Innocence..

It was our first snowy winter in our new home..Cookie had just turned one. Her baby babbles were turning into babbling words..so very cute, but hard to understand..With a cozy blanket cookie and myself were sitting inside our warm living room and watching the snow flurries..Suddenly we heard a puppy's yelping ..Cookie being a gentle soul, wanted to know what the puppy wanted..I told her, maybe the puppy is looking for its mommy or daddy..
Picking up her little stuffed toy, cookie ran to the bedroom, where her dad was fixing a closet door..In her very cute baby language she was explaining something to him and was pulling him out of the room.. 2 minutes later an animated cookie and her bewildered dad came out of the room seeking an interpreter..After cookie repeated her self twice, i finally got what she was saying..'puffy wa da-eee' she said..(puppy wants daddy)..I burst into a fit of laughter, before i explained it to my husband..Lovely little cookie thought he was daddy to everyone..

After some more laughs we sat down with cookie to explain to her why her daddy cannot be the puppy's dad too..

When Time stood still..

Time stood still one cold winter evening..We were on a vacation with friends..Among the waves of people and dazzling lights, the buttery smell of popping corn and the school of fish by the pond, we walked hand in hand..Cookie and myself..Just a few feet in front with camera in hand was cookie's dad and our friends..
The colorful clowns and fun shops were attractive and i stopped for a minute to look at a cute stuffed penguin, cookies favorite bird..'Look Honey, isnt that penguin cute?' i asked and turned to look at her..
It was after a minute of looking around and checking with her dad that we realized cookie was not with us..When did i let go of her hand, i wondered?

Time stood still..frozen is the term that comes to mind..everything around me was going in slow motion..Why am i not running up and down the street looking for cookie, i asked myself..I tried, but my legs wouldnt move..Everything was a stand still..I kept muttering,' where is my baby?'..My brain was slowly going into shock..The panic would follow next ..
Just then, like a miracle,there came my husband with a sobbing cookie in his arms..I pounced on him and took cookie and hugged her to no end..I never wanted to stop hugging her..Later cookie told me that my squeeze was hurting her, but she dint mind, because she was so scared to let go of me..
Once the sobbing child was consoled , i took a look at my husband..His face was as white as a sheet..He told me, that cookie was standing on a side, crying asking for her mommy and daddy, when he found her..I thought he was going to be sick..Let go home he whispered..

The rest of the day, both of us were still jumpy and i remember waking up more than once, to hold cookie's hand as she slept, just to make sure that i dint loose her again ..

Nostalgia..

Just another dull, gloomy day and i am feeling nostalgic..

As a child,the old fluffy, warm blanket i used to snuggle with every night..The red coral earrings that  mom wore everyday..The anticipation that builds up every time the car turned into our driveway..The topsy turvy feeling in my tummy, zooming around in the swing..the chalk piece scribbles in the front porch..the hot butter egg puffs for snack after a long swim..bed time stories with grandma..Waiting for dad to come home after work..even the dreaded home work time..the time when the phone and myself were inseparable..the little love notes and silly secrets..

The grown up me loves the lovely red roses on my first wedding anniversary..The double lines on my pregnancy test..The first tiny kick and the unbelievable appetite that followed..morning sickness and my swollen tummy( i must be insane..)The first little squeak of life and the first look at my bundle of joy..The little ' Wife' plaque, a surprise gift from my better half, that makes me smile and feel appreciated, every time i look at it..

aahh!!the good old times..

Catching up..

Has it been a  month already?? hmm..where does the time go?

I miss writing.but sometimes, my brain just refuses to think..it goes blank..Writers block would be an understatement..Writers void would be more like it ..

So what have i been doing for the past month..Not exercising for sure..and yes, i did do the sin of gluttony more than once..
Cookie's school started..Had to dive head first into the forms and her school work..Sometimes i wonder about it..Who comes up with all these forms? A form asking for details about her grandparents?? oh am not kidding...
The next week it was rain non stop..A week of grey wet clouds..and just when i thought i'll never see the sun again..boom..Apollo made his entry, brightening my whole day..and the day being a friday made it all the more special..
Almost all my weekends i spent cooking for some very lovely guests..Looking forward to this weekend, without guest and some good old comfort food..and some exercise too..

Even though it was a pretty busy hectic month, i did have a few pleasant surprises..Celebrated 11 years of togetherness with the love of my life..We welcomed a good friend's son, Baby S into this world..He is adorable..the tiny hands and feet and his silky hair..like a little dolly..Caught up with a few classmate and the happenings in their lives..Thanks to FB..oh and finally went to the library..Ken Follet's 'Garden of Eden' was good..it was my first time reading his book..A few Jeffery Deaver and couple of romance books later, i almost felt human..reading keeps me sane..
 and so life goes on..
Until next time..Adios..

