The Year That Was - 2012

Me and Ritvik had just returned form a month and half vacation from India to welcome the New year. Back to work and day-care routine. Had guests for dinner almost every other week-end of Jan and Feb.
The one thing I am really grateful this year is that we never visited the doctor for Ritvik. "Touchwood", no ear-pains. He did have the cold 2 times but nothing major.
For that matter, me , Gopi and MIL got strep infection and I had the cough for a long time, still coughing now.
March we had BIL,SIL coming to stay with us. Suddenly my privacy was invaded and it is not something I liked. I will have to re-think about staying in a joint family. We did move to a 2 BHK again this year.
May onwards summer started and we had lot of outings with friends, infact so much that my blogging took a break. We went camping, water-parks,beaches,water-tubing,volleyball matches(which our boys won),fall colors. We also started playing cards regularlyon the week-ends.
Oct-Nov was Diwali and Ritzu's bday celebrations and finally we come to December.
It has been a great year with friends.

Let's see what the next year has in store!.

Wishlist Wednesdays 3

Here we are with the 3rd post for Wishlist Wednesdays. For more details visit Preeti's blog here

The writing prompt for today is
The one thing that I wish everyone would learn is................. 

And my answer is The Patience To Listen.

We always interact with people and we always talk, no one cares for listening. I have seen so many instances in a group of friends that when one person is addressing the whole group--2 or 3 ppl will start talking among themselves. Even when 2 friends are talking and if the other person is distracted for some reason (like pacify a crying child or attend a phone call), they just forget what they were talking about and do not bother to pick the conversation from there, maybe the other person was telling something that was bothering him/her.

Basically we as individuals do not have the patience to let the other person to complete talking, we want to butt in and contradict or point our views immediately.

So the one thing I wish that everyone would listen, understand and talk after the other person completes.

"Only when you lisen will you be heard"

Wishlist Wednesdays -2

This week's prompt is
My one wish that came true and gave me immense joy....


For more details hop to Preeti's blog here

Banner of her new book placed below

Before I go into my wish I have to give some background information.
Back in those days when we were kids and travelling in a plane was not as frequent or accessible as it is today my mom would always tell us(me and my sister) , "When you grow up and get a job I want you to take me in a flight just one time, even if it is for a short  distance from Pune to Mumbai."
My parents are also great travel freaks. Every alternate summer vacations we visited different states in India.
When I first  visited US (a short duration of 6 weeks) they told me , do not even think of saving any money just go and visit all the places that you want to see. I was so thrilled to have visited US that I decided that the next time I am here I will definitely get my parents.

End of background information.
May 2005, I visited US again and I immediately asked my parents to get thier passports and visas stamped. They got their visa work done on Aug 29th 2005 and I booked their tickets for travel to JFK airport on Sept11th 2005.
And as you must have guessed it was my mom & dad's(M&D)  first flight journey. Their flight was from Mumbai-->Heathrow -->JFK.

While their flight was landing at Heathrow airport it got hit by a bird and after landing it was stalled. All passengers were accomodated in another flight to Chicago. M&D had some trouble finding the new gate and they were the last ones to reach.

The flight attendent said they did not have place for two passengers, my dad argued that they had to travel by this flight (as it is they were delayed and his daughter i.e me would be waiting at the airport with no news etc etc, how I spent tense moments  time at JFK is a different post altogether), and so they were accomodated in Business Class. It was a real luxury flight for them to Chicago and then they had to take a domestic flight to JFK, so my mom had a really really long first flight journey and they reached JFK after midnight(the correct time is 3 pm).

At this late hour there was no buses or trains to get us to Stamford CT, but fortunately at that time of the night there were  lot of limo riders who would take you to your destination at a nominal price. I paid that fare and my parents were taken to my apartment in a real limousine. We had the luxury of sitting in cushioned seats with our own bar(which we apparently did not use).

During their trip to US, one of the days we decided to visit New York. We took a train to Grand Central, as we were leaving we saw a huge crowd and realized there was a shooting going on. On looking closer it turned out to be a Bollywood film "Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna". My mom was overjoyed to see SRK and Karan Johar at so close quarters. Rani Mukherjee was like 5 steps away from where she was standing. I doubt we could get so close to them if we went for a show in India.

On the same trip to NY, my dad wanted to visit the UN headquarters in NY, ppl visited NY to visit the Statue of Liberty, Times Square but my dad wanted to also see this. I had no clue the UN Headquarters was  in NY, anyway I noted the address and we went in search of it by Streets & Avenue(that is how everything is arranged in NY). We were getting no-where and as it was getting late, we decided to try for 5 more minutes before departing, as we turned another corner we saw a building with all the nation's flag flying. My dad was beyond pleased, and after clicking pictures we all happily returned home.

