Adieu 2018 and welcome 2019!

Hello all,

It has been really long that I penned something.
My one of the goals for 2019 is to write atleast one blog post per month.I am sure,I will keep up with  the goal and post it regularly :)

The curtain for 2018 is coming down.Adieu to  2018.
A year of mixed happenings(good and bad),a year of learnings and mistakes,a year of happiness and sadness.A right mix of both!

With the hope that 2019 is going to give all of us a healthy and happy life,let us bade good bye to 2018 and welcome 2019 with all the happiness.

Wishing each and every one of you a very happy new year 2019!
Stay blessed!

Movie review-Kadaikutti Singam

Directed by Pandiraj, the film starts with Sathyaraj(Ranasingam) a patriarch eagerly waiting for his male heir..His justification for wanting a male kid sounds feeble.. Four daughters in a row and he remarries his wife's sister with the hope for a male child,unfortunately she delivers a female baby.. Finally his first wife delivers a male kid(Gunasingam,ie Karthik)..

Gunasingam is portrayed as a revolutionary agriculturalist..It feels so nice to see lush green, organic fields, the fresh produce, chemical less pests etc. The eco friendly tumblers in which the hibiscus tea was served for visitors in Gunasingam 's house takes a big thumbs up..The idea of giving saplings to the visitors from their house also adds browny points to the movie..

The first half of the movie just runs fast and the highlights are Sivagamiyin Selvan's(Suri) comedy and also the portrayal of five sisters,their family and the only brother. I really liked the way ,how Karthik had done justice to Gunasingam's character.. The way he shuttled and juggled from one sister's place to the other and trying to keep them all united is aplaudable.

Kannukiniyal(Seyyesha) plays the role of the heroine..I felt very difficult to remember each character's name but  really glad to see each character having an unique tamil name.Especially the five sisters name(Mangamma Rani, Padmavati Rani, Samyuktha Rani, Velunachiar Rani and Jansi Rani).

The second part is nothing short of dramas and cryings.. You could easily predict the usual ending of the movie..

Imman's music is good and refreshing too..

Kadaikutti singam, a family story with lots of love,cries,dramas and emotions..Also it is one of the movies that tries to showcase multiple messages like patriarchy, polygamy and importance of agriculture all at one shot..

A super mini spiritual trip!!

An yearly spiritual family trip and was eagerly waiting about it!! A break from the monotony is always a respite!

Palani and Gunaseelam were on our cards!First destination was Palani..After all the refreshments,we were getting ready to see his holiness via a rope car but motivated by few of our family members, we changed our minds and so  decided to climb in "yaanai adi padhai"..Took a tonga ride to reach the adivaram.. What a ride it was..!!

The husband and I are bulkier,some breaks and motivation from others, made the climb a breeze.. Yet another incident
to prove team work wins, no matter what!

From there we drove to gunaseelam..The baton of doing garuda sevai and sahasradeepalankara sevai is passed on for generations now and every year, we eagerly wait for it to happen.

Sahasradeepalankara sevai:

Sahasradeepalankara sevai started by 6pm.. A room of 1008 lamps were lit. Srinivasa venkatachalapathy and his consorts were made to swing in a flower decorated swing inside the deepalankara room.. An eye candy to watch.

Garuda sevai:

After an hour,Garuda sevai started with majestic garudar lifting the god on his shoulders.. The beauty of god on the shoulder of the garudar along with a dangling umbrella is a sight to watch.. Especially the nadaswaram and chal chal movement of the danglers from umbrella because of wind, were so pleasing to the ears.. The garudar lifts the god for one full round and then  goes to his original place inside the temple.

Kannadi arai sevai:

Post the garuda sevai and after few minutes, kannadi arai sevai was done.. The room is completely embellished with glass decors and from every corner, you can see his highness and his consorts! Pure bliss!

Arthajamam:

Post the kannadi arai sevai, the utsavar goes around for a round inside the temple premises and finally goes back to his place for one last deepa harathi for the day and doors were closed post the harathi.. We were then made to stand in line for neivedhya milk distribution.  Then water was sprayed on our faces(speciality of the temple to cure illness).

The day came to an end but the prasadam still lingers in my tongue.I have tasted the best kesari, puliyodharai and Sakara pongal only from this temple's madapalli.

Om Namo Narayanaya!!!

[Day 31]-Blogathon-Photo blog

As said already, I take more non-human photos in my mobile. The category ranges from food(predominantly), nature, this,that and everything that I find adorable . Here I am sharing few that is sitting elegantly in my mobile storage
Have never seen such big guavas in Chennai..Shot this during my trip to Palani..They tasted too good and highly fulfilling and heavy too.

Vegetables,sprouts and fruits soaked in brine water@Chavakkad beach-Guruvayoor.

I planted a rose sapling in my mom’s house and it is now blooming with flowers.A happy dance.

Madurai is synonymous with Jigardhanda.

Kerala platter lunch..See that matta arisi @Guruvayoor

[Day 30]-Blogahon-Madras!

It has been close to 8 years that I have shifted my base to Chennai..Till few days back, I did not explore the city much..I was always looking for someone to accompany me to every other place!!!The husband has a crazy work schedule and so every time we planned to visit places,we had to call off for one reason or the other!
My kid is currently in his vacation with complete boredom during weekdays with me away for work most of the time!The compensation happens during weekends..This vacation I decided to not depend on anyone but take him to which ever places possible in Chennai…So this is the mission set for this summer break..We have just started with our mission and please give us a big thumbs up!Here are the few that we have covered and lots more to cover..ahem do wait for a review from my end

1. Semmozhi poonga:
Lush green park within the city limits! Spaceous area to walk, walk and walk…A mini fountain for the kids to see and enjoy. .Apart from the normal slider, swings and climbers!My son does not have any company to play inside our flat and so this place is our favourite!
2. Play area/play gym:
There are few play areas in the city where you can take your kid and have a ME time as well together!Kartwheel is one of the play areas that has all the indoor playthings. We have been visiting this place for 3 to 4 years now and my son loves it to bits.When we could not visit a park or cannot afford to have costly toys,we just visit this place to have complete fun..My son loves jumping in the trampoline the most 
3. Light house:
Took him today to Chennai’s 4th light house,which is the only light house in India that is within the city limit and that has an electric lift!!!The panoramic view of the sea from the top of the light house is just mind blowing..And not to forget that sea breeze..The best minutes of my today was spent there!My son just loved to see the view of the city from the light house!
Lots more to visit and lots more to write too!Will keep updating the blog

[Day 29]-Blogathon-With pen and paper!

It has been years that I wrote something in a pen and a paper..



 One good thing is, I have started to write my to-do-list. It is also one of the reasons, to use pen and paper more than ever before.




I got inspired by one of my friend’s handwriting and learnt the strokes from her.. Someone commented, why should I learn something redundant while the world is moving to digitalization.But my heart asked me to proceed..Still a long way to go for a legible handwriting but then I ensure to make it a point to try things, which I am not good at!

[Day 28]-Blogathon-Friday love

It looked like an eon
Every minute
Never passed fast


The wait was worse
Curiosity killed
Eagerness increased


Restlessness never ceased
Monotony did hurt
Wait seemed eternal


The day is finally here
The wait for this week is over
Oh yeah Friday it is!!


Happy weekend!!!

[Day 27]-Blogathon-That time of the year!

Yay that time of the year has come!!!


