Star of Wonder

Let it Snow

The Message of Christmas

The message of Christmas is nothing but the message of God's Love for His people

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).

The Birth and Resurrection of Jesus is just not another made up or written story but a real-life event of a Living God. Centuries ago during the time of the Old Testament in the Bible, a Prophecy was made of the birth of A Holy Child .

For to us a child is born,to us a son is given,and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor,Or Wonderful, Counselor Mighty God,Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)



For years and years, the people of God longed to see the fulfillment of these prophecies.
Virgin Mary who was engaged to Joseph was approached by An Angel of the Lord to be an instrument in fulfilling the prophecy. The Graceful Mary accepted the Lords Will and thus she was conceived by the Holy Spirit.Joseph and Mary went door to door as Mary's time approached. Thus The King of Kings and Lord of Lords was born in a humble and Lowly Manger.
The 3 Wise kings were a few among those people who believed and longed to see the Holy Child. They followed the Star which appeared on Christmas Day to mark the Birth of Jesus. With small gifts for the Holy child, they visited him with great excitement and Joy. They worshiped the Lord and returned to their land full of happiness.










































The Babe of Bethlehem was not merely a remarkable child, but the Son of God, conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born into the world in the form of a man. There were signs everywhere of this Holy Birth. Even Shepherds and Angels worshiped the Holy child !

These are the most beautiful lines from the Bible that explaining the birth of Jesus. Many times I would imagine if I were there as a Shepherd to see the greatest event on Earth.

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christa the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,14 “Glory to God in the highest,and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

Satan tried every trick in his bag to prevent this prophecy to come to pass, as the birth of this Child meant an inevitable end to His reign. King Herod was sending out people to seek the Child and destroy it. But the Lord appeared in a vision to Joseph to flee to Egypt and so they escaped without being hurt. More than the festivity and the decorations this message is what we should have in mind. If this Child wouldn't have been born we would have been a lost! Christmas begins with Christ. Jesus Christ's life did not begin when He was born in a stable and laid in a manger. For He had lived from eternity past at the right hand of God the Father. He left the glories of Heaven to be the Savior of mankind.Some 2,000 years ago God's gift of love to the world was despised and rejected. Only by receiving God's gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ can we know forgiveness of sin and life everlasting.

These are the chorus lines of a famous song by Rayboltz that I get reminded when I think of a Christmas Tree.
The perfect tree
Grew very long ago
And it was not decked with silver
Or with ornaments of gold
But hanging from its branches
Was a gift for you and me
Jesus laid His life down
On the perfect tree

Wishing u All Joy Filled Christmas and A Happy New Year!!

Childhood Michiefs

My Grand mom (mom's mom) was such an innocent creature. As kids(me, my bro and my sis) when we used to visit our native from Kuwait , we used to be pampered by her. The moment we enter our Tharavadu ( old family house), she would ask my mom "Eee kdangallkku enthangillum kazhkaan kodakku"(give these kids something to eat). Whenever we entered even after a short trip ,she use to ask us the same thing. Back then we used to feel irritated hearing to it, it was as if we were landing from Somalia. Our cousins were staying there too. So we used to have fun times during vacations. There was a storeroom where Grandma used to keep mangoes and nice homemade goodies for us to eat whenever we wanted.
Grandma had genuine care for us. As she was suffering from Rheumatism and Diabetes , she had an odd way of walking with a slight tilt to one side. Whenever the phone used to ring in the house , she had to walk a long distance, since the rooms were like connected like the boogies of a train, from the kitchen to the drawing room. Now when I think of it, I feel I should have helped her in picking the phone and letting her avoid all the walking to and fro. But we were mischief makers then. We (me, my cousin and my Bro) would walk behind her imitating her same style of walk and she wouldn't even know that we were mocking her.
Grandma was so innocent that she would believe every lie that we as children told her. Once I applied red nail polish on my skin and told her that I was bleeding. She became frantic seeing the red color, and started calling out for her servants to attend to me. But I couldn't control my laughter and ran off. My Mom did give me good for fooling her. Then there were numerous times that Grandma would tell us something and we would disobey or pretend by not hearing, turning the music on loud etc. Grandma died when I was in my 12th. Now when I think of her, I feel that I could have shown her more love, even when we were small.

100 posts over!

I feel to delighted to inform u all that I have completed 100 posts since I started this blog 7 months back. It isn't very easy for me to blog all the time yet I hope I can continue at a steady pace. I wish to thank all my blog readers so much for ur Care, Concern and Comments.
Take care and continue reading.

Sweet Conflicts !

G has become so chocolate crazy these days. The more we give her, the more crazier she becomes. She is soooo fond of it, that the moment she enters any friends house, the first thing she asks any aunty, is for chocolate. She ends up getting some 4-5 chocolates, starting with 1. She tries all her tricks, to get as many as possible. Now its becoming more embarrassing for me to visit friends. I earnestly hope that they don't get ideas, that G doesn't get chocolates at home, that she goes round asking everybody for one. After every Spicy meal she wants a chocolate. She will do all sorts of drama like sticking her tongue out, fanning it with her hands etc.She's got so use to that habit that even after tea she pretends she had chillis....hehe

Today morning she got a chocolate from a Birthday Girl just before going to school ,while waiting for her bus. Immediately she starts whimpering...I give her mine to avoid creating a scene. But she doesn't stop with it. A friend of mine sees her crying and gives her chocolate to G. I tell her that she should keep the chocolates and give L (and me) when she returns. Now she gets another idea. She makes a bigger scene with loud crying saying she wants to keep one for Dad. I told that she can give mine but she simply refuses to agree. Seeing her loud cries another friend of mine gives her one more and so she happily eats one and goes to school with 3 more. My Motherly Instincts tell that she would come back after having all of it.

She comes home after school with a big empty cover of another chocolate that her teacher had given her. We asked her why she didn't bring back the other ones. We also asked her if she gave it to any of her friends although we fully knew that she wouldn't part with any of hers.
She cooks up a story and tells this to us : Mama.. teacher told me "Do not give chocolate to the father, do not give Mamma and do not give to L" and so I ate all the chocolates.
We all had a good laugh to hear her talk in English. It was very "Sweet" to hear her sugary talks.
Dad and me think that, its better not to give any sweets in the first place coz the problem starts when she gets only one.

O Holy Night! by POG

Jingle Bell Rock !! (My Fav Christmas song)

Goofed Up !

Hello December.
I was just waiting for this month and yet I goofed up on the very first day of this month.
L is having her exams this week, a continuation of last week. Due to some mistake in my preparation of her timetable, I made her study EVS (Environmental Science) today early morning, instead of Hindi. Although she did revise a little during the weekend, yesterday the whole day we had gone out, only to return by Midnight.

The funniest part of it , is that I realized it only after L came from school today evening. My heart stopped for a second,when L told me it was Hindi and not EVS. I was sad that I couldn't prepare her well because L had always found Hindi, a little more difficult than the other subjects. I called up my friends to confirm and I discovered that my timetable with the dates ( which i had proudly stuck and displayed on the wall ) written, were all wrong. On top of it, because of VP Singh's death last week, Friday was a holiday here . That was the day of her EVS exam. So somehow, it caught on me , that only after EVS, were the rest of the exams.

