The Wall of Love

My parents' home is brimming with pictures of loved ones. This wall of love in the dining room is one I am particularly fond of. It has pictures of  people who have long passed on from this world  & pictures of families that have expanded three fold since the picture was taken, of children that have grown.... So many wonderful memories!  These are people who have blessed my parents' lives with their mere presence!

I keep telling Amma that the wall needs updating, but there's no more room! It would be very hard to replace some of these pictures with others. Maybe what they need is another cork board to pin more pictures up!

Food Glorious Food!

*WARNING: Totally random post. If you came here for inspiration/recipes/spying on my life/any other useful thing, you will be wasting your time.  If you are completely jobless as of this minute, read on!



Husby and I have been trying to shave off that extra extra fat we have accumulated. We have been trying hard to be conscious of what we put into our mouth so that it doesn't make its presence felt under our skin.

It's H . A . R  .D.

Especially when things like  meltingly moist Lemon Poppyseed Cake keep popping in my brain.

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Especially when I know I have a little bag of blue poppy seeds in my pantry.

And when I've just returned from a holiday loaded  with the cutest cupcake liners.

Sigh  . . .

It's not just that. . . . . I crave these too!

Bacon,Chives & Cream Cheese Rolls from my newest blog friend The Harried Cook.

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Not to mention  the various yummylicious fruits we NEVER get in Chennai or are ridiculously expensive.
Actually, fruits are healthy, right? But Why is it that berries are so expensive?

Fruits I LOVE but can not imagine spending that much money on right now:

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1.Strawberries: Out of season right now. One box costs 100 Rupees!  I wait every year for the season when prices drop to 45 Rupees. I buy, bake, freeze, make froyo, sorbet . . . sigh!!

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2.Bueberries: You never get these here in Chennai an so I've never eaten these fresh. But I adore their sour/sweet taste in cupcakes, pies and cheesecakes... YUM! I share my love for this tiny fruit with Kajal of Sweet Tooth Craving . (I totally recommend this food blog. She's my friend in real life too, except I think we've bonded better thanks to our blogs.)

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3.Dragon Fruit: This scary looking fruit would have turned me off had I not seen its God designed beautifully soft interior first.  I first had it in Thailand and  each day of my stay there I would load my breakfast plate with dragonfruit!

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4. Mangostein: A childhood favorite. Summer holidays spent in kerala always meant mangostein or "maangoosthika" as we mallus call it after lunch. Ammachy's house has a HUGE mangostein tree in the backyard. Every time I pass this fruit by in my favorite grocery store I am tempted to buy it, but the feel terrible when I look at the ridiculously high pricing. 

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5.Chambeka aka Rose Apple: Once again a childhood through adulthood favorite from Kerala. These just dont grow in Tamil Nadu! My mother has tried in vain to get them to grow here. 

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OK . . . I know this was a totally random post. But I'm like that too, so my blog certainly reflects me!  Now that you've wasted your time, go on and do something useful like I am going to right now. 

(I'm going to eat lunch now. You?)

If I were not a teacher

Don't get me wrong. I love my job! I know I was made to be a teacher. But like any other job, there are times when I feel frustrated. Like report card comments, curriculum mapping etc. And at those times, I let my thoughts wander to other possible jobs I could have other than teaching.

Today as I sat with my grade level team, doing our curriculum mapping, one of the teachers mentioned that she used to be a children's toys reviewer for Amazon. The company would send her crates of toys and she would watch her children play with them and write reviews. Apparently she got paid about a hundred and fifty dollars for each review!! what a great way to give your kids new toys (even for a short period. They usually lose interest in them in a couple of weeks time anyway!) and make money over the summer!

Hmmm. . . What would I want to be?

I used to want to be a radio news reader. I guess a small part of me still does. Although I dont know many people who listen to news on the radio anymore. I took two courses on Reading for Radio as part of my post graduate study and I loved it!

A baker! I do it when I have the time, but should I have to quit my teaching job for some reason, then I would have to depend on my baking for additional income.