You heard me right!!!A short summer holiday break is coming to an end and the school would be reopened for the brand new academic year by Apr!!!


Last week, I had gone to my son’s school to collect the books and notes! As always the count of books and notes keeps increasing every academic year!


The actual work for parents starts from here. .Forms and Proforma to be filled, photos to be submitted for identity card, bag/lunch box/bottles has to be renewed if the old one is not in good condition.
Above all some 40 plus books and notes have to be wrapped with brown sheets!


I always love the activity of wrapping the books , so this is also one of the reasons for my husband to not get involved in this activity!!!I normally avoid soft binding but prefer only wrapping in our good old brown sheets.

 My mother says everything is an art including the book wrapping. The sheet has to be cut properly with utmost care, the ends should also be cut neatly, the folding has to be neat and it has to be glued well!


I learnt the art of wrapping from my mother .Yes it is an art! Still I have not reached a stage of being a perfectionist in wrapping the books but I keep trying every year to improvise myself!


Cutting, wrapping, pasting is so much fun and I am enjoining every bit of it! Still I have a good number of books and notes to wrap and so my weekend is all engaged now.
Happy weekend all!

[Day 26]-Blogathon-Good things comes in small packages!

Good things comes in small packages!


Goes a proverb! It is true on how that small things can bring truck load of happiness in us. Below are few things which brought so much of happiness in the past and I am not fortunate enough to enjoy those in the present but hope that I get an opportunity to experience the same in the future.


1. Come rain, I always had the luxury of leaving the things as is and rushing to the pyol…Sit at one of the corners and enjoy the scenic beauty of rain falling from the sky and touching the ground so gracefully! My mom always brought a strong filter coffee along with a crisp to munch on a rainy day!I absolutely had zero thoughts in my mind and loved watching the rain to glory..Pyol these days is not common in cities and I am missing our ancestral home and memories associated with it.


2. During my school days and during every alternate days,my father would get 2 vegetable puffs from Iyengar bakery once he gets back from work..It would be piping hot and always tasted yum. One quantity never quenched my love for the puff and I always approached my brother to give me some from his share too.Who cared about calories and all that then  I miss the Iyengar bakery and ofcourse the fatty vegetable puffs.


3. There was no fancy truffles or fondant cakes then.But once or bi-weekly my father got us a honey cake or a chocolate cake with more coconut scrapings topped. The honey soaked cake was just out of the world. And the chocolate cake was at a different level too! Again it was from Iyengar bakery!


4. Rose milk ice, milk stick ice, Semiya ice,Orange ice and tube ice-All from a local ice walla who used to sell in a cycle. Many a times, I defended my mom to give me 10rs to get some despite she arguing it was not hygienic etc! I have never tasted semiya or milk stick ice in the recent years
.
5. Miss those days of packing food(especially curd rice,sambhar rice and vadumanga(baby mangoes),taking them to river cauvery,enjoy eating every spoon of it and taking bath to glory along with my friends and cousins!Good old days!

[Day 25]-Blogathon-Tiruchi oh my Tiruchi!

Tiruchi my Tiruchi.. A sudden urge and this Is what I wrote.


1.Thiruchi is an emotion. Travelling for 3 hours from my hometown to Tiruchi to and fro,getting down at main guard gate and running all the way to college in foot makes me long to get back once there the same way again. Phew.


2.Seethalakshmi Ramaswamy college-Was my home for five years(11th std till under graduation). One of the most affordable colleges for middle class people like me then. The dress code was saree and half saree then,enjoyed the morning prayers, lectures and most importantly my chemistry lab experimentations.. I always looked at awe when I saw a brown ring or the color of potassium permanganate.


3.The teachers of my college went ahead to train us for being a better individual to face the world with almost confidence.I never had an opportunity of studying under Dr. Sugantha but when I approached her to help me with my poor English, she did not even think for a minute but did lend me books which helped me a lot later for my betterment.


4.I had gem of teachers, who possess excellent knowledge and pass it on to the younger generation like us.. Many a times, I was spellbound seeing them ooze out so much of Knowledge.We were taught beyond books but mostly in practical ways.


5.I should also be proud that my paternal grandmother was also an alumnae of Seethalakshmi Ramaswamy college.This is one of the oldest colleges that always strives hard to give the best education for WOMEN.


6.You will never know the value of something till you miss having it.. How true it is.. The last time that I went to my college for alumnae meet, I felt every other brick was bringing good old memories and silently silvery tears filled my eyes.


7.I have roamed in the malaikotai veedhi to get books from chowk, always did that yearly once shopping from Sarathas, got this and that from Burma bazaar, till date loyal lover of 80:20 padma coffee, always look forward for having a full meals at Mathura lodge, love shopping maavadu in nandhikovil street..


Oh Trichy you are special to me and no matter what, I will always be your loyal lover till my last breathe!

[Day 24]-Blogathon-Sleep

Deep slumber
Calm mind
Complete rest
Stored up energy


Shaking commotion
Unknown reason
Wide open eyes
Spoiled sleep


Restless mind
Jittery body
Wavering thoughts
Sulking me


Hard day
Murphy’s play
Jinxed works
Poor me


Tried something to just say ,lack of sleep can drive me crazy

[Day-23]-Blogathon-Travelogue

We never thought we would make a trip to Guruvayoor but it all happened without any prior preparation.

 We were struggling to find which route would be better and one of my palaghat friends came to the rescue. So as per his guidance we took chennai-selam-coimbattore-palaghat-thrissur-guruvayoor route for our drive.

 Again my friend gave good reviews about “Rugmini regency” in guruvayoor and so we halted for our stay there. Indeed the stay there is worth for the penny spent.


It took 11hours for us to reach guruvayoor with very minimal stopping from Chennai. After refreshing ourselves, we headed to the temple which is close to where we stayed.
Never seen such a crowd in the recent years.The temple was heavily crowded.. We finally had our darshan and by then our stomachs were longing for food.There is no dearth for vegetarian hotels around the temple.. We had a good breakfast.


In order to give some rest to our driver, we decided not to visit any further places. But the hotel receptionist suggested us to visit elephant sanctuary which is just 3kms from guruvayoor.
We got into a local auto and visited there. The place is owned by guruvayoor temple and strictly they do not allow photography inside the place.We saw more elephants belonging to the temple there.. Saw close to some 30 elephants.Never ever saw this big a number of elephants in close proximity.
The autowalla then took us to a local bhagavathy temple. He also took us to chavakkad beach which is just 7 kilometers from guruvayoor.. It was scorching while we visited there.


Fruits channa and vegetables were soaked in brine water.. We got the soaked pineapples and gooseberries. They tasted yum max ..And then we went near to the beach.. My son wanted to see the waves hitting his legs and so took him close to a wave.


The wave was hard and he lost one of his sandals..Thankfully the wave did not take the sandal deep into the water and it was floating near  the shore.. I tried to pull it out and for a min, I felt the wave is pulling me down inside the sea.Thankfully I was swift to be back to the shore with the sandal..


Then we were back to guruvayoor. For the first time, tried Kerala meals along with matta arisi. It was an experience indeed!


Finally ended the trip of the day by visiting chotanikara bhagawathy temple. One nice thing about the temple, is there is no special darshan and all of us have to follow a normal queue to see the goddess. Also to remove evil eyes people pay and burst crackers. It is believed that by doing this, evil eyes are removed from one’s life.

 Impromptu trips are sometimes fun and also a nice getaway from the otherwise monotonous schedules!