This is the second time that it has happened to me. A similar situation had happened last year too. Thought I would learn from that incident, but seems like this is a part of me, that makes me "ME"....hahaha. Since L had revised Hindi a few times at home and in class, I was a little releived. My friends too comforted me, saying that after all, it was only a small exam.

G too was very cranky today and she was spitting a lot in her anger, trying to irritate us to the maximum. But we pretended not to pay her too much attention, as she would be stuck to that habit forever. I've never seen her like this.

The good thing that happened today, was that a very old friend of mine got in touch with me, after many many years. So it ended as a happy day after all. :)

Salutations

I salute all those Heroes who fought the War on Terror and help save the lives of many and in return gave up their own lives. May God be with their families and be a source of comfort to them during this Difficult time. We r proud to have such heroes.

Mixed Emotions

It was a hot Summer. I was returning after my Grocery Shopping from the Local Nilgiris Supermarket. I was in a hurry to reach home and so was walking very fast. Some parts of the leftmost side(where I was walking) of the road, was under construction on approaching the main road. One had to be careful to walk on this road. While thinking about various chores I had to do for the day, from the corner of my eye, I got a glimpse of a fluorescent pink Saree lady with jingling bangles trying to overtake me in my stride. I didn't want to make way, as I too was in a hurry. Suddenly this lady gasps out loudly "Hai Rey". We had reached that part of the road which had been dug up deeply. I turned to help the lady just in case she needed any help.

As I glanced at her face, to my horror I find it wasn't a lady, but a man dressed up as a lady. One of those kind of people with peculiar expressions and mannerisms. He held his bangle filled hands to his face in terror. It was one of those strange moments in life where I didn't know whether to speak, smile or laugh ...or to cry ...or run off. My mind was laughing to see this strange person but I had to control my wicked feelings. For a moment I froze (tho my heart was beating very fast), not knowing what to do, as I didn't want to offend those Kind of people in anyway whatsoever. I looked in front of him if there was anything terrifying that he should gasp out loudly. But there was only a deep dug up ditch in the ground. To my relief he said "Madam Jaa" (almost angry that I was staring at him) with a peculiar expression of the hand pointing me the way in front of me. Thankfully, I walked off. Up to this day, I still don't know what terrified him/her but it remains a funny moment in life.

Mobile - A Moms' Stress Buster

Before the onset of mobiles, we would see moms chilling out with a cup of tea or coffee in the evenings. But with the mobile revolution here, moms don't feel lonely again,...forget the rest of the world.

I have been observing a lot of moms lately. U'll find them in the park gently leading their child to play, and then take out their de-stress weapon and start their verbal outpour. In between, she may forget to glance at her toddler, probably on the verge of falling. Can't blame the Mom too. She works hard the entire day, looking into every minute detail of her child and home. Its only when she gets her child out(or distracted for a while) that she gets a few minutes to pour out her heart. Some moms are found in their balconies, maybe coz they want some privacy from the home members or maybe some fresh air. Balconies are a place to relax, after all. But they must be aware of Birdwatchers like me.

Sometimes I get too inquisitive, to know who these moms would be talking to and what they are discussing.... the main reason being, that I don't possess this De-stress machine. In a way, it saves the lazy me, mobile maintainence and bills. Also me happy that I don't have to carry it along with my house keys and again, not to forget, I already have a landline. Some days I like being the odd one out, the other days I would be a little J (jealous), on watching moms chilling out on mobiles. Ask my friends their phone number and "Fattafatt" comes instant replies of 10 digit numbers. As for me I am trying to be content with Dad's 10 digits.

A Recipe for children

The recipes good for kids who have constipation problems as it has loads of fibre.


BANANA APPLE PORRIDGE
--------------------------

------
Ingredients

¼ cup broken wheat
¼ cup quick cooking rolled oats
1 cup low fat milk
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon powder
1½ cups apple, diced
3 cups bananas, sliced
4 teaspoons low fat butter

Method
1. Clean, wash and drain the broken wheat.
2. Heat the butter in a pressure cooker, add the broken wheat and saute for 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Add the oats and cook for 2 minutes.
4. Add the milk and 1 cup of water and pressure cook for 2 whistles.
5. Mix in the sugar and cinnamon powder. Cool in the refrigerator.
6. Add the apples and bananas. Mix well.
7. You can serve it hot too or try other fruits like peaches, strawberry, etc.

A Womans' Prayer for her family

I came across this wonderful prayer and thot of sharing this with all of u!

FAMILY

Lord I Pray /Praise you for...

1. God will be the centre and head of our family
2. Intimacy, love and good understanding between me and my husband
3. Peace, Joy and Unity within our family always
4. Both me and my husband will always remain absolutely faithful to each other
5. Prosperity, abundance & profit in our family and no lack, debt or loss
6. Good Health and no sicknesses or diseases
7. God’s canopy of protection through his blood, angels, word of God and no evil will enter
8. Model family to our neighbours, relatives and friends
9. Peaceful and loving relationship with both our in-laws
10. God’s favour, anointing, blessings, goodness and mercy in our lives everyday


HUSBAND

Lord I Pray for my husband for...

11. his work, his finances that God will give him the strength to go higher and prosper
12. his purposes, his choices, his decisions that God will give him wisdom to pursue the
right ones
13. his mind, his affections, his emotions that God will rule them all
14. his integrity, his reputation, his self-image that God will guard them all
15. his priorities, his relationships, Role as a Husband & Father God will guide him to be the
best
16. his faith, his walk with God that God will give him mercy and grace to be a son that he
can trust

WIFE

Lord I Pray for myself that I will ...

17. A Proverbs 31 Woman of Virtue...
18. A good wife, good mother and extend good influences over them
19. Have wisdom & strength to prioritize and manage well my family, house, work, ministry,
(Studies)
20. Bring my family to the Lord’s feet through Family Prayer everyday
21. Build my family in every way and not break it down in anyway
22. Have humility and respect my husband and care for him
23. Teach my children the ways of God, when we are sitting, eating, sleeping and waking up


CHILDREN

Lord I Pray for my children that they ...

24. Will grow in wisdom and stature and in favour with God and Man
25. That they will obey us parents, and be disciplined and well-mannered
26. They will be like fresh olive shoots around our family table
27. Love the Lord, Walk in is ways, and not deviate from them even when they are old
28. Be filled with talents and abilities and will use them for God

My Angel

I bought a T-shirt for L and it had beautiful lines written over it, right in the front. It goes like this."I have an angel watching over me. I call her mom."
I read this to L and explained the meaning to her. Papa asked her the meaning of those words again and u could guess what she told.
L: There's an angel watching over me and and I call it mom.

Call of my land

Hello Bloggy,
Feel like ages since i've written. Hardly knew that October went by so fast.
Hello to November. The feeling of November is exciting for me coz I know Christmas time is soming soon....Wow!!...Goosebumps when i think of it!

