Mom, I have a Val-day party!

I thought I would hear these words from my little girl when she would be not-so-little... around 28 maybe?. OK. how about 25? Oh well I give up... 24 it is!
Anyways, the point is , I really did not have to wait that long. Her daycare announced a Valentine's day party. Yes you read it right. Her class, which consist of about 9 midgets less than 2 ft tall are already hopping on the commercial brand wagon of Val day!.

I had 2 choices
- I could ignore the invite and act like my daughter wouldn't care less, so not make a big deal of it.
- I could give in, send snacks , send cards and let her know in a very weird and indirect way that I am a part of her party!

I chose the sensible thing.

I sent a cheese tray, dressed her up in red, signed cards for a card-exchange and some chocolates for the teachers? Wait , was that not the sensible choice? please don't tell me so.

My daughter will have proof of this day and can you imagine what a strong weapon that is, if I protest to her parties later? This trend apparently does not stop with her oh-so-innocent toddler class. My friends tell me as they grow older, they have parties at school where they can bring their dad and dance with him. ( Ok, this one I need a recording of, for my own selfish reasons.. am totally laughing my ass off just thinking about it:))!

What next? They'd find you a good match to go out with? Well if that happens, I am sure I will find myself sitting and blogging about this again, but really doing nothing about it:(

I sure hope my husband has a plan in mind.

Do men Cry?

I believe they do, especially the handsome ones:)
Roger Federer is testament to this fact. For those who dint watch it, make sure you catch it on youtube or whereever.

For those of you who dont know what I am talking about - Roger Federer lost to Nadal in a 5 set match on the Australian court. Fed lost his first chance at taking his 14th grandslam. During the trophy speech, Fed lost it , got emotional and had to take a break!.

Felt really sorry for him, but nadal totally deserved it. He earned it. I only watched the replay and the final sets of that but that was enough to tell me what a good player nadal is.

It almost seemed like Nadal was crying after the match.. at least his facial expressions dint show the exuberance of a winner that day. My husband's theory is that he was trying to suppress his excitement , as a polite consideration for his opponent. I just think Nadal was too tired and exhausted.

Oh well.... I am still a fan of Fed's game and looks:) So will be cheering for him on the other courts this year. So does this make Fed an underdog now?!

So I am guessing if Rog Fed cried on court, my husband will finally come out of his pseudo belief that men dont cry!... Next weekend i'll see if I can get a federer out of my man:)

Did I skip a few years?

This morning, as I was getting my daughter ready for daycare, she started yelling when I wiped her face. She assumed her Pottu had fallen off and started crying : potoo potoo while pointing to a corner of her eye( she still can't point to the exact location on her forehead for it). Then I had to guide her little finger to it and tell her all is safe and well!.

Then, I took out a shirt for her , she looked at it and went " No". What?! " No" she said again. For a good 5 seconds, I looked at the shirt, then at her wondering what was going on. Then I pulled out another one and she again went " No". Not it was my turn and I went YESSSSSSSSSSSSing and dragged her to the bed and she was visibly upset as she looked at her dress. Then I had to distract her from the dress to pottu, while I slipped it on. As soon as I was done, she went " WOW" as she touched her shirt!. I believe she would have had the same reaction if I had gone with the earlier pick as well. So much for motherly instincts!

Then we go down to get shoes. She was very impressed with her socks and no problems there. As I am ready to slip her shoes on, she goes: NOOO. A very bold one this time. So fresh from learning my lesson upstairs, I decided to slip it on anyways. She just kicked them away , gave me a sharp angry look and pointed to the other pairs of shoes in her box. So then I took out 2 pairs and gave her the choice. I think I completely confused her, as she looked from shoe to shoe!. I was brimming with joy since I assumed this small gesture would keep her away from the NOs!... but a few seconds later, she pointed to one pair and asked for them.

Did I skip a few years? I thought this happened much later and i have much time to dress her up like I want to. ! It does not look like I can embarrass my daughter showing her these snaps later in life, like mom does to me now:)

On a related note, sonali loves to dress up, asks for hair clips, pottu and loves bangles and anklets. Her daddy is definitely happy with that and hopes she will continue to be so!. Secretly, I hope so too:)

Happy New Year 2009!

