Time to move on

Many of you are aware of my other blog 'Fruit of my labour' which is about Aadu's Heart Surgery and the entire journey to date.

This blog as you know is not complete; it remains stuck on the day of the surgery. While I was writing this part I was crying bucket full of tears; and I had thought I had healed and gotten over the entire episode....but Noooooooooooo.....The memories are still very raw, the emotions are gushing out, and I am not able to go on and do justice to the blog that I had started with the hope that some day it will help some mother like me who is looking for answers, looking for someone else's experience to tide over her own troubled times....

I think I have been quite selfish in just paying attention to my feelings; I strayed away from the goal that I had set for the blog and for myself.

But all this is about to change; and all thanks to the email that came to me out of the blue.

The email came from a grandfather who wanted to know more about the hospital where Aadu was operated coz his grand-daughter was diagnosed with the same thing as Aadu.

He had stumbled upon my blog 'Fruit of my labour' while searching the Internet for information on the Hospital.

How lucky I am that this man decided to drop me an email !! I felt as though the purpose why the blog was put up in the first place was being met....and in that I got my inspiration to go on.

So people wish me luck as I once again begin my journey to complete the blog.

There will be tears, but they will not stop me this time; there will be emotions but I will have friends around to get me over them.

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For my Valentine - straight from my heart !!

ye ishq nibha dena tum
guzarish ye karte hai

jaaneman jaaneman
jaaneman jaaneman
ek naam tumhara le kar
hum jeete hain marte hain
ye ishq nibha dena tum
guzarish ye karte hai

jaaneman jaaneman

tum khush ho to
hum bhi yoon khush rehte hain
tum rootho to
hum khud se roothe rehte hain
ye jaan lo bus tum se hi
hum apni khabar rakhte hain
tum bhool na jaana is ko
guzarish ye karte hain

jaaneman jaaneman

jitna bhi hum
tum ko chaahe kam lagta hai
ye ishq isliye hi to
pal pal badhta hai
tum se he is jeevan ka
hum saara bharam rakhte hain
tum tod na dena is ko
guzarish ye karte hain

jaaneman jaaneman
jaaneman jaaneman

Wish you a very happy love filled Valentine's Day !! So glad, happy, thankful to have you in my life to love and cherish.

Love you more n more with each passing day !!

-Your Neel

Magic of outdoors

A few days back Neelum and I were having a conversation about how our children and children of this generation have very little contact with nature. They don't touch natural materials and don't do any messy play. Neither do they play outdoors for long periods of time.

Their playgrounds are on a level surface and made up of artificial material. This prevents serious injuries when they fall but it also,Neelum very rightly pointed out, prevents them from experiencing the slopes of natural landforms and the joy of walking on grass barefoot. Neelum recommended a book called "Toxic Childhood" which describes the nature deprived childhoods of our children. I also read a similar book called "Last Child in the Woods" by Richard Louv and I am really glad that I read it. The author here gives a very appropriate name for this phenomenon and he calls it the "nature deficit disorder". He says that children learn many things from nature and outdoor play. They learn about seasons,day and night,pond life,plants etc. and they also refine their gross motor skills by running and hopping and fine motor skills through activities such as picking up stones.

Indoor entertainment cannot match or substitute for outdoor fun for children!I discovered it yesterday when I made a totally unplanned visit to the East Coast beach with the kids.I went even though my daughter came back from school at four in the afternoon and even though I had a lot of housework to do. After going there,Ibnat started playing immediately while Nayaz took a while to warm up to the sand and the sun. What happened next ....well,you all can guess....was sheer fun. The kids had a rollicking good time!

I can't help compare this to their indoor playground experience last Saturday.The playground was beautiful with ball pools and everything but the fun they had there was nothing compared to what they were experiencing in the beach. For Nayaz,the sand play molds became cars which were travelling in a hot desert.Ibnat drew a mermaid on the sand and collected shells and stones.Outdoor play stimulates the senses and encourages imaginative play.

Even though the afternoon was hot & sunny,I am glad that I took them outdoors.Usually it is just the condo playground that they experience. While it is better than staying indoors and watching TV, I think once in a while the kids need to be in big open spaces under the sky.

Why my son has no toy guns....

My maid (bless her) has to clear up my son's toy room after the hurricane has passed over it, toppling over everything possible, toys strewn all over, paints, papers, clay, books....everything is on the floor !!

Why I told you this is because this will prove to you that she has the access and thus knows all that Aadu has in there.

So, a few days back she asked me.

