Deepavali Celebration on 20 Nov 2010
The girls are on several photos from the block party.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
earrings and competition
Of all the things that Anjali wants, growing bigger is the most coveted. Anjali really wants to grow bigger. She knows that when she grows bigger, she will have long hear, be able to roller blade, be able to wear a saree, to wear nail polish, to paint kolams with rice, light lamps and to do many other things that she cant do now.
But still, she is almost four years old, and that means that she can still do many things that she was not able to do when she was three. And Anjali is very eager to try them all out.
"Mummy", she said, "When I grow bigger, I want to wear dangling ear rings"
"Ok", said Mummy. "When you grow bigger, you can wear the dangling earrings"
"But I can try them on now", said Anjali, and seeing mummy's baffled look, she added, "We can just try them on ok mummy?, just try them on"
Mummy looked at daddy, no nodded in a rather shell shocked way, and went to the bedroom.
There, Anjali opened mummy's dresser and took out a pair of very large, very dangly blue earrings.
"Lets try these on", she said
Anjali waited patiently, wincing only slightly, when mummy helped take out her old earrings and put on the large, dangly ones. Anjali was delighted.
"See mummy", she said, shaking the long earrings. "They make a jingling sound when I shake them. But my old earrings make no jingling sound"
Jingling sounds aside, the earrings made Anjali look like some kind of native American princess.
"You have to take them off when you go to sleep, you know?" mummy told her
"Why?" she asked
"Well, you cant wear dangly earrings that jingle on bed", mummy told her. "They'll poke you when you sleep"
"Can i wear them in bed when i grow bigger?" Asked Anjali.
"No. Not even when you grow bigger. See - mummy wears only a tiny earring when I go to bed", said mummy, showing her
"oh" Anjali looked slightly disappointed. Then she brightened up. "Can I wear these earrings to the playground?"
Mummy decided to concede "Ok"
Daddy looked utterly baffled but proud as Anjali turned around the room, showing off her dangly earrings and seeing the effect of the earrings on her dress.
What was Sophia doing in the meantime?
Well, she was watching mummy put earrings on Anjali. Some kind of little green monster must have been growing because once daddy and mummy were laughing about Anjali dancing around the room with the earrings pirouetting in the opposite direction, she began to cry
"Want milo"
"You want milo?" asked mummy, surprised as Sophia had just eaten her dinner and had juice. "Are you thirsty? How about I give you some water to drink?"
"Noooo.. Want Milo"
"Ok. I'll get some", said mummy getting up.
"No... mummy caie me. Waannt that one"
"Which one?"
"that one", pointing to Anjali's ear
"You want a long earring?"
"hmm" nod!
Daddy felt that this was taking it too far. "You cant change Sophia's earring. We'll have a job changing it back if she loses heart half way."
Mummy agreed, but unfortunately Sophia didnt.
"Want that one!"
So daddy came up with the bright idea od hanging a dangling earring through the hoop of her little silver earrings. The ensemble came up to her shoulder. So I guess she was happy.
But still, she is almost four years old, and that means that she can still do many things that she was not able to do when she was three. And Anjali is very eager to try them all out.
"Mummy", she said, "When I grow bigger, I want to wear dangling ear rings"
"Ok", said Mummy. "When you grow bigger, you can wear the dangling earrings"
"But I can try them on now", said Anjali, and seeing mummy's baffled look, she added, "We can just try them on ok mummy?, just try them on"
Mummy looked at daddy, no nodded in a rather shell shocked way, and went to the bedroom.
There, Anjali opened mummy's dresser and took out a pair of very large, very dangly blue earrings.
"Lets try these on", she said
Anjali waited patiently, wincing only slightly, when mummy helped take out her old earrings and put on the large, dangly ones. Anjali was delighted.
"See mummy", she said, shaking the long earrings. "They make a jingling sound when I shake them. But my old earrings make no jingling sound"
Jingling sounds aside, the earrings made Anjali look like some kind of native American princess.
"You have to take them off when you go to sleep, you know?" mummy told her
"Why?" she asked
"Well, you cant wear dangly earrings that jingle on bed", mummy told her. "They'll poke you when you sleep"
"Can i wear them in bed when i grow bigger?" Asked Anjali.
"No. Not even when you grow bigger. See - mummy wears only a tiny earring when I go to bed", said mummy, showing her
"oh" Anjali looked slightly disappointed. Then she brightened up. "Can I wear these earrings to the playground?"
