When one eye hurts, the other cries !

M hurt his elbow, the other day while playing on the street with the neighbourhood kids. Now, that the Edinburgh weather is being generous with 18-20 degrees, it gives kids a chance to take their eyes off of gadgets.

M has always overreacted when he’s hurt! I should say he gets that from me… I’m the best drama queen 👸🏽 you can ever meet, specially when I’m in the slightest of pain…

So now with his hurt elbow, he bawled like a toddler and took time to settle down but still kept staring at his hurt elbow, as if there was nothing worse…

He looked up at me and stated,

M : Mummy, my left elbow is hurt but my right elbow hurts too, but is trying to help my left elbow.

M: See Mummy, my both hands are like you and your sister ‘D’. If one of you are hurt the other gets affected as well.. if one of you need each other you both are there for each other, just like both my hands !

Me : Awww… that’s true Beta, me and D are like two 👀 eyes ! When one eye is hurt the other eye cries!

My heart swelled with happiness, for one being gifted to have a sister like D and the other for the fact that M realises that me and my sis, share a special bond and he applying that analysis to this situation.

As, an after thought…I was wondering if I made the mistake of not giving him the gift of a sibling, with whom he could have shared the same kind of special bond, as the one I share with my sister.

Whether , M get a sibling or not, he does have cousins – my sis’s daughter N and J’s sisters kids… I wish he develops strong bonds with them and I wish the kids stick with each other, as grown ups through each other’s thick and thin!

 

M’isms

M is 10 years old and I’m beating myself for not doing his 10th Birthday post.

In the meantime, he has grown almost as tall as me, well he’s nearly there…and that reminds me of an incident that my friend/neighbour  ‘S’ from the street behind ours once told me – it’s been 1 year since we moved to this new house and people around here have always seen a ‘grown up’ boy M. ‘S’ looking at M’s height always presumed that he was a BIG boy and a STRONG boy ! Once M was cycling around her home with all of the neighbourhood kids and had a fall from his bike. He was hurt and the first thing he did was CRY out loud like a little baby ! His act of crying out loud, shattered ‘S”S image of M at that point of time… she melted her opinion about him and ran to give him a hug and console him before informing me. She told me that her impression of M completely changed, that very second.

To wrap it up – that’s M for you !!! Looks all grown up and big boyish but still a little toddler at heart ❤️!

M has been in the recent past saying things and doing things that has blown me over. I’m afraid in my fragile memory, I will forget these precious sayings and doings of his and decided to pen them(M’ism) and then remembered my blog baby and came running here to record them !

Even if I don’t have the time to write long posts … I’m going to peak in here and write a short M’ism and run away …that way I can preserve his M’isms as stories for my grand kids about him.

Completing this post with a sample M’ism:

After a Good Dinner at a Restaurant:

Me: ( after licking the bowls clean) : Well, I did JUSTICE to the food 🥘

M : ohh Common , Mummy – In what way did you do justice to that chicken 🍗! It didn’t ask to be eaten ! You did it more injustice than justice !

Me : I literally Rolled on the Floor and Laughed out Loud !

12 Anniversary !

February 02 2006, that’s the day J and I tied the knot ! It’s been 12 years since we took the plunge…have been through Ups and downs …thins and thicks… good to know we stuck together. We are officially , now a middle aged couple with a 9 year M between us. Time does fly…

“Time flies. Fortunately, you’re the pilot.”

On our 10th Anniversary we went to a restaurant called Omer Khayam, on our 11th Anniversary we avoided going out for a lunch, as it was less than a month, since I had lost my daddy. It has been tough, but life has moved on and we have started to live to create memories that can be cherished when we are gone, someday.

Today, we resumed our tradition of lunching out and visited Dishoom.

I had mentioned to the Hotel Staff that it was our 12th Anniversary. They surprised us with a 🍨 Very Chocolatey Dessert, but when the bill came I noticed that we were actually charged for the treat. I felt it wasn’t fair as we actually hadn’t ordered it, but the bottom of the bill said Complimentary and deducted the Dessert cost – with the words ” Happy Anniversary”… Sweet !

Well, our bitter sweet relationship has turned 12 💑. J still keeps asking me , if I’m going to hang around the whole of his life and annoy him…So, I found an appropriate greeting card for the anniversary.

🌈Well…for many many more to come and until death do us part !

Thank you for putting up with my annoyance , J.