[Day 22]-Blogathon- World Water day!

I never knew today is “world water day”, until I saw the message in the office corridor.
we all know that water is very critical for every living being and it is an elixir and all that!


You will understand the value of something only when you don’t have. How true it is. It was somewhere at the start of May’2003 that the severe drought hit the lands and in the loop the second thing happened was the water scarcity!!!We had couple of government owned corporation pipes in our street and during the start of every day, we would rush with say some 15 to 20 big pots and vessels to fill the water and store it for the next couple of days. We maintained a complete decorum to ensure every other house got a minimum of 3 pots water for their daily usage.From bathing till washing vessels, we always depended on the corporation water!


It was one of the sultry summers in 2003 when the river dried completely. A wedding in house, more people and no water made every other person in the house to run, search and store as much of water as possible.Hats off to all my family members ,who stood in queues, filled the pots and ensured all the relatives had enough water for their needs.


Fast forward to couple of years back, we were hit by water scarcity in Triplicane .Every day was  a battle. we tried calling all the water supply units to at least help us get the water for money , which can be stored in the tanks. Many water supply units bluntly rejected for the sheer reason, the roads are narrow and their lorry cannot come in the narrow roads! we always approached our relative’s house to lend us some water


These two incidents hit me real hard. The least bit that I wanted to diligently follow to save or preserve water is below.


1.Save rain water as and when possible, which would be used for washing and cleaning. During my school and college days,my mom collected the rain water,which was later used for washing clothes and vessels. I wish to try this!

 2.I try my best to not be lavish with water usage. A very long way to go indeed. Taking baby steps..
your inputs on this topic is always welcome!

[Day 21]-Blogathon-Bad mom

Thanks to my friend Revathy for sharing this article and it is a nice read. Please hop on to the below link as my today’s post is based on the below URL.


https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/you-my-friend-good-enough-caitlin-ryan-1/?trk=eml-email_feed_ecosystem_digest_01-recommended_articles-14-Unknown&midToken=AQGfLR5Nu_0--g&fromEmail=fromEmail&ut=0aJwNh6MhYZU81




As a working mother, I am sure every one of us have had the situation of being tagged by others/self-tagged by us as bad mom because of our own careers.I too had similar situations and I am trying my bit to overcome the same.. Career is what we choose and there is no point in being tagged by ourselves as bad mothers.


I have a bag of unwashed clothes, my to do list is never ending , have a zillion things to clean , my room is always cluttered and someone asked me ,did not you have the guilt of not taking an off when your son is in his holidays but rather rush to office ?I have this person who is a distant relative but never fails to ask me the same clichéd question, Do you even have time to attend functions, you always either rush or do not attend one. And there are few who educate me what to feed and what not to feed my son. Someone pointed me by saying, as a working mom, my life is as easy as that and I excuse myself from household chores (seriously?!! raising my brows high ,let us please put our rationale thinking here) But the main one is this, when someone feel sick at home and you go beyond to try every possible ways to balance work and life only to get the prestigious bad mom/woman tag


Life is this and as pointed in the article there are people who always wanted to pull us down like the wordings printed on the bus(as pointed in the article).Sometimes you should have the guts to move on for your own betterment least giving importance to the pullers.


There is nothing to be tagged as bad mom. Love is love no matter what. While juggling both the personal and professional space, we ensure to provide the same love and affection ,we also go beyond to ensure that we give the best to our kids in whichever way possible! So yes, I pledge now, not to taboo my own self with the bad mom tag anymore!

[Day 20]-Blogathon-Mommy memoirs

Working mom or stay at home mom, each one of us have our own challenges and difficulties to tackle with! Both are equally demanding roles and there is no room for any arguments to justify which is better!


My typical day starts with the preparation for the next day! Ask any working mom and they would vouch how planning helps them hassle free. Washing the boxes, bottles, keeping the bags ready ,ensuring the uniforms and clothes are pressed and ironed neatly ,deciding what to go in the snack box, ensuring the boys bag is all set with stationeries and list goes on and on!


So after all the planning and doing some errands, the time would easily fly and it would be 12o clock! During the interim ,I ensure my work is also done parallel .. So getting up early the next day is a real herculean task! After getting up late (which happens mostly),I always put my heels on the wheels and get into the running mode.


I sometimes feel, I dont even have time to breathe during the morning peak hours. .in 5 minutes I make my coffee, water my plants, do a quick fix breakfast(as and when possible),pack the boxes(whatever my mother-in-law cooks for the day, I quickly pack it for lunch, if possible I make a quick salad or when my boy is not in his holidays ,I make a quick lunch for him as per his wish),get myself ready, get my boy ready even with all the planning, we always end up with last minute rush and get things muddled.. And after all the battling, I drop the boy in an auto and then pack my breakfast and run to catch my auto to begin my commute!


People would dare not to enter the kitchen when I am around in the peak hours, as I am mostly on my wheels doing this, that and more! Someone asked me, why I have been so restless in the morning and do my chores superfast ! It is not the restlessness but it is the morning busy schedules that keeps me running and thanks to my husband’s crazy work schedules and that makes me the sole owner for most of our chores and that is one of the reasons for my restlessness.


Back home, again the same routine for making the kid study and planning for the next day starts!!!This is how a typical day happens to meAs the days passes, I started learning my own lessons, to ensure I dont put everything in my plate. So as and when the husband is available ,I try to delegate tasks(it works a bit and many a times, it does not, but I am persistent in trying to make him a responsible father you see),sometimes I dont even get time to pack my boxes ,in such days, I skip it and have lunch at office.. There are days when my room is totally cluttered, even during such days ,I give up and live with it as I know ,I have other priority work to tackle with!!Sometimes the monotony appears boring and I try ways to beat it by trying different things.


I am also trying to slow a bit to avoid the being restless tag in the mornings.. Every day is a new experience and learning .One learning that I wish to follow diligently is slow down, attack priority works, involve the spouse/get help from your circle of people and try to minimalize the stress.
So how does your normal day begin? How do you beat the monotony?

[Day 19]-Blogathon-Water the elixir!

I was one of the many, who never cared about the water intake! The new year dawned and I wanted to set few goals in which I lag so that I could improvise myself! One of the goals in my must list was to drink more water!!!It was a real challenge for me as I never had the urge to go to water dispensary to fill my bottle.


My husband has this habit of drinking a tumbler of water after brushing his teeth every day !I so wished to try it but the moment I tried to have water in empty stomach ,I started to gain a puking sensation and so I left it as is and did not try it any further!


I have also seen people who are in diet taking ample of water! Firstly water keeps them very hydrated, secondly it is so filling that they say and that helps them not to hog in any form of junks! That sounds interesting!


So here are the steps that I am taking to consume 2.5 liters of water to start with.

 1.Invested in a good Milton thermo steel water bottle! Free from plastic and I fill hot or cold water as per my need. I mostly prefer hot water, as it is soothing and very good for digestion.

 2.I always mostly fill by bottle only till half. This way I complete it fast and I also get the urge to walk till the water dispensary to fill my bottle!

 3.I keep the water bottle pretty close to my laptop and so it is always in my vicinity.

 4.I am not sure if it would work but going to try drinking water at regular intervals post my lunch to see, if I stop the urge to have junks Will keep you all posted!


With summer already set, it is highly essential that we are very well hydrated to beat the heat!So how do you ensure that you take adequate water while we are all engrossed in our work(the AC also does not makes us thirsty)!
Awaiting to hear on more tips!

