Diary of a Whacky Girl

Dearest boy,  Every year when I sit to write this post, I try re-reading the last one, and I'm so glad that I wrote it, because there are so many things that I seem to have forgotten now, and it really helps refreshing my memory (a kutti self-appreciation for myself for documenting these - these are my biggest treasures)  The year began with our 9-day road trip to Goa in car. Yeah, we did it boy! That long road trip which V desperately wanted to do finally happened during the 2022 Christmas holidays and 2023 New Year. We took along my brother and another cousin of mine. It was an amazing trip - one which each one of us will cherish forever for various reasons. And you were rock solid throughout the trip - absolutely enjoying the drive, the beaches, bike rides, boating. I think your favourite part of the entire trip was the beach baths every evening in South Goa - where you'd sit in the shore digging the sand for shells, with the wave splashing against the lower half of your bo

Well well, I'm back to document one of the biggest milestones (for me) and just another day (for Athiboy) out here.  Today was Athi's first full day at school. He carried his lunch and had his first meal without us (parents / grandparents). His school extended the timing from 11am to 2:30pm slowly for each kid on different days. Ever since most of his buddies started carrying their lunches and stayed back at school till 2:30pm he's been a little excited as to when it'd happen to him. And finally the day came today.  Like every other mother, I was a little anxious as to how he'd handle this, but he came home happily boasting that he managed to eat all his of lunch, on his own, with his friends. So first day is a win. It's only going to be atleast another 11 years of the same routine. Brace up for it kiddo!!  (Me bracing up myself to wake up early and cook his lunch) 

Dearest Athi, It's been 3 years since you stepped into this world, and boy, time flies. You are no longer that squishy-squashy tiny goofball, but a fully blown young toddler, with a mind and choices of his own.  This year, you started school. It sure was a testing time for me as you took 2 months to settle. There'd be the going inside whimper, sudden cries in between the class time remembering us, coming out and checking if were waiting outside the gate - so many different portrayals and iterations of separation anxiety. Phew! I was tired. But then, slowly you came to terms with the scenario and started enjoying going to school. And now, you have your own set of friends, sing a lot of songs that you listen and learn there.  If there is one thing that has been a constant since the beginning, it's definitely got to be your love for drums. There were quite a few wedding events that we attended this year where you were inseparable from the Thavil and Nadaswaram musicians. It so

My earliest memory of Margazhi traces back to when I was around 8 or 9 years old. Every morning when I used to go to Hindu Tuition, I'd be glancing the kolams in front of each house and decide on who had the best kolam of the day. I'd come back home and dutifully report about the winner to anyone who'd listen and urge them to go see it! The colours, the strokes and the perfection of it all together fascinated me.  Margazhi colour kolams were a tradition in our home too, but in a slightly different schedule. Given that Amma was working and had to start to work as early as 6 in the morning, we'd put our kolams the previous night. Amma would draw the kolam, while me and my brother would colour them, and Amma does a final touch up.  I still remember the almost-torn yellow-paged big book which had hand drawn kolams by paati. That would be our reference. My brother and I took turns on choosing the kolam for each day, but some of our choices were shunned by Amma because it was

21 March 2022 After the Kaziranga Safari, we finally set out on the journey to the place about which this whole trip is about - Shillong, Meghalaya. We started off early in the morning and reached Jagalbhanda for breakfast. The breakfast was king size - rotis with 5 kinds of side dishes (stir fried veggies, dal, spinach). A hearty meal to start the 250 odd km drive. It was a bright and sunny day, and the highways were a breeze to drive in. We stopped for some Elaneer mid-way and reached the foothills at around 12pm. The ghat roads began thereafter. I was astounded at the number of petrol bunks we saw enroute. There were at least 2 for each kilometer. As we climbed ahead, the temperature started to dip down, and we were welcomed with some cool breeze as we entered the outskirts of Shillong. Another sight that surprised us were the local taxis - the whole car was painted a bright adika vara yellow. I have seen taxis being painted black and a pale yellowish orange, but this bright yellow

I wanted Athi appreciate the habit of reading and hence, introduced him to the world of books ever since he was 7-8 months old. We began with board books, moved on to flappy, push-pull-slide, and currently are at normal paper books for 2 year olds. I have been reading him this book called "Let's Go" for almost 2 months now. We read this every night right before sleep. He has been obsessed by it, but never opens his mouth to read or volunteers to say the next word when I pause. Worst case, he deliberately says the wrong sentence/word. There have been times when I wanted to stop reading because of such behaviour, but nevertheless we continued, both because of his persistence and my main motive to make him enjoy reading.  A couple of days back, he did something that stunned me completely. He took out the book, read out it entirely on his own to his Paati, and made her recite each line after him. That kannula thanni vechunda moment - all those bedtime reading did eventua