A gift of the gab

Many may wonder what's with parents being so touchy about everything their children do, like posting their vocab on a blog!!!!! LOL........
Ever heard a baby say "A for Aappal, B for Baawwwl, C for Meow & D for Bow Bow"
Sounds cute????
now, hear your own flesh & blood say it! you'll definitely think it uncomparable!!!! I guarantee it.


Well, It's more than a month & it's time to list out new words in addition to Aisha's existing vocab.
 But before I start my list I must admit that I may have missed out on many words because Aisha's started repeating every second word she hears.............like the other day I said "Nahi" (which means "NO" in hindi) & Aisha went, "naiiiiiiiiiii" & then our house help exclaims"bayaa bayaa" (which is more like OMG) & now everytime Aisha does something that she (ahem...i.e Aisha herself) knows is weird she goes "bayaaaaaa" & then when I said  "good girl" she said "dood dirl' (ain't that awesomely cute) ...............& then the bad one........


One fine day I utterred the "F" word & Aisha repeated the word without hesitation............(well it was her version of the "F" word)  but hell (there I go again)...............I better learn to watch my mouth.


So.............read on.......this is what Aisha at 15 months and 28 days is all about.


Words & What they sound like


Papaya - Papaayaaa
I love you too - Aaa - woo - to
Please - peesh
Come  - umm
Potty - potti (hehehehehhe found it too cute not to mention it here)
Chakli - kakli                                
Birdie - baddhi
Potato - po-to-to (she got the hindi version right though....ba-ta-ta)
Up - up (as in to lift her & put her on the bed)
Sit - tith                                   
Apple - Aa-paaall (notice that the pronunciation has changed from Aapill to Aapaall)
Banana - mana-naaaa (the last naaaaa expresses her joy on seeing the banana)
mouse - mausshh         
Maushi - maucchi (that's hos we address our house help)
Cycle - kaakaal (Now, aint that cute???)
Ammachi - amachiii (that's how she refers to our neighbour aunty - it means grandma in  malayalam, the native language of kerala)
Appachha - appaathaa (Yes! that's grandpa in mallu)
Bat - batth (cricketer dad ki beti jo hain)
Chocolate - cocate
Plate - pate
Goa - duuuaaaa
Uncle - Aakkal
Aunty - Aaatiii
Down - down (she's sort of got it right)
Pen  - Paaeen
Fan   - Phaaan
Nice - naaaiish
Come soon - umm choon :-) cho chweeet

Well,
her Tulu vocab is getting good to but currently is restricted to a few words. Here's goes.

Bodchi - which means I don't want
Boddhu  - which means I want and the actual pronunciation of which is Bodd
Achhi - which means mattress and is actually pronounced as Aasigay
Ijji - which means No

Well, that's about it..............she maybe knows more but these are the few words I hear her say when I'm arround.

What more??? .........In addition she also learnt different parts of the body. But, better than hearing her say Aaiiisshh, Nooosshh, eeeeeyys (ears) it's more fun watching her point them out!. (fingers & legs being my personal favorite)
It seems to get merrier with each passing day. A kid at home is a delight :-) donno about two though ;-)

Christmas 2009

Christmas of 2009 will be a Christmas I will remember for ever.
Since 1997 we celebrated Christmas but while missing my brother who moved to USA.  This year too we missed my brother & maybe more because if he were here he would have enjoyed his neice Aisha!
The Star of every gathering in our families :-)

Christmas was celebrated & how.............
Amma helped with Chaklis, Shankarpalis and Nankhatais. Mom & dad prepared Gauva Cheese, Sponge Cake & kulkuls. I made milkcreams & baked a date & walnut cake.
Good team work.......and the result is a neat variety of Christmas delicacies :-)
A crib.....A Star ....some Christmas decorations......& a Christmas Tree..(with final touches from Aisha)..........Perfect!