Last Friday Night..

15 more minutes and i'll be home..Tom told his wife for the zillionth time..The incessant calls and the less than patient conversations were getting to him..But she was not to be blamed..They had planned for this dinner date for more than a month ..and Tom's client Mr.Allan was ruining it..

4:45 pm on a friday,he gets the call..'Hello Tom, how are you? you getting ready for the weekend?By the way can you send me a report..It is an emergency..life and death'..Even the simplest things for Mr.Allan is life and death ..From a 5 minutes delay on the metro to the local grocery store running out of his favorite yellow bell pepper..that being Mr.Allan ,the report was no different..

Tom scurried around the office..Having collected all the reports, he ran to the fax machine..What do you know, the papers got jammed..Oh no you dont, he muttered and gave the machine a kick..If you'd seen the movie 'Armageddon' You'll understand the relationship Tom had with his temperamental fax machine..Like the Russian Scientist pounding on the spaceship to make it work, his machine need a few kicks too..And she worked like a charm..

Finally the wife and Tom made it to the Italian restaurant, an hour late..Thanks very much Mr.Allan, Tom muttered  listening to his wife's lecture on punctuality ..The restaurant was packed..The line was long, but since they had reserved a table, dodging the dirty looks, they walked into the reception area..The stiff waiter asked for their names and the reservation time..
In a dull but accusing voice he said 'you are late and unfortunately we could no longer hold on to your reservation', he said tonelessly..'You are kidding',yelled his wife..'I dont kid when it comes to work madam' said the waiter giving her an injured look..Tom tries next, 'we are sorry to have come late, can you please find us a table, we'd appreciate it much' , he said ..'I am sorry sir, we have no tables available and you saw the line outside' the waiter was adamant..With no other option, they decided to go to another Italian restaurant..All the way Tom could feel his wife's eyes shooting darts at him..Thanks Mr.Allan, he mutters yet again..

The restaurant was not big and the table in the corner was dingy and dark..Tom could hardly see the silverware in the dull light..Maybe it was a good thing, he dint have to see his fuming wife..He ordered a glass of chardonnay for the both of them, hoping very badly that the wine would chill her a little..The waiter arrived with their wine and the very first sip, he sensed trouble ..The wine was not crisp nor cold..A drab luke warm wine, did no wonders for his wife or their conversation..Maybe the appetizer would be better, he hoped.. The Tomato and Basil Bruschetta was soggy and stale..Amidst more complains, they ordered the second course, Tagliatelle with Bolognese Sauce..Please be good, he pleaded with the invisible culinary god ..talk about a bummer again..Tom was loosing hope..What a disaster and all thanks to Mr.Allan..I hope the report was really worth it..Dessert was Tiramisu and Espresso..It wasnt bad ..They gulped it down with the warm but not hot espresso and asked for the check..
He was in for another nasty surprise ..The bill was for half his pay check..What a night he thought to himself, walking out of the restaurant...But at least it  can't get any worse he thought..The gods disagreed.. Boom went the tires on the car on their way home..He pulled over to the side of the road and turned to look at his wife with a sinking heart..

Maybe it was the wine or the beautiful star filled sky, his wife did not complain for the first time that evening..They relaxed, even laughed and shared a few jokes..Like young lovers, they held hands and sat looking at the starry skies..Warm and cuddling together, they lost track of time and the fixed flat..Reaching home around midnight and in the comfort of their own bed, ' i had the best night ever Tom, thank you' murmured his wife softly, before falling asleep in his arms..

Thank You Mr.Allan, whispered Tom with a smile, letting sweet slumber take over..

Phone Call..

I have been on the phone for almost 5 hours today..and i dont even like to speak on the phone much..
But do i have an option? no.. i have to with family and friends if i ever want to keep in touch with them ..what happened to the good old days of letter writing( yeah yeah.. go ahead and call me a dinosaur)..
But then who is willing to wait for days for a letter and who would ever want to take the time and effort to write back..It is easier to pick up the phone..With my smile turned upside down, i sat brooding when i heard the shrill ring of the phone again..With a sigh i answered..

"Hi G!! I received your letter and reading it was so much fun ..It always makes me smile"..

My friend gushed from the other end..hey! what do you know..That phone call actually made my day!!

Good ol' Garfield..

 

The simple truth!!

Fun of Gluttony !!

            
 Why should Gluttony be a sin?? It can be fun ,that is, if it is practised once in a blue moon..But this is just my opinion and not necessarily that of my doctor's..Here is an anecdote of one of my 'once in a blue moon' gluttony..( According to my calendar the blue moon comes once a month..or less)

"Lets go to the chinese buffet for lunch" my husband said one afternoon, and i knew what that meant..I went upstairs and exchanged my snugly fitting jeans for a bigger pair and my 'just the right size' top for a loose t shirt ..Ahh!! now i was ready to go..let the fun begin..

