Piano Grade 1 and Azhagiye!

So, the Cheeky Monkey had her Piano Grade 1 exams last week. She is the youngest in her group by a year. While the other boys and girls were getting tensed about what would be asked and if they would get through the exam without making any mistakes, she lost sleep wondering what if the examiner turned out to be a ghost or a kidnapper!

The day of the exam dawned. She had her 3 pieces pat down and played so well that some guests who came the week before were mighty impressed. However, the exam also had some sight reading and aural questions and I kept asking her to practice atleast once before she went into the exam at 10.45.

Stubborn as she is, she simply refused and excused herself to the restroom and stayed there till the last minute. She then went in for her exam, sat in the wrong piano that did not have her track in it -despite clear instructions from her teacher to sit in a Black piano ( she went straight to the pretty silver one!) came out, called all of us in to complain - and once we made her sit in the right piano and trooped out - I sat outside with my heart in my mouth.

She traipses out post the exam and says confidently ' Amma, I think I would get a high merit - not a distinction though - I may have made some mistakes in the aural repeats. By the way, the examiner sounds really posh! :) ' . Well, let's see when the results come, I thought and we went our way for Mehendi and back to back Diwali parties. Given that her half term holidays had started that day, we could afford to relax from all the tension of practising for the exam the previous week.

The results were announced and guess what - exactly like she said - she scored near perfect marks for her pieces, but due to the aural questions, she received 84 - a high merit - when 87 meant a distinction!

I was a bit disappointed and asked her ' See what happens when you are careless, you missed distinction by a mere 3 marks. You need to aim higher kannamma!'. And the wise old one trapped in my cheeky monkey goes ' Azhagiye! Azhagiye! ( a song from a maniratnam movie that we all went to , that means ' Oh my beautiful') calm down amma, you need to be happy with what you have! I am very happy and proud, ok?'

Well, I guess I may not have a concert pianist in my house but I certainly seem to have a cheeky monkey that is determined to be happy to be herself despite her annoyingly critical mum! Given that the critical mum is also one that easily melts for her cheeky monkey, this mum is fondly proud of this fantastic attitude from her young one that is so astonishingly different from her own!

Love you vaalu kutty!

Summer 2017 - Part 4

The next day my LASEK was scheduled. The first 3 days were much, much more painful that I had imagined, The main culprit was the protective lens in my right eye that felt like a thousand glass pieces with their sharp ends up the bottom of my upper eyelid. Today is day 8 and still my right eye does not feel completely pain free. The left eye on the other hand just felt like a single eyelash was stuck inside! Strange that!

The CM was of great and kind help when I could not open my eyes for the first 3 days. On day 4, the lenses were removed to my great relief and while I was still sensitive to light I atleast was not in so much pain.

On day 5, my energy was back but I was not allowed/could not browse, read the kindle or watch Tele. So, I was restless from the morning.

Post the CM's piano class, I had an epiphany and asked an extremely reluctant K to check if Harry Potter studio tickets were available. Poor K had other plans for the day but could not refuse to check. Earlier in the holidays when I had checked them for the CM , no slot was available throughout the holidays.

Suddenly a 5 pm slot came free. After some 'not-so-gentle', whiny persuasion, ( K never could resist my wily charms! :)) poor K gave up and booked the tickets. We quickly packe dup and left for the 1.5 hour dirve. We first visited the Bhakti Vedanta ISCKON temple, where the CM fed the cows at the goshala. We then went to the HP studio. I was more excited than the CM and we both happily checked out the Cupboard under the stairs, the Great hall, the boy's dormitory and my favourite, Dumbledore's room and the pen sieve and memories stored there!

I spotted all the golden snitches with either K or the CM's help ( I still was wearing sun glasses indoors attracting strange looks, but who cared! I was in HP world!). We loved the Weasley family kitchen where we made the carrots cut themselves, the scarf knit itself and the pan wash itself! , calling up the quidditch broom into our hands and flying on the brooms. I could not enjoy the forbidden forest because of the flashing lights but K got to see his favourite character ' Buck beak!'

I loved the butter beer, Hogwart's express and looking into the Privet drive house where the Hogwart's envelopes were floating about! All this while, the CM was listening to the audio guide exploring how the movie was made while I was excitedly peaking into the displays!

We left after a good 4 hours, mighty happy and visited our favourite Saravana Bhavan that used to be our frequent haunt in the days we used to live around here.

We had a late dinner with a nostalgic chat about our days and friends here ( who have since moved to Canada) and came home post midnight.

On the drive back, we listened to LBC's Nick Ferrari in which a 100 year old lady had dialled in to reprimand him about his comments about the Queen. Enough said. Much fund was heard/had.

School starts again day after but as I am sat writing this in a note book using a pen ( how quaint!), the indulgent dat and husband is having  a well-earned lie in, the CM is reading the 'Half Blood Prince' in her kindle and I am wondering when I would be able to transfer this from my notebook tot he laptop without my eyes hurting! ( Did this on day 8 - today! Eye still a bit blurry, so mostly touch typing - hoping to correct errors later!)

Another lovely summer holiday draws to a close! Here's to many more such family moments!
:)

Summer 2017 - Part 3

On the Saturday, we had a party and cake cutting for my CM and the 2 year old who had turned 2 only a week earlier. I had carried decorations over and spent the early morning decorating the entire place with little T's help.

Post the celebration, we went to Ullswater for a boat ride and the two 8 year olds had a go at steering the motor boat ( with K right next to them of course) and really enjoyed the same.

We went exploring into the woods and unfortunately we spotted a fish struggling for breath by the lake. It was a silver and golden fish and my 2 wards were frantic with worry. Though as a life long vegetarian, I had not handled fish before, I took the poor fish by the hand and dropped it into the water. Unfortunately it kept gasping upside down and never did flip back. The 2 kids were quite subdued on the walk back.

But then, on the way back, there was a wishing well full of coins and the tree next to the wishing well had roots and branches in which the coins were firmly entrenched. ( Am not sure if they got sucked by the roots along with the water or something else was going on there). This aroused their curiosity and the sadness of the fish was soon forgotten!

We were driving and dining in areas officially declared as ' Areas of outstanding Natural beauty', so we took our time doing both. I was meeting the rest of the families properly only for the first time, but luckily we gelled well. The men were good friends already from K's time in Glasgow some years earlier.

The next day, we went to Kill Hope lead mining museum. I first got it clarified from the local expert  that Kill Hope is from an ancient Anglo Saxon language wherein Hope meant valley and Kill referred to the mining 'Kiln'. The kids had fun sieving for green, pink and purple coloured rock crystals. We all then went underground through a very small, dark tunne with water upto half our wellington boots. We were properly equipped with miner's hats and torches. It was a bit scary initially, but Michaela , the guide was really friendly and knowledgeable.
It was a truly adventurous experience, having to duck for some of the way trying to experience what the miners had to do a 100 year ago. We saw the underground water mill, the 'thunder box', the gallendas and much more. The CM was scared but coped well and dealt with it maturely.

Post this adventure, we made our way to High force water falls, It was very similar to our Amicalola experience in Atlanta with a wonderfully green and leafy path leading to the majestic water falls, Post this visit, my CM surprised us all with some really good cart-wheels that she has been surreptitiously practising for a while!

We all then took a very long walk at Derwent Reservoir just for the beauty of the view.

We then headed to an Indian Restaurant in Allendale and while we were all nodding our heads off at the table, one of the dads passionately regaled us with his childhood escapades in a Kodaikanal boarding school ;)

The next day, we cleaned up the place good and proper and left for our pony trek adventure at Hexham. The ladies including the girls went first. I went on a tall and sturdy male stud called Blaze and the CM went on a cute pony called Blue bell. Once again, the view from the horse back, on the trail, was spectacular.

The families then had a picnic lunch, said our goodbyes and we proceeded to Dudley to celebrate the CM's birthday at the temple.

After a long drive back, we did just that and reached home exhausted but glad of the good time we had.

...To be continued

 

Summer 2017 - Part 2

The next weekend, in the morning, we went with the same Cotswold group and one other family to Dinosaur land at the Birmingham International airport. It was reasonably good. But because our cheeky monkey ( CM hereafterwards) had been finishing off Harry Potter books with a furious passion during the week, every Friday evening we ended up watching the movies of those books that she had finished to round off her Harry Potter experience.

So, she was quite cranky on Saturday mornings! She ended up in tears when one of the boys said something mean ( it was really mean, though at this age, I imagine they do not realise how mean they sound!). Usually she takes it in her chin and gives it back, I guess this time, she was too tired to fight back. So, as soon as the event was over, the other two families stayed back for a catch up, but we left. To cheer her up, we used our usual formula - A trip to the library, followed by a Subway sandwich and hot Chocolate. As soon as we stepped in to the library, she perked up! Sleep was forgotten, lots of books and reading with hot chocolate naturally happened.