Love you ❤️

Happy 8th Birthday, M

Happy 8th M. Moments after you were born back in 2008, I don’t know why but I was calculating in my mind that in 2016 you will be 8 years old. Here it is now. The little bundle of joy whose forehead I kissed when I first saw, has turned into a handsome young prince.

This is your first birthday that you have got to celebrate in Bangalore with your Grandparents and Cousins. Yes, You and I are in Bangalore for unfortunate reasons. T-Thatha that is my dad is critically unwell and I’m here to take care of him. I pulled you out of school in Edinburgh,  taken you out of your comfort zone, away from home, away from Dad, have made you miss your friends, your favorite swimming classes and the comfort of you being at your home. I felt bad doing this to you, but I did not have  a choice. But you…But you seem to be having a blast ! You are jumping between one set of grandparents home to the other, One set of cousins home to another, exploring why India is so crowded and why people honk  on the road for no reason and wondering why people here are allowed to burst fire crackers for diwali. I hope this unfortunate circumstance turns out to be a good learning experience for you, my Darling.

When family here realized that this will be your very first Birthday celebration in India, ever since you were born – everyone was excited. My Sis, D asked you very excitedly if you were aware that this was your very first birthday that you will be celebrating with the whole family here in Bangalore and you in turn shot back asking her, if she was aware that this is the very first birthday that you are away from your daddy dearest. She was indeed taken aback at the angle at which your little mind works.

Ofcourse , your family showered you with presents – An Autobot, A table football, A transformer, A remote car that runs on the ceiling and walls, Tiffin box, Water Bottle, Mechanix set and New clothes.

You are a gadget freak. When V Thatha asked you what you want for your birthday – You told him that you are fed up with your gadgets running out of batteries and wanted a Power bank – Guess What ? Your V Thatha, got it for you. When my sis D asked you what you wanted for your birthday, you excitedly showed her a 40,000 Rs Playstation on Amazon and wanted that as your birthday present and My Sis nearly got a heart attack.

You are growing up to be sensible, and you reason everything that’s been told. Sometimes you throw tantrums and your behavior erupts  until you are punished after which you accept your punishment dutifully. You will be starting temporary schooling here until I will be of help to my parents. I am sure the education system in India is going to shock you initially – The British system has not taught you what a test or an exam is or what homework really is. Wait until you start school here …Languages – Hindi and Kannada are going to seem Greek and Latin to you. Good Luck with that 🙂 I hope its  going to be a good learning experience for you – M. I hope you take it up as a mini adventure.

When T-Thatha fell ill all of a sudden, I had to rush to Bangalore the first time on the 5th September – You were in school on a Monday morning, I left from Edinburgh to Bangalore without even bidding you good bye. I left you with Daddy. Daddy and you managed for a couple of weeks. Thatha had a mild heart attack which resulted in clots in his brain and had fallen down at church – He was in ICU when I met him. He was getting better and when he got back home, I retuned back to dad and you in Edinburgh.

Little did we know that the same week that I returned to Edinburgh, Thatha had rectal bleeding and a simple colonoscopy revealed a greater shock. He was diagnosed with Stage III Colon cancer and is currently undergoing aggressive Chemo. That’s when you and me rushed back to Bangalore. The moment dad booked our tickets for the next day and mom was in deep tears – You were running around innocently packing all your toys, excited to go to India.

I’m hoping Thatha bears with the side effects of his Chemo treatment and celebrates you next birthday with the family in UK. I pray …I sincerely Pray…

Have a good year, M

Love you !

 Amma (I wish you call me that…Rather than mummy !..and you know that ! )

Bangalore.

Bangalore. My Home Town. Familiar Territory. The only place in the whole entire world/galaxy/Universe where my Heart belongs.

The Happiness I feel when my flight lands and I set foot on this ground cannot be explained by words, one good reason to this happiness is my close knit family. The excitement that I’m going to see my Mom, Dad and Sis, Niece after a year adds the chirp to it. My heart literally jumps with joy.

We were in Bengaluru for three weeks and 2 days.

The fact that I’ve lived outside this city for close to 10 years now , has had its apparent toll on me. Living out of India has left a scar. My life is missing the most simple life’s pleasures that bring me immense joy – of buying jasmine flowers, adorning the altar and my hair. Drinking a tender coconut on the road side to quench my thirst and enjoying the gangi inside it , after. Having a dahi sev puri and relishing it with all your heart . Getting two bags full of vegetables for 2 pounds – The big fresh bunches of coriander, mint and curry leaves at throw away prices – brings a wide smile on my face. I enjoy speaking every word of my favorite Kannada to street vendors and auto drivers.