Mom is a Hindi movie bluff and in movies they always showed the flight landing in the runaway, steps would be bought up to the flight and all passengers got down and walked till the airport. It happens for domestic planes but as theirs was an international flight and they always took off and landed directly at the gates, she felt she missed out on that part.
Luckily for us when we visited Orlando, we landed at a small domestic airport and they did exactly what they do there, stop the flight in the runaway  get the steps and we walked till the airport, her that wish too coming true.

They left for India after a super vacation of 2 months.

So my wish was for my mom to fly and both my parents to visit US and Yes, that came true and gave me immense joy.

Alphabetically Mine

Taken as a tag from Nancy's Post here

Appam and Potato Stew is what I made for Dinner last night(after a long time)

Bowling -we went this week-end. Ritvik enjoyed, later, he even danced on one of the songs.

Cakes is what I have to cook for the brunch on the 22nd Saturday. Thinking of getting creative and making cupcakes with icing(thoughts still in progress)

Dis tag got stuck with 5 alphabets to go, cant get anything in my head for them.

Exercise routine is to walk in the party-hall for half-hr.

Fairies--if they were true, it would be so beautiful to see them.

Got complimented today that I am looking good and have lost weight(Irony coz my jeans have become tight)

Husbands in Goa is the latest Malu flick I watched. Quite fun!

I googled yesterday to find if the World will really end on Dec21st 2012.

Jhatkas and matkas are of interest these days, I wish i could dance all day long

Karela curry with cocnut milk is today's dinner receipe. Let's see how it turns out.

Lazy to go to the gym.

My first view of the snow for this year happened 2 years back and it is still as beautiful as the first time.

Need to go for a holiday to some other country maybe Puerto Rico

O ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo as I have nothing for ooooooooooooo

Planning whether we should have a 2nd baby now or wait for another 6 months.

Quilling is my new hobby and Yes, I learnt it for the chart decoration I did. Should post those pictures here.

Ritvik is getting independent day by day. Does most of his stuff himself.

Sister-in-law's parents are coming here in another 10 days.

The new Canon SLR camera we got is in the box.

Uska muhurat abhi aaya nahin.

V are still waiting when hubby dear will make use of it and click some of our good pictures.

Waiting for my parcel of dresses to come from India. I hope I get everything that my parents got.

X'mas will soon be here and we will have some holidays.

Y this kolaveri kolaveri kolaveri di

Zis is the end to the tag.

P.s: Will try to add pictures later.

The (Secret) Wishlist Wednesdays Writing Prompt

My favorite person in the blog world has started this writing prompt 'Wishlist Wednesdays' for her fourth book release 'The Secret WishList' (banner attached below).

Go to her blog here to know more.

The creative prompt for today is


The three things I badly wish I could have are..................................

1) The patience to take things to completion. The willpower to complete things. Basically my problem is that I am very enthusiastic to start things , I have many ideas in my mind and I even start them with confidence but as time passes I loose the enthusiasm to work on them. So I badly want the willpower to take things to a logical conclusion.

2) To be happy for others from the start. So basically when someone gets a new home(Something that I could afford but did not think about) then my initial reaction is Why,not me? but later on I accept it and am happy for them. Or else if a neighbour did not invite me for their babyshower/birthday, again Why, not me? but later I can accept that it's okay. I wish badly that I do not get those thoughtas initially itself but be happy for others.

3) To show love and affection unashamedly to all my near , dear ones and friends.
Again , I want to do so much which is all in my mind but do not come out in a timely manner and then that moment passes and they never know how much I truly care.

I think I am getting old, no materialistic things at all but I believe this is what will make me happy.

A different perspective

Have to put this down for recording
Fri night we decided to go out fo rdinner, Our family, Bro-in-law fmly and 1 another fmly. We were totally run out of groceries and after dropping them at the restaurant I went to the nearby Rainbow supermarket(Note: We do not normally go here) to get some stuff.

While returning Ritvik enters the car and sees milk and groceries and is surprised how it came there.

R: How did this get here Amma
A: arre, I went to Rainbow and got milk and veggies
R: Eh......?
A: I went to Rainbow and got milk and veggies
R: Ehhhh......
A: (Repeating slowly) Amma went to Rainbow and got milk and veggies
R: Eh.?
A: (Now irritated) Arre baba , how many times to tell, Amma went to Rainbow and got milk and veggies

R: (A very confused face)..but Amma, eppadi nee evvlo mele poi idh kondh vanu?
Translation: but Amma, how did you go so much on top and get these things.

i am still laughing thinking of the conversation.