The Month of October went by traveling a lot and to tell u the truth , its more often to my native place , Kerala. And every time I go there , I long to be there more. Its like the rootsof my native are calling to my inner self, to go and settle there. Strange that me, who likes more of a fast townlife, is wanting more to go back and live a more peaceful village life. The feeling was more this time as I fell in love with the nature there. More vegetation, pollution free air (as my dear husband tells often), fresh fruits and vegetables from ur own land. Being near our loved ones and paying visits to relatives,etc.

The love of the hens being raised (hehe, seen them since they were chickens), that come to be fed all the time, was so endearing. L and G spent a great deal of time chasing and feeding them, learning to look after them and watching the hens way of living. The hens used to go to sleep up on a tree at night for protection, as there were no coops built for them. Collecting the eggs laid by them and making the laying of eggs comfortable for the mother hens in rag- filled baskets kept here and there. There was one particular basket placed in an old store room full of old wornout stuff.

Then we have small pond there too where they had put in some aquarium fish which have mulitplied over time. It was fun to watch and study the different types and feed them too. Close to it ,we have a nice big cage with a few Love birds were bought a month ago. The cage is almost like a palace with swings for them and food and water kept for them in plenty. Recently it had four new additions and it was so cute to watch them grow and see the way the moms were feeding the young ones. They would eat the leaves of a medicinal plant which L and G loved to pluck and give.
We were there only a week but were so happy to be there. Probably its more exciting now as we go there once in a while, don't know how it will be ,if by chance we plan to settle there, once for all.

Sorrow and Joy

There wudn't be

Ups In life

If there weren't Downs.

Beauty is more

When the Ripples form

In Still Waters.

Scars in life may appear

Its the inevitable price

U pay, to get Scepters.

The hours before Dawn

Are the darkest of day.

But its only coz of that,

That we Thirst to see

The Break of Day.

Sorrow and Joy,

Complement each other.

They make life special

Like Sugar and Spice.

A Sad Toddler

The Loud cries of a 2 year old toddler have been ringing throuout my Apartment corridor. Our front door neighbours(A grandpa and a Grandma) runs a creche and so we guessed that the new child's mom would have started working and wants her child to get accustomed to the creche for the first time in its life.
2 weeks back the mom just dropped the child just for 1 hour to check out her toddler's reaction. Since the owners of the creche did not want the rest of the kidsin their creche to get disturbed, they thought the new child could walk in the corridor with a caretaker while they keep their door closed to the cries of the new child. After hearing bouts of loud cries, I opened my door to see the sad child and thought of ways of comforting her but she just refused to be comforted. I noticed that the caretaker(a young woman) was making the child walk to and fro in the long corridor. The child would be murmuring some unknown language as (it was obvious that) she hasn't learned to talk yet and in between she would burst out loudly and cry. It even seemed that she had only recently learned to walk. I was wondering how a mother could do this to a young child. A few moments later the mom comes and takes her child home. It was releif that now the babe was with its mom. I didn't see her after that day.Yesterday I was returning after my daily swim and saw the same child in my corridor. This time the child was lying down in the caretakers lap in a sleeping positon almost tired of crying and also half sleepy. She would scream and cry in between after restoring some of her baby energy. I told the babe a Hi but she was not in a mood to acknowledge. Poor thing! In the past 4 years,I haven't seen kid crying so much like this child . Today too I heard cries, but with lesser intensity. Probabaly she'll get used to it and who knows even her Mom mst be feeling sad to drop the child the first few days. But its heartbreaking to see a 2 yr old baby cry loudly througout helplessly.

I'm a Diehard fan of Agatha Christie !

Like I told u in my previous blog that I read the Autobiography of Agatha Christie during the time I went for a Holiday to my native. I have always been her fan ever since I read her first mystery book.
My Love for Mysteries goes way back to the time when I was in the 4th Std. My favourite then was (U guessed it right!) Nancy Drew. Even Now I feel the excitement I used to have then, whenever I used get a Nancy Drew Mystery book. We still have a collection of Mystery Books at my parents house. I remember those days when the bell used to ring for the Library period in school, I used to run fast in order to reach first to get a Mystery book before anybody else laid hands on what I had not read. Then I came to know of many more books of the same category like The 3 Investigators, Hardy Boys, Famous Five, Secret Seven.....wow!! i used to be lost in the world of investigating and solving puzzles, reading those books..

Sometimes I used to put a story book inbetween my text books half-folded and pretend to study when infact I was reading a mystery. Then when the lights used to be out to sleep ,I would strain to read the book in the faroff streetlight that would slightly light up our room through the window at night. I was too crazy about such books then. When i got to college I would still read Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes. As time passed I got lesser access to books and I stopped reading until now. I have revived my reading habits now as I am making ways of finding time to read .

After reading Agatha Christie's Autobiography , I feel even more impressed about her. She has mentioned every tiny detail of her exciting life even from her childhood, with absolute sincerity and humility. She's even given tips on how to write detective stories which I am planning to follow shortly ;) ;)...jst kidding! I took my own time and read it without taking much breaks coz I was so engrossed in it. Inbetween I would imagine about writing my own autobiography probably naming it as "The Autobiography of a Nobody "!....I am sure it wud be a hit. ;)

Agatha has written on every aspect of her life in her book, even on her marriage, her experiences as a nurse, her relationships with every member of her family, as a mother etc with such dignity and poise. She had such great respect for everbody. Sometimes I wish if I could meet her face to face. Even though she's no more now, I salute this great Lady of the Detective World. Her books r a must read.

Hello October

First blog this month.
Today is a special day as it happens to be the Birthday of my elder girl L . Many Many Happy returns to L, my dear child who's been a blessing to me and I hope she be blessed throughout her life forever. Last year we didn't celebrate her BD in our apartment, instead we did it in our native. Mostly her BD comes during the time of the Puja and Dussehra hols...This year it happened to fall during the same slot, so we called her friends and had a small BD party at home before we came to our native place. She had a great time and got many good presents this time, mostly books....:) Today we plan to have a small cake cutting in the evening. She is already having a blast this holiday, travelling almost everyday.
I am also with my mom now, as I was not there when she underwent a surgery and so I'm happy to be with her for a few days. She's getting better and has improved a lot after seeing us. Its more exciting to get to hear all the Gossip of my near and dear and also meet them face to face.
Plus I am also doing some holiday homework, so that my girls get to enjoy their holiday....haha.. For the past 2 days...i did 4 activities.....Cotton work on Sheep , Dal Work on Sunflower, Hand painting (G's homework) on an old T-shirt , Flower mask to be made on a paper plate. Not bad !Have a few more activities. Mean while I am also reading the Autobiography of Agatha Christie in between....my favourite author. Very Interesting Indeed!

Onam Celebration in our apartment

Hello Bloggy

Been a long while since I've excercised my grey cells. Past 2 weeks were all busy,busy for all the ladies here.

