Mumbai.

I'm shaking with rage. I'm worried about people who I have not even met and only know them through their words. I am scared. I feel helpless. Watching the news only makes me more angry. "Terror strikes cricket"! Terror strikes cricket??? For Gods sake!

Stay safe, people. I know its tough. But that's all I'm able to say because I really want everyone to be safe.

Imai Irandum thani thani...

So Hd is away again. For two weeks this time. So like any self respecting girl, I cried and went running to "daddy" and my dad caught the next flight and arrived! :) Not exactly. But his visa was still valid and there were other stuff to consider, so he decided to come. This is the man who thinks twice before traveling to Madras from his home town and poor guy had to do two trips to Zurich in a short time all because his daughter asked him to. (More like son-in-law asked him to but I am not complaining!) Anyway, this post is not about that. I remember doing a post almost 2 years back - Sappy Me on how I discover some new song whenever Hd is away and repeat it to death. I swear I was nt even looking this time. So watched Vaaranam Aayiram last weekend and one song caught my attention and at last had some time to find the song on the net and listen to it yesterday. And what a song! Oh man, totally fell in love with it. It has been on indefinite loop fot the past 48 hours.(and this time totally annoying my dad!) Its on the background while Im typing this very post. I had the song on repeat even in the car today while I went to pick up Ashu from school. Anal mela pani thuli... Sung superbly by carnatic singer Sudha Raghunathan(although I feel guilty enjoying this song without the usual Bombay Jayashree.) and mind blowing lyrics by Thamarai. The lyrics are absolutely wonderful, I tell you. A woman in love, in pain, in want,... Sigh! And such a haunting music too. Now I cant wait for Hubby to come back and hear the song with me. So glad that the romance has nt withered and died. Yet.

Listen to it here.

anal mele pani thuli alai paayum oru kili
maram thedum mazhai thuli ivai dhaane ival ini
imai irandum thani thani urakkangal urai pani
edharkaaga thadai ini

endha kaatrin alaavalil malar ithazhgal virindhidumo
endha dheva vinaadiyil mana araigal thirandhidumo
oru siru vali irundhadhuve idhayathile idhayathile
unathiru vizhi thadaviyathaal amizhndhuvitten mayakkathile
udhirattume udalin thirai adhu thaan ini nilaavin karai karai

anal mele...

sandhithome kanaakkalil sila murayaa pala murayaa
andhi vaanil ulaavinom adhu unakku ninaivillaiyaa
iru tharaigalai udaithidave perugidu vaa kadal alaye
iru iru uyir thathalikkayil vazhi sollu vaa kalangaraye
unathalaigal enai adikka karai servathum kanaavil nigazhndhida

anal mele...

Thanks to Thamarai, we get to hear gems like these where a women sings about her desires. Have you ever wondered how few and far between they are? Did it all start with Vaseegara? From the top of your head, tell me the song which comes to your mind first. Anything in Hindi?

ps.
Sorry non Tamil folks. Theres no way I can translate this precious song in English even if I try. Any volunteers?

Vaaranam Aayiram.

If I want to see just excellent acting, I ll stay home and watch my 3 year old all day long. I don't go for a movie ONLY to watch excellent acting. I expect a good movie. But Vaaranam Aayiram is nt one. I don't know how to explain it though. I mean each scene on its own was good but they did nt add anything to the movie. Take the songs and dance away. Take the action scenes away. Take one of the romance angle away. What do you have? Nothing. Agreed that in real life, nothing makes sense so what can we expect from a story about a father and son and passage of time? I think it was nt interestingly shown. That's all. It was long and boring. I read some news today that Gautham has trimmed the movie and the kidnap scenes have been totally cut off. What the hell! So people who watched the movie in the first couple of days are idiots? Guinea pigs? This ain't fair, Mr. Menon.

Now for some thoughts:

So what else is new? Surya is awesome. And he proves it again and again.

Simran is good. Sameera Reddy is OK. Ramya is bad. I never liked Jyotika before. But after watching these two new heroines, I ve new found respect for Jo.

The supporting cast is excellent.

I think the word "daddy" has been used like a million times in this movie. Annoying! And the Guinness award goes to...

I had gone for this movie along with my Dad. He did nt like the movie either. For the record, I call him Appa. Never "daddy"! And the "daddy" of my two little girls sat at home while we went for a late night show. At least he can say he got a good night sleep.

I had not listened to the songs before. They were good. Loved the choreography. Surya has come a long way in the dance department, has nt he? Nice moves.

Surya does nt need a six pack for me to drool at him. All I can do at guys who go "Look at me! Look at me! I have a six pack" is *yawn*.

Needless to say, there were kids in the theatre (for a 11.30 pm show!) and the 5 year old boy behind me kept kicking my seat, pulling my hair and what not. And during one of the graphic drug scenes, he loudly asked his parents, "andha uncle ku pei pidichiduchaa"! (Is the uncle possessed by a spirit?)

