17 out of 31 -- Not bad -- XVIII

Well, well, well.... Ok, so I could not post everyday but 17 is not too bad. In fact, as far as I know, its my highest number of posts in a month. A new record, if you really think 'bout it- Yeah!! Time for the Bing Dance :D

Well, I am glad I tried. It makes me believe in myself.

Now, I should really set realistic targets and work towards them. Starting off with daily posts for 1 month may have been a bit unrealistic considering I had not blogged in almost a year. But, 17 is not too bad. Am I saying that too much?? Hmmm..

It could have been better but who am I kidding - I am so glad I got 17 at least :D

I have a new plan for November. Fingers crossed. You'll hear from me soon. Tada!

Sick Sick Sick -- XVII

Just wen I celebrated one week of continuous posting, I knew I will not be able to pull off 31 days of posting :( Anyway, I hope I can post 20 at least. Fingers crossed!

Anyway, after our trip to get Kuku's mundan done, which happened without major hitches, I was feeling victorious though we were all a bit tired from the short weekend trip. And then his birthday celebrations went off Ok. And just when I was ready to breathe easy, we all fell sick around Diwali. With pollution at its peak with the horrendous amount of patakas that were burst near our apartment and in our street, it is not at all a wonder that we all fell sick.

We have been sick for almost a week. I was off on Monday and Tuesday. The Arien was off almost all week. Kuku is still recovering.Of course, everyone has been calling in and giving me unsolicited gyaan and much needed TLC "Its OK - Do not worry". I just wish we are all back to normal health soon and Kuku starts throwing his tantrums instead of being a sickly toddler.

Double Birthday Celebrations -- Kuku's Birthday - XVI

Because of a number of reasons, Kuku ended up having two celebrations for his first birthday. One reason is that he shares his birthday with his oldest cousin on his dad's side and so we had a joint big dinner celebration on the 17th. Kuku, officially, not allowed to eat cake, threw a tantrum as he watched the cake make the rounds and soon insisted on eating a bit from everyone. When everyone settled down to eat dinner and he had to have his Ragi, he threw his second tantrum and spat out the Ragi on me. Again, insisted on eating from everyone, while I stared aghast :(

The second celebration was a lunch celebration on the 18th and cake had been ordered on this day as well. As usual, he tasted as much of cake as possible. He tried and tasted most of the dishes we had all ordered and generally had a great time. I was a little worried about his digestion but he threw such awful tantrums when I tried to stop him that I knew I was fighting a losing battle.

This is a new him, I notice. Earlier, he would eat anything offered, occasionally scrunching up his eyes or crying to indicate displeasure but eating it all the same. Now, its like 'NO' without actually saying anything and totally and completely refusing to eat whatever given. Its like he will choose what he will eat and it better be what we are eating and not his usual stuff :( 

Happy Birthday to lil Kuku -- Time Flies -- XV

This year has been a roller-coaster ride. How so you ask?

• From crying tears of happiness when he did something cute To crying tears of desperation when he sometimes cried non-stop at night and refused to sleep
• From listening to solicited and unsolicited advice and following them To listening to unsolicited advice but following them only it makes sense for both us (me and Kuku)
• From watching absolutely no TV To watching something after Kuku is asleep
• From settling into a pattern and getting comfortable To realizing that there is a new pattern and adapting myself to it and realizing that change is all that is permanent
• From wondering when he will hit the next milestone To being patient and accepting that he will do it when he wants to
• From lamenting my lack of support situation To accepting all the help when I get it  
• From trying to do it all To accepting that I really cannot do it all
• From reveling in the role of a mother To wondering if that is all I am   
• From not taking any break away from him To taking small breaks away from him (works so well for both of us)
• From seeing him as a doll like baby To seeing him as a person who can communicate his happiness (big smile followed by a small hug), dislikes (turning down his lips and crying), anger (violent shaking of head with a yell), and other funny mannerisms which I am slowly learning to decode.