Maid: Madam, why Aaditya has no toy guns?

Me: Taking a deep-deep breath in preparation of the long-ish explanation that was going to come out of my mouth !!

Mangala (her name) today the world has more guns than we possibly can handle, small children who should be in school and safe in their homes are given guns to kill other people and in most cases it is their own country people.

You remember when you and I were growing up (she is the same age as me)....did we ever hear of terrorists? Did we hear of people being killed without reason or for no fault?

We did hear of wars, but it is brave soldiers that fight a war; and a soldier holds great responsibility when he is holding a gun in his hands for he has to keep up his country's honor and name. Whereas these days a terrorist can come and shoot you and me right where we are.

Imagine when we did not grow up knowing what a terrorist is...Aadu's generation is facing it right ahead of them. Our generation is battling the Gun with more guns...to find peace and to make the world a better place for our children.

Why then should I place a gun in my son's hand? I don't want to show him how easy it is to hurt someone else. One son kills another mother's son. In the end it is mothers who are left behind crying their hearts out for having to bury their sons....

I want my son to think of other things right now, I know he has to face the reality of a gun yielding world as he grows up, but till then I hope to have taught my son what it is to solve a conflict with peaceful dialogue, and that it is OK to disagree, and that we can still be friends even if we disagree over certain issue....

Maid: Good answer Madam, I will call my son and ask him to not play with guns anymore. (She is Srilankan, so the reasoning resonated with her; she herself having seen plenty of mindless killing).

So there you go Mother's if we want to make a difference in the world, start with your own home. Remember that old saying 'The hands that rock the cradle rule the world' .....we really do have the power to make a difference as mothers.

Think about it, before giving in to your son's demands of games, toys that encourage killing and hurting someone. They really don't need those kind of games & toys. My experience tells me that if we look deep into their eyes and explain to them your reason of not buying 'that' game or toy, they do understand. If we start with a small 'No' in our home, slowly the peer pressure will also decrease. We have to teach our kids contentment with the stuff they have. As it is this is the generation that has unlimited toys due to a lot of socio-economic reasons.

This should also apply to what the child watches on TV. Please monitor what they watch, and choose what they can watch, do not give them the power over the remote control, if that happens it means there is only trouble ahead.

So Wake Up Mothers....and do your bit.

Some introductions....

A couple of friends have started blogging. I have to...have to...just have to share one blog with you....so...hence...ladies and the reclusive gentleman....some introductions need to be made.

Let me begin with a lady who I love to bits, she is also the co-author on this blog. Put your hands together for Malina !!

Malina and I have been friends since our MBA days and we have spent many hours in the canteen (and in class) and talked about all things under the Sun over cups of tea. Malina has started a wonderful new blog, This Adventure Called Motherhood where her basic principle is that 'It takes a village to raise a child' so she wishes to use her blog as a platform for Moms to exchange, debate, mull over ideas all related to bringing up kids !! Now is that not a great idea?? Do show your encouragement by visiting her blog and posting comments.

Second in line is a swimmer par excellence, a school buddy of mine.....put your hands together for Pramilla !!

She is the person with the most real, authentic one liners on her FB 'status' or 'what are you doing now' space. She is a mom to a very beautiful (takes after the mom) daughter Mira who is a preschooler. Prams feels she can write down her thoughts better than saying them....thus the blog. I love her Blog title Mother India !! That in itself showcases the oodles of creativity this gal possesses !!

Do encourage her people...

Lastly, this is one lady blogger who has moved me to tears, tears of sorrow at her pain and suffering, and tears of joy for her well being, and all the happy moments she shares with us. She is a beautiful, gorgeous lady with a even more beautiful soul...Ladies join me in clapping for Stephanie Aurora Clark Nielson.

Stephanie is the survivor of an almost fatal plane crash. She blogs about her life and I have to tell you she has THE BEST husband in the whole world...read her blog...and soon you will agree with me. Stephanie blogs at Nienie Dialogues.

This is a must visit and a must add-to-reader blog.

The story of stuff - from raw material to trash

We are bombarded by a lot of go-green jargon these days. Some of us know what to make of it, some of us let it pass for there is little we understand of it or maybe there is little we think we can do about it.

I am one of those people who take the Environment, our Earth our Eco-systems our plant and animal like very seriously, and I believe that we are all connected. So if the Polar bears are facing a tough time, fighting for their existence...the same stuff that bothers him will bother us sooner or later.

