Day 4/100 - From the Toy town of India

Channapatna – which translates to 'Toy Town'  is situated around 60 kms from Bangalore on the Bangalore – Mysore highway.Had heard of Channapatna toys from a shop in Bangalore Airport that distributed a pamphlet and a  free keychain last December when hundreds of Artisans had come for the Airport Renaming and Terminal Inauguration. So when we decided to go for a road trip to Mysore it was a natural choice to take a short break at Channapatna- for a cup of tea and to buy something for Aiden. The Rocking Horse from Channapatna is his favourite now even after having fallen head –on from it .

Since we could not spend enough time in the town to explore it for ourselves  - I googled about  Channapatna  back in office the next day – enough to know that :

• The unique craftsmanship of making toys here was introduced at the time of Tipu sultan – who invited Persian artisans to train local artisans in the making of wooden toys.
• Channapatna toys are generally crafted out of white Ivory wood and pained with organic vegetable dyes – which are safe for children.
• These toys are generally manufactured in small to medium sized units with multitude of them being run as an extension to the houses in small scale. Ladies in Channapatna are generally seen chiseling and shaping small wooden  blocks outside of their houses . These are then collected in Cycles and Rickshaws into small manufacturing units where they are polished , painted  and assembled. The ladies and artisans earn around 500 Rs a day as against Rs 70 a few years back – thanks to the involvement of NGOs  in reviving this small scale industry that was facing hard competition from cheap Chinese toys in market.
• The art has gone global in recent years with demands pouring in from countries like US / UK  providing  prototypes of modern toys .Michelle Obama who took collection of Channapatna  toys – trains , key rings ,Ganesha idols -  from a stall in Delhi when she came for a visit in 2010 – has also given a  global touch to the revival of this ancient craft.

Here is a good write ups on Channapatna and the toy making process :

http://www.beontheroad.com/2011/02/incredible-world-of-toys-at-channapatna.html

Day 3/100 - From the barber shop

Goofy ( one of the many names that I call Aidu ) is particularly paranoid of haircuts that he cries, wails , hits and kicks anyone in the vicinity if someone touches his hair for a  cut. It has been happening ever since his first haircut and has become particularly difficult to convince him for a haircut as he grow. All attempts at cajoling him for a  haircut which his grandparents , uncles , aunties and even neighbors have done has just gone vain.

With multiple  failed attempts at getting his hair cut -  even after managing to take him to the barber shop;. it is either me or his dad who gives him a haircut , which just reduces the length of hair – in no particular pattern. I've been longing to see his hair properly groomed by a professional – for the last 6-7 months.

This Sunday evening when we were planning for an evening walk ; I just had an intuition that maybe  he is no longer afraid of haircuts ; now that he is a BIG boy as he claims. So we just drove to the nearby barber shop without giving a   hint of where we were heading. It was only when I parked the car below the complex  that he asked me where we were going and I just told him we'll get something from a kids shop – which I'm sure he understood was  a lie from his otherwise less sinful mom.

When I climbed the stair to the second floor – he held my hand, looked straight into my eyes and said – "I know where we  are going ". Usually I melt at this dialogue ; but this time I kept my cool ( I'm known to overact and overdo things concerning  Aiden – which his dad and my dad complains equally -as being 'over motherly'  ) and told him "It's OK Goofy we'll be done soon". Thankfully there was no queue and I quickly placed him on the chair as soon as I could; without giving him time to protest. While the barber was making him ready for the haircut – putting an apron around his neck and some talcum powder; he mumbled "Mummy , please ask him to cut slow" – which I dramatically did with all props and frills.

 And there he was – a smart obedient little boy staying calm and cool at the high held chair; slowly tilting his head at the barbers gestures. No wonder he had a good haircut.

So; here is a pic clicked after the haircut in his new dress which we got ,  for being such a lovely champ , from the kids shop below  which I said we came to visit -  I cannot be a liar to my boy.

For now he has bid goodbye to the fear of haircuts ….My boy is growing up.

P.S: When I think back over the episodes of hair cutting accounts that we have had it reinforces to me that kids reflect our feelings most of the time. Earlier when I used to take him to the barber shop; I myself used to worry if the haircut would hurt him and would keep telling him hours in advance that he should not cry or mess up explaining to him that the barber uncle would definitely not hurt him and on and on.This time somehow I was composed and he only reflected my state of mind. 

Day 2/100 - From the Garden..