Came out of the movie and while paying at the parking meter, the machine gave me an extra 10 cents. As if to mock me. Indha padatha paathu 10 paisa prayojanam unda? (Is the movie even worth 10 cents?) Hmpf!

I hope they don't trim the movie when my sis watches it next weekend. Yaan petra inbam... And she owes me one for Dasavatharam.

Two days at a time.

So Hd went out of the country on Sunday. For 2 days and 2 nights. Leaving me with 2 kids. I survived. The school run was the tough thing but otherwise things were pretty cool. So here's how it went.

Sunday

6.30 pm - Hd left.

Then I rock Antu to sleep. Feed Ashu dinner.

7.30 pm - Antu wakes up. I change her diaper, feed her lying on the bed. Ashu lies beside me. Antu goes to sleep and I put her in the crib.

8.15 pm - I give Ashu some laptop time and eat my dinner.

8.30 pm - I brush Ashus teeth, help her clean up her room and read her bed time stories.

9.15 pm - I lie down on the floor on a mattress while she goes to sleep on her bed.

9.30 pm - Shes asleep. I leave the room. Hubby calls. I do the dishes, clean the kitchen, brush my teeth and channel surf.

10.00 pm - The movie Transporter. I'm hooked. I watch. (I am a sucker for car chases.)

11.00 pm - Very sleepy. I record the rest of the movie and go to sleep.

Monday

1.55 am - Antu wakes up. I put her beside me and continue my sleep while she feeds.

3.50 am - Antu wakes up again. Since shes beside me already, she feeds again. I continue sleeping.

5.45 am - Ashu wakes up. Comes to our room and lies down near me. I continue sleeping.

6.30 am - Alarm goes off and I get up like a spring.

6. 30 to 8.15 am - Ashu drinks her milk, I drink my tea, I change Antus diaper, I pack lunch for Ashu, dress her up, dress Antu up, I dress up. Ashu eats cereal, I feed Antu and we are out of the door at 8.10 and in the car at 8.15.

8.45 am - I drop Ashu at school and get back home at 9.30 am. (traffic) Antu sleeps on the trip back.

9.45 am - I eat breakfast.

10 00 am - I feed antu.

10 to 11 am - I change diaper, I make lunch, talk to my parents on the phone and check mails.

11.15 am - I change diaper and feed Antu.

11.45 am - I eat my salad and get Antu ready in the car seat.

12.00 noon - We are out of the door.

12.25 pm - Reach school and pick up Ashu.

1.00 pm- Reach home. Both are sleeping. I wake Ashu up and she cries all the way to the 10th floor.

1.20 pm - Feed Antu. Feed Ashu lunch. I eat lunch.

2.30 pm - Antu goes to sleep. I clean up after lunch while Ashu lies down on the sofa licking a lollipop.

2.30 to 5.30 - Read books for Ashu. Change diaper for Antu. Feed Antu. Give snack for Ashu. Blog surf. Check mails. Run Ashu a bath. Feed. change. Make tea.

Because of the interrupted sleep all day long, Antu goes to deep sleep at 5 pm.

6.00 to 7.30 pm - Long phone call with my sis while Ashu is goofing around.(blowing raspberries and spraying every inch of the living room!) Then I prepare to make some dinner for myself. I feed Ashu her dinner. Brush her teeth and ask her to pick the books while I eat my dinner since Im starving.

8.00 pm - I'm hogging on the tortilla wraps while Ashu calls me. I ask her to wait until I finish my dinner. When I go to check on her 5 minutes later, shes snoring! Bliss.

9 00 pm - I wake Antu up, change her diaper and feed her. She goes to sleep. I catch up with Internet and doze off by 10.00 pm.

Tuesday

2.00 am - Antu wakes up...

Repeattu.

Thoughts

Its doable as long as none of us fall sick.

Ashu is in her perfect behaviour if its only me she has to deal with it.

Its enough if I talk to Ashu, tell her a story, read her a book or play with her. TV, Laptop, Chocolates, Candies and Lollipops mean NOTHING to her if she finds out that they are bribes and not treats. I learnt this lesson the hard way.

Antu is a doll. As long as her input and output are taken care of, shes one happy camper.

At 7 pm on Monday, Ashu had a meltdown and said "I want Appa NOW. I want my Appa" and 2 seconds later, Hd called. Freaked me out.

Going out for groceries or to a park would ve been a lot harder. If push comes to shove, I would do that too but its tough.

The trick is to eat BEFORE Im hungry. Feed Antu and Ashu BEFORE they get hungry. God save us if we all get hungry at the same time.

I did nt ve a minute to miss Hd.

I also have a strong suspicion that when a couple stay together in a loveless marriage for the kids' sake, it actually means "to share the burden of taking care of the kids".

5 pm to 7 pm is the craziest. If I ever kill myself, it would be precisely at 6.55 pm.

The second half of The Transporter sucked. Big time.

If you were me you would ve noticed that I did nt include taking a shower in the list. Thank God Hd was gone only for 2 days! And long live deos and perfumes.

Ashu feels alone.

