Ring out the old, Ring in the new

A 360 degrees round up of 2006 for posterity:

Family
Anush finished a year and is, fast emerging, a strong individual!
First half of the year, Paati supervised the nanny when I was at work and rediscovered unconditional love because of Anushka
Amma hung up her work boots in favour of rearing Anush (and us:-) )
Navy changed jobs- his first change in 8 years. From an iconic traditional family run company to a small player with an international tie up
Appa in law said a good bye to his government job and now runs a clinic
Appa has decided it is time to move tracks and 2007 will herald new opportunity for him

Work
I got back to work after a five month break.
Saw my promotion happen and got a cabin after a rather long wait.
Largely did well and met most targets, failed some but learnt from all of it.
Am okay with overnighters as well.
Most work friends have left , I am the Vintage piece here ( hopefully not fossil yet)

Friends
A dear friend got married to the man of her dreams (after a rather tumultous wait) and another bought a flat. I am so happy for them. She is the closest to being Anush's God mother, and she does not know it!
Met some long lost pals, who have done well for themselves at work, set up nice houses, had kid(s)
Lost a very dear uncle ( almost a year now) who epitomised "The Madly endearing Bawa" to me- Uncle
Nearly lost a cousin (Navy's ) who is on his way to doing his CA now

Acquisitions
Home is no longer is as aesthetic and spic and span as before. It has slid down on the ranking. No new Ganeshas/ curios every month.
House help -Went through two nannies for Anushka so far and now managing very well with none.
We officially have mid size wheels endorsed by Abhishek B.
A few tyres- around my abdomen- I have become "round", a far cry from the days of yore or lore. Time to make amends.
A waffle maker- finally! Movenpick- you will see less of me now.

Self
Despite the ocassional anxiety of being a working mom, overall, I am happy with the choice I have made.
I still find time to read, eat out, catch movies, travel- which I will continue. Thanks Navy for our little buddha and all the other things : - )

Blogging
I discovered blogging. It has been a catharsis of sorts. Thanks to Boo and Ammani for inspiring me to blog, HHgmom for giving me my first tag, The Visitor for encouraging me, I2W for sharing my beginner's enthusiasm, Vi for the provocative 30 questions and all the others who have indulged me and my musings.

2007 brings for sure, many weddings, renewed ties with cousins long lost and a pending annual trip. Wonder what suprises it holds. Here's to a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious 2007.

Book Hook

The Godmother by Carrie Adams
Granted it is rather miserable and depressing at times. This is not the best pick me up. Written by a mother, who had single friends seeking out her fairy tale life, it tries to emphasise that there is a lot after "happily ever after". Brings out the debatable truth that you can enjoy/ indulge children, be popular with them, if they are not your own. And yes, there are some pertinent questions it raises.

For example- "Do you want to have a baby? Or do you wish to be a parent? One is selfish, the other selfless. One is biological, the other need not be." I found that pretty thought provoking. We are not born mothers, we grow and learn to parent our young. We make mistakes, some of us do well at it and some of us do not.

It also challenges how we stereotype single women. At work, the notion exists that single women are free to be laden with late nights and tours. They have a past- a shady one at that. They are frustrated. They are house breakers- at any age. And so on. . .

You can read the first chapter here. It may help you decide if you would like to read the book or not.

The Righteous Men by Sam Bourne
Sure you hear the familiar ring- Sam Bourne- Dan Brown. The author openly declares that it is a pseudonym! Then why have it at all. Beats me. He is an award-winning journalist who writes weekly columns in The Guardian.

On to the book. All of you who disliked Da Vinci Code, stay away. Loaded with various codes and conundrums and a good amount of Jewish culture, to me it was a credible conspiracy novel, with a rather predictable turn at the end ( given my Bollywood exposure). Amidst all the ungenerous reviews that it has got, I would still rate this book a 7 on 10.

Discovered a great book review blog, in case you do not already know.

