Meri Adhuri Kahani...

Without any deliberation, I think I should title this post as “Meri Adhuri Kahani”… yes, that’s what the status of my life is these days. Almost everything adhura or half complete! Blog posts – half complete, books – half complete, paintings – half complete and millions of things at work – half complete! Ufff where are days flying by these days? In past few weeks, I have saved soooo many posts in drafts. I thought to share about my excitement of watching a movie in theater after almost an year and what better movie than Kai Po Che to write a post about but that too half complete. Women’s Day, Holi, some positive updates at work, some not-so-pleasant updates of motherhood but everything half complete. And this also reminds me that I have a new template for my blog and even that work is – half complete! Phew, let us see if I manage to complete this post till end or this also becomes a part of my “Adhuri kahani” series.

Anyways, coming down to this post… last two weeks have been no less than mayhem at my household. Maid lapata (ufffff this misery never ends ) and to top it, little one terribly sick. High viral fever followed by body rash and super fussiness! But what was the highlight of this phase was his blood test. Yeah, blood test and you might be thinking what’s so big deal about getting a blood test done. Ain’t we all get pricked all the time? I, for one, have always managed to get all my tests done alone without much ado and after reaching adulthood at times have even wondered on few women who shout and create hungama during blood tests. Yeah, I met many such ones esp. during pregnancy checkups. During those days, checkups and lab visits used to be quite frequent and so were the encounter with such screaming and ‘oh-i-m-such-a-delicate-baby’ kind of women. Trust me I never could fathom the big deal about it! But things were different this time when I went for the first blood test of my little one. The moment he entered the lab he started howling, maybe the setting around made him scared or whatever. He was anyways in high fever & then came out three needles. Okkkk, and then I was suddenly nervous! Rational mind said it’s after all few pricks that would get over in seconds but the mommy mind said – oh my god, all these would be inserted in his veins. Yes, I was sweating even in that AC. And this little hyper active brat – uffff you do anything but he could manage to free himself from that doctor’s hands and roll over to the other side of the lab table. Then came another worry – what if the needle moves inside if he would be this unstable! Hee hee, I am laughing now while I am writing this. But this, as well as millions of whats and ifs and buts were coming to my mind during those few minutes of his first blood test. He was screaming at the top of his voice and both me and my husband were standing still, silent, apprehensive with our fists tightened and brows joined! It took 2 nurses, 1 doctor, 1 lab assistant and 2 of us to finally make him stable to go through those three needles and yes, those were just another pricks. Little one was crying more because of being scared than pain and we were worried more for… ummmm…. Ha ha ha I think no idea why on earth were we so worried that time. But we were! Didn’t I say earlier that parenthood makes your emotional glands hyperactive . And at the same time it does make you strong, far stronger than what you were before.

Thank God, he is better now and everything seems to be coming back to normal. But I had no idea that something as small as a blood test can evoke so many emotions within me. This had to be jotted down somewhere for us to read and have a good laugh later .

So, tell me how was it for you when you took your little ones for blood test for the first time? Were you like me or your normal calm composed state?

P.S: Yayyy, finally I could manage to finish this post. But guess how many sittings did it take to complete this? 5! Yeah, that’s how my life is these days :-)

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Wordless Wednesday: Baking for the little one

Fresh out of my oven - baking for the little one :-)

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Movies that cheer you up anytime :-)

Today I tweeted something about movies in the morning and it instantly reminded me the number of movies I got to watch in 2012 in theater. Guess how many? Well just TWO! Now who know me, know very well my movie stats till 2011 but then things change and have changed a lot since the little one has arrived. Though the good part is that we have started to spend more and more time at home these days playing and having fun with our little one. We both always loved watching good movies at home but these days our DVD viewing has gone up considerably. Where else will you get the comfort and convenience of watching movies with multiple breaks for diaper change, milk refill, play time etc. Yes, a two and hour movie is watched somewhere between 4 hours to 4 days depending upon what mood our little boss is into .

