Senses and Sensitivity

My best friend....

2008-08-18T08:28:00.000-07:00

My bestest friend, Avi is becoming a father....wooooowiiiiiiie...

the guy, who was sh** scared of relationships and who could have given Sid,Dil Chahtha Hai famed character, for his money for the count of relationships he had had before winning Arch....
*sigh*...I cant just believe...

Congratulations and Celebrations are on it ways dearies!

Arch and Avi - I know you guys would make the perfect parents...all the best...

Book tag....

2008-06-09T08:52:00.000-07:00

Priya tagged me this wonderful book tag! and I am more than happy to take it !

The tag is all about the book that you are currently reading, turn to page 123, count till line 5 and write down the lines after that!

so here's the book that am reading currently! *honestly there is no time to even catch up on my breath now a days! let alone read a novel! so am happy to get in to short stories and who better than Jeffery Archer!*

So here's book :

The lines read like :

Max raised his catalogue in response to the auctioneer's enquiry,'Forty-five thousand? Are you bidding fifty thousand?'he enquired of the lady on the telephone.

So there you go ! another tag done! phew! :)

Am tagging the following people:

RS
Arun
Subha

it is all about the 4s...

2008-06-09T06:00:00.000-07:00

Poonam tagged me with this and this is the first of the tag I need to complete!

4 Jobs I’ve Had (Starting with the most recent):
Pre-Sales Consultant - IT concern
Project Manager
Business Analyst
Onsite coodinator

Darn it! I need a life now! :)

4 Movies I Could Watch Over and Over :

Michael Madana Kamarajan
Bridge on the Riwer Kwai
Any Alfred Hitchcock Movie
Hotel Rwanda and many many more! Thanks to the hubby we are major movie buffs and watch anything from Portugese to Indian to English to anything!

4 Places I’ve Lived (starting with the present):
Chennai
Columbus,OH,USA
Newyork , Newyork,USA
Bangalore,India

4 TV Shows I Like

F.R.I.E.N.D.S
Sex and the City
Oz
Buffy the Vampire Slayer

4 Favorite Foods

My mum's Vathalkuzhambu with sutta appalam
Thai Curry with bamboo shoot rice from Bamboo Shoots in Bangalore
Thayir Sadam with Potato/Okra fry
Mum's rasam - ok anything that my mom prepares! :)

4 Places I’d Rather Be
South of France
South Africa with Dad and the entire family
Somewhere in the sky
My native place...

4 People I’m Tagging

mmmm none i guess! :)

19 months and wow!

2008-05-08T03:41:00.000-07:00

I never realized the inner strength in me, till I delivered this beautiful girl out of me 19 months ago. I was this person who would scream at the sight of blood but there I was on an October night, delivering a 9 pound baby with no epidural and after a struggle of 26 hours called ‘Labour’.She came out tearing a whole lot of me and after a loss of almost 3 huge bottles of blood, I realized that I was meant to be a mother. A mother to this beautiful child.

As Kaju turns 19 months, she is growing leaps and bounds, I mean literally. Kaju now is as tall as a 3 year old and when her ped told me that she might be more 6 ft, I was not able to believe my ears but later on consoled myself by saying that she is a model in the making :)

Dear Girl,
As you are turning 19 months today, you have taught me many things. Just to name a few:

Never say die attitude: Gal, you have taught me a whole lot in this perspective. The day I saw you climbing the windows and sit inside the wash basin – you kept tripping and falling down, but still you kept trying and finally landed your coveted place. The wash basin! ;)

The joy of sharing: The best thing darling that I am amazed to see in you is your sharing mentality. I am proud to say this that not many kids do the same what you do. Kaju runs to share her piece of everything to any person who stands or sits next to her. Be it food, toys, books anything that is given to her, she wants to share it and see a smile on our faces and a thank you would make her happy. She runs back to her left over piece and eats, reads and what not. I learnt this from you and you are the best teacher.

I first saw you like this and named you 'Kaju'.

Friendliness: She is the best when it comes to interacting with strangers. She knows her boundaries and at the same times never this cranky child who wouldn’t budge out of her mother’s arms. She is friendly and quite popular in my circle for the same.

Other milestones:
She is slowly getting transformed from bottles to glasses. Yes! My little girl is showing of independence already and she does now not want to touch her bottles but instead drink everything out of her own tumblers or mugs.

Kaju is yet to talk. She babbles a lot but picking up words from everywhere. Us being multi lingual at home has not helped a bit but her Ped has assured me that this is bound to happen and that when she picks up her words it would know no bounds. I cant wait for that day.

Kaju is now cycling. She has slowly started cycle and it is a treat to watch her.

Potty/ susu training – Sigh! No word on this. It is a tough job to make her sit on the potty for a second. Gals, any tip would help. Please pass some to me!

Sings – yes! She would say ‘Sa Ri Ga…’ and then clap her hands as though she is keeping her ‘thalam’ while she is singing.

I am absolutely thrilled to be the mother to this child and if am lucky to have the same qualities of hers in the next one then I don’t mind having more of him/her.

