Day 31 | All good things come to an end

Woah, it’s the last day of the blogathon and I have mixed feelings. I’m feeling relieved that it is getting over as it was getting tougher to hang in there, churn a post everyday and I was feeling that I was just writing for the sake of posting which is a feeling that makes me guilty. At the same time, I am worried that the excessive blogging might bring with it withdrawal symptoms which makes it very difficult to resume blogging.  My heart is always heavy that the madness is over now and the excitement to open the reader to see new posts from your favourite blogs every single day is coming to an end. I’m really sorry as I could not visit all the blogs and also couldn’t comment as I read most posts on my phone and I just don’t like typing on it. I also have a lot of comments on my posts which I need to moderate. Sorry for not being regular with comments as my sole goal was to publish a post everyday.

Last two years saw me struggle and many times I did my posts just in the nick of time. But this year saw me better organized. It was a breeze in the first half when I was not working. But once I resumed work, I would generally finish all my work by 10 PM. I would start strolling around the house to achieve my Step count of 10K and then I would sit and finish my blog post of the day. But on most days I would be in bed by 11.30 PM. I did quite a few picture posts on days when I was exhausted physically and mentally. But I did write a lot and this blogathon really helped me in covering all the arrears and I have fast forwarded to the present, which is what I set out to do. I feel my mission has accomplished!!

Last but not the least, thanks to all you lovely bloggers who joined this journey. Thanks to all those bloggers who reposted my Blogathon post and got their readers to join the bandwagon. We had a total of 48 bloggers who signed up for the challenge. It was a team spirit through and through that kept us going. Hadn’t it been for such spirited and wonderful companions, I would have given up midway for sure. For those who had to skip, miss or quit at some point; all I have to say is that we will do it next year again. Your participation mattered a lot to set the mood in the beginning itself. Thank you so much for that. Congratulations to all those who successfully completed the marathon. A big round of applause! Woohoo… Drumrolls and whistles !!!

Before bringing the curtains down, this was the reaction at home:

Abbas: “Oh!! Finally your Blogathon is coming to an end. I’m the happiest person on the face of earth today” and he has been asking me how long it will take to finish it, as I write this. He just can’t wait. Hmmphhh!!!

Mannu would check with me everyday before she went to bed if I had completed my 10K and also my blogpost of the day. So, I had to update her today

Me: “Mannu, aaj mera blog challenge khatam ho raha hai”

Mannu  (Frowning): “Oh no. So will you never blog again?”

Me: “No Mannu, the challenge is over now. So I don’t need to blog everyday but can do so whenever I feel like”

Mannu: “Oh. So you will not have the challenge anymore?”

Me (Grinning): “I will do it again next year”

Mannu slaps her forehead with her palm!!!

Day 30 | The selective loudmouth!

I dunno how I missed mentioning it but 14^th of this month was my birthday. My friend M had called Abbas beforehand and told him that she would come home in the evening to surprise me. Abbas being Abbas, cannot keep a secret and told me immediately. Now my birthday being a weekday, that too mid-week, we knew the house would be in a mess with things splattered here and there. We had plans of going out for dinner with Ro and his wife. So, I suggested Abbas to tell her to directly come to the restaurant. Now the worst punishment for me was to act as if I was taken aback. But I was touched by M’s gesture of baking a delicious Pineapple upside down cake for me and she also gifted me a very pretty cake stand that I had been eyeing on for quite some time

The same Abbas who I knew couldn’t hide a thing from me, gave me massive heartburn when I discovered a packet of cigarettes in his bag. I had my doubts about him secretly smoking and had also doubted him on a handful of instances but everytime he boomeranged it on me and made me feel guilty for doubting him. So this was how I discovered his top secret. On a Sunday, Abbas was to go out for grocery shopping with Ro. I saw him hovering around his office bag which I had kept along with Mantam’s school bag in their room. I found it strange and when I asked him, he said something to divert my attention. I came back to my room and was checking me phone when I noticed that he came to check what I was doing and quickly added “Hey call Megha quickly and ask her what rice do they have. Will check if that brand is cheaper and better. You are calling right?” I said yes and was about to make her a call, when as if sixth sense, it struck me that Abbas again entered Mantam’s room. Immediately I went to their room and saw that he had unzipped the office bag. I asked him “What was he looking for?” He said “You again started doubting me right? You have upset me once again Seemu” and proceeded to the living room and sat on the sofa. I sat on the other end of the sofa which would lead to Mantam’s room, so there was no way he could go to that bag without bypassing me. He hopefully sat on the sofa but I didn’t budge. He finally got up and said that he is going. As he stepped out, I again had a gut feeling that he would come back to check if I had left the sofa to check his bag. And that is exactly what he did, within half a minute he came back with the pretext of forgetting to take the garbage bags. Once he was convinced that I was still perched on the couch, he left. I still sat for 5 minutes there to be safe. And once I was convinced that he had left, I checked his bag and I was shocked to see a packet full of cigarettes. I was devastated. I thought I must not lose me cool and handle this tactfully. I emptied the packet and left a note to him in it “Thank you for betraying my trust time and again” (I can be quite a drama queen, lol) and then I just went about the day normally. Now I didn’t know if he had seen the note or not. Monday came and there was no message or call from him. I was clueless but at the same time my heart sank even more at the lack of any reaction. Finally, in the evening when I reached home he made a puppy face and came to hug me with an apology. That was when all my pent up frustration came to the fore. I told him he didn’t even deserve to apologize. So after a lot of tug of war, we came to a mutual agreement that I would not put emotional pressure on him which made him hide his addiction from me and he would put in sincere efforts to completely quit this time over. I told him that I would be happy if he confessed to me rather than me coming to know it this way. It would be two weeks this Sunday that he stopped smoking. I bought him nicotine chewing gums to help subside the cravings. Hoping that he finally quits it for good.