Well, it has been a year of learning, a year of fun and tears, a year of silent desperation when I suffered a lot of self-doubt, a year of good progress, a year of understanding each other, and a year of building trust. And considering that I love amusement rides, well, I really should not be complaining :D 

This day last year -- XIV

Last year, this day, I was getting a scan done. My due date was still two weeks away. I was having various complaints - could not sleep though I wanted to sleep - in fact could not even lie down without waking up with a sharp twinge of pain. I was always uncomfortable and it felt great to be seated with my back against the wall. But, only for a bit. Walking to and fro helped for a bit. Almost everything helped but only for a bit. It was like I had to be moving all the time. It made me feel so restless.

In a home filled with males, nobody bothered beyond "Do you think you are in labour? No? OK. Cool". I was getting bugged and a bit cranky. It was just an ordinary day. If I had known I was going to deliver the next day, I would have panicked big-time and drove the others nuts! 

Wordless Wednesdays -- After Tonsuring and Before Tonsuring -- XIII

All 'bout lil Kuku - Part 2 - XII

We landed at Thanjavur and opted to catch a passenger train to Nagapattinam. We usually take a bus but this time we were taking the train. I cannot remember much of that journey except that I was fast asleep and Kuku was fast asleep in my arms. When I woke up, I noticed that most of my co-passengers including my relatives were all in different states of sleep as well. We got off at Nagapattinam and then took a taxi to Velankanni. It was warm and felt like 1 or 2 in the afternoon but it was barely 8:45 in the morning.

The moment we check into a hotel, all of us were glad to be out of the sun and Kuku was very happy that he was allowed to crawl. He went from one end of the room to the other and actually giggled.

The mundan was planned for sometime between 2-4 and all of us were ready or so I thought. Kuku fell asleep around 12. Completely and totally tired out with a light fever. I fell asleep in the middle of a conversation with the Arien. I woke up an hour later. Actually, I almost jumped out of the bed in fear that Kuku had fallen off the bed. But, he was still sleeping soundly. Everyone had had their lunch and the Arien had brought me something to eat which I gladly wolfed down. Just as we were wondering what to do - Kuku woke up on his own. He was a lil run down but very glad to see us, it seemed.

The actual mundan process took less than 20 mts. Kuku was totally oblivious of what was going on or did not care. So, the first part when smoothly. And then suddenly, he cared a helluva lot. He started screaming, I was ready to cry, the Arien hoped that Kuku would not get cut, and just like that it was over.

And the joke - Kuku does not think there is anything different in his reflection. I mean, U'd think he would notice that there was no hair but No, Kuku hardly notices. He waves to his reflection, tries to kiss it, and makes faces at me in the mirror. Well, glad that that is over. Big sigh of relief.

First Auto Travel, First Train Travel, and my learnings -- All 'bout lil Kuku Part 1 -- XI

Just when you think you can really post everyday, something will change that. Well, the trip changed it for me. It was Kuku's first auto travel and he was quite surprised that his Dad was not driving. He kept looking up at his Dad. It was funny :) It was also his first train travel. He seemed very enthusiastic and waved at the train. He was for most part well-adjusted and had a lot of fun but it was either too warm or too cold and so he was unable to sleep which meant most of us slept badly. I received a lot of unsolicited advice but took it well.

Of course, I have been in situations where I am thinking: "Oh gawd! They are traveling with a baby - bloody hell - I can as well kiss my sleep goodbye. The baby will squeal and scream through the night and I have to act as if it is all part of the decision I made when I opted to book tickets on this train. If the baby does not cry, the baby decides to be friends with me, while I am openly ignoring the baby by covering my face with a big paperback. And then, I have to go "hullo, hullo, kootchie kootchie etc." while the baby shrieks with laughter. Now, I was in the opposite end of the spectrum.