How many of us think about things like 'raw material sourcing', 'point of origin', 'transportation costs', 'toxicity', 'carbon foot-print', 'recyclability', 'impact on environment', 'disposal' - when buying a new product?

I too did not, and still don't think about a few things when purchasing a new item. Why all these points are important and necessary for a cleaner greener Earth are very nicely demonstrated in the following clip. It is very informative and thought provoking. Show it to all members of your household, your maid included, share it with your co-workers.

From this clip I have gained immense knowledge and am going to be an 'awakened-informed-buyer' and not just a shopping-junkie driven by consumerism.

Here is what I have decided to do:

1. Buy local goods - the thing may be made by a local company, but just check for the 'Made In..' tag. If that says the name of the country you reside in. That is buying local goods.
2. Buying locally grown fruits, vegetables - I see the divide between local produce and foreign, procured produce very clearly in our super markets especially Village Grocer in Bangsar. There a locally produced pack of Strawberries costs around 6 RM whereas the same quantity of imported Strawberries costs more than twice !! Buying locally grown produce reduces the travel-transport costs of the goods, thus reducing the amount of fuel that was used up.
3. Support local industry - buying clothes, shoes, handbags, school bags, books, handicrafts etc from the local community or city. This ensures employment of the local communities and stops a large number of them from migrating to the cities to get employed in large corporations and living in pitiful conditions.
4. Point of purchase decision - when picking up an item think very carefully - is this item a NEED or a WANT. A 'Need' is something that satisfies your basic requirements of living like food, clothing etc; whereas a 'Want' is something that feels good to have, and is something that you can like without.
5. Recyclability of the item - when buying cutlery for a picnic, buy paper plates rather than plastic ones, buy re-usable items like cloth-made shopping bags. Never get your food packed in a restaurant in Styrofoam items, carry your own metal-containers or then ask the hotel to pack in paper-based container.

This is what I can think of now....I will share more as and when I have light-bulb moments.

Do write in to share your green-ideas.

Standing up for your child

This happened some days back at our local fresh market. Aadu loves to pay the vendors and asks his Dad to pass the money to him so that he can pass them on to the vendor.

At one vendor he gave the money with his left hand....which is his right hand I mean he is a left handed guy so for us his left hand is his right hand ..did I just confuse you??

So the vendor tells him 'give with your right hand...must never give with left hand'

This confused Aadu and he looked up to Daddy dear.

Daddy dear says to the vendor:'this is his right hand...he is left handed; you should take it from him from the same hand. Don't ask him to change'

Vendor then proceeds to take the cash from Aadu from the left hand.

During all this I was not around...I was busy yapping with my favorite vendor who had just returned from a trip to India !!

I was told all this much later when we were back home. I felt very proud of Amol for having stood up for Aadu.

In other places which we regularly visit, the people know that Aadu is left handed and so they never bother to say anything.

This served as an important lesson for Aadu also, he will know that it's OK to be different and that we have to stand up for ourselves...

Searching for Schindler

Searching for Schindler is a memoir written by Thomas Keneally.

This is one of the books that I had picked up from the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale in November. I had bought it thinking that I will enhance my minuscule knowledge of the legendary gentleman Oskar Schindler. The very first time that I knew something more than just his name was when I watched the movie Schindler's List early last year. The movie shook me to my core would be an understatement. It ripped me apart, my emotions were raw at the humiliation, torture, barbaric treatment that the Jews received during that shameful time in our human history.

The movie also filled me with awe for this man who helped so many Jews. It only made my belief stronger that 'there is good in this world'. I tried looking up more info on the net and was flooded with it. I read and read.

This book, actually told me that much before the movie was made, the Author Thomas Keneally had written a book by the same name, and then it got made into a movie by the awesome Steven Spielberg.

The journey of the book and the movie is what is opened up in this memoir.

Thomas Keneally is an Australian, who was in Lon Angeles met the real star Leopold "Poldek" Pfefferberg who ran a boutique of Handbags etc. The author had gone in to purchase a briefcase.

Poldek and his wife were holocaust survivors. In his possession were numerous photographs, paper cuttings, documents related to the holocaust and about Oskar Schindler. He had tried on many occasions to get someone to write a book or make a movie or a TV series out of all the real and amazing data that he had, but had no success.

Keneally took up the assignment and after a lot of hard work, travelling, meeting more holocaust survivors the book Schindler's Ark/ Schindler's List was published. The book won him the Booker Prize.

The book and movie was possible only because it had the relentless support of Poldek who traveled and interviewed people along with Keneally. It was his mission to see it being made into a movie. He would often say 'An Oscar for Oskar' !! And his dream did come true when The movie actually won 7 Oscar Awards.