We wanted to do a small Onam program in our apartment here and since it was exam time in almost all schools during this month, we couldn't make it extravagant like last year. So we decided to put up some games for all ages and as fillers we would put some groups songs(malayalam) of small kids and adults as well. Me and my other half decided to join for singing. I had the job of collecting the kids for practice everyday. Also I had to go door to Door in my block for inviting people personally to ensure maximum participation. We also had a Pookalam Competition. There were about 9 teams. Surprisingly there were Non-mallu teams who put up a good show. They even won prizes.

L and G were also there in group songs. Kids were excited and it was fun to see them learn the songs with actions. G wanted to participate(she was the smallest in the group) but she was too shy to do the actions. Few games included Picking the nuggets for the small kids....for bigger children it was passing water and filling a bottle. There was a Mythological Quiz for kids according to their apartment blocks. Couples had a grocery list game where the partners would sit 20 feet apart. One group had to called out the grocery items and their quantity...the other side would have to write out what they hear from their partner in the right order...this was all done simultaneously and so it was fun to watch one whole side screaming out their items. It would be a different list for all teams. Since dad and me were suffering from sore throat,neither of us sould scream. So I chose another friend who was interested in participating. We just missed the first prize coz of 1 item. Instead of Custard powder I heard Instant Powder...haha

The highlight of the day was the Vadamveli(Tug of War) for which even the small children wanted to participate. Finally there was team of equal men on either side. It was most anticipated event and we decided to have the best of 3. After the first attempt the guys switched sides and as everyone watched eagerly, on the second attempt the rope snapped off. It was disappointing. So they split the prize to both sides. Then there was Uriyadi(breaking the hanging pot with a long stick). Three people would be selected by a lucky draw. Age criteria was above 11 years of age. They would be blindfolded and have limited time to break the pot with the stick in their hands, meanwhile the children could splash water at them to their hearts content. The second boy won the prize. By the way the children were splashing water , I thought all 3 people would give up the game.

There were cash prizes for all the events. It was a fun-filled evening yesterday. G surprisingly sang with actions but her sound was not clear coz she had chocolates in her mouth and it was dripping out while she was singing. :)

Scary Intentions

G: Mama,I want to be Superman!

Mama(surprised): Why do u want to be Superman, dear?

G(in animation): I want to scare everybody!

Dad: Then u have to be Supergirl not Superman because u r a small girl.

G: No, I only want to be a Superman !

Trip without Mama

G finally enjoyed her trip to kerala without me and L. She recently went with dad to our native for Onam. L was having her tests and so we had to cancel our(mine and L's) tickets. We thought of letting G visit her grandparents , tho we had doubts whether she would leave till the very last moment before the train journey. The journey to our native is only 1 night's sleep in the train.

L could also study well for her tests without much interference. It was boring for me without G around to pay all attention. Eventho it was a big break for me in a very long time, I was missing G terribly. L behaved like a good girl surprisingly without G to boss around and also studied well for her tests. Infact she was happy G wasn't around to share all the toys for a few days.

G had the time of her life. She got showered with all her grandparents attention. She got lots of chocolates too(which is her greatest weakness). She got to be with the chicks , new fishes in the pond..and the new love birds at my In-Laws and loved the time she got to feed them. Some visits to our relatives and a day without dad at my parents home too went by so fast for G. She would remember me specially when it was bedtime but then she would be too tired then and would fall asleep soon. She was very happy to be back home. It was all so fast for her that she seemed dazed for some time when she came back.

An Old Silk Curtain

When is the last time u have taken time to notice the least important thing in life or given ear to an unsignificant sound? Do u have the time to think of it when u r busy pondering over the mountains and volcanos in ur life. When ur mind feels tired of thinking about the day to day things in life, give it a break. U need to shut ur mind up and chill out. Look at the finest detail of a small thing or listen to silence.hehe ..strange isn't it?

Its been long time that I have been watching this Silk Satin Curtain hanging on my window in our bedroom. Its not an expensive material and also its quite old. Its a beige colour with floral designs. Sometimes I even tell Papa that its time we changed it coz its out of Fashion. Nobody even lays eyes on it, specially during the day. But suddenly it looks beautiful these days only coz I started noticing it more often. It looks the most beautiful when roomlights r switched off and against the yellow streetlight(of our apmt) that falls on it at night. In the gentle breeze that flows across the open window, it looks even more beautiful. And when everybody's asleep I delight at watching it in calmness.

Perhaps its the same way God looks at his children all the time.

Blasts in Delhi

Shame on those people who feel thrilled to kill their fellow innocent brothers and sisters. Why do they call themselves Indian Mujhahideen? Why do they attach the word Indian to their organisation when they r nothing but opposites of it?

Its terrible to think what the people must be going thru, fearing of Bomb Blasts day and Night. My deepest condolences to people who lost their near and dear in the terrorist attacks. May God be with all of them and help them go through this painful experience. My heart sinks just to read such shocking news.

Onam Fiesta !

I wouldn't be a Complete Mallu if I don't mention the Favoutirte festival of Kerala which is "ONAM". Onam Festival is celebrated with great joy and gaiety across Kerala, during a series of days in August or September. Many cultural events are also held on the occasion of Onam. Snake Boat races, Kathakali and Mohiniattam dance recitals and musical performances are organized to celebrate Onam in Kerala. Moreover there is a 10 day holiday in schools for even the children to enjoy.

What do people do throughout the 10 days??
Well there are lots of things!! First and formost People shop till they drop...u'll see sale sale everywhere from big shopping malls to even the smallest market shop. People buy new clothes and exchange gifts. Houses are cleaned and beautiful flower carpets and decorations are made at the entrances of houses and in courtyards. Traditional oil lamps are lit in the courtyard and women dressed in traditional Kerala sarees dance around the lamp, performing a dance called Thiruvathirakali. The main event on Onam day is a grand feast at lunchtime. Called sadya, the feast consists of a series of dishes served one after the other, including rice, vegetable curries, pickles and several varieties of payasam or sweet dish.

The highlight of this season is where u make Pookkalams(Flower designs).
Pookalam is an intricate and colourful arrangement of flowers laid on the floor. The tradition of decorating Pookalam is extremely popular during ten-day-long Onam celebrations. Loads of flowers, lot of dedication, creativity, technique and team effort are what makes a spectacular Pookkalam. Pookalam Competitions r held in schools and associations during this time too. Its a real feast to watch all the designs and creativity. They have become extremely popular and witness huge public participations. Big prizes are also kept in these contests as they have turned up to be extremely competitive events.

The Legend behind Onam Festival in Kerala:

Onam is celebrated to welcome King Mahabali, a legendary ruler of Kerala, who was renowned for the justice and goodness of his rule. According to legend, people in his kingdom lived in prosperity and harmony and loved their King so much that even the God's grew jealous of him. King Mahabali had conquered all the land and sea and the heavens, making the Gods even more disturbed. Vishnu descended on earth in the form of a dwarf Brahmin, called Vamana. He went to King Mahabali's palace and found the good King distributing alms. When Mahabali asked Vamana what alms he sought, Vamana replied he would like as much ground as he could cover with three footsteps. Mahabali looked at the tiny feet of the dwarf and agreed to his wish. Lord Vishnu covered the land and seas with one step and the heavens with the second. Mahabali recognized the presence of the Lord and offered his head as the ground for Vishnu/Vamana's third step. Mahabali was thus subjugated and sent to the underworld. However because he was a good and just king who loved his subjects, he could return once a year to check on the welfare of his people. And it is during Onam time that He comes to visit his people.

