My first Tag !!!

Thank you Sat :) and here it goes!

And to read Jillu's version of it, click here

1. What is your current obsession?

Don't think I am obsessed with anything .

2. What are you wearing today?

My usual attire.. churidhaar

3. What’s for dinner?
Need to plan the menu. May be Dosa.

4. What’s the last thing you bought?
Coconut water

5. What are you listening to right now?
The hum, drum, sound eminating from my PC.. need to fix it. I think there's some problem

6. What do you think about the person who tagged you?
A very simple and humble human being with no "airs". I envy his sense of humor and timely cracks and retorts. A lovely guy and a great friend. It is very difficult to find such a person in today's world.

7. If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be?
India, Chennai, Mandaveli...

8. What are your must-have pieces for summer?
Cotton clothes and coconut water

9. If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
Back in time, to when I met my hubby first

10. Which language do you want to learn?
I am thinking too much abt it, so nothing in particular. But I have always wanted to be fluent in several languages. So anything would do.

11. What’s your favourite quote?
Time and Tide waits for none

12. Who do you want to meet right now?
This is "my" exclusive time and I prefer it to be that way

13. What is your favourite colour?
Brown (The dark chocolate brown)

14. Give us 3 styling tips that work for you.
Style ?? me ?? Nope..wrong question :). I think we just need to be comfy with what we are

15. What is your dream job?
I quit my job remember ? Right now, its being a mother

16. What’s your favorite magazine?
Dont read magazines much. No favorites

17. If you had $100 now, what would you spend it on?
A grill sandwich maker and the rest splurge on books and CDs for jillu

18. What do you consider a fashion faux pas?
A wrong question to me again :)

19. Is exercise a part of your daily routine? If so, what kind of exercise is it?
Its part of my daily dream/wish list :(. I left my habbit of walking and yoga. Need to resume both.

20. What kind of haircut do you prefer?
A straight, no frills, haircut

21. What are you going to do after this?
Head to the store to buy some blank DVDs

22. What are your favourite movies?
Not much into movies these days. But favs are old timers - "Kadhalikka Neramillai", "Baama Vijayam", "ROja", "Annaamalai", "Mannan", "Mozhi"

23. What inspires you?
When I see people who manage their time well and manage to do quite a lot over and above the normal stuff, I really want to be like them.

24. What do your friends call you most commonly?
Lavanya, Lavs

25. Would you prefer coffee or tea?
Tea, anyday, but not dip tea, mind you

26. What do you do when you are feeling low or terribly depressed?
I tend to be quiet. Think about what can be done to resolve things. Or if its just normal stuff, then try to shrug it away as a one-off.

27. What makes you go wild?
When people are not fair minded, when people pinpoint mistakes but hardly think about whether they do the same themselves, when people are not principled but they think they can judge you.

28. Which other blogs do you love visiting?
All those in my blogroll :)

29. Favorite Dessert/Sweet?
Ice cream / Thiratti pal (Milk halwa) and Son Papdi

30. How many tabs are turned on in ur browser right now?
3

31. Favorite Season?
Chennai la season ku option yedhu ?

32. If I come to your house now, what would u cook for me?
Since its afternoon time, Tiffin and coffee (or tea if you prefer)

33. What is the right way to avoid people who purposefully hurt you?
Why are they hurting me ? should try to find the root cause.

34. What are you afraid of the most?
Losing my loved ones (Oh, yaah, a horrible fear :( )

35. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought?
Where has my bindhi gone?

36. What brings a smile on your face instantly??
My darling little daughter, Jillu

37. A word that you say a lot?
Jillu..

38. What would you do if you were made President of India for one day?
Mudhalvan style aa ? I think I will go with Sat here...Sack all the politicians and then bring in KING's rule once again to see INDIA flourish

39. What is that one thing that keeps you going.
Hope and the anticipation of a better tomorrow

40. Whats one thing that you used to love that you left
Reading books. I can't say I have left it, but the frequency is just gone. Before, you cannot find me without a book. Now, its hardly 1 or 2 books in 3 or 4 months. pathetic :(

41. What would be your reaction, if you come to know that today is the last day of your life
Shock. Panic. Helplessness. Rush to the execute the "Long-term" to-do-list that i never seem to get around to.

42. What are your hobbies?

Reading books, listening to music 

Rules for those who are tagged:

Respond and rework – answer these questions on your blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own, and add one more question to the list. Then tag others :)

I tag
AJCL
Swetha
Lifeunderthesky
LIFE_REFACTORED

I am not sure if you have already been tagged on this. If not, pick it up when you find time friends...

Paneer Chilli Fry

This dish is something that I very much like and is very easy to make. And it tastes wonderful on a rainy or a chill day or rather any other day for me :)

Thanks to all the cooking websites in the net and also recipes from several blogs, this recipe is a combination of several recipes and is my own version of it.

Ingredients :

Paneer - 200 gms

Capsicum - 1 big size

Onion - 2 Medium

Chilli paste - 1 tbsp

Soya sauce - 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

Ajino moto - a little pinch

Preparation time : 20 mins

Method:

Cut the Paneer into small sized cubes and fry them in oil till they are golden brown in color and keep them aside.