A restaurant reviewer! A good friend has just begun doing this and I love what I see on his blog. You get invited to some of the poshest, nicest restaurants to eat their food, and all you do in return is write about them. (Sorry Div, I know its not that simple, but I would just like to think so)

Photo journalist! I think its a cool job. except I have none of the skills it requires. :(

Modest Fashion Designer. I emphasize on the word 'modest' because there is a real dearth of fashion designers that make fashionable yet modest clothes. I know many Christians who think fashion is evil and hence dress frumpily. I think it is possible to live frugally and still wear nice clothes.

Run a Bed and Breakfast Oh how I would love that! What an unhurried life! I love meeting people, chatting, cooking, napping in the afternoons. . .sigh! But my mom tells me I am not a very good hostess, because I spend more time chatting that I do serving the guests. So that's off the list.

Or

I could just continue being the wife, mother and teacher that I am !

seriously!

I am so thankful for my job!

Hair

Put three crazy cousins and one cool kid on a windy rooftop and we are sure to find ways to entertain ourselves, the hapless husband who had to take pictures and the 55 who read my blog!

Our hair could be categorised from left to right as.....

poker straight - Nanma
straight on top and loose curls at the bottom - Soumya
naturally messy jumble that can hardly be fixed - Me!
gloriously, gorgeously curly locks - Ansu

Updates

So..... Here's whats been happening at the Jacob household.

Last week my darling husband left for Poland. He was sent by his company on work and will be back next month.

sigh!

OK, How am I doing? Not too bad. My school's 2 week spring break began the day he left. (sad!) And I spend a nice week with my in-laws and now am at my parents. Nanma and I have been quite busy. I turned a year older last week. We even managed a 3 day visit to Kerala to be with my Ammachy there. I got to meet an old college friend and her two adorable litle girls!

I am so thankful for technology. Skype makes long distances so much easier!

Nanma hasn't quite understood whats happened to her Appa. Although she says "Appa gone to Poland" she thinks he is in Bangalore!!!!! Every night before bedtime she says "Naala raavale Appa verum" (Appa will come tomorrow morning) . Right now she thinks he's gone to live inside the computer because thats where she sees him every night.

Nanma has been extra extra clingy with me, now that Ashwin is away. I'm so glad I have my family around me at this time. Being at my hometown is always such a stress reliever. We sleep in late, enjoy the green outdoors and the clean air, Nanma splashes around in her inflatable "Shimming pool" and I get to eat the yummy food from my childhood and teens.

I wish I could upload some pictures here, but i left my camera cable at home and my dad's card reader doesn't work....

hmmm.... So thats the update from my side.

What have y'all been up to?

It's your turn now

Since you, my dear readers seem to only respond when I post light hearted, funny, nostalgic or cute stuff, I thought I'd let you do the talking writing.

So, please respond to this question even if you are just passing by and not a regular visitor.

What is one annoying habit you know you have but find so hard to change?

Oh! You want me to go first eh?

OK!

I have many of these, but since I asked for only one, I'll share only one.

Erm.... I take over conversations, especially when it is about something close to my heart - my hometown, teaching, disciplining children, and even sometimes GOD!

LOL! Now if what I just typed was too small for you to read, too bad! It's your turn now!

Thats why!

Little BIG things I like about...

My husband:

He is not as open with his affection as I am, but he does these little things that show me he cares. Like charging my cellphone because I always forget to plug it in.

My daughter:

She likes to sit with me at the end of the day and talk about all that happened. She doesn't know the Malayalam word for "remember?" so she says "kandille?"(Didn't you see?) like "Kandille, Appacha paatu paadi" (didnt you see, Appacha sang a song).

My house:

Its less than 100meters from the beach!

My bed:

It is so so so comfy!

My maid/nanny:

She makes me yummy coffee when I wake up and when I get back from school. Her family runs a little roadside "chai kada" near my hometown.

My Amma:

She's the one person on Earth who has almost the same character traits as me - except she is certainly NOT scatterbrained and is probably the most talented person I've met. she cooks, she bakes, she sews, she mends, she talks, she sings, she draws, she cuts hair, and can fix almost any broken thing!

