Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all the lovely bloggers!

Dear Blog
I have neglected you this year more than others. I dont know if I am running out of things to say because i am boring or lazy, it must be a combination of both. Hopefully I will get my act right and do something constructive next year!

Foot in the mouth moment(one of many)
Aunt : What do u think of Swamiji M
Me : I think she is not genuine
Aunt : I was having tea and an intellectual discussion with her just yesterday !

When It Rains!

It pours doesnt it? Its been raining in colombo, india, singapore and australia. The schools were closed in parts of south india yesterday. Then heard that the snowing in Europe and Canada is just as bad.

Dad was worried about the prevailing weather conditions and the world. He feels 2012 is coming up soon. So to cheer him up I sent him the news about the sea snakes rushing into town in Batticalo. Now i am getting calls by the hour about how worried he is about the whole situation.

The nights are no better with the wind howling like a banshee then one of the gate doors opening out wide and hitting on the wall and waking me and the whole neighbourhood up. I have been up from three am. I need some sleep or an extra shot of expresso.

December '10

What with all the christmassy posts doing the round, I dont want to be left out.

Some mean kid at school had told the seven year old that santa is not real. That came as a big shock and S was pretty upset. I did some damage control and told him that mean boy wont get a present from Santa. What to do that was the most creative i could get.

Met up with a close friend from school who is down on vacation and two other from school. It was a great lunch and a good change from the other backstabbing so called friends (another long post later on that)
My plans for december.
Meet up with the school friends again for the season
Do all the dinners for the year with all other sets of friends.
Try out new recipes and cook up a storm for the year
Continue my new found interest of the Zumba class, Its a real dance party I love it.
Do some charity work for the season.
Catch up with movies and shopping!

Exams!

I thought I had left school and university and done with these godawful things. Recently, I have discovered you dont really get out of if when your kids have exams. Teaching the 7 year old has been a traumatising effect.

A small example :

1. Riddle one : I am all around you. Breathe me in and out. what am I?

S : Ghost

The answer is of course air for the ones of you who have forgotten your year 3 work.



2. Can you eat cut fruit from the road. Expain your answer

S: yes

S: my mum eats mangoes from the road

The answer should be of course no. The food kept out is not clean.

The eleven year old Einstein was shocked that I could help with her work.
D: wow mom you actually can explain the work I am impressed
Me : I went to university
What does she take me to be some sort of idiot who only shops.
Thank God all this is over.

Delightful Experience!

This is one of the many names of the Strawberry place near the lake. The other name being No Vacancy. The chocolate coated strawberry and the Strawberry and cream was so delicious Yumm. I had quite a bit. Oh how I wish I could have some more now. So here goes some amateur pics of the trip.

The Long weekend!

Was in Nuwaraeliya with kids and their cousins. I started off very nervously since the responsibility of other peoples kids can be taxing to the nerves. Strangely a couple of the kids were knocked out on the way up and the others followed up closely behind. When i say knocked out they were sleeping, got up for breakfast at Ambepussa and slept again. I have not seen so much sleeping.

Its only later that I found out my cousin had given piriton to her kids so that they wont trouble and since a pair were out the others were snoozing as well. Went to Ramboda Hanuman temple. The temple was crowded since it was poya and ended up safely in the cool climes of Nuwara eliya. I cant say clean since it was so dusty and a bit polluted.

We did boating around the lake, horse riding and the visit to hakgala gardens where there were so many BLOOMING Flowers. It was well maintained and Crowded. After a long walk in and around the garden (must have walked for a good two hours) we were done for the day. Went into Humbug for the strawberry and cream and waited for half an hour and no order was taken. Decided to fore go the craving I had and went to the Grand Indian restaurant for lunch instead. It was such a bad meal. Seriously Nuwaraeliya needs some good restaurants, its miserable if you are vegetarian.

Nine days of Prayers! Navarathiri- Day seven!

So its Navarathiri again, which basically means nine days of prayers.

Three days for courage and bravery - Prayers to Durga ( goddess of courage)
Three days for wealth and money $$$, - Prayers to Lakshmi (the goddess of wealth)
Three days for education and excelling in music, arts and crafts- prayers to saraswathy ( goddess of education and music)

The fun and tedious bit of it is all your family invites all the women ranging from two to ninety year olds to come visit their shrine room. Some of the ladies go all out and do this beautiful set up with dolls and decoration. The others like me and my cousins who are caught up in the work world just do prayers in the evening.