The book is great, informative, has many photographs of the actual Schindler, and many more of the camps in which people were held. The book for me showed that if we really want to accomplish something - it is possible.

The recent spat between Chetan Bhagat and the makers of 3 idiots looked very stupid to me at first. ( I was/am on CB's side).

But when I recalled reading that the author Keneally was actually invited by Spielberg to the shooting of the entire movie and that he was given first class air fare wherever he was flown to, he was always put up where Spielberg himself stayed shows what kind of treatment an author ought to deserve for the original idea, story etc. Keneally was also asked to be present at all press conferences related to the movie, he was invited to all the glittering premiers that the film had. He was paid his dues when Spielberg (or was it Universal) bought the rights of the book from him; but the points to be noted is the treatment and respect he received for his effort and knowledge of the subject. I firmly believe that Intellectual property needs to be respected and treated as a commodity abiding by the laws of the industry as such.

Overall I say: go read this book

Our Art n Craft

Number 1: Fruit and Vegetable Basket

This needs a paper bowl or deep plate, newspapers, paint and a stapler.

Using the news paper, mould them into different shapes like a sphere, oblong, etc then simply color them as per the fruits you like. Here you see a tomato and a banana. Once the paper fruits are made and the paint is dry, place them into the paper bowl and using some more paper make the handle by simply twisting it. Staple the ends of the handle onto the bowl.

Number 2: Mumma and baby hen.

This needs: 2 paper cups, some color paper, paints, crayons, glue and scissors.

Method: Cut one of the cups halfway to it's height. This is for the baby chick. Now paint them, while the paint dries, using the color paper cut out beaks and feathers. Stick these onto the mumma and baby chick. Next draw the eyes with crayons. Finish off by gluing together the duo of cute baby chica and mommy hen.

Number 3: Slithering snake.

You need: Green paper, glue, red paper or white paper, scissors and red and black sketch pens.

Method: Cut out a long stripe of green paper, taper it towards it's tail end. The other end (head part) should be rounded off. Trace out the portion of the eyes and the matching rounded part just like the head part. Also cut out the tongue. Now take the snake body and fold like a paper fan making big folds. Draw out the eyes and nose, and stick this part onto the head portion of the snake, make sure you place the tongue in between before pasting. Your slithering snake is ready.

Number 4: Butterflies in the park

You need: Play dough, and butterfly shape pasta.

Method: Make small portions of the play dough, roll out into cylindrical shapes, tapering them at the ends. Now simply press the pasta onto this body. Note: Press lightly.

If you are in a mood to paint, then one can paint the butterfly wings as well.

This one is great to do on a lazy afternoon when the kids are full of energy and you are not ;)

Number 5: Slow and steady Mr. snail.

You need: Play dough and shell shaped pasta.

Method: Roll out the dough into oblong shapes to make the body of the snail, make the back portion stick onto the paper the head part is to be made standing out. Take the shell shaped pasta and press on to the mid section.

Another easy peasy craft that is a sure hit with kids.

For more adventure, color leaves, or collect some from the garden and place them around the snails and enjoy the sight of amazed kids busy for a couple of hours with Mr. snail and his house.

You can make multiple snails and play family !!

Finally...NRIs may soon get to vote

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday said that Non-Resident Indians may soon vote in the elections and that the process may start as early as the next general elections.

Inaugurating the eighth edition of the Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas, Dr Singh said: "I recognise the legitimate desire of Indians living abroad to exercise their franchise and to have a say in who governs India. We are working on this issue and I sincerely hope that they will get a chance to vote by the time of the next regular general elections."

"In fact, I would go a step further and ask why more overseas Indians should not return home to join politics and public life as they are increasingly doing in business and academia," he added

"It gives me very great pleasure to join you at the inauguration of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2010. Every year, on this day we celebrate and honour the contribution of the overseas Indians is making for the development of their spiritual and ancestral home. We are immensely proud of the achievements of our Diaspora."

"Your achievements have made a great contribution in changing the image of India to the world at large. Let me therefore join Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs and the Chief Minister of Delhi to welcome you to New Delhi and wish you a very happy New Year," he added.

Article Courtesy: Rediff.com

Leonardo Da Vinci in Kuala Lumpur

The National Science Center in KL is hosting the world acclaimed 'Da Vinci - the genius' exhibition.

We went there this past weekend. It is a must-go to all those who wish to know more about Da Vinci, his life, his inventions, paintings etc.