[Day 18]-Blogathon-Women and financials!

Women and financials!!


Well I never thought, I would write a post on this and here I am with one!


I read somewhere(forgot on the source) that a women is often not involved in the financials at home(apart from the groceries) and the sole authority on the financial decisions are made either by the father, brother, husband or the son!!!


I was thinking about it and felt how true that is!!! It is not that  women does not know how to handle financials but it is more on the stereotype  that is followed in the households .I know that the times are just changing and women tend to be the decision makers on their earnings now!!


I was not much into the financials until I read an article(will share source ,once I remember)…It was just an eye opener .I always never had the urge to check on the pay slip or the bank account or the trend of my spending anyday!!!But reading more on the financials ,I felt the awareness is pretty much needed for every woman!!!


While we earn ,we should also be aware of our spending, we do and enter into a saving plan which would definitely benefit us, as and when we need the same.


I still have a long way to go to understand the financials, but better late than never!!!Seeing the alarming way that I spend,I felt I definitely need to check on my spending and involve myself into a good form of saving!


So a generic question to you all.. How do you all keep yourself updated with the financials(I am generic here but what I mean is the yearly budget, how does it impact us,or any information that would be subjective to taxes).


Looking forward to hear from you all!

[day 17]-Blogathon-Festivals

Festivals always bring loads of fun and frolic! Don’t they?

 The most important thing about festival is,the dress and the food.


There were days when new dress was equated only with the festival.We did not have the perk of getting new dress on any other days apart the festival days and so festival dress were so close,unlike now where I tend to get dresses as and when I wanted to!


Ahh I know,I am drifting a lot from what I wanted to write!


Wishing you all a very happy and prosperous Ugadi and Gudi Padwa!


Come festival we get new dresses and ugadi is not an expection..For the past few years,I have stopped getting it for reasons unknown.. Might be, my parents ensure to get,tailor and courier me the dresses for every occasion till date!From this new year,I wanted to again start the habit of getting new dresses !The joy of getting it and wearing it during the festival can never be put in words.That definitely brings the child in me out


And one other thing that I like the most about Ugadi is the “Ugadi pachadi”..Usually made with 6 ingredients(Tender neem flower,cut raw mango,tamarind,jaggery,salt and chili/chili powder).It is believed that our life should also be filled with these 6 ingredients(sweet, bitter, sour, tangy, spicy and salty) ..There is also a custom of making boli on this day..To be specific,the boli(a sweet) is made with all purpose flour and the filling is done with channa dal,grated coconut and jaggery.


I have been making boli for years now and the one thing that I learnt is, experience makes you better..No doubt and I vouch for it..There were days,when my boli was thick and stale..The shape was nothing close to round…But as the years passed, I am able to make a better one now!***Happy dance***.


After all festival is one such day to excuse ourselves from the diet and hog on the delicious delicacies!Right?


Wishing you all again a happy new year!have a great year!

[day 16]-Blogathon-For the love of arts and crafts!!

I did not have the luxury of enrolling myself into an art class during my teens but I still remember the mandatory tailoring period from my school days! Tailoring period was conducted once in a blue moon and I always looked forward for the same.


The first time when we were allowed to touch a tailoring machine, I felt as if I achieved something great! I still remember how the teacher took efforts to teach us the chain stitch and few other stitches using needle and colorful threads! and my only creation till date using a tailoring machine was a yellow colored vegetable bag, which was sewn with the help of the teacher!First is always special.Don’t they?


I have also grown seeing my maternal granny making one craft or the other every day..She was a prodigy in arts and crafts! She carved out beautiful bags, mats, coasters etc with just colorful woolen threads.. I have also seen her getting wires in bulk from medical shops and making beautiful lunch bags from it.. Never once did I have the urge to learn things from her until she reached the heavenly aboard!A loss to us!


Fast forward now, I was left clueless on how to beat the working mom’s guilt! What started as a quality play time has become a perfect bonding time between my boy and me!So while he was 4 years old,I started to shoo away my guilt and started to spend a quality time with him through craft work and teaching him the fun way..The brainchild was a beginner’s entry into the crafts world.


For a craft challenging person like me,it is always a tough job on how to carve one but yes inspirations comes from the boy and with his constant push,we end up making our own creations!!!It is fun to get the hand messy but seeing the outcome,make us more happier.


With summer vacation already started,I have to start putting my thinking cap to make his leisure time productive :)While I have enrolled him in a sport,I also would like him to be involved in art and crafts and this is what we did during the weekend..


Chart paper cut by me..He painted and glued it..Outcome was a flower!
I hope we have a fun filled summer holidays!

[Day 15]-Blogathon-wanderlust

If travelling is free, you will never see me again in the same place-goes a saying!!




All through my school, college and pre-marriage days,I so had aversion to travelling..Even now,I become travel sick often(but that does hamper me from travelling :p)..Post marriage, one of the few good changes(:p) that happened in me, is to gain that love to travel more…From then on there is no stopping!




I have visited only a handful of places,not even covered full south,but I have the love to travel across India and around the world some day :p..I know,I know,my dreams are too high!




So of all the places that I visited,I wish to share few top places,which might interest you,if you have not visited the place before..With no further talks,here you go with the details.




Best zoo visited till date?
No doubt..Bannerghatta..Saw tigers and lions in very close proximity..Can never put the experience in words!




Beautiful waterfalls?
Athirapally kerala-Wow is an understatement.. Pristine clear water and the streams around the falls itself takes you to an another world.




One temple that I always wished to visit and got fulfilled?
Murudeshwar!I always wanted to visit the majestic Siva surrounded by sea and the wish got fulfilled few years back.




Places that scared me a bit while travelling?
Chakleshpura–We were travelling through this route.. It was raining badly ,bumpy roads, no vehicle seen in vicinity and we were quite scared.




Also the forest routes from Horanadu to Sringeri.




The one place that I felt the nature in its pure form?
Cannot restrain to one but Thalacauvery and Munnar it is..Both had an excellent climate..Some time it would rain and the very next moment it would all stop and you will find no trace of rain!




Best food that I tasted during my tavel?
Bangalore VV puram..hands down..Who will say no to kodballe and holige?




The places where I was very close but missed visiting?
Nagerhole(reached the border but missed) and Melkot(temple).




Early morning beauty seen through eyes?
Misty gopuram of Sringeri and ofcourse the fishes in Tunga!




One of the unforgettable experiences?
On our way back from Tiruneli temple in Wayanad,we were travelling in forest routes and saw couple of elephants crossing very near to our car!




One post is definitely not enough to share my experiences..Will write more on this topic!

[Day 14]-Blogathon-Food!!!

What makes me happy on an otherwise stressful day? Food!


Yes you read it right.. Food brings the josh in me.. I was a finicky eater during my school and college days..The default preferred lunch box menu then was curd rice and pickles.


Thanks to the job and that made me pack my luggage and move away from my cosy cocoon.. There started my cooking marathon..It became more of a necessity to satiate my hunger pangs.. A zillion condiments, a few ready to use paste from my mom and my weapon(rice cooker) was a saviour! I was able to churn out varieties with the above..

 My interest towards cooking got still more aggravated during my maternity break.. My mom is a veteran in traditional vegetarian cooking and I used my break to learn recipes from her..


