Makar Sankranti at home & Pongal at Paati's

14th January is celebrated as Makar Sankranti in Maharashtra & as Pongal down south.The best part of Makar Sankranti & Pongal are the sweets that are prepared for the ocassion.

Pongal is a popular harvest festival in Tamil Nadu & is celebrated for over four days. visit this link for more on Pongal http://www.pongalfestival.org/. Makar Sankrant is what is celebrated in Maharashtra.
My in-laws are Shetty's from Udipi but by virtue of spending most of their lives in Maharashtra they have taken to many customs & traditions of the Maharashtrians including a love for the language :-) As amma says,"Woh naveen sadi pehenna" :-) (naveen is 'new' in Marathi)
So, as tradition would have it tilgul (a mixture of white sesame seeds and jaggery rolled into small round balls, laddoos) was prepared at home. Ladoos or small balls........Aisha made sure she had a BALL of a time right during the preparations itself. All I did was help with the rolling & while we were at that Aisha was almost ready to sit in the big plate (paraat) and juggle the yaadoos (read laddoos)

Sadly I couldn't take pics then but I did manage to click a few where Aisha & her Dad are relishing the Sankrant delicacy.

It was a holiday so after lazing the whole day it finally dawned on me that my friend Anusha had invited us over for Pongal which also fell on the same day.

WOW.............to be honest Anush, Div, Padh, Vinush & me have been friends since school. Except for Vinush all are Tam's (Tamilians) , Vinush is a mallu :-). Well, getting back to the real thing; though all my friends were Tam's I can't recollect going over to their place O_N_C_E for Pongal :-/ can't seem to remember why.

Well, Anush is back in India after a very long stint in the USA & we actually look for any opportunity to get together for some time. So Pongal it was!!!
Aisha & me trotted along ......4 floors down & ting tong :-) (Yeah Anush is also a 1st floor neighbour)

Aisha looked so pretty in a polka dotted black & white dress with a matching hair band & a shocking pink shrug (which is Aarushi's). The actuals pongal festivity of rangoli & other things were done by the time we went over but the best part was not over........delicious pongal was still doing it's rounds :-)

Paati was at home.........(Anush was out shopping with Aunty) Paati as always greeted me with the same warmth as she welcomed me when I went to Divya's place after tuitions. I still remember the flavour of the maggi noodles & the bournvita she served after we got back home from tuition. :-) Love you always paati :-* mmuuaaah

As Aisha got comfy on the couch Paati went on to serve some of the delicious pongal. I will always remember the taste of the first spoonful of pongal which I relished for quite some time because that bowl never made it's round back to me :-) It just enjoyed Aisha's company :-)

Aisha loved every bit of the Pongal & happily went on with the second helping too.

First Pongal, First one with Aisha, First one with Paati..........and it's a memory I will cherish.

The pic with Paati & Aisha is chhooooo chweeeet :-)

Pappa Dearest!

I must admit that as a kid I always frowned when people commented on how much I looked like my dad. Infact my Dad always called me his chocolate (yummmmmmmmm) sounds cute no??? No!!!! Not to me as I wanted him to call me his diamond!!! because i always associated chocolate to my dark complexion and frowned when he called me that. I also got grumpy if he called the actor Kajol, "Kaali Maina" & thought he did that to tease me. (alright, i've hit a shoe on my head already)
Dad poked fun at me once saying he won't walk my kids around if they are brown hehehehheeeee (it tickles me now) But, back then I hit back saying I'd never let him walk my kids if they were fair!!!!
Wait a minute............why am I writing all this??? Well this is for my Dada who is pappa to my daughter Aisha. He jumps like a little child every time he sees Aisha after like...... two days!!!!.......Whatever work he may have at hand, he will set it aside to fry his "Potli Girls" favorite fisssshhhhhhhhhh. Yes he does walk her around the colony even though she is brown ;-) (I love the choclate tone more when i see how good it looks on Aisha and think i was a fool to crave for a fair complexion....ahuh........ahem......OK....i am lying a bit. I always did want to be fair) He carries her in his arms.........even if it means bearing immense pain in his arm which was recently operated upon. He does bend down to wash her if she's pooped even if it means struggling to stand up right back because of his sore back (believe me my dad never carried my brother or me because of his bad back......it was always mamma.........yes yes....Nana dearest is to follow soon)

As a matter of fact Aisha does have her pappa's features & that makes me proud :-) (which means she has mine too and i'd be lying again if I said I wanted her to look like me) LOL:-) (ok that's another knuckle punch on my head)

Yeah!!! Pappa is the best!!!