The exhibits have been brought all the way from Italy from the Il Genio de Leonardo da Vinci Museo. The exhibits help to bring to life the genius that was Leonardo da Vinci - an inventor, artist, scientist, anatomist, engineer & architect.

There are numerous exhibits (life scale) that we can actually admire and handle, right from simple mechanical stuff to the 'vertical flying machine'. The exhibits are a treat for sure.

The highlight is of course the 'Mona Lisa'. One entire hall is dedicated to this mysterious lady. There is loads of information about the painting, facts, trivia. There are many photographs that are part of a assignment by the famous photographer Pascal Cotte; these photographs help us to uncover many unknown facts about the Mona Lisa. One gets to see what the original painting looked like.

There is also a small TV hall, which plays a documentary about the life of the genius, I think it's a BBC documentary. Very informative and worth sitting through.

We enjoyed the exhibition immensely, Aadu held on for quite a long time, but soon lost it when we were watching the documentary, he went off to sleep. He had a great time handling the exhibits, working models etc.

Overall a great way to spend an afternoon.

Details:

Venue: National Science Centre, Bukit Kiara.

Time: 9 am - 6 pm.

Infoline: 03-20921150 / 03-74933010

Tickets: Children upto 7 years - FREE !!

Children 7-17 - RM 20

Adult - RM 25

Senior Citizen - RM 13 (free admission with pension card)

Family(2 adults & 2 Children) - RM 70

(Waiver of ticket fee for 1 person if you carry any one of the following:

Astro Bill

TM Bill

Malaysia Airlines - Enrich Card member)

Fire-flies at Kuala Selangor, Kampung Kuantan

Our quest for something new and different around Kuala Lumpur, led us to Kuala Selangor, which has the largest fire fly colonies in the world.

The drive there was good, the route was full of plantations, and we drove through some small pretty towns, and thus got to see the real Malaysia. It was indeed very refreshing to see normal people do things other than mall hopping and shopping. We saw children run along their gardens, big boys enjoy a game of football, kids on bicycles, and people driving around slowly, talking & waving to friends go by.

We left KL around 4 PM, and we took around 1.5 hours to reach Kampung Kuantan. I had read on the net that there are about 4-5 places from where you can take boat trips down the river to see the fireflies; we chose to go to the Fire Fly Park Resort.

Once there we freshened up & smothered ourselves with insect repellents. All of us wore full sleeved clothes. We then bought the tickets & went in.

The Sun was just setting as we went in near the boat station, so we had to wait for around 20 minutes before the guys announced the first number. There were life jackets for all to wear.

The most un-cool part of this place was that while we were waiting for darkness to engulf us, the boat guys were watching a documentary on 'Snakes' !! I was totally grossed out, and much too scared...coz we were going to enter water in the dark !!

Anyways, the number was announced & we threw the life jackets on and each one checked the other's straps, we headed to the boat, sat down, and the sound-free boat started down the river. Sound free coz they were electric boats, and it served the purpose of maintaining silence. We also spoke in whispers...Aadu had some questions, and I am super impressed with him for keeping his voice down for the entire boat ride.

The sight that was waiting for us was simply superb !! It was as though we were looking at trees decorated with tiny twinkling lights, thousands and thousands of blink-blink lights. It was very soothing, as nature was at her best, and these marvelous creatures were giving us so much joy.

They really looked like the largest colony of fire flies...we rode downstream for about 12 minutes, and then turned upstream and went on for another 15 minutes.

Each and every moment of the boat ride was lovely, and we loved it. This time also was strange as we were in complete silence, and after living in a bustling city one tends to forget what total silence is.

No photography was allowed during the boat ride, so we have no pictures of the best part of the trip. The graphics are engraved on our minds though.

I would recommend this trip to everyone. Except maybe people with real tiny babies. One has to remember to wear full clothes, cover yourself well, use insect repellents.

My son wants to be a Doctor

Yes !!! Yes !! Yes !!

That's what he said to me last night !!

And it is the first time that he said anything like that to me I mean about what he will be when he grows up, profession wise etc.

Well the background is like this:

We were watching Patch Adams, the autobiographical film about Dr. Hunter (Patch) Adams.

In this movie, Patch is a person who has a great passion for life, and for connecting with other humans, add to this the fact that he wants to help as many people as possible; so he decides to enroll in Medical School.

While at the school, he brings joy and laughter to all around him, by sometimes being a clown, on another occasion by filling his room with balloons and inviting a friend in for a surprise birthday party !!

