House to Home

S and I recently came back from the US where we were for the last 6 and 4 years respectively. We landed in India and moved to namma Bengaluru after a short attend-weddings-at-home stint. S had come down to B'lore 2 weeks before N and I landed and zeroed in on a place to rent. I had no clue and no choice but to trust S' judgement and choice. And it did turn out to be great :)
The apartment we are currently in is a new construction ( I love that part) with beautiful mini-green-areas, well maintained lawns & colourful flowers. Oh yes there are walkways, a play area for the kiddies, swimming pool, lawn tennis and badminton courts, a clubhouse, gym and sauna among the other things thrown in by the builders to charm people.
We are in a rented place. And are swinging between the decision to buy vs not-buy in Bangalore. But that doesn't stop me from dreaming!!
:)
So I go around window shopping for all the stuff that would be in my dream house. If all that furniture and home decor found their way into my dream house it would resemble a storage place rather than home. Will update this space soon with all the stuff I would love to have some day.

Busy...

Life has been crazy busy with so much happening and its fun! 
An exhibition happened last weekend and one more is coming up this weekend. New friendships have been formed, family re-unions are waiting in the wings.
Oh and burger loving fans - there is the Legendary Burger Festival going on at Hard Rock Cafe! I am going to try that soon.

The holiday season is almost here and I can feel the carols in the air!

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N saw a huge christmas tree in Leela Palace and he has been asking for one ever since. He has also been singing "Jingle bhell Jingle bhell" and "Rudholf the redd nosed deindeer" much to our amusement.

Perfect!!

There are some days when everything goes just as planned. Today was one of those days - just perfect! :)
It was a foggy, grey winter morning today. The ones where you feel like being bundled up on the couch or day-bed near the window with a hot cuppa coffee - something like this -

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N was supposed to go to school early starting today. That would give me more time and flexibility to work. So off he was and I caught up on work - had the cup of coffee I was yearning for too. No lovely-by-the-window couch though :( 
Managed to finish some work and a lot of other stuff too! N came back - unperturbed by the extra 2 hours at school - he seemed happy rather. Had his lunch and dozed off to sleep.

I hope this lasts ... well even if it doesn't there are good days like today always.

BTW, I am looking forward to the OWC Christmas Bazaar on Sat, Dec 4th here in Bangalore.
Check out the Red River blog here for details.

A new beginning

Any new beginning is like a baby - you wait for it in anticipation, you love and treasure it, you give it all you have, you like to see it grow and prosper and you want the best for it always!
This is exactly how I feel about the RedRiver.
After a year long sabbatical from active work life I have joined the Red River in its goal to make lives better. It is a break away from my field - I was in IT earlier.
The Red River is a mission based organization with socio-economic goals. It was founded in June 2009 by a very dear friend - Kakoli Das. The Red River links weavers of the North Eastern India to sustainable markets, thereby increasing sustainable incomes.
We do home decor & lifestyle products, fashion accessories and corporate gifts.

To find out more about what we do check us out
on FB - http://www.facebook.com/TheRedRiver
or at our website - http://www.theredriver.in/
or at our blog - http://www.onthebankoftheredriver.blogspot.com/

Social skills!

Why do some people lack basic social skills?
And if they don't have any - why don't they watch and learn.

In my experience the following set of species are the most irritating -
1) The advisor - Shall I add that "unsolicited" precedes advisor? They are usually the unassuming kinds who seem very harmless but with one mighty lash of their tongue they could spoil your entire day. They can dispense expert advice (in their opinion) for anything and everything under the sun! From "why don't you give your child some honey for the cough?" - I just did that lady! to "You shouldn't wear that dress/shirt/top/whatever..." - Did I even ask your opinion. And no they just don't get that "look" you give them.

2) The Ms/Mr take-you-for-granted - These kinds think they can use you for anything and everything - without asking. This could include using your car to make a "quick" trip to the supermarket, borrowing your iron/hair dryer/mixer and not returning it till you go and ask for it after 10 days, or sending their kid over to play with yours every afternoon just when you are about to nap! Ouch!

3) The nosey parker - This species relishes any opportunity to head into your house and update their current affairs knowledge. They know who in the neighbourhood is planning to run off with whom, whose geyser is not working, whose maid steals and who went shopping. They are often found stuck to the keyhole on their main door!

4) The know-it-all - This species considers themselves the Encyclopedia Britannica's of the world. For everything you say they will have something more to add. They always want to have the last word. No one measures up to their strict criteria of "being-perfect" and "knowledgeable". They never lose the opportunity to show off their gathered expertise.