By the time we came home, it was time to get ready for the 'Innisai Maalai' , a karaoke evening organised by the local tamil sangam. I went with a mild fear that it may be a bit boring but it was a pleasant surprise to the contrary. I met a lot of my fiends, lots of fun and food was had. I sang 'pattu padava' - just a few lines and K sang ' Mun Paniya!' (really badly but we both wanted the CM to know that you do not always need to be great to give things a go!) It was a good evening.

On the sunday, we went to K's colleague's house for lunch and a fantastic, fun-filled, long, chatty afternoon ensued for all of us. We left their house only late in the evening.

In the long weekend, given it was the CM's English calendar birthday on the Saturday and Tamil Calendar birthday on the Monday, elaborate plans were made.

On the Friday, all of us travelled to K's work city. The CM and I stayed in a day hotel and I worked from there while the CM got on with the next Harry Potter book. We thens tarted the 4 hour drive to Allenheads. We had 2 other families joining us from Glasgow. We had booked a lovely old school house on the top of a hill with a beautiful view of the moors below. The green rolling hills and the rustic plethora of lakes made for a very enjoyable drive.

Between the families we had two 8 year olds (incluing our CM who was turning 8 over the weekend), one 2 year old and one 3 year old. The two 8 year olds had met once before and had gotten along famously. Throughout this stay, they were thick as thieves and when we left T, CM's friend even had tears in her eyes at the thought of letting her friend go!

They slep by each other on the bunk beds in our room and always travelled together in our car while T's parents and younger sis travelled in hers.

...to be continued

 

Summer 2017 - Part 1

This summer, as always was a wonderful medley to remember. thought there wasn't much of the sun throughout his summer, as always, the three of us were determined to make the most of the holiday family time and that was exactly what we did.

One weekend, we went to Cotswolds with my SGT dance partners and their hubbies and kids. The gentle gold, typical Cotswold bricks, softly highlighted by the even softer rays of the sun were a sight to behold! The families started with a picnic by the river in 'Bourton on Water' while the kids went splashing about in the shallow river.

We then took the kids to the model village. This model village was as authentic as it could be with great detailing even tot he stained glass windows of the town's St Lawrence Church. the organ music playing in one of these model churches was, for me, a particularly enjoyable detail.

We then went to the very small but beautiful St Lawrence's church, lit candles and walked about town, with the kids creating a ruckus wherever we went!

With the kids dutifully continuing to raise hell (1 8 year old, 1 7 year old, one 3 year old and one 4 year old - perfect ingredients for notching up the noise pollution!), we went to a posh restaurant by yet another gentle brook to have tea/hotchocolate/Birtish chips.

The kids played cricket and foot ball in the lovely grounds of the restaurant and us adults happily chatted into the dusk..

We came home really late but 'happy tired'!

The next day was a trip to our favourite Ryton Pool with K's colleague and family. I got along well with the Colleague's wife as we were both working in the same field. Us ladies went cycling, while the dads and kids spent time in the play area. We rounded off a wonderful day with a chatty dinner at an Italian restaurant. The kids already knew each other through bharathanatynam class and were busy ignoring the adults and making their own plans!

The Friday after, we invited this family over for dinner and once again the evening turned out really good with good food, hearty laughs and happy kids running around the dinning table while we chatted.

The next day, just the three of us went to the Black County Living Museum. The highlight was the very real 'Victorian Classroom' with a strict school master that around 20 of us, children and adults attended. We really had fun as most of us played our parts seriously as instructed beforehand by the teacher. It was as authentic as it would have really been in Victorian times. We also enjoyed playing the old time games like jumping rope, catching the ball on a top and K enjoyed chasing steel tires with a stick!

The sunday of this week, we went to a petting zoo for the cheeky monkey and then to Warwick park. Lots of icecream was had and regretted ( by me!) including  surprisingly not-yummy Nutella icecream!

..To be continued

Greek Vacation 2017 : Part 3

Day 5

The next day, we took the champion jet ferry to Santorini. It was a quick 2 hour trip, once again, pleasant and enjoyable. But here lies the turn in the tale. My entire dream of visiting Greece, centred around Santorini and Mykonos was beautiful beyond my dreams so I had high hopes for Santorini. But Santorini, turned out to be a disappointment. It was very very crowded, not as neat as Athens or Mykonos,  the cute cobbled streets and the white and blue homes of Santorini were not half as charming as that of Mykonos and since the famous black and red beaches  and even the mono lithos beach had industrial affluents being dumped in them, the beaches were no good either!

We stayed at the Orizontes boutique hotel, once again with a sea view (the view and the rooms were fantastic but the shower was a horror!) at Pyrgos. On day 1 we had lunch at the fantastic Metaxi Mas Tavern which welcomes you with free tequila shots and once you have finished lunch, sees you off with dessert on the house! Suprisingly reasonable compared to the sky high prices in Mykonos.

Post luch, we set out to see the famous Oia sunset.  We first went to Fira town and took the  Santorini cable car. Ridiculously the 15 euro one way trip lasted less than 10 minutes and gave no special view. The Singapore cable car, the Capris cable car in Italy and the Panaromic cable cars in Switzerland will take umbrage if they knew this one called itself a cable car and charged such prices!

We shook our head, scratched our chins and made our way to the Fira town bus centre to catch a bus to Oia. On the way, we bought the young one a traditional greek dress and the leaf crown. Once again, the crowd was unbelievable and given we had seen the sunsets at Mauritius, Kanyakumari etc, we were not very impressed. More so, after we had a beyond fantastic view of the sunset from the decks of our ferry back from Santorini to Athens, especially as were were travelling towards the sunset and the nicely cool wind and the gentle rays of the sun provided the appropriate back drop!

We had dinner at Bao Concept in Fira town, which is the first time I have tasted the Chinese Bao buns! They were soft and lovely and the restaurant itself was very good. We then took a taxi back to the hotel – any trip from anywhere to anywhere seemed to cost us 15 euros in Santorini, no matter what!

Day 6

The next day, we went on a boat trip on the good ship Albatross to the volcanic Nea Kameini and the Pallea kameini. While dad and daughter turned away after a half way hike, never the quitter, I went all the way up to see the volcanic rocks and craters, smugly enjoyed the fantastic view from the top and on reaching the ship again, promptly demanded to be pampered the rest of the trip as I could feel every painful twitch and muscle in my calf that seemed to say – know when to quit silly woman, even your not yet 8 year old does!

The boat then took us to the hot springs for which one had to dive from the ship and swim a good distance in not so shallow water. All three of us opted to stay in the boat and wave gaily at all the other swimmers wading into the orangish water full of sulphur from the volcanoes!

The ship then made its way to the Thirassia island where lunch and a gentle swim at the pebble beach ensued. The princess and dad explored the eels and fishes swimming underwater and did what they usually do when in any water body – have loads of fun!

We came back to the hotel, quickly dressed ourselves up and visited the Megalachori traditional village in Pyrgos. At the end of the village we visited this lovely bakery, cunningly called the ‘Bakery and Pastry shop’!. The cheeky monkey was dressed as Goddess Athena with the costume bought in Fira and all eyes were on her! We had lovely pastries and icecreams, discussed about Bollywood and made our way back stopping at all the lovely blue domed churches ( that we missed in Oia – which is where all the signature Santorini phots are taken – due to the mad rush there!)  in the village and generally messing about amongst ourselves.

The best part was K telling the young one the story of Porous and Alexander and her asking philosophical questions like ‘ Who was the goodie and who was the baddie and if both were goodies, why did they fight!’

Day 7

We had a very relaxed morning by the pool , packed up and took the 9 hour ferry back from Santorini to Athens. Though we were booked deck seats again, given the complete lack of crowd ( was it because of the earthquake the day before at Kos, we are not sure) we were told there was no need to upgrade and we were given access to the poshest section of the ship.

We had a lovely time catching up on movies from our ipads, walking around the deck and taking in the views every now and then and of course eating in the lovely restaurants. It was a smooth sail and surprisingly relaxing. We held hands watching the sunset and the hues that the setting sun infused the clouds with, was sheer poetry by nature.

From the Piraeus port, we went back to our Athens Avenue hotel to our marble baths and cloud like mattress! 

Day 8

After a lovely breakfast later the next morning, we made our way to the national gardens in Athens. Once again, clean, beautifully maintained, free and an oasis in the centre of the city.

Post the mandatory chocolate milkshake and reading of our kindles, we went to Plaka again for some souvenir shopping for friends and back to the hotel again to pick up our bags and make our way to the airport.

We came away from this trip with two key take aways. The Greeks can be abrupt and almost rude in the way they talk but they are actually very gallant and extremely helpful. And Athens could be a weekend trip and the rest of the time is better spent in Mykonos. Santorini, is just hype ( purely in my personal opinion) and the money i sbetter spent on one fo the other quieter islands.

All in all, this trip was like all the other ones. Full of suprises, mostly good, some not so good, wonderful memories and overall , yet another experience to cherish and save for those rainy days that are bound to come J

Greek Vacation 2017 : Part 2

Day 2

The next day we went to the Panathenaic stadium, the Parthenon and the Acropolis museum. The tour guide, Anastasia was very good and gave us the story and history behind the pieces in the museum as well as these ancient structures. We then proceeded to Cape Sounion to the temple of Poseidon.