She has made me a complete woman and there’s no doubt about it. I love you girl with all my heart and soul and cant to wait to spend the rest of my life with you, watching you grow to this beautiful woman whom I would no doubt be more than proud of.

Hugs and Kisses
Your proud mama!

Paris...La Magnifique...

2008-04-14T15:28:00.001-07:00

There are things and places that you can describe and there are others....

I am this so called 'pragmatic' woman....

2008-04-10T06:51:00.000-07:00

All this while, I thought of myself as this strong, level headed ,practical and pragmatic Woman of the 21st century never realising the fact for a fraction of second that a 2 ft little human being could quash all your believes and makes u this most vulnerable person in the whole wide world…

Yes, I was never this person who will miss people and brood over the lost things…I am practical as it may sound but as of yesterday my strong willed soul has gone out on a soul searching as my daughter turned 18 months…I am missing her and miss holding her and showing her stars, feeding her by running myself against walls, those night walks with the moon walking alongside and me and her talking plain gibberish…. I miss her soft smell and her hands touching me while she sleeps peacefully in my arms..

Is that what motherhood does to the so called ‘pragmatic’ woman? If yes, I love it, the feeling it brings….

Yes, my sweet little Kaju is all of 18 months and am here in this land that is miles and miles away from her soft hand and smell….

I Miss you , MY GIRL….

Women are better leaders ???!!!!

2008-04-02T09:32:00.001-07:00

A well educated man, passed out from Cambridge, studied in an exchange program and who has already worked in this global delivery model and a person who understand globalization, questions me in this following way –

Why do Indian companies send Woman as their team heads or managers?

I am working very closely with this world famous packaging service company, for them to win a business bid and in turn my organization would also be benefited by winning this proposal. I am working very closely with this well educated, well mannered and extremely nice gentleman who has a broader perspective in understanding things and work in a global delivery model.

Now if this question was as simple as it sounds, I would have left it then and there and wouldn’t have given much heed to this. But this comes from a person who knows that Indian woman is now the most enterprising manager than most of her counterparts. What with Indira Nooyi and all? Need I say more? I couldn’t believe my ears when my counterpart from the customer front, who completed his management study from Cambridge, well traveled and well educated person could ask me such questions.

I was offended initially but then later on thought about his question and felt that might be that was a valid question and that I need to sit and analyze as to why some companies send mostly woman as their team leads.

I finally concluded that we are better leaders. I have my own take on this. But I would like to know your view points as well.

SO ladies, fill me in with your thoughts and ideas!

Ciao!

Heidelberg.....most beautiful and most romantic

2008-04-01T13:02:00.001-07:00

random rants...snippets...

2008-03-16T10:19:00.000-07:00

* Love the canteen at this office...all these days it felt as if I am eating gourmet meals everyday! and yes, it does feel when you have Thai curry with Basmati rice and curried tofu...for one day and the other day i had porchini saute with rosemary flavoured rice....*sigh* another few more weeks and I end this Gourmet lunches...

* It is absolutely fascinating when I am chauffeured by an Afghani, who just loves Indian movies and the next day brings some photos that he had taken with Amithabh Bachchan,Shashi Kapoor and also Sivaji Ganesan....He talks endlessly about Indian films and how he loves the old movies and does not know any new actors of late....isnt it fabulous that in a small town like Darmstadt,miles and miles away from ur own country, which hardly has any Indian living , you see an Afghan talking to you about Mera Naam Joker and the nuances of Raj Kapoor's acting? Mind Blowing I tell ya!

*it is nothing more than a miracle when a Pakistani comes and helps u with all ur car booking for ur Paris trip and he also suggests which one is expensive and how he can help you get a discount of 45% on ur rentals....outside India and Pakistan, we are more than neighbours in fight!....just human, who live on the same planet and has a peaceful life with a beautiful family!One day, I wish to see this come true to each and every Indian and Pakistani citizen, living peacefully with no religional,ethnic fights....

* Language is the Key when you go to places where people still havent gotten to understand this whole offshoring-outsourcing concepts...now , am learning Deutsche and a linguist that am, I am loving it....also understand that it is a paradigm shift in their tihnking when it comes to offshoring and outsourcing...and managing a team to break the first piece of ice is nerve wracking and at the same time am in love with this thrill and challenge....

Deutscheland....

2008-03-05T10:54:00.000-08:00

Impressed! Except that when I say impressed, not many German's understand what I mean or for that fact what I even say! My first Germany trip and atleast Frankfurt is not that type of city where you feel,Deutsche,History,Hitler,Munich,Schindler's list and all that you have read in history books.....it is absly like any other American city with German speaking people - yeah! how lame observation...but wait theres more to it!

- Took the Autobahn and it resembled any other freeway that I had taken while travelling from NY to OH or to Florida....yeah! my driver was driving almost at 180Km/H is another story....

- The malls are same except that you find Kellogs in Deutsche and if not for the K symbol you will probably miss it! and also Maggi is still that bright red in color except that the ingredients and falvours are different...