My Appa:

his quiet, calm, confidence. I've said a lot more about him here

My in-laws:

They just shower their love out on us!

My job:

I am never bored.

My honda activa:

I can navigate Chennai traffic better on this little black scooter than any car can!

My hands:

The wedding ring engraves with col:3:12-14 !

My chair:

It swivels!! (I'm in my office chair as I type this.)

My fridge:

It has some precious magnets on it.

The view from my window at school:

I can see the soccer field and a row of coconut trees.

My college:

the chapel. Which I wrote about here - my 2nd ever blog post.

My God:

He is awesomely awesomer than any person,thing or feeling I've ever known!

I'm an inspiring reader!!

I'm an Anne-girl.

I have been in love with Anne of Green Gables since I first read the book as a 13 year old.

My Mom and I discovered the series one day at a hole-in-the-wall bookstore, while waiting for our train at Palghat railway station!! What an unlikely place to find this treasure!

My mother was on the lookout for 'good' books for girls to read. Until then, only "Malory Towers" and " St.Claires" were on her approved reading list. Nancy Drews were allowed with a little reluctance as Nancy had a "boyfriend" and that was not something she wanted me to be inspired by!!! So when she read the blurb on the back of this book, she was excited. I read the book over the journey and since then have read it at least once a year. The next time we traveled via Palghat, we bought the rest of the books they had in the series. (I don't think anyone else ever went to that bookstore after us!)

My love affair with L.M Montgomery's books continue to this day. There's always one of the books from the series on my bedside table. I think the reason I love Anne books so much is that I haven't found another book where I identify with the character of the book to such an extent that I feel had I been born last century in th P.E Islands of Canada, this book could have been about me.

Over the years I've inspired many of my friends to read the Anne books and almost all of them are fans too! The latest one to be bitten by the Anne bug is my friend Kavi!! I'm so glad there's one more thing we love together!

Here's a quote from the second book in the series - this book has the nicest quotable quotes

"After all," Anne had said to Marilla once, "I believe the nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string."

Life at Green Gables was full of just such days, for Anne's adventures and misadventures, like those of other people, did not all happen at once, but were sprinkled over the year, with long stretches of harmless, happy days between, filled with work and dreams and laughter and lessons

- L.M Montgomery (Anne of Avonlea)

Just a peek!

How would you like to have a peek into someones brain. Just a little peek, not psychoanalysis. I would very much like to peek into my little girl's brain when I see that 'lost-in-dreamland' look cross her face. And I've wished a thousand times that I could read my husband's mind.

So just in case any of you felt like peeking into my brain, or even if you didn't until now, but some unknown force is driving you to continue reading here, I present.............. A few thoughts crowding my brain now!! *

*disclaimer
This a very randomy random post. So if you find it hard to follow my train of thoughts, don't blame me. I've warned you already - I am a scatterbrain.

I've just finished submitting my report card comments and I wonder how it will be received. It is very hard to write nice stuff when the kid actually drives u insane! I got a new student yesterday. That makes it 14 students in my main class. And that's a lot for me.

I've been reading "Rilla of Ingleside" these days and I've only managed to read a little before bed everyday. I miss the times when I could sit and finish a book in one shot.

I will be going overseas on work for 4 days next month and I miss my family even when I think of it. I don't know how lil girl will handle it, and I worry that she will be angry at me for this! But at the same time, I am going for a training in an area I am excited to be learning about, and I will be visiting a new country. yay!!

My ATM/debit card has been "swallowed" by the ATM machine 2 times in a week, and a cheque I wrote out bounced. I am frustrated with my new bank!

Little girl is picking up words everywhere. She loves imitating people and while her vocabulary has increased considerably, she has also picked up a few words I'd rather not have her use. Oh... and she has 12 teeth!! Her two front teeth are huge! (like me??)

