjamun. Tejas roamed around the whole house clutching the tiny piece of sweet and nibbling at it from time to time. He made the mistake of leaving it in his bowl for a few minutes and the Dad popped it in his mouth. Tejas spent a long time screaming and nobody understood why until he pointed at the fridge. Mummy thought he wanted water but he rebelled at the sight of the bottle. Finally it hit and the sweet box was opened for him to make a selection.
Sis tied rakhi for Ojas & Tejas in the evening. Since last year we have started this concept of Rakhi being a concept of Raksha (protection) which anyone can tie to any one. Not just sister to brother. After a good amount of struggle the rakhi was tied and summarily plucked off to bits.
Tejas discovered Gulabjamun- among the array of bite size gulabjamuns and rasgullas he picked up gulabjamun- just like his Mom – the last food that she had eaten before delivery was gulabjamun. Tejas roamed around the whole house clutching the tiny piece of sweet and nibbling at it from time to time. He made the mistake of leaving it in his bowl for a few minutes and the Dad popped it in his mouth. Tejas spent a long time screaming and nobody understood why until he pointed at the fridge. Mummy thought he wanted water but he rebelled at the sight of the bottle. Finally it hit and the sweet box was opened for him to make a selection.
Other Updates
After a week long separation, the reception I received was not extremely joyous, to my shock. They simply stared at me blankly and turned away (probably they were sleepy). It took some time for them to recover and get back to usual.
They loved the flash cards that cousins' wifes gave in Gurgaon. They have caught up really fast and have a few favourites - teddy bear, watch, glasses, lion, fish, ball, boy/ girl (they even point out the shoes / eyes in them. Every evening when I come back home, they take me to the book case and say "cards".
MIL has given them the watches and sunglasses that you get free with Boost. They love it. Yesterday morning Ojas was wearing the watch ....only the watch!! By evening, he was wearing one watch on each wrist! Tejas loves to remove the watch out of the strap and tell me "tooti". (broken)
They, especially Ojas bang their head against something hard- wall/ cupboard/ chair edge if they are upset. Kind of inflict pain to self and then cry heartily for it. Whenever they do it, I take them to the bean bag and bang their head on it multiple times in quick succession- in a real irritating manner until they get really rattled! Now whenever Ojas makes for the wall, I quickly tell him to go to the bean bag- he shakes his head in no. To some extent it has stopped him from banging his head at every excuse. But he does it sometimes on the bean bag to amuse me.
I was chasing Ojas. Tejas came in front of me and pointed at himself and ran away- meaning chase me also!
They hold the window grill and clamber on the wall. - esp Ojas. He has a knack for climbing up things and even flat structures like wall, A/C cover, child gate..wonder why.
Hubby was calling Ojas. Tejas gave him a push from behind and said - go. He said the same thing when Ojas tried to sit next to him on the bean bag.
I gave them onion and tomato salad. Tejas had a large slice of tomato. I saw him attempting to cut the tomato into smaller piece before putting it into his mouth.
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