Tag time

Birth story is done and now it is tag time in the blogosphere

BM maatha ki jai.

BM – kodaana kodi namaskarangal (millions of thanks).

1. What are you wearing?
Light purple tee with dark purple PJ

2. How tall are you?
You mean how short am I? 5′ 1″

3. How much do you weigh?
155 pounds. I was 143 beginning of 2015 😦

4. Any tattoos?
No. Scared of the pain while doing it.

5. Any piercings?
Ear piercing – the standard piercings.

6. Favourite show?
Could not think of any at the moment.

7. Something you miss?
My sleep.. I miss it very badly!!

8. Favourite song?
right now it is “Paaruruvaaya” from “Tharai thappatai”. Raja raja-dhaan

9. Zodiac sign?
Virgo

10. Quality you look for in a partner?
Good at heart, Respect others

11. Favourite actor?
No one in specific. It keeps changing based on acting in latest movies.

12. Favourite colour?
Ever Green

13. Loud music or soft?
Depends on the situation and my mood. Loud when with crowd and happy, energetic. Soft when alone or sad.

12. Where do you go when you’re sad?
I would love to go hit my bed but these days no time to even get sad. I just take a moment to standstill where I am for few mins, drop few tears if its too sad and move on with chores..

13. How long does it take you to shower?
daily shower – 10 mins. head bath – 30 mins

14. How long does it take you to get ready in the morning?
15 mins if you don’t include the morning chores to pack dabba. All inclusive – 1:30 hours

15. Ever been in a physical fight?
Yes. With my brother and cousins during school days.

16. Turn on?
Good act from random people.

17. Turn off?
Self centered and manipulative characters.

18. Fears?
Losing a relationship and loved ones.

19. Last thing that made you cry?
LHB. I was crying looking at him for no particular reason (I know!!) and the cutie pie handed over a tissue to me and gave me a generous kiss. He also asked “mommy crying? daddy pinch you?”

20. Last time you said you loved someone?
To Adi. We have this thing going on. I will show the ILU gesture to her with my 3 fingers at random times and she has to reply with “me too”. She says it relunctantly but who cares. The deal is she has to say it instantly.

21. Last book you read?
Rainbow fish – LHB’s book

22. The book you’re currently reading?
Hugs, Brush brush brush, Rainbow fish, counting 1-10 and who’s hiding. All are LHB’s books

23. Last person you talked to?
LHB – while putting him to sleep.

24. The relationship between you and the person you last texted?
Husband. Or life revolves around texting these days!!

25. Place you want to visit?
Top 10 tourist places along with family.

26. Do you have a crush?
Yes, if crush towards kids counts. LHB is at this cute age where he talks so much and melts my heart at unexpected times.

27. Favourite piece of jewellery?
Finger rings

28. Last song you sang?
It has been few days since I listened to songs as I am not using headphones due to ear discomfort.
Let me think, I sang this specific line while we were travelling in car as a family and was explaining to Adi how I love this line “Ennodu vaa veedu varaikkum. En veetai paar ennai pidikkum” from the song “Nenjukkul peidhidum maa mazhai” from “Varanam Ayiram” movie.

Aabath paandavan Tags vazhga!! valarga!!

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Last one to play

volleyball with Visha.

List all the ingredients which went into making the most interesting dish you ate today.

I am glad I picked this tag today. It was purely coincidental. My lunch today was very interesting. It was sweet kale salad with different type of greens, cranberry/nuts topping and poppy seed sweet dressing. I also tossed in tangy flavored Mediterranean organic chick peas/black beans and it tasted yum! I never thought I could eat salad for lunch and was at total surprise!

What is the current wallpaper of your laptop/phone/tablet?

laptop/phone – standard default backgrounds that comes with the OS.
Office desktop – It is also standard but I like it very much. A man flying with feathers in hand, bird flying near him, street view at the background and some birds on the ground watching this man. See for yourself. It calms my mind instantly.

How do you wear your hair when at home?

I cut my hair recently but still try my best to put a pony.

When you visit any restaurant, what is the first thing you search for, in the menu?

High chair to lock LHB.. that that person that that worry!! Oh you asked in the menu? Entree. Whether I eat all of it or not I like ordering a full course meal always with soup, starter, entree and dessert. This is when M comes to the rescue. I order, he eats. Perfect couple eh?

What is the advertisement from your childhood that you recall even today.

Hamara Bajaj. We owned a bajaj during my school days and it will be a proud moment to watch this advertisement.

