News at our end

Mira is a well-behaved child. And so, did I think until she unleashed herself in Toys R Us, Bangkok’s biggest toy shop which we went to over the weekend. It was maddening, it was crazy and it was just not Mira! She behaved like a whirlwind, dashing from one toy section to the other. Pushing the walker one minute and banging the xylophone the other. She didn’t care whether I was around or not – she just kept running wildly as toys called out to her from different rows of the shop. We frantically looked out to buy something for her but unfortunately, nothing really worked out. She wanted toys which were way above her age – 3+, 4+, 5+ while Papa and I just couldn’t find something she liked. And so, we took the plunge – I forcibly picked up Mira in my arms and we sprinted towards the exit. I kept showing her toys on the way hoping that we might manage to find something good and compatible while Mira kept howling and punching me in the chest.

And finally, we found something – something that three of us liked.

We paid at the counter and hurriedly left the shop – my cheeks still red with embarrassment, Papa shaking his head in disbelief and Mira smiling ear to ear with a lovely Barney in her hands.

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Papa has always accused me of being a spoil sport. He travels to various exotic places on account of work and despite repeated encouragements, I’ve never really accompanied him to any. But this time, I made an exception to the rule. I said yes and as a result, all 3 of us are leaving for a full 11 day trip tonight. Place? Hmmmm….let me keep it a secret this time…….but I promise to fill you in with details once I’m back – to unload a camera full of photos and a mind full of anecdotes. Will catch you guys soon! See ya…

Tales of Krabi

Ahha……….now this is where we went to!

Pristine white sand beaches, crystal clear blue water, random huge limestone hills and the lovely sunny sky – in short, the beautiful province of Krabi. Located at the shore of the Andaman sea with almost 130 islands in its possession, Krabi undoubtedly is one of the most relaxing places in Thailand.

Baffled with the vastness of the province, Papa and I quickly drew up a 3 day itinerary focusing on the key islands of Krabi, leaving us with enough time to relax as well as explore the entertainment facilities of our hotel. Since we were a bit nervous about Mira’s first encounter with water, we decided to sign up for a half day trip that allowed us to hop between Krabi’s 4 big islands.

Sunglasses, sunscreen, swim suits, baby food – all nicely packed in a bag, Papa, Daadi, Mira and I set out for our trip. A speedboat transported us from the hotel beach to the destination. While Papa and I headed straight towards the bow of the boat, Mira clung tightly to Daadi scared of the gurgling sound of the water and the noisy engine of the boat. Having sat right in front of the bow, my view of the sights was completely uninterrupted. The rush of cold wind in my face, hair fluttering against the forehead, the never-ending stretch of water and the birds flying by made the scene so very beautiful! Don’t think Papa enjoyed it as much as he kept struggling to retain the cap on his head, which was ready to give in to the will of the wind.

The islands were even better –simple, peaceful and yet so very beautiful. Walking into the sea made the whole experience real – touch of the water suddenly transformed us into a part of the nature, rather than being mere spectators from outside. The sea, the fish, the hills and the sky all seemed so much more approachable and intrinsic at that point in time.

Papa and I enjoyed the sea by constantly dipping into it, sometimes near the beach and sometimes a bit far. In the true teenager style, we had great fun splashing water onto each other rather than resorting to the complicated adventures of snorkeling and diving. And Mira, she turned out to be a true water baby – comfortably seated in her small swim tube held onto by Papa’s dependable arms, Mira joined in the fun by cheerfully swaying and babbling in the sea.

The fish just added to the pleasure – in fact, it was probably one of the best parts of the whole experience – the sea was full of these small harmless fish which came rushing in as soon as we dropped some bread crumbs in water. The fact that they were all around us, probably kissing us around the legs was good enough to evoke happy giggles of laughter from all three of us. Daadi, who all this while was missing the fun standing at the edge of the beach, finally gave in to the temptation and walked right inside hitching her salwaar upto the knees. And then, the whole family got down to their favorite water activity - splashing water on each other!

The hotel too had lots to offer – the swimming pool, the beach, the play room, the relaxing king size bed and loads and loads to eat from! But, probably the best was the elephant show that happened by the beach with a baby elephant called Ra Ra. And one could make out that Ra Ra was having the time of his life – rolling in the sand, picking people in his trunk, blowing water on bystanders and gobbling lots and lots of bananas in a go. Mira loves haathis and Ra Ra was like a dream come true – though she was scared to get too close to the animal, she cheerfully clapped and egged him on from a distance.