Fun bit of it is you get gifts at every house you visit. So i have a whole collection of glass bangles and knick knacks. Each gift is given with betel leaves coconut and fruits. Also you get to eat all this yummy food. Which means in return I have to do the same.

I got some cute tiny kitchen weighing scales to give as return gifts, except i got distracted and bought some other unnecessary stuff. Never mind!

I like it in the... !

This is the status update of many on face book for the past two days. Until a good friend explained it, I was lost it in imagination.
Personally It would be traumatic for breast cancer patients and survivors to read this sort of update. The article below seems to be in the same wavelength.


Click this for more on it
www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39546719/ns/health-cancer/?GT1=43001

The Big Day!

It went really well. Much better than I imagined actually. The decor food everything was good. The best part of the whole deal was spending time with my cousins who had come down after so many years.
Weddings can be tiring and terrific at the same time.

The Big Indian Wedding!

Consists of 2000 or more invitees.
break down as follows :
250 direct relatives
100 indirect relatives ( aunts in laws sisters pet parrot)
100 relatives by marriage ( cousin got married and her in laws brothers cousin)
1200 community members ( u belong to a community you invite them although u probably dont know 30% of them )
Brides and grooms friends 50
Balance of 300 to 500 hundred of people u dont really know.
With all this I cant wait I so love weddings! :) (yes we are in a positive mood !)

Countdown!

As the countdown for the wedding nears I am totally stressed and wasted. Parents have been under the impression that wedding invites take a wing of their own and fly out to the many number of people they are expecting. Bad moods have been rampant and B is totally worried.

B : i am really worried that there will be a total fainting
Me : U are going to faint u mean lol
B: You i am worried that u are going to just collapse two days before the wedding.

oh that wiped the smile off my face immediately. So did the next best thing went to the beach over the weekend, did nothing and totally relaxed. It was lovely except the mobile rang nonstop.

Mum : where is my flight ticket
me : its online check your email
Mum : can u take me a printout
(this was from Chennai and i am in some beach down south)

aunt: So r u done with inviting
me : i am down south
aunt: U are vacationing when there is so much work back here.. u are irresponsible blah blah blah

dad : u know your speech can i see it
me : no dad u cant
dad : my friends are coming so i want to see the speech, can u like talk
me : i am born to talk dad don't worry it will be the best speech
(except no speech is ready yet i thought i ll just speak whatever pops up at that moment.. :) )

switched off the mobile by then. It was lovely i wish i had a rewind button and could be back in the weekend. But its all fast forward from now. ..

Sitting Still and Doing Nothing!

I so loved Karate Kid . I was having a terrible day and it was a great way of ending that day watching the movie. Love the bit when He tells the kid " Sitting Still and doing nothing are two different things" when they are at the kung fu training place. How true those words are. I think heard this somewhere else like in yoga or something.

Anyways I decided to incorporate that into the aerobics class. So there we were seated on the gym ball. I decided I should sit still and stop doing nothing. I think i must have been trying the still bit for quite a bit and dazed not dozed off. The calm serenity just knocked me for a five. I had this aura of calmness it was like i had overdozed on a little too much of piriton. It was a feeling of peace or whatever.

Suddenly a yelling in the ear " Dreaming are we as always " Oh dear turn to find the instructor right next to me with a smirk. The rest of the class is lying on the floor with the gym ball held high in the air with their legs and some wicked ones were actually giggling and I am just seated on the blooming thing. Quickly get off it and try to lift the thing with my legs and ouch it was ever so painful. My moment of calm serenity was gone... with the fairies...

Weekend Woes!

The mobile rings really early in the morning and some lady asking if I am looking for a maid. I say no hang up and now the calls are coming in at a rate if I want a maid. This on a Sunday is not a good way to wake up. So quickly go downstairs and I get about 25 calls in Tamil and sinhala asking if I want a maid that they saw an ad. I put the mobile on silent and watch unknown numbers blink nonstop.
Mum turns up to have breakfast since she was alone this weekend with dad travelling. She shrieks your mobile is ringing why arent you picking up. So explain about this odd happening that i have been getting prank calls but its wierd.

