Two days back, we were called by a good school for Interaction process..it was "K's" interview day to lower kindergarten...we told little "K" that teachers will be asking you questions
He was so excited..we reached and in the first round we were taken to meet his teacher
She kept on asking him questions and this fellow was just waiting to answer..it was cute and surprising because me and "A" had never taught him anything...and then the teacher told him to tell a story
It was so so funny coz I always tell him one story before sleeping in Malayalam.He told the teacher the complete story in English, she was quite happy...me and "A" were baffled!
This was his way of translation
Once there was lion who told all animals that Come to my den and I will eat you everyday
First day he ate the donkey, next day he ate the horse.Then rabbit came very late, lion was hungry and shouted at the rabbit...Why you coming late?
Rabbit said sorry but I saw another lion...lion said there is no another lion in this forest. Rabbit said Come I'll show you. Rabbit look the lion to the kinarra...(hehe we laughed at that one :) ) and said look down
Lion looked down and saw his face..because of mirror(he meant reflection). He growled at the other lion and fell down. All another animals said Thank you Rabbit :)
That was my little one's story in his own words
I could not believe that my little one has grown so much..he is now all set to face the world!!! :)
Of all the attitudes we can acquire, surely the attitude of gratitude is the most important and by far the most life-changing - Zig Ziglar
Monday, January 30, 2012
Cook in me Jagaa :)
Yesterday "A" went to collect a parcel from his frens place. His fren had just been to Kerala and gave him the parcel alongwith a long Kappa and a banana flower
Wow that was a good change..sine for lunch, I had prepared typical kerala curry, kappa reached just at time
I quickly puzhingyafied kappa and oolalala it was yummy time!
Here's the recipe
Kappa : Cut big pieces : 10 big pieces
Turmeric Powder-2 Pinches
Red Chilly Powder-1 pinch
Salt to taste
Water : 11/2 Cup
Cut big pieces of kappa(tapioca)
Places the pieces inside the pressure cooker alongwith turmeric,red chilly powder and salt
Pour water, just enough for the kappa/tapioca to boil
Close the cooker and let the pieces steam well
I waited for 5 whistles to blow
While the kappa is getting steamed, get the next set of ingredients ready
Grated coconut-1Cup
Small Onions/Shallots-4/5 in no.
Green Chillies-4 in no.
Cumin seeds or Cumin Powder-1/2 tsp
Curry leaves-2 Sprigs
Grind coarsely the above ingredients
Now once Kappa is done, take out the pieces and mash them well, add the coarsely grinded ingredients and finally add a drop of coconut oil to the mashed Kappa
Hmm yummy naadan kaapa puzhukka is ready :)
"A" helped me in mashing Kappa, he was excited to have Kappa and Meen Curry
However I also made coconut chutney without water, as even that goes well with Kappa
Wow that was a good change..sine for lunch, I had prepared typical kerala curry, kappa reached just at time
I quickly puzhingyafied kappa and oolalala it was yummy time!
Here's the recipe
Kappa : Cut big pieces : 10 big pieces
Turmeric Powder-2 Pinches
Red Chilly Powder-1 pinch
Salt to taste
Water : 11/2 Cup
Cut big pieces of kappa(tapioca)
Places the pieces inside the pressure cooker alongwith turmeric,red chilly powder and salt
Pour water, just enough for the kappa/tapioca to boil
Close the cooker and let the pieces steam well
I waited for 5 whistles to blow
While the kappa is getting steamed, get the next set of ingredients ready
Grated coconut-1Cup
Small Onions/Shallots-4/5 in no.
Green Chillies-4 in no.
Cumin seeds or Cumin Powder-1/2 tsp
Curry leaves-2 Sprigs
Grind coarsely the above ingredients
Now once Kappa is done, take out the pieces and mash them well, add the coarsely grinded ingredients and finally add a drop of coconut oil to the mashed Kappa
Hmm yummy naadan kaapa puzhukka is ready :)
"A" helped me in mashing Kappa, he was excited to have Kappa and Meen Curry
However I also made coconut chutney without water, as even that goes well with Kappa
Saturday, January 28, 2012
To Quit or not?