 Throughout, the heat was balanced by the cool winds and the emerald views of the Aegean,  on either side  on the drive to Cape Sounion was fantastic and ethereal.

I also loved the view of the yachts, boats and the weekend swimmers jumping off the rocks directly in to the water all from the top of the hill where the temple of Poseidon was located.

Day 3

We took the Hellenic seaways ferry to Mykonos from the Piraeus port. We had been booked deck tickets which were ridiculous, so we upgraded and sat in the very comfortable lounge chairs for a mere 12 euros! It took around 6 hours to reach but we did not feel it as we had our ipads and tablets pre-loaded with good movies, good food was available, the restroom (atleast the ladies’) as with anywhere in Athens and Mykonos – were extremely clean, no matter how many tourists came and went and we could walk around and breathe in the fantastic sea air whenever we liked. We also went up to the front of the deck to savour the fantastic views and enjoy the cool winds.

At Mykonos, we were to stay at the Hotel Paradision. Now, if I were to dream of a hotel that would be my ideal place of relaxation, this would have been it. A small establishment of may be 15 rooms if not less, it was beautifully and tastefully decorated in blue and white. We had the Sea view room and what a view it was from the cute balcony! Breakfast was home made and the best I have ever had with atleast 20 items laid out every day. The breakfast area was by the pool which in itself overlooked the Tourlos bay. To come down to the fresh aromas and to watch the sea and ships and have breakfast was the highlight of my day. (Though this did not stop one particular American to ask if they had any ‘diet coke’ as he came down for breakfast! There were 20 home made items, an assortment of tea, coffee, chocolate milk and juices but no, he would like a diet coke please!)

The fantastic Stefanos beach was a mere 10 minute walk away and it was breath taking to say the very least. We went straight down and had a whale of a time. One caveat is that all the restaurants in Mykonos were very very expensive as much as anything in Athens was cheap by UK  standards. The cheeky monkey enjoyed the swim and looking for fishes in the crystal clear water and frolicking in the golden sands. There were many other famous beaches like Super Paradise, Elia beach etc but Stefanos was small, uncrowded, beautiful and just perfect for us. Even the walk to and from the beach, due to it being uphill, awarded heavenly views and a real feast for the senses. All the while, the sun was beating down but we did not feel the heat as the nicely cool wind kept things just right!

The walk to the hotel is a very steep uphill, which was a bit of a challenge but then given the hilly terrain of both Mykonos and Santorini, if you need views, an uphill walk, comes with the package.

Day 4

The next day, we had booked a cycling trip to Fokos Beach with Yummy pedals. We rode though the reservoir of Ano Mera (stopping first at the Paleokastro Monastery) with around 11 other bikers  mostly American and some Italian.  Dimi, the tour guide was friendly and informative. She stopped near a church by the road and explained to us the greek concept of ‘Dhama’ where a family prays for something and has a very small, single room church built as an offering. Sometimes these are built within the premises of a family home. Every day, the lady of the house ensures that incense and lamps are lit and outsiders are allowed to walk in and pray as well. We stopped at one such church overlooking a hill and small though it was, it was beautiful and very well decorated.  Dimi or Dimitra said that in most cases, even weddings are held at these small family churches, which means barely the bride, groom and the priest can make it inside the church while the rest of the wedding party stays outside!

The trip was fantastic but because of the large group mostly made up of fit adults, the difficulty level of the terrain was quite high. We were the only family, so we had to adjust. K and I took turns on the electric bike pulling the trailer carrying the cheeky one and this was easy. Whenever we took our turn on the normal bike, it really did prove quite difficult. The beach itself was unsurprisingly beautiful, but after Aigos Stefanos, we were too spoilt and just took a small dip in the water. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the onward trip, but the return uphill was killing, to say the least!

We then went back to the Vioma Organic farm that was run by Dimi’s parents. The young one had a great time feeding the donkey and the goat in the farm and chasing Oscar, their dog, under the tables and chairs.

Dimi dropped us  back near one of the Kato Mili ( the famous Mykonos wind mills) and from there we  took a walk around the streets of Mykonos and passed the Mattiyianni street and reach the old port. The streets were marvellously white and blue with the cobble stones winding a playful path throwing surprises when least expected. The famous meletemi winds were in full force and there were a few seconds when I was worried my slightly built cheeky monkey may get blown away!

But while K was enjoying his freshly caught fish by the old port, we had  mum and daughter bonding time, exploring the shops and brazenly walking into gold and diamond outlets to check out the Hellenic designs! As always, with her chocolate brown, big eyes that melt anybody and everybody (except her mum who knows the cheekiness that lies behind those puppy eyes!) opened doors everywhere for us! Every body was keen to chat with her and were only too willing to answer all her inquisitive questions!

By this time, we were long overdue for a fight, so K and I duly had an argument and I stormed off along the coast making my way by walk to the hotel all the way from old port to the new port! I had assumed dad and daughter would catch a taxi and I could upbraid them for making me walk while they sashayed in by taxi. Alas, the poor souls had hoped to catch me half way so they followed me all the way by foot and by the time all three of us reached the hotel, we were too exhausted to continue the fight and pressed each other’s feet and massaged the calf muscles in sympathy!

Dad and daughter still had the energy to go to the fantastic pool and have a wonderful time. Dinner once again was a disappointment as the veg options were spinach pie, rice in stuffed peppers and fried manoumi cheese – all of which were wonderful but not continuously day after day and especially at the outrageous Mykonos prices. We discovered that the best way to cover lunch and dinner at Mykonos is to go to one of those charming bakeries and grab a pie and an icrecream for less than half the price at a restaurant! Something to remember for next time J

Greek Vacation 2017 : Part 1

After a hectic school and work year full of battles big and small, this vacation was something all three of us greatly looked forward to. Though KK and thangam prefer the Cyprus version where all they did was laze around the swimming pool and get up only for food , for my sake, they agreed to go for Athens, Mykonos and Santorini – the ‘active’ vacation  and boy was it active!

We were thrilled to have been lucky enough to be allocated business class fares for the onward trip for economy prices. Little did we know that the only reason was because Lufthansa did not provide special meals on short haul trips unless you are booked business class and since we had 2 vegetarian meals selected and it was not yet peak season, we were prioritised and given business class( Birmingham to Munich and Munich to Athens)! This was not the case on the way back (Athens – Frankfurt- Birmingham).

We landed in Athens and stayed in the Athens Avenue hotel in Syggrou square. This was about 15 minutes ( 4 euros by taxi)from the famous Plaka district which is just around the corner from the Acropolis, the Parthenon, Syntagma square etc.

The rooms were fantastic, with the marble tiled deep bath being the highlight. However, the hotel was not where we were expecting to stay and there was no swimming pool which was a disappointment to the young one who was looking forward to a swim.

The first thing that stuck me about Athens was that it had a general run down look especially due to the graffiti that defaced every wall there was, even the walls of private homes. However, on a closer look, for such a crowded and touristic city, the city was spotless. I have been to Rome, Edinburgh, London, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Belgium, Paris and Singapore and while all these cities looked richer, Athens was definitely cleaner.  The graffiti though spoiled the entire look and feel of the city.

We explored a side street and found a quaint bakery and generally roamed around till it was time for the night tour of Athens.  After a short tour with the tour guide giving us some info on the Acropolis, Hadrian’s arch, Lord Byron’s statue, changing of the guards etc we stopped at the beautiful marina Alimos for a look-see and a selfie J

This was all through key tours and as per their itinerary,  we next walked through the fantastic Plaka to a greek tavern where we had a traditional meal overlooking a stage where there was a continuous stream of dancing going on. The music and dancing was great fun and many from the audience joined in. It was as fun as a Bollywood show if not more. Most in the audience knew the greek lyrics and joined in lustily! All that we did was join in whenever the crowd went ‘Opa!’.  (Bravo?!)

What impressed me was the general comfort level of women and the gallantry of the men. Even at midnight there were lots of young women dressed for a party, walking the plaka  and I did not notice even a single man behave in an untoward manner.

Especially in the Taverna, while the audience joined in the dancing, the DJ, invited random people and paired them off together. He even asked the ladies to kiss the gentleman thus selected on the cheek. Without exception, all the men behaved gallantly and with decent charm. One particular gentleman was very tall and he was paired with a short lady. The lady was asked to kiss this guy’s forehead. She shook her head and was wagging her finger at the DJ. Cutely the gentleman knelt down to enable the lady to give the requisite kiss and then took her hand, kissed it and walked away. 

Letters to my Princess-5

Sweetheart

We have just had 2 of our biggest fights till date and I would like to write what I feel. I am frustrated that you can do addition, subtraction, multiplication and division mentally, you are able to do slightly complicated word problems, you can say how many minutes it is to a particular time but for some strange reason, you refuse, adamantly refuse to understand half an hour before half past an 'o clock is the same 'o clock!