Onam Sadhya(Onam Feast)
A proper Onam Sadhya is what the people long for during this time.It consists of the dishes given below served in small quantities with white rice on a Big Banana Plantain Leaf. Totally Vegetarian and YUMMY! The dishes include Parippucurry, Injithair, Sambar, Avial, Kalan, Olan, Thoran, Puliinji, Pineapple Pachhady, Erissery Koottucurry, Sarkarapuratty ,Kaya Varuthathu, Pappadam ,Payasam, Prathaman ,Bananas

Payasams(also known as Kheer) r the best part of this sadya.
I love payasams.There are several varieties of 'payasams'. I have included a recipe of a simple Semiya Payasam which is my fav.
Semiya Payasam
Ingredients:
Vermicelli 1 cup

Cashew nuts handful

Raisins handful

Water 3/4cup

Sugar a cup

Saffron a pinch

Milk a cup

Cardamom two or three pods
Method:

Heat the ghee and fry the vermicelli till light brown. In the meanwhile, boil the water. Add the vermicelli to the boiling water and cover it. Keep stirring occasionally. Once the vermicelli becomes soft , add the sugar and continue to stir. Put the saffron in the milk and dissolve it, add this milk to the vermicelli. Powder the cardamom and add it to the mixture. Then fry the cashew nuts and almonds in ghee and add these. Mix well and boil for about two minutes. Your payasam is ready and can be served hot or cold.
By now I hope u all got an idea of what Onam is .

So wishing u all a Very Happy Onam!

Beaming Moon

While sunset creeps across

The changing firmament,

You roll slowly into

The deep blue Velvety Skies.

You say ur byes

To the tired sun,

And arrive to take

Your daily turn.

You're a stunner with

Your Silvery beams,

As u strut across

The heavens above.

And while the stars up high,

Wink at u forever,

And give u company,

You surpass all the above,

With ur flattering beauty.

The changing shapes

You acquire each day,

Is ur magical ability

To keep us amazed.

Tho the Sun's mighty,

And much powerful than u,

It still is invisible,

In its own light

And way beyond

Bare eye's view.

Oh! Beaming Moon

Ur Silvery Shine smile,

Is truly a gazer's delight,

A poets muse ,

And a child's rhyme.

Happy Teachers Day

Today is the day teachers should be proud of. A day in memory of all teachers who work hard and spend their life being selfless and who impart knowledge to the younger generation.The gift of teaching isn't a talent u find in everybody. I always fumbled when it came to teaching somebody and i certainly don't have the knack to rack brains through word of mouth and so I admire all teachers and their gift to teach. Me always loved literature and most often my fav teachers would be my English teachers.Lately I found 3 of my English teachers on Orkut who happened to teach me English during 3 different phases of my life. I am really fortunate to have found them. Does it mean that only English teachers seem to be keep in pace with the modern Social Networking system? I don't have any answers to that but from my experience ,I feel its very true. My English teachers have really done well in keeping in touch with all their old students. The latest info now is that,years later, My teachers have become my friends ...:)

Invisible Linda

Linda was always there in class but was almost invisible. She was a pretty normal girl from Std 1 onwards. She had no close friends though she liked everybody in class. She wished she had one best friend with whom she could share her small small laughters, joys, sorrows and blues. That one friend would have made her life whole, she would think. She was mediocre in everything. Her looks were ordinary. Her class performance was average. She would watch close buddies in class and how they would walk about, play, how they would talk and what made them close.

There would be school annual programs but Linda would never get selected by her teachers though she would long for it. Deep within her heart she would pray that she would be chosen but every year she would return home broken hearted after selections. She loved to dance, sing or even act, but probably she was not extra-ordinary enough. And so she often felt invisible, dejected and despirited. In order to gain some friends sometimes she would crack jokes but even that did not bring anyone close enough. One particular year she got a part in a drama where she was to be the King's soldier, whose only role was to stand by his side till the drama got over but that was enuff to make her feel happy.

Seeing Linda's sorrows of not being accepted among her friends and teachers, her parents decide to enroll her for some dance classes. Linda slowly started having friends. She participates actively in Dance classes,programs,competitions conducted by the Dance school and even wins prizes. Her School teachers recognise the 'Once upon a time Invisible girl' and starts selecting her for the school annual programs . Linda now holds her head high. For the first time in her life after 6 years she feels 'accepted' and not a ghost anymore. The dejection she felt from when she was a child made her a mature girl. Later in life she looked out for other 'Invisible People' in her life and made them feel special. That was Linda's Exceptional talent.

TV tastes

L and G have different tastes when it comes to watching television. L loves her daily dose of cartoons. Tom and Jerry, Sponge BOB, Dora, Hattori, Perman, Ben10, ShinChan, etc . Lately she likes watching even serials like Sunaina. G is the opposite...she's not at all interested in cartoons. Very rarely do i find G watching a cartoon. Instead G likes to watch songs even tho she doesn't sit thru it entirely. Another thing G loves is watching Ads. When L goes for a break between her toons, G comes and watches all the ads. She wouldn't allow us to switch the channel. G also loves cookery shows. I have never seen any kid her age watching cookery shows. Hope atleast she turns out to be a better cook than me.

After a long time I got a chance to hold the TV remote in my hand. I just surfed to find a good movie last saturday and we happened to watch "Snow Dogs" on Zee Studio..My girls happened to join me in watching the movie, seeing me laughing hysterically. We thoroughly enjoyed it.Its got a very touching storyline too. There were many fierce looking dogs in the movie, specially one dog which looked almost like a wolf. After watching the movie I found it very strange that L wanted me to buy a dog with that Wolf-like appearance for her, whereas G was almost terrifed of the very mention of the word 'dog'.Not that I don't like dogs but looking after 2 kids i don't think i'll have time to look after a dog.
Talking bout Ads have u watched the latest Tata Sky Ad where Aamir Khan switches into a husband and wife at the same time....What an idea?? Simply Superb!!! Another one I like is the Ad where the Sumo wrestlers join in a crowd to form an aeroplane and take off into the air folding their legs....Hilariuos!

I also have a good laugh singing the Perman Cartoon song....Initially I used to wonder what was the meaning of the word "Perman" and then I found the answer in the songtitle itself. "Superman Se Su Huttaallo tho Perman Ban Gayya" ...funny isn't?