Christmas means Mid Night Mass :-)
Mom, Dad, Rita Aunty, Manish n Me and Aisha went for the Mid Night mass.
This time around the experience was different. Why different???? Well, it was a Christmas Mass and I couldn't do what I did every year!!!!!!!!! I couldn't admire the good clothes & jewellery others around me were wearing cause both manish & me were all eyes on Aisha who happily went about spreading the Christmas Cheer with her infectious smile :-)
Christmas is the celebration of the birth of baby Jesus and what better way than to share it with a baby itself. Wide awake & keeping everyone else awake too, she went about calling on the oldies with an affectionate "Na-na" to the granny's & "pa-pa" to the granpa's who reciprocated with equal warmth.
At one point in time she let out a loud shoult calling the Old preist ,"Ajja!!!" (Ajja means grandfather in our native language)

I am certain that everone around had a great time watching Aisha exchange smiles with all around while prancing around in her beautiful white dress. I missed mentioning she looked soooooooooooooo cute. (See the pic........doesn't she???)

Further........after the regular ritual of visiting the crib & wishing each other & ofcourse buying Aisha her Mannoooon we decided to stop by at Mom & Dad's for a cup of coffee.
(All the pics were taken at mom's place) I love being at Mom' & Dads place for Christmas cos it feels so nice, warm & Christmassy there.

Spending Christmas with your loved ones sipping coffee, treating yourself to Christmas goodies, watching the Christmas lights blinking & listening to carols sung by Jim Reeves! It was Christmas Bliss.
We finally decided to spend the night there cos Aisha was enjoying herself to the limit at her Nana & Papa's place.

The next morning back home was...........phew..........tiring. Baking, cutting, back to mom's place for a scrumtous Christmas Lunch of Prawns pulao and baked chicken.........yummmmmmmmmmm
& then back again home.
We were expecting our friends like every year.........
It was Veg Biryani, Baked Chicken and Salad on the menu. It was hard work but when you see everyone relish the food. It's worth the effort.
Aisha had a good time with friends Tanisha & Yashi.............my friend Seema bore the brunt of having to manage three girls & their fist fights over toys ;-) (What else can you expect with kids.)
A Christmas blessed with the company of family, relatives & friends is a blessing in itself.

As I thank God for the many mercies........& this blog where I can capture memories, I still am in want to put up my post on a "Perfect Christmas"........a Christmas spent in the presence of all my family, cos I miss my brother so much. No Christmas can be perfect without him.

1st Birthday's

1st Birthday's are so much fun!!!!
Planning a first birthday of your first born............theme, return gifts,cakes, games, music.....the list is endless.

Aisha had attended just one 1st Birthday party in May when she was all of 8 months. She could'nt understand much then. So, it was only after her own birthday party that she'd get to attend another one. Her cousin sis Alaina's Birthday Bash. & knowing my cousin Genevieve .........i was sure the birthday was going to be just perfect!

More important, I was eager to watch both the girls in action........my lil girls Aisha & Alaina

Alaina...my cousin genevieve's lil girl........born on 22nd December added to the already majority of wonderful girls to the family tree of the Mascarenhas Khandaan.
Well, Alaina's mom & dad did complete justice to the birthday girl.........
A "Winnie the Pooh" theme.........complete with red and yellow balloons & loads of pooh & friends posters,cut outs etc that were used to decorated the venue. The Birthday girl was dressed in a beautiful princess patterned frock. Adorning her head were beautiful curls of hair. She looked a total delight.
My sis also arranged a wonderful return gift package with a Pooh plate, sipper, fork & spoon all tucked away in a beautiful Pooh bag!!!

Well, the birthday was meant for all to have a good time & Aisha had a ball.All thanks to the numerous "Mannoooons" read "Balloons" :-) she was all over the place following her mannooon with a chicken lolly pop in her hand....donno how much she ate of it but she was munching on it for quite some time. (See the pics)

Aisha also won a prize!!!! How????? What???? ............read on!