Day 29 | Your cheeks go red when…

• You start working at a new client location and a team-mate there asks you which university are you graduating from? (He thought I was a graduate trainee and was stunned when I told him I have almost 8 years of IT experience)

• A lady at your workplace, on learning that you had moved to Sydney only some months ago, asks you if you just got married and joined your husband in Sydney

• Your company’s General Manager introduces you to the Director by saying “Meet Seema. She always brings amazing feedback from whichever client place she is sent to for work. She has been doing a brilliant job for us.”

• Your daughters tell you that you sing so well and that they wonder how you learnt singing

• Your friend asks you to teach her to make noodles which her daughters like and they call you the best cooker in the world because they loved it to bits

• You are told by one of your friends who is a great chef himself that the X-mas fruit cake you sent for him was top notch and he had not eaten such a moist tasty cake even in stores here

• Your Manager can’t believe that you have two kids who are 6+ years old as he thinks you look so young. When you tell that you had kids at a young age of 22, he again says that you don’t even look 28 😛

• Your husband says that you are getting prettier by the day and sometimes he can’t believe that he is married to me (Pssst!!)

PS: This post was inspired by GB’s post. Thanks for the idea GB, I am reaching a dead end in terms of coming up with ideas to post.

Day 28 | You know you have a budding blogger at home when…

Your daughter brings her journal book home and you see what she has recorded in it over the past couple of months at school:

Day 27 | Volleyball with Visha

Since the cricket match was called off due to a complete washout yesterday, we entertained our upset minds with a game of Uno on the train back home. And today I’m gonna play Volleyball with Visha. I’ve been seeing most bloggers in the marathon taking up this tag, I wasn’t going to be left behind. Visha has come up with an interesting tag and here are my answers:

List all the ingredients which went into making the most interesting dish you ate today.

Today I made an interesting Bengali dish which is made with a rare combination of vegetables. It has drumstick, bitter gourd, potatoes and tomato. This is one of the dishes that made me a bitter gourd lover post marriage.

What is the current wallpaper of your laptop/phone/tablet?

I don’t bother about the wallpaper on the laptop as I only open the laptop to write blog posts. Otherwise, Abbas uses it the most and also changes the wallpaper. Anyway, the wallpaper is a picture of all four of us along with Black Beauty when we had gone to get her home.

On my phone, I have a picture of the four of us. To think of it, Abbas had changed it when I had got the phone and I never bothered to change it. Sigh!

How do you wear your hair when at home?

I always need my hair to be neatly twisted, turned, tied up into a bun of sorts and secured neatly using a clutch. I find it strange to keep my hair open or in a pony when I’m home.

When you visit any restaurant, what is the first thing you search for, in the menu?

The first thing I look for in the menu is the prices. I try to sort of budget the final amount and then mentally calculate what should be ordered in order not to shoot the budget and at the same time have a hearty meal. (You must be rolling your eyes, don’t you?)

What is the advertisement from your childhood that you recall even today.

This was one of my favourite ads. It was of Dhara cooking oil. It is uber cute. Do check it out if you haven’t:

Have you implemented a beauty tip/hack which you were told to, and been mortified by the results?

I remember one old lady who used to visit our home frequently to gossip suggested me to use DDT to get rid of the lice on my head when I was in school. But better sense prevailed and I never tried it out J I really do not have any time or patience to try any beauty tip / hack on myself. Sorry L

At your home, where do the newspapers find themselves to be the most useful?

I had written a post on this long time back. Yeah, you heard it right. Don’t remember if that was during one of the blogathons though that the need to conjure a post at any cost was the order of the hour 😛

During a visit to any mall, what do you find yourself searching first?

The loo! Either me, Mannu or Tammu would surely get nature’s call as soon as we enter a mall.

This tag is over now. Explain your state of mind.