Mummy decided to concede "Ok"
Daddy looked utterly baffled but proud as Anjali turned around the room, showing off her dangly earrings and seeing the effect of the earrings on her dress.
What was Sophia doing in the meantime?
Well, she was watching mummy put earrings on Anjali. Some kind of little green monster must have been growing because once daddy and mummy were laughing about Anjali dancing around the room with the earrings pirouetting in the opposite direction, she began to cry
"Want milo"
"You want milo?" asked mummy, surprised as Sophia had just eaten her dinner and had juice. "Are you thirsty? How about I give you some water to drink?"
"Noooo.. Want Milo"
"Ok. I'll get some", said mummy getting up.
"No... mummy caie me. Waannt that one"
"Which one?"
"that one", pointing to Anjali's ear
"You want a long earring?"
"hmm" nod!
Daddy felt that this was taking it too far. "You cant change Sophia's earring. We'll have a job changing it back if she loses heart half way."
Mummy agreed, but unfortunately Sophia didnt.
"Want that one!"
So daddy came up with the bright idea od hanging a dangling earring through the hoop of her little silver earrings. The ensemble came up to her shoulder. So I guess she was happy.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Karthigai 2010
Ofcourse, Anjali was disappointed that I went ahead and made the kolam without her (She was napping). The one was I could console her was to draw another rangoli before bedtime, one with four hearts.
Then she wanted colored rice to fill it, but I didnt have any left over. So she asked for poster colors and thankfully I had some of those. A beautiful heart rangoli took shape, drawn in chalk and painted with poster colors (unfortunately, I donot have a photo of it)
I should ask Anjali to help me to do the Christmas Rangoli.
Then she wanted colored rice to fill it, but I didnt have any left over. So she asked for poster colors and thankfully I had some of those. A beautiful heart rangoli took shape, drawn in chalk and painted with poster colors (unfortunately, I donot have a photo of it)
I should ask Anjali to help me to do the Christmas Rangoli.
tidings of life
Tidings of life always bring joy to our lives. More than that is the joy that you are responsible for creating a life that will grow and flourish. I planted a little plant from seed a few months ago. the seed was a baby of a plant that had very aromatique purple flowers. Now, the child has begun to flower.
Things that make you laugh
Anjali and Sophia are having a fight. Something to do with Sophia yanking something from Anjali
"Shapia want it pleeeeese!!!"
=======================
Anjali is ordering Sophia around in a very superior voice
"Sophia! take that sticker. Take that sticker now! Sophia!"
"Anjali", I interrupt. "I dont want to see you boss your sister."
Anjali continues in the same voice. "Sophia! If you dont want me to boss you, take the sticker!"
============================
"Shapia want it pleeeeese!!!"
=======================
Anjali is ordering Sophia around in a very superior voice
"Sophia! take that sticker. Take that sticker now! Sophia!"
"Anjali", I interrupt. "I dont want to see you boss your sister."
Anjali continues in the same voice. "Sophia! If you dont want me to boss you, take the sticker!"
============================
Friday, November 19, 2010
logic and love: some success stories
Anjali was in the kitchen on Tuesday evening, and I was getting some work done. She wanted to read a story, had the book in her hand and then dropped it on the floor, whereupon she began to step on it.
"Anjali", I said, looking at her in the "uh oh" way.
she took her legs off the book.
"Well done!", i said.
"Mummy", says the ever wise one "When i do naughty things and you dont scold me and dont put me in time out, but just look at me, i will not do them any more"
=======================
On Wednesday, in patti's house the girls were eating bananas. Anjali was making a sport of putting her banana skin on the floor and pretending to slip on it. Thattha was spending a lot of time torn between laughter at the monkeyness, worry that she would fall and was admonishing her. I mostly ignored it until it began to get out of hand. First, all of Anjali's peels were missing, as patti had taken and thrown them away. So she started to yank the peels from Sophia's banana, causing Sophia to cry. Things really came to head when Anjali threw a peel out of the window.
"Thats it", i said, carrying her to the room
I closed the door and the girl began to cry.
"Ok. lets sit here until we are ready to go back and be nicer"
Then I gave her a short and, I think, to the point lecture on why you dont throw litter out of the windows.
"But I didnt know that", i cried
"Now you know", I said, giving her an extra hug. "Are you feeling better now?"
