The first week of school

My 5 year old finally started school this Sept, but it was me and her dad who were getting more emotions running through. First day of school, and we realised, the boat was very crowded. All dad's equipped with the camera's and all mums with instructions, and tissues - nope not for the kids, but for US!. the mini celebrities confidently went inside and stared discovering their home for the next one year, while we tried to get some seperations pangs from them. Hardly any of us succeeded though, they were more than happy for us to go away!!!

But this was two weeks back. Now, that the routine has set up all of us have got to the next step, how could the morning 2 hours be stretched to accomodate activities which generally neeed 4. You are talking about getting a 5 year old out of bed, into the uniform, making the snack box with "preferred" things to eat, brush teeth while combing hair( which by the way is the most stressful task in the whole exercise), and ensure that the porridge does not spill while running to catch the bus!. Oh and yeah, need to remember, that mum also needs to get to work, so mum cant forget to get her things in order!

Once the precious package is safely deposited in her teacher's arm, mums rush to get to their meetings, just to realise that the presentation folder is lounging cozily on the sofa at home!! Oh well, u just have to be creative. So the tube journey is productively used to make a quick presentation, while envying at the person sitting next door who is watching Pirates of the Caribean on his IPAD.. Some guys are real lucky!

I am sure that one month down and i would be pro at managing the school -office run . I probably will also know the breakfast menu which works splendidly for families always running!. I am completely in awe of Mums all over the world who do the miraculous job of working full time and ensuring that they are full time mum;s too! Hats off girls.

Discovering "Me" time

Jan 1 2011 wasnt just the first day of a new year. It was also the first day of me without a job! Now was the chance of actually getting the much talked about "me" time. But what do you do with this "me" time was the big question. Oh dont get me wrong, I had loads of things i always wanted to do and always complained about not having enough time for it. But now I actually have it, ahem ahem!!

Working for 13 years makes you really wonder, if you can do anything else other then tapping on keyboard. So i decide it is time for me to find out. The first day was spent pottering in the house and doing things which everybody does on first day of the year. Eating, watching telly, speaking on phone and filling the sink with dirty dishes! I was not going to be any different. To be honest the first day cascaded its routine into the first week. And before I know it, I had spent a whole week not really doing anything exceptional! Oh yes, I did manage to get the house much tidier then it had been in the recent month, I did manage to see the bottom of my laundry basket and I did manage to do the ever pending job of putting the dishwasher cleaner ( the dishwasher has never been empty enough to do that !!!), but then surely those were not the things which counted as the "me" time.
I resolved to find some better things to do in the second week. So in between job applications ( nah, i cant give that up!) and struggling to convince a 4 year old that the nursery is much more fun place then home, i made a TO DO list!. Yes., the organised , detailed person that I am unless i see it jotted down the Yellow notebook, I dont feel fulfilled :) ( Also coz i have the memory of a fish - it helps!) . Now the to do list actually should have intresting things like visit friends ,go to an exhibition , visit the National gallery, shop around at boutique shops, read, and sleep ! It does have a few things among above, but nothing has happened so far!

What I really have been doing is housework, trying to teach the kid on the benefits of learning C's and K's ( in phonics, they both sound alike!!!), how if she gives me 2 chocolates out of the 4 she has , she CANNOT still have 4! ,answering questions like why do leaves fall down,and branches dont, why do we have lines on the palms of our hands etc etc!. and cooking.

Who ever said stay at home mums have all the time in the world and called them lady of leisure (as I have been called recently) have soo not stayed at home! I had more time when I was at work!!! I am not really sure what the "me" time actually entails, but when I find out i will let you know.

She had heard Internet apparently opens up the whole world,but she still couldnt find him !. She tried all combinations of names , nicknames,school names and everything she knew about him.. but he still was evasive. He was not on Google, Facebook! .. now how is that possible. She always thought, that the world census is made easier by FB. You look at it and you know how much population is increasing on the planet. You can make out all kind of statistics, from an FB database - what cuisine is more popular,who has the maximum number of shoes, and who even eats the most number of chillies ( though why someone would do that is beyond me!!)

But coming back to the main problem,, how does she find him. The last she had heard was that he was somewhere in Australia, studying to become a lawyer. She so wished she could meet him once more again. If not for anything else , at least to give back the poem. She could not continue to own it, it was not hers to own now. She had relinquished that right the same day when she had changed her last name. She should have posted it to him while she still had his address. But she had held on to it, for what she does not know, and now the address is gone, phone numbers have changed, countries of residence had changed , and by each day she was moving further away.
Perplexed as to how does she get around this, she walked into her usual tube. The poem was always with her.. That was the first thing she always made sure she put whenever she changed her bag..the small piece of paper. She did not notice at first, but an elderly gentleman next to her was watching . As if he could read her mind, he gave a smile, and said,. if it is with you, it is ther for a reason. Treasure it . It is a partof your past and it is what has helped make you what you are today. When the time is right for it to go, it will. She looked into the blue eyes, and knew she should have been scared , but she wasnt. There was a kind of understanding, and she smiled when she got down.
He was right.. Everything is there for a reaon ! She was going to meet him one day..and till then she will take care of the paper.