Also, Titan – That background music is my all time favorite. I was a lucky proud owner of latest release of Titan dial watch with leather strap at the age of 15. Thanks to Amma. She bought it for my tenth board exam. I was using only that watch until I came to US. Now, I don’t use a watch at all. I think I have mentioned this many times in this blog before. The titan watch is one of the item in my treasure box. May be I should put a picture of it in the blog someday.

Have you implemented a beauty tip/hack which you were told to, and been mortified by the results?

Could not think of any in recent times when bathing everyday itself is considered as an achievement.
I used to do them before marriage days. During college days, almost for four years I was using green gram dal flour as face wash and besan flour as body wash. They smell ewww but results were good in long run. My pimple filled cheek got better.

At your home, where do the newspapers find themselves to be the most useful?

Isn’t it obvious? Of course kitchen shelves and then at floor during nail cut and craft times..

During a visit to any mall, what do you find yourself searching first?

Food court he he heee. Earlier I used to search for starbucks..

This tag is over now. Explain your state of mind.

Yayyyyy and phewwww at the same time!!! I am done with the post for today!!! A different one at that, not boring you all with my travel series. But, please be a sweetheart and read my travel post tomorrow okie?

Tag time

Maya, the eternal dreamer has tagged me with this award and I feel great. Maya is someone whom I adore for her style of writing and getting this award from her is a big honor for me. Thank you Maya!

Maya, I have got your miniature at home who says “Amma, get your grammar correct” when I make those silly mistakes while talking in English 🙂 She cannot stand grammar mistakes like you.

Rules are
1. Thank and link to the amazing person who nominated you – Done
2. List the rules and display the award – Done

3. Share seven facts about yourself.

1. I love vatha kuzhambu or puli kuzhambu with white rice especially the one made with potato cubes and drumstick. I can eat it for every meal for infinite days.
2. I occasionally buy long earrings, necklaces to match my dress, wear them too but mostly remove it before stepping out of the home. Though I like to dress up, I am more comfortable with the age old amma’s small gold ring type earring and thin gold chain.
3. Have said it many times here before. I cry at the drop of a hat though I hate it to the core to shed tears for undeserved people/incidents. No improvement at all.
4. I had a huge, huge gang of friends during college and friends have been everything to me at one stage of life.
5. I am a sucker for simple pleasures of life like Adi hugging me as first thing in the morning, Stranger smiling at me, Getting into the train few microseconds before the door closes, elevator not stopping in between floors before I get down at work especially in the morning, getting a personal mail, spotting a billing counter where I am first in line and the list goes on.. I count my blessings very often..
6. I love the taste and flavor of mangoes but scared to eat them. My body doesn’t take it well and ends up getting body heat. A glass of milk after eating the mangoes doesn’t work for my body.
7. I wash my hands very often while cooking.

Nominate 15 other amazing blogs and comment on their posts to let them know they have been nominated.

I nominate all my readers/bloggers for this award as every blogger deserves the inspiring blogger award.  Its okay if you have already received, please accept it from me too and write 7 facts about yourself.
Would love to read it.
1. GB

2. Bingo’s Mom

3. RM

4. Bikram

5. Vinitha

6. freakyveggie

7. More than words

8.Tharani

9. Summerscript

10. Chattywren

11. Lifesong

12. Ashreya Mom

13. Rubberpal

14. Lavender

15. Popgoesthebiscuit

16. Comfy

17. Little Fingers

18. Smitha

19. techie2mom

20. celestialrays

21. Me

22. Garima

23. lifeslittletwist

24. Seema

25. Chipmunk

26. Scribby

27. Swaram

28. Sumana

29. Titaxy

30. Pepper

I did my best to collect the blogger’s name. Please pardon me with all your heart if I have missed your name above and accept this blog. As I said, every blogger truly deserves the inspiring blogger award.

Proudly display the award logo on your blog and follow the blogger who nominated you – Done. I mean the display part. I am already an ardent follower of Maya’s blog.

 

Tag to remember 2012

RM – Thank you for bring so nice and helping fellow bloggers with a day’s post.  You see, we all are taking turns in pouncing on the opportunity 🙂

And chipmunk thanks to you too for tagging me..

Here is my 2012’s version

1. What did you do in 2012 that you’d never done before?

– Thinking hard.. Such is my life so monotonous 😦

Woww, wait a minute revisiting the blog archive did prove that I have done many things 🙂

– Donated blood for the first time and wish to continue with this for rest of the life.
– Made paneer poori, brocolli chutney, cinnamon rolls, princess cake – all just once and don’t know if I would ever make them again.
– Camping and Whitewater rafting (Level 1 rapids) which was my dream come true vacation.