There were days, when my husband complained every other meal..More trails and I understood, my dishes were overpowering with tanginess. I started slowing down to correct the same.Cooking is an art and every day is a learning.It dawned on me to start trying my hands in other vegetarian cuisines. Learning different cuisine is fun and is also a respite to the monotonic routine.


Cooking did also pay the way for exploring cuisines, trying out dishes and of course occasional visits to the restaurants.Right amount of good food and right amount of exercise wins.. Hands down..
Many even pull my legs saying, I take more of food pictures than that of people’s picture.Which is absolutely true in a way!


One thing that I understood from my experience till now is, if you are passionate about something, give your best.. No matter what.. There are people who always pull you down but if we give importance to them then we will never be able to climb up..Cooking has become more of a passion to me now..My brain child is my cookery blog..Which is quite dormant for now..I so wish,I just update my external cookery blog and write often


Yesterday was one of the hectic days.. End of the day,I headed out to a masala milk shop and had a glass of malai floating elaichi flavoured masala milk.. Yum is an understatement! One of the stress busters. No wonder that food is a good medicine for the soul!!

[Day 13]-Blogathon-Zentangle

It was a very hectic day! Unwell mother-in-law, restless kid (who wants me to take him out,thanks to the holidays),hectic work!


It is always a task to balance all at one go..There is no secret ingredient for the balancing act apart from prioritizing a bit! So after all the juggling,I sat with a pen and paper to give some rest to my mind!Art is always a stress buster ,no wonder!


A novice attempt at zentangle!

 Please click the image to see the enlarged version!

[Day 12]-Blogathon-Forgotten games

Thanks to Deepthi’s comment on my previous post. It helped me to come up with the topic for my todays post.


There are certain yesteryear games that are not played so frequently by kids of this generation!!! Thanks to the flat setup ,my son hardly has friends to play, leave alone playing in the streets! phew. Someday I so wish to organize such games for the kids!


Now off to the topic. Come summer ,I always had my cousins and friends visiting our native village !A part of the time was spent bathing in the river, while the rest were spent eating a lot and playing to glory !In no particular order, jotting out few of the games that I played as a kid. Will do one more post on this topic soon.


1.Name,place,animal and thing:
This involves a paper and pen for every other player. No restriction in the count of the players. One of the players randomly says a letter and all of the players has to write a name , place, animal and a thing starting with that letter.eg if the letter H is picked we should write Harini(name),Hariyana(Place),Horse(animal) and Helmet(thing).Once everyone was done with the letter,we would read out the answers loud !We had fun learning new words from others. When we were doubtful about a place or a thing written by a participant, we always approached an adult to clarify us!


2. Statue game:
Again no restriction with the count of the players! One of the them should be the catcher and all the others would be the players. The game starts this way like you have to imaginarily do any activity like climbing stairs without the actual steps, walk etc, when the catcher says statue ,you should not move from your position or pose. The catcher tries every possible ways to make you laugh only by his words. If someone gives up and laughs then he would be take the turn of the catcher and the game continues.


3. Word building:
We always played this game in the streets at night and especially when there was no electricity. This was actually fun.The first player starts with a word say for eg he starts with the word Pen,the next player should say a word starting with the ending letter of the previous word,so he should start with n..If he says nose,the next player should start with the letter e and then the game continues till all of us get exhausted and bored!


4. Countries and capitals:
This is one of the games that we mandatorily played only when there was no electricity.. All of us sat in a jute cot and would play this game quickly for say 5 to 10 minutes.


5.Frisbie:
So every time we went to the river for bathing,we would take the frisbie along.This involved only two players and so,we did not like this game very much..The two players stand opposite to each other at a good distance.One throws the frisbie discs to the otherWind would play spoil sport with the direction but the other has to try and catch it without slipping the same .He then throws it back to the player who stands in the opposite direction.


6 .Ring ball:
Same as frisbie involving only two players,where the player stand opposite to each other at a considerable distance.The player throws the rubbery ring in the air for the other player to catch and throw it back.The game continues in the similar pattern.


7. Kalla Manna(Stone or soil):
This is one of our favourites. One of the players would be the catcher and the rest all would be involved in the playing!All the players would stand in the street especially in the soil and ask the catcher,what he wants.The catcher has to pick either soil or stone.If the catcher says stone then all the players in the street,should rush immediately to a land(stone)..If someone fail to reach the land and if the catcher catches them fast then he would become the catcher and the game would continue.


8. Hide and seek:
Again one of our favourites..The catcher should close his eyes and say numbers from 1 to 100.During the interim all the other players should hide somewhere. We always went to the neighboring houses and hid ourselves.Gave troubles to them by running here and there.. The catcher has to find the players!The first person to find takes the turn of the catcher in the next game.


9. Snake and ladder:
We were allowed to play this game during noon ..It required a board and a dice .It was always fun to see someone climbing through the ladder so fast but get stuck in the mouth of the snake to again reach the bottom! The game brought so much of curiosity and we would pray to complete it first!


10.Banker:
Playing cards were used for this game.The cards were shuffled and each player gets a same count of cards.The face of the cards is placed down and so the players will not have the clue on the card types or numbers. Every player takes a card out and places it down by facing the contents up and visible.The other person also places the card over the first player card and the game continues.
Whenever the player spots the current card in same number or same color or same symbol like the previous cards,he picks up all the cards and he is termed as banker!


Writing this post makes me go nostalgic.Good old days and how I wish,I get those carefree days

[Day 11]-Blogathon-Summer

During my weekend routine of visiting the market ,I spotted raw mangoes and my joy could not be controlled. Arrival of mangoes is synonymous with arrival of summer season. Dont they?
Summer season always makes me go nostalgic .Apart from the usual words like , oh it is scorching badly, please stay indoors and take adequate liquids ,there are also a handful of activities that I get myself involved with.

 Ask me what they are? Here you go!!!


Come summer ,I get as much of mangoes as possible and try out every other recipe that involves mango! Pickle, jam, pappad,panna, juiceYou name it and I have it in my list! Our family has hardcore mango lovers and we always eye to try different varieties of mangoes ranging from Imam pasandh, rumani, malkova, neelam, Malliga,Banganapalli to name a few!Not to forget the baby mangoes!I visit the mylapore market for atleast 3 to 4 times during this season to hand pick the baby mangoes and convert it into pickle.. This pickle has a shelf life for a year and I never miss to stock more (Greedy me).


Summer is also synonymous with home made fryums !I have grown seeing my mom and maternal grandmother make it so diligently! My only work then was to taste the dough as much I could!I have gained that shred of quality from my mom and I also try my best to stock home made fryums during this season!


Sago fryum of different flavours(mixed with vegetable puree) are made and sun dried,apart from the usual chakli fryum!!!Making it involves lots of preparatory works like stocking the essentials ,making the dough, going to the terrace to make the fryums in circles on the cloth .It also involves occasional visits to the terrace and guarding the fryums from the crows!A perfect fryum is made after sun drying it for 2 days and carefully separating and stocking it in an airtight container!
Make hay while the sun shines says the adage!A bulk quantity of tomatoes and potatoes are purchased during ths season..Potatoes are converted into fryums..Tomatoes are used into making a zillion varieties of pickles/jams..Sometimes we end up sun drying the vegetables, wait till the water content is lost and store it in air tight container for close to a 6 months!


The next is the watermelons!!!A thirst quencher!!!This juicy and pulpy fruit is just a respite to the otherwise sultry days!!!