I have been thinking of switching for sometime and finally have made the decision
I have been working in worlds top MNC, its a brand which is famous across the world and known to almost everyone!
I have been here for two years now, am in a very responsible position, as the numbers which I publish is considered as final market share...its great because even the CEO of such a firm looks forward to my mails
But honestly, I don't enjoy a bit, experience wise, its been great but at the end of the day, I don't have any emotional connect to the firm and mua being an emotional person, feel that any employee should have an emotional connect as that motivates him/her to work better!
Maximum time is spent on meetings as there are number of agencies to work for each project
Anyways coming back...I have been toying with this idea of quitting for sometime
I have been tired of the dialogue-"how can you think of quitting such a firm?
To everyone, they see the rosy pictures like the brand name,the flexibility of working from home,the perks etc
But issue is that my work starts @6AM and ends at 11PM...I am not exaggerating
Even though I am at home, I am always in calls
And I have to go to office when there are meetings, funny part is that there are atleast 3 full day meetings in a week and during those days, when I go to office, I reach office at 9AM and come back by 12 PM
Last one year, I have hardly spent time with my little one...I am on full day meetings even during weekends
I genuinely don't think that for a brand name, one should compromise with life and hence have finally taken the step
I am in state where right now brand name has no value, all I want to do is have a life!
Am I asking for too much? I am a simple person with small wishes..when I die, I just want to be remembered as a wonderful wife, mom,daughter,daughter-in-law,relative,friend and human being!
When I die, no-one will remember me as the person who had made that great presentation hehehe :)
I am so thankful that God brought clarity into my life and I took the decision of quitting!
Thankfully "A" is also fine with my decision but convincing my parents and in-laws was the tough part...but I have been always like this...
I have always made my own decisions in life coz I believe that we just have one life, and we should be responsible for our actions, we should never blame anyone else for the situation we are in :)
I have been working in worlds top MNC, its a brand which is famous across the world and known to almost everyone!
I have been here for two years now, am in a very responsible position, as the numbers which I publish is considered as final market share...its great because even the CEO of such a firm looks forward to my mails
But honestly, I don't enjoy a bit, experience wise, its been great but at the end of the day, I don't have any emotional connect to the firm and mua being an emotional person, feel that any employee should have an emotional connect as that motivates him/her to work better!
Maximum time is spent on meetings as there are number of agencies to work for each project
Anyways coming back...I have been toying with this idea of quitting for sometime
I have been tired of the dialogue-"how can you think of quitting such a firm?
To everyone, they see the rosy pictures like the brand name,the flexibility of working from home,the perks etc
But issue is that my work starts @6AM and ends at 11PM...I am not exaggerating
Even though I am at home, I am always in calls
And I have to go to office when there are meetings, funny part is that there are atleast 3 full day meetings in a week and during those days, when I go to office, I reach office at 9AM and come back by 12 PM
Last one year, I have hardly spent time with my little one...I am on full day meetings even during weekends
I genuinely don't think that for a brand name, one should compromise with life and hence have finally taken the step
I am in state where right now brand name has no value, all I want to do is have a life!
Am I asking for too much? I am a simple person with small wishes..when I die, I just want to be remembered as a wonderful wife, mom,daughter,daughter-in-law,relative,friend and human being!
When I die, no-one will remember me as the person who had made that great presentation hehehe :)
I am so thankful that God brought clarity into my life and I took the decision of quitting!
Thankfully "A" is also fine with my decision but convincing my parents and in-laws was the tough part...but I have been always like this...
I have always made my own decisions in life coz I believe that we just have one life, and we should be responsible for our actions, we should never blame anyone else for the situation we are in :)
Friday, December 30, 2011
Weddings are Wonderful
Wedding season is round the corner and December is the month of marriages in Kerala Nair community.
It was my favourite cousins wedding last week.