A game for two......one big partner (Age no bar) & one baby partner............both to stand back to back till the time the music plays & then when the music stops the big partner carries the baby partner high. The baby who is raised the highest gets a prize :-)

I watched in amusement for two trial rounds till .............Wait a minute!!!!!! Aisha has a 6 feet & 3 inch tall Dad!!!

& Lo! Manish & Aisha were a part of the game & the next moment the tall Dad & his lil princess were proclaimed the winners :-) Aisha got a bag of building blocks as a prize :-) (see the pic. manish is holding the gift)

[She merrily empties the bag & then puts the blocks into the bag one by one.that's how she plays with them now :-) Guess it's some time till she realises the actual purpose of the blocks]

Well....getting back to the party. It was an evening well spent with family,

(that's Aunt Maria, Cressida mashaan, cousin Francis & momma in the pic below)

And catching with cousins, (L to R - Cybil, Andrea,Jocelyn,Diana,Cressida)

great games, rocking music & loads of good grub. A perfect birthday worthy of a memory.

God Bless Alaina with good health so she can have many many more birthdays.

Godh Bharai, Oti Bharni, Baby Shower...........

Godh Bharai, Oti Bharni, Baby Shower...........
Different religions.......different cultures......different languages..........but the same objective.
A rite performed before the completion of the seventh month of pregnancy. A Godh Bharai is held to celebrate mother hood. Most women around the world expecting their first baby would have this ritual perfomed in celebration of their first pregnancy.
Chandana, Aisha's kaaki & my sis-in-law is expecting her first baby early March & so we had her godh bharai function on 20th December.
In true Shetty tradition this function was celebrated on a grand scale. The bride gets gold, sarees & the very manglorean Maligay flowers in gifts...............it's as good as a wedding actually.
I always questioned Manish why is that peope, like to blow up money on anything & everything. Their poojas, weddings, engagements & whatever under the sun is celebrated as good as a wedding!!! Well, actually Shetty's are blessed with good business acumen & that explains the wealth a majority of the Shetty clan possess & so their spending too! Well not to miss that Shetty's maintain strong family ties & values which ensure that they have a good education and robust value system which ensures a good life.
Well, coming back to Aisha's kaaki's godh bharai.........
Actually it is round this time that most people can guess whether the mother is expecting a boy or a girl. Well my guess is that Chandana is expecting a girl....cos they say, "If the Mother is glowing she has a girl & otherwise it's a boy :-). Why I think it's a girl...........because Chandana is glowing. She looked very pretty. Ofcourse she had to look pretty...............she was dressed in all the finery as good as a bride actually. I asked Amma whether it is necessary to dress up so much for this function.....(well I was equally decked up at my godh bharai! but still)
What Amma said made me feel really proud of my self & womanhood. Amma said, "Ofcourse! a woman has to dress up as good as a bride. It is a woman's saubhagya and as good as a Poonar Janam." Well I translated the Poonar Janam bit such. A Godh Bharai is performed with certain objectives.........
1) to celebrate womanhood & her capacity to bear children
2) to bless the expecting mother & the unborn baby with good health
3) it's a rite to thank the mother "to be" for the gift of life

Well, good enough that is..........because every delivery boasts of the birth of two beings..............a new born baby & a new born mother.

3 Idiots!

Well obviously No! This post is not about the movie 3 Idiots.......cos the movie hasn't released yet :-)
Yes! The post has something to do with the movie though.

On a drive during the weekend with Manish & Aisha........a nice song from the movie"3 Idiots" playing,
Manish & me singing," Give me some sunshine, give me some rain, give me another chance I wanna grow up once again...." then we go, "naa-naa-nanaa-nana-naa-naa-nanaa-nana-naa-na-nanaa" & then we pause. There's a chorus; a slow and meek naa-naa-naanaa.????
Wait! the sounds coming staright from my lap! It was Aisha......who was sweetly humming the naa-nana-naa-nana-naa bit with us. We made a merry trio! & we enjoyed every bit of the song till it played.
Manish & I would sing the verse & Aisha would join in for the chorus!
It was super amazingly cute. You know what I mean.
My kid is all of 15 months just being herself.......A Total Surprise package!

