Attitude from the genes?

It is amazing how the genes get transmitted & how it reflects on the views & perceptions from the mother to the children. It is true but & yet untrue!

My son was playfully asking me – “How old will my sis be when I am 7 yrs old?” This question went on almost consecutively till he was 22 years old!!

And I responded to the last question that his sister will be 20 years old when he will be 22 & that I will be an old lady @ that time!!!!!!

And phew! Both my kids got upset on the fact that I will be an old lady! Infact my daughter even said that she will not be 20 years cos I will be old by then!!!! Both of them are very averse to me getting old or looking old or even the mere fact of old age being mentioned. It is probably (in my perception) cos they don’t like their mom to look old & maybe also cos they sub consciously relate to old age & death.

Now what amazes me here is heart of heart Im also not particularly fond of old age -meaning the thought of growing old is not so welcome! Wrinkled skin, grey hair, aches n pains, diseases.....! But yes, I know there is no escape from it & have been reconciling myself to accept the fact of life. And I must admit that I have been succeeding! However, these inner feelings / thots of mine have never been discussed with anyone including my kids!

And I was indeed amazed to see this reaction from them to my growing old! Is it from the genes?

However having said that I must also say that the contrary is true! My mom has never felt this way towards old age. Infact she is happy to have grown wiser with age & experience & also believes in ageing gracefully!

So don’t ask me how I got this view on ageing!!!

Good morning!!!

Yippe! Yippee! Im back! Been missing my space a lot! And I hope I would more regular & that I will visit all your blogs very soon. Thanks to Blogeswari, Umm Oviya , Teesu etc for the motivation to restart yet again!

I couldn’t think of a more apt way to start again, than greeting you all “Good morning”


To my little knowledge, this term “Good morning” is used to greet people anytime in the morning till noon. Thereafter I think it is “Good afternoon / Good evening”. But no, some people think differently!!

I first noticed this with a colleague who greeted me “Good morning” just past noon. I initially ignored thinking he wasn’t aware that it was past noon. Thereafter I started noticing that he would greet me thus, irrespective of the time of the day…once it was post lunch & once closer to 5 in the evening!

Hence I thought he ought to be corrected. So the next time he greeted me “Good morning” in the afternoon, I reciprocated with a “Good afternoon”! But no he got offensive & explained to me that you need to wish “Good morning” when you speak / see the particular person for the first time during the day!!!!

OMG! New meanings!!

I soon shared this joke with yet another more sensible colleague. She laughed & said that apparently this is a common practice is many other companies.

And true to her words, I noticed this with my (multinational) Banker, some consultants & also some professional organizations! You call their office & the receptionist says “Good morning……” even at the closing hours!!! Is it by default? Or sheer ignorance?!

Nevertheless, “Good morning” my dear bloggers! (Hoping you are reading this in your morning hours!!!)

The past months

I really cant believe myself that I've been out of blogging action for almost 6 months! Gosh! Missed reading all the lovely blogs....gotta catch up!

For those of u wondering y I was away for so long.....it was cos of the relocation. It has taken me some time to set things on the home front & the career front. And I just thot it was better to have a break & get back rejuvenated! :)

During this period there was so many things that I wanted to write on my blog & kept telling myself that I shall post them soon. But as usual when its the time to post I just cant recall what exactly I wanted to post!!!!

Kids are doing well.....they are now used to the life here. The older one is busy with his skool & younger is soon learning all the tricks from her brother!

Some of the highlights during this period of 6 mths

1. Enjoyed shopping things all over again for the new home!
2. Spent time with kids...taking them out whenever possible (& at the same time put up with all their tantrums...sometimes patiently....sometimes it was too much 2 handle!)
3. Learnt some yoga (tho not practising now as theres no enuff time)
4. Tried driving the car in the Chennai traffic.....but gotta get better!
5. Painted a nice name board
6. Went to most of the "Aadi sale"/ "Anniversary sale"/"yearly sale" etc of whatever interested me! :)
7. Met up with lot of, one-off characters & self-learnt few things for myself
8. Had a great time with my aunt & umpteen cousins who visited me during the period
9. Same with my friends - we caught up after many years....some close friends visited Chennai & had a super duper time!
10. Went for the much raved Sivaji movie with my son (a big fan of Rajini) - soon after it was released & enjoyed him enjoying the film, more than enjoying the film!!!!!

okie enuff abt me.....will blog hop soon & try n catch up!!!!

Not a NRI

Have been a NRI (Non-Resident Indian) for some time now.....but before other people brand me as a Not Required Indian, I thot it was probably wiser to get back to India! :)

As v r relocating, I will be away from the blogosphere for a few days! :-(

I am gonna miss all ur blogs but hope to catch up very soon.

Let the good times roll on..............:-)

Mind ur language!