Anyway, train travel with Kuku was absolutely uncomfortable because:

• While it is absolutely stuffy, dirty, and smelly in the train,  Kuku wanted to explore every nook and corner by crawling to it or somehow reaching for it. When we did not allow him to crawl, he threw a tantrum and shrieked so loudly, people came to our seat to see why we were torturing the poor baby.
• The berth which is just 'bout bearable when you are the only one lying on it, can become absolutely impossible when you are sharing it with a baby. Especially since Kuku likes his space. He has his own bed at home that occupies almost half our bed. And he likes to sleep with his arm flung out and does not like it if his arms are moved closer to him.
• When I finally managed to get him to sleep, he slept for 1.5 hours and woke up crying because he was too warm. This continued till we reached our destination. 
• Trying to calm a baby in the lower berth while the middle berth is put up can be a very painful experience. It is a miracle that I do not have a permanent neck crick. 

And this was only the onwards journey. I think I was running on some adrenalin rush because apart from saying "This is hell.." out loud, I just looked at comforting kuku and trying to grab some shut-eye. Interesting!!

Planning for a pilgrimage and a tonsuring -- X

So, lil Kuku is going to turn 1. I cannot believe how quickly time flies. As part of our religious practices, tonsuring (chudakarana) is performed for the baby either before the first birthday or after the third birthday. The Arien opted for the former. This meant we were traveling just a week before his birthday. The Arien was caught up in the booking and cancelling of train tickets. After booking tickets for the entire family, we found to our chagrin that some of them cannot make it. The Taurean was traveling to the US on short visit and so we had 1 cancellation from my side. The Arien had a solid 5 cancellations and was a lil grumpy. Anyway, the religious trip was planned for the coming weekend (10-11-12 October). It is not a hectic trip but the place is in Tamil Nadu and is blistering hot most of the time. All the Best to us.

Completed one week -- Yeah! -- IX

It was not so long ago that I mentioned I was feeling all gloomy gus and ready to curl up and die because I had ignored my blog. Well, that cute dog sums up exactly how I felt.

Image Courtesy: http://flyingpistachios.com/page/2/

 And while I was wondering what I would post today, I realized that today, I complete 1 week of my four week challenge. Not bad for a person who has gone weeks and months without even thinking about her blog.

So, in celebration, I took to doing a bing dance :D

Of course, by the time I managed to post it, Kuku had disturbed me thrice and it was nearing 12 at night.

But, 1 week - Yeah!!

Image Courtesy: http://lastocean.wordpress.com/2011/07/18/the-real-happy-feet/

Did you take up some challenge and feel awesome because you completed a lil portion of it? Share your thoughts!

Wordless Wednesdays -- A Cartoon -- VIIII

Image Courtesy: http://www.sagestossel.com/

Maleficent -- A Movie Review -- VII

After a loong loong time, a movie review. Well, it has been all but impossible to watch a full movie for almost a year. Kuku used to bawl the moment I decided to watch anything on TV. The Arien was exempt. Now, I can watch a bit of the movie while he is eating his dinner and listening and watching to his Rhymes. That is such a life-changer for me. Yesterday, after the disastrous G K Vale episode, the Arien settled down to watch Maleficent and I decided to watch it with him. Kuku was very co-operative which was a blessing but we still saw it in two sittings.. Yaaa... thats normal for us.

Anyway, the movie is about a lovely fairy known as Maleficent who befriends a human, Stefan. As they grow up together, and spend a lot of time together, both fall in love with each other, or so Maleficent thinks. They even share what Stefan calls the true love's kiss. Stefan is very ambitious and wants to become king and in this pursuit ignores Maleficent. Maleficent, meanwhile, takes care of her moor and wonders at his behavior.

Image Courtesy: http://www.thedailypedia.com/2014/06/10-enchanted-lessons-from-maleficent-warning-may-contain-spoilers/

When the King is hurt while trying to attack the moor by Maleficent, he wants someone to avenge him. Stefan takes this up and decides to meet Maleficent, supposedly to warn her of the King's motives. He drugs her and tries to kill her but is unable to do so. He finally chops off her lovely black wings and takes it to the King as proof of her death. The king names Stefan as his successor and marries off his daughter to Stefan. Maleficent, meanwhile, is shocked that Stefan would chop her wings off to become King and names herself Queen of the moors. Then, she hears that a baby girl, Aurora, has been born to Stefan and the Queen and she goes to the party uninvited and curses the baby girl.