- Oh! yeah! The McD experience....I had to repeat myself that I am looking for somehting Vegetarian and I ended up drinkig a milk shake coz that damn lady didnt understand what I said and I was all hungry to that point I would have killed her and eaten in another 3 miutes of my conversation...

Am waiting for my trip to Greece and Austria - Adieu,Adiieu, To you and you and you! Von Trapp family and Maria....I just need to relive this moment and that is all I want right now!

Auf Wiedersehen!

"Guten Morgen!"

2008-02-27T05:35:00.000-08:00

Have been busy with hella lot of things of late! more than anything am preparing myself for the Germany trip! I am off for another 3 weeks on a business visit and hope to see the eautiful Germany and on the way visit, Greece and Finland....So see you all soon! *IBH, you write this as if you have been updating your blog regularly!* :)

It's all about me...me...me....

2008-02-27T05:07:00.000-08:00

Prema - the new mommy and a fellow kombai gal has tagged me with this one....

"Post 5 links to 5 of your previously written posts. The posts have to relate to the 5 key words given (family, friend, yourself, your love, anything you like). Tag 5 other friends to do this meme. Try to tag at least 2 new acquaintances (if not, your current blog buddies will do) so that you get to know them each a little bit better."

Family - We are a close knit family of 6...I had written about my mom,sis,dad here...

Friends - For me friends mean my world...and I am blessed with a fantastic bunch....I had written about them here and here...

Me - I havent written much about me indirectly....but have written in different ways...like answering tags and stuff....but here are few...this,this,this...

My Love - I have not written much aout him...but to tell you the known fact - he means the world to me....i have written about him here and here....

Anything I like - I dont like much of my writing...coz i dont write well...ut the ones that I have written i liked this one

I am tagging these folks - RS,SK,Visit (long time gal!),Anitha,Ro and Subha.

You know...

2008-02-15T05:09:00.000-08:00

you are a mother, when in a public place, you care two hoots about what others think and start singing this song to your baby so that she can sleep peacefully...

Last week my flight trip to Chennai was not that bad cause Kaju slept peacefully in my arms while I was singing her, her favourite lullaby holding her close to me.

There, those who have been complaining about babies being nuisance in flight can now chew on this!

A tag that is quirky.....

2008-02-08T03:31:00.000-08:00

Long long ago,nobody knows how long ago....i used to blog....but now rarely do I even check my blog site...things have been pretty hectic...with sis getting engaged,Kaju falling sick on and off...me changing my career tracks and finally absly not an ounce of willingness to update my blog....but yeah, have been blog hopping a lot..reading lot of my favourite blogs...i have been leading a ghostly life in the blog world....and then one day...a lady with the two most beautiful babies on the earth came up with this tag.....well she didnt tag me, i actually asked for it ....:)

you see, I have been reading many blogs ( for a biref time ,bloggers were blocked at office...and if not in office..i never connect to the net !tee hee) about this tag and I so wanted to write my own little quirks....ok ...lemme shut up here and write ....

The Rules:
- Link to the person that tagged you.
- Post the rules on your blog.
- Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.
- Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
- Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.

1. I absly absly hate sitting in a corner seat ,that is just next to the wall, in any public place....be it theaters,hospitals,pubs,malls,eat-outs...i mean everywhere....I have a strong feeling that someone must have puked there or peed there or rubbed their mucus out there...i know that gross i think of that place...and also I owe this fear of mine to my claustrophobia....

2. I wash my hands with soap for atleast 30 times a day...i know i know! it sounds all weird...but hey comeon it is supposed to be quirky...yeah! getting back to business, i am a germophobic...a part germophobic..not like the howard hughes types...but i HAVE to wash my hands to feel that am clean....

3. I check the theater seats for atleast 2 minutes ( i run my eyes through the corner,lift the seat up,check the arm rest and all sundry) for anything that is gross that might stuck in the seat...before i sit on it.....

4. I hate to leave my bathroom doors open...I have to close it everytime after use...ok...now dont gasp! there is an excellent exhaust fan and my windows of the bathrooms are always open with moquito mesh on it....so there is proper ventilation....mind ya...:)

5.I remember reading this one at Tara's...but I so agree wth her...I clean the cleaning items....i clean the vaccum with a soft wipe...i clean the toilet brush with warm water...(ok this one needs a seperate blog for itself...coz i feel that anything that is cleaned with warm water is actually CLEAN)...so like that, I clean my cleaning items...

6. I know this one is really weird..but being in Madras makes you do this...what with perspiration and people around, I have to check Kaju's hair every now and then for what if she had lies on it...eeekkkkkkks...! that thought in itself is making me squirm...

7. I always, I mean always, carry a hand sanitizer with me....i feel i am incomplete without it.....

ok, there you go! found out about my weird side na...now come lets clean something...and make this place a better one :)

I am humbled....

2008-01-08T22:19:00.001-08:00

Stories such as these make me feel that the struggles that am facing are not just trivial but that I am ,to be honest, selfish in portraying mine as a struggle at all.

story courtesy Time.com.

