Happy Birthday

Here is a holler of a 'happy birthday' to a very special brother!


He is nice and mean all in one piece. He is shrewd and 'pavam' mixed together. But he is a perfect mix! He knows how to make you feel special and then he completely ignores you!

He is younger than me and has still taught me so many things. The most important one, I am not sure whether I will forgive him for, is TATKAL tickets on IRCTC!
He is my goto person for which Malayalam movies to watch. Though most of the time I want to kill him after I watch the movie.

He made our anniversary very special this past December (2012). I am not sure if he knows that my favorite thing about any party is games. He actually organized a treasure hunt, all included, with Sudoku and running around the house and somehow managed to get us (Suresh and me) to win. The prize -- Anniversary cake.

Favorite memories of being with you - brother - Me 'Kooaling' (yelling) in a movie theater with him on one side and him violently shaking my hand saying 'Chechy please -- I may know people in here'

Favorite thing you have done that shows that you care and listen - When we just moved to Bangalore I was frantically searching for a baby nail cutter since Ziva was scratching her face off. After a couple of failed attempts we gave up. That night brother came home from hanging out with his friends and he pulled out from his pocket a baby nail cutter. I still think of you, brother, when I use the cutter to chop Isaac and Ziva's nails. I hope one day - I can give that to you as a 'something borrowed' (very american thing) when you have your first baby with that Malayalee girl who speaks Malayalam worse than me! നെറ്റൂരനോടനോട നിന്ടെ കളി

Here is wishing you a very very happy birthday Aiju --- May the Lord മുക്കാൽ you soon!
In all seriousness
May the Lord bless you! May he make his face shine upon you!

Zebra fashion - Quotes from Isaacland

So the summer is coming along and I decided I needed some shorts for nightwear. Went shopping and found a cute striped Jockey shorts!

In the car, post shopping, trying to calm a cranky Ziva and Isaac

Me: 'Hi see what Amma got'
I pull out my Jockey shorts
Isaac squeals: 'Zebra pants!'

So much for Jockey fashion!

Say it like you mean it! - Ziva's world

So we are back at teaching a little manners! Its time for Ziva to say 'Please' 'Sorry' and 'thank you'. Rowdy that she is - she needs to say all three of those phrases often.   Cheeky as she is - I dont think she means it sometimes!

The other say she was sitting on my lap and waving her arms around and in spite of me telling her to stop, she kept going on. Finally her tiny palms landed on my face 'Phat'

Me: 'Ouch Ziva - that hurt! Say Sorry'
Ziva (not entirely convinced I was hurt and still waving her arms) cheekily: 'Shorry'
Me: 'You dont mean it! Say nicely'
Ziva: 'Nicely'

I think we need clarify new words learning session to manners learning session!

Be Good - Ziva's world

Whenever I pack Isaac and Ziva to the park, there is normally a howling and bribing session with Isaac, because he never wants go. Ziva on the other hand can't wait to put on her shoes and get onto the stroller.
Once on the stroller, if everyone is smiling (or not) I say
Me: Have fun! I love you Isaac, I love you Ziva -- Be good!
The 'be good' is normally so they listen to Aunty and play nicely - with each other.

A few evenings back Suresh was at home when I was packing them off to the park. He helped Ziva put on her shoes and stood her up.
Suresh: Bye Ziva
Ziva walks a little way - turns around
Ziva : 'Gibberish ... Gibberish .... ......Be good Appa'

Suresh looks at me confused.
Me: She told you to be good!

Good advice huh! Would love for Ziva to watch E.T. She would make a good Drew Barrymore ;)

Faux pas

I have had my own sets of 'faux pas' ... i.e. social blunders. I have often called out the wrong things or put my really big foot in my really small mouth. But usually, I realize and get very embarrassed and swear never to speak in public again.

Here, back in India, after 10 years of being in a country that has a low tolerance for 'faux pas', I have realized that it is better to keep silent and be considered a fool than to open ones mouth and prove it!

Below are a few crazy conversations I have had that have made my jaw drop. The funny part is the person on the other end had no idea that they had put their foot in their mouth!

The first one happened as I was helping my kids play in the park. There was a lot of howling and screaming and a certain mom came over to give her condolence about the chaos in my vicinity. I smiled and accepted the empathy.
The next question was 'How old is your son'
Me: '2 years'
Q: 'How old is your daughter?'
Me:'2 months?'
Faux Pas:' Wow not much difference huh!'
Me in my head 'You think!'
Faux pas adder: 'My two kids are well apart!
I wasn't sure whether I should laugh or cry!

Another one
We are currently renting. And since we moved to India with 249 boxes and came here and got some closets built we trying desperately not to buy any furniture/stuff for the house. Just because the number of boxes with the next move will increase again! That being said we also have a few choices. No TV in the living room. Well the basement has plenty of space and the TV down there reduces the amount of time I spend in front of it. We had a few guests a few months back who walked in and among the first things that slipped out was a faux pas
Faux pas: 'What happened your living room looks really empty?'
Yikes - how about  saying 'Spacious living room!' instead


and yet another
Yet again in the company of another mother and here is how the conversation goes
Other mom: So are you working
Me (smiling at my two kids): No - this (pointing at the kids) is full time work
Other mom: Oh! Why do you have a full time servant then?
Me: ............. loss of words!
I am not certain whether I should that said  'I am extremely lazy' or 'because I can afford it!

Well both would have been rude! As is this post --- but just me venting!

Pick up lines!

We are way past the 'pick up line' age - and so we don't hear many strange things being said around us. Unlike when we were were in college or even grad school when we heard the weirdest things said around us -- when the moment was awkward and 'the boy' should have just asked 'the girl' out.

Our current favorite movie to watch over and over again is 3 Idiots. Mainly because it is copied on the hard drive because the kids scratched up the CD. So every time Suresh and I are bored (which is rarely since the kids are normally driving us nuts) or just need a laugh (which is all the time) we will turn on the movie.
Favorite scenes for Suresh and me are Chatur's speech or Aamir Khan giving the watch 'demo'. We were watching a little past all this one day to where Aamir Khan tells the girl that her mother must have been really pretty and Suresh laughs
Suresh:' That's a nice pick up line!'
Me:' Yea - its better than yours'
Suresh: 'What!'
Me: 'Oh Please!'

A little story from a long time ago or in the Hindi cinema it would be called a FLASHBACK!

It was the graduate student orientation at Virginia Commonwealth University in the year 2000. As usual the Indian students were clustered together and hanging out solely together. The boys all together and the girls all together. (I still cannot get over how we still sit only in separate sexes - almost like men and women cannot sit in the same room and have a conversation - I will save this for another blog!)
And yet all together! We found a few benches and sat down. I was with my roommates and happened to sit right across from Suresh who was trying to eat a burger and definitely not enjoying it. He looks up
Suresh : 'You are a Christian ?'
Me: 'Yea - how did you know ?'
Suresh: 'Nametag'
Me: 'Oh - yea George!'
Suresh : 'You know where you are going to church tomorrow'
ALERT ALERT ALERT --- major pick up line alert!

 

Back to the present- I look at Isaac
Me: 'You will you not be asking any girls to church!'
Isaac whose mouth is stuffed with chappattis and whatever other vegetables I could throw in - nods and moves his attention back to his documentary on Dolphins.