October 31, Halloween day.  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween

But the stores started featuring halloween merchandise - costumes as well the candies right after Thanksgiving which was just a fortnight back.  This is one of the events that is eagerly looked forward to when sunny summer evenings come to an end.  

Hereabouts the retailers and the timing of their wares' display have sort of become a harbinger of events to come! Be it Thanksgiving or Halloween or Christmas or....

It has always been a point of contention between luvamalife and myself - who gets to stay home handing out candies/ trick or treat to the countless little gnomes, darth vaders, ninja warriors, princesess, cinderallas, witches et al that ring the door bell as soon as it gets dark versus, who gets to accompany our two offsprings on their round of trick or treats.

I have always had to give in.  Not even the wildest of horses can drag hubby away from the warm hearth inside the house on a cold October night when he is stubbornly and wantonly stay put.  I am now having to call up my neighbours to check if any of them would like to join me and my little ones as we go parading  from house to house in the neighbourhood - trick or treating!! End of the endeavour, when the little ones dump the spoils of the night - candies ( I like to add the adjective 'sinful' - self explanatory of course!) and I see the gleam in their eyes as to who got the most treats - kind of makes it all worth the while!  

Of course, all adults as well children out on the night stick to strict safety guidelines so all stay away from mishaps - in the form of a caution less driver misses to see a little trick or treater and God forbid!!!  Or as every parent hereabouts has drummed into every pore of their being - to be on the look out for child predators/pedophiles.  Again, God forbid.

There has been years, at halloween parties where I could not identify mine own child - horror of horrors!  But pray how do you pick the right gene - your gene - from a pool of umpteen little spidermen?  The next year sonny and I decided we have to choose a unique costume - we opted for Darth Vader - to our dismay we found out how many folks think and choose alike!!! There were half a dozen darth vaders at the same halloween party.  This year does not look much promising either...

Monday night, I am just back picking up sonny from his scouts halloween party - he and I thought not many would have chosen to be the Scream from the movie ...
Boy were we sorely mistaken!!!...There were so many Screams around; I dare not count.
Hopefully my dotty/her costume fares better - pink witch!!!

One of these coming years, I might just be able to convince my children that they might fare better if they just went in as themselves - for nobody else would have tried to be that!!

Happy Halloween if you celebrate, 
If not be it known, there is such an event
And wish me and mine a good one.

Fish outta water!

This is a tag game folks - HEAR THAT? a TAG GAME
Write about your attempts and failures with a dash of humour! Finding the silver lining! And I tag all 147 on my friend list :giggles:

I,  Saz impishly join dear sis CJ,  in launching this tag game! So, go ahead-humour us. 

I must have been in grade one or thereabouts when dad decided to take us to the river-'tis time saz learned swimming!' The river  -  Periyar of Alwaye Shivrathri fame as any Mallu worth his/her coconut oil would know. Of course I was game; for I envisaged hours upon hours of fun in water .  Dad walked me to the shallow part and started the instructions.  Predictably enough, I hit the river bed-sand in my mouth along with some slimy and unsightly green stuff! algae? YUCK! I came up gasping for breath.  Mom was the picture of encouragement while dad was relentless trying to be patient, getting his dotty 'watersmart'.  Me- I just wanted to run away with the boat people, for they didnt have a taskmaster of a dad breathing down their necks plus rowing seemed such fun.  I made dad give up after a good hour and half's worth of coaching. 
Mission Failed--> attempt - 1

On vacation- at my mom's parents' place-dad is upto his old tricks once again, 'saz defintely has to learn swimming', he quipped to my uncle and entrusted him with the honorary task.  I was to be my favorite uncle's charge for the next couple of hours.  This time the venue was the well at the family's farm.  Let me put it this way, that uncle is now neither my favorite nor did I master swimming....far from it.
Mission Failed---> attempt - 2

Fast forwarding to the year 2006-the party of Four-luvamalife,my kids and I on a weeks' vacation at the Sun Island resort in Maldives.  The sea is precious hue of blue under the azure April skies, that you would not want to leave the sandy beaches..ever.  When the sun gets too hot, the guests just walk to the shades and swim in the beautiful pool.  While dad and sonny were swimming away like fish; mommy had to just wade in the splash pool with the princess.  About an hour into the swimming, sonny yelled out to me from the far end, 'Mom, tis such fun, you need to learn to do the laps and you need to do so RIGHT now!'  I havent grown tough enough to say NO to him.  But then again his enthusiasm is very much contagious.  This once I was the willing tutelage of the duo - sonny and daddy.  