Editor's note: Youssif's mother, Zaineb, spoke with CNN's Arwa Damon to offer this message to CNN.com users who have followed the ordeal of her badly burned son in recent months. The following is the translation from Arabic. CNN agreed not to use her full name out of concern for her and her family's safety.

Youssif was attacked by masked men outside his Baghdad home on January 15. No one has been captured.
3 of 3 more photos » LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- When they told me Youssif went into multiple surgeries after his most important surgery earlier this month, I was in shock. I thought that the surgery had failed. Even now I feel ill at ease, I am still worried about him.

I am tired. I am mentally exhausted. Sometimes I talk to myself. I think that I am in a dream, and I think that Youssif wasn't burned. This whole thing is like a nightmare. I keep wishing that it was just a dream. It changed our entire lives.

His face is gone. It's impossible that he will have his face back, maybe he'll get 70 percent of it back. Sometimes when he sleeps I just look at him and cry. Maybe it's just that I want my son back quickly, and this is something that takes time.

I can't deal with seeing him like this; I am impatient. And then I try to convince myself to be strong.

At least now he can eat -- just recently he was saying, "Mommy, look how much food I can put in my mouth."

My husband cut our daughter's hair short, and she looks just like Youssif did when he was her age. And I said to him, "Leave her hair short, so that at least we can remember what Youssif looked like." Watch as Youssif inspires a music video »

We recently pulled his pictures from the Internet and Youssif said, "Look, it's my face before I was burned." His personality is so strong, he is able to deal with all this. Youssif is stronger than we are. It's like he has overcome this. Thankfully, God has given him this strength.

But when I think about my family back in Iraq, I just start to cry. One night I dreamed of my brother -- that he was shot, and I was crying hysterically. And I was running around trying to figure out why anyone would hurt him.

Rescuing Youssif
Watch a CNN exclusive "Impact Your World -- Rescuing Youssif" about the Iraqi boy's ordeal
Monday, 10 p.m. ET; Tuesday, 4 p.m. ET

see full schedule »
I have so many conflicting emotions. I am so happy when I see my son happy. I gave up my family for him. See how surgery has allowed Youssif to smile again »

What he's gone through has cut through me -- caused me so much pain. I always blame myself for what happened. If only I hadn't let him play outside on January 15. The day of the incident is always in the back of my mind; I remember every minute. I had picked him up from kindergarten, and I still remember what his smile was like that day. He was so happy and playing.

His teacher had said to him that morning, "Who was it that dressed you so handsome?" And he responded, "Mama." I can't forget those words. We got home, went upstairs, I changed his clothes. I gave him some homework to work on. He ate and went to the roof to ride his bike. I would only let him ride on the roof because of the traffic on our street. Then he said, "I want to go down. I am going to play with the other kids." It was 4 in the afternoon. And then it happened.

I thought it was all over. I never dreamed that I would end up in a country like this that he would get this treatment. My husband went all over the place in Iraq: to the Ministry of Health, Parliament, the Iraqi Red Crescent. But no one could help; no one did anything. My husband was running around like a mad man. Watch a father's struggle to find help for his boy »

We stopped caring about anything, caring about the future. We didn't want to live anymore. My relatives tried to help us out, paying for the medicine. The doctors were saying that he would never be back to the way he was. We thought about taking him to Iran. Youssif, my husband, my mother and a friend traveled there. My relatives paid for the trip, but we weren't sure that we could even afford the operation.

A doctor there saw him and said, "I can't do anything -- maybe in a year." But that was expensive. We lost hope. Even if we were able to save all that we could, there was no way that we would ever be able to afford it. We don't have much. We don't know much. My husband barely made enough to feed us.

Don't Miss
Youssif smiles again
Amputee boy walks again: 'My life is back'
Youssif OK after complications
Masked men set boy on fire
Impact Your World
See how you can make a difference
My husband saw a friend of his one day and his friend asked him, "What's wrong?" His friend said, "Let me introduce you to a guy, Mohammed, at CNN. He might be able to help."

Even that was hard because of the taxi fare to get there. I said to my husband, "Don't bother. No one is going to help us. It won't be worth the cost." I was at my mother's place when he called and said we have to go to CNN. My mother said to me, "Go."

I said, "I am exhausted, my son is lost. No one is helping us." I don't know how my husband ended up convincing me to go.

When I got to CNN, I started to relax even though I wasn't sure that they would actually be able to do anything. I was scared to hope, given all that we had been through. It never crossed my mind that we would end up in America. That was just an impossibility.

I remember seeing the video story on CNN. We couldn't hold back our tears. We were all crying. When I saw it on TV, I started to hope that maybe someone would be moved enough to help us, but I never thought America.

Then, correspondent Arwa Damon called my husband. I was on the roof with him because we couldn't hear properly in the house with the kids screaming. I was so scared during that call. I didn't know if it was good news or bad news. I was staring at him impatiently. And then he said, "There are organizations that want to help us." I screamed out loud and began running around. I couldn't believe it! Watch how the global Internet community helped rescue Youssif »

I was crying again, but this time I was crying from happiness. It was either 10 or 11 at night, and my brother came over and said, "Really, is this really going to happen?" And he began to cry as well.

