Funny...or Maybe Not!

What is a blog without penning down a few gripes here and there, now and then, and so on and so forth? So it is Gripe Time!!! 

My baby has beautiful golden brown reddish hair. Seriously out in the sun her hair shines red and indoors it is a demure dirty blonde. It is beautiful. It has always been like that. As people started noticing it they asked me a lot of questions, some of them that everyone thought it was funny but plain insensitive. And these questions were always asked in front of my baby!

Is G her real dad? Anu, tell me who is the real father...

 No you moron, I had an affair with a Caucasian and I am going to disclose it in front of everyone! Let us also let my parents or his parents who are around when you ask this question thinking how hillarious you are into my secret affair story.

Did you color her hair?

Yes, I fancy dyeing the hair of my toddler. I find it hard to get my hair get colored on time before it turns salt and pepper, as if I would sit and pollute my daughters head.

Your daughter has blonde hair!!!

Oh my God! Thanks, I have had her for 6 year and never noticed it!! Ever! You opened my eyes today!

Did she get switched at birth?

Yes, just like how you head is going to get switched with your arse!

Was she adopted?

Seriously Bitch! You want to ask that in front of my daughter? Were you adopted? Because I have met your parents and they seem smarter than you!

And for those who simply said, "she has beautiful hair," I thank you.

Thanks

Love

ART

A Wrap Up!

I don't think that 2013 was the best blogging year for me. That does not mean that nothing happened, instead it just means that I was so busy that I could not spend enough time on the blog. But all said and done, it is time to recap through the year that was...Generally speaking, 2013 was not a memorable year, most of it was blah, some scary parts, and then a few bits of fun here and there...

January - I really do not remember much of this month at all.  It is like I did nothing at all. There are no blogs to document anything and I am at a loss.
February - Accident.
March - I turned a year older, and wiser. 35! Whoo Hoo!
April - We started looking for a house aggressively.
May - We sealed the deal on the house. In one month we would move in! Start shopping for home essentials!
June - End of June, we finally moved into our very own nest. We had ten days to unpack and set up the house for our in laws to come and visit.
July - Father fell sick when my brothers were in India. I had to rush to parents side and spent a hectic week with them. I can never take the image of my father lying with tubes coming out of everywhere out of my head! Scary.
July also was the month when in-laws came. We had a great time chilling in the house.
August - Babs started big school. We finally made the move.
September - We did the Oktoberfest Run. My friends and I did the run in the morning and the fun in the evening at the world's second largest Oktoberfest! it was awesome!
October - Babs turned 6 and my parents spent a month with us. It was awesome!
November - Do not remember much other than waiting for Thanksgiving and the Holidays to start!
December - The big Trip around America.

On December 18, flu laden, Girish and I along with the awesome traveler Babs, set out on a drive around the south west. We started at our home and headed to Farmington, NM where we spent the night. The next day we saw the Monument Valley and spent the night at Moab, UT. On the 20th, we drove to the Arches National Park and headed to California. We spent 5 days in San Francisco during which we also spent a night in a youth hostel besides a light house. On the 26th we set out to head towards Las Vegas where we spent 4 days. We ate at Batali's, saw Le Reve (Cirque du Soleil), and tried new things. A two day stint at Sedona, and a one day stop at Santa Fe before heading home as tired and weary travelers. We had completed approximately of 4300 miles (6900 kms) in 14.5 days, driving through 6 states, 4 state capitals and visiting 2 national parks. It was the drive of a lifetime. And we are ready to do it all over again...maybe Yellowstone next time!

And with that we wrapped the Old year, packaged it behind us. Trying to forget the sadness it brought to my friends and to ourselves and hoping that things will get better in the future.

Happy 2014

ART!

Happy 6th!!!

Dear Dear Babs!!!

I tried to steer you towards choosing Strawberry Shortcake for your Halloween Costume but you were adamant about being Cleopatra. Everyone found it funny and interesting that you had even heard of her. Of course, you have! You have only seen the "Adhisayam" song about a 1000 times. It did not stop there. You want to wear the costume every night and then talk to me about Cleopatra. Obviously you had no idea who she was or what she was but each day we wiki a little and now you know more about her. I like how you are getting into your character, like a method actor. You make me learn new things.

When you wanted the American Girl doll because you had to take it to a friend's party, my first reaction was hell-to-the-NO! But you never forced me to get you one. You asked for it and then said it was not a big deal if we did not get you one. When I made a deal with you to work for your doll, you agreed but kept worrying that you will not make it before your friend's birthday party. Rest assured mom and dad would have got you one anyways because you are that awesome!

You wanted a big party for your 6th. We sat you down and asked you if you would like to spend all that money and have a big party or have an intimate one with just us and you requested to add one friend. Well, we actually wanted to invite more than that but we wanted to low-ball you. We of course obliged and also have a special party planned for you with a few of your friends. Of course you have no idea about it but hopefully you are pleasantly surprised. And the money we saved from not throwing a big party...it was supposed to go into your college fund, but instead went into mom's Prius maintenance fund after a rock hit the windshield pretty hard.

You have a big heart, you cried when my father was sick and hugged me tight and spoke to me at every given chance you had. You have adjusted with my temper tantrums, you tell me patiently, "amma, sometimes I think you have anger issues." You love me with your little hands. You play silly games with me and your dad and tell us how much you love us. The other day after you crashed in the car after some serious fun Dandiya, you whispered in my ears, "amma, I love you both a lot," and went right back to sleep. You refuse to sleep in your room and each day make some new excuse. You make me laugh and never cry. Even when I am going through crap in life, you make me put on a smiley face and forget stuff for the few minutes I spend with you.