And at the end of hectic days coupled with all these breaks in between, all you wanna watch are movies that can cheer you up. You know those comedies that make you really laugh, rom-coms that bring a smile on your face and those girly-girly movies that you can never get bored of! Yeah those and my movie quotas generally consist of such movies these days, movies that just add some light and fun moments in my life. All my old preferences for world cinema and serious movies have been saved and well preserved for later stage in life. As of now, only movies that can cheer me up !

Here’s a list of five girly (caution: I repeat these are truly girly :P) that I watched in last few weeks and despite the fact that all these were re-watch for me, I still didn’t get bored of any .

• Confessions of a Shopaholic: Hee hee, whatay delight! Well as per what people say about me, I’m not a shopaholic I think but then Beccy does bring a smile on my face. You don’t need to be a shopping addict to relate to her, some part of her is definitely real, after all which girl does not like new stuffs ? And to add to that Hugh Dancy as Luke Brandson is absolutely droolworthy!
• Sleepless in Seattle: It must be my nth watch and I was still not bored of it! I’m sure anybody who likes to watch mush must have watched it. In case you haven’t, please stop reading this post and go watch it now!
• A Walk to Remember: When I had first watched it, I was totally surprised. I had expected it to be just another rom-flick but it was much more than that. I watched it again few days back and didn’t use the forward button at all.
• Julie & Julia: I just spotted a copy of this movie and for my love for cooking & baking and the fact that I am in kitchen more these days for the junior dude made me watch it again. Watch it for the love of food and the passionate chef inside you; you won’t be disappointed for sure.
• Music & Lyrics: Hugh Grant & Drew Barrymore… do you need any more reason to watch a rom-com than these two? 

I’m a huge fan of Hindi cinema too but I wonder why don’t they make good light movies that one can think of re-watching again. The last hindi movie that I willingly watched second time was Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and after that none! There are many from other genres in Bollywood that I can watch again but comedy? Well, I think none! Not at least any recent one.

So, which are your cheer-up movies that can lighten your mood anytime you watch them? Share it here and in case I have not watched it, I would love to whenever I get time next. 

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Haylos :-)

Wish you all a very Happy Makarsankranti, Pongal, Lohri & Bihu. One day, so many celebrations! But then that's the beauty of rich cultural diversity like ours. So, how's the new year treating you? Like every year, this year I couldn't wish you on time. But then as they say wishes are never late... so, wish you all a very HAPPY NEW YEAR too!

You know I miss this space a lot, I really do! There's so much that I want to share, so much that I want to discuss and so much that I want  to express but... sigh life seems to be running by these days or shall I say flying by and that too on a jet plane! I read, heard & knew that life will change after entering mommyhood but would it change so much? Well, I had no idea! While I try to cope up with one thing, the second springs up within a blink! But I do wanna write on this space more regularly now, as for a person like me writing is the only medium that always helps me express my thoughts more clearly. Have been writing a diary ever since I learnt writing I think and have been blogging for more than a decade now. I so hope and wish that my this passion does not die like many others in the rut of life :-(. So, hoping to get back with my next post soon!

Bbye for now, will be visiting my favorite blogs to read updates from your life there. 

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The Krishna Key by Ashwin Sanghi

After reading “Chanakya’s Chant” by Ashiwn Sanghi earlier, I was quite looking forward to his new book “The Krishna Key”. To add to that, the video ad of the book made me all the more excited about it. So, was it a delight or a dud for me? Actually neither! At times, the book was too gripping whereas at others I lost interest due to too many details. When I say ‘too many’, it was actually ‘too many’. But I have to give credit to the author for the kind of research he has done to write this book. Absolutely brilliant! It’s simply amazing and praiseworthy to note that in this age of shortcuts or quick-lits, someone has actually put in this kind of effort to write a book like this. Kudos to Mr. Sanghi for the same!