All these incidents in the film made Aadu jump up in laughter and that is when he said 'Mumma I want to be a Doctor'.

And Mumma being the emotional mom that she is, hugged the child, and plastered some kisses on his cute face, and said 'Yes my baby, you can be a Doctor, and I know you will be a good one, and will help everyone'.

But seriously, after his surgery, I really felt the need of a Doctor in the family, leaving the parents aside, all of us my brother, myself, my husband, my bro-in-law, all of us a Engineering graduates. My mom did want my brother to be a doctor, but he was adamant on being an Engineer; also it is worth noting that I drew all the frogs, Earthworms, etc in his Biology journals, so by no way he would have gone to a life-science field !!

If Aadu chooses to be a Doctor, believe me I will be very happy. But then again...we have decided not to put our wishes and dreams onto him, he will have the complete freedom to choose his profession. Actually we'd rather see him as an Artist/Musician/Painter etc. ..... than see him slogging off in hard core science faculties ...

I think from now on I will try to show him the real life examples of professions. Now that he has seen a film about a Doctor, maybe some more about different fields of work....All suggestions are welcome !!

Indian Army - Lakshya

Fireman - Ladder 49

Artist/Painter -

Musician -

Singer -

etc

etc

etc

The book sale...where I went mad

The Big Bad wolf Book sale was on, and I had the calendars marked, actually 3 of them marked so that I don't miss the sale under any circumstances.

The first day was last Thursday, and I wanted to go in early in the morning, but since it was a school day, I decided to go in at 4 PM after the kid was well fed and had dozed off for a couple of hours.

I had told another mommy blogger about the sale, and we had made a pinky-promise to exchange notes depending on who went first. Well she went first and I had my first review and reaction wherein she told me that it's amazing and the prices are to die for, and the collection of books was superb. Now these are the only things that a book lover like me needs. She also warned me about the crowd and asked me to be careful with Aadi around. OK points noted, and I got about packing my bags, one with food and drinks for the Son, the others were huge IKEA bags to carry the books and yes a grocery trolley to dump books as I life them off the shelves.

All preparations done, I was awaiting the clock to strike 3:30 when the husband had volunteered to come & pick us up. I love you for this dear Hubby !!

As we approached the place (Amcorp Mall), I saw people with bag full of books, and I felt that I should have come in the morning to pick up all the hot stuff. But never mind lah .... I was sure to find good ones still waiting for me. I firmly believe in the adage 'daane daane per hota hai khaanewale ka naam' just tweek it a bit and it reads 'kitaab kitaab per hota hai padhnewale ka naam' (wow i'm good at this).

All said & done I was after all going with a well researched & thought-out strategy. I was going to attack the large books, your typical coffee table type books, about flowers, grasses, animals etc. These are usually priced very high & it's a great buy if you can get them at a bargain price. I'm talking fresh books people, not second hand ones.

We entered the place, there was no line to get inside as opposed to the morning rush where people had waited in line for upto 30 minutes just to enter !!

We went on picking books, the coffee table types, the cook books, the parenting ones, some management ones, some biographies, and yes books for the young reader at home.

We walked out with 40 books that cost us 340 RM, and I can give it in writing that we got a great deal.

After this round, I deposited the son with the Dad who took him to his workplace nearby....this was strategy # 2. So that I had some my-time at a place that I like. Again I went in and came out with 9 books, this time, some light non-fiction, and more management books.

I was/am so overjoyed to see all those books in my house. I have yet to find shelf space for all, but they are my reading material for as long as they last......

I get my love of reading from both my parents, and I am happy to see my boy turning into one too.

I finished reading the first book- Many lives Many Masters by Dr. Brian Weiss; finished it in 2 days and then started with a light non-fiction called 'Waiter Rants'.

Will keep an reading update on this blog.

So any of you who went to the book sale...do share your story and what all you bought.

I will put up the list in the next post.

Adios....the waiter waits to be read

of najar...evil eye....etc..etc

oh my days have been plagued by some bad 'najar' ...so who ever it is please quit .... it's caused enough turmoil and trouble to me....now ur happy???

OK

now please quit.

I am from hence forth going to mark my posts with a 'kala-teeka' (black dot) to ward off any evil eyes that any of you are casting my way....It is not one of my readers I am sure of that......but I just want to be safe (than sorry like I have been for a long time since Diwali)

There was my back muscle pull during Diwali, that was followed by a long fight with cough, and the green mucous that I was throwing up with every cough........Goshhhhhhhhhhh....I'm so glad all that is over....