And like this, three days just passed away quickly leaving us relaxed, refreshed and not to forget…… beautifully tanned. It was surely a wonderful trip with lots of beautiful memories – memories of Mira’s first encounter with water, Daadi’s first beach holiday after ages, Papa’s much-needed break from office and most importantly, lovely time spent with the whole family together.

Mira's day in Krabi

We started off with the beach,










And then, went to the pool,











A little bit of sleep,

And we were ready for some play.





Though it may sound simple but it was our schedule for the day.

For the first, the second, the third – yes for each day of our stay.

Now why is Mummy taking time for such a simple thing to say?

But you do keep tuned in while I got to say bye-bye!

Holiday time!

YES…YES…YES! After weeks and weeks of planning and cancellation, Mira’s Papa has finally managed to zero down on the coming week for him to wriggle out of office and take us all for a nice and short holiday. The plan is to go to Krabi - a beautiful beach province in the south of Thailand.

All of us are eagerly awaiting this trip but for very different reasons though. Papa’s reasons are the most uncomplicated – to put in simple words – it’s the jumbo prawns, huge pillows and the soothing seawater. And that’s it. Daadi’s are probably much more empathetic – she is finally tired of going from one mall to another in the name of fun & entertainment and is hoping that the serene surroundings and the azure water will do her some good. And for me, the very idea of going out as a family - planning out the day bit by bit, clicking some thousand unnecessary photographs, playing the instructive mom to Mira and Papa – is just too romantic to not remember and cherish this trip for long after it’s done.

Well, the only person who seems to be unaware of what’s happening around is madam Mira. But Papa is kind of training her to what’s coming. After several rounds of instructions, now whenever Papa screams at the top of his volume – “We are going to…….”, Mira enthusiastically raises both her arms in the air and declares “Kaabi………”.

Yes my dear, WE ARE GOING TO KRAAAAABI! :-)

Happiness

The last 4 weeks have been nothing short of maddening. My part-time work magically expanded to fill up most of my weekday hours, leaving me with just enough time to be with Mira and nothing beyond that. The squeaking dining chair, the over-exhausted chandelier bulbs and the constantly depleting kitchen stocks are proofs of the long hours I spent on my laptop, wondering what possibly could be the best way of camouflaging an age old formula into something new and out of the box.

But to be honest, let me confess that the volume of work wasn’t really that much. It is largely my work-out-of-home profile that has robbed me of a simulating work environment leaving me with just me alone to think, plan, rectify, learn and move ahead. Though a lot of fun in the beginning with no rigid work schedules and no pair of eyes constantly watching over me, working out of home has lately left me with lots to desire. At a simple level, it is just the pleasure of leaning over a colleague’s cubicle to figure out the latest – if she managed to catch the last day sale at the local hip store, whether her long-drawn out strategy could win us the pitch the other day or whether her annoying client has been rightfully demoted and shifted to an obscure profile given all his unreasonable atrocities on us. At a higher level, it is the joy of working in a team – while brainstorming a strategy, cracking a brief, fighting for an idea, celebrating a success or sulking over a failure. But now, working from home, everything is so very distant – any applause or abuse just loses its intensity by the time it gets onto a skype installed computer or a mobile phone and reaches my eager-to-find-out ears. Learning has become so much slower with me hardly being able to access the dozens of ideas that are constantly being churned out by seniors, juniors and colleagues – some which adorn the biggest of campaigns while some which are left out to be used for some other brand at some other time.

But, having said all that, believe me I am not really unhappy. Yes, there are times when I wonder the rate at which I am learning or the pace at which my career is growing? Whether my batch-mate from Pune is at a level higher in the organization or whether my ex-colleague’s bank balance has grown heavier than mine? But largely, on a day to day basis, it just doesn’t bother me at all. In fact, I feel the clarity that has slowly crept into my life post Mira. I realize that my path to ultimate happiness might not be the same as my closest friends today, just because we started off with similar aspirations and goals a few years back. I realize that I can choose not to be in the corporate race even if all the people I know of are running it with the single most focus in their lives. I realize that the fact that I am good needs absolutely no verification – not from a person and certainly not from a job.

