"I'm a vegetable"

Me while showing Tanay a play hotdog: Tanay, what's this?
Tanay: it's a hot dog
Me: do you eat this?
Tanay: nooooo
Me: why not?
Tanay: coz I'm a vegetable
:)))) I had no clue that everytime I told him that we were vegetarians, he was actually listening and absorbing :)

My resolutions for 2011

I cant believe 2010 is passed by so quickly and has marked the end of a decade. As I look forward to the next 10: here are my resolutions!
1. Be a minimalist! Throw/Give away the excess and the unnecessary in every space- be it the garage, our home, my office, my mind and spirit (fear, guilt, regret, worry - it was nice knowing you but can you please find another home ;-))
2. Stop making my membership dues to 24-Hour Fitness a charitable contribution (by actually using the facility REGULARLY)
3. Give up anger - in the grand scheme of things, nothing is worth it.
4. TO NOT SWEAT THE PETTY STUFF or the big stuff.
5. Make new friends, reconnect with old friends, and cherish those who have stuck with me in :) times and in :(
6. Travel more, party more-work harder, EAT, PRAY, LOVE!
7. Explore, discover and play with Tanay (keeping my IPhone, BB and laptop out of sight & out of mind while I do so).
8. Facebook less and meet more :)
9. Facebook more and laze less :D
10. Give all of the above my bestest shot (ok all but #2and #9).
Wishing all a happy, peaceful and healthy 2011.

Words I never want to forget

So T is growing up at an absolutely incredible pace and I cannot seem to keep up. He is a complete sponge right now repeating ANYTHING & EVERYTHING. Yet again I think, this is the best age (felt it at 6 months, a year, 18 month, 2 years with periods of pure frustration included in as well). Of course the biased mom in me thinks that he says most of the words in his own unique style which is incredibly CUTE (Just about leaving from work right now and am missing him as you can tell ;-)). Just so that I have my memories straight, I am making this list of words that he says differently.
"Angain" - Again
"Oh Gownd" - Oh God
"Lovu" - Love you
"Kanks" - Thanks
"popperly" - properly
"ekkuse me"- excuse me
"maaaaayle" - smile
"baaykasal" - bicycle
"pips" - chips (actually this is not Tanay's but one of Tanay's best friend's words)
PS:1- I swear I could think of so many more more words when I started this post.
PS: 2- Sorry for a boring post! But I am sure you parents understand :)

Can't help writing about Tanay

I promised myself this wont be a mommy blog but I can't seem to help it. These days invariably anything I feel really strongly about has in some way or form a connection to Tanay. I read this interesting article the other day on how being protective (I guess over protective) can harm your child. As a parent, it's incredibly tempting to make things okay for your child but doing so can lead him to not accept realities in life! But what do I do if I do not wish for him to ever face reality if that means that he has to go through pain? I know I am protective of him (and my hubby even more so) but I always end up finding reasons to justify it. He is a little guy compared to his peers, he is not aggressive by nature (never snatches anyone's toy, hits another child), he is still a baby............ letting go is hard! Guess am going to have work on that.

Change of subject- BTW, Tanay has started talking (finally!! - guess the multi lingual thing was really confusing him). He has special names for us now - hubby is "Doyle" for Dhawal and I am "Mi" for Sumi. Amongst the early words is emo (for elmo) and truck which sounds more like "Truahhh". Its amazing how boys are just wired so differently from girls. My niece did not care for trucks at all and he loves them.

More later,
S

11/26

I think I would not be doing justice to myself if I don't write about the terror attacks in Mumbai. I still vividly remember my uncle taking my sister and I for the ferry ride from the Gateway of India. The ferry takes you around in the Arabian Sea showing you picturesque views of the Taj. I was around 8 years old and remember being enamoured with the beauty of the building. The Taj and the Oberoi are landmark hotels in Mumbai. They are places I have grown up seeing, hearing, visiting, almost taking them for granted. VT station - I have been there umpteen number of times. Helplessly, I watched the terrorists paralyze my city all thanksgiving weekend. I still shiver thinking it could have been my dad, my mom, my husband's parents, my friends. I still feel violated.

I know in the aftermath people are blaming the politicians. I dont know if the politicians could have necessarily prevented this. Probably if the intelligence reports would have been acted upon in a more serious fashion. However, I do know one thing - the only way to get this done with is remove the root cause - hatred. I also think justice should be sought and the terrorists (including the planners and the minds behind this) should be punished. The US felt this very same anger after its 9/11 and this is no different for an Indian. I think the US should demonstrate true qualities of being a world leader and join hands with India in the war against terror. This is no time to be diplomatic or hypocritical.

I don't know if this is a true saying or I just made it up - Once a Mumbai-ite, always a Mumbai-ite. I could live far away from the city but my heart still beats for it and I still retain the spirit. Mumbai, I can't wait to visit you again.

Signing off,
Sumi