Funny thing is that the medicine that was given to me to relax my back muscles, kept me awake all night....and needless to say the following day was like the day when I was at the height at my nastiest self, much like a lady with a bad case of PMS !!

Then the antibiotics for the cough left me more time in the loo than on the bed......once the capsules were over I was so relieved I wanted to party !!

And actually the cough went off after the meds were totally stopped...no throat soothing liquids, no cough concoctions, no tablets....that was my way of healing.

Oh yes that was not the end of the evil-eye effect....there is more....

My phone....my darling phone....my nokia 6210 ....my red phone....the phone that was given to me by my brother as a rakhi gift....

it broke down :(

It all happened in 5 minutes....we were heading to Gardens Mall, and in a hurry I put Aadu's water bottle (the leaky filthy piece of plastic) into my purse along with my precious phone...and until we reached the destination my phone had stopped showing any activity on it's screen. Thankfully there is a Nokia store in Gardens, and we went there only to be told that we must rush the phone to the service center ASAP !!

Did all the running around, but to this day my dear phone is not working :(

OK enough of my rants and negativity.....

Hey just one more.....Oprah is saying bye to her talk show...

This piece of news had me lost for words and in a daze; I looked up the news channels, I dived into the world wide web to confirm....re-confirm.....re-re-re-confirm

And boy it's true.....What will I do now? What about my dream to go on the show?

Ok that's about all that I have to cry about.

My brother is here, so I have lots of cheer around.

Oh and BTW: Buri nazar wale tera mooh kala !!!

Now I just had to say that !!

I made them ....funny faces

I made two of them this morning as a surprise for Aadu. He loved it when he saw it and called it 'Happy Face'.

I would like to tell you that all together it took me about 7 minutes to put it all together.

I think I added a bit too much Jam in the cake crumble...next time I'll add a bit less so that the ball turns out sort of loose yet bound together....get what I mean??

Sadly my pack of Smarties did not have any bright colors :( so I had to make do with these rather dull ones...

Do make your Funny Faces and send me the snaps...

Funny Faces - it's a sure hit with kids

This one is for you Malina...especially for Nazu's upcoming birthday....

Funny faces is a goody snack that you can serve at a birthday party or any gathering where you know there are going to be little bubbly kids.

It's a very simple dish to make, actually involves hardly any cooking and it gets done very fast and the best part is that you can prepare it well in advance !!

You will need:

• Sponge cake - vanilla and or chocolate
• Dark Chocolate - grated
• Milk,
• Jam - your choice of flavor
• Round, colorful chocolate...."Nestle Smarties" is the brand available in SG
• Almonds, Cashew - you could replace these with other shapes of candy if you wish to avoid any kind of nuts.
• Ice cream cones
• Plain biscuits like Marie

Procedure:

• Crumble the cake into a fine mixture
• Add some jam to this, so that you can roll it into a ball shape
• Melt the dark chocolate (use double boil method), and add some milk to it so as to form a thick-ish paste.
• Roll the cake-jam balls in this chocolate-milk syrup/paste
• Now you have the main face of the item
• Next put on the ice-cream cone (wafer cone) over the ball like a pointy hat
• Stick the colored round candy for eyes, the almond forms the nose and use the cashew to make a happy or a sad or a funny face...
• Finally place this on the biscuit so that you can move these 'funny faces' around easily.
• I personally would prefer to place the cake-jam ball covered with chocolate over the biscuit before the decoration.....I think it will be easier and less messier.

Here is a video (in marathi) of this recipe.....just have a look to understand the flow of events....it is very simple to understand...and in case of difficulty ...I am right here to handle all your queries....

Funny Faces Recipe Link Courtesy of ZeeMarathi on Youtube

Our favourite place to eat in Bandar Kinrara

We found this place, on the ground floor of the Giant Hypermart @ Bandar Kinrara. Don't ask me the name of the place...it's long and I refuse to memorise it !! But it is bang opposite Bata; so this should help anyone of you who wishes to explore this place.

The concept of this place is health. You will see a weight & height measuring instrument at the entrance. Each table has a special table-top-calendar-like menu. Now this is not the main menu; but this one is only to describe & detail all the food-nutrition-calorie information of each dish served there. Even the juices and other drinks have this kind of information drawn out.

The lovely hostess Linda (you can see her in one of the pictures) told me that the place is actually a Government initiative to get people to think about food with their health in perspective. The effort is worth an applaud. I just wish that they open up some branches near the city center so that it becomes more popular.