My Sweet Mom

Hello friends...

been a few days since i have filled in my blogbook. My mom had a surgery last week and I didn't get a chance to be with her due to some circumstances. So i thought I would take a break,pray and think of everything related to my mom. She's on the road to recovery and I was very happy to speak to her yesterday after her surgery on thursday. She sounded tired after the whole procedure and also in pain too. BUt I know she'll be well in a few weeks time. Its only when we go thru such times that we realise the importance of people in our life whom we take for granted. I know I haven't been a good daughter to her but she's always been the best. My mom and me r just 20 years apart in age but she looks more like my elder sis than my own mom. She's always clad in a saree and carries herself real well. Mama's very sensitive and a shy woman unlike the modern mothers, probably due to her conservative upbringing. I remember times in my life whenever I used to disobey her, she would tell me that I should be a mother to understand. Now after being a mom of 2 kids I understand well. I've realised now that mothers cannot explain all things to their children while bringing them up but we realise them later in life when we go through similiar situations.

Radio

Perhaps one of the most greatest inventions of mankind was the invention of The Radio...which is now even the most economical means of communication and entertainment. People r still thrilled to use this means of invention even after many years, since its invention. New laptops and mobiles have arrived into scene but nothing can replace a radio.

I have always been amazed at how an ordinary radio channel can reach out to masses of people from the most Affluent to even the poorest of the poor...all they need is a small set with transmitter and batteries. Even power is not needed. I just searched on the net on who invented the radio and it turns out that it was a culmination of hard work by various scientists and brainy men.

The reason why i started this topic was becoz my family and me have been listening to this radio channel called Vivid Bharathi for about a year and half,everyday. The timing is from 10 to 11 in the night. They play all the old Hindi songs which makes us feel nostalgic, and help us to relax before sleep . Nothing can beat those oldies. Like they say "Old is Gold".

Whats interesting about this is people from remote villages write to the radio station to play their favourite old songs and they even read out the people who requested it and mention their village too. Its not just music they cater too. Many rural people write and even call up this station for various programs and discussions. Its good to know that that this piece of invention has not left rural people apart from the rest of the fast world.

Hats off to The Radio and its inventors!

MathOphobia

Jenny's eyes were filled with tears. Her Math teacher had asked her a simple subtraction sum and she was trembling and sweating. She was so full of confusion and tension that all she uttered were wrong answers. Her MAth teacher was furious and she was pinching Jenny by her ear. After all she was in 3rd Std and she still couldn't do a simple subtraction. All her 21 other fellow students watched Jenny in anxiety.
Time was passing by so slowly during that Math period. Finally the MAth teacher took a decision. She decided to make Jenny sit in a Std 2 class room. Jenny was made to sit with the junior students in the last bench of that class. The Math teacher asked a few simple subtraction sums and all the kids in that class answered instantly and correctly. Jenny was still wiping away her tears silently but she could not escape from the mocking eyes of a whole class, junior to her. Even though she was only 8 yrs old then, it was the most embarassing incident in Jenny's life. Math was not her subject and ever since that incident she developed an aversion and fear for that subject. She simply didn't like any of her Math teachers specially the one who made her sit in a lower class.
It was the greatest irony in her life that years later, she ended up taking Maths as one of her main subjects and even completed her Engineering. She had to develop some liking for it if she had to pass those MAths papers. She did pass them and so she emerged victorious. Now she is married and a mother of 2 kids. "No more Math again now" , she thot. But Lo and Behold she sees her elder girl struggling with Math. But thankfully she's only lazy to study Math. Otherwise she is Math-intelligent.

Toys

Whats with children and toys? Will there be an end to the number of toys piling up inspite of not buying for our own?

My house is overflowing with toys...toys here,toys there,toys everywhere...i need not take any toys to my native ..coz i have toys for my kids there too...toys at my in-laws house and toys at my parents. Toys r something that keep pouring into our house as gifts from friends and relatives. Particularly after a Birthday celebration, u will end up with many toys. Every year we donate some old ones to SOS and few old ones goes to my maid but still they come from nowhere.

All the cleaning was done by me every day...the most annoying being pieces of pieces of bricks, pencils, crayons, bangles(specially for girls) and puzzles scattered everywhere. I clean them up after they've gone to school and hide them, only to take them out again when my girls request innocently with false promises of cleaning up after play. When they r done, they go their own way which makes me the last one left in the room to clean up. Grrr...

If this goes on I think I will have to do it till they grow older. I have been thinking about it seriously these days. Better now than later. My girls have to take responsibilty atleast in the matter of cleanliness. Therefore I have adopted stringent measures for cleaning up after play. No more outdoor play until ething is cleaned up. Anything taken from its place has to be returned after use, at once. All cleaning should be done before going to bed. Although its impossible to keep monitoring, I am trying my level best. I don't know how long I have to be the monster figure in their lives. But judging by my own character, its likely that I will forget about it sooner or later, me being very softhearted to my girls. :)

For My Wonderful Friends

For all my wonderful friends out there..who have been with me and who have been praying for my well being...here's the wonderful song that we sang together often while we were in college.

Happy Birthday -Brown Girl style

Have u heard of the famous song by Boney-M,"Brown Girl in the ring"....the tune is now sung for Birthdays here these days...specially in my girls school...its very catchy...try singing the words given below in that tune!

Happy Birthday Dear friend
La la la la la !
Happy Birthday Dear friend
laaa la la la la la
Happy Birthday dear friend
la la la la la !
We wish u a Happy Birthday .

MAy God bless u !
la la la la la
MAy God bless u !
laaa la la la la la
MAy God bless u !
la la la la la
We wish u a Happy Birthday

:)

Coolest Video Ever !

I came across this sweet Video and thot of sharing this with all of u...
This is a group of people who decided to do something incredibly creative at their church, and they have on white gloves and areperforming in front of a black light .. enjoy! Turn your sound on before clicking the link.

Proud to be Indian

Happy Independence Day to all fellow Indians as India turns Sweet 62 !

Trip to Coorg - Part 3

We got up at 8 in the morning the next day. Since it was raining and almost dark we thot of cancelling our Mysore trip that day. It wouldn't be fun to see the zoo while it was raining. We decided to check out and go straight home. SO we had tea, packed up and checked out.

On the way back we had brunch. G was having a slight temperature. but still they were happy to be on the move. During our last visit to Coorg we had had visited Nisargadama. Its a sandalwood forest with a deer park and there were elephant rides there during season time. This time rains made us drop that visit too. WE had to drive through the forest areas where there were warnings of Wild Elephants. We would ask L and G to look out for Elephants on the way to keep them from fighting. We were pointing out the bamboo trees for L and G for them to learn.The other places in Coorg are a Dubarey Elephant camp, there is white water rafting and trekking,some waterfalls here and there too. All this could be visited in better climate conditions.

When we reached Srirangapatna we saw a board showing the Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary. Papa decided we needed to go visit this place as this was a must see for all children. So we took a detour.L and G were excited to be there. The rains had stopped and there was a little sun there. A nice park was there too. There was a boat ride for tourists where we could get a sight of thousands of migratory birds nesting in the middle of the river on small small islands. There were many species of Birds there. A little far of on another small island we saw hundreds of bats hanging upside down on the shaking trees right on top. It was the first time that I too saw many of them.