Talk to me

"Come. Sit. Talk to me. What's your plan today mamma?" - This is what N said to me while gazing into my eyes.
I was surprised, bemused, amazed and laughing out loud - all at the same time.

Apparently this was S's version of man-to-man conversation with N while mommy was out shopping.

N's bookshelf on papertigers blog

I had recently blogged about the "Around the world in 100 bookshelves" project at the papertigers blog.
N's bookshelf is featured on the papertigers blog - click here to see it!

A lovely lovely giveaway at P&P

GB of "Of peacocks and paisleys....." is having a fabulous giveaway. I have not won any giveaways yet but still love 'em!
CSN stores will give a $45 gift certificate (no strings attached!) to a Peacocks & Paisley reader. CSN carries a gamut of merchandise...from children's luggage to tealight holders.
Giveaway open to U.S./Canadian residents. Residents of other continents---You may still enter for a loved one in the U.S./Canada. The winner will be announced on December 1st, just in time for the holidays!

So go ahead and send your entries. 
Happy Monday - Didn't I just brighten your Monday? :)

Book fest, Ice gola, candy and guavas

So we finally managed to go to the famous Bangalore Book Fest - even though it was on the last day. Got some great deals and N was richer by a few books. So was I :)
What made me even more happy was that N went along and was such a darling. S wanted some time to himself which I agreed to after some initial reluctance. The reluctance majorly being due to the thought of N tagging around a 300 stall crowded book fest.
But N listened to me, agreed to sit in the stroller throughout and even held my hand when walking outside. I think the huge crowd played its role too in scaring N into being nice.
The good behaviour deserved a reward. So mom and son gorged on orange flavoured ice gola - yes all you "what-kind-of-water-did-the-gola-wala-use" ppl the ice/water looked pretty ok and we haven't fallen sick... yet. We also had candy. N loved seeing how the candy was made.
And some fresh ripe guavas from the rehri-wala were just the perfect thing on a slightly cold Bangalore evening.
It was a perfect day and book shopping is always fun! After all one can never have too many books.

Growing up N

2 weeks back - Everyday scene - S leaving for work, N clinging to his legs saying "Daaaddy no office daaaddy. Stay home. waaaa waaaaa" followed by a small amount of tears.

Now - S leaving for work, N watching a cartoon nonchalantly, says "Bye Daddy, Come back soon. Love u."  S looks at me with a bemused look. I smile :)

Choose one

So I take out 2 tops from my cupboard and am trying them out - looking at the mirror.
N walks in to the room, looks at me and says "Choose one Mamma of 2"

This definitely is after repeated statements of "you can choose one toy/shoe/tshirt out of these 2" from me and S.

What you give is what shall get!

N's bookshelf

Have you heard about the "Around the World in 100 bookshelves" project at the Papertigers blog? If not take a look at the link above. It is a great way to join the world through books!

This is N's section on our book shelf below - considering he is 2 years old we think this is a good beginning :) 
N loves books - thanks to a book lover mom. She is always on the look out for more books coz she gets bored of reading them over and over again.  
The dad doesn't touch books or reading material except the daily newspaper. But he does read out to N and makes up bedtime stories for him :)

Happy Diwali to everyone!

I wish everyone a very happy and safe Diwali!!

Glimpses from my Diwali :)

N & emotions

I came back home from a mini-shopping trip. N ran up to give me a hug.  He smiled and said "Mamma, N love Mamma". This was after I showed him the 2 new books I got for him - wonder if it was the books or sheer love for me.

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Me watching some tear jerker on the idiot box - I think it was Masterchef India (well I cry at anything remotely emotional) so stop laughing. N looking at me and the tv set (think spectator watching tennis ball to and fro). N tells S (who is in the room, yet, miles away reading the newspaper) "Daddy cooking aunty sad, mamma sad also".

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N was read the riot act by S one evening. N walks up to his room and sits on his chair both hands supporting the chin, face glum. I ask him "What happened baby?".
"Mamma N not talking Daddy. Daddy loud. N upset".