Friday Special!

Pull up your jeans, get those sneakears and hit the road!!!! Friday's are fun.............they mark the end of an eventful week at work and the beginning of yet another weekend.
I didn't have anything in mind for Friday at work.........to add to it, a couple of my pals at work were away so it was a dissapointing start to my day :-( No friends....means no gupshup.....nobody to have chai with.....just a boring lunch at the canteen.

And then God said, Annette looks bored let's pep up her Friday.
& there I was taking time off from a very dry presentation, that too involving numbers :-P .......writing a silly ode to "M". well, I must admit; quite a good job I did at that.

What I get in return.........."M" asks me out!!!!!!
WOW!!!! Lunch with M at Gazalee.........we hadn't done that in a long long time.
I took off exactly at 1:00pm to keep my date at 1:10pm :-) Yeah! Gazalee is just 10 minutes away from Seepz. My date arrives exactly 2 minutes after I do & what followed was...... ................................................................................................................
..............................Lunch!!!! well, we were out for lunch isn't it???? the pause was for the 10 minutes of waiting time for a table for two!

Getting back...............Sol Kadhi, Squids, Prawns masala, Amboli (type of a dosa), wade, Fish Biryani, sips of sprite and a caramel pudding for dessert! Yes! M & I do have s-o-m-e appetite
But hey! read on about the experience:- valet parking with an extremely cheerful valet, extremely courteous doorman, super efficient waiter and delicious food (the prawns masala & amboli were a good combination) & awesome biryani (surmai).......dessert was nice. Worth it!!!
At the end of it, we were happy!!! Tip to the waiter, Tip to the doorman, Tip to the valet............everyone's happy :-)
"M" drops me back to office...............I'm very happy! Perfect way to end a fantastic afternoon lunch date :-)

Boring Day to a Perfect Friday......!
Eating out (Cool).......eating fish (super cool)..........at a fine dine restaurant (flattering)...eating out with M(ahem...) when your're 3 years and 9 months into a marriage.....(;-) hehehehehe.......naughty)
M happens to be my husband................Out of this world!!!!!!
Friday Special.............. Friday was made special!

Talk about being Talkative

And this one's the last of my long pending lists of prospective posts…….that's the 4th for the day....
So what!!! It’s my blog!  Well, this one’s for my Aisha.

It goes like this........
Observation1: Annette is very talkative
Observation2: Aisha looks & behaves mostly like Annette.
Procedure: Observing Aisha even more

Of course she already says…….Mamma, Dada, Amma, Ajja, Nana, Papa, Mama, Maami, Kaka, Kaaki, Aajji, Titthee (Tiddhi) which are the relations she has to maintain by her birth and by the fact that she comes in contact with all the above stated in her daily, weekly, monthly interactions. But what she has learnt by the power of her own observation, listening and her amazing memory is what I have attempted to capture.


& Voila! Presenting Aisha’s Vocab as on 24th Nov 2009 i.e. when Aisha is all of 14 months and 22 days


Words - & What they sound like!
Aisha - Aaitaaaaaa
Baby - Bebi
Babu - babu
Maushi - Maupuu
Office - Auuppish!
Apple - Aappil
Ball - Boowwl
Bus - Baaiissh
Doggy - Doggie
Gaadi - Daadi
Peacock - Peetoth
Fish - Piiish
Chapati - paapi
Banana - manaaa
Balloon - Mannoon
Moon - Moon  ahem!Yeah...she got this one perfect!
Good Morning - Maunin
Good Night - Nighthit
Bhaji - Baabi
Bye/Ta-ta - Baaiieeeee/Ta-ta
Chai - Thaa
I Love you - Aaawooooo (The best of all)
Hello - Aaalooo
No - Nuuu
Yes - Ayyssh
Happy Birthday - Aappy Aappy
Biscuit - Bitith
Give - Doove
Shoes - Chujh (ain't that  cute)


Well, that's about it or maybe just about as much could fit into the capacity of my memory :-P

I must note for the reference of my lil girl that she has a capacity to observe and retain in her mind the clothes, shoes, bed sheets and towels that people at home use.
I was shocked at her capability this one time when we were at my mum’s place. Aisha saw this towel on the chair and she went Dada which is when I realized that her Dad had used that towel that day Cool…..ain’t she???

