YAyyyyy we are in India. DH had some official work and we tagged along..it was a very last minute plan,I hardly got a week to shop and pack.. but finally we are here. We arrived on Dec 28th and after spending the first half of the vacation at ILs place, we are finally at my dad’s. DH is working in Bangalore but we are getting spoilt rotten.
Aadya’s first plane ride was fine and thankfully, our whole journey went off smoothly. Knock on the wood..and now I hope the return journey is equally comfortable too. I was worried about her getting an ear-ache or her being fussy- she was a little bored by being confined and the bassinet was a good help when she was sleeping.But it was just right for her,then and as soon as she woke up she would sit up straight in the bassinet.She stayed up most of the journey though, cooing and babbling with co-passengers.
Our first leg of the journey ended at Frankfurt. And we were really excited to see the airport.But we were in a big disappointment. I mean,it didn’t look like an international airport at all! There were hardly any waiting lounges, people was sprawled on the floor,for lack of chairs. There were a few food carts here and there.. and a couple big restaurants and some duty-free stores. but overall the impression that I got was of chaos. everything was so disorganised.There was a nursing room.And it was nothing but a closet with a wash basin.. not even a chair.I rested my butt on the small ledge and tried to nursed Aadya.. Both of us ended up frustrated. Luckily I found a chair somewhere on the upper level and then, we nursed happily.
Soon it was time to board our next flight and the chaos that met us at the security point was crazy.. there was absolutely no queue in place and all that was there was a mob. Anyway, we arrived in Mumbai at around 1.30 am on 28th Dec.
Balancing the luggage and Aadya,we came out and were immediately engulfed in hugs and Aadya was promptly snatched away. Her Masi was the first to come and hold her.I was waiting for the familiar pout and tears to come. But instead I was pleasantly surprised when she rested her head on Masi’s shoulder and smiled. Then everyone- my masi, my cousin, all 3 of Aadya’s grandparents took turns holding her..and she happily enjoyed all the attention.My masi and Aadya’s two masi’s joked around and decided the distance for which each one would hold Aadya so as to share her time with them equally! Soon it was time to say bye to Masis and Nanu and Aani( my masi) and we got in the car with Dadu-dadi to head off to their place.
We attended a wedding, 2-3 parties, met so many people and most of the time,Aadya has been a happy camper except when she is really hungry or sleepy.
Now,we are my dad’s and I am getting my dose of pampering while Aani and Masi take care of Aadya. Today for the first since Aadya’s birth,I told my aunt- Please put Aadya to sleep,I want to chat with DH! It feels so weird being just a spectator when Aani is putting aadya to sleep or giving her a bath ..but this is what I was looking forward too na? Somehow,my arms feel empty when I am not holding Aadya..but then,it was so nice to chat with him like old days!LOL
For now,I am off to a 25th wedding anniversary party and Aadya has a bad cold..so we’ll probably make a quick exit,but its just so nice to be surrounded by loved ones.
Thanks for checking on us everyone..I wanted to post before leaving but was just too tied up!
OH and
Wish you all a very Happy New Year!
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December 20th 2007
It’s our 4th wedding anniversary today and if I look back I can say all in all we have had 4 very enjoyable years- with a fair share of ups and downs. While we have had our bickering..almost every day,we made up almost every single time before going to bed.
Last year this time, we were waiting for our baby’s arrival and today celebrating our anniversary with her, just was a special experience. Yesterday I took Aadya to the mall and we picked up some greeting cards and a gift for DH. I am big on cards with “just right” words and luckily for me every year I manage to find just the right greeting. This year I found two such..Before I write those words,I have to tell you this- Since the last few days there have been major fights in our household. For no apparent reason,one of us would blow our top and then keep fuming. So much that we didn’t even feel inclined to make up! And I was in no mood to celebrate the anniversary. Anyway,so we fought on the weekend,then patched up..then again on Monday and I refused to talk. The sweet guy that he is,came home early and took me to the mall. I was being a super B**** and refused to walk with him! he still walked along side by side..Sometime later..I dunno when or how,I found myself reaching for his hand and we came home happy.
sometime later I remembered that I was angry and reminded him half-heartedly and he very sportingly told me he knew I was still upset! Upset! My foot! I don’t even remember now, why we were fighting ..This is what happened last year and neither one of us remembers the reason for that fight too!Are you beginning to see a pattern here?I mean other than the fact that I am the mean one? That we fight..but the important thing is we remember how we made up! And I think that’s what makes him so special..that’s what makes us work! *Knock on the wood*
Here are the words from my “just perfect”card-
We just knew
We knew
what we wantedand it was morethan just each otherit was a wayof being together.We decided to take the best
of what our parents gave usand leave the worst behind.We listened to what our friends
had to say,but let a lot of it slideAnd we vowed,among other things,
never to take each other for granted,because we knew love like thisdoesn’t come to everyone….And we knew that if we just
remembered how lucky we areto have each other,everything elsewould work out all right.And it has.
