When do moms stop??

As i was wrapping up my AM call with my mom, i told her i have to rush as there was a mothers day luncheon picnic at T's school. She was as excited as i was, wanted me to get there on time and says "Zara achey dhang ke kapde pehno" (translated to ....well i dont have the heart to translate).

My jaw just dropped, I'm not a 5th grader anymore and still i get these tidbits slung at me. I frowned "mamma, why did you say that" (in my head, thousand balloons were popping up wondering "I wear good clothes, dont I")

But then she goes on about how i always wear the plain jane clothes. It was my cousins wedding, all were decked out and i chose to have have a dark brown suit stiched with classy neck and well whatever...she thought something was wrong with me, look at luna, she has nice jhumkas on, her pretty green
and white lehenga.

We were at a family friends daughter wedding, i wore a simple yellow and purple kurta pyjama, the only reason i remember is because she fussed over how i could have worn something more dressier.

Ha ha...by god, i love her to pieces, but she can have me in rambles in no time.

I was thinking about all those incidents and more while I chose to wear my pretty green blouse with Express jeans, a simple bracelet. Rushed to McD's got something for myself and t's teachers. Late by 9 mts, i even managed to put some quick makeup on in less than 3 mts in the car. I hope T knows how he good he has ;) I hope i fit my mom's bill of dhang ke kapde, but i know i'll always be the plain jane who chooses clothes from the bottom of the drawer for her. This song was on fm as i was rushing...

Have a well dressed weekend, my sugar plums.

Would you work it?

Rani On Filmfare: (Un)Covered

Love the lehenga she's sporting on right side, she paired it so beautifully too. To make it wearable, outside of the ramp and photoshoot, I'd do nice jhooti's, change from black to white blouse, high neck, sleeve cut right towards the neck, showing off some skin on the shoulders, with a white dupatta laced with just a hint of gold or maybe red, all those chunky bangles.

If you heading to a friends mehendi, if you are throwing a tandoor party in your backyard even, i'd keep the hair simple, no more of jewellery, no earrings nothing, just a gorgeous lehenga and smile to go with it- totally workable.

Rani is such a charming gal. That's me reporting from Fashion central of my blog. Thank you for tuning in, will bring you more as i spot some simple workable ones. Muaah!

Happy Mamma's day!

It's mothers day tomorrow, my dollies, it's a wonderful way to express to all the special mom's in your life what a wonderful job they are doing. Your mom, your wife, your daughter, your sister, your friends - all of who inspire you, bring smiles to your day, who make days tolerable, who seal the hurts away, do wish them and tell them how much you cherish them.

It totally rocks to be a mom, but more than ever i've realized as my mom's child, that the world is a better place with sweet, tough, sassy mom's with beautiful hearts. Love you all babes!

Was i missed ke nahi (not a breathing breath with that thought, aieh. koi nahi...iss blog rajya ki huzoor ki aisi qwahish ki zurrat nahi ki) (kya baath hai meri jaan) alrighty enough with my trials on the fly and just want to wish the moms of all blogland real and surreal ;) a very happy mothers day. Hope all the dads of young guns treat the mamma's of the tot world like a princess.

Be tough and strong cookies! Miss you mamma, T learnt a mothers day song at school, i made him sing it to my mum, she absolutely loved it. (Rambling again, will stop.) 

Chile to Ireland

I distinctly remember, Irfhan in the train, telling his co-passenger, about the book he's reading (scene from Name Sake). He says, you can go to different places without leaving where you are by reading a book. Maybe he didnt say the exact words but its to that effect.

Few weekends ago, i picked two books from our local library, "a jewel of a story" proclaimed New York times,  on the cover of The postman (Il Postrino) by Antonio Skarmeta, translated by K. Silver. It suddenly reminded me of the times when my mom use to translate russian stories in telegu for local publications. It piqued me and i picked it!

Mario Jimenez the postman asks Pablo Neruda the poet, if everything in life is a metaphor for something else.

I found this line profound, if you try to think about it, in your day to day life, dont we live a sleuth of metaphors, dont we?