This was the first happiness that we had had since the attack.

Everyone from CNN has been great. Youssif knows all their names. We have been through so much together; we are tied together now. Arwa is like our friend now. She's not a reporter that is reporting just the story. She's like our family now, and she's like my sister. She's so kind, except that we are sometimes scared when she is driving.

Youssif has a great time with them, the CNN crew. He wakes up in the morning and says, "Daddy, are they going to come over?"

I am laughing now listening to my son's cries and laughter as he plays. I gave up everything that is familiar to me for him. It's not that I miss the violence. Of course, I don't. But Iraq is still my country. No matter what, it's my country, my homeland. It's all that I know.

America is full of new things. Even the spoons are different, the toys. Everything is different, and it's something amazing. Iraq doesn't have these things.

I do often wonder: Why me, why my son? We are so lucky. I don't know why my son was chosen to have something so horrible happen to him, and I don't know why we were chosen to come here. I just thank God. The thing that surprised me the most was the people. I mean, there are American soldiers in Iraq that are being killed by Iraqis. And we look Iraqi. I would have expected people here to hate us, but we have seen nothing but kindness.

Even in the supermarket, one of the workers saw Youssif and gave him $5. He's a worker; he probably needs the money, but twice he gave Youssif $5. We have such support here. People stop us in the street, and they just want to pray for us. Once a couple on a bicycle stopped us and said, "Were you on CNN?" We said, "Yes." And they gestured that they would pray for us.

The doctor, Peter Grossman, is great with Youssif. In my eyes, he's the best doctor in the world. He's kind and really takes care of Youssif. See how the doctor removed scars from Youssif's face »

I can't even begin to start to talk about Keely Quinn, the program director with Children's Burn Foundation. She's always with us. Sometimes, she even goes down to Youssif's level. She plays with him. She's almost like family, even though we can't speak the same language. But she's picking up a few words in Arabic, and we picked up some in English.

We're always laughing together, even though we don't always understand what we are laughing about. I think that we exhaust her sometimes.

I just want to thank everyone for what they have done for Youssif. I want to thank CNN, the Children's Burn Foundation and its director, Barbara Friedman -- everyone really. I only pray that God helps them the way that they have helped us. It seems that my words of thanks are empty -- that the words "thank you" are not enough, but I can't find a stronger word. It seems that I am always saying thank you when I mean so much more.

I can't think of the future now. I live day by day. I don't know what the future holds. All I think about is my son. I am still scared to dream; I don't want to dream. Let me live day by day; it's easier.

this year and that year.....

2008-01-04T03:56:00.000-08:00

The year that was :

1. Kaju turned 1
2. Three post delivery surgeries
3. Return to India
4. Business trips
5. My first separation from Kaju – was on this darned business trip and man! Was it painful or what!
6. Munnar
7. Mom and Sis
8. Dad leaving abroad
9. promotion in work
10. huge responsibilities
11. house hunting
12. house decoration
13. furniture buying
14. setting up the house
15. traveling
16. beating traffic
17. work,work and more work

The year that am looking forward to:

1. A new job
2. greater responsibility
3. Lot more travel – mile points tee hee!that is what am looking forward to
4. Kaju’s second birthday
5. Kaju’s first sentence
6. More holidays
7. exotic locations
8. family reunion
9. food
10. fun
11. marriages
12. meeting long lost friends
13. doing more social work
14. Probably more blogging.
15. Work on my photography and post more pictures

Happy new year to you and your family!

Happy Birthday and Happy Anniversiary

2007-12-03T20:51:00.000-08:00

Two of the most dashing women in blogdom-Mommy blogdom :)

Happy Birthday Tharini - You deserve all the best wishes in this whole wide world.Never seen such a positive person in my life and though I know little of you, there is this comfort feeling when I come over to your blog and see the wonderful posts and photos of the two little sweethearts....

MANY MORE HAPPY RETURNS....

All the blogging moms came together to celebrate a special person's birthday and this was what Kaju had to say for her Tharini aunty!

Happy Anniversiary Ceekay Dozen years eh?;) gives me hope :) Have a great day dear!

Kaju and a photo

2007-11-30T05:20:00.000-08:00

Kaju at 13 months

I have never attempted to write milestone updates for Kaju.Not that am bragging, but sometimes I feel that milestones have to be re-written for this generation babies.