End of the afternoon, I could hold my breath under water long  enough to dive and pick up the toys that princess kept flinging into the pool.  To my credit,  I could play dead and float too.  Could I swim?  Hell no.  Tis a far cry from where I was.  Not much has changed now either.  

Mission kinda 'ok'ed ---> not an entirely failed attempt.

Ah well, not many of  my Indian girlfriends hereabouts know to swim either.  Couple of us got together to give it a shot again this summer.  Uhh...summer barely came but surely gone now and nothing earth shattering happened.  

Hey...but there is always next summer to look forward to and the Erin Mills Centre Swim Pool looks swanky after the recent renovation.  Who knows...perhaps ..just perhaps..one summer I will turn out to be the fish in the water than the one outta it.

Until such time is here, 
 I am deemed to be one of those that
 just parade the edge of the pool in the swimsuit ,but hardly ever swim  a lap. 


The silver lining-well doh! I have just as much fun in the splash pool,wave pool and jacuzzi as the swimmer does in the pool...sans the workout and 
swimsuits are on sale  for nearly three quarters of the year, for our summers are very brief...and winters long. 

Over to you now folks...share us an attempt which was not all bed of roses...

Out of the blue, my Grandpa went to me, 'you know, the one Indian item that is instantly recognized the world over and perhaps lauded too? I had no clue.  'The saree' he said.  ''Oh yeah?'  I must have said, nonchalantly.  To my utter dismay, he then decided to  drop the bombshell, ' You ought not to be parading in these outfits, you should be wearing a saree'.  

I was all of twelve and wearing my prettiest of outfits, tailor made;  the pattern straight out of some American glossy mom had gotten hold of!  All my friends had the utmost look of admiration and kind words to say when  I wore my outfits to school on 'color dress' day and yet here is grandpa giving me a different story.  

If I were disappointed with his statement, I hid it well.

But little did I fathom, he would go talk to my mom.  The next thing I know, mom and dad escorted me to this swanky saree place in the heart of MG Road, Cochin. We were shown a multitude of the stuff!  I was overwhelmed; surely they didnot expect me to drape it all over myself and drag it around!! 
 
I nodded my head in mute bewilderment to a couple of 'em sarees that mom and dad seemed to take a liking for. To cut it short, mom draped the thing over me after umpteen blouse fitting sessions.They thought it was a kodak moment for dad was clicking pictures, and a set of those went to my grandad without delay-the master mind behind the whole ordeal.

Thus began my love-hate relationship with this endless yards of fabric.  Folks in my extended family loved to make me wear this thingie and I just plain hated it.

And then there are occassions in every Indian girl's life in general and every south Indian girl's life to be precise where she has to present herself in this garb not to talk of a saree laden trousseau.  I was to subjugate my rebellion to unwritten norms and codes of dressing as decided by I-dunno-who. 

Boarding that Cathay to Canada, the gleam in my eye would have been hard to miss. At last, no one could push me into wearing something I didnot want to.  

Boy! was I mistaken.  The luvofmylife turned out to be all my extended family put together!!! At the slightest behest-of going to the mandir, attending an Indian get together, even going for an Indian concert..he would insist that I drape that thingie.  I have lost count how many tussles we have had over this stuff.  

Something changed drastically after the arrival of my princess nearly four years back!  She is growing up to be a girl that has this abominable love for desi finery!  The utter delight on her face when I dress her up in all the dazzling stuff- a joy and a sight to behold.  When she sees me labouring into the saree and later when I check the mirror for appropriate 'doneness' she runs over and hugs me tightest; ' I love you mom'! leaving me to wonder -she didnt? she didnt love me as much before the saree? huh? 

Humble pie that is!

The frequency with which I have been sought out to eat humble pie lately, I have started yearning for it to taste something yummy! Say like pumpkin pie; what with Thanksgiving just around the corner!

Not in the order of the ocurrence of the events...neverthless, here they are...my pie moments!

At the outset I must remind you; female of the species, kind of know it instinctively when they are looking great....