2. Did you keep your new years resolutions, and will you make more for next?

– I didn’t make any specific resolution last year. Its the same every year.
– For self – Be honest, don’t hurt others with words or actions, lower voice, value relationships, hate hatred and love life.
– As a parent – Don’t yell, build trust and strive hard to become better and better as a sensible parent.

3. What date from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

– 7th May 2012 – the day that patched up for my earlier loss.
– 13th June 2012 – Parent’s arrival to stay with us for three months. A stay after almost a decade.
– If I may quote a date in 2011 its 7th Dec 2011 – the day I had the mentioned terrible loss.

4. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

– I feel that I haven’t achieved anything big in life yet at least in the last decade.  My biggest achievement so far is being recruited via campus interview for my first job that too in the year when recession was at its peak and I proudly state that it was only my company that offered the appointment letter to selected candidates out of all the companies that visited us for campus interview that year. I still have contacts with colleagues from my first company and have always felt proud about the company. Its a company that I will cherish forever. We were the first batch to have IT campus interview and getting selected in that made me overnight popular at my college 🙂

5. What was your biggest failure?

– Not to cry at the drop of hat. Can someone please teach me the technique to hold back tears? I cry if I am happy, I cry if I am sad, I cry if I am angry, I cry if I am irritated so basically I cry, cry and cry. This heavily brings down the value of my tears and I am hating that to the core.

6. Did you suffer illness?

– Nothing major but I suffered fear majorly if that can be attributed as illness.

7. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

– the lesser said the better. I know only very few in the world and its two people from the closest circle whose behavior is appalling me for years and years.

8. Where did most of your money go?

– Bills, bills and bills. Not just most of my money but all my money.

9. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

– parent’s visit.

10. What song will always remind you of 2012?

– Sara sara sara kaathu from Vaagai sooda vaa. Technically this film was released in late 2011 but this is one of the song that I most listened to in 2012. I even set this as my phone’s ringtone for a while.

11. Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder?

– Happier as last year this time I was dealing with a grief of a major loss.

12. What do you wish you’d done more of?

– Traveling. We didn’t do any except for the 2 days camping trip.

13. What do you wish you’d done less of?

– Holding on to the grudge. and not letting go of certain incidents though well aware of the nature of the doer.

14. Did you fall in love in 2012?

– Yes

15. What/Who was your greatest musical discovery?

– One direction. Adi and I would have listened to their debut single “What makes you beautiful” many many times. A song that we sang together during the mommy/daughter times.  A song that excited us instantly and we sing along if its played in the radio when we drive.

16. What did you want and get?

– will disclose it soon 🙂

17. What did you want and not get?

– Couldn’t think of any. I usually keep my expectations low as I am very bad in dealing with dejection’s.

18. What was your favourite film of this year?

– Tamil –Vazhakku Enn 18/9, NKPK.
– English – Argo, English Vinglish, Life of Pi

19. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

– It was a bad day than any other normal day. That’s enough for now. 32.

20. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

– If  all those uncertainties of the second half of the year did not happen it would have been more satisfying.

21. What kept you sane?

– Adi and Amma – the pillars of my life.

22. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012.

– Never judge people. You never know the other side of the story.
– Certain things are better left unsaid. Never try to explain everything in detail unless the other person is ready to listen.
– Think before you speak especially with people who find one hundred meanings for that one word.

23. Which new places did you visit in 2012?

– Camping site. It was a thrilling experience to stay in tent for two nights.

24. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year

– Couldn’t thing of any right now.

25. Tag some bloggers you would love to read these answers from

– Most of the bloggers I know had already done this. Any one who is interested and yet to do it please take this up.

Tag time – my posts in retrospect

I have been tagged by Scribby and even before I attempt I must admit that its going to be very difficult what with controversial post, popular post et al..

Anyways let me give it my best try

Rules:
1) Blogger is nominated to take part

2) Blogger publishes his/her 7 links on his/her blog – 1 link for each category. The links are:
– Your most beautiful post

– Your most popular post

– Your most controversial post

– Your most helpful post

– A post whose success surprised you

– A post you feel didn’t get the attention it deserved

– The post that you are most proud of

3) Blogger nominates up to 5 or more bloggers to take part.

4) These bloggers publish their 7 links and nominate another 5 more bloggers

5) And so it goes on!