• Kaju lifted her head when she was hardly 15 days old. My dad had come to the US along with the entire clan – My MIL, FIL, Mom and Dad. Dad had placed her on his chest and started playing with her when in the middle he realized that Kaju had lifted her head for more than a minute and he couldn’t believe his eyes.
• Kaju rolled over completely when she was 2 and half months. Well she achieved this with not much difficulty and I am all happy that she did it. But wait, my life turned upside down after this. So I had just two and half months of break before that baby could actually turn from a lump to this moving and wiggly one.
• Kaju rolled from back to front and front to back in no time after that. I tried placing her on the bouncer, so that I could get work done when I *used* to work from home, this little thing would wiggle her way out of the buckle somehow. Seriously don’t ask me how but yes she did it and she was then 4 months old.
• Kaju in her fifth month started to babble a lot. She used to spit a lot as if she is trying to open her mouth and trying to convey me something. Yes it must have been ,*you silly woman, you are supposed to feed me and there you are working your arse off for some idiotic boss* 
• Kaju had her first taste of solid then. She was the most beautiful child I have ever seen who gave this beautiful expression that no matter how many clicks I have tried, sometimes it proves that your eyes are the best cameras and the brain is the best memory card.
• Kaju started to crawl in her sixth month.Damn! she was fast. She rolled over on her tummy and then she would just start swinging her butt back and forth and that was a delight to watch. Only with babies does it occur that showing someone’s butt is still considered CUTE 
• This little monster started to sit up from the month of 4. All I had to do was prop her on her bouncer and all this little monster would do was balance herself on her two hands behind and pull herself up.
• Kaju in the mean time was also babbling a lot and from the month of 5 her gums were very strong and man was she biting or what!Kaju was a big baby and the doctor suggested that she would need her feeds in the interval of every 2 and half hours. So I would bite my lips and feed her as she was teething and that she used to bite me real hard.
• I am not sure how these months passed by but Kaju now eats on her own (she is a very independent child), when I say ‘Ummacchi Kapathu’ (meaning: ‘God save me’ in kid language) she would clap her hands together and pray. The funny thing is she would do this for every fire that has been lit and that she notices.
• I would ask her – Kaju, show me meow@! And she would almost run to her book with animal pictures and start showing –‘eeeeeeeeeee’ and that is her take on ‘Meow’!
• Kaju now runs (well almost).But yes, our life is now running after her. 
• Kaju now points out to her nose, head and oh! Yeah her tail too  My mom would ask her –‘Nammathu vaalu yaaru’ (meaning : who is the brat in the house? Vaalu actually means tail but also used in the context of being brat) and she would take her hand back and show her ‘tail’ and also say ‘aaan aan ‘meaning ‘naaan ‘(‘Me’ in tamil).That is the funniest thing I have ever seen. :)
• Kaju just looovvves dancing. And that too ‘Tapori’ songs. :) So any song that has foot tapping beats to it, my gal would swing her butt , sit up and down, sway to the sides and with this world’s most amazing smile on earth in her face.  It is a treat to watch.

After a tiring, long day at office ,tackling people and their problems, working to deliver stuff, I just rush to get back home and see this little thing doing wonders at home with great energy level even at 11PM in the night, it is of course a blessing to be a mom.

Home made remedies....

2007-11-19T23:58:00.000-08:00

I love this topic of Kai vaidhiyam- Home made remedies. My Paternal grandfather was this reputed allopathic doctor in Madurai and he was celebrated by his patient’s coz he was this – *Rasiyana* Doctor. (‘Lucky’ doctor). My father in law on the other hand is a manager of a small Ayurveda medicine company in a small but famous town in Kerala. So I have had the experience of an allopathic treatment and as well of the Ayurvedic treatment. Dare I say, that I am now very skeptical about using the so called ‘English Medicines’ over natural ones (with due respect to my deceased and wonderful man- my “thatha”). So here is the list of things that has proven handy and useful for our family.

Congestion and Runny nose for babies – This one is a best alternate for any medicine. When Kaju was under the weather, my Mom suggested that I use this ‘groundnut oil’ heated with garlic. I did the same, and rubbed it on her chest, nose and head while warm and bearable by the baby. She responded well for this, the next day she woke up fresh and smiley.

Indigestion for babies – This was already mentioned by another fellow mom but let me now tell how I introduced this to Kaju. Kaju was on her first solids when she was 6 months old and it didn’t set well with her. She didn’t poop for almost 2 days and that scared the *shit* out of me. My doctor at my beck and call, my mom, gave me this wonderful solution and has been the best remedy till date if I have to have kaju poop and clear her stomach. Ajwain (Omam in Tamil)– Yes the magical Ajwain. But wait, it is Ajwain water and this is the preparation for it.

Take 2 teaspoons of Ajwain (omam in Tamil).
Dry roast the ajwain in a wok or a kadai.
Once the aroma comes out, pour water to the ratio of 1 tsp: one cup.
Bring it to boil.
Once it is lukewarm, strain the water.
Take two ounces of this water and feed the baby and viola the poop comes out and you are relieved.

There will be resistance for this water from the baby, as it will be little spicy due to Ajwain, so instead of directly feeding the baby with this water, you can mix it with her solids or even formulae or your own milk and feed her the same.

Isn’t baby’s poop the most relieving factor in our life at this point?;)

Another interesting yet powerful home made remedy is the following.

Raisins – yes, soak the raisins in warm water till it puffs up and then mash the raisins with spoon, strain the water and feed the water to the baby and viola indigestion is cleared and stomach is clear  This was my best bud’s mom’s remedy and it worked extremely well with Teju and also with kaju.