Inference: Aisha is talkative, she's brilliant, she's super cool, she's My Girl!!!!!

Discovering my true calling………

It was just a chat with SS & NS over our afternoon tea. The conversation started with SS explaining what the workshop on “Discovering your True calling” was all about.



She went on to explain by sharing incidents which led her to her true calling. She spoke about how she went about creating a path for herself which has helped her make life so meaningful…..so much fun…..so much more happy and content. I was captivated by all that she had to say and soaked up every bit of the conversation we had. She urged us to think of that one thing which we really want to do, something that will give us happiness. SS gives it 2 hours a day & called us to give our self 2 hours a week…….just make that effort…..find out what is it that we really want to do & get behind it! I guess at the back of my mind I had started to count what I had achieved & just when I was ready to say, ”heck! I haven’t achieved anything!!” I immediately blurted, “hey wait! I have achieved a lot in life………..I have a home, a beautiful daughter, a car! , so what if they’re all against loans which I am still repaying! Thanks to my Job for that!!!  See!


Coincidently this discussion ensued the very next day that I was totally distraught. I tell you….there is some Power in my 3P theory!


Well, the chat with SS was as usual happening, enriching, energizing, fun, and this time round it was a real eye opener. Coming from a girl who’s just about my age…a pro at her job, vibrant & full of energy at all times, she has battled a disease most of us would consider Killer, followed her heart to learn new things she’s always wanted to and what’s great is that she always has time to share insights with people like me 


Man am I blessed or what???? I have parents, I have a family, I have an angel (my 911), I have friends, I have friends in colleagues who in some way or the other share valuable moments and thoughts which others would end up paying thousands to get from their Spiritual gurus.


Well, but then since God has blessed me in abundance what do I do about it! Hopefully a following blog will reveal the Secret!

A lil rhyme-a jig-a couple of numbers-Recipe for a perfect Sunday!

Hickory-Dickory Dock! Remember the nursery rhyme. Well, I do & my Mum does to. That's the 2nd nursery rhyme after Twinkle Twinkle that Aisha's got acquainted to. But Hickory Dickory Dock comes with action. Her hands twirling by her waist and then tiny fingers crawling up to "the mouse went up the clock" and then a repeat crawling action downwards which is followed by the super cute twirling hands action again to "hickory dickory dock" while head sways from side to side. I must say she took me totally by surprise and a very very pleasant one too.
Next, we put on some music and the song "Aahoo-Aahoo" from the movie "Love aaj kal" is playing when Aisha breaks into a dance which would look something like if we hold a phone between our shoulder & ear with a hand up in the air and feet tapping all over the place while going in circles. Difficult to imagine...isn't it. But Aisha did it all with ease that too with her beautiful 6 teethy smile :-) Show Stopper performance that was!
The day was just getting better in the presence of Aisha...........
Thanks to 24X7 cricket :-/ there was some match on TV (the most commonly watched thing at home). & during some such match we taught Aisha to action out a "Four" and a"Sixer". My rockstar of a girl picked it up instantaneously. She swayed her hand everytime we said fouuuuuuuuuuuuuur and raised both her hands in the air when we said Sixxxxxxxxxxxxx". What made the Sixer act adorable was that it was accompanied by a "Shissshhhhhhh" :-)
The number game continued as we said One, two............and Aisha gleefully follows to complete the sequence with, "theeeeeeeee". She's learnt to give us a "Fivvvvvvvvvveeeeeeeeeeeeee" too.
So that makes my daughter well acquainted to numbers 1 to 5 :-)
What say...........Aisha.........ain't she a recipe for a perfect Sunday.:-)

Just another day!