(reading Return Journey of Maeve Binchy, currently)

One

I heard in French today - Dieu est un comédien jouant devant un public trop peur de rire.... translated to God is a comedian, playing to an audience too afraid to laugh!


Ha ha ha....

Evening Spring

Picked a friend at Exton station and dropped her at home, she was sick, i was sick, her kiddo was sick. But the spring air was anything but, my mind was racing, my heart was racing.

It reminded me of those care free evenings with just a hint of coolness in the air of hyderabad, after a long sweaty day.

Right after the shower, when you step out on the balcony....
Right after dinner, when you sit on the bike for a ride....
Right after finishing that ice-cream and stepping out of that baskins at middle of the night with cousins and uncle.
Right after wearing a crisply ironed kurta and smell like Mysore Sandal and head to that movie with bunch of friends.

I'll never point to motherhood for stripping me of those moments, i'll, however to the rigid discipline i follow for myself and my son, to the harsh winters of north east.

I was in a part of town that i was not too familiar with, but it let me see the world i had left behind, a book i finished reading was coming to me, places i havent been to, and been to were entwining me.

Is it really....

From Post Secret

It's amazing how world around you resonates to what you feel. My thoughts go out to this post card sender, whoever you are. Hope peace and affection find you. i keep thinking of sending some of mine too, but then everyone else does such a great job that, i'm more inspired by thier woa (work of art).

As you turn around the corner of the street, as you go across a familiar place, as you see a dear one's facial feature in a strangers face, do you wonder- who does your thoughts tie back to?

The road ahead seems so fiercely gravelly, can i walk bare foot, can you walk bare foot....ever think.

Pick your battles....

Few weeks ago, after a mother of headache slaughtered me for 2 days straight, i knew who to point my blame on....my teeth. Except for one root canal and few other minor issues, i'm in good shape, was my assumption. 

During a much needed dental visit, my Canadian dental hygienist, who was admiring my purple shoes and how she loves purple, and how after 4 yrs she painted her room purple (ok sista!), and is also venturing on border stencils (wow! bit much)....she asked me the most dreaded question, how often is it that i floss. AAhh...the F word again! I honestly admitted to her how i brush twice, sometimes thrice a day, but i detest flossing. It looks complicated, i'm not sure i'm doing it the right way, not sure if it's doing its job, i attempt it however but only to stop rather quickly.

Waterpik

After hearing me, she google chromed me to show what a waterpik was? hmm....interesting, mental note made to look it up asap at home. There i was after shiny clean teeth paid out of my pocket, and a estimate for the implants to remove my root canal filling that made me roll my eyes, i rushed back to look up what this hoopla about waterpik was. 

Read all about it in 10 mts and thanks to Amazon, few days later, this wonderful product made it to my home. Post charging, i tried it on this am, it kinda feels funny the way the water works around your mouth, but i think this product has potential. The instructions say, i can even fill it with mouthwash. It's a oral irrigator, a fundoo word, but me likey. A worthy alternate to traditional flossing. 

This is in no way promotional for the product, but my sheer amazement that, how we are not aware of some wonderful products there, which make our life so much easier, healthier and cleaner. 

Rocket for a Princess

While growing up, amongst treasure of books as toys, i had oodles of "sketch pens" aka markers in US of A, so no matter what i get for T, i always load up on extra markers for him when i'm at the store for his "out of the blue surprises". He randomly lies on the floor coloring this and that, he's never inside the lines, which is absolutely fine by me.

Castle for Mamma!

One morning, he made a leaning tower of pisa (if you ask me) out of the markers and annouces "oh mamma i made a rocket ship". Like any proud parent would, i expressed my pure sense of joy at his whimsical imagination and continued making his lunch. But then he changed his story by the end of his lunch hour and exclaimed that it was now a castle, "Castle for you mamma!".

I had to give him for that, and gave my undivided Wows and thank yous. Then he pops a belated question - "Mamma are you a princess"....Meri jaan, mera baccha, xoxoxo...i let a cloud of thought float above me which said "Depends who you are asking darling".

The boys brought it home!