Wordless Wednesday

Now or later

Day before yesterday my mother-in-law's mother-in-law fell down and broke her hip. My grand mother-in-law (don't know if that's the right word for the relation) is almost 90 years old. She had to undergo surgery. It was a very risky surgery considering that anesthesia can be fatal at this age in some cases.
                                                   As a result my in-laws who were supposed to be visiting us for a month had to cut short their vacation and rush back home. My grand mother-in-law survived the surgery. But she will have to be on bed rest for about 3 months which sure isn't a pleasant thing for any age!
                                          This episode made me think about how short lived our plans are. We can go on making as many as we would like but life, destiny, time, God (or any other name you would like to give it) can change them anytime. Like in this case there were things that we had planned to do in the later half of the vacation - go out for a short trip, celebrate Diwali together - which we wouldn't be able to do now.
So does this mean we shouldn't make plans?
Or should we go ahead but be flexible when life throws a spanner into our plans?
Whatever the choice - this and many such incidents make my belief stronger that there is something called destiny!

Old vs New

Every new generation should learn to be more flexible with their ways, views and words.
Every old generation should let the young ones learn from their mistakes rather than trying to teach them everything.

By The Water Cooler - our love story

It was my first out-of-the-country-trip for work. I went on an assignment to Los Angeles for my now ex-employer. I was enjoying the whole experience of being independent, being overseas and doing the onsite-offshore work thing.
                                                                                It must have been a few weeks into my trip when I was working late one evening. One of my team leads walked into my cubicle with a sheaf of papers in hand. I didn't work with him directly - we were on separate projects.

He - "I want to talk to you about something".
Me - "Yes, tell me."
He - "Not here, lets go to a conference room."

I was slightly perplexed about why would he want to talk to me. Then I noticed the set of papers in his hand - they belonged to a project I had worked on a few weeks back when I just landed in LA. The launch hadn't gone all that well and there were a few bugs found post launch.
             My mind started working frantically - he was going to tell me to pull my socks up. I should have been more dilligent about my work instead of being so happy to be in the US of A. I followed him; my head bowed down, my heart pounding like a hammer, twidling my thumbs. As luck would have it the conference rooms were all booked so we walked past them one after the other. He said "Lets use the dining area." I went numb thinking "Oh shoot! Now I'll be reprimanded in front of everyone!"
                                                           Thankfully there was no one in the dining area at that hour. We sat down - me as far away from him as possible. I am sure anyone within 5 feet could hear my heart beating. He started speaking " Since the last 15 days...." and I wished I could hide somewhere. Ofcourse I had been having fun since the last 15 days - trips to malls, lunch at a new place everyday, weekend trips with friends, work was the last thing on my mind.
                          ".....I have been feeling very differently about you. I like you." Wait a minute!!! Whaat! This is not what he was supposed to say. I sat gaping at him. I couldn't utter a word for about a minute, seemed like ages that time. He continued on with what was his version of proposing to me :))
I was relieved at first that this wasn't about me not working properly et all. Then came in the happy-in-my-heart feeling!

What happened after that is another story altogether (and maybe another post) but eventually we are together now with a very active 2 year old! Even today when I think of that day I end up smiling.
Our love story started literally by the water cooler ;)

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This is my entry to Parul Sharma's "By The Water Cooler" contest.  Check out the link for a sneak peek into what her new book is all about!

N's 2nd birthday

Read my earlier post on N's birthday party invitations. To match the transport theme I ordered a customized cake from the Institute of Baking and Cake art Bangalore. They were so good, I loved their Customer service. In terms of taste the cake wasn't out of the world but the cake looked great and matched my theme!

The food was made by a lovely lady who caters to birthday parties, store openings and any such personal parties. She makes most of the stuff at home and it was gorgeous! Most of all the kids loved it.

We had jam tarts, mini veggie burgers, jelly cups in the theme colours of red, yellow and green, pinwheel cheese sandwiches and fresh potato chips from the hot chips guy with yummy tomato salsa dip and yoghurt and cheese dip.

 

For decorations we had red, yellow and green balloons and vehicle cut-outs hanging from the ceiling, car paper plates and paper napkins.

The return gifts were packed in brown stoplight paper bags - I cut red, yellow and green circles to represent traffic lights and stuck them on the plain brown paper bags. I put in tissue paper of the same colours to brighten up the bags.

Sweet treat & giveaway

Inspired by Smita from Little Food Junction I made this card for N's teachers at school.
They loved it and both of us had loads of fun making it :)



BTW, Smita is celebrating Hundred Thousand hits on her blog with a giveaway! 

Check out her amazing creations and try your luck at winning a very artistic prize.

N's 2nd Birthday invitations!

