The blue sky

Last week on Saturday, we were invited for a small get-together in Tanay's crèche. Such get-togethers happen in all the four quarters of the year, where parents and kids and the caretakers come together and share a few light moments along with food and drinks. This was the first in the year and first of its kind for me! Usually during the week, the caretakers are busy with the kids and the parents tired after having a long day at office. So there is hardly any communication happening between them unless there is something really different to tell about the child, e.g. ill health or disturbed sleeping pattern. I, however, make it a point to talk to Tanay's caretaker whenever I see her, so that I know what is happening with him there and I also know what to say and how to react to things when he does or says something at home. The Brunch (Breakfast + Lunch) started at about 9.30 am and we reached there by 10.15 or so. Parents were already there with kids and people had beg...

Technology has come very far.  Earlier, the scriptures were handed down to next generations orally and for the fear of losing it or forgetting it, then the practice of writing them down started and thus the words books and print took hold and now in the year 2013, I hold a gadget (Amazon Kindle Paperwhite) in my hands, which has all my favorite books, not in print, but in e-format. I really wanted to show this gadget to my grandfather, who was extremely well read person and who always encouraged reading. He wouldn't have believed his eyes that something like this could also happen and he could read books without actually holding the book in his hands! Alas, that is not possible, but I will always remember him for his encouragement to read and this amazing new gadget has actually taken me back to the good old habit of reading and I do make it a point to read a few pages before I go to sleep. Buying English books in Germany is a costly affair. And there is always a mental comp...

January is nearing an end and there is still no sign of real winter here in Germany. By real Winter,  I mean temperatures in minus degrees and a lot of snow. However, the temperature is still above zero degrees here and I see the sun almost daily, though for some time. I happened to even see some trees where flowers have started blooming or else all the trees have gone bald since November now. I am happy that the winter is still evading us because I dread falling down in the snow.  Though i am all set with clothing and good shoes, still the though of walking in the snow to office and back and then bringing tanay back from the crèche sends shivers down my spine even before actually having to do it. It is a good thing to watch all the beautiful snow from within your house. But struggling with it day in and day out may bore me tremendously. I am ok with lot of heat and sunshine, but not with sub-zero temperatures. I also have to see how my little boy deals with the extremely cold weat...

I am a great fan of a few reality shows that are telecast in India currently and after I am done for the day, I sit back, relax and make it a point to catch a few episodes here and there. Am really thankful to the technology for bringing me all my beloved serials to my home in Germany and on my suave Samsung S3 mobile phone. The latest season of India's Got Talent has got me hooked from past 2 weeks. I like to see the people who have something special and different about them. It may be an idea which makes them different from the general public or the way they present themselves. I know that huge grooming and marketing is involved in such shows, but nonetheless people do get a chance to showcase their talents and I am quite happy about it. Last week, a girl contestant had come on the show and she said she was passionate about dancing. They showed the clip of how she loves dancing and all and when she walked on the stage, everyone including me were stunned. She wa...

Today is my dear husband's birthday and I wrote a small poem for him. For the evening, there is a surprise waiting for him and I would cook a sweet dish which he likes. I wish him lot of success and joy in his life! The poem goes: Today is your special day and so is mine, This day you were born,  And the time was just so right. You were born to be with me, To share my pain, fun and joy. Your smile is radiant, And you are very strong, And your übercool attitude, Will surely take you far! Our lives were enriched, With the arrival of our bundle of joy. I enjoy so much seeing you both, Talk, play and bond. I wish we share many such moments, Always with each other by the side, I want you to know that I love you, And shall always thank my stars.

Das ist grün.. Das ist blue.. Das ist schwaaz.. These are the latest phrases of my son which he says at least 100 times in a day now. He is now 21 months old and speaks almost everything in Marathi and has also started picking up the German language from the crèche as he spends almost 8 hours there! He answers everything in Ja (yes) and repeats everything what his care taker tells him. It is such a great fun to watch him in this phase, where he is able to express what he feels and what he wants. Currently he is fascinated by colors. He wants to know the color of anything and everything he holds in hands. His favorite color is blue! He now even decides which color pant he wants to wear at home. Isn't it amazing? I wonder what I was like when I was 21 years old. As a mother personally, this journey has been fantabulous. Right from the news that I am expecting till the time he started talking, cut his first tooth, started calling me 'aai' (mom) till now when he has st...

Yesterday, I got a mail from a friend, who was not in touch with me for a long time, telling me that he visits Germany sometimes and would like to meet up if time permits. I was pleasantly surprised to see his mail and also very happy to know that he mailed me, though after a long time. My whole day was spent in that good mood and I thought to myself, it was such a small thing, a few lines written to me, but that bought me so much joy and made me feel so important! I instantly wrote to him and we got talking to each other again. We quickly caught up with each other about the time when we weren't in touch and realized that nothing much has changed in our lives. But still we were glad to have each other back. Maybe the bond we shared earlier might get renewed or we might have to start all over again or we might be just back to our old selves, pulling each other's legs. It all depends on how seriously you take this reconnecting thing, isn't it? Thanks to the technology, F...

This is the tag line of my friend Deepa's culinary blog. She is extremely passionate about cooking and makes wonderful dishes and makes them available for all on her blog. Her husband who is a photographer takes photos of those dishes and makes them even more tempting. I wish I had a little interest myself towards this wonderful art of putting different things together and making one wonderful, mouth watering recipe. My grandmother still cooks at the age of 86. She never gets tired of being in kitchen. Whenever I visit my parents, she asks for my wishlist in advance and then cooks one dish after the other to my heart's content. I miss her tasty dishes in Germany. I have inherited my maternal quality (mother and her mom) of being able to just survive in the kitchen by making the bear minimum and not go beyond the usuals. My mother in law is also an inspiration when it comes to cooking. She can literally put anything and everything in a dish and make it excellent. I am sure ...

We are already through 10 days in this new and brilliant year 2014. This post should have come earlier, but never mind, Mrunalini! Important is to write, isn't it? So, what do you intend to do this year, Mrunalini, which you missed out last year? ummm, let me think.. Yes, I want to learn to ride a bicycle here and go cycling with my hubby and son. I missed out on it last year as I got to know about it towards end of Summer in Germany, but this year, I am going to make it a point to learn this art, which eluded me since school days. Ok, gut! What next? I want to read more books. We bought a Kindle Paperwhite (where you can read books on a device and not as in print and paper form) yesterday and we both are damn excited about it. We are still finding out how to use it effectively, but I intend to make good use of my train journey from office to work and vice versa, reading my favorite books. Hmm, sounds good. Next in line? Cut on chocolates and biscuits and cakes...

Yesterday, I happened to stumble upon the blog of Ms. Preeti Shenoy and I was floored by her approach to life and small things in life that create great happiness! She is an all rounder. She is a regular blogger. She writes novels, paints, makes greeting cards, is a mother to two kids and takes care of the household things too. It is truly said that a woman is a multi-tasker. She appeared very humble and down to earth as a person from her writings and from her responses to her readers who complimented her for boosting their morale and spirits. I immediately read other few articles of hers and realized that most of her blog entries weren't descriptive and long. They just contained a thought, an idea, a few lines, but they came straight from her heart and I found that very genuine. She has a knack of connecting to her readers and her readers love her abundantly. She believes in expressing love and not keeping it confined to a particular person. How right she is! If we all start ha...