 Here I was strutting around at a picnic the other week end; marking the end of summer '09 and amongst the glances coming my way I particularly noticed an youngster... later I was to gather, he was all of legal drinking age.  I noticed him noticing me while he was hanging around with my son dribbling the soccer ball over at the field.  Next thing I know, he was walking towards me and handed over a bottle of chilled Heinecken.  On a balmy day; partying amongst dear friends; I didnt need much by way of cajoling to go for the lager!  I knew it too kinda that he'd compliment me on something and I went debating to myself - it has to be my hair; no perhaps my peepers* which are so this year and fashionable; no perhaps he'd say something about the ace way I played at the ladies versus men games that were the highlight at the gathering that day...

Instead, he looks down to my feet and said, 'Auntie, your footwear is a killer; it is hot'.   I bloody almost choked; gulping down my beer!  - PIE MOMENT

Last evening, had to drive my kids to the South Common community centre to register sonny for the year's Scouting programme. Just when I was parking the car sonny decides to hurl a question my way, "Mom, what is a motto that you live by?" I didnt have to think twice.  I quipped, "I have two mottos that I go by.  The first one is- nothing is ever the end of anything" and I elucidated, "as in when you, fail to ace at this skating program does not mean it is the end of the world."  and sonny chimes in, "ah I see what you mean, except when I get a B in my grades and you yell and scream and cry and throw a fit like it is the end of the world" 
-PIE MOMENT

Needless to say, I never got around to telling him about my second motto which is 'Make a million efforts before you give up' !!! ahh there will be of course another time when I can enlighten him on that.

At the dance class the other night, the twelve of us were taking a break after what seemed to be the 'nth' round of practise and the talk was about what would be a good number to showcase for the next stage show. Having done so many slow numbers lately I was itching to do some peppy numbers and suggested a few  - off the top of my head.  Well, lemme put it this way, all my commendations were promptly booed off and few of my galpals wanted to pummel me until I promised never to raise my maverick suggestions!  For the umpteenth time I was reminded, "saz, mommies dont do fast dance numbers on stage remember? We stick to slow, graceful, fluid movemets as becoming of us" - PIE MOMENT

And I havent told you folks yet about the time I... ahhh never mind...there are one too many to narrate...my humble pie situations that is...

Any wonder then, that I have started wishing these humbling moments would start tasting like my favorite pumkin pie or at the bear minimum the calorie rich pecan pie?

*peepers - sunglasses

my entry to the fropper games contest:
hide n seek

Tell about a fropper friend of yours by building clues and make people guess. The best riddle which is interesting and entertaining and will be the winner. 

She writes...boy does she write a gamut of em blogs
ranging from stories that scare the jeepers outta ya, to the ones that instill patriotism in ya, to ones that make ya think if marriage is the sole purpose of a female's life, to essays that impart knowledge about  a certain sword weilding,horse riding, female warrier princess of erstwhile raj (hint,hint)

oh she writes poems of course;  in hindi none the less and is merciful enough to provide a glossary towards the end explaining some of the hindi words that a non hindi speaking canuck might not fathom outright!

she has even done a recipe blog, I reckon she must love cooking immensely and must have a well fed family.

the loveofherlife has a venerable presence here on fropper(hint,hint); the dude has a steadfast standing as a reporter/ writer(hint,hint) and causes quite a whirlwind whenever he interrogates a politician for a blog.

SHE has done and I suppose she still does some work with theatre/radio - the media...had a blog once that said that bout her.

SHE, I admire for she is at the helm of what I'd term a 'life that is being well lived'  -mom of two dottys that are broght to their stellar stage in life by the beloved parents..
and a grand child (or more) to their credit!!!

My knowledge of Indian geography  and topography has taken a beating since I moved out of the country ages back...but I reckon..the state that she lives in is the centre/middle of India and I belive the city might be abundant in vitamin c bearing fruits.

With a blemishfree reputation on this portal...

tell me ye all awesome folks who this 
Madame M--------CAP is .....

On the roads that is...

Monday night in downtown Toronto,  it went on to take the life of bicycle courier Sheppard, when Bryant, former attorney general of Ontario allegedly ran his convertible Saab none the less over him, result of a nitwitted contention.

Bryant-   in the nascency of a promising political career, will certainly be lightyears away from it now that he is facing charges by OPP(Ontario Provincial Police).

Sheppard -   a dad of four, battling chronic alcoholism will not have to worry about that anymore-not when he has laid down his life to needless show of one upmanship.