Appa and I have tried telling you softly, kindly, gently, harshly - you are having none of it. Everything on your terms and your terms only! Lots of pen licenses being earned in class but when I ask you why you have not got yours , you say ' They have to give it to everybody by end of this year, so why hurry amma? Let it come when it will! '.

When appa and I are rushing anywhere, no matter how much we beg, scream, jump, sweet-talk you - you cannot be rushed. Your life. Your time. Your terms. At 7 years of age. God give us strength!

You have been asked to demonstrate to others in swimming class last week, in dance and also in class on how to do a good job. As though, post our fight you were trying to prove something to me! You have also got your trophy in Piano class. But all these only because you wanted them to. Never when pushed or rushed. Your classes. Your terms.

The words that I hear nowadays from most parents who know you - ' She is emotionally strong. Very confident. You need not worry about her'. I am glad and happy. But am also a bit scared.

Your dad is like that but sometimes that makes him too comfortable with nothing to push him to do the best that he can. When we are not satisfied, we can push ourselves to the best of our potential. So, sometimes, chella kutti, it makes sense to be restless and thirsting after something. :)

But.. you dad also says that you are not completely like him. We are still trying to figure you out.

Here's to interesting times ahead for all of us kannamma! :)

Lest I forget, let me also note that you brush, shower and dress up all by yourself , lay out the dishes, spoons, plates etc and feed yourselves - but all in your own good time.

I was mighty impressed , when the other day, I came tired from work and you said ' You just sit down right there and rest nicely. Let me lay out the food for both of us'

I knew then that I was in for a long wait, but for those kind words thangame..am willing to wait forever!

Love you darling.
Amma

Xmas 2016 and New year 2017 Part 2

One thing I should not forget is the horrendous traffic in Bangalore. For a ten minute distance, we were once sat trapped in a car for nearly 2 hours. Never again do I want to plan to go anywhere in  Bangalore!

The weather was 28 degrees in December so I could only imagine how it would be in the summer!

On the other hand, the city was abuzz with news about new start ups and wherever we went, be it restaurants or coffee hang outs, there were youngsters sat next to us planning one new venture or the other!  The confidence and focus of these groups of young twenty somethings was wonderful to see and observe!

After 4 days, we took the Shatabdi express to Mysore. Our friends were already on the same train travelling from Chennai. The kids immediately wanted to catch up and we swapped places so the kids, the gentlemen and the ladies could all catch up. It was a good start for the second part of the holiday.

We had booked a quiet farmhouse slightly away from the city and the kids loved it. They loved watching the birds, the cow and the bulls and feeding the fish in the pond. Most of all they loved going up to their secret alcove of the bunk bed into the kids' rooms and chatting into the night before going to sleep.

 I loved taking walks on the farm path with the coconut groves on either side and watching the kids play.

There were some irritants too but that is for the review of the place and not for here!

We went to the Mysore palace, the Chamarajendra zoo, the Ganapathy Ashram with its fantastic aviary and Bonsai gardens, Dobare elephant camp, Karanji lake and the Chamundeshwari temple. The brindavan gardens were a major disappointment due to their poor maintenance.

I also let the rest of the gang go to Melkote, Ranganathaswamy temple, Ranaganathittu bird sanctuary and a jackal horse ride while I booked myself for a much needed spa break at the Indus Valley Ayurvedic centre.

On the last day, we chose to relax and go back to Karanji lake and watch the wonderful peacocks while our friends visited the Chenna Kesava temple.

Though K and I have been to Mysore several times, booking a guide for the Mysore palace made a huge difference. The beautiful oil paintings where the Saree Palluss and the eyes followed you whichever direction you went, the stained glass paintings, the golden flag, the private and public Durbar halls and the empanelled doors were all a sight to behold.

The palace flower gardens were a pleasure as well.

The weather was a boiling 31degrees in the mornings and a shivering low in the evenings.

Other highlights were the Coorg coffee which was the best I have ever had , watching a peacock trying hard with its mating dance to attract a pea-hen for a good 20 minutes, being sprayed with waterby a naughty baby elephant , feeding the elephants and having the colourful birds in the aviary of the Ganapathy ashram sit on our heads and shoulders ;)

On New Year's Eve, we had a lovely Bon fire lit, listened to songs, danced a bit,  ate some cake and ushered in the new year with the kids fighting over something silly and making up in an even more silly manner!

All in all, another memorable holiday.

Xmas 2016 and Newyear 2017 Part 1

This xmas and new year were spent in India. 4 days in Bangalore and the rest in Mysore with V and C and the kids, R and K. A very busy holiday indeed it was.

We stayed in the Marriott as usual and the service was, as always exemplary. One of the highlights of Bangalore was R meeting her thathaiya and nanamma. They had a great time together  and especially given the elders' advanced age, it was a much needed and urgent bonding.

She had little to do in the hotel itself, but enjoyed the international clown shows in the adjoining mall. While playing hide and seek with me, she banged her head against the table corner and so could not go swimming, much to her disappointment.

Of late, R has been trying to understand the difference between being rich and poor and hence how that affects how a person lives.

In front of one of the malls, she saw a boy, similar to her in age, selling toys all by himself. This was a very smart boy who spoke fluently and with confidence in English, Tamil, Hindi and Kannada. He had no parents with him and was collecting money and giving out change quite easily.

It was getting dark but he was still going busy with his wares.

I made sure she observed all of this and we bought a couple of toys from him as well. Hopefully, the memory will stand her in good stead when trying to understand initiative, independence and the value of working hard.

I did discuss about him with her and she seemed to have an idea of the enormity of the difference between her relatively cushy life and the resultant happy go lucky attitude to work vs play. Only time will tell how much of a positive impact this has had on her. Hopefully lots!

'Santa' made a visit to the hotel room on xmas day and in the absence of carrots, had the banana(!) and milk left for him the night before. He had written a letter describing how special and how very loved R was/is and how she needs to earn her 'talking puppy' gift by working hard at her school and other classes and also eating her greens. :)

R was mighty thrilled as earlier we had told her Santa only visits homes and not hotel rooms as there are no individual chimneys! This was explained away by way of the hotel's kitchen chimney when Santa eventually made his way!

Another positive turn of events was meeting M. M and I were best friends in a way only only post teen girls can be, in their most formative years as women, for 8 years between 2000 and 2008.

Then life and many other things and people happened and we did not meet at all  or speak much till this visit to India in 2016.

She made the effort to come over to meet us and for me at least, it was like the 8 year gap never happened. She is at an important junction in her life and I was glad to have been there to give her my best wishes.

Really glad that, that evening happened.

In news of other little joys for R, R had received some Tinkle books from one of her much older friends in the U.K. And has been tremendously enjoying them. So we went all the way to Blossoms in MG road ( on M's recommendation) to get more of the same for her. She was very happy about the same.

I also took this time with R to teach her Scrabble and chess while having tea in the executive lunge and we both enjoyed the same.

While playing scrabble, I was trying to prompt her for the word ' kid' and so I said, ' I am a grown up R, so who are you?' And pat came the answer ' I am 'special' mummy!'

 Need I say more? :)

...to be continued.

Cheeky

Cheeky story 1

One fine morning, we receive a whatsapp message from one of our family friends. It is a photograph of the little one with an older boy in the advertisement poster/billboard for her school on display in public  in our nearest mall!

We knew nothing about it. We rush to the cheeky imp and ask ' R, what is this, when was this taken, we never gave permission for this?'

The little one grins from ear to ear and says  'Yay! Mummy I know you will not allow..that is why when I was selected, I convinced them that my Dad would not mind. I did not speak about you at all (!) Please mummy.. do you not like it?! '

I am very wary of having her image in public but she is so happy that I have not picked it up with the school. We go to this mall often and I cannot explain what I feel every time I see her pic up there for everyone to see. The emotions are quite mixed.

Cheeky story 2

In the Teacher's evening , R's teacher was very worried about her. She had suddenly gotten some low marks in English (!) spellings. She otherwise had been scoring 2.5 years above her ageband in English. She also has never had more than 2 spellings wrong max and that too only thrice in all the years she has had spelling tests. So, I was shocked to say the least.

I have been shouty with her the previous few weeks and her dad had been warning me that I have been very strict with her and I may end up breaking her spirit.  He was away from home and I was very confused and upset the whole week. I cried all night thinking I was turning out exactly to be the mum I did not want to be and it is having an effect on my little one. May be she was more sensitive than I thought!

On Friday, we get called again. K drives all the way from 2 hours away in record time to make the meeting with the teacher. She looks stern and tells us ' In our class we give 2 house points for those who score consistently well and 10 house points for those who score low usually but score high due to continued effort. Guess who has been manipulating the system to get more points for her house? " ..and so saying, she burst out laughing. I and K looked and each other stunned. It took a while for the fact to sink into us and we both giggled in relief!

This is at all of 7 years old. God give me strength for the years to come!

Our Family

Mummy : What do you like about amma and appa R?

R: You are very kind, you never fight, you never shout at me, you always allow me to read or watch the tele ....