Santa keeps his promise

Two years ago, this day, we had the tsunami hit Chennai and various other places. There was another kind of near devastation that happened closer home. I will never ever forget the anxiety I suffered and created among loved ones. I had discovered my pregnancy a couple of days before Christmas. Post Christmas, I went to office as usual. By noon I found I was spotting. I did not wish to share the news with anyone in office for fear of the implications on my bonus, work load and for this superstition which states do not share it till the first trimester is over. I was pertified. Called Navy, fixed an appointment with the scan doc and went over to see her the same evening straight from work. Then we went with the report to my gynaec. She advised bed rest for a month. I was really worried that my boss would not accommodate the request. He not only approved my leave but was very understanding of my need to not reveal anything at office. So we said I had a severe back problem which required rest. One of the moments I felt the boss deserved a big hug.

Why am I writing this? Because I am reading The Godmother by Carrie Adams. There is an episode where a couple, after trying for almost a decade, get pregnant. But she loses her much- longed- for pregnancy in the third month itself. She is so positive that her friend, The Godmother, fears for her and as if Murphy's rule had to apply, Claudia suffers a miscarriage when she is busy preparing the baby's nursery. She is so aggrieved that she keeps saying that she cannot get the "red paint "off her hands. It moved me - what could have been and what is.

I have a lot to be thankful for.

Footnote-

My blogsville profile suddenly states i am 250 years old. Together with being from the year of the rat, this takes the cake- a cheesy one though.If I were to live 250 years what would i be- a pleasure for geriatrics of course.What other things live to be 250 years- turtles, banyan trees? Ran a search for living things with maximum candles on their cakes- Whales and something called a deep-sea cold seep tubeworm live over 2 centuriesOf the fish, the carp and pike are believed to live as long as 150 yearsAmong plants, the bristlecone pine of California has the greatest longevity, over 4,600 years!I will be more than glad to have a life, however short but interesting enough that it extends into memories and memoirs for atleast a century.

This Christmas

Hope all of you had as good a Christmas as we did.
Our building had a show by the children - they staged the birth of Christ and ended with jingles sung with gusto if not in tune Will post the pics shortly of Anush as the audience.

We went to Annalakshmi for a South Indian special - not Preeti Bhojan but a buffet. That took away half the fun, though I still got to talk to interesting volunteer waiters- one of them a pediatrician. Anush was dressed in the Kochi dress- a tribute to Malayalee Christians. And as for Christmas bubbly- she attacked my " paanagam" which was pretty high on ginger, even for me. Speaking of buffets, I feel only teenage boys can do justice to them. Also I like the idea of service at a restaurant and that too one of this kind.

Anush was mesmerized by many Christmas trees- a gorgeous one at the Taj airport lounge, a massive one in Ascendas ( where we went for coffee), the one in Annalakshmi and at the church near home( rather lack lusture the last one was). Oh yes, she kept saying "hahaha" instead of "hohoho" to the Santa in the Airport Lounge.

Anush's thaatha had come over from Mumbai. So the most used word was- Thaatha. He had got her a CD called" Out of Africa" from his trip there and a cute khaki safari dress with a zebra soft toy on it- rather big for her at the moment. Will save it for Kabini maybe later next year.

If there is something she outgrows it is shoes- got her a pair of blue sandals yesterday, velcro types. Size 7. At age 16 months. She has big feet already, like her amma. Oh the shortfalls of being tall!

Lest I forget, got her a Christmas gift- a Mrs. Potato Head . She is delighted by it.

Last Christmas

A lovely, mushy song from George Michael-with his sexy voice and Greek God looks ( those days)- I used to be a huge fan . And a huger fan of Wham.

Even had a poster of them in my room as I grew up. (They had Boris Becker and Gabriela Sabatini for company.)