Thanks to Visha who saved me today. 4 more days to go… What tag can I pick up next?

Day 26 | On the much awaited day…

To my dear…

Rain God:

Please be considerate and try to only drizzle for a short while, if you really feel the urge to pour your love on us from the sky. It is my first match and I plead you to not spoil the experience okay? Please please, pretty please!

Indian Team:

I know you guys are not in a good form but please strive hard and give your best shot alright? Please make this match very special for us.

Abbas:

Don’t restrict me on the amount of food I’m taking along as I can’t imagine how we will stay through the match without munching on enough quantities and varieties of food. I know you are a lazy bum and are worrying about lugging the weight as we are availing public transport today but then hey, we are four of us! We will easily manage. You don’t want to deal with a grumpy starving wife.

Mantam:

Hope you continue to have the same feeling for India as you do now. Your patriotism may have to split as you grow but hope you never forget your roots and are always loyal to your origins.

Me:

Just enjoy the experience and do not fret about India losing, in case! It is just a match.

Day 25 | An amazing outing

• We decided on going for a Barbecue outing with our friend Ro and his wife M, along with one of my ex-colleague S and her husband R. We decided who will get what beforehand. S got marinated Chicken, puris, coconut water and cold drinks. Ro brought marinated lamb and lemon rice. I took paneer and gobi marinated in tandoori masala, baby potatoes in garlic, butter and herbs and also all the raw materials required for pani puri.
• We were to reach start at 10:30 AM but S and R got stuck on the way to our home in a bad traffic jam and we could start only once they reached. So we left at around 12 noon. We went to a place called Bobbin Head National Park. It is closer to our home and is like a picnic spot amidst greenery. We need to descent a mountainous region to reach its bottom where this park is located. It is a huge area where there is a park, tables and benches, electric barbecues for public use. This is also a place where people get their boats and kayaks to enjoy a ride in the water and also do fishing. We were hungry by the time we reached.
• S, Ro and I engaged ourselves to do the babecue while M and R minded the kids. Abbas was actually on-call and his mobile was out of network coverage. He roamed here and there to see where he could get signal. It was our first experience with barbecue but I must mention that it was impressive. Only thing we missed to take is enough things clean up after we completed the barbeque. We struggled with the cleaning as all we had was tissues and water, it was hard to scrub the surface clean.
• Abbas had taken their cycle along which was a good idea. There were many other kids cycling there and Mannu enjoyed riding. Tammu played with S and didn’t want to cycle
• We played Uno there for some time and then someone said “Why are we playing Uno here? We could have done this at home itself.” So we packed our bags and left from there.
• We hit a beach called Balmoral. It is a beautiful one with a rocky island surrounded by sea. R and Abbas just couldn’t wait as soon as we set foot on the shore. They changed in a jiffy and vanished before we could blink. I quickly changed Mantam into their swimwears. Ro didn’t want to get in but Abbas dragged him in and then he enjoyed the most. We three ladies also wet ourselves till knee but didn’t get completely wet.
• We then took a shower, freshened up, changed into fresh clothes and climbed the rocky island. There we had the pani puri, it was awesome. 100 puris were gone rapidly. We enjoyed the ambience, spent some good time there. It was 8 PM then and the sun had just set.
• We planned to head home and Abbas suggested that we must go to a restaurant and have dinner as everyone was tired. We reached our area past 9 and didn’t find any restaurant which was open for dine in. They were open for takeaway, so we picked up food and came to our home.
• We had our dinner quickly and once the tummies were full, everyone was recharged and full of josh. And guess what? We sat down to play Uno again. We played and played and played till 1 AM. Tammu had dozed off but Mannu was sitting with us enjoying the game.

Some pics:

Day 24 | Nagaveni *

The last haircut that Mantam had was for their 4th birthday. It had been just over 2 years and they had loooong hair. I would spend a lot of time tending to their beautiful hair. They loved it too. All the girls in the class sought to grow their hair after Mantam joined the school. The hair was now so long and Abbas kept telling me to get it cut. But it was like a labour of love for me. I simply didn’t have the heart to get the locks chopped off. But I too felt that they might feel lighter as summer was approaching. I agreed to take them for a haircut a couple of months back. But I just got it cut just below shoulder level. Here are the before and after pictures:

PS: We are going for a day long outing today with friends and I don’t know what time we will return and I’m damn sure I won’t have the energy to do the post of the day after returning home. So, here is a quickie I’m squeezing in before we step out.