Happy New year to all. Its been quite sometime since I blogged and most of it has been laziness and a little part that can be attributed to mundane stuff that kept me busy!
But for those hoping my hiatus would last, here's your big new year disappointment- I am back:)

Baby Talk - This should really be Toddler Talk but I am having a tough time getting to terms with that. My baby( toddler) on the other hand seems to have transitioned so well into this new role. She is now 18 months old and its so amazing to see her grow. She has been talking for quite sometime now, mostly words or 2 word sentences, but her vocabulary has increased in bounds over the last month. She started talking by trying to imitate our sounds and speech and although she still continues to do that, her innovation is starting to show. She says the cutest things that we don't understand a lot. That frustrates her, but am guessing when she turns 18, she'd be happy if we dint try to understand her:)

She says " I la poo" for I love you and blows amazing kisses on our cheeks and No(se). Her best feature right now is Pretend Play. She uses her swing , tries to put her doll to sleep and sing to it. Feeds food to her bebe( baby) as she calls it and waves bye and blows kisses!. Sometimes she goes around saying Bye bye to some imagined person( I hope) around the house... sometimes she goes and kisses all the inanimate objects around the house ( yes, believe me)!. She gives a big sloppy kiss to the kitchen carpet, mindless of the mess she herself created on it a few minutes back. Its a good thing I put a lock on the trash can door!

Sonali is mostly learning our language( tamil) at home and I am a little worried about how she will manage in daycare. Worried if she will be alone and setback because she would be confused with the bilingual (un)connection? Her pediatrician seems to think it is nothing to worry about and in fact it will be better for her in the long run.. I sure hope she is right!

Amongst other things , my dad left for India after spending 6 months with us and it feels like I lost a right hand. He was amazing with the baby and the cooking and helping around the house. Sometimes he is more perceptive than I am with regards to sonali and I have learnt quite a bit from him. My brother left after spending the Xmas break with us too. That just added to the gloom. But my husband has been such a sweetheart and I think I will feel better soon!

Hoping to have a great 2009 .......

Mozhi - A review

I got the DVD of the movie Mozhi over the weekend from my friend and put it on my list to watch sometime next weekend!. Since my daughter went to sleep early on Sunday evening, I decided to watch this movie. I was simply so amazed by this movie that I had to sit and write this review right now! ( Its 11.40 PM on Sunday evening).

Mozhi means language or rather a means of communication and this movie totally brings out that meaning. The movie revolves around 4 main characters and the people in their lives. The heroes , Karthik and Viji( Pritviraj and Prakashraj respectively ) are musicians by profession and very good friends. Pritviraj sees Archana(Jyothika) one day when she confronts a local drunkard who hits his wife on the road and is attracted to her right then. The duo move into an apartment complex, much against the wishes of the apartment secretary and bring in some cheer to the community. Karthik spots Archana in the same apartment complex one day and as she leaves home, he tries to talk to her bu she never responds. When archana's grandmother falls down on the road one day, Karthik takes them to the hospital. When the nurse asks Archana for her grandmom's name, she insists on writing it down herself. When Karthik shows his irritation by asking her to just say it, she quite calmly reveals that she is both deaf and dumb. He is completely stunned and speechless. Nonetheless his love for her had only increased and he feels this will never in anyway be a barrier for sharing his life with her.

He begins to learn some of the sign language from Archana's friend , Sheila (Swarnamalya) who also works in the Deaf and Dumb school with Archana.The four of them become good friends. Karthik learns from Sheila that Archana lot her speech and hearing at the age of 3 and then her father left them ad her mom died when she was 6. Since then, archana has never let sympathy take over her life but had become more independent , yet more non-trusting with men and more cynical towards the common aspects of marriage, love and children in life.

When karthik proposes his love to her , she slaps him and asks him never to see her again. She says her life is different and marriage is not a part of it. Karthik respects her request and decides to stay out of her life. Meanwhile, Sheila and Viji decide to get married and karthik insists that his friend should get married immediately, and not wait for his life, as Viji wanted to. Archana refuses to come for the wedding and karthik comes to her and confronts her about her decision. He tells her to open her eyes and see the world. " Konjam Vazhundaan paaren, thootu poga maata" ( Try to live life a little, you wont lose). He also tells her that just because her dad left her does not mean he would do the same if they had a child and if the child was like her. He promises not to cause her any trouble in the wedding and requests her to come. A beautiful line there : " As much as I liked my music, I liked your silence too, but you made my cry"

Archana does come to the wedding and confesses her love for karthik and all is well.

Don't be disappointed that I gave away the ending.. I think that 's an easy guessing game in this movie. What is really worth watching is the entire movie, the dialogues, the emotions and the characters. A feel good movie might be a fitting description of what this movie gives. Life is so different and everyone has a story. Sheila is a widow who lost her husband within the first year of marriage. This is something the guys come to know quite later after they get to interact with her. Similarly, a neighbor of theirs who is a professor, is not able to think beyond 1984, the year he lost his only son in an accident. Since he never shed a tear then, his life seems to revolve around that year and he does not even realize years have gone by. Karthik brings out tears in him one day , and that is when he comes to his senses.