Cut the capsicum and onions into long thin stripes. Add a little oil to a tawa and add fry the onions till they turn a very light brown. Then add capsicum and saute for 2 to 3 mins. Then add chilli paste, soya sauce, ajino moto and salt to taste and saute for 3 mins. Now, add the paneer and saute  for a minute so that all mixes well.

Serve hot.

The Madurai trip - Part II

For Part-I, please click here.

The day of the wedding, Monday, saw less of activity when compared to Sunday.

We got ready for the wedding and reached just in time for the Muhurtham (delayed becoz we had decided to give Jillu her b'fast in the hotel itself).

About the wedding

It was a Saurashtrian wedding and I was surprised to learn their way of doing things. The bride and the groom apparently arrange for their own halls and the rituals happen in their own respective halls. When the ritual involves both the bride and groom to be to-gether, then it happens based on the significance of the ritual. For eg, the engagement and the actual wedding of tying Thali happened in the bride's hall, whereas the reception happened in the groom's hall. And each party arranges for their own food for their guests/invitees. Bride's relations and friends will be catered to by the bride's family and the groom's guests by the groom's side. On the day of the wedding, only the groom is allowed to eat along with the bride in the bride's hall after the wedding ceremony is over. So each party takes care of their own guests, food, hall, gift etc.
I found this interesting and a nice idea, as this gives each their own flexibility related to cost, lavishness etc and also a major plus as there is no serious scope for politics (between the 2 sides) as is seen in so many of our weddings.

Sa-Re-Ga-Ma

Jillu was in a jolly mood and she was singing aloud all kinds of songs (rhymes, songs) that she knew, much to the amusement of various passersby on the road (we were shuttling betwen the 2 halls. Fortunately both were within walking distance of each other). However, she surprised me by singing even "Sa-ri-ga-ma-pa-dha-ni-sa" :), though the "Sa-ni-dha-pa" did not come out correctly :).

Friends of all ages

She had made friends with a lot of her dad's friends. She started calling them by names and also, as is her habit came up with her own shortened versions of their names. Prem somehow became Priyammadha and then when we corrected her, it became PM :). Along with coming up with new names, she was also running behind every kid that she came across in the marriage hall and it became very difficult to keep track of her :). All kids were branded as either "Annaa" or "Akkaa" even if they were younger to her :) (we have not yet taught her "Thangai/Thambi"). Though, she called very small babies "Paapaa".

Sun evening

In the evening, we went to the "Thirumalai Nayakar" palace. Jillu was being troublesome before we started in the evening, So I told her we were going to see "The Maharaja" and just so that she could relate, I stupidly added "Kamsa Maharaja" paaka porom. (on the naive assumption/hope that there atleast will be 1 painting of some Maharaja there in the palace and any Maharaja could be called as "Kamsa" , Krishna's uncle). So she got that very well and my prayers were not answered as there was no painting miraculously hanging from the walls, though the palace itself was breathtaking and beautiful. I repeatedly had to divert her every time she asked me "Kamsa Maharaja yenga?" (vera yenna panna? as i said before, "Kai mel palan"). I felt very sad when I came to know that what has been preserved till date is only 1/4 of the original palace and the rest has vanished and become a part of the Madurai city :(.

We finished the tour of the palace and then we headed to "Koodalazhagar" temple. The temple was huge and awesome with separate prahaarams for Perumal, Thaayar and Andaal. In the Thaayaar sannidhi, Jillu again had the darshan of another elephant and this time she was watching the elephant with no fear but did not wish to go near it. After enjoying the peaceful serenity of the temple, it was time to head back to the hotel, for dinner and taking the train back to chennai.

Rayil Snegam -II

Yet again this time, one of our neighbors in the train was a kid and Jillu referred to him as "paapaa" even though he must have been nearer to Jillu's age. :). However, this time there was not much time for socializing as Jillu was very tired and the "paapaa" also looked to be worn out and was ready to sleep. However, still Jillu wanted to play with him, but the boy had already slept and I made Jillu sleep telling her that "paapaa" has already slept. (This did not change from the previous Rayil Snegam :) )

The 2 days just passed by in a blur too fast and was a welcome change of routine for me as well. 

I hope 2010 continues to offer me more opportunities to travel :)

The Madurai trip - Part I

The Madurai trip was lovely and a refreshing change for Jillu and me. For Jillu, it was a big taataa, lots of new people to meet and new experiences.