Every time I visited Namma Bengaluru, I couldn’t help but notice the Pollution, Inflation, Population increase and Traffic that beacons the roads. This time around I noticed a few good things too.

1. OLA – I went on a reunion to meet my college mates after a good 13 years. It was such a blast. Met at Koramangala, just next to the Forum Mall. Enjoyed every bit of it  – didn’t realize that time flew by and it was already 10.30 pm and I was to get back to the other end of Bangalore. And then , I Experienced the magic of OLA App, my friend picked up her phone and with a few clicks – there was my OLA cab ready to pick me up and drop me off safe. The drivers number flashed on her phone instantly and she could call him to give our exact location. The entire journey was being tracked and registered and it served such a boon to women commuting. To my Surprise , they were OLA auto’s as well. Wow !!! Hats off !
2. Plastic Bags Ban : Pleasant surprise, for me  I didn’t know when this happened. Was in Awww that vegetable vendors and grocery shops gave away Paper, Tissue and Cloth bags instead of Plastic ones. How good is that ?
3. Peace Auto’s : Having an Argument with the Auto fellas ? Fed up of it ? Annoyed when the Auto Driver merely shakes his head for a NO and drives past like he just does’nt care, when he hears of your destination. Angry when the Auto Driver does’nt switch on his Meter and demands extra cash ! Coming to your rescue in Bangalore City….  !

          These are Auto’s that have boards announcing that they uphold Peace and ensure that your Auto journey is going to be peaceful. The Consider that the World is one Family and that the passenger is GOD !!! With all due respects to the Auto Drivers who battle through Traffic and still have signed up being a Peace Auto Driver ! Hats off to you guys !

It broke my heart to leave behind my beloved family and My City and get back to Edinburgh !

My Heart will forever belong to you Bangalore !!! I love You !

“Life’s like that, Mummy “:)

Well, Its been along time since I blogged. My absence from this space only means that life’s being busy and in full swing. We’d been on a 8 days Euro trip covering 5 different countries in the first week of April and got back home tired. We’d been on a road trip to Birmingham last weekend and got back home exhausted. My health is not in par with J’s and M’s energy levels and I’m currently down with Flu because of the stress and strain.

With having been on a sick leave on Friday, I decided to visit M’s school and have a word with his class teacher – as I don’t get the opportunity to meet his class teacher, otherwise. I pick him up from the after school club, where I meet the after school staff and not the class teacher. So, I requested the office to check if I could meet his teacher that day.

The office staff bluntly refused and said it may not be possible as it was a half a day. Heart broken, on our way home – I explained to M that I was a bit disappointed as I could not meet his class teacher today and how the office staff refused to let me –

So M, looks up at me and says “Life’s like that , Mummy ” You can’t have everything you want” Sometimes it’s like that ”

I was all smiles and my proud mummy face lit up, instantly !

 

M’s intelligent question

M saw a guy on TV with curly hair…I mean really curly ! M and I noticed the guy’s hair and I casually asked M – if the guys hair looked more like noodles..we had a little laugh over it. Probably this noodle like hair style was still running in M’s mind.

At bed time, M asked me as to why his hair was not curly as the guy we saw on TV that evening. I grabbed the opportunity to explain to M the concept of genetics –  I told M that the kids generally would resemble the mom and dad, since J or I did not have curly hair, the probability of he having curly hair is very weak. His straight hair resembled – J’s and my hair.

M seemed a bit confused and asked me , a million dollar question ! Mummy, he asked – If I grew in your tummy, then how can I look like daddy ? ohh well…I did not have an answer to this…But from a child’s point of view – Yes ? If he grows in my tummy, then how can he look like the other parent ? Lol 🙂

I just – told M – it’s because J and I were married and hence M looks like both of us. So, again he asked  – If you get married, does your bodies get married as well ? I replied back saying, something like that and escaped for the conversation, for now.

It a lesson for me to be prepared about the birds and bees question, soon 🙂

So,Whats up at the SJ household ?