A little further away on smaller rocks between the river we saw crocodiles lazing out. L and G had a nice look at them. There was one particular crocodile which was standing still with its mouth open wide. I was finding it difficult to beleive that it was real coz it looked so statue-like to me. It didn't move for a long time. After we took a complete cirle and came back we saw that it had changed its position.We saw many crocodiles on the move. L and G started getting scared. I was glad that they saw it so that I could always scare G the next time she was getting naughty. We then took a walk through the garden there and returned. By then we all go tired. The road to bangalore was full of Traffic inspite of it being a Sunday. We reached home in the evening.
It was totally a nice,relaxed trip. L and G were very happy to reach home.

Trip to Coorg-Part 2

The next day we got up late. Since it was raining badly it was dark and windy outside. We even thought we would stay back instead of going sightseeing in the rain. We needed to have breakfast. So we all got ready and went to our favourite Veg restuarant. By then it was only drizzling and we asked the way to TalCauvery. This was one place we missed to visit during our previous visit to Coorg. It was quite far off from where we were staying.

Talacauvery, the birth place of River Cauvery is situated on the slopes of the Brahmagiri hills at an altitude of 4187 ft above sea level. (Origin of river Cauvery) - 45 Kms from Madikeri. This is the source of the holy river cauvery, captured in a small well less than a meter square. The locals told us to visit that place since it is said to be enormously blessed with nature. We can have a panoramic view of Coorg from there. The way that leads to the place and the place itself is photogenic.

We decided to go visit TalCauvery and it was indeed beautiful, tho the drive was tiring. L and G entertained us with the songs they learnt in school. There were fights and outbursts too. On the way we saw a lot of local stalls selling honey,coffee and spices, for which Coorg is famous. When we reached the top of the Mountain , we could see the mists floating with the breeze.Thankfully it had stopped raining by then. It was breathtaking to watch view below from the top. There were large steps leading to the topmost part of the mountain too. We had to remove our slippers outside as the place was considered to a holy . We saw the 1 meter square well which is said to be the origin of the Cauvery. There were some pujaris there doing Pujas for the people who had requested for prayers. There was also a pool just nearby to it, in which we could see coins which visitors had thrown for good luck.

Since it had rained, water was overflowing on the slightly rocky steps throughout. In some places it was dangerously slippery. L was so interested to run over the steps saying she is always careful. We tried to warn her many times of the slippery steps. G was being cautious but she was being tempted to run along with L. PApa went to take the umbrellas from the car in case it rained. Seeing that he had gone L and G wandered away from me. I too was scared to walk on the slippery ground,in between, I was warning my girls again and again. While I was warning, L was not obeying and G was following her. G slipped, bumped her head and started crying aloud. I ran and took hold of G into my arms and started rubbing on her forhead. L looked frightened.

I called L to come to me,U know why!She was so scared to come to me that she went backwards. In that process she too fell. Now they both knew why we were warning them again and again. G got a cut between her toes and it was bleeding. A small lump had appeared on her forhead too. From then on both became very obedient girls. We spent some more time there to watch the mists on the mountain. On the way back we bought some honey too.

We returned and had a late lunch by around 2:30 . G was sleeping while we returned. Heavy rains started and so we decided to go back to the hotel.We took rest and then geared up for the evening. There was Tambola in the Fun Centre at 7 PM. All of us actively participated tho we didn't win anything. After the game, a DJ came and put some loud music. Kids and the Ladies present there had a nice time dancing to the music. L and G joined too. When they got tired we went back to our room..had a nice dinner and went off to sleep. G threw up thrice in her sleep. Probably coz of indigestion. Only after 12 did all of us sleep properly. This was our last night here and the next day we had to check out.

Trip to Coorg -Part 1

We made 3 day trip to Coorg (Kodagu). It was a very good trip for a change as it was raining thruout the 3 days. The best season to visit Coorg is from September to December. Luckily for us it didn't rain heavily when we were travelling during the day time. The night time was windy and rainy but we had a nice time with Indoor activites coz we were staying at the Club Mahindra in Coorg.


Coorg is situated on the eastern slope of the Western Ghats in Karnataka . It is a hilly district. The main capital of this place is Madikeri ,also called Mercara. There r lots of places u can visit here. It is as Beautiful as Ooty and Kodai. We had gone to Coorg 2 years back with our whole family on my Hubby's side. We liked the place then but this time it was even more beautiful tho we were just 4 of us...Papa,Mama,L and G...WE decided to drive all the way from Bangalore. Depending on the traffic it takes 6-7 hrs drive from here to Coorg.

Day 1

To avoid heavy traffic we decided to start out early morning at 5 AM. We prepared the kids in advance bout the trip and so they jumped and got ready, the instant we woke them early morning. It was an easy drive to Coorg. For breakfast we had carried Sandwich Bread and butter along with a few cut cucumber and tomato slices. We stopped by the road and had a good breakfast. It was quite filling. The roads weren't that good as heavy rains had damaged it.

We decided to stop at Kushalnagar where there is a Tibetan Colony. Bylakuppe is one of the several Tibetan settlements in India.There were ordinary Tibetans who lived in idependent houses as well as Tibetan monks (dressed in dark yellow vests and red

robes, can be seen of the roads. Some of them were no older than 10 years of age. They have beautiful monastery built there,also named as the Namdroling Monastery.

We were showing L and G the corn cultivations which could be seen on either sides of the road while driving thru the colony. She had learnt in Science that Corn is a Food grain and I was reminding her of that. L kept asking where we were going and to make her feel excited we
told her we were visiting a Monastery. L was hearing that word for the first time. Througout the Journey she kept asking how many Kilometeres more we had to travel to reach the destination. She was very impatient to sit during the long drive.It was like she was sitting on Pins. Just
before we reached the place she asks us impatiently

" Where is the Cornastery?" We all broke into laughter.

Incidentally we happened to land in the Tibetan Colony on the same day of the Beijing Olympics Opening ceremony. SInce China and Tibet r not in good terms the ,sHopping centre there was closed for 2 days in protest. It was drizzling throut but we had a walk though that area. They were Quarters where monks were staying, a nice garden maintained well by them. Few monks were doing their traditional prayer chanting with drums,sort of long trumpets and few other musical instruments in a Chanting room. They didn't seem to be distracted by the tourists thronging to get a sight of them.

I guess they must be used to it. There were slogans near the Shopping Area telling not to buy Chinese goods.

Since we still had to drive a long distance to reach Kodagu, we decided to leave and go forward. By 12 noon, we reached Madikeri just in time for lunch. We enquired on a good Veg restuarant so that we could have food from there all through our stay in Kodagu also inorder to avoid stomach upsets..hehe.We found a very good one , easy on the pocket too. We wanted to finish some sightseeing before we retired to our room,so we decided to visit Raja Seat. They have beautiful well maintained garden and a beautiful view from the top of the mountain. There would be slight mists wandering over the thick green vegetation on and off. It would look like smoke drifting away which was confusing L and G.