We normally make buttermilk in big pots and have it as much as possible as this is very good to body and satiates the heat. Tender coconut water is also an excellent supplement of water!


The next comes the ice apple! Wow is just an understatement. .The fleshy fruits just slides in my throat. The skin of the fruit is also rubbed on the body as it is believed to act as a cooling agent!!
Last but not the least is the previous day cooked rice soaked in water and taken out the next day and converted into liquid form by adding buttermilk and salt..This goes very well with green chili and shallots!


With the summer already in its full form,I am all set to experience the above.What about you?

[Day 10]-Blogathon-It is all about sports!

I always loved sports during my school and college days! But did not get the required encouragement!!

 Like any other normal middle class family, the focus was more on studies rather in sports or arts and crafts! Situations and circumstances did not allow me to try my hands in any of the sports!
Even in school during the games periods we were confined to play just khoo khoo and nothing much beyond that! And sometimes, games periods were converted into regular periods to complete the syllabus!bah!


I so had an urge to learn badminton during the school days but only a select few veteran were given the prestigious bat and the cork to play! This really annoyed me but I was helpless then!
And in college there was not much options but we were asked to pick either NCC or NSS. Again I so had an urge to try my hands in NCC but circumstances again hampered by wish !I was already travelling for 3 hours for onward and return journey from college to home and if I had to enroll myself in NCC then I have to start well before the dawn, which was highly not possible then!
My love for sports was crushed there and I could not try out my hands any further !Now I so have the urge to try swimming but time and again, I dont have an option to leave my kid during weekends to attend a class!

 Having said that, I am happy that I try to encourage my kid in every possible way that I could!I do not want to confine him only in studies but wanted him to try his hands in sports ,arts and crafts!
My son is one of the super active kids and during a casual conversation with his play school teacher few years back(he is a big boy now ),she insisted to enroll him in a sport!On further enquiry,she explained that sports would fine tune the speed and would help him focus more!


From them on,I was searching to enroll him in any form of sport!The first option that did strike me was Swimming.Went to a nearest center and we were rejected because,he did not complete 6 years then.


I am not sure whether it is boon or bane,being a working mom,my first query while enquiring classes would be,do you conduct weekend classes?Most of them say No,a select few nod yes but we do not make it to the select few for various reasons!


The other day one of my friends said,she had enrolled her daughter in skating class.On further enquiry,she said the classes are conducted in Marina beach,which is decently close to where I stay!
With no further delay,I called up the tutor and enrolled my son!For a sports challenging person like me,ankle pad,knee pad ,helmet etc fascinates me big time.I was broken a bit when I see my kid falling down but thanks to fellow parents, who console me saying, the kids learn skating well during every fall!Which is very true!


I see my dreams getting fulfilled through my son! Every sport needs dedication, concentration and more!Getting up early and making the kid ready seemed like a herculean task but hey,it is fun and I am loving it to bits!!!I want him to enjoy the sport and have a good time for an hour in an open space,with fresh air and ofcourse with his friends!I am sure as the day progresses, he starts loving it!
So are you a sportsperson? Share your experiences about sports!

[Day 9]-Blogathon-Fun and Frolic

My in-laws have the custom of visiting their ancestral deity function every year during March and I too inculcated this habit from them. Come March, we will all book our tickets and would be all set to visit Trichy(that is my in-laws native).


Not only our family but my husband’s cousins also travel for this function. It also helps us to have a family get together or the connect with the entire family members!


I always look forward for this function as this is the time of the year, I usually take couple of days off to enjoy the festivity. Thanks to my boy for growing big, his exams fell exactly during this function and so I had a narrow option of doing a flying visit to the temple on the main festival day!


Most of my relatives and us end up meeting in the railway station during our onward journey, where majority of us board either rock forte or the mangalore express !The fun and frolic starts from there.
These days also happens to be no cooking days, where we majorly eat out by trying out restaurants or order food from the caterer and make out stay hassle free!


The actual festivity starts 10 day before the main function and it is usually termed as kaapu kattu in tamil. This also marks the official start of the function for the year. The function is celebrated for 5 consecutive days!

 The function starts with bringing the goddess out from the temple and placing her in chariot, transferring the power from the idol in the temple to the one in the chariot. And then the goddess is taken to the main place called Puthur.Once it is brought to the main place, the goddess visits the nearby streets in a fully flower decorated chariot. And then during the main function, the goddess goes to the select few streets with musical instruments (thaarai and thappatai in tamil)It is always an eye candy to see her in a fully decorated chariot!The main important person during this festival is called “marulali”.It is said that the Marulali has to fulfill all the qualities to reach the status.Select few things related to the goddess are hidden and the person competing for the marulali post should identify all to qualify for this post!


There are numerous shops selling this and that, there are people who call and donate food and butter milk during the festival. Kids have total fun in buying balloons, cotton candies etc .Post this festival ,we end up visiting all the nearby temples, ensure to get a good quantity of vegetables from Gandhi market(fresh farm produce) and then start back home!


This time, we had a fully jam packed schedules and so ended up by just visiting Srirangam!For the first time ended up eating curd rice from one of the prasadam stalls. Ambrosia it is!!!
It is really heartening to see my father-in-law and one of my husbands cousins taking up the complete ownership of the function, coordinating it so well with other committee members of the temple and safeguarding the family tradition !I also happened to hear from my father-in-law that their ancestors were doing this function for long and it is carried over for generations now!


Festivals like this always bring loads of fun and frolic .It also helps us to get connected with our family members, have a good time with them and enjoy the festivity to the fullest ,much like a child!

[Day 8]-Blogathon-A-Z qualities of Women!!!

Here I am wishing all the lovely women a very happy and joyous women’s day.
Tried my hands in the A-Z qualities of womenI know ,I cannot confine it to just 26 but spotting few


Amiable
Bold
Cheerful
Darling
Elegant
Frank
Generous
Helpful
Intelligent
Juggling
Knowledgeable
Lovely
Mindful
Natural
Open minded
Progressive
Quick
Rigorous
Soft
Thankful
Utopic
Victorious
Wishful
Xtremely caring(I give up,please help me with suitable word that starts with X
Zealous


PS-Please post your A-Z list for women too

[Day 7]-Blogathon-Counting the steps!

We all of us know that walking is one of the best form of exercises. For people like me who could not make it to gym, walking comes as a respite. That is one of the reasons why I love walking.
My husband has a crazy work schedule and so I skip my weekend walking routine to baby sit my boy.. But whenever I get a tiny chance of luck, I make it to Marina beach and walk from one corner(Uzhaipalar statue) till Gandhi statue .I also ensure to climb up and down the steps to fulfill my daily dose of exercise.

 On a casual chat with my colleague, I noticed that he was wearing a band. .Further enquiry revealed that it was fitbit which tracks steps, heart beats, sleep pattern etc etc ..An immediate google search and I had an urge to order one. .But I was bit hesitant to order a higher end version because I have previous experience of getting things for granted and not using it till date.Plus I am on a higher scale of weight and felt it was high that I invest in a basic fitness gadget!


At the same time, my brother also got a fitness band.. Instead of doing some research on it,I approached him for suggestions..Ofcourse he gave me enough gyaan and asked me to try a low end Xiaomi MI band..I read somewhere that reuse is innovation,with no further research I immediately checked amazon, read a couple of reviews and ordered one.