It was just another day when hell broke loose and I was ready to give up. It was yet another bad start to the day. More so it was coming to be a daily routine. I entered my office & headed straight to the washroom & closed the door gently while trying to hide the tears flowing down my cheeks. I dialed a number as good as a 911 for me looking for some help. I was greeted with warmth & affection as pure as from a mother and there I was pouring out my hopelessness and anguish and confessing to my failing efforts sobbing like a baby who’s lost and can see nobody in sight.

“My Angel“  as I call her, patiently listened to all I had to say and then put to rest all my fears as she gave me the hope that all would be well. From all that we spoke for those 15 minutes she had conveyed a message to me. I had to hold on. All that was needed was in my hands…….Prayer, Patience, and Perseverance.
My day had started to change from the minute I soaked in the depth of those three words. There is Positivity in prayer, Power in patience and perseverance and we are blessed with the capability of doing all with ease. Just needed to make that effort.
This I write to remind myself that there are days when things will not work out the way you want them to. It’s not like it’s not a good day…….but it is by my reactions that I ensure nobody has a good day!

I recall one conversation where a friend said, “There’s no point trying to straighten out things which are beyond your control. You should chose to ignore unpleasant things and get to doing something that you feel is pleasant. You’d rather help yourself & do what you like because you need to be content & happy. Because if you are content and happy you will then contribute to making others feel content and happy”. Thanks for that piece of advice SK!

Akka-Kukkoo-Akka-Kukkoo

My lil birdie chose to sing a rhyme on Sunday & it was the best cooing I have ever heard.


If you could visualize the scene you’d know what I was talking about.
It’s like watching a lil bird sing its own song & though you don’t understand their language you just love listening to them. Watching them flap their wings & chirp away & then breaking into a cooing & again fluttering their wings while on the branch of a tree.

It’s a pure delight!

Aisha was close to that….just that she had her hands waving instead of wings. She chose to move around the whole house yesterday while cooing “Akkkaa-Kukkoo-Akkkaa-Kukkoo” Those tiny lips pouting to perfection while letting out her “kukkoo”.
You know what I mean???
And then, each time she’d want to grab onto something that she shouldn’t I surprised her by imitating her own cooing & there she’d go all over again. That reminds me I should get her do that again & keep a record of it!

Why did i post this??? Well, I found it super cute! & I enjoyed every bit of Akka-Kukkoo :-) It get's a 5ver from me!

Footprints on my Heart

Since the time that Aisha was born I had tracked all of her milestones very closely.
Was she able to focus & smile……Is she able to grasp things in her hand…….when will she sit…..& then when will she stand……phew……I must thank my family to have been so patient & bearing with me as I drove everyone nuts by all my questions revolving around the right time to sit & the right time to stand and the right time to walk. Thanks to babycentre.com which feeds you with so much information on the development of your child.

Well……….Aisha’s been a RockStar so far! Why RockStar????? Well, no specific reason…..it’s just that….she Rocked my Life!
She did achieve all of her milestones well within the desired timeframe……….however she chose to take it easy with her walking.
I remember hoping & hoping that she’d walk for her first birthday……& no she did not. She’d stand without support but not walk. I must admit I was disappointed and was at peace only when I got to know that my friend’s daughter just 15 days senior to Aisha was not walking yet! Alright…..whatever! Which parent wouldn’t be anxious to see those two tiny feet in action?

Well, Thanks to my sis-in-law & my friends who gifted Aisha a walker & a cycle respectively. The walker …..a very colorful lion on wheels with a nose full of music kept Aisha engrossed for quite a few days. She’d push him along as long as the music played and then she’d stop and press the lion’s nose & just sit by his side. Alternatively she’d push the cycle and again stop when the music stopped :-/ This went on for another week after her birthday…….Aisha was 1 year & 1 week old and she just refused to walk……..Another week passed by but of course with some surprises as Aisha could stand without support & very easily that too.