I realize that we all have our different definitions of happiness and that for me it surely doesn’t lie in a high-paying job laden with unpredictable traveling plans and long working hours. At least not for now, not at this point in time. It surely doesn’t lie in being a housewife either, but it belongs somewhere in between. It lies in a life that gives me a good amount of time with Mira – the most beautiful person in my life accompanied with a way of giving vent to my knowledge– an employment which gives me a bit of identity, financial independence and mental growth. It is a trade-off that I am so very comfortable with - it might not offer the best of money or growth but it does give me the time and opportunity to experience Mira first hand, to be there when she wants me and to be there when she doesn’t want me. And that is true happiness for me – happiness which is there for me today and will hopefully continue to be for times to come.

Mira in the making

Don’t know whether you guys know or not but “Tim tim timate hain…….” is the theme song for Zee TV’s Sar Re Ga Ma Little Champs. A quite decent song actually which is sung by all the participants/ little champs themselves. We have lately realized that this is Mira’s favorite song. Most favorite song. She can probably kill a person if he blocks her view while the song is going on. She watches it with utmost attention and gleefully dances along. Interestingly, Mira still hasn’t realized that she has got hips too which can be used to respond to the beats of the music. And so, dance is just restricted to clapping hands, swaying arms, nodding head and bending knees.

Mira’s Papa, who is quite a TV buff himself, has been witness to Mira’s liking for this song and so despite the strongest of urges, tries not to flip the channel so that his little girl too can enjoy a bit of TV which he always had the monopoly on. Mummy who is keenly aware of Papa’s despair, is keeping extremely happy these days.

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I strongly believe that a potty trained kid is the biggest achievement a mommy can have. Seriously! So, while many other not-so-enlightened moms spend precious time teaching kids how to say “Thank You” or “Sorry”, I have been relentlessly teaching “Potty” to Mira. After around a year of hard-work, you know what, Mira has finally started saying “Paatee” a couple of days back. Seeking credit for my biggest victory, I was informing Papa about the benefits of this learning, when Mira in her usual endearing manner announced “Paatee” to both of us. Papa and I sprinted from the drawing room to the bathroom, ready to see concrete results of this knowledge in action. While Papa and I awaited the outcome with bated breath, all that Mira produced was a cheerful mischievous grin. Hey, do you really think I need to start teaching her “Thankyou” and “Sorry”?

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Mira croaks like a frog. No, you can’t attribute this to any genetic potential since Papa and I both fail to imitate this charming animal. Initially, this croaking (a strange noise that emanates from the throat) was random – could start off when Mira was in a good mood, was on her potty (not again!) or was simply bored to do anything else. Now, I almost see a pattern emerging – she starts off the croaking as soon as she feels a challenge being thrown at her. So, you know, when I’m teaching her some new words, like ‘El……ee……phaaant” and Mira needs to get back to Mumma with a challenge for her, she begins her croaking with a charming vengeance. Almost saying, hey if I can’t say that long meaningless word, even you can’t make this lovely sound. Can you? And so, both of us get down to doing what we know best – going mindlessly through colorful magazines where Mummy keeps staring at handsome hunks and Mira fondly keeps pointing them out as Ungals (Uncles). Not a bad deal, huh?

Mummy & Mira - Part II

Mira is on one of her regular rounds of the living room when she encounters a piece of food lying on the floor. Of course, she promptly picks it up.

Mummy runs towards Mira and pulls her to the dustbin, insisting she drops the food there.

Mira resists.

“Mira, please drop it. Drop it in the Dustbin…. NOW!”.

Mummy holds Mira’s arm and shakes it a bit, trying to loosen her grip.

It doesn’t.

“Miraaaaaa” – Mummy goes back to her grown-ups-know-best voice.

“No Mumma” – Mira answers back obstinately.

“Mira, please drop it” – Mummy continues.

“Aunnnghhh” – Mira fights back.

“Drop it Mira” – Mummy refuses to budge.

Mira finally gives in - she opens her other hand and drops Mummy’s mobile into the dustbin.

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“What does Sheep say, Mira?”

“Baa”- she says instinctively as she stacks her cups in the descending order.

“What does Cow say, Mira?”

“Moo” - as she dismantles the same tower of cups.

“What does Dog say Mira?”

“Bhau Bhau” - as she gets up to hunt for something new to play with.

(Usually, the Q&A session ends here. But, Mummy is in a mood to experiment today – she asks an interesting question with absolutely zero hope of receiving an answer.)

What does Mummy say Mira?

Mira continues to walk for a while and then suddenly turns back.

She looks Mummy in the eye, moves her finger in the to and fro motion and says “NO NO!”