Daddy : Very Good R! That is exactly what you should say if somebody  else asks about our family! But, really.. what do you ' really' like about amma and appa?

Mummy: Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Trip to Severn Valley

Yesterday was another beautiful British summer day. We we went to Severn valley. The view from the French windows of the tea house was stunning to say the least. The valley full of trees,with the steam train chugging through was a sight to behold!

We first went on the riverside trail and then on the woodlands trail. It was a good 3 hours walk along the bluebells, watching the canoers  and boaters row past with stops here and there to listen to the lovely brooks amongst the woods and picnicking on the rocks with a view to the river.

Both trails had cosy natural coves made of trees with the sun shining through the golden preautumnal leaves..we had a lovely family time sitting and chatting in these coves or simply sitting together holding hands with our wriggly seven year old sitting on our laps playing the 'silent game'. ( Though this did not stop the young one from saying 'pause game' and proceeding to say whatever she had to!)

We also took the vintage steam train for a small part of the way back and the view  as it went through the greenery was astounding to say the least.

On a whim, we also checked with one of our friends who had newly moved nearby to see if they wanted to catch up. A quick hello turned out to be a long visit with a game of cricket, wine and a long chatty dinner and Oreos ice cream for dessert!

Their house is way away from the maddening crowd and extremely elegant. It had a huge garden with lovely trees and a field beyond. It was on a kind of 'millionaire's row' , so the experience was quite novel for us. Their young one was a good friend of ours' and an ex classmate so it was also a surprise 'gift' for the two young ones.

They had a whale of a time looking for rabbit burrows, disrupting the cricket game and generally exploring around the garden and the house!

We came home around  10.30 pm with the kid fast asleep with a smile on her face!

What a wonderful day it was!

Here's to many many more such days!

US trip August 2015

It has been a year since the US trip but wanted to record some thoughts for memories' sake.

The main purpose of the trip was to meet my brother's family in Atlanta and get to know each other better as families. Which we did.

I and the little one went for three weeks and K joined us after the 1st week.

Chitlu enjoyed the huge trampoline in the back yard and loved trailing her niece who was 14 years old and a musical prodigy of sorts!

She loved running through the huge ambling house ( as houses in the US tend to be!)

She was very comfortable with my patient and loving sister in law.

Though she was initially wary of my very tall and reasonably built nephew..she soon got comfortable with him as well.

Of course her mama ( her uncle,  my brother) was gentle, playful and fondly indulgent with her and allowed her to call him 'dino' since she thought he must have born with the dinosaurs as he said he was 48 years old!

Unbelievably K had 4  of his college mates/ ex colleagues living around the same locality and we were asked to dinner at each of their places over the course of our stay there. Chinnu
with her British accent and huge brown eyes was a hit everywhere we went!

We were taken to the Atlanta aquarium which was huge and wonderful and the 4d shows were her favourite!

In the zoo she loved petting the animals and calling her Raja mama to view each and every one of the creepy crawlies that he was patently averse to!

We also went tubing in the Chatahoochee river! It was as funny as it could get! The sun was shining bright so we thought the tubing would be a breeze in the cool water. What we did not realize was that the tube left us burning all over with just our bums immersed in ice cold water! (Imagine a flat lying tyre - that was the tube!) It was  a long winding float down the river and by mistake K , the little one and my niece got off the tubes on a small strip before the actual landing which was further down.

I could not the bear the thought of going farther away in that silly tube, so when I could not navigate to this stupid (wrong!) stretch , from the middle of the river, I simply  jumped into the river (off the tube) and pushed the tube away. Only later realised the depth of the river (!) and started swimming desperately to the shore!

In the meanwhile, K is simultaneously shouting encouragements to me to swim safely and asking the other tubers to please recover the tube that I had so inconsiderately pushed away! ''20 dollars, 20 dollars'' he kept saying! (Grrrr!)

Finally when we all tied ourselves together and floated down to the actual strip.. we found that some bright spark from the tubing company had carefully fished out the tube I had sent floating without once wondering whatever happened to the poor soul who was supposed to be on that tube!

My nephew who was 17 found the entire episode hilarious and would not stop teasing me and K! :)

Never again shall I ever go tubing!
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The highlight was our trip to Florida with our cousin, her hubby and her two lovely boys. The three families stayed in a holiday townhouse and we all got on very well. Pattu slept on a Mickey Mouse bunk bed and was very thrilled!

We celebrated her birthday along with one the boys and had great fun decorating the house with balloons and bubbles and donning party hats and cutting cakes!

She had breakfast with the princesses at Disney and of course was deriliously happy. She was dressed as Elsa complete with tiara and everyone at the resort addressed her as a princess ! The employees at Disney Florida were a delight especially after the sour faced ones at the Paris Disneyland.

We went to Epcot and to the other resorts. Her favourite ride amongst everything was splash world and her favourite show was Beauty and the Beast where she was made part of the show along with the other kids!

My favourite bit was the disney fireworks in the evening. It was truly magical and memorable. We saw the same in Paris too but we were shivering in the August weather and the crowded alleys did not help the enjoyment. Here, I laydown right in front of the castle lawn and thoroughly enjoyed the magical show!

The trip to NASA (Kennedy Space centre, Florida) was quiet enjoyable as well. The 4 d film on space was quite an experience.

Once back to Atlanta we went on a day's trek to Amicalola falls and enjoyed the view from the top of the valley below.

The trip to the botanical gardens in Atlanta  was great as well.

One special personality to remember from the trip was 'Star Bucks', the cute chocolate Pomeranian in one of K's friend's house that Pattu petted so much that he growled only for the second time in his entire life!

We still tease her about that!

Perspective

This summer of 2016 is turning into one of the best ever! The weekends have been full of sun and breeze and with good friends for company we have been exploring Bosworth park, Ryton pools park etc. Boating in the lakes of Bosworth park, walking around the huge lake, picnicking ..repeating the same at Ryton pools with the additional perk of riding our bikes through the dense woods has been nothing short of fantastic!

Our young one rode the bike with us, the entire distance we did and also did the hikes and was still active in the evening too! Touchwood for the fitness!

The three kids - our R, her best  friend S, and our new kiddie neighbour N had a blast on the play areas, the muddy pool and boating. The ice creams in different colours helped their bonding too;)

No longer my little one, the young one also went Strawberry and Rasberry picking at Matlins farm followed by a trip to the war memorial park wither friend T. Her school friend T and her then came home and played till 11 pm!

She is definitely having a more roaring social life than either of us!

We also went to two houses for varalakshmi viratham and the other ladies there talk about having seen her the years before in these functions but do not remember me at all!

Now, to the real point of this post. While driving to and back from these places we get some nice songs on or the chart toppers from SAAVN. Sometimes we go nostalgic and this way we were listening to ' Taareef karoon kya uski jisne tumhe banaya! ( How do I praise the one who made you!) which is a romantic track of yester years.

Of late there has been a similar tamil song that goes ' Evan unnai peththan? (Who (the male equivalent) the hell gave birth to you!) which is also supposedly romantic.

K usually is very chilled out about this ( like he anyways is about everything else in life!) so I was quite surprised when he quipped for the 'Tareef karoon' song - how beautiful and elegant this song is when compared to the crass version of the latest song!

My suspicions were immediately aroused. I said ' That is new for you.. you never really bothered about these things before!'

K sheepishly replied ' Well, I now have a daughter and they could be , you know, if you take the literal meaning, in a way singing about me!

Aha! So that is the matter!

So  looks like God knew exactly what he was doing when he made K the adoring dad of a daughter huh?

:)

Paphos!

Back from beautiful Paphos and unlike the US trip..would rather write before I forget!

Stayed at the Aliathon fishing village which was also opposite the Louis Pedra beach. Personally for me..walking along this beach and going to sit on the stones jutting in to the waves to view the sun set in to the sea in warm pink and orange tones was the highlight of the trip!

As the little one commented ' Look mama!Sea and sun meeting and greeting in pink!'

For the little one the Jolly Rogers Pirate cruise where they played games, did some pirate face painting , magic show ( especially where the pigeon popped out of the hat! ) and the funny acrobatics was the highlight!

This despite her joining us in parasailing over the Louis Pedra beach ( where the rest of the crowd clapped for her for her fearlessness as we landed on the boat! ) and swimming in the sea ( across 9 metres deep water)  in the blue lagoon on a cruise there!  Though I must admit that due to the saltiness of the sea water she did say she disliked the sea swim.

The holiday village itself was loads of fun where we swam everyday in the big pool and in the paddling pool. The little one and her dad had enormous fun doing what they called Tumbly wumbly's'  ( where the kid gets flipped over under water by her daddy!) and diving off  and swimming lengths racing to see who reaches the other end first!

She also had a great time at the First Choice kids club chocolate party from where she emerged smeared in chocolate all over! Of course, what is not to like in that!

What I particularly liked was that when we went parasailing ..not only was she game enough to try it but also asked sensible questions about having to land in a moving boat and what she needs to do to land safely.