20 mins of driving and as soon as we reached the chinese joint, the neon 'open' sign  personally welcomed me..I went into the place with my eyes and nostrils wide open, taking in the sights and smell of all the food..'Dont blow up the 3 weeks of diet G' whispered a voice in my head....sure..sure..i replied back..The waiting line was not very long..Thank God for it, i thought to myself..Our seats being assigned, off i went to pile up my plate..
Hmm..lets see..do i start with the fried rice and chicken or do i go to the seafood..decisions..decisions..after a moments pause i went to the fried rice section..both the chicken and seafood were neck to neck..that close, but the soup was the deciding factor..So the chicken section won..I laddled a big bowl of 'Hot and sour' soup and passed on to the fried rice..Just when i was taking a scoop of rice, the annoying voice in my head was back.."diet..remember"..ok ok..
Rather than a scoop, i took teaspoons full of rice and gave my back a pat for this awesome self control.. Then i moved on to the chicken..so many varieties..Where do i begin..That is when i spotted my favorite..The sweet chicken in sesame sauce ..yum..I almost pounce on it before the lady in blue touched the serving spoon ...
Already half my plate was full..Hmm..2 more items could fit in there..Lets see..oh yes..the green beans..These chinese buffets have killer green beans..I took a big helping of the beans..this healthy choice deserved another pat on my back..i took a good look before i decided on the last dish..It was an important decision you see..I had one rule that i followed in buffets..one plate for one section..so after this plate, i will not venture back into the fried rice section again..
Ahh..hha..i see some chicken with red chillies..i made my decision..Grabbing my last scoop of chicken, and doing an almost professional balancing act with my loaded plate and soup bowl i walked back to my table ..

My first bite..i swear there was an explosion of flavors on my taste buds..I thought i died and went to heaven..Spoon after spoon was bliss..Finally the soup bowl and my plate wiped clean, i went for the second round..now to the seafood section..

With a warm plate in hand i waited in line to get egg rolls and dumplings, buttered shrimp and baked salmon..Crunchy french fries and sugary doughnuts..There were people every where in the seafood section.. the steamed blue crab was the center of attention..Finally it was my turn to get the egg rolls..There were 2 left and just when i was going to get them, out of no where a pair of hands shot in and whisked them away..With my egg rolls out of reach, i turned with an angry  'Hey, those were mine mister'..My angry stare was met by a lovely little girl in pig tails..lovely or not, pigtails or not, i was not in a generous mood then..But i behaved..Grinding my feet, i went to the dumpling..
My plate almost loaded for the second time, with sad eyes i turned to take one last look at the empty egg roll tray and omg..it was filled with steaming freshly made egg rolls..That was fast ..and this time before anyone could reach them, i took my share and walked back to the table to enjoy them..
The second plate almost being done, my stomach was sending signals to my brain that it was full..Sure the brain is the master organ and all..but not that very minute..i over rode her command..Dont ask me how..but i did..Dessert please my brain said..Good..Good..let the food energy flow into you, i told my brain..
What about your diet, the voice asked..sure..i remember that..i am going only for fruits i answered..
I was filling out the loose pant and t shirt fast..

Dessert.. i went for fruits, just like i promised..all the yummy fruits and maybe a cookie or 2 and a teeny weeny piece of cake and a lick of ice cream too..I gobbled them all up..
And just when i was contemplating on going for another small cookie..my brain sent out a very powerful image of myself, not walking but being rolled out of the restaurant ..and that did it..all thoughts of the final cookie were out..The bill being paid, thank fully i walked and was not rolled out to the car..

Aaahh!! A fantastic lunch i tell you...But my weighing scale dint think so the next morning..Sighhh!!!
So back i went to the lettuce and carrot diet..crunch..munch..Happy Eating everyone!!

I love You Mom..

It was one of those days when mom and myself were having a heart to heart.."I lost my mother when i was 30" said mom.."just when a girl needs her mother the most..i lost her "..

"But mom", i said.." Is there ever a good time to loose our mother? I am never okay with loosing dad or you at any time, no matter how old i get.."
That is when it hit me..Death is inevitable, i know..But at least in life, i can let my parents know how much i loved and appreciated the life they gave me..not that i dint do that, but i promised myself to do it more often and from the heart ..
 Unlike before nowadays  I start my phone calls with a 'I Love you mom' , rather than a 'hello mom'.. and that i know brings a smile to her lips..
The very least i could do, for all her love..