This pic is Anushka - Last Christmas.
Wow- she was a bald one. When I took her out for a walk, the FAQs from others would be" Ladka hai? ( Is it a boy?)" or " Itni jaldi mundan kar diya?" ( have you shaved her hair off )

Last Christmas and This One

She was moving on her stomach and trying to crawl. Now she runs all over the house, sometimes out of the house as well and yesterday tried to match a jig.
She was gurgling and cooing and beginning to laugh and now she screams for fun and has added more words to her vocabulary. (latest being "lunch"- said with no specific meaning though)
She wore her first "baba suit" . We are believers of minimal clothing for kids. The weather here and in Mumbai more than supports that. Anyway, she never entertained being wrapped up, after her first week. This year I hope to dress her up as Santa (for my pleasure) since she will never ever permit me to do it ever again.
I had decorated the plant at home in Mumbai. I do not have any plants here in Chennai. Anyway the building society is hosting a Christmas party for the kids- that should be fun.
Her appa was in Chennai, not with us. Navy will be there this time.

Merry Christmas Anushka! And all of you out there.

Food Trip

Yesterday I tasted the relaunched digestive biscuits from Britannia- simply yummy- much like Mcvities now. I just recollected some of my favourite munchies which have gone missing ( or at least I do not get to see them)

Crax- Onion rings/ Cheese rings made from corn- The jingle would say" the sound of snacks has changed into CRAX!"
Phantom cigarettes- The mock cigarette gave me such a cool adrenaline rush
Fryums- The original branded ones in checks, stars and wheels
Rose mint- I think from Parle which came in a white pack - as set of 5-10 rectangular rose mints with hardly any mint content
Goli soda- The green glass bottles which have something like a lemon soda but sweet version ( the aversion for any non-mineral water has seen this one's decline)
Desi Corn fritters- It was a wonderful snack- roughly - dry shredded corn, deep-fried at home
Barley/ Bali sugar- This hard boiled toffee in rich hues, sourced from Calcutta, was a mandatory fixture for Christmas. I just cannot find it at all in Kolkatta or in the Anglo Indian parts of Chennai
Nutrine Coconut crunchies- these were coin shaped coconut candy of yore

Geographic distance- keeps me away from dabeli, wada pav, misal paav, bhel puri, daal baati choorma, brownie sizzler and Wibs bread. Awaiting my trip to Mumbai.

Leaning towards Pizza

Pizza Hut, Pizza World, Dominos, Smokin Joes, Pizza Corner, Pizzaraunt. Their cousins Subway, Marrybrown and shortly Mc Donalds.

It is a full house in Chennai when it comes to that Italian staple. There are innovations galore- conizza and cheeze filled crust being the latest I know of.

Last evening, as I was returning from work, I saw a Pizza Hut Delivery scooter skid and fall into a puddle of water on OMR. ( OMR is Old Mahabalipuram Road, undergoing extensive make over to become the IT Super hIghway)

The delivery boy stood up and was more interesed in salvaging the pizza box and the bike rather than tend his bruises. Due to a traffic hold up, I also over heard him telling a co- Pizza boy that they would have to rush to reach the pizzas on time.

Led me to wonder-
Is it worthwhile for Pizza delivery companies to promise a timely delivery, what with all the traffic deadlocks now a days.
In this age of cell phones, can't the delivery boy inform the consumer incase of unforseen delay?
Is it okay to play with a human life just so that the consumer can enjoy a pizza on time and have the thrill of a getting a free one if there is delay in delivery?

Picture- courtesy google- Cover of a book

Arched R-eye-vals

I cannot get over it. I was surfing and just paused at the "Oprah Winfrey Show" Some Anastasia appeared , billed as a top Hollywood brow expert. She even gave a brow kit to the audience as a gift. I was thinking " Talk of unwanted gifts" but the audience loved it. The claps were deafening! Must have been paid to do it on cue. Then she went on to demonstarte how she makes her millions. I had to rethink.

A face is like a picture and the eyebrows are the frame. SO they better compliment each other. And an average picture can always be rescued by a lovely frame- I know that.

Celebrity makeup artist Andrea Walmsley says "Well-shaped eyebrows are important because they define facial expressions. They are also the focal point when someone is speaking to you. Most people, when speaking with another, look at their eyes. If someone's eyebrows are not shaped properly it is distracting when you're trying to have a conversation."

I must be SO distracting. I pay Rs 20( less than half a dollar) for my eyebrows at the local parlour, when I find the time and inclination to have them done. A five minute eyebrow shaping from Anastasia is $75 ( INR 3500 approx)

If you can afford to indulge in a Sharon Stone arch, since it would be easier than getting her smile or body, then get yourself some tips and a kit from here.