Now coming down to the book, its yet another intriguing thriller fiction that interweaves mythology and reality. Five thousand years ago, there came to earth a magical being called Krishna, who brought about innumerable miracles for the good of mankind. Humanity despaired of its fate if the Blue God were to die but was reassured that he would return in a fresh avatar when needed in the eventual Dark Age, the Kaliyug. In modern times, a poor little rich boy grows up believing that he is that final avatar. Only, he is a serial killer. In this heart-stopping tale, the arrival of a murderer who executes his gruesome and brilliantly thought-out schemes in the name of God is the first clue to a sinister conspiracy to expose an ancient secret, Krishna’s priceless legacy to mankind. 'The Krishna Key' tries to provide a logical alternative explanation of the Vedic Age that could be relished by conspiracy buffs and thriller addicts alike.

Well-researched, Fascinating but Overloaded! These are the three words that come to my mind if I have to describe this book crisply. The start of the book was quite good; first day when I had picked it up, it seemed to be one of those unputdownable ones. But as the story unfolds, it isn’t. If the blogosphere said that it’s like an Indian Da Vinci Code, it actually is! And I didn’t mind reading one, as personally speaking I have come across very few Indian fiction that has presented thriller in a captivating way. This book definitely manages to do that to an extent. Except that I feel that at places, over stretching could have been avoided to keep the interest intact. If you try to relate to fact with fiction, or go into the mode of relating current with history then trust me it will leave you super confused. So, just read it as it is. Language was good and flow smooth but the length of the book with 464 pages of storytelling was something that I think could have been definitely relooked at. 

Overall a good read but start reading it with moderate expectations. If you get into comparative mode with the author’s first two books, then you might have higher expectations leading to disappointment. If not for anything else, read it for the kind of information that this books provides on mythology and history.

So, have you read this book? What has been your view on it? Do share the same in the comments section.

This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at BlogAdda.com. Participate now to get free books!

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Wordless Wednesday: Godhuli

Godhuli bela! 
Remembering that tranquil evening spent by the beach in Goa last month...

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“366 words” series by FUNOKPLEASE

Few days back I had written about Toto Series by this new age Indian publisher FunOkPlease. I got to read yet another gem by them – “366 words in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi & Kolkata” and once again I am compelled to write my feedback about them. These guys definitely deserve a big shout out for their effort! Absolutely laudable and worth a mention! Undoubtedly their content is different and when I say different it’s actually different. Practical, innovative and engaging to the core! I can’t tell you how impressed I’m by this 366 words series.

 ‘366 words’ showcases the vibrant cities of Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi & Kolkata to its readers in a very creative and interesting way. Each book revolves around one city and presents the history, culture, food, festivals and important landmarks through beautiful illustrations. This book is meant for kids of any age group. For younger kids (< 5 years), it can be used as picture talk book to learn one new word each day. For bit older kids (6-8 years), it can be used to help them learn and identify places and interesting facts about their city. For older kids (> 8 years), it can be used as an informative and comprehensive guide of their city and surroundings.

Loaded with information, presented in style, these books have enough activities to keep your little ones engaged - be it the ones like 'find-the-objects-in-each-picture' or 'identify-the-images' at the end of  books, each page has been designed keeping kids of different age groups in mind.

A sample page from "366 words in Bengaluru"

Though the book does not mention it but I must say that this book is not only meant for kids rather even grown ups can benefit from it easily. The first two pages on history and background of city are so informative. Things like “how did Bengaluru get its name” or “how payasa combines all flavors of life in one single recipe” from ‘366 words in Bengaluru’ are some of the knowledge nuggets which I definitely loved to read.

In nutshell, this series is a must if you’re looking to enrich your kid’s knowledge about your city. In fact as per me, it would be interesting if schools in their curriculums can include such books. I read all four in their series and I think I can safely say that I have not come across any similar Indian book that presents such important insights in such a fun way. Loved it and strongly recommend it to parents in my network. It’s one of those must-have books for your junior’s library.

Do check out more about their new collection here.

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