Every character has something to say and the movie just left me with a good feeling and some deep thoughts. It does take a lot of courage to completely fall in love with a handicapped person, when there is no apparent fault with you. It is a very bold and most appreciative gesture one can do in life, if you ask me. We all feel sad for the disabled, but can we wholeheartedly make a decision to make them a part of our life? How much conviction would that require? I am not sure I have it in me, but if I see someone who does, they would get my utmost respect and admiration. But I do believe that if we cannot make them a part of our lives, we can at least make their lives better by giving them part of what we have - a small donation that would go a long way. Don't you think?

Well, if you have watched or will watch the movie, I would love to hear what you have to say...... meanwhile enjoy every minute of your beautiful life!

Man, Woman and Baby

If you are a baby, you can get away with many things in life!. You are very cute even for the silly things you do, no one wants to berate you or beat you, you are the apple of everyone's eye and you can eat as much as you want without worrying about your weight.
The problem is when Men think they are like babies, or want to be treated like one.

Baby : Drops an entire pack of cheerios on the floor moments after woman has cleaned it twice and polished the juice stains left by man earlier during the day.
Man : Follows baby, only its chips this time.
Woman : Sweeps the baby up, blows a million kisses and playfully even congratulates it.
Man : Wondering why he was not treated the same way, but was instead left with broom in hand after a few irate words that matched the tune of chips breaking inside his mouth.

Baby : Bites woman's nose and starts clapping hands
Man : Tries to kiss woman to make it better
Woman : says oooooooooh to the baby, another million kisses, claps along with the baby and walks away
Man : Wondering why he got a book to read on Post partum depression, along with a bite on his nose

Baby : Kicks woman on her face, arms, tummy in the bed
Man : Touches woman with little finger to attempt a massage
Woman : Holds the baby, cajoles for sometime, million kisses again, wraps baby in blanket, sings and puts the baby right next to her
Man : Wondering why he is in the other room on the floor, with the postpartum book again and this time a few lines highlighted in Bold.

Baby : Stares at ceiling, kicks hands and legs and giggles endlessly
Man : Stares at TV, giggles at the comedy channel
Woman : Claps her hands, million kisses again and keeps taking pictures and encourages baby to giggle at nothing.
Man : Wondering why he is in the kitchen, with a cookery book, a spatula and the postpartum book

Baby : Screams at the top of its voice for Milk, or maybe diaper change or maybe nothing
Man : Asks to pass the dessert a little closer to him on the table
Woman : Pleads with the baby, Dances to the baby, feeds baby , cleans after baby throws food, million kisses again
Man : Really wondering why he is sitting in the garage with his dog sympathizing with him, postpartum book in its mouth

Baby : Soils the brand new silk duvet on the bed
Man : does nothing
Woman : Cleans baby, cleans cover, puts new cover, million kisses, sings to baby, covers baby in blanket and puts it on the same bed again.
Man : Has absolutely no idea why he is locked in the bathroom with a "Dont even think about it" note stuck on the post partum book.

Are you hot ?

So what was your first thought when you read the label on the post? Be honest!

Well, have you recently felt hot, sweaty and totally good about yourself? WAIT, before you jump to conclusions and put my link on your Block list, hear me out:) I am actually talking about " Bikram Yoga" which is also known as " hot Yoga". The room is heated to 105 degrees, around 40% humidity and there are 26 Yoga postures, each repeated twice. What is really to like, you may ask?:) I asked myself the very same question the first time I tried it.

I signed up for the Yoga thinking to myself : " Well, I am from a place in India where I grew up with high heat, so the heat will not bother me at all". How wrong I was !

I went into the room and felt like a desert wave had swept me. The heat, humidity, the people, the stink of sweat - I thought I was crazy to be here. I still decided to go through one class and then quit! As the class progressed, I got more excited to try out the postures and during the balancing poses, I dint care who I was hitting- sometimes the one in front, other times the ones to my side. Everyone quietly moved their mats a little away from me at some point.. " Watch out for that crazy girl who cannot balance, but can definitely trip yours" !

But I did manage to go through the entire class and I did attempt every posture too. When I came out of the class, I was very happy. I cannot explain why but I felt such a surge of happiness!. I did end up going back of course for another 10 classes and felt great after every class. A few classes later, you begin to ignore the heat & sweat, since all your concentration would be on which person to hit with precise aim:) .. ....just kidding, your focus will be on getting the postures right and that requires a lot of concentration.

This was about 4 months back. I stopped going because I lost help with my little one in the evenings and my husband was travelling like crazy. I am back into it now and have gone for 2 classes. My whole body is sore from the first couple of classes, but that will not stop me from going again. Its a great 90 minute workout, but you really need to work hard to get your results from it.

I have been trying to convince my husband to go, but he stands upside down once a week for 5 minutes and claims he has done his share of Yoga!!. ... now if only I could convince him to stand right in front of my in class during the balancing pose.........!