Kya match tha, by god, Sri Lanka Vs India, two asian teams first time in world finals. Great job by Sri Lankans, but then when we started it was like watching a team coming to support each other. Loved it, loved it, loved it, my boys. Go Go Go Team Blue, Team India. After 1983, a well deserved cup for a well deserved Captain, Dhoni saheb. XOXO to our team. India Won the World Cup Cricket. Dhoni showed his talent for sportsman and showmanship. Well done sirji, esp, woh aapka last sixer tho by god, mashallah tha! But Gambhir, what Gambhir did was lagaam dheere dheere se kheech kar, he brought us over to the kinara. The grace the team portrayed by saying it was all for Sachin, wah! It's what we do for others that we are remembered for. Love it, ekdam cream of the cake game tha. Cheers....enjoy the victory hearties!

Size it up?

From a distance, today i saw a grown daughter hug her much older father with such love in her hold....in that minute I felt a pang of fullness in my arms and the comfort you feel when you rest your head on your dad's shoulder.

In Ajmer, daddy being goofy :)

My dad's presence was all i felt, i could see the freckles on this skin and just as the thought was taking a full circle....I realized how it must have felt like for my dad when i was a kid, when i was all up and gone, would it have been the same way like i feel with T?

All the snapshots of moments of T growing up in his size of hugs in my arms and all the times when i hugged my dad in the decisive moments of my life was flocking to my head. One heartfelt hug can close all the distances we conceive in our minds and heart, aint it?

Have a tight squeezy huggable weekend, my sweets.

Rock it, India, Rock it

The mounting tension, the what ifs, the gut wrenching desire to win, nothing spells competition like India vs Pakistan cricket match. I have collective memories of people breaking stuff, banging doors, yelling at TV, fist pumping, the jubilant victories,  jo bhi.....tomorrow there'll be a lot of people working from home and calling in sick to watch the game....

The most anticipated game, no matter what, a lot of hearts will cry with joy and break with tears by the end of this game. These two teams are "allowed" to lose to any other country's team, but when it comes to playing with this respective team the spirit to pulp the other team into pieces is right up there. 

When i was little, ammi's cousins, my brother, sister, myself, all of us would sit on the huge bed, spread on the floor, and watch the game with such adoration. I wish i was in India watching this game, i know my mom is so psyched up. For those few hours everyone i know will be carrying their hearts in their throats rooting for India. Nothing sings spirit like this song, go for it, darlings! Inshallah may India win : )

The soul of my being!

He constantly bowls me over with his childhood innocence, sitting on the counter, with his chaddi, singing his own tune...from last summer. Vous etes chez moi, my babylu.

R.I.P

to Jessica Lall. Though i dont know you, the woman in you and i, is the same. For that, i stand with the family, your truest friends, and the public who stood by you.

I remembered reading the news online many years ago when Jessica Lall was shot in the Mehruli club for denying a drink to a politician's son. As i read the news that day, knowing india's mindset of the rich and the poor, i knew how the law would slant. In 2006, i saw the news of the killer being arrested as top class journalism prevailed the justice. At the time i had South asian channels at home and actually saw the news on tv and felt escalated at Tehelka's persuasion of the truth that was conveniently tucked behind the curtains of bureaucracy.

This afternoon, I watched that movie, No One Killed Jessica, and as i did, i felt enraged, sick to my stomach how somebody would feel when law fails them, when the obvious is so valiantly ignored because of the power in the wallets and the dirtiest tricks of politics that can clout the weak.

Justice has been served but it had been so twisted and tried. The song "mera kaat kaleja dilli..." aptly depicts the mood a justice seeker would feel...kaat kaleja! Kudos to Tehelka! 

Curly story

He was looking in her direction, she felt the gaze of his sight, but in a room full of people she didn't feel like she was the subject and continued her work.

Somebody else caught sight of it, smiled towards her, and made a comment to him about how sweet it was the way he was looking at her. Caught off guard, he made quick rebuttal (silently hoping she would rescue him) looked at her straight in the eye and said "I was looking at how beautiful her curls are today", she felt the drift of his vibe and jubilantly touched her curls and beamed "coming from you, it means a lot". With a smile he shyly shrugs and walks out of the room.

In two minutes she receives a msg from him saying - "You are really awesome"....

:) Aww....isnt that cute.