It has,hasn’t it?
Here’s hoping we have many more happy years together .And while I was still at Hallmark’s,I came across the cutest card ever and I just had to pick it up.It reads-Mom and dad,
Hope your anniversary is as happy as can be!And thanks,’cause if it weren’t for you..
there wouldn’t be a ME!And the back cover reads- Am I thoughtful or what?!!
We went out for a lovely dinner at a kid-friendly Mediterranean grill called Fadi’s Mediterranean Grill. Oh well, candle light dinners are out..Anyone offering their baby-sitting services?Normally,I would spend my anniversary day,pampering myself-you know home facial and painting nails..and the likes,this year just changed diapers. but, here’s the big deal-DH got me an 8 GB Apple iPod nano !Thanks Honey!I am glad I married you- iPod or not!All in all a great day!! Oh! and thanks for all the wishes everyone.Edited to add- This post was started yesterday and it was going to be really mushy.Then,Aadya woke up and I got side-tracked and lost my chain of thoughts,so for now this will be it. -
I loved tomatoes when I was a kid.So much that I even had a nickname for tomatoes..”Munnu” everytime I wanted to eat a tomato,I would ask my mom for a munnu! But,as I grew up my love for tomatoes slowly started to fade away,so much that when I started cooking,I would hardly use any tomatoes -unless it was for salads or soups.
Last week I had a whole bunch of tomatoes lying around. Neither of us was in mood for soup or salad and so,I sat down with my xeroxed copy of my mom’s recipe book and dug up a recipe which I loved when I was kid.But here’s the thing-it was a recipe for Tomato Chicken.
Now,using those tomatoes was one thing but cooking tomato chicken was another.While I always enjoyed this dish growing up,I wasn’t sure if it would turn out the same way.And as I started gathering the ingredients,I realised the recipe didnt call for any onions! Chicken curry without onions?No way!I was still apprehensive but my mouth was watering remembering the tomato Chicken curry my mom used to dish out. So,thinking of all those days so many years ago, sat down to chop tomatoes..remembering the aroma filling through the dining room,and just the right amount of sunlight filtering through those crisp white curtains,with strawberry prints.
Anyway so here’s the recipe-Ingredients-
1kg chicken
1 kg tomato
2tsp ginger-garlic-green chili paste(preferably fresh)
2 bell peppers
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp garam masala.
1 tbsp cashew paste.(soak cashew nuts in warm water for about 15minutes and grind)
salt to taste
1/4cup oil for cooking.
Preparation-
Clean and cut chicken into pieces of desired size.Apply a little salt and turmeric powder to the chicken piece and keep aside.
Chop tomatoes and bell peppers into big chunks.
In a heavy bottomed pot, heat oil and add the chicken pieces. Fry the chicken till it changes color. Add ginger -garlic paste and fry for about 2 minutes.Add salt,chili powder and turmeric powder too.
Add peppers and fry for another 2-3 minutes.
Add tomatoes and cook on a medium heat till tomatoes and chicken are cooked. Add cashew paste and simmer for another 5 minutes.Serve hot over rice or with roti.
And the vedict- “Just the right dash of hot and tangy flavors!”said DH!
P.S. I tried this recipe by substituting chicken with Paneer and it turned out even more tastier! Sorry I dont have pictures right now.Will upload them soon.
Go on try it and do come back and tell me how you liked it!
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I started to reply to all the comments about my previous post in the comments section and then realised that it was getting too long and so decided to do another post-this time in a more relaxed and not-so-irritated mood.
Mona quoted from a book she is reading –what makes us do that to each other though is our own insecurity – our own fears that our decisions are not the right ones. and we can only validate our decisions by finding people who make similar decisions or converting people who make radically different decisions.
This simple statement says a lot and may be I see the logic too..But I am the kind of person,who hardly passes a judgement about others,so its kind of hard for me to accept it.I think try to weigh the other persons feeling, circumstances and reasons,before finally forming a judgement or opinion about them.And may be that’s one of the reasons why I don’t like confrontations,because I just cant find a smart retort to say then and there and then I keep brooding and fuming long after the moment has passed. But then by expecting the others to do the same,am I not trying to validate my own decision?