The food is the best part of course!! why else would I talk about the place !!

My favorite so far is the nasi goreng-chili-padi which is a fried rice with green chilly (lots of them for me) and has a generous amount of vegetables and chicken in it.....it's just yummmmm !!

The husband has liked the nasi goreng paprik which is fried rice dish with a gravy; and the gravy is the best part of this dish. The second time we went there, he ate nasi goreng - kampung, that is kampung (village) style fried rice, this one had loads n loads of vegetables in it, and was also great to taste.

I have eaten my favorite one when ever we've gone there. I also like her teh-tarik (tea).

Some pictures....

Linda the beautiful, chirpy, cheerful, friendly manager of the place.

A close up of the nasi goreng kampung

Nasi goreng kampung - the full dish

My Nasi goreng chili padi

Another shot of my favorite thing

Diwali 2009

Diwali this year was celebrated on a grand scale at the Sawaikar residence. The wife made the 'faral' the sweets and namkeens that are served as snacks during this festive season. The items on the 'faral' list included:

1. Patal pohyacha chivda - a namkeen made of thin 'poha'. This has a tempering of curry leaves, green chilly, groundnuts, and puffed chana daal.

2. Sweet Shankarpale - these are diamond shaped fried snack made out of semolina & maida, sugar milk etc

3. Namakpare - thin, long strips of fried maida which has ajwain & salt.

4. Shev - again a fried snack made up of besan, and a few spices

5. A long-ish flat shev - a snack I found to be loved by local Indians, ingredients are same as the shev, only difference is the disk pattern used while frying.

6. Chakli - this is an all time favourite at our home, but this time I did not make it with the usual 'bhajani'; I just used the locally available ready mix and added some sesame seeds, a bit of black pepper & red chilly powder to it.

7. Besan laddoo - this one is coming to be a favorite with me & Aadu ; this is not your usual besan laddoo; in this method the besan is kneaded into a dough, then rolled into thick pooris, and fried, once this is cooled down it is processed in the mixie to make a thick powder; then a sugar syrup is made in proportion to this fried besan powder; once the syrup is ready, the powder along with huge amount of desi-ghee is added & this mixture is cooked till it becomes thick & a spoon can stand in it (that thick). Dry fruits are added along with elaichi powder & then this is rolled into laddoos....they turn out very delicious.

8. Olya-naralachya-karanjya (karanji made of fresh coconut) - this one I made for the first time, and they turned out quite a hit with the crowd.

This is the 'rangoli' I made outside our home during Laxmi-puja, it shows how inept I am at the art, I am very poor at doing the traditional 'dot-dot' wala rangoli patterns, that others find sooooooo easy to make....well I have my own ways...

This is the rangoli that Amol drew freehand with a chalk, and then we sat together and filled in the colors; it is actually a dot-dot wala design, but he being a better artist than me, he just flashed his arms around and voila the rangoli was drawn !!

Thus Diwali of 2009 was celebrated at our home in KL !!

Most educational TV shows for children

According to David Dutwin, a social science researcher and the authour of "Unplug your kids:A Parent's Guide to Raising Happy,Active & Well-adjusted Kids in the Digital Age", the following are among the best educational shows for preschoolers:

Reading Rainbow
Oobi
Mister Roger’s Neighbourhood
Wordworld
Super WHY!
Play with me Seasame
Pinky Dinky Doo
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
Jack’s Big Music Show
Barney & Friends
Dragon Tales
Between the Lions
Sesame Street
Mama Mirabelle’s Home movies
Franny’s Feet
Backyard habitat (For age 4 and up)
Wilbur
Hip Hop Harry

Out of all these shows,I am familiar with "Worldworld","Play with me Seasame","Mickey Mouse Clubhouse",Barney & Friends","Between the Lions" ,"Sesame Street" and of course "Barney & Friends".

The two seasame street shows are undoubtedly good and maybe I am biased because I watched Seasame Street as a child. "Wordworld" is also very educational for children above three and so is "Between the Lions"."Between the Lions",however,is probably not aired in any of the children's channel in Singapore but I have bought some of the DVDs.

We have recently started watching Mama Mirabelle's Home movies in CBeebies and I would say that it is an excellent show.It gets kids interested in the animal kingdom and presents lots of information in a lively way. Barney,though educational,is no longer liked by my four and a half year old girl...my younger one still likes it. The other shows,which we have never watched,I am trying to trace in Nick Jr.,Disney and Playhouse Disney.Other mummies...please help me out in tracing these shows and let me know when and where they are aired.