PPS: * Nagaveni in Kannada means a lady with a long plait resembling a snake. I couldn’t think of a better title. I’m too excited to head out now 😀

Day 23 | The differences (good and bad)

• The most distinct difference and a very obvious one for us has been with Mantam’s schooling. It is a complete contradictory experience when compared to that in India. Back home, there was always focus on writing, the kids learnt by repeatedly writing and there was less focus on reading. But here there is no
  importance at all on writing, there is so much stress on reading. Mantam’s class teacher was amazed how they could write so well even when they couldn’t read words. Also, in India Mantam had learnt cursive writing in UKG. Here, they are supposed to write in print writing so that as they read, they automatically know the words and symbols and can imitate the same while writing. Well, personally I love cursive writing but they lost touch now. In terms of curriculum or syllabus, there are no text books as such. They just have a framework of what the kids should be taught and I dunno how the teacher teaches them. I’m happy as long as they are learning via activities. They speak of continents, natural disasters, emergency handling, water cycles, life saving skills and Abbas and I just listen with our mouths open. In India, these topics were ‘taught’ by asking the kids to create charts/presentations/model on them and it would be an exercise for parents more than a learning for kids. Here they know a lot and at times, we learn new things from them. For example, the other day we went to the beach and they found a rock pool and even explained us how rock pools are formed.

• Again speaking about kids, the kind of facilities that kids have makes me envy them at times. The parks are constructed in such a way that the ground surface is so soft and there are no chances for them to injure themselves on having a fall. The library conducts wonderful programs round the year for kids for free, they have bank accounts where they deposit a dollar or two every week by themselves and get a token and once they accumulate ten tokens they get a gift from the bank of their choice. We go to any offices / restaurants / banks, they have a corner with books, toys or colouring sheets with crayons for the kids to be occupied.

• I dunno if I had written about libraries in any of my posts earlier, but I was taken aback by the kind of provisions that people are entitled to at one. There was free wifi for everyone, there were desktops to be used, scanners, printers, study rooms for students, workshops or classes conducted from time to time, justice of peace (like our notary) and books ofcourse. And all this is for free except for taking printouts, which is at a nominal price. How awesome is that? We were scared about taking membership as we didn’t know how much it would cost as there are so many facilities to boot. We hesitantly asked the lady at reception how much it would cost? She was surprised by the question and told that we had to pay only if had an overdue, otherwise there was no money required at all.

• One other good thing of course, is the feature to allow pedestrians to cross the road at each and every junction. You need to cross the road, just press the button and wait for a while for the single to turn green for the pedestrians. I remember how difficult is was to cross the road in Bangalore at major junctions like Marathahalli where you would never be able to cross unless you join with a crowd who jay walk into the traffic. It was also very risky and Abbas would always call me every evening at the same time to check if I had crossed safely.

• So many things are automated here, it may be a good thing to have technological advances but I do miss the personal interactions and rapport building.

• We recently got a few things like an enclosed shoe rack, a bedside cabinet and a centre table from Ikea. Each of these was packed in a compact carboard box in bits and pieces and came with detailed instructions on how the piece of furniture had to be assembled with pictures. Abbas and I spent more than half a day assembling all of these. Though I enjoyed the process and was also proud at being able to do it on our own, Abbas was very grumpy. He was so irritated at the fact that everything had to be done by yourself in this country 😀

• I really do not appreciate the carelessness when it comes to the usage of resources. My heart sinks at the amount of printouts people take at offices unnecessarily, the way people do not bother to turn off the conference room lights when they leave, the way people use ziplock bags / take way boxes to pack their food to work and then chuck it in the bin to save the trouble of washing the containers. I am not judging anyone and I too keep a stash of ziplocks bags and takeaway boxes with me as they come in handy in a few situations. But I do try my best to generate less waste to the best of my ability.

• The medicare facility provided by the Government to cover the health related expenses of it’s citizens was a surprise too for us. We come from a land where people turn bankrupt due to illness in some cases. You could consult doctor, get tests done, vaccination for kids done, get treated in a hospital – all for free. We pay only for the medicines. There are private insurances too that people opt for, but we are yet to think of a reason why it is worthwhile.

• There is a government run body called Centrelink which paid us during our jobless days for childcare. Once we got the jobs, we are not entitled to that claim but can continue to claim daycare rebate of 30%. Also, there are other allowances that one can claim in scenarios like when one is unable to work as they are taking care of their child or a sick adult, single mums, youth allowances and the like. One also gets a lump sum amount on a baby’s arrival (I heard that this is gonna be stopped but it has been there for a long time)

• I miss listening to the radio stations and hindi songs. I miss being up to date with the new movies coming up and watching the trailers and waiting for the movie. I do get to know from FB or whataspp but they are only a few and far between.

• The worst of them all is the access to food, mainly street food. Sigh!!

Day 22 | 2014 in review

I know, I know! It’s a bit late for me to post this. But Im not at feeling well today. Have a splitting headache and unable to keep my eyes or mind open. It’s a cheat post of sorts but I wanted to record this on the blog anyway and didn’t want to give up on the blogathon after coming this far. So here goes:

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 39,000 times in 2014. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 14 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.