She however refused to go to kids club saying firmly that her idea is to spend more time with us and not making new friends. We were gently admonished for having suggested otherwise. :(

K had a wonderful time with the blue lagoon cruise and spent 3 hours swimming in the emerald sea.  I swam too but after an hour came on the boat to enjoy the lovely breeze and the live music not to mention the barbecue lunch and cold coffee!

I also have to say how friendly and relaxed all the locals were and it was a pleasure to interact with any of them. They were really lovely to kuttima and that for me is the deal maker!

On the negative side the resort massages were over priced and the excursions should never be booked through TUI as they did not deliver all that was promised and we seemed to have paid atleat 50percent more than those who booked onsite!

Never mind..we spent a lot of quality time together and the extra money is for a lesson well learnt for next time ! :)

The Dubai Trip!

Jotting titbits for memories sake!

a. The weather, cleaniness and the company ( V and C's adorable boys and their niece were wonderful company for the little one!) made this one of the best trips ever!

b. Loved the miracle garden. The wonderful weather was an added bonus.

c. Burj Khalifa was wonderful but missed clear views due to the clouds. However whatever we could see through the clouds was still fantastic!

d. The Dune bashing was ok. But the dunes themselves were mesmerizing..

e. The dolphinarium was surprisingly not the same as the ones we saw in Florida or Italy or Spain!  This is because the dolphins played some games amongst themselves without the instructor being involved at all.. I personally found it really good!

f. The wild wadi water park was good fun. I particularly enjoyed the aritifical beach with the warm waves. I floated on my back and lay peacefully looking at the clear sky. It was, for me, a beautiful experience.

g.The dubai water front was lovely. We went on a family exclusive boat ride and I had great fun!

h. The little ones enjoyed the Dubai underwater aquarium and zoo. But after the London sea life centre, the Spain aquarium and  the Atlanta aquariam, the little one was not impressed!

i. The fountain show was wonderful in the night with the music and did I mention the wonderful weather ? :)

j.I forget the name of the beach we went to - but it was clean, the water was lovely and we all had a blast!

Staying in a 2 bedroom apartment with V's family was great fun as one kid or the other did or said something naughty or charming. Even the little one's fights or tears were fond memories for me. To quote just one example, the littlest was 3 years old and fancied himself to be a lion roaring at everybody in his tiny voice. One day he got off his breakfast and announced ' The lion is now going to go for a wee!'. It was so spontaneous that it took a while for the rest of us to stop laughing! The 'lion' was mighty offended! :)

My precious daddy

1. 39 year old daddy is going out into the garden to fetch something..6 year old daughter pipes up ' Mummy Daddy is going out without his coat on! He may catch a cold! '. Dear pattuma.. your precious daddy  is much stronger than you think .. and I do not need to hold the coat and get his hands into his sleeves like I do for you!

2. Daddy is fixing the trampoline for his darling daughter now that summer is finally here. The little one comes rushing in. ' Mummy please may I have a band aid?'. ' Why Kannamma? ' . ' Daddy has got a scratch in his hand and it is bleeding. He has not even seen it. I do not want it to hurt! '. Need I say more?

3. Dad is away travelling. I pick her up from school and am driving home. 'So, what did you do at school sweetheart?'. ' I was thinking about daddy and missing him!'

4. This happened when the little one was barely 5 years old. We were at a softplay area and having not able to spot the little one amongst all the other children, dad gets up from our restaurant area and goes to check if his little one is safe. Shoes are not allowed in the soft play area so he removes them at the entrance to the area. While he is searching on one side, the little one comes out through the other side, spots her dad's shoes and brings them over to me saying ' Mummy, these are MY daddy's shoes. Somebody took it there and I have brought it back! '. 

In the meanwhile Daddy comes having not found his daughter and as a bonus, having lost his shoe! ' I did not know even people in this country stole shoes! I am very surprised'. I had to then explain to him that the 'thief' was none other than his own precious darling!

Letters to my Princess -4

Dear Pattumma..

You made me burst with pride again last week..

Basically you started to learn to ride your bike with the stabilisers off just last week. In a matter of half an hour you had cracked it and albeit unsteadily - you were whizzing past a lot of amused joggers (and their dogs!)  :)

So.. this went on for a while and appa was worried you would be too tired.! Now-as parents of an precious, much awaited for, much loved and only child - we do plead guilty to being over protective of you and being 'helicopter' parents that may do you more harm than good..

However, that day we all wanted to end the day with an icecream and appa suggested that he would carry the bike while you and I made our way to the icecream van that was quiet a distance away..

Just hoping to tease you I said.. 'No daddy ..do not carry her bike.. if she wants her icecream, she would have to cycle for it!'.. And pat came your reply ' Do not worry Daddy.. I want to earn this icecream! ' and you rode like the wind to the van :) Only some 'Rocky' style back ground music was missing!

We know how much these things tire you - so we know what an effort this is.

And this is not just an one off! Your uncle cannot praise you enough for your positive and sunny attitude to every day of your life, your teachers keep talking about  your great attitude and how you think hard work is something to be proud about..and I cannot but notice how even my temper tantrums fail before your persistent beaming sunshine attitude!

You are small, of low weight and height even for a year younger to you and you are always the youngest in any class due to the date of your birth..but you happily refuse to acknowledge any of the above and just focus on punching well above your weight..

Sweet heart.. no Diva 'Earns' her icecream or any other reward  as stylishly as you do my darling..

Love you to the moon and back..

Amma

PS

You did also learn Division and earn your stars for the same this same week but this was way more fun!

PPS

You also turned a corner in your handwriting..lovely, neatly spaced sentences making their way now..well done chitlu!

Born Barrister!

Since the time we have come back from our holiday in the US, the little one's swimming has undergone drastic changes. She now swims lengths very confidently in the adult's pool without once touching the floor. Also, she is able to swim underwater for quiet a while.

On her dad's birthday, as has become the family tradition on any of our birthdays, we went for a family swim. She thoroughly enjoyed the session and was chasing me along the length of the pool.. I ran while she swam and caught up with me with ease :)

However, I am always terrified that she might get overconfident and do something impulsive and put herself in danger in the pool. So when we were walking back from the outdoor pool and she ran in to the indoor pool and put her foot in, I said ' How many times have I told you not to get into the pool without amma or appa? Please have the patience to wait!'

Her reply ' Amma, if you waited for 10 minutes, you would have seen that I was only dipping my feet and did not get into the pool. You need to be more patient amma!'

Gulp!

And she turned 6 just a few days back.

Double Gulp!

I rest my case.

PS

This monday is her assessment at the preparatory school. A big step for her and us. I am tensed and scared for her and us. ( The pounds involved!) Dad and daughter however, are cool as usual.

Letters to my daughter -3

Pattu thangam

You are going to be 6 years old in a month and how many moments of pride you have given us already! The youngest in class and yet a couple of years ahead in Reading and comprehension. Tiniest in class but 2nd price in skipping. Special award for 'original' poetry writing and the poem being read out in the school assembly! Swimming in the big swimming pool with those tiny little hands and legs! Playing notes on the piano that amma cannot manage to!

But none of the above beat the below

- You never ever choose between me and appa.. no matter how many times we ask you, you always say you love both of us equally :)
- You love to hug and kiss me and appa. Any time of the day.
- You cannot stay sad or cross for more than 5 minutes. The twinkle in your eyes and the sunshiny smile is always around the corner - no matter what!
- I call you a 'Born Barrister'. You can very logically argue and turn any negotiation to your favour. I know you want to be a GP during the weekday and a 'face paint lady' (!) in the weekends.. but I see you having a natural flair to be a barrister!
-You love holding hands, sitting on my lap and generally cuddling. I love the times we cuddle together and read a book or watch the telly
- I once told you 'never to scream'. That evening you had your 'Stage coach' performance of Charlie and the chocolate factory. You had to scream along with some of the others on stage. I loved the way you were the only one looking straight into the audience at me, with your big , chocolatey eyes and refusing to scream :). I love you sweetheart for listening to me so diligently :)
-I keep telling you ' be kind to others' and you said ' Amma don't just say be kind, tell me what to say to be kind! What is kind to me is not kind to you :)'
-I love that no matter how much you love your chocolates you never eat them without offering amma and appa a share
- No matter how much you love eating something, you are able to say - I have had a bit, I do not want any more. (The only thing that you can never have enough is playing tag!)

Of course you also have trouble waiting till somebody completes their sentence before voicing your opinion, you still spill your food, you are the fussiest eater I know, your handwriting is horrendous and you still get your way with appa by shamelessly using tears... but with all the good and the bad and everything in between there is nobody else and nothing else that has made me this happy, content and absolutely at peace.

Love you to infinity and back thangame!

Hugs always
Amma

Letters to my daughter - 2

My dear little fairy princess..

I am back again with my heart bursting full with a need to spill at least some of these overwhelming emotions..

Of late I have been raising the bar for you on everything - what you should read, write, say, do.