"Yes"
So we went back to the living room and continued to play.
======================
These are some success stories. Ofcourse, i have more successes with Anjali than with Sophia because Anjali is bigger and more mature. I am still having difficulty with Sophia's terrible twos, where she is throwing tantrums about almost everything and anything in the world.
Most of the time, she is a sweet little kid, but yesterday, for instance, I heard stories about how she was unable to sleep in the afternoon and bit patti's hand from wrist to elbow, about how she wouldnt let Anjali sleep and pulled her hair.
In the evening, husband says "If you are not there near her, Sophia doesnt want bua. She just cries for a minute and then goes to sleep". Husband had made Sophia go to sleep on Wednesday night. "When she wakes up in the middle of the night also she just scents and feels and if you are not there, she just curls up and sleeps"
I took his observations. The girls were getting ready for bed, but we had not quite gone to the lights of phase. So I turned to Sophia and said, quite seriously, "Sophia, you are quite big, can you try and sleep without drinking bua?"
"No!!! want bua", and she began to cry - not the real crying, but the crying that everyone knows will stop in half a second if she gets what she wants.
And she wrestled me down, pulled the breast out of the dress and began to drink.
"How to earth did she do that?" said husband
"How do little monkeys learn to pluck coconuts from trees?"
"Anjali", I said, looking at her in the "uh oh" way.
she took her legs off the book.
"Well done!", i said.
"Mummy", says the ever wise one "When i do naughty things and you dont scold me and dont put me in time out, but just look at me, i will not do them any more"
=======================
On Wednesday, in patti's house the girls were eating bananas. Anjali was making a sport of putting her banana skin on the floor and pretending to slip on it. Thattha was spending a lot of time torn between laughter at the monkeyness, worry that she would fall and was admonishing her. I mostly ignored it until it began to get out of hand. First, all of Anjali's peels were missing, as patti had taken and thrown them away. So she started to yank the peels from Sophia's banana, causing Sophia to cry. Things really came to head when Anjali threw a peel out of the window.
"Thats it", i said, carrying her to the room
I closed the door and the girl began to cry.
"Ok. lets sit here until we are ready to go back and be nicer"
Then I gave her a short and, I think, to the point lecture on why you dont throw litter out of the windows.
"But I didnt know that", i cried
"Now you know", I said, giving her an extra hug. "Are you feeling better now?"
"Yes"
So we went back to the living room and continued to play.
======================
These are some success stories. Ofcourse, i have more successes with Anjali than with Sophia because Anjali is bigger and more mature. I am still having difficulty with Sophia's terrible twos, where she is throwing tantrums about almost everything and anything in the world.
Most of the time, she is a sweet little kid, but yesterday, for instance, I heard stories about how she was unable to sleep in the afternoon and bit patti's hand from wrist to elbow, about how she wouldnt let Anjali sleep and pulled her hair.
In the evening, husband says "If you are not there near her, Sophia doesnt want bua. She just cries for a minute and then goes to sleep". Husband had made Sophia go to sleep on Wednesday night. "When she wakes up in the middle of the night also she just scents and feels and if you are not there, she just curls up and sleeps"
I took his observations. The girls were getting ready for bed, but we had not quite gone to the lights of phase. So I turned to Sophia and said, quite seriously, "Sophia, you are quite big, can you try and sleep without drinking bua?"
"No!!! want bua", and she began to cry - not the real crying, but the crying that everyone knows will stop in half a second if she gets what she wants.
And she wrestled me down, pulled the breast out of the dress and began to drink.
"How to earth did she do that?" said husband
"How do little monkeys learn to pluck coconuts from trees?"
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Missing Anjaali
Anjali stayed overnight with patti and thattha and they took her to Mustafa.
So that Sophia would not miss her too much, I took her around West mall, bought a couple of T-shirts, tried to convince her to buy shoes (Thish is ok, no want new shoes) and then took her for a walk home.
"caie me"
"You want to walk now or after the intersection?"
"After the intersection"
At the intersection, she promptly got down and walked up to the Chinese templs. I was in no particular hurry and let her choose the paths and such. We went past the chinese temple, saw the dragons, and had a generally good time.
Then We saw the poster. It was a furniture advertisement, with two children on it.
"Thi called Anchaali and Shopia"
"There was a photo of Anjali and Sophia?"