1. With a bout of ill health and recovery, SJ’s household is now back to normal.
2. SJ does feel a little bad about cutting through the bloggathon half way, but the circumstances were such that she was helpless.
3. M has started swimming classes at school and enjoys every bit of it.
4. M had his parent , teacher meeting couple of weeks ago. The teacher was in full praises of M – his general knowledge, his communication, his creativity etc etc…But, just as expected being Mine and J’s child – of course, he has to be talkative isn’t it ??? The teacher mentioned that he is too talkative…and she has to request him to please stop talking or explaining something..which he over does..he he he..had fun listening to the teachers comments…But on a serious note – I wonder if his creativity would even be recognised if he was in one of the schools in India…His creativity would be crushed like a flower and he would be writing pages and pages of homework until his hands pain and he starts hating writing , altogether !
5. J has changed his car and behaves like a little boy with a new toy…So much that last night, he got back from work, watched a few videos about the car and went off downstairs to spend time with his new toy. There were no signs of him until 10.45 PM, SJ had to call him on his phone and remind him that it’s 10.45 and he has to have his dinner and get to bed , so he can get to work the next day…Ooph..Guys I tell ya !
6. Watched Rajini Murugan, Kathakali, Thanga magan and other new movies…Watched Some old Visu movies over the weekend too..like Penman aval kanmani…Prefer watching the old movies over the silly new ones that have a weak story line.
7. Watched an old Vishnuvardhan and Suhasini kannada movie called Bandana – The best movie that I have watched in a few years now, this 80’s movie is a classic. A story about two doctors, a love triangle, A women’s life and her work-life balance , and sacrifice. The ending was unacceptable – I wonder how people could actually transfer life from one body to another, if this option was practical…won’t everyone be doing it. Over all enjoyed the movie.
8. M’s half term leave starts next week, he has been signed up in the child care for a week..He enjoys it. He play eats and spends time with other kids, making friends. Sometimes I do feel bad to wake him up even during his term leave and pack him off to child care, but to think of it in another angle – he does enjoy it rather than feeling bored at home.
9. SJ is on a mission to do something about her weight gain, first step towards it will be yoga classes from sunday for an hour 🙂
10. Well ! Thats all from now…will get back to the blog soon !

Breaking the Blogathon :(

I do not know, if it was the celebration of the continuous 15 days post on the 15th day was just too much for the GOD’s to take that they let me slip away from my commitment of posting everyday without fail…

It so happened on the 16th day, I felt unwell – and went for a nap in the evening, woke up , tucked M in bed and cooked for the next day…Since J and I slept in the evening , we didn’t feel sleepy past 11 Pm. So I decided at 11.30 to sit on the computer and type my blog – before which i was so much drawn into reading all my fav blogger’s posts and comment on them, being engrossed i did not realise the time was 11.45 pm, i hurriedly started typing my post and in exactly 6 minutes the power goes off ! not on the computer , but the entire household ! when i look out of the window, i realise its not just our house, the entire apartment building !

For the first time i experienced a power cut here in the UK ! With a -1 degree temperature outside, we were freezing inside. we quickly tucked inside the blanket – forgetting bat my blog, well the internet modem wasn’t alive too… I was thinking of the clothes in the washing machine that were wet and needed the dryer, thinking of the stash food in the freezer for the next week, by morning magically power was up n running !

Next day same story, evening no power ! M says ” power cuts happen only in India – how come here ?” Well, story of our lives !

Now, i’ve missed 3 days of blogging !

Valid reasons…or excuses…but i hereby announce the completion of 1/2 a bloggathon and it is due to reasons only known deep in my heart…I promise to write again soon.

Good luck to all my fellow bloggathonners !

1/2 way through the Blog Marathon :)

When I posted last night, I was happy that I have stuck to my Blogathon commitment for 15 days ! Hurray to that !

Every night when I type the blog, its almost close to bed time and me being tired after a long day at work, It’s been my secret scare, that I’m going to forget and miss the deadline of posting a blog before 12.00.

Most times J is on the computer, doing his office work. I very softly beg him for access to the computer and tell him, it’s just for 10 mins and I hurriedly blog and publish, sometimes I have done so without even proof reading.

When I’ve a moment at work – my mind starts churning mental posts or starts thinking of a topic to post! It’s fun and exciting. I wouldn’t say, I have been ready with posts for everyday. Sometimes I just let my fingers do the work more than my brain.

It’s the comments that I receive on the blog , that serve an inspiration to go on. Thanks for all your comments my dearest blog friends ! You have kept me going !

PS : Today was the first day that the temperature has gone down to -2 degrees and is expected to hit -4 degrees by midnight. There has been about 1 inch of frost and light snow. This the first time we are seeing snow in Edinburgh. The freezing temperatures outside means, being indoors.

Well, didn’t come up with a topic for today – so I decided to do this cheat post 🙂