Discovered

Discovered something sensational under the cushions on the living room seatie.

Creations made by our baby sitter on her day with Sia, while we were at work.

A girl and an intricate motorcycle made from clay/play dough.

My most heart warming moment of the day!!!

That's the two of them and "Taj didi's" (as she is called by Sia) creation.

Welcome home

Welcome home Nemo and Churnip. Nemo and Churnip came home on 11th July 2010. These goldfishes are our first pets since Sia was born.



Nemo and Churnip of course, most certainly named by the proud care-taker, Miss Mathew have been a wonderful team in teaching my three year old a few things about being a grown-up. Firstly, bringing the pets home was a collective decision. She has been asking for a pet. But, we didn't want to repeat a mistake, by buying something which she was not yet ready for.

Sia made her own choice of choosing gold fishes over turtles. She selected the fishes. Though was made aware of the options to select from. I think, it is essential to start as early as possible, to allow a child to make their own decisions and be responsible for the choices they make. With Nemo and Churnip a small beginning has been made.

The other responsibility Sia has, is to take care of "her" fishes. So, has to feed them, ensure the water filter is working, lights are put on in the evening and water is kept clean from toys, paper and putting hand inside the tank. The little child has completely taken me by surprise by diligently following the rules, well almost.

In her high of taking care of Nemo and Churnip, she over fed them. And her dada taught her the need to maintain cleanliness in the fish tank. She participated in cleaning the mucky water and proudly showed off her pets to her friend this evening. With a series of warnings being blurted out as if the poor pets were exhibits. All warnings of course, is the drop-down menu of "Don'ts" that have been told to her.

I think, my little one is growing up. She has been a wonderful care-taker, home-giver to her pets. In just 3 days, for her to run off in the middle of a Tom & Jerry story to see "if my fishes are alright" - I guess has somewhere ignited the basic human instinct of being responsible for your choices in my child. Welcome to Sia's home - Nemo and Churnip!

The fabric of life

Have you ever discovered the true joy of cross-cultural marriage?

Out here, it has created a super weave with multi-colour hue of culture, religion, tradition and most critical element of it all - a cuisine blast!

One such explosive recipe is "papa-mummy meen curry". This is not what it is called otherwise. Its plainly called "meen curry". I mean how boring, especially when there is such a delightful story behind the recipe. "Papa-mummy" are my parents-in-law. "Meen curry" is fish curry.

Hailing from the "mal-land" - Kerala, this recipe was discovered by papa from a local food stall (commonly known as "kada" in Malayalam, meaning "stall") which are permanent spots in the Kerala landscape. Papa simply wanted another variation to his regular meen curry being made at home. Being the gentleman who has worked (by the way papa still is a working professional in the Life Insurance business) all through his officially prescribed work years, papa enjoys the simple joys of life, especially his food. When he discovered this new taste, he could not stop going to the kitchen of the kada and humbly asking for the recipe. There was no way he could be refused. He has such a pleasurable, non-intrusive and definitely non-threatening personality. I am quite sure he would have made the chef feel like the most sought after chefs - worldwide.

Armed with a new version of the meen curry, a happy papa passed on the recipe to mummy. Now, mummy is someone who has always done everything and more for the 3 men in her life (her husband and two sons. I am married to the youngest of her sons). And she still does. That is mummy. A math teacher all her life, she doesn't care much for frills in life other than enjoying life itself in all honesty.

So, going back to the recipe - she obviously made it and enjoyed the discovery. Since then, the meen curry has been this. It has passed on to our dining table as well. And all those who have eaten from our home, swear by the curry and make an attempt to make it. Marvellously, the taste varies. But the contentment after having "papa-mummy meen curry" is a sense of immeasurable joy. When I share the story behind the recipe, the smiles and blissful look I see in others is amazing.

This is the fabric of life we adorn. The true sense of relationships coming to life. A traditional recipe is a mere represent of the otherwise way of life. Whenever you feel like living the moment, and value our life and the moments in it, try the "papa-mummy meen curry".

For "papa-mummy meen curry" you will need:

500 grams: Seer fish (deskin if preferred)

A handful of sambar onions (small onions/ Indian shallots)

Peeled garlic (as per liking)

A piece of ginger (small enough to let out the flavour)

Curry leaves

Green chillies (optional, if spice is preferred)

Kerala tamarid (pulli)

One tomato (coarsely chopped)

Mustard seeds

Methi seeds (dry roasted and coarsely powdered)

Red chilli powder

Turmeric powder

Eastern fish masala

Coconut milk

Salt

Water

Oil

How do you make it?

Crush the sambar onions and garlic in a pounder. Keep aside.

Oil the meen chetty (the traditional earthen pot) and warm it on low flame.

To this, add oil and splutter the mustard seeds. Then add curry leaves. Follow it up with the crushed onions and garlic. When slightly transparent, add the ginger, slit green chillies and saute for a bit.

Now add the salt, turmeric and red chilli powders. Cook the masala powders well. Once done, add the Eastern fish masala. Make sure the fish masala is not over cooked. Else will the loose flavour.