My 4 yr old has been using words like "stupid, shut-up, holy shit" etc. He has picked these from his skool mates. He hardly even knows the meaning of such words but uses these cos its taboo, cos his friends (@ skool) use them & also cos I keep telling him that they are bad words.
I have tried to explain to him, punish him etc for using such vocabulary, but in vain.

He started saying "stupid" almost a year ago & the more I was insisting on him not to say the word, the more he wld. Surprisingly he has used holy shit only once. He said it & I didnt react much...I just said it wasnt something nice to say. And after that I have never heard him say that again. I hope that trick would continue to work.

However I am wondering how do I make him stop saying stupid, shut up etc? He uses those words whenever he is angry & with any one. Any tips anyone?

There were 2 other funny instances of his usage of words.....

Once hubby had a boil on his forehead & he wanted to know what it was. So hubby said it was a boil. So he asks hubby - "What's boiling on ur forehead?"

Another day when I was preparing dinner (caneloni) he came running to me & wanted to know what I was cooking cos of the v.good smell. And he compliements me - "Amma u r a v.good cooker!!!"

Miss these

I am gonna be missing these from next month -

1. Luxury of an inhouse maid (Gladys) -
Gladys stays in the servants quarters outside my house but within the same compound. She is my maid cum nanny. She keeps my house clean & also takes care of kids while I am @ work. She is supported by another maid who washes the clothes, irons them, cleans the yard, does the dishes, waters the garden & cleans my car. Glayds is there @ my beck & call whenever I need her for any help. She is quite good with kids & my daughter just adores her. We are gonna be missing her a lot.

2. My Gym instructor - Ross
He is one helluva of guy! He is around 50+ but so physically fit. His classes are so much fun. I try my level best never to miss his classes. He has a big fan club & makes hi impact aerobics soooooooooo interesting. He has helped me shed those extra calories after my 1st delivery. Now Im in the process but not yet reached there. Im gonna miss his work out.

3. My office room -
It is the best room one can ask for! I spend most of my time during the day here. It is huge, well ventilated, decorated with some plants & paintings. And it is almost the size of my bosses' room! And there have been many jealous colleagues as I have a this wonderful room just for myself! Whilst it offers me privacy, it also gives me a good view of what is happening outside the office & what my assts are up to!!! :D

4. My car -
I luv my 4X4 ......Toyota Rav 4. I enjoy its height, size, sun roof etc. It was such pleasure to drive it esp during my pregnancy where I had a huge huge tummy (due to water retention).

5. Being a compere -
I have hosted many cultural shows here & have a big fan club! Infact some friends even address me as "The official MC"! My shows include Diwali programs, Onam programs, fund raising programs & the latest was when I was the MC when Usha Uthup was here. Have also done some shows impromptu. I also got an offer from a professional troupe to be part of them.

6. Religious events -
I am part of a sahasranam group where we meet up all weekends & recite the same. I m also gonna miss the satsangs & other special events @ the temple. Satsangs have been so energetic & lively here.

7. Garden -
I have a huge garden in front of my house. It has a nice lawn & a nice kitchen garden in the backyard. Kids love this space to run, play & explore. They r really gonna miss it! And I will also miss the luxury of living in an independent house.

8. Winter -
Tho I used to hate winter initially, past 2 winters I have started to enjoy the same. However I still prefer summer but not the humidity.

9. Rooiboos -
This is herbal tea or bush tea. Not many like this but I just love it! I started drinking this during my pregnancy as this is supposed to be cafine free. Ever since I have been drinking only this & just love it! Ofcourse if its not avlb, I resort to the ordinary one.

10. Social life -
We have had a hectic social life here. Have enjoyed hosting the parties thoroughly & also being invited for the same. Sometimes weekends r much more hectic than the weekdays, due to our high social commitments. Have really enjoyed the same! :)

Handle with care!

My mom always says that u never know when & how another person might be of help to u & hence you shd deal each person u meet with extra care & minimal damage! I was reminded of the same when these two incidents happened recently.

I was looking around for a good car to buy & came across this car dealer. I liked the car but for various reasons was taking my time to decide on the same. Finally when I thot of buying the same, unfortunately I had a tiff with the car dealer & the deal was called off.

Now, I have been trying to sell my car & I was referred to the same dealer! I quite forgot abt the incident of (thinking of) buying from him but he seems to be rememebering me v.well! Needless to say he wasnt interested in buying my car! Shucks!

This other incident thankfully I wasnt in the receiving end!!!

There is a middle aged lady here whose husband is a reputed business person & quite well known. I had to deal with her a while ago as I was hosting a fund raising show & she was gonna sing. Hence I had called her to get some info & she was kinda rude to me & took quite some time to give me the reqd info. I was pissed off with her & thot I shd even mess up the announcement b4 her song!! Anycase I wanted to be a good MC & hence didnt resort to any such means.

Two months later, this lady has joined my office as a trainee assistant & works under me! Now she plays her cards well enuff!!

Anycase. I think it is better to handle each person with care! :)