Image Courtesy: http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/133510

How Aurora survives the curse, what happens to Stefan forms the rest of the story. The story was quite predictable and as a result a bit boring. Angelina Jolie as Maleficent is just ok.There is a moment when you think - "Aahh -- The END" but the movie goes on. You expect a twist but nothing vaguely resembling a twist occurs. I understand it is a children's movie but a lot of other movies are really good. This does not make the cut. 

Family Potraits -- Our G K Vale Nightmare -- A Rant --VI

Nowadays, when you visit any tourist spot, apart from the fact that the vast majority of the population is also there - you now see a profusion of cameras. Almost everyone is shooting pics - either from a camera on their mobile or from a 5D Mark III. The Arien is an amateur photographer and enjoys the entire process of taking snaps - the perfect light, the amazing shot, the twist in the pic, the shadow, etc etc.

While we have great snaps of each of us individually, we wanted to have one of all three of us. So, we decided that the three of us should have a well-shot snap. We decided to go to a studio and get it done the old fashioned way. We did not do proper research on the G K Vale studio but went with brand image and the family portrait displayed near the entrance. BIG MISTAKE!

Firstly, getting all of us (kuku, his parents, and his grandparents) together was an achievement. We managed that. Secondly, we all were a bit worried 'bout lil kuku's reaction but he behaved very well for most part. After 40 mts, kuku was fed up and threw a tantrum. But, that was nothing compared to the reaction that the Arien had when we saw our snaps.

The photographer was shooting non-stop - sometimes when we were looking away. Apart from a few standard poses and a prop to place Kuku on - he shot as if the goal was to shoot more than 50 snaps in less than 30 mts. The Arien, was shocked at the callous way we were being photographed. A set of 10 pics where one grandparent was standing stiffly to attention and looked like he had been added into the photo using photoshop was a very glaring goof. The Arien felt that that was unacceptable. You know that snap is useless so you immediately make the change. So, either the photographer did not see the pic or did not care. Both are shocking. Glasses produce glare because of the extra studio lights - he caught a few but some existed in the ones we chose. He said he would fix it - it did not get fixed even in the final copy that was printed. In some of the snaps, the rest of us appear a bit blurred because the focus is on one person only. I would like to believe that that was an effect and it could have been one if it was lil Kuku who was the object of the focus, and he was not. The Arien also discussed the format being used - which he said was not the best when you want to edit the picture later. All this was accepted in very bad grace.

We were left with a very bad taste after that experience with G K Vale. I doubt I will ever contact them again. Do not get fooled by the snaps you see on their display wall or behind the payment area.  Those snaps have clearly been taken by professionals. By professionals, I do not mean the  photographers whom they have employed now. There are a few very local studio type displays on the wall to the right of the payment area and I think those are the portrait shots taken by the photographers in the branch. Unfortunate experience and expensive at that.

I would like to think that if you are not into photography much, you may still like what they do here but if you are looking for great professional snaps - AVOID GK VALE. End of Rant! 

Did you know? -- V

 Yesterday, while playing a rhyme for lil Kuku, I was quite surprised to note that the rhyme and an old Hindi song had the same beginning. The rhyme was 'Three blind mice' and the song was 'Haai re Haai Neendh nahi aaye'. The song has been composed by music duo 'Lakshmikant Pyarelal' and it has been sung by Rafi and Lata for the film Humjoli. Shocker! Did you know this?

10 Common Misconceptions about Working From Home and the Truth - IV

Working from Home is not a new concept. When it was introduced, and you casually stated that you were working from home - the response varied from - "You lucky DOG, you...", raised eyebrows, "WHAAAT?", "Are you pregnant?" followed by a pointed glance at your tummy. Yes, those were the days when to ask for WFH - you had to be pregnant or suffering from an illness. It was generally frowned upon. It was fodder for office gossip mills and served as an ice-breaker when you have no idea what to say to your grouchy mentor.