Things are falling apart in my house, and I think its because we live close to the sea. I've had hinges on 3 shelves replaced and the entire cabinet under my kitchen sink has to be replaced! I wonder when I will have my own place...or at least a rented home where I know I will live for more than a year!

Tomorrow is UN day at my school and everyone dresses up in their national costume. I will have to wear a Saree. Which one, I wonder!! hmm... Maybe my red silk one with the black embroidered border. What jewelery should I wear, I wonder??

Oh.. and that reminds me, that hubsy's cousin will be here tomorrow, and I'm excited about that. We're still planning a FULL weekend for her. How exciting. I do hope our plans to go to dakshin chitra work out. I've never been there and I've longed to go for years now!

Aah!! every now and then my mind drifts to the place we stayed at last weekend - a nice home stay with a pool. It was so relaxing, and we spent so much time in the pool! lil girl LOVED it. She still asks me if she can go "chummal"(swimming).

Oof! And did you know, my lil baby girl is closer to being a 2year old than a 1 year old!! Where did the time fly??

OK... I'll stop here. Stomach growling. Time for lunch!

ok... one more line..........

I wonder how many spelling or grammatical mistakes this post has??? Hmm........ I'll keep wondering 'cos I'm not going back to edit!!

HA HA HA

Just one thing!

I've said earlier this blog that I have got everything I really wished for, and I'm saying it again. All through life, I wanted these 3 things more than anything else.

1. I wanted to be married to an awesome man who shares my faith, sings, plays the guitar and owns a big bike. I got him!! The only thing here is that his beautiful, big, vintage motorbike is lying unused at his parents home now that we own a car!
2. I wanted to be a teacher. I am! I love my calling and I think my job rocks!
3. I wanted to be a mother , and to a baby girl if possible. I am!! She's cute, she's cuddly, she's a bundle of laughs and I fear I'll jut gobble her up one day!

So what more could I want, eh? Well, there's one more thing I want. I want it so very badly, it hurts every time I think of it...(in a nice, longing for a cold icecream on a hot day kind of way

And this is what I want.

I want one day

O. N. E D. A. Y

24 hours

One day, where i can get away from the man I love with all my heart and for whom I waited and prayed all my life!

One day away from the baby I birthed and love more than I ever imagined possible by me!

One day away from my students,

One day away from my home,

One day away from my friends and anyone I know!

Just One Day, where I dont have to be responsible for anyone or anything.

I'd like to go away, maybe check into a hotel, get room service, lie in a tub lined with scented candles, wear a towelling robe all day, not answer my phone, get a massage, a new haircut, read at my own pace, fall asleep reading and then wake up and read without worrying about what to do next, swim in a pool, drink a ton of freshly squeezed lime or orange juice, not brush my teeth.....................and not think about whats happening at home.

Just one day.

And I'll remember it for the rest of my life!

I'm back for now!

So... Did you give up on me? Did you think "She's got her baby now.... she's never going to blog again." or did you think "She just might be back....lemme check and see!" ????

Well.... I'm back.... for now at least! I'm not offering up any excuses.... True, I've been busy with lil KK, adjusting to life as a working mother and the big move we've made to Paunch's family home, but that really shouldn't have stopped me from blogging so long!!!

What did then?? I'm not sure myself. Will let you know when I know.

Anyway, I've been thinking up a lot of ideas to blog about.... you'll see them here soon. But till then, I leave you with a picture of kadugu kuttan.

(She's grown!!)

The latest BUZZ

I feel like doing a random post. So here goes!

Tomorrow will be my very first time  celebrating Mothers Day not just as daughter to an awesome mother & a sweet Mother-in-love,  but as a MOTHER myself!!!   (psst... I'll let you in on a secret!!  Ive made a card each for them. There's no card making material here at my parents home cos I've carted it all off to my home...so I made the cards from a couple of left over wedding invitations of mine!) 

The thought of tomorrow also excites me because I'm going home!!!! Wooooo Hoooo!! BAck to Chennai!!! Back to my friends who I've missed so so so very much!! .... You all Babu &Kavi, Mac, Amri, Mad Mallu and all myother non-blogger friends there who read my blog but don't comment... be prepared for a Biiiiiiiig tight Hug from me! I don't have a big tummy now, so hugging me wont be as awkward as it was when u all saw me off!!