I have always refrained from commenting on SAHM and WM debates simply because I cannot seem to side with any one side.Both sides have their share of positives or negatives. While a SAHM might envy a WM her alone time(even if surrounded by an army of colleagues), a WM may be jealous of the SAHM’s leisurely spent day(yeah right!)Like Anitha commented on how she gets a hard time from her SAHM counter-parts.I come from a family of working women..both my grandmothers were working full-time too.My mom was a full-time WM till I was 12.And then, one day,she decided she wanted to be home for her kids and didn’t find it a tough call to make. I have seen her balance both her work and us brats and so am so in awe of all WM.But being a SAHM makes me realise how wrong I was to think my mom was free! She took that time to pursue her other interests and hobbies-We had a beautiful garden,always blossoming with flowers,which was the envy of the whole neighbourhood and while I burnt the midnight lamps,studying for my 10th, so did my mom,to get her Naturopathy diploma! She was a full-fledged Naturopath,before I passed 12th and all that despite managing a busy household and fighting Cancer.Anyway,so back to the post.. I knew it even before I got married or even had a boy-friend that I wanted to be a housewife for a little while.I always had an interesting career lined up in my dreams too and the plan was to take a break for a few months and then go back to work. Partly by circumstances,partly by chance and partly due to my own laid back attitude I ended up never seriously looking for a job. And again I was clear,that I didn’t want to stay away from DH and since his job meant we move often,I never got around to aggressively looking for a job. The one time that I did look up seriously, took up volunteering and they told me they’d hire me,I got pregnant.I was clear that I didn’t want to work toward thru the last trimester and due to my erratic cycles,I realised I was pregnant when the first trimester was practically over.I didn’t think it was fair on my part to take up a job for just 3 months..when someone else,more needier, could get it and keep it longer!Again I always knew,I wanted to be home with my baby for the first few years of his/her life..so you see..everything turned out pretty well.And for the first time in so many years I am happy where I am.
And normally,I am pretty unfazed by these discussions simply because I am happy. When we moved to Texas,DH asked me if I wanted to think about getting into research( which was a big deal to me at one point of time) and I was sure,I didn’t want to NOW! Few years down the lane-may be..or not. My dad harassed me over the phone and all through his trip about “doing something with my life”..I told him..not so sweetly(sorry dad) that I am doing something with my life!!He stayed here.. and saw that I was indeed content being just a mom for now.But its when I come across people like the last lady I mentioned,that make me mad! like Rayshma said ” one of them *whom i barely know* even went to the extent of commenting on “how diff can it be to get a work permit?”… well, none of her biz really, is it! “-
Yes, its none of her business!Same goes for the said person i wrote about- She is not working,a housewife..and so how can she question my choice? Sure she used to work a long time ago.. and So did I!It will be like me telling another SAHM ..oh why don’t you put your baby in day care and look for a job..But I wont..coz I cant bear the thought of my child being in a day-care..Hypocrite rite!!
Anyway,enough said..let me tell you something nice now.
Last Thursday,I got a call,from a fellow blogger-Shobana.It was just so nice talking to her. First time that she called,I was putting Aadya down for a nap..turned out,she didn’t want to nap at all..finally after 2 hours,I gave and returned Shobana’s call. This time,it was my turn to leave a voice mail and she called up promptly. It was really so comfortable,like talking to an old friend..none of the awkwardness of first time calls.I love talking and almost monopolised the conversation..I think I hardly gave the poor girl a chance to speak.And she thinks,I thought she was quiet..You know what’s funny.. in an odd way,it reminded me of my first phone conversation with DH,(then new guy)-I was this bubbly cheerful blabbering nutcase and he the quiet,calm listener…
Ohh the funny thing about my call with Shobana– I asked her very enthusiastically–Ohh so what was your line of work? and she said nutrition..when it belatedly struck me that it was right there on her profile on her blog!Silly me..Now you know..I am really a scatter-brain.
Shobana is such a sweetie..she mailed me the first time when I wrote about my mom and since then, we have exchanged occasional emails.When I wrote about my lump,she asked me for my number..tentatively..and then let me blabber before finally asking about the lump.Its like she is there holding hands,silently hanging around.Thanks for taking the initiative,girl!
This reminds me of another incident-the day my mom passed away, we were naturally going crazy. It was way past 10 and our friends were still with sis and me.We are really lucky to have this group of friends.Even today,they are the ones I look up to when I need something.Sis was hyperventilating and everyone was hovering around her..trying to comfort her..Finally,our family Dr. gave her a shot to make her sleep..I don’t know when,I started crying again silently.And a friend who is normally the quiet types,came and stood by me..quietly wiped my tears and patted me on the head, in the most loving protective gesture. Then, he held my hands and asked me to talk..something anything..just talk.I can still see it as clearly as that day. That one gesture..made him extra special to me.He is still a very special friend. And a great guy at that..Any single girls,looking for a great guy?Sometimes,even the smallest of gestures can leave an ever-lasting impression on your mind.
Hmm.. see this is what happens..when I sit down to write with a clear mind!!I will stop here.
And 2b’s mommy.. now that you are a good girl.. sure you can come back..:)