Rasanadhi Podi – This is an ayurvedic powder that you get in almost all the ayurvedic medical stores now a day. Take a pinch of this powder and apply it on your scalp after every hairwash.This will prevent from getting cold and my father in law has been using this powder for almost 30 years now and have started applying this for kaju as well. It helps in a great deal.

Indigestion/Gassy feeling in Adults – Fermented buttermilk is a best medicine. Relieves the pain and bloated feeling. Buttermilk along with fenugreek will also help in menstrual cramps.

Menstrual cramps: you can use the above combination of buttermilk with fenugreek and drink it frequently for menstrual cramps and also use the following preparation for the menstrual cramps.

I was one of very few unlucky ones when it comes to menstrual cramps. During my college days I have had poor attendance due to the same reason. So my mom used to do t his home made remedy of making a ball out of coriander leaves and mix it with buttermilk and made me drink from 3 days before my monthly cycle. It does not give you instant relief but on a regular basis, it has helped me by reducing the level of pain that once used to bother me very bad.

Constipation after delivery - I was heavily constipated for almost a week after kaju’s birth. This generally happens in delivery of big babies and I was no exception. Oats porridge it is and helps in great deal in overcoming constipation issues.

Castor oil – This has been savior of my life. Being in a profession that has you stare at the monitor for more than 10 hours, your eyes becomes all puffy and heat established with dirt falling of from the sides of your eyes. Even if I keep cucumbers all over my eyes, it does not really help me reduce the puffiness nor did leave freshness in my eyes.But castor oil. Just apply castor oil on your eyes and also the surrounding region for one hour or so and wash it off with warm water. Acts as an excellent coolant. But beware, if applied a lot or for a longer time, you might end up catching a cold.

Turmeric and Pepper – Excellent remedy for cold and coughs, in adult, if mixed with warm milk and drunk.

Garlic – Already mentioned, but this not just helps you control cholesterol but also is very good lactating moms. Fenugreek also helps improve the milk production in lactating moms.

Chukku Kaapi for cold– Ginger is more than a spice and yes I say ‘aye’ to this article.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Ginger---Much-More-Than-Just-a-Spice&id=789859

Neem Flower(veppam poo)- During my childhood days I used to hate sundays, coz that is when mom used to make this rasam out of Neem flower(veppam poo). We used to follow strict 'pathiya sapadu'-medicinal food and it is used to cleanse our system.Neem flower (veppam poo rasam)rasam is prepared to help prevent worms in the stomach.It is also helpful in preventing stomachache due to constipation.

I can keep jotting down the endless natural remedies and its benefits. But the space is not enough. Thank you Kodi's mom for this wonderful theme for November.

IT JUST FELT LIKE HEAVEN...

2007-11-13T04:21:00.001-08:00

Last night was one of the most beautiful nights in my life……I was prepping up kaju by putting her to bed, play and talk with her till she dozes off….when she was about to sleep, she just pulled my right hand together with her two little hands, held my hand close to her cheek and wanted me to gently caress her cheek so she could go to sleep….i gently caressed her cheek and there she was peacefully dozing off

THAT act and that touch made me feel wonderful of being a mom and goddammit…I aint a scholar or even that good in my writing to put this in proppah English…..I know one thing…

IT JUST FELT LIKE HEAVEN……

We got engaged and how????

2007-10-31T00:21:00.000-07:00

Clad in a Pajama – Check
Old torn yet comfy T-shirt – Check
Hair not swept back in a bun – Check
Him Standing and staring at me – Check
Chilly-Bangalore- Moonlit Night – Check
Public Place (read a BDA Park) – Check
No Candles – Check
Proposal– Check

Yes, I did it! I proposed to HIM when I was wearing my Old pajama donning a really old T-shirt, yet the most comfy one, with an unkempt hair and the guy having no clue that a proposal for marriage is on his way! How ROMANTIC :)

Read many ‘Love Stories’ in various blogs and enjoyed every bit of them and now this is my story. Details – LATER :)

But passing this tags to these cute couples :

R and K

S and S

SK and K

Mr and Mrs Me.

On Traditions....

2007-10-29T03:50:00.000-07:00

This is an excellent topic that Tharini has come up with for the Oct. Theme in DMC.

I come from a family that is abounded with traditions and more traditions. With the festive season on, I would like to contribute my first ever post for DMC or for any group blogs.

*Every navaratri our Golu bommai display has had varied themes. Dad’s hobby of collecting bommais in his every business trips helped us in great deal with different themes. I should say, Appa takes keen interest in our golu arrangements.Appa comes up with the theme for that year and then start collecting the bommais accordingly. In the previous night of the day of arranging bommais, appa and amma takes out the bommai and start arranging according to the theme of the year. Of course, our usual bommais that are meant to be kept with the kalasam (pot with coconut) are arranged meticulously. The fun part though is the arranging of parks, waterfalls, groves (mango, coconut oh what not!) and such.Appa will make sure that it looks so real that our golu used to be the star attraction in our street.