 It has been a month or so that I am using this band and must say that I now have a quantifiable data for every step of mine. While the WHO suggest 8000 steps per day,I still could not make it there and every day I feel there is a scope of improvisation and improvements in walking There are days,I walk just to fulfill my daily targets set in the band.


And now about the Xiaomi band-Have been using for a month or so now. Waterproofed band.There were times when I accidently washed my band and touchwood till date it works fine. Once charged full it works for more than a week It shows your daily steps, kilometers walked based on steps and the calories burnt. Never explored the rest few options. Once you get the band,you will need to install the app to track progress as mine is a super basic version which does not even have a display.
Only one minus is ,I fear sometimes, it picks the jerks during the commute as steps. But I am not sure how far it is true as I am still in analysis mode on this. Any such incidents that you have faced, if you are using this band? If yes, please to comment on this!


While it is always a debatable topic on why to be a prey for electronic gadgets ,I feel these products are really helpful to understand where we stand in our fitness level and how we can take steps to move in the right direction to reach our fitness goal. Atleast for me, it works that way!


Disclaimer: This is no way related to any promotion of the product and is totally based on my personal experience by using the product for a month now!

[Day 6]-Blogathon-Terrace gardening

My father loves gardening and I have seen him water the plants for hours but I never helped him anytime! It dawned on me suddenly that I have to start with terrace gardening.




I am very much a beginner and do not know the science behind the same. I was clueless on how to start.The best option that I could select for myself was to visit a nearby nursery!!!I was as excited as a child ! Every other sapling greeted me to pick it!!!I always go blank, when I am presented with too many choices!!It was a big war on what sapling to choose? even the shop keeper could not help me pick!With utter blankness ,I decided to get a holy basil sapling.










So now that I have got a sapling, the next question that arose was how to plant it?Thank god,I approached the shop keeper again for help and this time, he was generous to support me!!He picked a plastic pot with few holes at the bottom for the water to seep in! He then added some stones and mud variety of sand and gave the pot and sapling to me!!










I then carefully did dig some sand out and rooted the sapling and finally closed with the mud and sprayed some water!!From then on, my love for gardening became triple folded!!The moment I get up for the day ,I brew my coffee and take it to the terrace.I enjoy watering the plants and sip my coffee watching the beauty!!










After Tulsi I was left again clueless on what to plant.Took a tomato and did cut it and finally did hide in a pot with the hope that it would sprout !It has been a month now and no growth seen yet..This highly disappointed me!!










When I was checking with friends on what to plant next,many suggested to try greens!!!They are right.Greens are easy to grow..Sampled methi with seeds and within a week,I was able to see it sprout out so beautifully..A happy dance!!










My present ventures are in jasmine sapling(again more than a month of potting it but no signs of buds..But I am happy that the leaves did not wilt and I could see some additional leaves in it,my patience still continues) and coriander(used crushed seeds, awaiting results).






The terminologies like vermi compost,red soil,cocopeat still appears strange to me…I saw some lovely bags from my neighbour’s terrace garden..They looked beautiful and the plants added more beauty to it as well!Wish I learn the art someday!But glad to have taken baby steps and I hope the curiosity would make me try my hands in other varieties






Also gardening is a super stress buster!

[Day 5]-Blogathon-Berthophobia

The literal meaning of “Phobia” is FEAR.I have my own list of phobias…One of the many that tops my phobia list ,is the fear for lizards! The moment I see it, I run miles away from the place!!! My heart beats superfast and I come to a normal state only when I find it away from my vicinity!!!phew

None of the other phobias bothered me much until we packed our baggage for an unplanned impromptu vacation to Wayanad!I was all excited to visit a new place, the food etc  etc!!!My joy had no bounds!!!Since it was a last minute plan, we tried our hands in tatkal and got the tickets too!!Summer was at its peak and so my husband had booked berths in third AC…I thought, the third AC was going to be a complete respite for the otherwise sultry summer night!!!But I was proved wrong  laterJ

We boarded the train and I felt cool and happy!!!The kid and I sat in the lower berth and started to sight see the platform through the window!!!The train started to budge!!!The TTR came, checked the tickets!!!All was ok until a passenger wanted to occupy the lower berth, where we were sitting. A quick check with husband and I found, we were allotted with 2 middle berths! Since my boy was around less than 4 years old then, he was exempted for the ticket!!!

We converted the berth!!!It was also the first time, that I was travelling for a longer distance in train with my toddler and that too  in a middle berth! My son was restless with the closed enclosure He was trying to stand and move but the berth was not spacious enough!!!With great difficulty , I cooked up stories and made him to sleep! Heaved a sigh of relief only to see my husband comfortably snoring to glory!

I started to close my eyes and enter into the sleep mode, but I started to feel that unexplainable uneasiness! There was no space to turn and I started to sweat!!!Would it be because of the not so comfortable pillow?Would it be because of poor AC(the air was not cool),I started to question myself and identify the reasons but in vain!!!Looked at the watch   to find, only an hour has crossed and we had some solid 6 hours to kill.Tried waking my husband but in vain..

Felt enough was enough..Got down and checked with few passengers who were occupying lower berth ..To my disappointment , most of them already slept and a few rejected to swap berths…I still tried my best to close my eyes,but the phobia of sleeping in middle berth scared me to hell..Was feeling totally helpless and  took my blankets and shifted to the floor..Yes you read it right..Slept on the floor and requested the lower berth passengers to be cautious while climbing down as I had my kid also with me sleeping on the floor.I was more than happy when we neared our destination after a sleepless mosquito biting night!!phew that was on horrible day that I will never forget!

From then on , my fear for upper and middle berth increased greatly !I called off my journey, whenever I got upper berths. Last weekend  ,I had a mandatory personal reason to travel and unfortunately got an upper berth.. But this time with all the guts, I was able to sail through the journey?Ask me how?Here is the reason.

When I was totally worried about my travel and especially about the upper berth, bumped at my aunt.She pepped me up by saying,how her daughter travels all alone to different parts of the world with no major support. She said,when we are left helpless,we should not fret but tackle things all alone..

There I got my gyaan..I was completely motivated on seeing my cousin and said to myself that,come what may,I have to tackle things..And when I got into the upper birth with my son,I said to myself,”all is well” and tried all possible ways to suppress my subconscious negative pullers and voila,I was able to break my phobia J

 

So did you have phobia?How did you overcome it?

 

 

 

 

 

[Day 4]-Blogathon-The fainting moment

Her stomach went for a churn and hands started to tremble…Her vision started to blur! She felt totally helpless and tears started to flow from her eyes! None was around to help her. With great difficulty she reached the wash room, puked and closed her eyes for 5 minutes.




After effects of two sleepless nights!




Note: It is a 55F(Wrote in 55 words).

[Day 3]-Blogathon-The to-do list saga

 I was definitely not a to-do list person before!


But at the dawn of the new year,I saw quite a handful of friends investing an amount to get a good to-do list tracker!On a casual enquiry,one of the friends said,she would jot all the tasks in her tracker,that way she ensures not to miss things.The idea did sound interesting to me and then thought why not give a try?With the age factor getting increased,my memory of remembrance is also getting hard!So this comes as a saviour!!Started taking baby steps towards jotting things!


For now,I split my to-do-list into 2 broad categories,yes I would add some more categories as I progress.The predominent categories for now are official to-do list and weekend personal work to-do list.I could not find a suitable hard copy of to-do list tracker from the ecommerce sites.My search could continue till I find one!Till then  I am using our good old paper and pen!