It was in the third week of her thirteenth month and thankfully a weekend when Aisha just decided to take a few steps right behind my back. In a fraction of a second Aisha had walked away from me to the bed a good 4 little steps & she chose to do it while I wasn’t looking……but she had walked!!!!! If you could see me smile……you’d feel that I looked very awkward with a smile that touched my ears….but Aisha had walked…..and they were her first few steps ……the path breaker to her independence. From that day Aisha was practicing her new found skill and was quite enjoying herself. I remember that weekend as Aisha walked 4 steps & then another 5 steps & then she’d go about 6 steps…..it was a thrill to see her walk. It was the very next day when I got home from work and sat myself down after a nice shower to play with her that she stood up on her two feet ……and I instantaneously spread my arms welcoming her. What ensued brought me sheer bliss. Aisha with her tiny wobbly legs…….her beautiful pink feet, a smile that warmed my heart and those ever expressive eyes had walked right into my arms……….My little girl had walked……..and what a present to her mommy. She had walked right into my arms and left footprints on my heart.
..................................The wait was worth it.

Work Hard-Party Harder

Whenever I came across the term "Work Hard-Party Harder" It's always brought a smile on my face. And the very reason is that I completely & totally believe in that term.
“I have Friends at Work” is one parameter that contributes to Employee Engagement.
For me…..it means a great deal.
Not just as one parameter but much more than that.
I was speaking to a colleague the other day about how some of my best years at Mastek were when I was based out of Mahape. I worked the best & I had my share of great times.
When she asked my why??? I told her that I had a great set of friends there.
Breakfast at 8:45am……..Coffee break at 11:00am Lunch at 12:30pm…..Chai at Sai at 4:00pm & board the bus at 5:30pm……& in between those breaks it was pure dedication to work. It was simple, it was easy, and it was Fun!!!!
Heard of Movies on Monday……….We’d wait for the weekend to get over so we could go and catch up a movie on Monday!!!

I realized that life does shower it’s kindness on us in many ways. The best being through the wonderful friends that you make.So this piece I dedicate to my friends

Pushpa: I cannot imagine life at Mastek without her. Today I can't imagine life without her. She is my Ideal Idol.
Anjana: In all probability, the first person to befriend me at Mastek & the one who ensured I never ate lunch alone.
Payal: Always makes me feel, look, be a lot younger than I actually am.
Sheela: Befriended me again……on the Mastek bus…but today the friendship means much more & what’s better I don’t even have to describe it. It is just there
Alfie: Alfred is probably the first guy (other than Manish) who I was completely at ease with. He made me feel good, he made me laugh, and he’s listen to all the crap I could give and a most importantly I could dance with him!. Sadly…guy’s change after they get hitched.
Swati: “Swati Ptail”….The Hara Rang Dala girl. Good gupshup partner, Great person to party with. Man! Could she dance?
Jesna: My friend before I joined Mastek. But, when we were while we were……..time spent with Jesna had plenty laughs, loads of gossip and lots of food. All in all; a 10 on 10.
Priya: The beautiful Mom with two of the most beautiful babies. We came together for work & then just became friends & I know it will stay that way
Kiran: The babe…super glam, super gal, super pal…..my bubbly, chirpy, girly pal
Candida, Ruchira, Shweta, Babita: if not for these girls…..i’d never know what fun Girlie outings could be. Thanks for adding to the number……I know what “More the merrier” means.

I don't intend to hurt anyone through this post but I just penned down what came to my mind and have not thought through while writing what is written.So what I have written is as I felt it & it is true.

Aisha's First B'day

Invite

Picture Perfect

Star of the Day

Birthday Cake With cousin Alaina & Genu mashaan

Aisha's first Birthday.............

Venue: Wonderfully decorated Golden Lawn restaurant.