Mum (looking Sheepish) : I put it up cause I want a maid
Me : ((*£"(&$^$) Wait Why did u put mine up if u want a maid
Mum : I thought u could make a note of all the numbers and names and we can call them up later.
Me : (yelling at this point) Do i look jobless to you mum seriously.
Mum gets pissed and drives off with a huff.

Recovery from the flu was quick then onwards.
Later I get a wierdo wrong number then the guy actually sends text with crappy messages like u sound sweet . I have decided to put a stop to it, I ll get him to talk to mum.

Santhoshis World

Thanks Lost Soul for tagging. It just gave me a moment to think really. So here it is...

Family
Friends
Books
Movies
Filter coffee and Myself in the morning
Shoes
Bags
Clothes
Accessories - watch and the big hoop earring ( jeez i am sounding a bit vain here)
My Mobile
Blogs and the lovely bloggers
Listening to music
office desk ( ya i am a pretty sad workaholic most times)
Aerobics
My Car
The Beaches down south
Chocolates and Cakes
Fresh Flowers
Italian Food
Candlelight dinner
pillow fights with the kids
Festivals
travelling
Karaoke

Now I tag all who read this :)

Chennai Days -1

I was back in Chennai for five days since I decided to take over the wedding planning for B myself. The wedding planner was left in the loop after she quoted some horrific amount. Seriously a business to start up for later days is wedding planning. They really charge hell of a lot.
For the first time this was a trip where I did not want to come back. There was loads of shopping for some 75 relatives and moi. (Yes the traditional south Indian wedding means all the relatives get new dresses, who said weddings come cheap)
I watched two movies Ravanan and Toy Story 3 in 3D at PVR the new cinema in Chennai. The cinema is just wow, we really need one of those here. With the nachos before i forget that.
Ate too much of good food, and down goes the diet with that. Brought sarees for the loads of function. Frankly only the wedding saree is nice.
Mum turned into a mumzilla and troubled me endlessly. First she insisted to pick a Saree for me and i looked like a lit chandelier gone wrong. Mum insisted it was modern and blah blah but looking at the mirror i looked like a dork. Thankfully common sense prevailed and the situation was quickly aborted with me saying no to the lovely salesman who was trying to palm it off. I did manage to buy a nice Saree which will suit me later on in the trip.
She was also behaving weird like randomly she would make her own plans in the middle of really busy work and waste like four hours.
In all of this we forgot to buy clothes for B the groom. Start of mayhem and madness..

Mummy thought its an Earthworm!

Another poya day I was on the couch pretending to read and look busy. D screams for a bucket to play. I yell back to get one from the back yard.
Moments later, D is back with a scared look in her face.

D: mum i think there is a snake in the backyard
Me : hemm must be an earth worm D
D: its not an earthworm its a SNAKE
me : I am sure its a poochi (insect)

By now D is really annoyed with me and gives me a look which says it all. Anyway i jump off the couch and rush to the back yard to humour her a bit.

ARGHHHH a poisonous snake was having a good snooze in the backyard. God first the rats now the snake what not. So called help from the neighbours maid and disposed him off.

My New Best Friend

Hershey Bar!

Moving forward!

I have been a back bencher pretty much all my life. In my last year in school, university even movies, always in the back row. The fascination with the back row dates to my bored days in school and somehow thinking it’s cool to be there in the back row. Of course I ended up doing jack in these days. I eternally drew flowers and heart or played crosses and noughts with my other back benchers.

When I started working out in the aerobics class a good ten years back I was in the front row and stick thin. Good habits die hard and the last few years I somehow managed to end up in the back row. I was never stick or thin again.

Last week when it was pouring and there were not many people at aerobics with a sudden move I was pushed into the front row. So there I was right in front of the mirror and looking at my companions whoever over sixty (double my age) and way more fit than me, I was out of place again. Felt a bit proud that I have been moved forward by the instructor, I thought it was due to my wonderful posture and dedication to the moves she was going on about.
How wrong I was to be elated.

Instructor: You are going to be in the front row from now on! (She Yells)
So come and join us in the front

There my moment in the limelight I was in the front row right in front of the mirror and looking towards my side all the fit and fine sixty year olds and the aerobics teacher.

Me: Uhm uhm (smile like an idiot)
Instructor: u keep peeping out of the class all the time in the back
row, so no more of that.