We started N's birthday festivities this year with giving out the invites.
After careful deliberation and re-doing the guest & venue lists multiple times we narrowed it down to a home birthday party and just a few kids & their mommies that N was familiar with. No point antagonizing a 2 year old with too many not-so-familiar-faces. 

We chose "transport" as a theme since N loves anything with wheels these days.
I wanted to make something at home for the invites and this is what I came up with.

A closer look



N loved helping with the whole process - his contribution being applying glue to the window and wheel cutouts.
More coming up on this....

Of holidays and celebrations

I have been away from the blogging world for a while and missed it!! Have a lot of catching up to do. For now lets attribute it to being busy in general, guests over at home and the holiday festivities.
I must have danced on stage after ages - ok, after college (which was ages ago or atleast it feels like that).



A bunch of us ladies from our apartment complex decided to do some dandiya during Navratri. It was fun - to get rid of inhibitions, to let go, to learn a new style of dancing and to socialise!

5 star health and heart

My version of 5 star health and heart - maintain a balanced diet.
Eat your greens regularly.
Healthy desserts are fine too - in this case a low fat choclate walnut cake!



Travel: Goa

We recently went on a vacation - it was our first after coming back to India. And Goa was just the perfect destination for that :)

We stayed in a resort called "Cidade de Goa" which means "City of Goa". Its situated in central Goa close to Panjim.
The location of the resort was great - close to the capital and not very far from the airport.

We entered the resort and were given the traditional Indian welcome - a kumkum tilak on the forehead. N was buzzing with excitement after the bus ride. The resort had beautiful life sized paintings on the walls from the Portugese era.

They had a beautiful spa inside the resort. Awesome massages slathered in rich oils and herbs. The spa looked so peaceful and serene.

Beautiful Mediterranean style interiors; spacious and just perfect for kids to run around and play.

I fell in love with their dessert collection in the lunch and dinner buffets. Don't they look so tempting? 



The resort had a nice kids room where N spent some time every day.



They had 3 restaurants all of which were themed differently.
Alfama - inspired by the bohemian town square in Lisbon. It had romantic balconies and alcoves with musicians serenading you during a candlelit dinner. They sang "You are my sunshine" at our table and N loved it!

Cafe Azul - had the charming ambience of an Italian cafe. It had an awesome view of the resort pool as well as the beach and the sea.

 Laranja was a global cuisine restaurant decorated in bright and fiery orange 

The resort had its private beach, so it was quiet and yet fun! 

Sightseeing was fun too - The Basilica of Bom Jesus or Basilica of Good Jesus is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  

I loved the feel of the ancient Fort Aguada.

Lovely vacation! I am already looking forward to another one :)

Help!!!

I am not able to upload pictures to my blog and this is so irritating.
All the posts are lined up but no pics. Don't know if this is a blogger glitch or my lappy.

Is any one else facing this issue? Any suggestions?

UPDATE - The issue was that my Picasa web album was almost full (~1 GB) so I had to delete a few old albums and then I was able to upload pictures. Thanks to Blogger blog for the solution.

Terrible Twos

"I swear I am not going to take N out with me after today!" This is what I was feeling at the supermarket today evening.
It was a crazy, embarrasing and feel-helpless kind of situation :(

N spotted a toy car that he wanted to touch and play with and then he refused to let go of it when we were ready to go home.

S & I haven't seen this side of him. Lately he has been throwing tantrums and showing resistance to our usual methods of distraction or discipline.

I felt so helpless. A friend's FB status came to mind - "At times I have to remind myself that I am the adult and I need to stay calm".
Finally we did shorten our trip and left the store. Once we were outside he was distracted by cars and buses and forgot about the toy.
Next time before we go out, I am going to talk to him about where we are going, what we shall be doing and what is allowed. Hopefully that shall help!

Have you ever faced such a situation with your little one(s)?

Any suggestions on handling the terrible twos?
:-|

Lessons in life

Children teach us so much by being themselves!

They don't judge a person.
They are willing to give you a 2nd chance, even a 3rd, 4th and a 5th one.
They form their own opinions and don't go by what people say.
They don't criticise you.
They trust you with all their heart.

I wish I could do some of these things as an adult.

My cozy corner

If there is one place where I spend the maximum time at home it is this corner in my living room -

I blog here, catch up with my friends & family online, watch TV, have my coffee, look out into the balcony and read a book!

We are still settling in this apartment and this corner keeps undergoing changes. This is how it looks like now .... till N doesn't take a fancy to the Buddha, the mini drums or the green palm!

I am sending this as an entry to Patricia's Cozy Corners September party!