Here is my list

beautiful post – take a break.. let me dig my archive and come back soon.  Okay here they are in no particular order

1. Letter to Adi on her last birthday – Happy 6th

2. A happy happy post – no better way to start the day

3. All of my just 4 smile series.. – https://anisnest.wordpress.com/category/just4smile/ . This tag helped me to realize that the just4smile moments are becoming lesser and lesser as she is growing.. Sighhh.. Why do kids grow?

popular post – Thanks to the stats..

Its Button crafts by comments and parota by WP search stats.

controversial post – Pass.  This blog mostly revolves around my daughter and her activities.. So, I don’t think I wrote any controversial post so far.. May be Adi will write something someday if she starts owning this space 😉

helpful post – Again there will be very few posts that will be helpful from this space. I have started this blog just to record the cute happenings and milestones of Adi’s life.. However, after deep digging I found few posts than can be claimed as helpful from my perspective

1. Pongal series – What better time than posting it now with Pongal coming up in next two days. I am missing Pongal celebration at my native big time.  So, there was a lame attempt last year to capture the details of my decade ago elaborate pongal celebrations.

Pongal – Part 1 , Part 2 and Part 3 – Can’t these posts be tagged as knowledge transfer to next gen?

2. Jack-o-lantern – There are umpteen tutorials online but again my small attempt to explain step by step procedure to make simple Jack-o-lanters.

3. Oh wait how about my school lunch menu page.  Its a little old though. Will update it soon with more ideas.

A post whose success surprised you – Its button craft again. I never thought it will win the artsy craftsy challenge that month.

A post you feel didn’t get the attention it deserved – Pass again.. Honestly I don’t think any of my post deserves attention. Its just a personal blog and I hardly discuss social issues or general topics in this blog..

The post that you are most proud of  – Ah this is easy.. All posts under the category “at her best” are my proud rather show off posts 🙂

Now, its passing on time.. With most of you already tagged I would like to pass on the tag to below six people.  Please take this if you are not tagged already

1. Summerscript

2. Lampanditslight

3. ambulisamma

4. AT

5. RS

6. Vidya

Mommy guilt

Sugar and Spice tagged me on “Mommy guilt”..  Thanks SnS for tagging me on something that I never wanted to recollect 🙂

Tag rules

1. Write about 2 instances where you have put yourself before your child/ children… been a wee bit selfish.
2. How did you feel? Did you feel a pang of guilt or were you comfortable?
3. Tag 2 more moms

I drafted this post many times but every time I got lost in the pang of guilt with same intensity leading to mood swings leaving this post unattended for next few days.  Ok without much ado let me jump into the instances

1.  Its about the motherhood itself. It was unexpected. I got pregnant few months after my marriage and it was not a planned one.  It was not in my list at all. We had different set of priorities.  I can easily mark those days as the toughest period of my life so far.  There were so many painful heavily complicated incidents happened on those days that would have not happened if I was not pregnant.  Life would have taken a different path if I was not pregnant at that time.  It was quite an experience that I wish to forget but couldn’t. I have paid a huge price for my pregnancy that can never be recovered. I will pay for it all my life.  I sometimes fantasize about the other life secretly where I had it all planned.

Ok before this tag gets hijacked by a rant let me talk about how I handled it.  I would say I handled it pretty well. Though those were tough days I payed close attention to my baby.  I sacrificed coffee during first trimester (for those who know me its a big deal for me guys), religiously ate all that amma packed to my work. My food bag was bigger than my hand bag.  Amma had all those cute dabbas in which she will pack curd for calcium, date fruits for iron, sundal for protein, pomegranate juice, lunch with poriyal, kuttu, one big bottle of  boiled water et all.. God only knows on what time she woke up those days 4 or 4:30?. Then, I heard someone saying that baby will in future reflect all that you do on pregnancy days.  So, to develop the interests in my baby I listened to these vedas and mantras specially designed for expecting mothers. I gave a technical certification during my 9th month. Read “What to expect when you are expecting” every single day. Literally I was crazy and all that I had in mind was “Okay it has happened and now as a mother it is my duty to do the best for my baby” irrespective of the unpleasant happenings around me.  I took it I mean the pregnancy and motherhood as a very serious business though it happened at a wrong time.