Giggles not from me but the rest of the aunties and class

Little mouse!

An usual Tuesday evening and I was trying hard to teach S to learn his spellings. Suddenly S jumps up and screams pointing at the shrine room.
I look up, great that the reflexes are still in working order although I am pretty much exhausted these days. There is a tiny mouse by the shrine room and he runs in.

By then both the kids are on top of their chairs not sitting but standing on them. So rush up with the maid who is even more scared than me. The Mouse is inside the shrine room, seriously he picked the wrong time to go in for a prayer.

S starts screaming " mummy don't hit him he is Ganesha's ( the lord Ganesha) friend" and now there is some major crying involved.

The Hindu god Ganesha has a mouse who is with him. You can see it in the picture.

The strange thing is I was at the entrance and I could see the little mouse under the statue of Ganesha. He was looking at me. Well I was looking right back at him. Lets face it we were both very scared. So here I was with a smart idea i knocked at the door. He quickly ran out and ran into the TV room. There was a load of screaming again from the kids, me and the maid. I am sure the mouse was even more terrified.

I locked up the room to come up with an idea. Seriously the rat and my TV, and computer all in the same room is not a good idea. Who else to call but mum, and explaining briefly.

Mum: Well does it have a face like your mother in laws

Me : Mum what kind of a question is that (well i had to sound offended although secretly mum seemed to be spot on)

Mum : its Ganesha's rat we have to let him be its good luck

So i hang up to listen to more raving about Ganesha's friend and we cant kill him or hit him from the kids. But of course they were terrified to sleep now.

I called DH and as useful as he is going to be, he was at a meeting and just said OH NOO.
I called my neighbour, and a friend, but nobody could come up with a solution except sympathetic murmurs.

Time to get into action I decided to get a ARS rat glue trap. After much discussion about keeping a cheese and a piece of coconut. Mum called back to give her insight into this dilemma and told us that the mouse has not come from Europe and probably wont have a liking to cheese.

anyways the rat was caught in the glue trap and disposed by mum, who was called in for the special operation. He was alive when he was rushing off into the streets of our neighbourhood.

Travel Friend!

I always wanted to get into a train and meet this travel passenger who will become a great friend. Such a dreamer. So there I was in Chennai flight yet again. As i was the last passenger and the ground staff were least friendly I heard a voice. Hemm is that the voice in my head? No actually someones calling my name.

To cut a long boring story short mums friend this aunty was off with a buddy and they had one first class seat between them. So they wanted to switch seats with me. There I was in the first class with this bear of a man next to me. The snooty air hostess was being herself. I felt the bear sorry the Man next to me struggle a bit. U know how the snooty air hostess was not going to help him. I helped him to put the Seat belt. He smiled this big relief and off he was on his story.

This was a fisherman from dickwella going to save his boat which was taken away by the Indians. He was on first class cause he could not get a seat. After ten minutes I was filling out his Indian immigration forms and listening to how the boat was taken away by the Indians the full version. This guy who cant speak English on his way to Vizag to save his boat. If he was scared of getting lost in Tamil nadu. Dear lord Andra is a maze. As a gesture of thanking he wanted me to visit his family that this and the other and wanted my number. Seriously I must be some organised person travelling I did not have my card as usual.

Later alarm bells were ringing, nope not in the flight but in my head. This guy says his boat went into Indian waters by mistake but what if he was a great big smuggler. Now the imagination was doing a overdrive just out of drinking some crappy apple juice servevd on flight. So here I was with the smuggler who looked friendly enough but remember how sometimes mum is right dont give your number to strangers

I was uhm and ahming a bit and ran off when we landed. I dont know is it my nature to be suspicious or should we be safe than sorry...

Days that have been...

So my blogging days seems to have huge intervals between posts. I sometimes feel like there is nothing left to write and then there is so much where u dont know where to begin and end.

Recently, I have been having this feeling of wanting to ask god to make three of me. I seem unable to cope with work, house, kids, my parents and what not. If there were three of me I might be able to finish things up. Specially that earthquake eruption in my wardrobe six months back. Then the lose weight programme which seemed to have got lost in my Indian trips and new year kokis.

To add to the lovely things happening work cropped up with loads of issues which make me feel like i am sinking in the dark blue sea. The fact that I cannot swim does not help at all.