All of us, from different corners, reached my grandpa's place three days before the wedding...last six days were filled with so much of fun and so many thoughts...have tried to capture my thoughts in various segments below
ARRANGED MARRIAGE vs. LOVE MARRIAGE
Initially I was confused.....my cousin is very beautiful and had agreed for an arranged marriage...somehow the term arranged marriage give me jitters
I know the concept works very well in India.Throughout the wedding, the grooms family was very very jolly and I knew that my cousin will be looked after well, she was the most beautiful and stood out in the crowd
The groom was smart and hats off to her to take such a matured decision!!!
She will be leaving India in sometime and I was wondering what would be life to her then, she will enjoy the first year going places and then next five years they will understand each other, wow thats magical
During the entire course, my perception started changing towards arranged marriage concept
Me and A courted for almost two years before tying the knot and trust me even today I get to know a new nature of his and vice versa.
I got to know one thing of life and that is, there is no point of having an arranged or love marriage concept coz everything changes once you start living with a person, its from then that life changes
If you are with the right person, your life is beautiful, no matter the wedding was arranged/love
I hope my cousin is with her Mr Right and here's wishing her loads of happiness :)
FUNNY/EMBARRASSING SIDE OF WEDDING
Throughout the wedding, I came across so many different characters, like one of my Aunts who fakes everything, she exaggerates the smallest stuff,its very funny and yes irritating at times!We havent met for years, but when she meets, she invades our life like crazy...I just smile to myself during those times.
Then during the wedding, there are people who come to you and ask, "do you know me?", if we answer no they get offended, so I just say Ofcourse, I know you, how are you doing? and the conversation flows...there is another set who would again question, "If you know me, tell me who am I?
Eeesh, that is such a embarassing situation,I just smile and start looking out for someone who could help me out, thankfully my mom would be somewhere near to rescue me
I dont believe this, we meet once in say 6 years, where we meet and they expect us to remember the way we are connected...in some instances, they would have seen me when I was a toddler, how do they expect me to remember them? :)
Poor cousin of mine, she had a tough time explaining connexions to her hubby :)
EMOTIONAL ATYACHAR
Oh yes, there are times when your eyes are filled with tears, like when, the bride takes blessings from her close family members in the morning
My cousin seeked my blessing and I was completely on tears...whatever said and done she will be part of a new family
When mangalsutra was tied to her, even that brought tears to my eyes...these traditions are wonderful
When she was leaving to her husbands place, after the wedding (even though we were to meet in the evening for reception :)
But the worst was when she came to our place in the third day and while she was leaving, we felt the lump for sure
Not that we meet on a daily basis, we meet once/twice in a year, but still somewhere we felt sad that even that may reduce as she will not be in India
NOSTALGIA
Each instance, during the wedding, reminds each one us, on what happened during their wedding...its so much fun as we become closer to each one
As my Aunts and Mom tell what happened in their case, its like reading a book, I keep imagining those times
And yes even I remembered my beautiful moments throughout my wedding
We even took out old albums and each one had a story of its own
Its wonderful :)
Weddings are definitely wonderful!!!
P.S-Will add more on this :)
All of us, from different corners, reached my grandpa's place three days before the wedding...last six days were filled with so much of fun and so many thoughts...have tried to capture my thoughts in various segments below
ARRANGED MARRIAGE vs. LOVE MARRIAGE
Initially I was confused.....my cousin is very beautiful and had agreed for an arranged marriage...somehow the term arranged marriage give me jitters
I know the concept works very well in India.Throughout the wedding, the grooms family was very very jolly and I knew that my cousin will be looked after well, she was the most beautiful and stood out in the crowd
The groom was smart and hats off to her to take such a matured decision!!!
She will be leaving India in sometime and I was wondering what would be life to her then, she will enjoy the first year going places and then next five years they will understand each other, wow thats magical
During the entire course, my perception started changing towards arranged marriage concept
Me and A courted for almost two years before tying the knot and trust me even today I get to know a new nature of his and vice versa.