Did I tell you, how amazing you are at hoola-hooping? At ping-pong? At ice skating? At being you? At how you make jokes out of everything just like your dad. At how you amazingly funny you are and how many inappropriate jokes you tell me and dad and I beg you not to repeat it to others? The joy you bring to my parents?

You are 6. I cannot seem to remember where the past five years have flown by...I remember bringing you home, and now you are ready to walk home by your own self from school, though that wont happen for a long while. And yes, school, you are adjusting so well there, you have made friends and today, I saw you go and pick your food from the cafeteria line. It was the most amazing sight, to see how independent you have become. But the screaming and yelling you did when you saw me and amma walking towards you to pick you up for lunch, was priceless. It was worth the two hours I missed out at work. When I came to pick you up at noon today, I saw you walking slowly and was the last kid in line with head bent down and dragging your feet, but the minute you saw me, the smile and excitement...was again worth every bit of it.

Every time you tell me that you understand that I cannot pick up early like other kids or do somethings that other kids do, you make me fall deeper into mommy guilt...but that is only because I love you and it is amazing how a 6 year old can understand what I am going through when I explain how I have to be at work. It is amazing that you are your own being...showering, eating, sleeping (in our bed) all on your own...

Happy 6th Sweetheart and I pray to all the Gods that we will together be able to celebrate many more as a family with Pappa, you and me! You cannot imagine how much we love you and we need you as much you need us.

Love
Your Amma!

Oh God! Why Me?

It was 12.30 in the noon and my friend and I ran frantically between one bus to another bus to get a seat aboard some decent A/C bus to take me to Chennai. I had finished my TOEFL exam in Bangalore and had spent an extra day in Bangalore thereby loosing my reservation on train and the only way to get back seemed to be on road. Which, of course was completely booked. We finally got a set on a Karnataka State Transportation bus which I think was the cheapest fare I had traveled in my entire life between Bangalore and Chennai. And I have done that trip a million times.

My friend who dropped me in the bus was hesitant and asked me many times if I could postpone my ticket for a couple of days. I wished I could but I had to be in Chennai that night so I could take my GRE exam the following day. I walked inside the bus dreading the journey but to my surprise I saw this girl who was my brother's classmate's cousin. We had met at a party and for some odd reason, we knew her parents well and her own brother was my junior in college. The minute I sat down next to her she said, "please don't tell my dad or brother or my cousin that you saw me on this bus." I promised her wondering what her secret was. Which I eventually found out through another friend. At least I had nothing to hide so I saw down feeling a bit better that I had company with me on a bus which had maybe another woman on board.

We chatted a while before each of us got absorbed in our silence, she was not like my best friend or very close to me. We obviously lived different lives, one in which I told my parents everything, well almost and never traveled away from home without informing my family. The journey seemed painless and we assumed that we would reach home early before sunset and I started to relax. I told myself that this was not as bad as it seemed and for Rs.30 I could not have asked for more.

When we got close to Tamilnadu-Karnataka (Hosur) border we heard a lot of noise outside and the bus came to a sudden halt. I did not think it was much to worry for a few seconds before a handful of men walked into the bus with such propriety you would think they owned the bus. They had heavy logs of wood in their hand and the famous South-Indian Veecharuva (sickle). They walked into the bus looking high and low and screaming, "if you are in here come out, you are not going to escape alive." They walked past us and then stopped by us for a few seconds, we were the only two young girls in the entire bus. The two of us bent down looking at our bags intently and did not dare look up till the bus moved again. I think my legs were jelly and my stomach was running at a higher rate than my heart. My friend and I held hands and did not let go for a few minutes. 

The entire bus heaved a sigh of relief but I can bet no one would have come to save us had they wanted to walk away with us. Phew! Thank God! 

When we got to Chennai, my friend reminded me one more time not to tell her family about seeing me. I don't think I met her after that day but I still remember the events so clearly...of course things happened in slow motion freaking the daylights out of me...so much for a non-exciting Rs.30 travel day!

So anyway, I write after reading https://www.facebook.com/GurgaonPolice/posts/511992945549788

I can imagine to a certain extent what each of them might have gone through. Fear is the same when you feel overpowered and unsafe in any situation. It takes a lot for anyone to put aside their life and stand up for anyone else. 

Anyways...thought I will share!

Love

ART

The Run and Fun

This past weekend was hectic beyond words. A friend was visiting from New Jersey and my BFF and I were doing a run. Another college buddy of mine also decided that he would join us and the three of us were promptly 30 seconds before the race started. Of course, this was not a race by any means for us because we were the last to start among the 1000 that were there but the good news is we finished somewhere in the middle. It was such a pain finding parking and the walk to the race was so far. Three years ago when we had done this same run it was not half as crowded.

We finished the run, tried to taste some beer which was uber-bitter, so we ate some breakfast and headed home. At home friends, G and I played boat loads of ping-pong and then took Babs back to the Oktoberfest. She did some rides, we blew up some cash, and got back home. We got ready and once again took Babs, dropped her off at a play date with friend and headed Oktoberfest once again. If you are keeping count, that is third time in one day...

Met a whole group of friends there, hung out, and then went over to another friend's house for after party with the kids. By the time Babs was sleeping it was 2.00am and by the time I went to sleep it was half past two...what a day!

The next couple of days...I limped around with pain in everything leg!

Go Oktoberfest...hopefully we will run every year!!!

love
ART