My parents well somethings never change. My dad hears me discussing about " Second Chance" the florist in colombo.
He calls me later to tell me that I should get First Chance. I was like uh? He was like i dont want second chance can u talk to first chance. Uhm dad there is no first chance florist. He goes i dont like this second chance name change it. Its moments like this that keep my sanity in check.

Hope all of u are well.

P.S Second chance flowers is a florist in Colombo. there is no First chance florist Yet.

Bride Found!

Such an anticlimax after all the drama of the past year. So there I was with mum and she waves a photo to me. I look at it without the contacts and say yes nice. I mean after seing so very many photos it was time they all looked the same. Later with the contacts on I looked to find a pleasant smiling girl. So again it was off to see her. This time we took DH along.

There was a very friendly grandma who was chatting with me nonstop. B comes out and says yes I am ok with her. Dad jumps and tells me to ask if the girl likes B. So i ask her and she smiles. There is a loud " I like him I like him". No it was not the bride but her grandma. B looked bit scared. Grandma rushes to him and shakes hand and wishes him well.

Its all fixed and I am so excited and busy with the plans and so on. Shall keep updated about wedding tamasha which has started. Mum calls me and says that her uncle is sending an email list of ten addresses. I say yes and tell D to print it out and leave. Come back to find 100 pages with 1000 addresses of people not known. Now obviously the ink is all done up and i am so very mad.

Questioned!

It was another hurried trip to chennai on work. After passing immigration I was slowly walking towards the escalator. When I heard a voice saying excuse me. I turned around to find a disheveled looking guy walk up to me. I turned and kept walking he kept shouting excuse me excuse me.

so i turned around and did the next best thing. I shouted " go away"

By then the guy was close he said " stop or i will call security"

Hemm wait a minute arent the lines all wrong here. Shouldnt it be me saying these lines.

Guy " Why did u not stop when I told u to stop"

Me : " Who are u? Go away"

Guy : " I AM FROM THE CID" ( a few passengers turned and looked at me)

Me : " What CID I thought u are a baggage carrier asking me to carry stuff"

Cid was looking quite angry at this he turned red ( u know how brown skinned people turn kind of wierd brown )

Me : Show me your id

CID : Show me your passport and tickets or u are going to be in trouble.

Really i could relate to shah rukh khan i wanted to get up and scream " I am Santhoshi and I am not a terrorist"

I was so angry but with trembling hands gave my passport, I nicely asked him to show me his id and he did not. He looked at me as if I was mad. Although I was putting a brave face I wanted to burst out crying and I was very embarassed and scared.

He gave back the travel docs and was like " u have some nerve not to stop when we ask u to anyways can i have your visiting card"

Me : i dont carry a visiting card

Him : Whats your mobile number

Me : I Dont carry a mobile

( you know how like in the movies the mobile starts ringing.I really wish the ground would open up and swallow me. U know it must be one of those emergency calls where the nanny wants to know whether to give the kids milo or milk?)

I was thinking Why me?

He burst out laughing and said go we'll keep in touch. (what kind of nonsense is that)

I ran up the escalator quickly and looked down to check where this guy was and there he was looking straight up at me.

Rushed into coffeebean at the upper level and ordered a sandwich and the guy in the counter said No bread. asked for a croissant there was no croissant. This was more like how my life usually is.

Baggage carriers : Everyday travellers who carry stuff to and from india. They trouble any single passenger asking if they would like to carry stuff for about ten dollars.

Before / After - Kids

Before

1.why do people talk about babies and kids, when I have them (haha probably wont have them) i shall never mention them in a conversation

2. Saturdays are for shopping to buy stuff u dont require. Having coffee and going just to shops cause u can do it.

3. Weekends are for partying non stop. You can be spontaneous about it too

4. You are proud of the fact that you can climb any high wall to jump over if necessary

5. Movies have a rating really?

6. If I have kids i ll let them be free souls they can do whatever they want

7. Rules are to broken is the motto

8. Your parents dont visit you that much

9. the cousins talk about childbirth will make u want to run out and never talk to her again

10. u will roll your eyes when u hear the cousin ask baby tips from others

After
1. You have conversations with strangers, colleagues and your boss about them. They even creep into your blog posts

2. Saturdays are still for shopping but you have a company who would want that toy gun which you wont buy. S wants accessories which she does not really need. Then you think u are really clever and go to the supermarket and they want all the junk which you should not buy. By mid Saturday you are one of those moms who says the word No, no no too many times

3. You go out partying and you are worried to see the teeny boppers who are about seven years older than your eldest ( ya u start talking by the years). then you wonder how the parents let the kids out dressed like that ( u forget you were like them and how u sneaked out). No spontaneous partying there u have to sort out a baby sitter first.