You, in all your innocence are trying your level best to fulfill my expectations without really understanding why the sudden pressure. Just the other day, I was so upset because you had been naughty at school.  I was being so harsh with you and we both raised our voices. But it was you who calmed down first, looked up at me and asked so sweetly ' If I play the piano beautifully today - will that make you smile amma? '.

May be it is normal for a little kid to ask this of her mum but I was so touched (and a little bit ashamed that you were being the grown up  and I, the child..)

Just because I have lost precious children before and after you.. it is unfair of me to expect you to make up for all those losses and  have the best of the lot of the them. I am elated, grateful, blessed and permanently changed for the better because you fought with the powers to be, to come to your dad and me. I am glad you chose us. I am glad you fought to be with us. There is nothing more that I should possibly ask of you other than letting you grow in to the wonderful , spirited sweet heart that you so obviously are.

I remember, some time back..in fact, till the time you were a toddler, as soon as you got up in the morning you used to search for my face, spot it and immediately your face will just bloom from sleepy confusion into a lovely smile that infused your face (and my heart) with joy! That used to be the best part of my day.

Now, as we cuddle in bed at night, read a book together, talk about our day and giggle about how we fought with each other at tea time..I marvel at your growth and spirit and  logical mind and generosity and feel so proud and blessed.

That has now become the best part of my day.

We tell you daily that you are the bestest, you are our favourite and we love you the most in this world..but Kannamma.. what we are actually trying to tell you is this

'Thank you for being you!'

Love you to the moon and back
Amma

India Trip 2014

This year's trip to India was more awesome than the previous ones.. Special credit goes to Kumarakom lake resort where we stayed for 4 fun filled days.. The property was most beautiful, what with traditional Kerala houses turned into Villas facing the serene Vembanad lake..

We stayed in a heritage villa facing the lake.. the villa was right by a lovely stream of water where cranes and birds came in for a reprieve from the April heat.. the villa had a private pool and boy did the little one have fun there..

We jumped into the pool as soon as we checked in and the little one swam for atleast 3 hours every day for the four days we stayed there..

Over and above that the infinity pool that merged into the lake was our daily destination as soon as we woke up in the morning..

The sunrise cruise across the backwaters of Kerala early in the morning..passing through mango, banana and coconut trees fully laden with fruits and green leaves was a memory that will sustain me through the vagaries of at least another year!

The best part as a family was when it rained and we played about in the privacy of our pool..The best part for me was skinny dipping in the room pool late in the night looking at the stars twinkling away..

Apart from the above, we stayed at the Residency in Coimbatore - the lesser said about it the better..

Had a wonderful time at 'handsome' grandpa's house.. the beautifully placed, cooling mountain wind facing 'oonjal' was a big hit with the three of us..

The little one had a good time playing with her cousins at her 'Doctor Grandpa's' house and making loads of new friends at her 'Pattima's' house...

We also visited the Ranganthaswamy temple at Srirangapatna..where K had proposed and I had said 'Yes' 11 years back..So we had a fun time explaining to the little one how mummy and daddy decided to become Husband and Wife and she was very cross we had gone ahead without having consulted her!

Marriott at Bangalore upgraded us to a 'Junior Suite' and as usual we had great fun there as well as the ' executive lounge' with a view of night time Bangalore from the balcony!

Meeting R and S(my ex boss and ex-colleague) at the 'Tiffin box' was a wonderful experience, more so for the great fun we had! Missed H though! He was busy trekking in Nepal right admist the avalanches just then..

Of course all fun has to end and coming back home we have just discovered a small wet patch  in the roof and we are in full panic mode now!

God save us.

Mr This and Ms That..

From the time the little one has started going to school, life here in the A household has gotten much more interesting..

Whenever she is caught doing something wrong, the little imp lets her imagination run riot in developing stories that tell us why it went wrong..

She loves to carry my handbag..while we are ready to go out somewhere we suddenly here a thump and the handbag is down the stairs with the little one standing right on top of the stairs.

Her Dad and I sit her down and ask ' why did you throw the handbag down the stairs you naughty girl!'

Her reply : ' But Ms Handbag said she wanted to jump down the stairs to show her friends how far she could jump! '

This is said with her hands making cute little gestures and her big innocent puppy eyes looking up at you as earnestly as they can!

Her Dad and I struggle hard to contain our laughter and remain focused on our endeavor to discipline this errant little Pinocchio!

Another morning - her scrambled eggs are spilled, albeit a little, around her plate.

'Why did you spill your food - you are a big girl aren't ya? I thought you could eat neatly all by yourself' - This is silly old boring me.

'But amma - Mr Egg said that he wanted to dance around my plate and mmm..mmm.. I just wanted to help him!'

Nowadays I have come to enjoy these little nuggets made up by the imp that I am not sure I want to stop them coming!

God help us trying to be strict parents of this one!

Ray of Sunshine

One of my good friends has written a book and has sweetly mentioned me in his 'Acknowledgments'.

It is not your 'name-in-the-print-dream-come-true' moment exactly but given the kind of year it has been and given how much I like and respect this guy - I think I will take it and celebrate it!

Thanks HS!

p.s.  The book by the way is called 'Start me up'. A good, honest book by a good, honest guy.

Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost

Just saw a heart-rending documentary about Ayrton Senna. Three time  Formula one world champion. Record holder for one of the most pole positions. Brazil's pride.

Last driver fatality in Formula one.

Though his initial entry into the game is drive purely by passion, slowly he seems to have developed keener instincts for the politics of the game and more importantly the art of playing the press.

The ping pong actions of rivalry between  Senna and Prost are not entirely Prost's fault as the documentary will have us believe.

Senna's 'strategy' of forcing opponents  to run too close to the pitwall is what seems to have kick started the rivalry in the first place. Not just that he further ups the game in the 1989 San Marino grandprix by breaking their agreement not to get into each other's way to the first corner.

Prost , with the alleged help of Jean-Marie Balestre  the then FIA president (who was later alleged to be an ex-Nazi)  and a French man like Prost gets Senna unfairly disqualified after his fantastic win at Suzuka, the Japanese Grand Prix.

They go a few more rounds with each other with Prost going as far as putting a clause in his contract with Williams to NOT sign up Senna as his team mate knowing fully well Senna's efforts at that time to sign up with Williams.

Despite this and more, post Senna's untimely and tragic demise at just 34 years old at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, Prost was one of six pall bearers and was a trustee of the Ayrton Senna institute.


I have always been amazed by the ability of men to generously forgive.

And the general inability of us women to do so.

Anyways, a meteoric life though it might be, I think Ayrton had packed more fun, fight, passion and love in his short life than most of us in a longer life time.

A wonderful watch. Recommended.

Letters to my daughter - 1

Dear Princess

For reasons that we both know..I would like to record forever the kind of mom I intend(ed) to be..so you will know..no matter what..

1. I love you. Irrespective of whether you play the piano well or swim well or read well or eat without spilling.. I love you just as you are and just as you will be. To know you is to love you and to be your mum is to love you unconditionally.

 I have a part to play in who you are and I will never turn away from that truth. If we are good, we are good together and if we are bad, we are so together.

2. We fight. A lot. You are just 4 years old but you have strong opinions and  clear communication. I encourage you to contradict me when you feel I am in the wrong. This is because I want you to develop a strong character, an individual thought process.

But remember.. we always fight with a view to Understand and be Understood. We never fight to win. Different opinions can co-exist happily. You might believe in something exactly opposite to me but that is not going to stop me from loving you or you me.

We shall never be that insecure in our beliefs.

3. Already you speak about things I do not understand ('One direction!' - At 4 years! I only know they are a band!) but I promise I will not judge you just because you seek things I do not understand. I will try my best to understand them with you and on my own. My values are going to be different to yours..but that does not mean you are bad or I am..it just means that we are different because we belong to different generations.

We shall always celebrate that difference and grow/evolve more because of it.

4.I love(d) every minute of being your mom. Yes, I have made sacrifices but those were conscious choices by me. Those sacrifices were made towards my happiness which at that moment was from yours. So, in all  you owe me - Absolutely Nothing.

I have always striven (with your dad's help) to maintain a balance between my space, my time and my duties to you. Never in my life do I want to hold you accountable for something I have missed out in my life. You have done nothing but enhance my life. Made me a better person. Relaxed me. Taught me to open my heart and love more.

If you want to give me something at all..it is this. Be true to your heart. Be sensible and safe in your life. Demand the best from life. Deserve nothing less.

Most importantly..love your child as unconditionally as or even better than I love you. And tell her to do the same to her/his child.

5. We do get angry with each other. Then we take a break from each other. (Mostly you declare that you are taking a break from me even while continuing to happily sit on my lap and play..) But we always get back. Because I am your mum and you are my daughter and we love each other and that is the final truth. We make it a point to say that we love each other before we take a break.

These breaks are, for now only for a grand total of 5 minutes.

But I know that when you are a teenager you might want longer breaks from me and I from you. We shall give each other that space. But at the end of it we will be eagerly waiting for each other - always. The break is for our anger not for our love. This is a promise and a commitment I learnt from your dad. And  now I pass it on to you.