I got to know one thing of life and that is, there is no point of having an arranged or love marriage concept coz everything changes once you start living with a person, its from then that life changes
If you are with the right person, your life is beautiful, no matter the wedding was arranged/love
I hope my cousin is with her Mr Right and here's wishing her loads of happiness :)
FUNNY/EMBARRASSING SIDE OF WEDDING
Throughout the wedding, I came across so many different characters, like one of my Aunts who fakes everything, she exaggerates the smallest stuff,its very funny and yes irritating at times!We havent met for years, but when she meets, she invades our life like crazy...I just smile to myself during those times.
Then during the wedding, there are people who come to you and ask, "do you know me?", if we answer no they get offended, so I just say Ofcourse, I know you, how are you doing? and the conversation flows...there is another set who would again question, "If you know me, tell me who am I?
Eeesh, that is such a embarassing situation,I just smile and start looking out for someone who could help me out, thankfully my mom would be somewhere near to rescue me
I dont believe this, we meet once in say 6 years, where we meet and they expect us to remember the way we are connected...in some instances, they would have seen me when I was a toddler, how do they expect me to remember them? :)
Poor cousin of mine, she had a tough time explaining connexions to her hubby :)
EMOTIONAL ATYACHAR
Oh yes, there are times when your eyes are filled with tears, like when, the bride takes blessings from her close family members in the morning
My cousin seeked my blessing and I was completely on tears...whatever said and done she will be part of a new family
When mangalsutra was tied to her, even that brought tears to my eyes...these traditions are wonderful
When she was leaving to her husbands place, after the wedding (even though we were to meet in the evening for reception :)
But the worst was when she came to our place in the third day and while she was leaving, we felt the lump for sure
Not that we meet on a daily basis, we meet once/twice in a year, but still somewhere we felt sad that even that may reduce as she will not be in India
NOSTALGIA
Each instance, during the wedding, reminds each one us, on what happened during their wedding...its so much fun as we become closer to each one
As my Aunts and Mom tell what happened in their case, its like reading a book, I keep imagining those times
And yes even I remembered my beautiful moments throughout my wedding
We even took out old albums and each one had a story of its own
Its wonderful :)
Weddings are definitely wonderful!!!
P.S-Will add more on this :)
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Humanity:Where do we learn???
This was something, I have been thinking to blog for a long long time
Two of my favorite movies, which hits on to me, are Taare Zameen Par and 3 Idiots
What is common in both?Strict Parents?
I think that the thoughts were similar, the fact that in India, so much of importance is given to education..which is definitely good any day but does degree prove that one is a good person or a bad person.
One question...Why are perceptions on individuals behavior based on their education???
Well, in a nutshell, it shows that
Almost 80% of Indians believe that the kind of degree makes a man perfect!!!...is it true
Being from a research background, I immediately started finding out how valid my hypothesis is
Well I spoke to some people on this, also was checking on various industries
Marriage Market : In India,first thing one wants to know is the kind of education one has completed...the better the education, more is the dowry...engineers and doctors are most preferred, so one doesn't say that "He/She wants a funny person who can believe in compromising at times, who works hard and loves to enjoy life as well" but the ads are like this "I am a Indian electrical engineer , working in abudhabi capital of uae , i am looking a hindu girl for marrage , girl must be engineer in any branch , if she is Electrical branch it good for me"
Even when we attend a wedding, first thing one asks is What is the guy/gal?If the answer is software engineer, we are like Wah and by chance that person is a MA chap, maybe he is in a great MNC and a very good person at heart...our perception is like hmmm
Isn't that hilarious :)
School Market : Its sad when I see kids around, they are like going for a war..my son is 4yrs old, in lower kindergarden, he is already learning cursive writing, when I asked the teacher that dont you think he is too small for it...answer I get is Not at all..he has to be groomed to get into a bigger school
My neighbors son is in 11th in one of the top school of Bangalore, my neighbor was very happy the other day, he said that in six months, they have completed 11th portions and now they are teaching 12 std, so now for the next one and a half years, they will make them thorough for 12th...by the way the kid is being coached for IIT from 9th standard...Sad part is that he is just doing what his parents are telling him!