With oil leaving the sides, add the Kerala tamarind and chopped tomatoes. Mix it well.

When well cooked, add water and bring to a boil. To this add the seer fish pieces. Cook till the fish is done or is firm. Add the methi powder. Give it a mix.

Finally, pour in the coconut milk as per taste and thickness required. Give it a slight boil.

For an authentic Kerala twist in flavour, drizzle some coconut oil on top at this point.

Serve with boiled rice, authentic-traditional curd curry ("more curry"), papad, one vegetable side dish and fish fry.

Because you both will like this gift

"It is nothing much as a return gift, but I am sure Sia and you will love it", said my friend as she gave Sia the return gift on her daughter's second birthday. She was right. Both Sia and I truly enjoyed the gift because we like stuff that helps us do alternative things with it. The gift Sia got was wooden animal stencils - elephant, monkey, rhino, giraffe, camel and a lion. She was 2.8years when she got the gift and didn't serve the real purpose until a few days ago.

A small discipline called "school" has done a world of difference to my child. It is a home school. The exposure Small World (that's what the school is called) has given in its first three weeks is invaluable. It has only further added to my otherwise unruly yet imaginative child's energy and spirit. Recently, I saw her use a ruler, a pencil to make lines. I was amazed and impressed. The credit had to go to Small World, because we have never used a ruler like the way she did. That's when I knew it was time for the stencils to make an entry.

From the very first touch, cut, glue and paste of art 'n craft, Sia has had a free flow. She was two when we started. I wanted her to have that canvas space to enjoy watching creation come alive. While I sat along and did the real art or craft work. She observed and learnt the techniques. She enjoys co-creating and has a sense of pride and ownership towards all that has been done this far.

This time was no different. A little grown up with just about an ounce increase in patience. Many outlines were drawn. I still play my usual part. And this....is what we co-created.

For our animal cuts dangler, we used: wooden animal stencils, reused paper (which was printed on one side), golden felt-tip pen (because I didn't find anything else), scissors, punch (all the holes on the animals are punched by Sia), gold colour twine, some beads and couple of stars (from our Christmas ornaments).

Stamp it!!

My now 3 year old had developed a fascination for stamping a while ago. Every visit to any store or restaurant, she would look for the seal stamp and ink pad. Guess it is the wonderment of seeing a block of print or the action of dip, wham and voila - an image appears...

Today my search ended with Stamp It!!! Surely, it is not one of the finest or the most 'curiosity-killer' kind of an option. But, it serves the purpose and recreates the same joy. However I realised, Stamp It actually is multi-purposeful. That is, if you can see it.

The set we got is one with fruits and veggies. It has about 14 stamps, one ink pad, a set of colour pencils and a book. We not only stamped and coloured. We learnt to colour by coordinating it with the colours on the toy box cover. After we were done, we invented a way of putting the set back as well.

We picked up each stamp, called out the name of the fruit or vegetable. We identified a row each for veggies and for fruits. We put the stamps in the dedicated row. We learnt to separate fruits from veggies. We learnt to match the row to the fruit or veggie. We learnt to count. One toy, so many learnings.

One of my "recent" friends (I refer to her as recent since we became friends only because of our respective mommy-hoods) earlier today had stressed her point of view on, how while in parenting it is necessary to give a child and expose from the very beginning to more than one perspective to any situation, as much as you can. According to her, it makes the child sensitive in all ways. I respect her views. In a way, she voiced my style of parenting. In a way, she stamped a print of joy in me, which comes from being reassured that you are doing "alright" with being a parent, while parenting.

Just a few captured frames

The event: Father's Day.

The mood: Driven by extreme craziness to make something for dada.

The guide: Spirit guided by the pure joy of cutting, gluing, sticking, pasting, making and creating a card for dada.

The thought: Single minded, engulfed by a creative expression of capturing every single thing known in this world - traffic signal lights, colours, shapes, a butterfly, a caterpillar, blah blah - though there wasn't enough space for it on the card.

Materials used: Self made water colour blotted tissue, buttons, wodden doll, glitters, cereal carton, crayons, pen, glue, scissors and lots of patience. Yes - plentiful of this one is needed.

Making time: Just about half hour is much too much to ask. Because any second after that gets consumed by the anxiety to see the creation take shape.

The outcome: A proud dada not just on the dedicated day - but for a very, very long time!!

A summer just went past...

I see rains entering. I hope it is here to stay, for a little longer than what it is supposed to. And, I want to believe an entire season just went past.

This summer was special. I am not a summer weather person. But this summer time, I saw a tremendous colour-filled life in nature. Right across the streets, trees blooming colours which are so pictorial to this time of the year. The colours came visiting our balcony too...flowers a bloom, green, green leaves and vegetables grew too.

Summer evenings are special too, I realised. A little bit of this, a little bit of that and a tiny brush with nature created wonderful patterns with seeds, that were collected from our apartment pathway, when we took a stroll. Couple of three year olds created wonders with nature's offerings. Now, I look back at a time, which was spent with the same oneness of being with nature, as I have done with any other season time and this summer that just went by...

Cheese masala omelette anyone?