* Tradition of not bursting crackers has been our tradition for so long that we have actually forgotten when we last burst crackers’, the reason being child labor and such .(I know there is always two types of argument to it but we stand by our tradition and its reasons)

*The tradition of wishing each other at 12 AM sharp for all functions, festivals, birthdays, anniversiaries and every occasion that calls for wishing each other. It continues till date and we have been wishing each other even when we live in different time zones and different spheres of earth.

*We always make maa-kolam for every function held at our place. My mom rocks at it and she creates the best maa-kolam ever.

*The best thing from my childhood that am missing right now is ‘Nila choru’ wherein all we cousins used to meet up at our grand father’s agraharam house and enjoy moonlit night dinner on the terrace. Our cook, Venkubhai paati used to make this scrumptious dinner of simple, vatha kuzhambu, rasam and ‘more’ sadam and feed us by making this big ‘urundai’ (ball of food) and go in rounds to put those urundais in our hands. The best part is the last bit of ‘aanai katti’ sadam that all we cousins used to fight for.

Not sure if Kaju will get to enjoy the last tradition listed but I am making sure that she is going to continue the other traditions ( trivial but yet powerful in our family) and pass it on to her family.

Happy Birthday My Dear Girl....

2007-10-07T23:57:00.001-07:00

Dear My Girl,

It is Oct 9th 2007 and dear lord, you are now ONE year old. It was on this day, exactly one year ago that your achcha, paatti and I were inside the delivery room, anxiously anticipating and awaiting your arrival and well your mama was getting pampered for the last time as well! ;) What with your achcha rubbing my feet, paatti helping me in calming down and this nurse who was constantly visiting our room to help me pee and checking my cervix, Man I tell you, it was a fun time. I was unable to move a lot then but was constantly prodded by the visiting nurse to walk and walk more.

I don’t know how to proceed with this letter as well, you very well know that your mom is not good at articulating her thoughts but I have so much to say, I am going to continue anyways.You brought out a whole lot of change in me as a woman. First of all, it was on this mild, chilly fall day in Ohio’s Riverside hospital, exactly a year ago that I realized my inner strength when I pushed you out for close to 4 hours with no epidural and such. Till then I assumed that I was devoid of basic strength to have a baby but you proved me wrong. Your paatti and achcha could not believe their eyes and what was unfolding in front of them. To tell you a secret, your achcha almost passed out! ;)

We knew our life was changing right in front of our eyes when we first saw you.
But ‘life was changing’ is an understatement now that our day and night is turned inside out.

* The party animal that we were, a daredevil I was, diving skies and rafting serious waters am now really contended and blissful when I change your poop-y diapers and clean your butt. –I for one never used to touch babies when I knew their tooshies were heavy with a bulky diaper fearing a pee/poop spillover.
* I now, don’t hesitate even for a fraction of second to get up in the wee hours of morning to change your diapers, feed you and put you back to sleep.-a sound sleeper that I was, have slept through scary turbulence.

I have not been the sort of mother who will attend to an infant at every beck and call. I left you for my business trip to the US when you were hardly 8 months old. I thought I am doing what my work demands but didn’t realize the emotional impact of leaving you behind for those 3 gruesome long weeks. I am not the kind of mother who fills this space with all your milestones and how beautifully you achieved those but I still know how you achieved it all by yourself with so much grace and beauty. I am also not the type of mother who records each and every movement of yours in the handy cam/camera and replay it again and again to the family and the entire world but all those are still intact in my memory and I know for sure I will never ever forget this my lifetime.

*touchwood* you are such a happy child that the only bright spot in our life right now is YOU.

With all my flaws, I still try to be a good mother to you. I love you dear a lot more than my own life and can not imagine a life without you.

We cant now recall one single phase of our lives that does not have you in it. We are now what you have made us to be: A good parent for this adorable child of ours.

And yeah,Mr., I think we did well :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR GIRL…….

Updated: This was supposed to be posted on Oct 9th but it so happened that the same day IBH was admitted in hospital for Kaju's delivery, Kaju was admitted in the hospital for her Left Resiratory lobe infection. A trying time inour life and things are not so well even now......I need the support and grace from god more than ever...

she is....

2007-08-20T02:40:00.000-07:00

Kaju is now close to 11 monthes.....another one and half more and i will be a proud mama of a one year old toddler.....

Kaju is a really tall gal for her age...when she was born, she was 22 and half inches, which means she was over and above 2 feet....now as she grows older, she is growing taller and taller....I keep thinking to myself, 'A Model in the Making'.... :)

I have planned a very very unique First birthday party for Kaju....u guys wait and watch this space for more :)

No wonder....

2007-07-15T10:22:00.001-07:00

I get along well with men! :) he he he

Your Inner Gender is Male

You are rational, matter of fact, and quite dominant.
You like to get things done, without any emotional messiness.
You truly don't understand most women. And you definitely feel more comfortable around men.
No doubt about it. You're a guy - at least on the inside.

What's" Your Inner Gender?