"mm"
"Okay"
"My Anjaali went with my patti"
"Anjali went with patti? Hoe do you feel about that?"
(Pout)" Vei Shaad"
Then she played in a puddle and got her clothes wet. I changed her and continued walking.
"My Anjaali go with ammu. Misshing Anjaali"
So that Sophia would not miss her too much, I took her around West mall, bought a couple of T-shirts, tried to convince her to buy shoes (Thish is ok, no want new shoes) and then took her for a walk home.
"caie me"
"You want to walk now or after the intersection?"
"After the intersection"
At the intersection, she promptly got down and walked up to the Chinese templs. I was in no particular hurry and let her choose the paths and such. We went past the chinese temple, saw the dragons, and had a generally good time.
Then We saw the poster. It was a furniture advertisement, with two children on it.
"Thi called Anchaali and Shopia"
"There was a photo of Anjali and Sophia?"
"mm"
"Okay"
"My Anjaali went with my patti"
"Anjali went with patti? Hoe do you feel about that?"
(Pout)" Vei Shaad"
Then she played in a puddle and got her clothes wet. I changed her and continued walking.
"My Anjaali go with ammu. Misshing Anjaali"
Magic and Science
There were times when I was a kid that I used to be fascinated by stories about Magic and spent hours imagining that it was real. What if a fairy god mother came to my home and gave me a pair of glass slippers? What if I got caught in a castle and there was a beast there whom I could tame? You get the idea.
When Science comes close to magic and muggles find alternatives to work with magic, what happens when the alternative becomes very close to reality? What if muggles could apparate?
When Science comes close to magic and muggles find alternatives to work with magic, what happens when the alternative becomes very close to reality? What if muggles could apparate?
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
I am a pig, but I want the rest of the world to be pigs too
A couple of days ago i got annoyed with my Ms Yema because she cleaned the guinea pig cage. excuse me, I says - that was my job. Why are you doing it?
And then I read an article on Sci Am. "Thats nice, but now get out. Why do we push generosity aside?"
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=thats-nice-now-get-out&sc=DD_20101110
Thats because too much sugar makes us choke, and too much of help makes you angry because it makes you feel incompetent. I guess thats why Jayalakshmi aunty prefers to fry her own pooris.
And then I read an article on Sci Am. "Thats nice, but now get out. Why do we push generosity aside?"
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=thats-nice-now-get-out&sc=DD_20101110
Thats because too much sugar makes us choke, and too much of help makes you angry because it makes you feel incompetent. I guess thats why Jayalakshmi aunty prefers to fry her own pooris.
Things going missing
Something strange has been going on over the past couple of days. When we returned from Genting, I noticed that four of my plants - the smallest ones that I put on the other side of the lift lobby were missing. I was very upset, especially since one of these was a baby ajwain. My ajwain plants had been slowly crowded out by a chicku plant that patti and Anjali planted in the ajwain pot, probably not thinking that it would grow. But grow it did.
A few months ago I found a small Ajwain sapling and potted it seperately in a little pot. it was just beginning to grow and make new shoots and leaves. Therefore I was understandably very upset about it.
it took me a couple of days to get over the missing plants and to come into terms with the loss. Yesterday, i put out a new pot and transplanted some of my balsam saplings.
Then a very strange and upsetting thing happened last night.
At the end of the plant shelf, I keep a very big pot filled with guinea pig waste and bedding, which I let compost for the plants. Since I need to give the compost a stir every couple of days or so, I keep next to it an old scoop to toss and stir. The scoop is a very dirty thing, filled with guinea manure and dirt. Last night, after I had cleaned out the cage and had gone to compost, I found that the scoop was missing. That was a bit strange
And this morning, I found three other things gone. Another small pot with two little plants that i grew from seed, a milk carton, filled with mostly guinea pig compost and very little earth (experimental) where a little seed was just beginning to sprout (trust me, there is nothing pretty about that pot) and another empty milk carton.
The person/ people who took them either have to be kids, or has to be someone really sick. why would someone steal a mixing scoop full of manure and a milk carton pot with mostly earth and a single sapling that has hardly sprouted? it doesnt make any sense at all.
A few months ago I found a small Ajwain sapling and potted it seperately in a little pot. it was just beginning to grow and make new shoots and leaves. Therefore I was understandably very upset about it.
it took me a couple of days to get over the missing plants and to come into terms with the loss. Yesterday, i put out a new pot and transplanted some of my balsam saplings.