Its a wonderful day outside my home and all over the city I live in. Bangalore. It is a beautiful city. It really doesn't matter much on a day like today, how things in the city (especially the traffic, Metro construction, office) are not on our pleasant side. It is the onset of the monsoon. We have all been waiting for after a really, dry, hot summer. Somewhere we still deserve it, though on one hand we continue to kill our nature.

On a day like this, as I sit to work with two little girls in the toy room playing, screaming and enjoying life...it is time for lunch. The weather is way too nice to be wasted with mundane cooking for either of us three. It has got to tie in the mood and bring about the festivities in the weather. Simply got to.

So, I walk in to the toy room with my maternal instinct antenna all plugged high and don't really know what to cook or what to suggest. This is the question I ask, "cheese masala omelette anyone?" I have never seen the brightest first reaction ever...But of course it was a "YES!!!! YAY, we want eggs" (even from my 3 year old, who is not a keen eggie, but was greatly influenced by her friend, Bhoomi) that I am making cheese masala omelette - with onion, without tomato, without onion and with tomato are the only versions I got to make.

I am off to keep the smiles and the appetite going. I can already smell the cooking of onions and tomatoes with the eggs getting fried in oil. Reminds me a little of a railway station. Its only my kitchen...but what's the harm is dreaming on a day which promises only dreams to live on with. Simply irresistable to have left this emotion and feeling uncaptured. By the way..."cheese masala omelette anyone?"

Its been three days since

One day my life had a routine that had no routine, no plans and certainly not bound by the definition of time. Then, there was this one morning which came by three days ago and rocked the completely undisciplined life I had. This happened when "school" entered my life.

I think, I am not an anxious parent. I was not worried or bothered about how my baby would deal with school, strangers, crying. I was not unhappy or insecure about my baby going off to school. I have been eagerly waiting for her to start school and belong to our world - to enjoy it in all ways... So, there I was at the last step of where I was comfortable being. But, it was not the same morning I felt the morning before. It would never ever be.

My baby has actually spoiled me - rotten! It is always the other way around that we so often hear people complain about. But it is true that I have been spoiled. I have gotten used to a way of life because of her. A life that was (yes - was) free of care, filled with unplanned adventures, bustling with things-to-do, sometimes even a job list which ran longer than which I had while I was working...It was not supposed to be like that any more.

Now, I need to change it all over again because of her. How many more detours will my life take? Please, I like to remain spoiled. Look at all the hard work I need to do, to ensure that my life has no more disciplining. But I cannot seem to run away. I got to do it. It is my moment of truth.

One day, three years ago she arrived. One day, three years and two months later, she has changed my life in three days. I am in a new level of being a parent. Wonder how many more levels are there in this playing field? I hope to remain the not-so-anxious parent for as long as ever can be. That, I do not want to change even for the magic wonderment of my life, who is my baby.

...and he is staying for life!

This strange man actually walked into my life - uninvited. But when he did...I knew he had, with a purpose. I knew my life would never be the same - again. The first time I met him was a decade ago. And I have not met another person who has had this strong an impact on me. All he did was unlike me or my way of thinking or doing.

He still does things which I would have never done or will do. Like today, he calls and says, "the strangest thing happened to me. I bought 2 crates of mangoes, each having 27 alphanso mangoes..." my immediate reaction thought was "Oh my god...FIFTY FOUR mangoes.." I switched off the thought cos I knew there was more to the story. I was right. And he continued, "...from a total, random stranger. He came to my car and said I have 2 crates of mangoes - pay me whatever you think is fine by you. I was cautious and did the check and the mangoes were just fine. And I paid him 500 bucks." I was stunned. But then,"WHY SHOULD I BE?" This is what the man is made of. His essence, core is being unpredictable. I just let the episode be.

But my life in the last decade is made up of such episodes. And I have defined my character from these.

And it is no earth-shattering surprise that I am married to this strange, weird man. For six years now, of the ten years I have known him. I spend - well almost each day with him. But he hasn't stopped amazing me. He keeps me alive. I love the strange man who walked into my life a decade ago in the weirdest of ways (guess that's the only way I can) and he is staying for life.




See what I mean....

ONE list I want to TICK ALL

I read this list of All Time English Fave Movies For Kids. And this one list I, Me and for Myself want to tick against all. Why am I making this list here? Cos I want to come back to this list and make sure there is a tick against each. Simple.

1. Happy Feet

2. Babe
3. The Wizard of Oz

4. The Lion King
5. Finding Nemo
6. Avatar
7. Mary Poppins
8. Love Bug
9. Charlotte's Web
10. Beauty and The Beast
11. Shrek
12. Kidnapped and Treasure Island
13. Sound of Music, My Fair Lady, Fiddler on the Roof
14. Matilda
15. Free Willy
16. Star Wars
17. To Kill a Mocking Bird
18. Born Free and Living Free
19. ET
20. Monsters, INC.
21. Cars
22. The Harry Potter Series
23. The Jungle Book
24. Toy Story
25. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
26. Superman
27. Ratatouille
28. Little Women
29. The Kid
30. Lord of the Rings