If not, act apalled by all this, sit back and try and recognise some of the celebrity eyebrows I have put together above for your pleasure. ( courtesy- google)

Declared Pass!

Our first night without each other was a good one. Anush and me both passed with flying colurs. Also Anush's welcome was a warm one but not a hot one ( no fever as soem mothers had warned me). It just felt like an extra long working day. I am now prepared to travel overnight, if required, on work. One uncanny thing, on the day I left, despiet my being really quiet, she woke up really early, around 5am, as if she sensed I was going to be away longer than usual and wailed for me before she went back to sleep . ( This is not her style- she usually gets up only after 6.30am) A couple of phone calls from the Chennai airport reassured me that she was well.

I enjoyed myself without feeling guilty or anxious. I really let my hair down and danced away into the night. Did some shopping in the really impressive Kochi airport. Got Anush a beautiful Paavadai Chattai made from the Kerala Mundu with gold zari.

I strongly recommend the brand "Delinut" for their cashews ( available in 9 flavours including barbecue!) . The honey and pepper ones are really good. If you like garlic, which I avoid usually, their chilli garlic is the fastest selling they mentioned.

As cashew goes, here is a lovely recipe for a yummy dish:

Methi Malai Kaju Mutter ( Fenugreek cream cashew peas)

Fresh Methi( Fenugreek) leaves bunch - 1-2
Fresh Peas- one cup
Roasted/Fried Cashews/ Kaju-15-20

Onion chopped fine- 1
Green Chillies- 3
Cloves, Peppercorns- a few
Vegetable Oil/ Ghee combination ( 2:1 spoons)

Half cup of milk
Malai- milk cream- 2 tbspoons
1 spoon of sugar
Salt to taste

Wash the methi leaves well and place them in a seive with some salt & let is rest for 15 mins. Then squeeze out gently and wash the methi in cold water.

Steam the peas in either your microwave or pressure cook.

Take a kadai/ wok . Fry the peppercorns, green chillies, cloves and onions.
Add in the roughly chopped methi & fry for a while. As it lets off the water and begins to brown, add the cooked peas & milk & steam for few mins.

Add the fried cashews (kaju) & let it simmer a while.
Add salt & sugar.
Cook for a few mins & top it off with the malai/fresh cream

Do not taste , else you will be tempted to finish off the dish yourself! Not kidding.
Serve with rotis or with ghee rice or pulao.

Ad lib Eloquence

Warmest ad
Complan- the boy taking his mom's palm and resting it on his shoulder - on the cycle

Most romantic ad
The Cadbury Girl doing the jig

Sexiest Ad
The ad for the car speakers- with the bunny and the teddy bear in the car- (or is it my dirty mind)

Most Suprising Ad
St Gobain series
Ericson mobile initially

Funniest Ad
The Amul hoardings- they need another award for enduring theme

Cleverest Ad
Fevicol and a lot more

Mocking Ad
Sprite series except the latest ones

Stupid-est Ad
Nirma detergent powder with the saas-bahu scenes
And for the Tamil viewers, Ashwini hair oil ad - it really sucks, they have the most obnoxious endorsements from consumers

Most Offensive ad
Fair and Lovely series

One that gave Goosebumps
VIP Luggage- Kal Bhi Aaj bhi with the father and son

Social ad that left a lump in the throat
The Literacy mission's - "Purab se surya ugaa"

Lost in Translation
The Deo ad using an Octopus to show the efficacy but in Japan an Octupus has 8 LEGS not underarms. Therefore...

Favourite Mnemonic
Gattu of Asian Paints- soem of you may not even know him

Earliest Jingle you recollect
Suno suno aye babujee- Hippolin

Jingle of your teens
Har baat hoti man chaahi- Ponds DF Talc- I actually became superstitious about using Dreamflower talc for success- this fetish lasted a year

Jingle of today
Kya Aap naya Close Up karte hain?
You and I

Favourite kids in Ads
Oh all of them- Britannia - the boy with long hair, Dhaara- Jalebi eating boy, J&J babies
Did not like the Rasna girl of yore

Grooviest Man/ Woman in any ad
K Kapoor as Dream lover - Bombay Dyeing
G gold council ad- Sheetal Mallar

This is a potential tag I have been meaning to start for a long time. You are welcome to take it up if advertising provokes and engages you as much as it does me.