4. You ask the landlord can i Make that wall higher than it is already

5. For the zillionth time you explain your cousin that yes I check movie ratings if i am taking the kids i look at it about five times to make sure.

6. You try hard to teach them religion, beliefs, right and wrong and sympathise your parents

7. we have some rules we will try and follow is the new motto

8. You parents visit you most weekends to see their precious grandkids

9. the joy of child birth is something u will try hard to explain to your younger cousin who questions

10 you will have random calls in a week asking you about baby stuff and kids stuff


Little D came back home excited that the royalists tried to jump into the school compound. How the girls ran out to the fourth floor and was told to go inside. Its the royal thomian match mummy she explained excitedly. My ten year old is growing up. I want to hold her tight in my arms and never let her go.

The six year old wants to enter the movie world he asks if he can meet some of our tamil heroes. I have told him he can ask me three questions a day. I am scared that he will become a moody teenager who wont ask me a single questions a week.

kids they just come turn your life upside down twirl u in their little fingers and make u dance to their tunes. while you are dancing they slip away as they grow..

Coco Verandah - Ward Place

Coco Verandah in ward place. The coffee is pretty good. Good service.

The interior is classy. Not sure about how the food is.

Driving the heat!

I have to get back home looking at galle face was the decision made last week. Oh how lovely to be able to see the Sea although it was looking very hot. Pass the roundabout and am happily stuck in traffic in front of Indian High Commission when there is loud tooting of horns.

looking at the mirror i see its some top important person going for something very important (like a UN meeting/ or a drink at breeze bar?) Now the tooting is getting louder and they are with their arms waving at me to move over. Hello there, I am stuck in a traffic block, cannot move an inch unless my Toyota puts out its wings and i fly out from there.

Seriously if this was eight months back i would panic since they are very polite and sometimes have the habit of getting off the vehicle and knocking on the windows to move. The knocking is not slight knock its more like boom boom i ll break the windows. My heart usually goes thud thud. But now i just looked back and stare menacingly ( i think) at them.

look to the side an auto driver is gesturing something with his finger. I was quite curious what he is saying i mean there could be only two things one he is trying to help me or two he is saying something obscene. Put the shutters down this with the tooting and brandishing of big guns behind. Auto drivers profound statement we should not have voted miss did u vote? .. wow what a moment for him to pick to have a mini discussion with me about the country. I shake my head this way that way and pretend i dont understand sinhala. I know English he screams.

now the tooting has doubled I am sure they are going to come and scream in filth or shoot me. Please shoot me i think saves my ear going deaf and everyone turning to look at me as if i am having a circus going on. Seriously where am i suppose to move the car onto? the merc in front of me or the auto beside me? or why not try indian action movie skill and try to ram onto the iron rods separating the sides of the road.

A kind jeep gives way and i kind of move the car with a little dignity. Did u know that Colombo has some kind hearted souls who actually give way. So about five vehicles moved forward stared at me and talk amongthemselves, i stared back! seriously i was still thinking shoot me! its the heat getting to my head.. ...

God Questions?

Six year Old S : Mummy does god drink chilled or unchilled

Me : why dont u ask daddy sweety

S : u are always telling me to ask daddy and he is always changing channels in the tv mummy. U have to tell me does god drink chilled or unchilled

Me : he mostly drink unchilled because its good for you. ( i should have stopped at that.. but no i didnt) he does not drink coke, sprite, fanta

S : did you have a drink with god mummy

giggles and giggles and bursting into full laughter from the ten year old who was reading a book.

I have told S he can ask me three questions for a day only since i am running out of clever things to tell him.

Sk n kajol!

Monday
------
the mobile beeps with "MUM"

Mum : Do you know that Sharuk Khan and kajol got married

Me : uhm what?

Mum : yes i just saw it on TV.

me: mum its their new movie, they have acted together after many years.