I've decided that since Paunch and I don't reveal our real names on our blogs, we should do the same with our baby! So... henceforth, the lovely light little lady of ours will be called....um....no... wait... I can't decide which nickname to choose... she has LOADS!! but I will.... soon!

Mac bought our LLLL her crib (dunno who that is???  our lovely light little lady of course!! - till I find a better name!)  She and I are the only ones who haven't seen it yet!! Can't wait to!!

I have been here, in the beautiful, green hospital campus my parents call home, in a town that's still stuck somewhere in its transition from village to town for more than 2 months now. After all this while,today, I finally plan to go and get my eyebrows threaded and a few other things I wont mention here. The only decent place for that here is called "Priyas Beauty Barlour". Lets hope all goes well and that I don't look like worse than I do now when I get back!

Believe it or not, I have not travelled very long distances by car. Tomorrow will be my very first looong 8 hr drive from my little town to the big city!!! Wooo Hooo!!!

basically....I CAN'T WAIT FOR TOMORROW!!!!!!

What bored mothers-to-be do!

Here!

Here's a sample of what I've been doing as I wait for my baby.

I'm going to be a mostly cloth-diapering mom, and so this is excellent practice!

Please say hello to Mr. Freddy Green, my froggie boy who doesn't mind being diapered in pink since it's all for a good cause.

P.S Freddy Green was a present from Paunch. Someone to keep me company when we were apart!

Just a Moment in my Tummy ....Forever in my Heart!

It's Monday again, and I spent most part of my weekend feeling overwhelmed.

Why?? I have only 51 days to go till my baby is sue to arrive!!! ONLY 51!!!!!! Now reverse that number - 15! That's all the days I have left at work! yep... Just 15 working days from today. I am going home to my parents place to have the baby and the earliest, safest date of travel is the 28th of February. This means I have about a month of just sitting at my parents home, just waiting for the baby to show the first signs of arrival!

I want time to slow down and speed up at the same time! Is that possible? On one hand, I am simply dreading my time away from Paunch. I want the next three weeks till I go home to go by as slow as it can, so I can take time to savour every moment. These will be our last few weeks as a family of two. When I come back home after this, I'm coming back with the 3rd member of our family! I want to enjoy every last second I get with my Paunch because we might never get that "just-the two-of us" feeling for years to come! Why does time Swoosh by when I don't want it to?

And then, on the other hand, I can't wait to meet my little miracle. I cant wait to hold her in my arms, feed her, sing our special lullaby to her, whisper prayers and blessings in her ears. I cant wait to give my baby her first bath and to have my bedroom smelling of that sweet baby smell. I cant wait to see if carrying my own baby in my arms feels as good as I imagine it to be. How many times over the past months have I cuddled a pillow and imagined it were my baby! And oh.. I cannot wait to see the look in my Paunch's eye as he gets to hold his precious baby for the first time.... oh... I just can't wait! Why does time dawdle by when I want it to sprint?

The other day, we had lunch with a family who's youngest baby is 6 months old. Paunch and I just couldn't have enough of carrying and cuddling that sweet little gurgling bundle. Little N only intensified our longing to carry our own lil N!! (Oh...there's a hint... the name our baby will most probably have also begins with N!)

On one hand, I look back and I can't remember how the past 7 months flew by so fast, and then on the other hand, I feel like I've been pregnant forever! I've loved being pregnant even though I've had my bad days and I know I'm going to miss this... I know there will be times in my future when I wish I could take my baby and put her back in my womb where I can personally protect her from the world. But I also know that my baby has to experience life just like me.

She will live and love and be loved.

Making a decision to have a child--it's momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.-- Elizabeth Stone

"Before you were conceived I wanted you Before you were born I loved you Before you were here an hour I would die for you. This is the miracle of Mother's Love." -- Maureen Hawkins

What have You Read ??