Job Market : In India, any day, its the IITians and IIMs who are preferred in the industries. Since I am in a MNC, I have seen people drooling over Inseads, many a times, trust me I have seen them being so lazy and outsourcing simple work, that I think to myself ...do these tags matter?
We believe that Person X from Kirana college of Engineering is bad as a worker that Person Y from IIT!!!
Social Life : Oh Man, in this segment, every one wants the better degree holder in their group, so that they can flaunt them. Oh yes I know Rishi, IITian right?he is with Mckinsey...he is loved no matter what
When I look at the entire ecosystem, I feel that its our fault of looking at things!!!
Don't you think we should look at a person, as to what he is and not what he has earned?What he has earned is great, no matter what but him/her being a good person is his nature and degree has nothing to do with it
When will we change our perception towards life???
I know that with a 1.2bn population and each job being craved by 50 others, its a competitive world but somewhere I feel that education should also cover humanity!!!
Isn't that important???
Humanity...where do we learn?
Two of my favorite movies, which hits on to me, are Taare Zameen Par and 3 Idiots
What is common in both?Strict Parents?
I think that the thoughts were similar, the fact that in India, so much of importance is given to education..which is definitely good any day but does degree prove that one is a good person or a bad person.
One question...Why are perceptions on individuals behavior based on their education???
Well, in a nutshell, it shows that
Almost 80% of Indians believe that the kind of degree makes a man perfect!!!...is it true
Being from a research background, I immediately started finding out how valid my hypothesis is
Well I spoke to some people on this, also was checking on various industries
Marriage Market : In India,first thing one wants to know is the kind of education one has completed...the better the education, more is the dowry...engineers and doctors are most preferred, so one doesn't say that "He/She wants a funny person who can believe in compromising at times, who works hard and loves to enjoy life as well" but the ads are like this "I am a Indian electrical engineer , working in abudhabi capital of uae , i am looking a hindu girl for marrage , girl must be engineer in any branch , if she is Electrical branch it good for me"
Even when we attend a wedding, first thing one asks is What is the guy/gal?If the answer is software engineer, we are like Wah and by chance that person is a MA chap, maybe he is in a great MNC and a very good person at heart...our perception is like hmmm
Isn't that hilarious :)
School Market : Its sad when I see kids around, they are like going for a war..my son is 4yrs old, in lower kindergarden, he is already learning cursive writing, when I asked the teacher that dont you think he is too small for it...answer I get is Not at all..he has to be groomed to get into a bigger school
My neighbors son is in 11th in one of the top school of Bangalore, my neighbor was very happy the other day, he said that in six months, they have completed 11th portions and now they are teaching 12 std, so now for the next one and a half years, they will make them thorough for 12th...by the way the kid is being coached for IIT from 9th standard...Sad part is that he is just doing what his parents are telling him!
Job Market : In India, any day, its the IITians and IIMs who are preferred in the industries. Since I am in a MNC, I have seen people drooling over Inseads, many a times, trust me I have seen them being so lazy and outsourcing simple work, that I think to myself ...do these tags matter?
We believe that Person X from Kirana college of Engineering is bad as a worker that Person Y from IIT!!!
Social Life : Oh Man, in this segment, every one wants the better degree holder in their group, so that they can flaunt them. Oh yes I know Rishi, IITian right?he is with Mckinsey...he is loved no matter what
When I look at the entire ecosystem, I feel that its our fault of looking at things!!!
Don't you think we should look at a person, as to what he is and not what he has earned?What he has earned is great, no matter what but him/her being a good person is his nature and degree has nothing to do with it
When will we change our perception towards life???
I know that with a 1.2bn population and each job being craved by 50 others, its a competitive world but somewhere I feel that education should also cover humanity!!!
Isn't that important???
Humanity...where do we learn?
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