The thought I-gotta-show-you-I-'m-better-than-you, however fleeting or momentary it maybe, could prove disastrous and life altering?(pun intended).  
As the above incident proved, for yet another time.

There are many instances in life when we may be tempted to prove q.e.d. that we are better.  And just as many times we might have walked away not giving in to basal warfare,clashes.  Why do I get this resonant feel that we are the better for it?

'Road rage' - the one area where I struggle to control my competitiveness and on occasions where it has raised its head, it has always debilitated my otherwise strong vow to let sleeping dogs lie. 

As any driver on the roads anywhere in the world can testify, edginess increases when traffic comes to a snarl.  Irritabiltiy threatens to break all thresholds..... ire kicks in manifold... In that agitated state, God save anyone that dares provoke the driver the slightest-be it tailgating, or cutting in or turn the blinding blinkers on or throw in any of the other 'n' number of stimuli!  

In spite of my better awareness, I have bitten the ehh bait!

Thus far, I have resorted to uttering expletives loudly if I am alone, to muttering them discreetly when I have company (read my kids and luvofmalife).  Truth be told, I have flipped the odd birdie or two as well, making sure the offending driver is not driving a truck for they are darn intimidating owing to their sheer imposing size!!!

To my credit, I have never given in to a roadrage driven race.  And as the driving wheel be the witness, I never shall either. Am I fishing for brownie points? far from it...
I guess I am abating possible fatality.

The above mishap that is splashed across all the dailies for the past three days, more than serves a reminder to me and my fellow folks here to manage the anger, to not bait on to any kind of provocation, taunt while at the wheels and on the roads,to be mindful of all lives around -be it the pedestrian or the cyclist or the skateboarder, or the rollerskater or the jogger or the BMW driver or the truck driver.......

Trust me, we have enough going on by means of vagaries of nature(winter driving) and mere contingency without having to invoke road rage driven one upmanship or the other way round.

less fatality on the roads....lead to better road statistics!

The force be with every driver!

Below the belt that is..

Much chagrined I am when folks anywhere get into a tussle - be it the Middle East or the Far East.  And usually nothing I do or donot do is going to much make difference.  
Of course I make the appropriate 'cluck cluck' noises, say a prayer and an ever more fervent one the next time I visit mandir that my loved ones never be troubled.

That is the the real of it..

Then there is the mirage when the real meets the virtual and same tussle happens-except it is folks that have probably never ever met.
But the fight/disagreement/altercation is just as real.

We could well be living amongst people day in and day out for years together without ever making any inroads into understanding them!

and yet, we make giant leaps in seemingly fathoming/comprehending someone we have not ever met
 and take liberty to misconstrue/misunderstand and THEN slander, cast aspersions ...all probably based on a few words/lines exchanged over in the virtual land and perhaps even burning the phone lines..
UNFAIR.


Even the most dirtiest  and disatrous of wars are fought adhereing to some rules...ney?

When an individual is NOT PRESENT to defend herself/himself
it aint FAIR to pass around ' perceived notions' and hence wage a war/go on a fight mode.

Well guess what folks, so much for voicing grievances against the personal anathema that has plagued fropper,

permit me to tell ya..plead rather..

IT IS UNFAIR TO HIT ANYONE BELOW THE BELT .
IT IS UNFAIR TO JAB AT ANYONE WHEN THEY CANT BE PRESENT TO DEFEND THEMSELVES.

I stick by the above rules - strive to.
Would you too...

ALL IS FUN UNTIL SOMEONE GETS IRREPERABLY HURT.
Lets not resort to devilshness

I wont wantonly
 and if I do unwittingly do chide me for I do aspire to tread the righteous path..
Would you too please? That much better our collective lives will be.


My pals have been dishonoured on fropper writeup - 
I condemn that
and needless to say I stick by my pals- 
one of 'em I have  canonised as my sis - CJ.
and 
I HAVE MET CJ and THEREFORE  AM JUSTIFIED IN LAUDING HER.


Fight if ya must..but a JUST war.(and there aint a just war ney?)
or better yet, lets just not fight...

and KNOCK KNOCK...
lest we forget
THIS IS A PUBLIC FORUM



YUP u THOUGHT IT RIGHT...I'd end this write up with 

P.E.A.C.E.