Little Errand Girl

Hope this continues. As of now this is how Anush earned the title.

I am off to my conference for a couple of days. My first night out as some of you may recollect

Veedu- Dream house

Sapna asked " So how is the new house coming along?" Krishna did not wish to answer. " It will take a while I guess"

After dinner, once the guests had left, Krishna began to sob. Raj tried not to be his usual brusque self. " Don't worry Krish. People are curious. That is all. We have paid for it. It will take shape someday" "But then Raj- it is already been over 3 years now. We are so unlucky when it comes to house buying. Finally we decide to buy a house and this happens. "
" Now don't get all worked up. It is only a matter of time." " When Raj? After I die?" Krishna became dramatic. Raj stopped paying attention and tried to steer conversation away from the subject.

To his dismay, the next few years were filled with prolonged waiting and many more such conversations. The land had been encroached upon. The architect had absconded. A small set of prospective owners nominated themselves into action. They appointed a new architect. Filed a suit against the former one. Collected funds and evacuated the slum dwellers.

And after twelve years from daring to dream of their dream house, Raj and Krishna got possession of their flat. It had cost them a lot of extra money tempered with a sense of defeat. It had also left them with a smaller dimension flat. (Since the encroaching slum dwellers had to be given a bit of the property for their largesse)

What was to be a fairly youthful to middle aged society turned into a retirement home for most. Some had died waiting for the project to happen. Those who had invested considering the schools in the vicinity had children who were working now.

Krishna sighed " So much for waiting for so long." She set her heart on doing up the house and wow, did it look good. She called her friends over to her new home. Sapna said " This is really beautiful ! "

Raj smiled and thought to himself - befitting the younger Krishna who had dreamed of having such a home.

Subway to Heaven

Was in Delhi on work. On the return journey, met the lady who runs Subway in Chennai. She began with the one in Spencers and now has the Nungambakkam, T Nagar and the Besant Nagar ones under her. I could not resist giving her gyaan- about opening a branch in ECR/ OMR or Velachery. Expounded on a dessert called Chocolate sizzler ( available in Bombay Blues in Mumbai). Lamented the lack of consistent quality between the various Subways across different cities and in Chennai itself. Also told her how I craved for Subs when pregnant and could devour two in one go.

She was rather patient and welcomed my suggestions. Poor thing, little choice she had, being in the middle seat of a rather full flight.

Took Anush to the Elliots Beach. Early part of the morning, it was nice and cool. She enjoyed herself as long as she was not in the water. She needs to grow up a little said Navy. I think a few more visits and she will grow to like the beach. All my memories of the beach since childhood have been exciting and pleasant. Hope she follows suit.

Saw 36, China Town. A whodunit with a funny bone. The second half is much better than the first half, which falls flat. The end is rather lacklsuture. But worth watching. Khosla ka Ghosla I expected would tickle me with Boman Irani and Anupam Kher in it. But it was too morbid and dark and livened up a little in the last few minutes. It paints the sordid picture of dubious land brokers who take in gullible senior citizens. The fight for justice and the measures adopted. The finale leads us to believe how it takes a con to get a con. Sad that there are no such “way-out”s in reality.

Pil Grim's progress

Come December, in fact end November itself and there is a flurry of devotees ready to go to Sabarimalai.

With my very limited understanding, this is an austere commitment to stay off "vices", even tame things such as certain foods. The idea being to cleanse your system and show true and single mined devotion to a Bachelor Lord.

However to my chagrin, I have seen auto guys in the black veshti and beads, fleece customers and to top it all also pass lewd looks and comments at women. Being off non veg is another requirement which also gets flouted. Wearing black/saffron consistently or being bare foot is often not practical.