Some companies and some managers are quite open and do not have issues with WFH as long as the option is used but not abused. Some managers have an issue with WFH. Some companies do not believe in WFH. Irrespective of company or manager policy, the following misconceptions still exist when you say you are working from home:

• You are probably outside having fun with friends partying and not really working
• You are at home, watching TV and not really working - and its variations
• You are incommunicado because you are working from home
• You do not want to be part of the team
• You work fewer hours by logging in late and logging off early
• Your life is so easy
• You love WFH so much that you will not be able to resume working from Office -like ever
• You must be saving a helluva lot of money by cutting out commute costs and child care
• You have so much freedom
• You do not have dress smartly

Well, honestly, I wish that was the truth. Except for the third bullet, I wish WFH had so many perks. The truth, as we all know, is quite different.

While not hurrying to catch the office cab or bus, or driving in the insane traffic gives you an opportunity to sit back and put your feet up, work-wise nothing changes. You still have the same  deadlines. You are probably working fewer regular hours but longer hours to meet your deadlines. You have to fight off distractions that can drive you crazy. And no, its not a given that you are saving loads of money, if at all. Your life is NOT easy. PERIOD. And while you probably are working in some outfit that you will refuse to be caught dead in - it  does not mean you never ever have to dress smartly. And Freedom from what? If you did not have the freedom in office environment, you are not going to get the freedom at home. And seriously, do folks who work out of office reach a point where they never ever want to work from office? I guess that would be more true of work rather than the location.

While googling this topic, I found that my write-up was no pure genius on my part and lots of folks have various opinions about it. I specially liked the article which deals with the yahoo memo and the slideshow discussing the misconceptions and the truth:

http://www.marketingprofs.com/opinions/2013/23831/eight-misconceptions-about-working-from-home-illustrated-slide-show

Read it when you have the time and share your views on the new oldest trend in town :) And yes, I had my revenge - a long post :P

Items I would never leave home without -- III

From the time lil Kuku entered our lives, my backpack has all but disappeared from my life. Whether I am visiting relatives or having dinner at a restaurant or traveling out of town, I carry the following essentials in the baby bag:

• Diapers (Min: 3 to handle multiple emergencies)
• Wet wipes
• Change of outfits (1 onesie, 1 t-shirt and shorts combo, additional shorts) 
• Face napkins (3+ for wiping drool, food, nose and a few to spare)
• Socks (2 pairs)
• Wrap (1: You never know when it suddenly turns cold)
• Water (His sippy mug filled)
• Food (cutlery and extras in case of accidents)
• Plastic sheet (Also known as the Rubber sheet)
• General Wiping cloth (Old Dhothi cut into strips)
• Hand Sanitizer

Of course, another bag filled with his current favorite toys and a few old ones. They do not fit in his baby bag :(

II Blog Post of the Year -- and a Resolution

Woke up today morning feeling very guilty. For once, the guilt was not 'bout lil kuku-what I may have missed doing or what I did wrong etc. but actually 'bout my blog. It has been ages since this blog even featured in my thoughts - awake or otherwise. That fact was quite disconcerting and added to my guilt. So, my new  resolution is to write a post every single day, this October. Of course, I realized belatedly that I have already missed 1st October. Well, a person has gotta start when a person has got to start.

A friend of mine did this for a whole year - 1 post everyday. I am sure I can manage 1 post every day for one month. (I hope!) Firstly, these daily posts will be smaller and unlike my other posts (Stop it! I can hear the audible sigh of relief - How dare?!! I will resume writing those loong posts now :P) And secondly, I will need all your comments to get me going so do not hesitate to drop me a line on my various posts.

All the Best to me!! Oh ya, Happy Gandhi Jayanthi to all. Bye now! Talk to you tomorrow.