Was bloghopping and found this. Thought I'd try it myself....

The books (novels) in bold (or rather, RED) I have read. You are supposed to "Italics" the books that are on your reading list. I am not sure if at the end I'm going to be ashamed about my reading list!! Many of these are classics. Try this one out for yourselves too!

P.S I don't know who came up with the list and on what basis.... I would take out some and add a few more!

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien (not entirely)
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling (books 1,2 &3.. got bored after that!)
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible (again... I really hope to have read it from cover to cover sometime soon)
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis (Duh! If you've read the chronicles of Narnia, how could you miss this one?? )
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres (does having seen the movie count???)
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery (My favoritest book in the world!)
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte's Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton (another favorite!)
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

OK.... so lemme see... 46 books out of the 100 chosen from a stranger's reading list.... I am ashamed...it does nothing to add credit to my bachelors degree in English Literature!!! I should read more.

Tired of my blog template!

I think my blog's template is boring! I want some bright colors, stripes & swirls, maybe even polka dots to brighten this up! The templates blogger offers are all boring and this one is the best among the ones I found there. I want to add my own pictures to my blog header like i've seen on some blogs.

But HOW??? I have very limited computer skills.

You kind souls out there, please help!!! Be my blog angel!

P.S.. I also fed up with the limited fonts I have here on blogger. I want more!!! gimme more!!!!

(chee! *south indian expression of disgust, that could be accompanied with spitting* I am so greedy!)

The Night the Boys Cooked

A brilliant plan was hatched last Saturday. Paunch – my husband, and his buddies - Mac and Babu decided Sunday was their night to cook! So the happy bunch (I dare not say ‘gay’ although it is such a lovely word) came over to my place to cook up a tornado! And… that it was! Especially when I walked into the kitchen and surveyed my domain after we had eaten our tummies out!

Here’s why they are the sweetest boys in the world!

• Together they make an awesome team.

• They come up with the most ridiculous ideas that provide us (wives & friends) with enough fodder for laughter

• They might mess up the kitchen, but with a little bossing, will clean it sparkling, squeaky clean!

• Chicken curry and Dal never tasted better!

• Husbands in aprons look sexier!

• When they cook, it’s time for the girls to catch up on gossip, swap stories about our amazing husbands and basically chill out!

• But most of all because they are planning on doing this again!!!!! Can’t wait!!!

Another C.S Lewis Quote

I don't know whats with me.... two posts in a day!!!! And to think I put up the previous one in the half hour I have before I begin my day's classes!!!

Anyway, am at the end of my work day, at the end of a busy week. I'm done with my planning for the next week and so here I am.... blogging again! i was browsing through some of the blogs I frequently read and came acorss one that had this C.S.Lewis quote. I must confess that apart from the Narnia series, I have not read any other of C.S.Lewis' books. But I have to admit that he is a brilliant, God inspired, insightful writer. Here's what caught my eye.

Please do let me know what you think!

"Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace! He intends to come in and live in it Himself."

-C. S. Lewis

I was thinking.... How do I get him to build me this mansion? The answer is surprisingly simple.... I just have to hand over the blueprint I'd made, and allow him to make the necessary changes!

Wow! Mindblowing!

If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning: just as, if there were no light in the universe and therefore no creatures with eyes, we should never know it was dark. Dark would be without meaning.

- C.S Lewis

I am tired

Its just that.

I am (gratefully) not sick and tired, but just tired. It's a good kind of tired feeling when you've had a fulfilling day, but are tired just because of the busy day itself.

I had a couple of cases of misbehaviour (please remember that I am an elementary school teacher) that went beyond what I usually expect in a day, but the students responded to the correction. And so am glad. I also did not have to deal with a sticky situation that I thought might come my way.

Now, if my autorickshaw driver comes to pick me up on time, I will have a hassle free ride back to home sweet home. That will be the icing on the cake! So here I am crossing my fingers and hoping that he will not dissappoint me!

I'm in love with my husband and my baby!