Then a very strange and upsetting thing happened last night.
At the end of the plant shelf, I keep a very big pot filled with guinea pig waste and bedding, which I let compost for the plants. Since I need to give the compost a stir every couple of days or so, I keep next to it an old scoop to toss and stir. The scoop is a very dirty thing, filled with guinea manure and dirt. Last night, after I had cleaned out the cage and had gone to compost, I found that the scoop was missing. That was a bit strange
And this morning, I found three other things gone. Another small pot with two little plants that i grew from seed, a milk carton, filled with mostly guinea pig compost and very little earth (experimental) where a little seed was just beginning to sprout (trust me, there is nothing pretty about that pot) and another empty milk carton.
The person/ people who took them either have to be kids, or has to be someone really sick. why would someone steal a mixing scoop full of manure and a milk carton pot with mostly earth and a single sapling that has hardly sprouted? it doesnt make any sense at all.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Going to Genting: Part 2
 |
| Riding a gondola: like Olivia |
 |
| More small pleasures of life |
 |
| In our hotel room. Sophia is relaxing |
 |
| Another carousel ride |
 |
| From the cable car |
 |
| Below the cable car |
 |
| The girl and her flower |
 |
| Hugging daddy |
 |
| Splash safari |
 |
| Sliding down the fast slide. We did it again and again until |
 |
| We could do it perfectly |
 |
| Anjali wants to try another ride |
 |
| Sophia wanted her banana |
 |
| The best part of the trip: The Chin Swee caves temple |
 |
| The statues |
 |
| Trying out the lotus position |
 |
| Turtle pool |
 |
| Sophia running up the path |
 |
| The angels of happiness |
 |
| Guess who is making the journey to India?? |
 |
| We got to drive the bus on our way back |
 |
| Sisterly love |
Going to Genting: Part 1
 |
| We are so enthusiastic that we wear jackets even at home |
 |
| My space, says Sophia, refusing point blank to sit on my lap |
 |
| The first merry go round ride |
 |
| Anjali and husband on the merry go round |
 |
| A view from the top of 'sic' dino land |
 |
| Sitting on dragons |
 |
| Anjali's photography skills are getting better |
 |
| Want to go to mother!!! |
 |
| Dont like the bumper cars. Everyone bumps into Anjali |
 |
| Sophia and Anjali by themselves on a ride. Ofcourse, Sophia doesnt like it |
 |
| The simple pleasures of life |
 |
| Another merry go round |
 |
| Ofcourse, this is the best |
 |
| Dressed up men. Anjali would never hug a stranger. So what is it about dressed up monkeys and clowns that make the kids drop their restrictions? |
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
My first real bread
not counting the dozen or so bread machine products and the no knead jim lahey bread that i made last year and husband was too kind to say no to, i succeeded in making my first set of grisini buns yesterday, with a bit (just a tiny bit) of help from the bread machine and a bit (a big bit this time) of help from the girls.
I set the machine with the flour into the dough cycle let it run, cleaned out the guinea pig cage and composted the waste. The girls then washed up and helped me to shape the grisinis. It was fun for them and easy, as they just had to make snakes. Then we covered and let the snakes to rise and popped them in the over for twenty minutes.
I must say, i was surprised that they came out so well. Husband ws surprised that they tasted so nice. i flavored them with basil and that came out strong too
I set the machine with the flour into the dough cycle let it run, cleaned out the guinea pig cage and composted the waste. The girls then washed up and helped me to shape the grisinis. It was fun for them and easy, as they just had to make snakes. Then we covered and let the snakes to rise and popped them in the over for twenty minutes.
I must say, i was surprised that they came out so well. Husband ws surprised that they tasted so nice. i flavored them with basil and that came out strong too
Diwali day
 |
| Our Diwali altar. |
 |
| Sparklers early in the morning |
 |
| More sparklers |
 |
| Lighting them by herself |
 |
| While waiting for Sophia to wake up |
 |
| Bathed and in identical Dora dresses |
 |
| More sparklers after Sophia woke up |
 |
| Rounding off the day with yet more sparklers in the playground |
Playeum at Jurong library
 |
| Puppetry |
 |
| It looks like a goose right? But Sophia says its a monster. She wont let me put hair on it, and got me to take out what hair I had |
 |
| Gigantic painting with finger printing |
 |
| Listening to stories and songs |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)