Insight on life from a toddler perspective

Being a mum to a 32 month old is a source of entertainment to say the least. She probably is the biggest multitasking girl i have ever met - watching telly, playing with friend, screaming for milk or sweeties, kicking a ball and running away from the plate of food mum is trying to feed all at the same time does take practice. But then when she does that with her friend (senior to her by a whole 5 months!!!)) following her or teaching her a few more tricks astounds me!

The conversations they have while role playing is hilarious and amazes me into how much they soak the things happening around them.

Yesterady, they decided to play mummy and baby ( roles were getting interchanged every 10 min!) under the dining table and below is the conversation between MC (32 month) and MN (37 months) which i was able to enjoy while continuing with my chores

MC (with a geniun concern look)- Are you happy MN ?
MN : Yes I am .
MC ( after a few more seconds) : Are you happy MN ?
MN : Yes I am .
MC (mum always said ask if you are not sure)- Are you happy MN ?
MN ( with amazing patience) : Yes I am MC
MC (pauses for a few seconds, ) : Are you happy MN?
MN : MC !!! Why are you asking that question?? It is not (struggles to say it) APPROPPPPPPRIATE !!! Do stop "BOTHERING" me

For a min I do a double take to hear the word from her .. but then smiling to myself, decide not to intervene and see what happens next. I was not disappointed!

MC (trying to figure out what in the hell does that long word mean!!!) : OK . ( another 5 seconds goes and she comes up with ) . SO ARE You CROSS MN???

MN gives up!!

Happy Diwali internationally.

As promised, here is the photo of my completed knit project. I know I am gloating about this, but it gives me a similar joy as if I have learnt my first steps in walking!

Celebrating Diwali in a foreign land always needs a bit of more effort than usual. it is like studying for exams when everybody is studying is lot easier than studying when you are on your own.and to create an atmosphere of festive when people around you do not really understand it ,is the hardest.

But , i have to admit my colleagues, neighbors and friends have been really sweet. I share a very international neighborhood - Jamaicans, Portugal, Mauritius, , sierra Leone, Italian and German to say the least.. And they have been so brilliant about my efforts at making diwali a festival for my daughter that it is amazing.

They have offered to help me out with the faral cooking ( and eating). They have come to wish us Happy Diwali, did a bit of reading about it and bring in some sweets from their place as well. And though it is not as perfect or festive as back home, i think it is the best i can get in the current place.

And to be very honest, learning about festivals and special days of different cultures is amazing > My Jamaican neighbor is a great friend and her daughter and M share the first friends bond!. Talking about the two cultures, it is amazing to find out about the similarities in beliefs, values, rituals and morals. I am guessing if I were to stay in Jamaica ever, i would not have any hard time settling in. Sounds just like India!Mauritiuns love to celebrate Diwali with the same pomp as Bombayites.

Diwali has already come.. that means the end of the year is close by . Very soon the Christmas cheer will set in, and it will draw all followers , non followers in its merry.

Till the next post.. tata.
Arati

P G Wodehouse has got a new fan

Considering i spend 20 % of my time in front of a novel, it is wierd that I hadnt picked up a PG Wodehouse yet. Maybe the reason was that i wasn't sure i will follow it. I have never liked victorian english books, or books which I need to have a dictionary around to enjoy.But my last visit to Library saw me picking up the "Small Bachelor" . And now i am cursing myself as to why I had never read him before.. He is funny to the core, not at all hard english.. and the flow of storyline keeps me in smiles. Perfect read in whatever mood you are. Decided, I am going to hunt for the rest of the collection now.

I read a lovely poem today.. check it out

The illustrator and humorist Gelett Burgess (1866-1951) once wrote a poem called The Purple Cow:

I never saw a purple cow,
I never hope to see one;
But I can tell you, anyhow,
I'd rather see than be one.

The poem became so popular and he became so closely linked with this single quatrain that he later wrote a palinode:

Confession: and a Portrait, Too,
Upon a Background that I Rue!
Oh, yes, I wrote 'The Purple Cow,'
I'm sorry now I wrote it!
But I can tell you anyhow,
I'll kill you if you quote it."


Sometimes things like these need to be captured, as you know, you are bound to enjoy them at a later point too. Snippets during the day, make memories in long run.. isnt that true..

Well better get bck to work, tata.,

And I DID IT

This weekend , i made myself proud. I completed my KNitting project!!! Yippee.. now that is a change from usual. and it was about time.. as i dont think Maya would be able to get more than a couple of use from that. It does seem a bit tight for her and short too :((

But well at least I completed it and that is still commendable , with my reputation of incomplete projects and getting bored midway. I also did "Karanji" for the first ever time.. so my Diwali faral is done., You just need the right motivation to get things done isn't it. Before Maya arrived, i would not have strived so hard to get an authentic diwali feeling in London. I would have lighted diyas and did the special prayer, but it would have been just that. But this year, i actually made faral - rather shankarpali's and karanji's . I have got some metallic candles, and i am going to try and paint some Indian motifs on them so that they can go as Diyas.. I haven't been able to get the original Clay diyas around .. lack of energy to go hunting for them is more like it

Sparklers ready, diyas sorted out, faral done, Rangoli stuff at hand.. I think this diwali, Maya is going to get the real deal!

Now next step is frustration management!! . a bit of help from the better half can help me achieve this as well!