Do I subscribe to the whole thing- No. And this particular pilgrimage is very sexist anyway as per me. Here is a very interesting article on this.

Do beleivers need to adhere to the rules rigourously. No.

But the deviation cannot go against the spirit and sanctity of God. If God had a voice that was audible, he would have sounded hoarse with protest.

And then the stork visited

The calendar had shortened in 2005. But August seemed to stretch into a year.

12 August, 2005. The Due date. No signs of labour. So many well wishers kept calling. I begged Navy to take the calls, Both sets of Appa and Amma came over. Eager to see the new addition to the family. The first grand kid for my parents , the first born of the son for Navy's.

The gynaec said, "Let us wait 3 days and then do another scan. There is enough fluid but the head seems to be getting rather large" So the wait continued. Maybe the baby wanted to time herself with India's Independence Day. That would be nice, I thought.

16 August, still no sight of kiddo. Both Appas went back home . The Ammas stayed on.
Went for a scan. Found the fluid depleted. The head was getting bigger. And the scan doc said" The cord is around her neck" Once we walked out, I checked with Navy if I had heard right. It was going to be girl!

"What a waste of a good pelvis", said my gynaec. " You can wait another day but the baby is not descending. Also even if I induce labour, one cannot predict how the delivery would go, given the knot. I would suggest that you go for a cesarean. But the choice is yours." I knew Navy's answer. Nothing that would endanger the baby . We called our folks and scheduled it for the afternoon.

My gynaec asked" Would you want to do it at a particular time, to predecide the baby's star!!?' We said no, ASAP will do.

So much for lamaaz, debating about epidural and deciding I would take one if need be. Went home, packed a few belongings, informed a few friends, some said " Oh so sad, you seemed so normal- we thought you will have a normal delivery" I felt like saying " Hey it is a very common thing. Not some by pass surgery ." I heard some others say " Chennai docs, they always want a c section. " Oh please. What do they have to gain?

You know my theory- I think Anush was always her Appa's girl- they had plotted so that Navy would not have to stand in through the labour( he was petrified by the idea- he cannot stand the sight of blood) Later I learnt that in the US there is a glass screen through which even a C section could be viewed by the hubby. Maybe next time, if there is one!

We went to the hospital. Argued with the insurance guys since there was a sealing on the coverage, which I would exceed this being a C-section. Did the needful paperwork myself. Imagine doing that whilst in labour. After the preliminaries, I went into the Op theatre at around 4.30 pm. The gynaec had said it would take about an hour max. The drama was about to unfold.

Both moms and Navy were waiting out. Six o'clock and still no news. Had there been any complication? Any mishap? The anaesthetist popped out and called for Navy. He told Navy that the baby girl had been delivered at 6.15 pm and was fine. Navy asked" How is the mother ?" and he replied" Do not ask me. That you will have to ask her doctor."

Navy reported the baby part to both the new grandmas and left out the other part. But there was tension writ large on his face. Another patient there asked Navy " You are upset because it is a girl?" Navy promptly denied it but the guy gave a smug look. The nurse came out with the baby and could not stop exclaiming how Anush looked so clear skinned for a new born- possibly the C section had been responsible?

Still no news about me . Navy took the moms into confidence. Just then the gynaec stepped out and said that all was fine and showed the umbilical cord which which was in a double true knot . Maybe Anush had the makings of gymnast .

I lost my cool with the inefficient nurses, had no water till the next morning, had a bad back long after and have a line like an earthworm running across my stomach. I also got into the lethargy of not exercising the first three months ( taboo post a c-section). Yes I did not experience the labour pains (that I wanted to) , but my joy at seeing my baby safe and sound, was good enough.

So mad momma, that was my story and c-section or not, having a baby is among the loveliest moments ever & possibly overwhelming as well. About doing it a second time- well that requires another post.

End of the road

He had been in the ”noblest “of professions. A doctor. Thwarting the exhort of his family to go abroad & to pursue a specialization, he had opted to be a general practitioner. In his father’s footsteps.