6. I am always going to be jealous of the love between you and your dad. While I plan and pray and strive and practically stand upside down to let you know that I love you.. he does it so effortlessly. He seems to have communicated all of the above and more..without writing or saying a single word.

But remember - all said and done.. he is a 'boy' and we are the team committed to 'Girl power! ' So all the secrets are just between us!  :)

Love you sunshine!

Shall write more as and when my heart is again so full of love that I can't take it anymore without writing down atleast some of it :)

Amma.

Countries and People

Just counted 12 + countries that I have been to..want to jot down thoughts as they come before I forget my experience in each of those..

Do note that these are my very personal opinions and are to be taken with loads of salt..

I have not visited all the places in each of these countries - not even all the important, ' must visit' places..so this is more like 'notes to myself' than a guidance to others!

So here I go in descending order of  having visited them..

Turkey (Only Istanbul)

 Unbelievably child friendly. Everybody seems to love children. We received loads of chocolates from complete strangers just because our little imp was with us!  Not very familiar with English. But still easy to navigate the country. Topakapi palace in Istanbul is easily the best feature. The weather ( in June) was awesome! Do not forget to dine with a view of the Bosphorus Strait  at the Topakapi Palace. An awesome experience. The Chora church is a treasure for history buffs and the yearabatan cistern for Dan Brown fans! Hagia sophia and the blue mosque absolute delights to explore :)

Spain

Either the language or the way people spoke it..came across as very rude. The castillians as opposed to the Spaniards seemed cooler. More down to earth. Valencia has a wonderful sand beach. Do not miss the Sagrada Familia church and Park Guell by Antoni Gaudi. An evolving project that has gone on for a century (Sagrada Familia)..very impressive - in concept and in reality.

The Alhambra palace - I hear is built as the Moors' imitation of the Paradise. I did not get a chance to see it. I did see the Royal Palace which was just another beautiful European place of grandeur. But the Alhambra, I believe is something else altogether.


Holland

Love the Dutch. They switch between english and Dutch effortlessly and without sulking like the French. They seem secure in their language and their love for it! Stayed at Den Haag. Less crowded than Amsterdam. The canals,the tulips, the people, Van Goh's museum, Anne Frank and the annexe where that brave little girl hid.. what is not to admire and love about Holland?

Belgium

The Grand Place may be?. Give the Atomium and  the Mannequin de Pis a miss. Nothing much to be impressed about either. But  - do not miss the gourmet food. Choclates, Biscuits, Waffles and Cream. Go to Belgium just for the Waffles :)

France -Paris

The most child un-friendly european city I have ever been to. Children are merely tolerated.

 Do learn as much French as you can. Parisians sulk at having to listen to you speak English -forget about talking to you in English. ( And I do speak un peu de French and it was only by mistake did I slip into English) But if you even attempt to speak French..they melt (while correcting you of course..)

But the place. Paris. What is it about the Champs de Elysees that charms you and makes you fall in love.?. The Tuileries, Notre Dame, La Sacre Coeur..the Louvre.. Paris has got the X factor.. you cannot put your finger on it.. but I am yet to meet somebody who has not loved Paris.

Switzerland

Switzerland has three sectors - the Italian, German and French sectors. I have never been to Germany and I know only one German ( a colleague - and she was a sweet heart) but the population in the German sector were unpleasant to say the least. If you make your money off tourists, the least you can do is be polite to them. Especially when they are trying their best to be good to you.

It was a pleasure to visit the other two sectors. We stayed at Engelberg. I cannot for the life of me imagine what Heaven can possibly have that betters this. What can the man/woman up there possibly add?  The greenery, the cows with the gentle bells, the clouds elegantly crossing your balcony, the lovely people..I think Engleberg and I think peace, happiness, love, relaxation, beauty. Enough said.

Geneva, Lucerne, Zurich - it is beauty that never bores.

Italy

Love, love, love the mad Italians. They did not care that you did not speak Italian. They did not care that they did not know English. They could not understand, for the life of them, why that should stop us from having a conversation! Every Italian we met had something  random to say about Silvio Ber*coni and in the same breath 'la bella bambino!' - our little imp!

Rome was the ultimate historical paradise. Give Naples a big miss except for the lovely island of Capri. Venice - the Gondoliers and their songs.. St Mark Square and the Pigenos - a 'Namaste' from every Venetian you meet - an awesome memory.

 Florence - Read about the Stendhal Syndrome - it is no exaggeration..I was stunned by the sheer beauty of the city.

Walk the city of Rome - in the night. The experience is like none other.

Sistine Chapel's ceilings by Michaelangelo and the Piata in Vatican are artworks that even an art idiot like me could stare at for hours for and be mesmerised..so do not miss them at any cost!

Singapore

Visited twice for work. The rainy and sunny afternoons were an unexpected pleasure (when indoors!) Stayed at the Swissotel. The staff were lovely beyond words!

Do not miss the 'Night Safari' - especially if you have kids (or animal-loving husbands like me!). Never made it to Sentosa Island so nothing more to add here.

Orchard road is good for shopping ( or was when I visited 6 years ago!)

Maldives

A collection of islands that take your breath away even as you travel from the airport to one of those islands to your hotel! But nothing much to do except to parasail, snorkel, swim and relax by the beach!

Went for an off-site conference at work so it was an all paid for holiday with work colleagues!

Enough said :)

Did not see enough people to know how they were. Was busy relaxing :)

Mauritius

Unlike Maldives, there is a little bit more to do than just deep sea diving and snorkeling ..you could visit the seven coloured earth at Chamarel or visit the Pamplemousse botanical garden or watch the sunset/sunraise at Ile aux cerfs..

A perfect destination to unwind and relax.

Though the island is populated by many Indian origin farmers, they fiercely identify themselves as mauritians and most know no other language other than French/Creole.

Nepal
It was a good 10 years ago and all I can remember is the river rafting in the Bhote Koshi river ..it was the first time and there was no looking back after that.. fell in love with River Rafting forever..

Once again - a work sponsored trip - so the entire team stayed at a 5 star hotel and it was simply awesome!

Was not otherwise very impressed. People of course were pleasant and kind.

The United States of America
A family trip to visit my brother. My first trip abroad when I was just 16. Was impressed with everything. The statue of liberty, LosAngeles, Washington, the Florida beaches, Washington, the friendly Americans saying 'hi' wherever you went.. the entire 'foreign' experience including the Pittsburg temple! :)

Seems so naive now.

Have no idea what the 'older' me will now feel!

Other than the above.. have been living in the UK for a while now.. Edinburgh and London are simply awesome..K used to work from Southbank, London and visiting him was always a pleasure for more than one reason!

 The British stiff upper lip - is no exaggeration. They rarely show their emotions, they are unfailingly polite even when they are extremely angry with you, they value their own as well as your privacy but unfortunately they have an astonishingly vague historical knowledge of their own country's involvement in other countries. (of course they know the British had colonies and they 'modernised' those colonies..but that is that!)

Given that my kid is now British..I hope to teach her a lot more than what her school history books teach her about the history between her country and the country of her parents' origin.

Anyways.. in India, have lived and worked in Gujarat, Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai. Given that I lived in South Gujarat - only saw the peaceful and vegetarian side of them! Vapi and Baroda will always be my favourite destinations. Delhi - less said the better. Mumbai - not for me but I can see why mumbaikars love their city. Bangalore - No other city has had it's potential squandered so badly! Chennai - again not for me but I can see why Chennaiites love their city.

Coimbatore - There is no other place/people that I love /respect more and there is no other place where I do not fit  anymore..at all.. THE irony of my life..

Lastly there is an awesome place in Kumbakonam called 'Mantra Veppathur'..had a lovely time in the last visit to India.. a fantastic place to relax and unwind..

P.S Special  mention - Marriott Courtyard Chennai - stayed here in the last visit to India ..the best service we ever experienced. An absolutely brilliant team of service personnel.

Things to remember before undergoing major surgery

a. Shower with Hibiscrub the day before and the day of the surgery. Keeps the germs away. Just like that.

b. Stop eating 24 hours before you go under anesthesia. Puking on the surgery table is something you do not want to do.

c. Talk out all your fears with a good friend of yours. You will feel unbelievably free and light hearted post that! (Thanks a ton CK!)

d. Once you cross that bridge of fear..you will cross every day till the day of your surgery with hope, optimism and a determination to make every minute count!

e. Make sure your loved ones are the last faces you see before you go under and the first faces you see on waking up..believe me you..it doubles your rate of recovery

f. Go on a trip. Yes. Before your surgery, go on a lovely trip with those you care about. Your body relaxes and your mind has sunny memories to fall back upon while recovering in the hospital bed.

g. Get back to work as soon as you can. Especially if your co-workers are British. They believe in Dignity in adversity and will simply love you for it.

h. Marry a good man. A telugu man preferably. I did. Nothing in life seems to faze them. Everything is to be taken lightly. (Light-ka theesko!) Anything can be handled. One step at a time. No fuss. But always there. Right by you ( Not behind, not ahead but by you..holding your hand) Every. Single. Time.