It was so beautiful inspite of the rain. It was chilly coz of a cold breeze. There was a Toy Train there and the kids were jsut longing to hop on. the problem was there wan't enuff people to start the train. So we waited till there were 20 people. WE had carried a video and so were shooting scenes of L and G. A couple of perky,noisy college students hopped on to the train and then the ride started. L and G enjoyed it so much, even tho the ride was only for 4 minutes. Seeing their excitement Papa decided to go for 1 more ride. So again we went on it ..this time we sat in different places.

It was getting more misty and chilly and so we decided to have some tea and then went to our place of stay, Club Mahindra which was around 7 Km from madikeri. We got a nice room with a kitchen cabinet and a nice view. All of us went of to sleep as we were very tired and got up in the evening as there were indoor activities in the Fun Centre at the Club. All of us freshened up. There were some fun games which were organised for all who were there specially for children. L and G had loads fo fun Also we could play Carroms ,TT and board games. We spent some time there and went back to the room just in time to watch the Olympics Opening ceremony in Beijing on Television. It was feast to our eyes. What a Show put up by China?? WE watched it and went off to sleep. We needed some energy for the next day.

Olympics 2008

Its the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympics on 8th August at 8:08 PM. I feel excited for all those who r going to participate and try to win a medal for which they have been working for years and years together. For that medal which will bring honour to their country as well. I always used to daydream when I was small, that if I were to participate and win an Olympic medal, it would be an "Out of this world" feeling for me. And I also guess its going to be the same feeling for all those who r going to be a part of all the events. My Prayers and All the Best for all the Participants in this Years Olympic Event. Hats off to all of them for their competitive Spirit and Hardwork.

Gimme a Break!

Past few days we were all busy with guests and travel. Days just fly when these 2 things r clubbed. Donno how fast the last 5 days passed. But am glad to take a break after it. All the cooking and arranging home etc. On top of all this ,I am down with a nasty cold and body ache. A BIG RELEIF! that my kids have gone to school today. Again we have planned a 3 day trip this weekend. Tommorow we have the "Lunch klatsch" in our Apartment. So according to the menu I have to prepare a dish. Most probably its a "Vegetable Stew"(kerala style) which has to accompany the "Appam". The last time I prepared the stew for a gathering it was a partial disaster so I have my fingers crossed this time. But I am bold enough the take on the Mission again. ;)

So many things happening so fast. Today also happens to be the First time L is doing Bible Reading in her school Assembly. I hope it turns out to go fine as she had mentioned that she wanted to do something like that for a long time. When i met her Ma'm for the Open House I spoke about L's interest. And so she got her chance today. She didn't want to make it perfect tho when I wanted her to rehearse well yesterday. I wonder how it went today?

Dressing Time

Many moms go through difficult times when selecting a dress for their child(specially girls) . Usually I allow them to wear according their own tastes but when the child wants to wear the same dress all the time then we have to find a solution. Me and G argue a lot, when the time comes to select a dress after G's bath. For a very long time(about a year now) she likes this one particular dress every day after her bath. It is a beautiful Shiny flowery dress that I got stitched a year back. I stitched with the same cloth for both my girls. With the remaining cloth, I made 2 duppatas(shawls) out of it for them. G never gets fedup of wearing that frock with the additional setup(Duppatta) everyday. Even though her shelf is full of pretty dresses, she insists on wearing the same dress. Tho I liked it when i bought the cloth the first time, now i don't like the sight of it. Sometimes I hide it from the shelf and make excuses for the missing dress. For about a month i had to tell her that i left it in our native. Just recently I put it back on the shelf but i misplaced G's duppatta..So now the trend is, sharing L's duppatta. When L came to know that G's duppatta is missing ,she wants to wear it the same day G wears it. Now I have to make sure that L and G wear their dress on different days so that they get the duppata to themselves on the days either of them wear it. This is the biggest disadvanatage when they both have the same dress.

A few days ago my yunger one starting wearing her clothes by herself.Wearing the T-shirt and her skirt by herself really made me a proud mommy.

Tip of the Day

Do some exercise. You need not spend a fortune joining the XYZ gym next door. A brisk walking for 30 minutes daily can have the same effect. Or go for a yoga course and practise it at home daily. Its economic, can be done in your own room, anywhere in the world. Remember, the key is doing it daily.

Toy Animals

It was supposed to be a Science exhibiton for L on Friday. The topic was Animals and their homes. It was on short notice and so we were not able to prepare anything as a model. Instead L told that we could take toy animals (as suggested by her teacher) and put it on any of the exhibits. So finally the toy animals (bought some 6 years back) which were lying in the depths of the toy bucket, would see light after being invisible to my kids for months together. Few of them were missing as we were searching for the whole set of toy animals. Few of them were missing but Hey!, something is better than nothing ! And so she had packed whatever was there on wednesday itself and took it to school on thurday. Thursday evening my kids come back from school saying that they have a holiday on Friday on account of the Solar Eclipse. Holiday for a Solar Eclipse?? haven't heard of holiday like that for a long time. My Friday free time's gone for a toss due to this Eclipse.

And so what happened to the Science Exhibiton? It is posptoned to Saturday ,I guess. Also it is L's Open House on Saturday and so we parents get to see the exhibiton too.

The Tagger

Passed from my sis is this tagger

Last movie seen in a theatre?
I saw "Innathe Chintha Vishayam" 2 months back...not bad but loved to watch Meera JAsmine

What book are you reading?
I read the "Diary of a Young Girl" courtesy my sister...beautiful book.

Favorite board game
Scrabble,Monopoly

Favorite magazine
Don't have any tho i have a suscribed to Week, Outlook and Outlook Money

Favorite smells
I love the smell of Aroma candles.The smell of a deliciuos food specially Biriyani makes me go crazy.

Favorite sound
Sound of my children singing, or when they call "mama"when they come home

What is the first thing you think of when you wake up?
what is the time??

Favorite fast food place
Calcutta Chaat

Future child’s name
Have 2 kids already

Finish this statement, “If I had a lot of money I’d…
I'd buy lots and lots of clothes specially for my girls.

Do you drive fast?
No,coz i don't

Do you sleep with a stuffed animal?
Never...L sleeps with a green Beanie bear close to her.

Favourite drink
Any kind of fruit Juice

Do you eat the stem of broccoli?
Depends

Storms - Cool or Scary?
Cool and Scary

If you could dye your hair any color, what would be your choice?
Me a little more older and it'll be brown black

Name all the different cities/towns you have lived in
Heistrestrasse,Eulengasse,Concorde street...and the list goes on

Favourite sports
I Love Sports ...waiting for Olympics. to be specific i like athletics swimming, tennis, iceskating, gymnastics.

One nice thing about the person who sent this to you
Nice and Kindhearted

What’s under your bed?
Nothing

Morning person or night owl?
Night Owl

Over easy or sunny side up?
Over Easy ...sometimes the other way round also.

Favorite place to relax
MY bed or infront of my PC

Favorite pie
Mariebiscuit Pie

Favorite ice cream flavor
Vanilla

You pass this tag to
Somebody please take this tag from me... ;)

Of all the people you tagged this to, who’s most likely to respond first?
Somebody Will