Rayil Snegam
We started on Sat night by train and as luck would have it, there was a boy, couple of years elder to her, in the adjacent seat. She immediately started "Anna, Annaa" and proceeded to sit next to him. We had to really restrain her as the family were having their dinner. The moment they finished, she immediately started chanting "Anna, Anna" and she went and sat next to him much to the amusement of all. The boy's shyness and reluctance to indulger her was no barrier to her and she kept asking him to wear his "kullaa" (the monkey cap that protects the ears from the chill) which he did not want to do at all. The boy fell asleep soon after and I put an excited Jillu to sleep quoting the "Annaa" as an example :). In the morning, the first thing that Jillu looked for was for her new found "Annaa" friend. Jillu's attempts continued from last night and the "Anna" chose to overcome his shyness and really start playing with her just when it was time to bid good bye and alight from the train

Rickshaw ride
Sun morning, after breakfast, we headed out to the Meenakshi Amman Temple. Our hotel was pretty close to the temple, so we started walking through the streets. Half way through, one of the rickshaw-wallas came to us and bargained for a ride to the rest of the distance to the temple. I think he saw us a fair chance as we had a toddler walking along with us. We were not really keen, but found it very hard to say No to the guy. So Jillu and me got in to the rickshaw with Jillu's dad walking along with the rickshaw fellow (Jillu's dad generally feels real bad about the rickshaw wallas pulling our weight, so didn't get in. I felt the same, but had no option as we could not leave Jillu alone).I forget the last time I ever was in a rickshaw. Must be those days when I was studying in 2nd or 3rd std, when I used to accompany my grand ma for the matinee show. This brings back a lot of lovely memories :)

The Elephant tale
Inside the temple, there was a surprise waiting for us ! Yes, none other than the elephant :). All of us were equally thrilled to see the big and gigantic elephant. Jillu's dad took her near to the elephant, and as is the custom, kept the change in the elephant's trunk to get his blessings. The elephant then placed his trunk gently on top of Jillu's head and blessed her. Jillu got scared by the encounter and started saying "Yanai venaam". The entire time that we were inside the temple, she kept saying "Yanai venaam" and then suddenly when we returned to the same spot, she wanted to see the elephant again. And that's when she noticed that there were a few drops of water (tears???) near to the elephant's eyes.

I hadn't noticed it. We then proceeded to the "Aayiram kaal mandapam" and were walking inside when
she told her dad "Yannai azhardhu" (The elephant is crying)

Jillu's dad : Yanai yen azhardhu ? (why is the elephant crying?)

Jillu : Jillu adichitaa (Jillu beat the elephant)
Jillu's dad  : ???

Jillu : Sorry, Yanai sollanum. Yanai Paakanum (I have to say sorry to the elephant. Take me to the elephant) and this request went on and on and on till we again went inside the temple to show her the elephant.

And in front of the elephant, I told her (going along with her story :) ) , "Ok Jillu, ippo sorry sollu" (Ok, Now say sorry)

Jillu :"Sorry, Yanai" (Sorry, elephant)

Silence...
Me : "Yanai yenna sollithu? Its OK sollithaa?" (What did the elephant say? did it say Ok?)

Jillu : Its ok yanai sollalaama ? (Shall we say "Its okay" to the elephant)
Me : Yanai should say that, not you :)

And then back at the hotel, she was so excited that she actually spoke to both her grand mas over the phone (the current phone phase is aversion). With bright sparkling eyes wide open, she excitedly shouted over the phone "Yanai Jillu thalai mela 'dop' pannithu"

Me : Yedhaala 'dop' pannithu?

Jillu : thumbikkaiyaala

Dum Dum Dum - Kalyaanam
In the evening, it was time for the reception. We reached there well ahead of time for the engagement function that generally happens the day before the wedding. And she had a lovely time here as well. She was generally running behind any of the "kuttis" that she could spot and I in turn was running behind her to make sure that she was safe.

And then the "Nadhaswaram" started. From previous visits to the temple, I knew that Jillu was entralled by the "Molam" and "Pepe" (Nadhaswaram). The first time that she heard (and watched them playing) the music in a temple, she just froze then and there in front of them and after a couple of minutes, just simply sat down at the exact spot that she was standing on and refused to leave from the place. I was expecting the same thing to happen again and I was right. The only difference was that this time, after watching them from a distance for a while, she went and sat near to the guy playing the "molam". I almost called her back, but restrained  myslef just to see what would happen. She sat there watching them play and they in turn watched her indulgently as they had been doing all along right from the beginning. And, much to my surprise and her delight, When there was a brief lull in the proceedings and there was no need for the music, the drummer actually gave Jillu the stick so that she could do "Dum Dum Dum". It was no nice of him to indulge the small girl. And she took it from him with no hesitation and drummed on..."Dum, DOOM, DOM, DUNG"..

And so, it came as no surprise that she would go back to them every now and then to see if she could get a chance to go at it again :). And she got the chance twice :)
And then it was time to head back to the hotel.

To be continued...

Travel, Atlast !!!

I am so excited :) because we are off to Madurai tonight to attend the wedding of my husband's friend. The excitement is not entirely due to the wedding but, this is Jillu's first ever trip (long distance travel) after Thirupathi (which was when she was 7 months old) and I am so looking forward to it. :).

It will be fun to see how she reacts to the travel. I am also aware of the challenges, but I think its high time that we start moving around now that she is 2 years old.

I think the last time even I traveled (excepting Thirupathi of course) was way back before my pregnancy days, some 3 years back, I guess and it will be a welcome change for me as well.

So, really looking forward to the trip :). Will meet you all once we are back.