Mum : are u sure? (now she sounds a bit unsure)

Mum is the next Hindi gossip columnist.
Drop by at my parents to see mum glued to the zee channel like she could understand hindi. Now we have S singing hindi songs and speaking broken hindi all the time. He is her companion in this tv watching business.

Today
-----
five missed calls from mum while i am at a meeting. surely must be something earth shattering like snoopy the dog has refused to eat her lunch. (cant blame snoopy)

Mum : i have invited someone over for tea mr. S

Me : ok who is he?

mum :i dont know

me : who is he? mum

Mum ; I dont knoww ( when someone gives such an answer how can u not but wonder if u are really hearing things at times?)

after trying hard not to lose my temper, find out mr.s is some distant relative from india who is here on business. he has got mums number from another auntys uncles cousins sister and he wants to drop by. Now this sort of calls are usually ignored. with the bride hunt being stalled due to circumstances beyond our means like horoscope and astrological calculations gone wrong. This Mr.S has a sisters daughter who is suppose to be so great with a big G.
so this sudden tea party with a stranger.

Discovering THE Ice Coffee!

So there it is my discovery which is not in posh cinnamon grand coffee stop (the coffee tastes too fat, i am serious), not at over priced coffee bean ( telling you something wrong with the milk), barista (have u noticed how its empty most of the time) or the ones aunties make (which has too much milk, vanilla, icecream and less alcohol)

The best one in the whole of colombo would be at green cabin. It tastes heavenly and its addictive. So little D and I seem to have consumed vast amounts of said ice coffee at green cabin.

any other suggestions on my discovery?

Tuesday Morning

Parked near the odel roundabout with heavy traffic in the morning. My moment of thinking about important things in life is loudly interrupted by mom who points at the Huge Ad tv. There is an ad on analene milk powder. She pointed out that might happen to my bones and it will all break into pieces if i don’t buy an analene and drink it. I was uhminng

Next ad starts she is reading it to me since i am illiterate. It goes like “ is your house safe? Is it protected” thankfully the light changed and we moved off. Mum was annoyed that she could not get my house protected and saved since she did not finish reading the rest of it.

Get to work and she calls me after her visit to the astrologer. I have good news u are going to build a new house and B is getting married before December. But did he not say the same thing last year mum. Well apparently the astrologer had said that your I look distrustful whenever I come for a reading and that I should believe in him.

Another Credit Card!

I have been so nice to the bank agents who call up about new promotions on credit cards and said nicely but firmly that no i don't want another credit card. With some types i have gone to the extent of explaining that personal finance and me are like a crumbling cup cake.

The last month and a half i have not run into shops and bought stuff randomly. I even cancelled one of the credit cards in a bid to turn over a new leaf.

Last Saturday was at the dentist with D when i realised i had no money in my wallet. So quickly popped to the ATM at the nearest bank. After taking cash i don't know why i walked up to the agent and told her that i want to apply for a credit card. Behaviour out of the ordinary is what i would categorise this. So i applied for a credit card ignoring all the promotional stuff. Have been feeling guilty all weekend about this new acquisition which i can cancel but i know i wont.

Maybe i will cut it up when it arrives. (maybe after i use it just once)

The confusion and my Vote!

In the last week alone every day i have changed my mind about my vote. Today DH was kind enough to point out that i should have decided my vote in December and ended the conversation with his views on the elections.

Friends, family, cousins, colleagues, tailor, maids, drivers all have so many different views on it.

My moms friend and my mom were having a conversation that went like.

Friend : You do realise we are the minorities.

Mom : U are not Tamil know, so u are not minority

Friend : at times of this all minorities should get together and vote as one

Mom : u are not Tamil know
did u notice how the conversational thread had no link. Yes this is how all the over fifties converse. Aunty is a burgher for all those who are confused.

I am going to vote surely since every vote makes a difference. R says lets go waste it. Why waste it, i have another five days to get confused more about it. Another coffee at barista and still not sure...

Eclipse and Us!

From yesterday..
The topic of the day has been the eclipse. Everyone has been watching and reporting about it. I got special instructions from my dad. Do not eat during the eclipse and you must have a bath before consuming meals after. Then special instructions to tell the kids not to look at the sky. I did not bother passing on the message to the kids cause the minute i say dont look up. thats exactly what they will do the little one will spend hours gazing up and we dont want that now.