Evening Hosted by: my cousin Cybil & Aisha's fabulous Dad

Count of Guests: Attended in full force by family & friends (We were truly touched that most could make it) (we missed a few of our very close friends) & I missed Aisha's Gilly Mama :-(

Star of the Day: Undoubtedly the Birthday Girl

Regrets: We missed arranging a photographer :-(

Well, Aisha' s birthday was celebrated & how........

It is indeed true that happiness multiplies when shared & truly, our joy doubled as all family & friends attended Aisha's birthday in full force.Aisha played the perfect Birthday Girl & clapped all the way as everybody sang the Happy Birthday Song :-) Sitting pretty in her cream & pink dress our little girl looked like a princess. Her Nana gifted her a cute yellow dress which she is wearing in the pic above. Friends Tanisha, Yashi, Sakshi, Siddhant (my prospective son-in-law :-)) and her little cousins Alaina and Diya (just a few months younger than her) added to the bacchhaa gang :-) I missed my darling Aarushi. (That's my first baby-whom I am a self proclaimed God Mother to)

I feel happy that my girl had a wonderful first birthday .

Thanks to my cousins Jocelyn, Cybil, Andrea & aunt Luiza who helped us with organising the games & my husband who drove the entire show & did most of the running around organising the party.

All about First Times

A smile that could warm anyone’s heart……………….
A tiny fist……….you’d want all the beautiful things in the world to fill that tiny palm.
A million stars put together could not equate the twinkle in her eyes.
& just as those lips came together & she blurted out a mummmaah!!!!
A mother was born.

That’s how I felt when Aisha called me Mamma the first time……….26th March’2009
I have to admit that I was overjoyed to hear those words and nothing else compared to the sound of “Mamma” from my baby’s lips.


I know I was overjoyed to know that my mom had a record of the day I first smiled & I had decided to note down the milestones of my little girl one by one.

I may have missed some but I have many to share with her.

The first time she looked at me eye to eye………23rd September’2008
The first time she smiled……….30th September’2008
The day we pierced her ears, 14th November’2008 ...children’s day (the pic above is taken on the same day)
The first time she called out to her father “Dada”………12th April 2009, Easter Sunday…twice
Her first tooth appeared sometime before her birthday
The first time she called out to her “Titin”……”Maami”, 30th August (right after she got married J)
Her curly locks were cut on 2nd October'2009 coinciding with Gandhi Jayanti (See the before & after pcis)

& there are first times which just happened & kept me amazed & ecstatic

Like the first time she looked me in the eye & smiled at me while still suckling J

Her first attempt to hold on to something & stand………

Her first word….....Maamm

Her first accomplishment – when she tugged at my hair & found a strand in her palm J

There are many such First times & many more achievements. It has been wonderful watching her grow……& I know for sure she’s my surprise package who’ll have many facets to herself & all of which are going to be a delight.

This is for My Candy girl………my butterfly…..my lil girl………

my pretty angel……….my kuku girl…………my baby……My Aisha!

Ode to our Beloved

The Apple of my Eye.... the cherry on the Pie,

She's the jewel of the Ocean...Her dada's magic potion.

Her Mamma's little toy.....she has filled our lives with joy!

I wanted to name her Pia which means Beloved & these three lines I coined a week after Aisha was born. My ode to Our Beloved

My Wake-Up call

This piece & all that I write from today is because of my very dear friend. That's why I call this my "Wake Up call"

It is only because of her that I decided I had to take the time to write.......inch by inch.....creating pages etched with my thoughts in black & white.

These thoughts which will by far be my best companion. Thanks Push.

An Ode to my beloved

It's been so long…….& I want to tell you so much,
With every passing moment I long for your touch.
You always there for me but I still want more of you,
It feels so lonely when ur not around & I feel so blue,
Everytime we meet, the first thing I wish is to be kissed
For all the moments gone by & for those we have missed
I love the way you take my name as it makes me feel wanted
If you could see, every time you call on me my world is tinted
You are the only one who could love me & hurt me hard together

But deep within I know my life without you wouldn't have been better!