Yesterday he received a letter – “Your services are no longer required as of Dec 2006”

No warning, no notice period. There was resignation in his voice when he shared the news with his staff who adored him. He also reassured his regular patients that there would be a young and able doctor taking his place and they should trust him just as much.

He came home and shared the letter with her. She was stunned by the apathy. She had heard this of the new age software firms. It was happening in the government service. One for which she had given up life in the city, the promise of a better career, borne separation from her children who went off to the city for higher studies.

He was old enough to retire, yes. There was need to infuse young blood no doubt. But forty years- deserved a farewell, a thank you note, a warning, a notice period, a little decency at least?

An end of an era.. Just like that- snap.

Mixed Bag

Life is like a box of assorted chocolates....

Anush's baptism into the family hobby happened this weekend. We went to Mayajaal ( a multiplex) for Dhoom 2 . She had been watching the promo and rocking to it at home on TV. And much to our surprise, she was well behaved at the theatre. Really excited to begin with, then quietened down and settled in to watch almost half the movie. She slept through the second half which is what even I more or less did.

As most of the regulars know, I love Abhishek for his intense looks and his mother's talent. But he was sidelined both in looks and role by Hrithik. I have to admit (very reluctantly) that Hrithik was looking and dancing really groovy. Bipasha need not have been there at all. Hrithik's role suffered from a Krrish handover. Ash and the other maidens had this bronzed look- make up which was really sexy and of course they had bodies to match. Wonder what dear Alan would have to say after seeing Preity and Rani's soft & rounded look. As for the plot - the gizmos & the thefts were state of the art. Not much bike action though. After Crouching tiger HD & Matrix, all stunts have an overdose of slow somersaults. And yes, I want to visit Brazil during the carnival.

The train accident in Bihar made me wonder, yet again, who is to blame. Are the engineers just being made scapegoats? Shouldn't there have been more controls in place? When we will be less negligent at least about human life? And will politicians stop using these tragedies as political agenda? And is 1 lakh enough compensation even in purely financial terms ?

We had an episode at home that reflects my momentary negligence. I was lolling in the bedroom and Anush's grandma was in the kitchen. Anush was playing/ walking / running between both rooms. She came rushing back to me screaming. There was some blood on her hands. It took me a few seconds to figure out that her upper teeth had been struck and were bleeding on the inside. Quickly placed ice and stopped the flow . All in a matter of 2 minutes. She was composed and soon asked for "dhudhoo" and "mumum". But I could not stop blaming myself & got over protective for a couple of hours after that.

Then I remembered this tale in brief- A man once asked God, " Why don't you stop all the pain around in this world. You are God why do you not solve everyone's problems?" God said " You are a father. Does your son not hurt himself sometimes even though you care so much about him. Does it mean you love him less?" I think Bruce Almighty is based on this anecdote.

Anush Words-worth ( 15.5 months)

Anush has been communicating pretty effectively the last few weeks and here is a recap of only her verbal repertoire.

Hi with varied expressions - for Good morning, Hello, I am sorry and Pay attention to me
Down-Said only to complete the rhyme Ring- a- roses and accompanied by a squat
Paapa- Means herself or anyone in a photograph and 2 specifically smaller dolls
Akka/ Anna- interchangeably used for boys and girls older and younger to her but below 15yrs
Vain-daaaam/ Illa- meaning no
Mummum- depending on tone- Give me food! OR You are eating ? Without me?
Dhudhoo- Milk
Aay- ref "Pooped"
'A' -pul- "Apple" with a vernacular accent
Lensssssssss- Lens
Over- She has had enough/ some gadget has stopped/ power gets cut
Take- for both give and take
Ret- for red
Yeah- When very happy and to complete the song " Konja neram yenna kollai yah"
Kaaka- any bird
Bear- any furry animal
Ca-lock- Clock/ watch
Brroom- car/ bike
The-dhaam- Any veggies with her food. BTW she is interested in eating only the veggies minus the main course.
Dabba- Box/ anything with a lid
Dook- Book
Neigh-na- "Moon"
Baba- As always for any diya/ lamp/ God
Amma, Appa, Jump, Come, Tata bye, Cup & Do for what they mean in adult lingo.