2.  Being a working mom. Especially when I hear fellow SAHM friends talk about how they feed their kid freshly made hot food when the kid comes back home at 3pm, how they take break on summer and visit their parents/in-laws for months, how they take their kid to park whenever they feel like,  how they spend more time with their kid etc..  But, I would say its not a major guilt as I never compromise anything for Adi. What if I cannot feed hot food at 3pm? We reach home at 6pm and I feed her hot food at 8pm. We play together at home. We spend quality time. We go out on weekends.  Does it sound like am convincing myself? Yes, I have to convince myself as I have no choice 😦 Working and non working is a different post by itself and it has its own pros and cons. I would always prefer to work for my own reasons at the same time will patch up to my best to be a better mom by all means.

Phew this was the toughest post for me as it had rekindled my memory about those horrible days..

Now the passing part. Looks like most of you are already done with it. Okay I pass the tag to

ambulisamma – My forever blog mate.  AA – you can take this as you are now free from the biggest task I mean cooking.

AT – My recent blog mate who writes about her lil daughter Munchkin and other happenings in her life.

MeMe Tag

I am extremely sorry for taking up this tag so late Vanitha.  My target was to finish this before I face you on your D day 🙂 Not that I was very busy but I admit it was my laziness.  Without further ado to make my guilt disappear here I jump into the tag

1. If you could go back in time to relive one moment, what would it be?
The day I was campus recruited. One of the best thing happened in my life.

2. If you could go back in time and change one thing, what would it be?
Quite a few though I am not sure if I would really change them given a chance. Life is all about unexpected things isn’t it?

3. What movie or TV character you think you resemble most in personality?
No one in specific.  Naanga avlo azhagu ellam illaingo (Eng: I am not that pretty looking) 🙂

4. What movie or TV character would you really like to be like?
Recently I have been admiring the character of veteran actor Mouli in tamil TV serial Nadhaswaram.
Movie – I have admired many time to time but don’t remember them now.

5.  If you could push one person in the whole world off a cliff and get away with it, who would it be?
Ummmm after deep thinking I declare it as nobody. I always believe in giving another chance and cannot get away with anyone forever.

6. Name one habit you want to change in your self.
Can it be two pleaseee? Addiction to Coffee and Cry at drop of a feather.

7. Describe yourself in one word.
Emotional

8. Describe the person who named you in this meme in one word.
Vie (thanks Vie for tagging me)

9. Why do you Blog? Answer in one sentence.
I blog about my daughter.. Just a way to record all her special moments and my experiences as a mother.

10. Name at least 3 bloggers to send this Meme to then inform them.
Ambulisamma
Swaram
Vidya

My Sins against Gender-Stereotypes

I have been tagged by ambulisamma and I am always grateful to her for keeping me in loop be it an award or a tag.

The original tag is from here IHM.  Here I am recording my sins.

Things Sins I do against are

1. If driving four wheeler is considered to be manly then I am driving four wheeler since my college days and two wheeler since school days.I still remember those few generous uncles who saw me on the road and took the pain to visit my home just to have a talk with my dad about my two wheeler riding skills.I had hit 90 in my Kinetic and Maruti 800.

2. Managed office and home front alone with Adi at US of A for couple of months

3. Handled hospital stays of my parents and in-laws all by myself

4. As I read on most of the tag list I don’t like make-up, cosmetics or for that matter any gaudy stuff on usual days.

5. I track monthly bills payment at home.

6. Love to dismantle and patch up the electronic goods at home when they make a strike.

7. I simply love to follow the instructions and assemble any new item

8. Played kabadi, gilli, goli, cricket and what not during my school days

9. The streets have seen me more than my mom on holidays during school days. My parents were called after my name than my brother’s on most of the places we lived.

10. I can buy that first dress I stump upon while shopping unlike my mom who spends solid five hours before billing that first dress 😀

Though I

1. Love pink. Green is my next choice

2. Love to keep the home neat and tidy

3. like peppy talks

4. Love rangoli (used to compete with my neighbors in making the home entrance beautiful with colors during entire month of Margazhi (Tamil month famous for rangolis))

5. Cry at drop of the feather

6. love to cook delicious food theoretically I meant by reading all drooling recipes online end to end as if I am going to try my hands on the same day (Hope M is not reading this. He might disagree as I make a big deal to cook full meals – I meant sambar, rasam with a poriyal, kootu and varuval)

7. Love to drape cotton saree like the district collector ladies do in feature films.

8. like cakes, ice creams and chocolates

9. Try to act smart but can be easily put down by anyone (as many woman do)

10. Love interiors though I am yet to get a chance to explore it to the fullest.

I loved reading all your versions and wish to pass this tag to all who have not done this yet (I doubt if there is one left in this blogosphere)…