Something's Fishy at Tunga International!!!!!!

It was today afternoon that Anjana decided to treat me & Alok for her birthday.We decided to go to some place close to office & Tunga met our time restrictions.

We went to the restaurant on the 2nd Floor.....or was it the third.....well, whatever the restaurant "Something Fishy" and while the story unfolds you'll realise that the restaurant is true to it's name. There is something fishy about "Something Fishy"!!!!!

Anjana, Alok & myself sat oursef down to a quite lunch......a fresh lime soda for all of us. A chicken starter, a chicken tikka masala with some couple of roti's each for the three of us......& just as we were ready to order we asked the waiter to suggest somthing else for the main course. $^&! yeah.......wait for the main thing.
The waiter suggests crab so I glance through the menu for crab items which are priced within Rs.300/- & then we OK his suggestion

The starter arrives, the boneless crab arrives, & so does the main course......& the food is good.
We then decide on caramel pudding for dessert which all the three of us decide on sharing.
& then starts the not so good, horrible & then horrifying experience.

Well, the not so good experience was with the chicken which was spicy though we were assured that it won't be spicy.
The horrible experience is from the 10 whole minutes we had to wait to get a spoon so we could start with the dessert (finally had I not gone to the counter to get the spoons myself I guess we'd be waiting for 15 minutes for spoons)

Then we ask for the bill................now 3 fresh lime sodas, rotis, one starter, chicken, crab.......how much can that be???? The bill arrives.......& the host is paying.......one 500 rupee note, and another, the third, a fourth!!!!! & OMG a fifth one too!!!
I grab the bill to check what on earth we've eaten to pay something like 2500 for a lunch for three????

That's the horrifying part..............the waiter's recommendation what we saw as 400 on the menu card was never something from the menu card. It was a whopping Rs.1800/-
I think I was ready to drop dead for allowing a waiter to recommend. But Anjana, the cool nerves that she has................just shrugged & said it was a great lunch, paid & we left the restaurant.

Lessons:
There is a lot fishy about something fishy!
never go by a steward's assurance on the spice in a dish
Never ever ask the steward for a recommendation.
If you do, ensure you ask him he price too.

It was a great time spent with friends but at a cost which was just not justifiable!!
The restaurant gets a thumbs down from me.

When photographs say more than words can

Photographs make memories in colour. They say much more than words can.

They take you back in time & in most cases a story unfolds right there as you see the photograph.

The pics below are glimpses of a beautiful year that's gone by.

                              

The first four photographs(from the top....left to right) are taken on 2nd October just before we took Aisha for a "Head Shave"

Believe me, it was very difficult watching those lovely curls being chopped off :-(

Aisha took it very well though see she is "no hair & all smiles" the very next day!!!

The pics above are very dear to me. That's my FIL carrying Aisha......& the next one was taken on Christmas Eve (2009) Aisha lends a helping hand with X-Mas decorations.

                                                                      

Above are what we call "Perfect Pics" yeah......the awesome threesome (the first one was taken at Kapu Beach in Mangalore & the second was taken on 9th October which was the day of Aisha's naming ceremony)

From left to right above: Daddy's girl, Aisha's awakening at 21 days (our favorite) and the next one is Self photography at it best- the pic was taken on my birthday (2009). It was taken by me while looking into a mirror :-)

The above pics are of Aisha & her cousin Alaina.

The first one was taken when we went to visit my cousin Genu after her delivery (see the beautiful bundle, sleeping beauty) and the next one at a common friend's wedding where Aisha was all over Alaina as though she was a live doll & all Aisha wanted to do is cuddle & kiss the little doll.

Another of my favorite......at the left in my young cousin Azhar in who's lap Aisha fits so perfectly.

Azhar is fondly looking at Aisha & Aisha back at him. They were so lost they even forgot to look at the camera ;-)

At the right is a priceless photograph. That's the four generations pic.......

(from above: Nana, mamma, Aisha's mamma & Aisha )

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.