Olden day belief was your food turned poisonous if u eat during the eclipse cause a huge snake was gobbling up the sun (yes please laugh since i believed this when i was a kid and would starve and shut myself inside a room during an eclipse)

Hindu temples are strictly closed in the eclipse time, the floors are washed after it and then they do pooja. Some of us actually dont cook or eat or drink water at this eclipse time. the kitchen is cleaned and then cooking starts.

Was worried about the astrological thing since the eclipse plays havoc with the stars so its bad again. Wow always its bad and worse only why is that? oh that's how the astrologers mint money.

Friends called up to ask did u see it, its so great. I well just looked at the guys on the road looking up with special glasses and was not brave to look into the sky.

Long lost relatives

Mum had been away for sometime to India. Was bored and thought i would call her for a chat. Had the usual how are u blah blah. Mum was sounding highly excited which is not a good sign for me.
Decided to ignore it and asked the doomed question of where she is.

Immediately she goes on about some relatives that i don't know and she is like u know them right and gives the phone to this relative.

After a strained conversation which was not going anywhere mum comes back on line.

I was like " mum dont do that, dont give the phone to strangers" (this was all in sinhala, since i have this wierd thought that I could be on speaker)

Mum : yes yes yes u can talk to his wife

she gives the phone to the lady of the house.

Did i mention that she does this all the time?

Three Idiots- Hindi Movie at Majestic

A really good light hearted movie. I laughed so much and there were moments that make u think. There were moments which made me tear. A must watch and a good one for the year. It was taken very realistically of some colleges and students in India. Could easily identify myself as one of those college students who had a few gods pictures and praying inside the hostel room in the mornings. Its with English subtitles so well worth the watch. Its three hours long but you wont feel it go by. The last show is at eight pm.

I was doubtful about going for it but after reading its the highest grossing bollywood movie of the year and everyone going on and on about it. Had to go check it out myself.

The story is slightly related to chetan Baghats "Five point Someone". Have not read this one but read one of his other books and must mention he is one of the best promoted new authors in India. His publishers have done a great job of having his books promoted in most bookshops, well displayed and also sold for very cheap affordable prices.

Katharagama 2010!

There I was on the annual pilgrimage to Katharagama. I was looking for signs of some sort to show me something about how my year is. Waiting at the entrance, we could not get in, there was huge crowds, was temporarily distracted by the kavadi dancers. They seemed so full of spirit dancing their cares away. A lady in front got posessed and started dancing. Kids were highly excited and wanted to join in the dance. Stopped them. The crowds were large in numbers due to the first weekend, no its always crowded. Two dogs started fighting and there was temporary panic. Held the kids tight. There was a two year old girl lost and crying for her parents. People from the temple led her away. So easy to lose yourself and belonging there. Went in with the crowds was pushed pulled was there for a few minutes. Still my mind was not at peace. It was just too short. I have so many things to ask for (although i know its not right that we should not ask god for things).

Next morning we went for the four thirty pooja. The gates were closed we were waiting with a small que. The weather was just right pleasantly cold. Yes katharagama was pleasant weather this weekend. It was not dry and hot as i always felt. We got into the temple just in time to wait for the five am pooja for the lord. I turned to look out, the crowds were there again. We had just made it on time. I looked at the beautiful face of Lord Muruga. I was going to start listing the things i wanted then i stopped. The clanging of the bells started. Suddenly i could not stay in there. The bells beating and the sound of the conch shell was making me dizzy. I was sweating maybe i should move out. But no i could not, the guy does the announcing was telling "dont move" repeatedly. For a moment i could understand how the women get possessed and lose their mind temporarily. It is so very easy. I stayed was feeling slighly ill, too much of heat and sound. looked again to the face of the lord. I felt he was looking at me. I just stayed with my prayers and a fear of fainting. Of course i did not faint and cause drama. I did not ask all the things i wanted. I realised that this year we will get the things we deserve. Isnt that always the case with life.

The last arathi and they gave us blessings turning around one of the priests smiled he gestured come forward and pray. That was the sign that I have been looking for...

Holy Cow - Book by Sarah Macdonald

A hilarious and thought provoking book by an Australian traveller. I laughed out loud many times but learnt so much about different religions.

It makes you want to travel through India through the dust and heat to visit these places and feel the power of the almighty in different forms.