Ashu has forgotten that she has a room and there are a million stuff in there for her to play with. I don't remember the last time she was in the room doing something on her own. Its rush, rush in the morning and she leaves for school. Comes back, has lunch and takes a nap on some days and skips on others. Then its snack time. Then an early dinner and goes to sleep. In between these, she is with Antu ALL the time. When I'm feeding Antu, shes lying down next to me. When I'm cooking, she lies down next to Antu in the play mat. Or sits next to the Bouncer and rocks her or talks to her or sings to her or tells her something. Talks to her in a gibberish language. Talks to me and tells me stuff Antu is doing. When I'm changing Antu, helps me by handing over a fresh diaper. And she talks. ALL the time. Questions, doubts, observations and imagination rule her life. Even when I remind her that she can do puzzles or play with her dolls or read(see) a book, she reluctantly brings them to the living room and half-heartedly does something for a few minutes and goes back to Antu. Its like her life revolves around Antu.I don't know what to make of it. I hope its just a phase because I feel sorry for the poor child. Shes absolutely aching for company. She is having a whale of a time during play dates with her class mates or when we go to a friends house who have kids too. But we are not able to do it on a regular basis. I think shes craving for kids her own age. Today she told me, "Lets call S home, Amma. I ll play with her and share all my toys with her." Broke my heart. So what do you parents do? Not many kids in this apartment of her age. Its getting too dark and too cold by 5 pm these days. Our friends don't live near us. Her school friends live too far away. I feel as if Ashu cant wait for Antu to grow up. Sigh! I should have had Antu first.

Food Allergy Awareness.

Tharini of Winkies Ways has started a Food Allergy Awareness Month. She has kick started the posts with her first post here and Sujatha of blogpourri has shared a wonderful and informative post in her blog. Theres more to come from Tharini and quite a few other bloggers as well. Also, check out Tharinis post on the difference between Food Allergy and Food Intolerance.

If you have done a post on Childhood Allergies in your blog in the past, please pass on the link in the comment space or by email. Or if you have any information to share, please do a post and leave the link here. I ll be doing a final round up of all related posts in the month end at IndianMommies, so do check it out. Lets all come together for this good cause and spread the awareness. Thanks in advance.

“If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried”.

When I got up today morning I got this insane idea to make Aloo Parathas for lunch. Yes, thats what I think about as soon as I wake up. Food. Actually, thats why I wake up these days. To eat. Otherwise, I will happily lay in bed all day long feeding Antu who does nt seem to have heard the famous Tamil proverb "Alavodu undu, valamodu vaazhanum" and is ALWAYS attached to my boob! Anyway, so I tell my idea aloud. Hd who is usually kicked up when I announce such things, snickers and asks, "But why?" I shush him up, finish the breakfast routine and attack the dough with vengeance. With the dough ready, I boil the potatoes and make the stuffing. I try to remember when I made Aloo paratha the last time. Circa 2001 I guess. And it was a disaster. But this time I am prepared. I ve seen the video a dozen times, read up the recipe hundred times and between then and now, I ve practiced making chapathis. About 5 times in these 8 years. So Im good, right? Like hell!

So I rolled out the dough, kept the ball of stuffing inside, closed it up on all sides and started rolling. Gently. The stuffing ran helter skelter, left the dough, bunched up at the edges, stuck to the rolling pin and on the counter. I took a long breath and rolled the second ball. But by now, the warning has been passed to the other balls about the hot frying pan situation and I swear that the stuffing stuck to the rolling pin and cried for help! And not to mention, the supposed to be round parathas looked like India map. With the stuffing bordering like Pakistan and Bangladesh. I was so upset. I screamed and shouted at Hd and startled the father daughter duo who were doing some project(play doh to mock me perhaps?) in Ashus room. "What happened Amma", asked Ashu very concerned. "These stup... I mean these silly parathas are nt coming out properly Ashu. My parathas suck!" "Its OK amma. Its OK. Don't be sad. Can I have some chapathi maavu to eat please?", she asked. Gave her some happily and asked Hd to look into the situation. "Why don't you mix up the stuffing and the dough and roll out? Its all the same, right?", asked Hd. "Why dont you eat some coffee powder and then drink the milk? Its all the same right?", I quipped. "Do whatever you want. It was nt my idea to make parathas", Hd barked and went away. Ashu swiped a little more chapathi dough and went away too. I shed some tears to make up for the less salt and finished rolling India maps with borders all the while muttering, "I'm smart. I should be able to make parathas. Why the hell cant I make some stupid parathas? I'm such a good cook and I cant even make these damn parathas. I can never start a food blog, I cant even make chapathis let alone parathas. I suck. I must be really stupid. May be theres a secret ingredient and no ones telling me. Yes, that must be it", I decided and finished frying the parathas. To leave no evidence, we ate all up. They were tasty yes but I would never serve it to anyone. They looked ghastly! I could ve taken some pictures and showed you guys. But I was afraid you all will judge me on what kind of mom I am. Who cant make parathas! And thats the reason I did nt tell you guys about the time I dropped the iPod on Antus head while feeding her. Oops!