I know the main aim is not to tick off things from the list but to have a hold on the tasks and track it for closure as and when possible.


Here goes this weekend to-do list!I have a personal work travel on sunday and so ,I have formulated the tasks only for saturday.


1.Visit the nursery and get pots and sand!(I have started terrace gardening,I am sure to write a post on this soon).
2.Transfer the Thulsi sapling into a pot!
3.Wash the lunch bags and sun dry it.
4.Call and visit the school and have a meeting with the teacher(To discuss on my son’s progress).
5.Grocery shopping and few ingredients shopping at country drug store(to make the health mix).
6.Visit rice mill to stock up essentials.
7.Pay outstanding bills.
8.Get up early,brew the coffee and get a 10 minutes of ME time in a calm atmosphere.
9.Spend solid 15 minutes in cleaning essentials
10.Pack things for the journey.


So here are few questions for you?Are you a to-do list person?Have you found a good to-do list tracker?Please share your suggestions!

[Day 2]-Blogathon-Book review-Drop the ball

Book Name: Drop the ball

Author: Tiffany Dufu 

About the author:

Tiffany is the most sought after speaker in women leadership. She is the launch team member of Lean In and also the chief leadership officer of Levo (Courtesy from the book).

 What is so interesting about the book?

It is all about the real experiences! Also it is  not about someone having  the life all easy like a cake walk but is about someone who has her own difficulties and responsibilities to tackle and also was trying to find  ways to balance work and the life. While reading through the lines, I felt Tiffany was just echoing the minds of many working moms. While reading her experiences   ,I nodded myself and said, oh yeah ,I have been there!!!Every page of the book, easily helps to correlate with our own life experiences!

 

Tiffany joins the workforce after maternity with the hope that it would all turn easy to tackle things, only to be left with a never ending, piling work on either sides! She starts with an acronym HCD(home control disease).Most women want to control everything at home in their own ways, leading them to this HCD. While during this process they get into “Life go round” meaning  how much ever they try to knock off the pending works they still feel they have some more of work piled up and feel left out. It was a battle for Tifanny to cook, clean, work and take care of her one year old kid Kofi .It dawns to her that how people in the middle management take decisions to quit during this phase because they could neither handle both work and home nor in a position to spend a hefty amount to hire a helping maid!

 

Finally she puts herself into an exercise of “What matters to her the most in the life” and finds answers for the same ,which helps her to stay focused on her priorities.  She then sits with an excel which she calls as MEL(Management excel list) and lists the tasks and tries to map the ownership amongst the husband and her. During the exercise ,she was appearing as the primary owner for most of the tasks.She then sits with her husband Kojo,to redefine the excel and map the tasks against each other. .During the process, she also finds, it is ok to not map ownership of certain tasks that is of no importance or that which would not make great significance. She always felt that her husband does not shoulder her in any household chores and was always   glued to his couch watching TV. But while during the MEL redefinition   , she understands ,his contribution towards home appeared significant…She also understands that getting help from her husband brings innovative solutions for the work. .From there on the journey of sharing the work between the husband and her starts.

 

With all the juggling journey, she realizes, one  cannot have it all.. We have to drop the ball ,  by delegating it with Joy to others.. Even with her husband staying abroad for a considerable period, she gladly drops the ball with a joy of delegation for her husband to pick the tasks…

 

She also points about recruiting a village who would help you when you are in dire need. Like taking care of the kid or helping to pick the kid  from the school when both are parents are stuck with work. The first set of people in the village, would be your family(not necessarily biological) who can help you by providing solution to any issues or to whom you can leave your kid, when you have an important work at office,the second set of people would be your neighbors  and the third set of people are unpaid mothers also known as stay-at-home mothers, these people help you greatly about happenings in the school and keep you abreast with the trend.

 Lastly she states 4 must go points for one’s wellbeing!

 1.Go to gym-to build your exercise routine.

2.Go to lunch-This helps in networking

3.Go to events-This creates visibility

4.Go to sleep-This helps you to stay fresh and feel focused.

 

So after reading the book,the crux of the message hit me hard , on how the society sees women to play a multifaceted roles in personal and professional life but in reality,we know that it is highly impossible. .A women can be peaceful at work when her “All in partner”(husband) steps up and takes equal responsibility! And yes it is always good to drop a ball for others to pick rather having it all in our plate!

 

[Day 1]-Blogathon-I,Me,Myself

I have never been consistent in blogging and so I wanted to try something, which I am not good at!!!And then the spark occurred to me in the form of Deepthi’s blogathon. Cannot thank you Deepthi enough for all the inspirations, helps and motivations! I am planning to try out my hands in blogathon(write a post daily for all 31 days).

 A million questions in my mind. Would I be consistent? How would I pick topics? March has 31 days, a long month, will I be able to sustain? March is also a month of hectic schedules , more of  weekend personal travels, Kid’s exams etc.. how am I going to write with all the juggling? Would I ever succeed in completing this?

And then my heart said ,just go and try .It is ok to fail under worst circumstances rather than not trying things!

And so with all the guts, here I am armed to write 31 posts, one each every day for the entire month. Wish me luck guys J

How do I start?

No better way than starting with a clichéd introduction right? Here you go. Tried it in the form of Q&A J

1. A sentence to describe me?

Jack of all trades but master of none.

2. Hobbies?

Reading (not a voracious reader in the recent years), cooking, writing, crafting!

3. What turns me down?

Backbiting, to   indulge in other’s business.

4. Night owl or an early bird?

Predominantly night owl, but after feeling the benefits of early morning aura, I am changing my pattern.

5. The beverage that I cannot live without?

I am a big time filter kaapi person.Cannot compromise this anyday ! And I always wanted to brew my own strong filter kaapi.

6. The one dish that I love the most!

Curd rice!Even after having an exotic feast,my eyes always longs for a bowl of curd rice!

7. Short term goal?

Learn to drive two wheeler!After crashing my brother’s brand new vehicle,I am not getting the guts to try this!

8. The one quality that I so wanted to change?

One? Have a hand full but will share couple! The moment when people give brainless gyaan, I start to give a counter argument .I feel this makes no difference and want to cut this. Second quality would be, not to spit out words when happy or sad, in either state I feel, I blurt out words more than what I should!

9. Things I do when stressed?

Go for a long walk, eat chocolates, hear music, close my mouth shut to prevent any arguments and of course take a deep breathe. J

10. One thing that I learnt recently, but could not be consistent and wanted to invest efforts?

Learnt the basics of Yoga but could not try it out daily. Wish to invest some more efforts to learn it someday!

11. Stay at home person or wanderlust?

Wanderlust! I have a never ending list of must visit places!

12. What does an ideal vacation mean?

Vacation?!We never had a proper planned vacation till date. But ideal vacation to me means, enjoining the rains in a hammock with a book, munching on the delicious delicacies and staying close to nature with zero thoughts in my mind.

13. The one thing that I recently learnt from my kid or for the kid!

I get to educate myself a lot through my kid! But the one recent learning was on phonics! Never knew what phonics was, until my son started teaching me the basic sounds!

14. One mantra that I strongly believe for peaceful life?

The people around might be judging us, there might also be pullers around us with negative vibes, but doing what we feel good by not giving too much attention or importance  to others ,brings the inner peace to self!

15. One thing that always rings a bell in your mind?

Live and focus on the present. Forget the past or future J

 

Ciao for now! Stay tuned for tomorrow.