I love spending time with plants and flowers . And Gardening is one of the biggest stress busters for me. More than seeing a good , well maintained garden ( which for sure is a bliss in itself )- I enjoy the pleasure of planting , pruning , manuring and taking care of plants.
When Aidu was in Kerala last year and I had to be alone in Bangalore for the sake of work ..It was in my agenda to visit a nursery near our place every weekend.
I used to get up every day to check the well being of the plants in the garden...I love to see them grow and bloom. By 3 months of our stay in our new house ; I had 2 coconut trees, a mango tree ,
guava and pomegranate beside the less conspicuous yet beautiful flowers in my garden ( which is hardly a pinch of land ).
Probably because of the intensity of my desire to see them grow ; the plants generally grow and bloom when I'm away ( or so I feel) - most plants grew and bloomed when I was away in Singapore for three months..
I had a good collection of veggies too in the terrace and left out space on the sides of the house this year - thanks to my in-laws who were here for few months last year.
So here is a collection of pics from my garden. The Crop was not very great this year - due to the late and weak monsoon ( more to our laziness to water them regularly ) - But it was good enough to keep the momentum going - We have planned to get the next set of veggies to plant.

Day 1/100 : As he turns four..

So here I'm - reviving my blog after a break of good 5-6 months of inactivity.
Wanted to give it a last try to see if I can ever be regular on blogs...
So for now I'll start with Aiden - the smile and happiness of my life.
He completed a glorious four years last month.
We had a small cake cutting at home - few of his friends had come down and my boy was super happy to have his playmates at home.
As it is now he is a super naughty being with all plans to pull all our( read mine and my husbands )nerves at any time of the day.
The persistence he shows at disobeying us and in having his ways gets out the devil in me and I'm surprised not at his naughtiness but at the realization of the devilry of the devil in me. But his prayers with folded hands and closed eyes " Oh Jesus keep my mother sane - Yesuappe ente mummynte dheshyam okke mattane ) is often answered and I'm back to normalcy and a good laughter most of the time.
So that is how we make up after most bad fights.

And here are few pics from the cake cutting party :)

P.S: This Self declared Blogathon initiative is one of the few steps to find some time for myself - to put a schedule to otherwise busy yet non productive - haphazard lifestyle I'm currently into.

A simple matter of trust !

As usual in the last three months that she was staying with them, Jeseera woke up in the morning and was cleaning her vessals in the kitchen. The 'Aunty' who was another resident of the house , was in the bathroom which she she shared with her. Jeseera had slept late the previous night  due to some production issues in office.Those in the IT industry would know how and what it is when you have production issues to be fixed at night. Her pace was slow and she was just cleaning her vessels of the previous day while the bathroom was occupied ; just to keep her busy and also so that she could use the bathroom once Aunty was out.

Jeseera was staying as a paying guest for the last three months in their house occupying one room of the three bedroom house which was taken for rent by the Aunty's daughter and Son in law. There were two bathrooms in the house and the one near the kitchen was shared between Aunty and her. The stay was pleasant but for the difficulty she faced in communicating with Aunty since she couldn't talk in their mother tongue. But still she considered herself to have bonded well with her since it was mostly them in the Kitchen. They communicated in broken english and sign language and also shared  curry leaves , onions and the like.

Aunty just came off the bathroom , walked to the drawing room and pulled off the cover of the sofa and look something from beneath the cover and went to her room ; while she was still washing her dishes. Jeseera gave a morning greeting which she didn't seem to have heard. Aunty seemed to be in a hurry and walked off to her room. In a few seconds while she was still standing there she could hear the sound of the door being unlocked-the door of Aunty's bedroom. It took a minute for things to seep in and she wished it hadn't . Aunty had locked the room and had hid the keys beneath the sofa cover.

A very  normal thing probably. Jeseera could have just left it there. But the chain of incidents and the thoughts around it kept lingering in her mind for a long time ; hurting her somewhere deep inside. It is a small thing , a real small one - but it kept hurting her that she couldn't win their trust ! ...and trust is such an important and BIG word for her and for me ...

All about Lunar New Year !!

Here is a ' Copy-Paste ' of a newsletter by 'APAC Diversity and Inclusion ' on 'Lunar new Year' circulated in my office mailbox. It is a neat compilation of all that you would like to know about this most important festival of the Chinese. Please read an let me know if you are able to draw any resemblance to any of the festivals that you celebrate or mythologies ( ? ) in the religion you practice.  Happy reading :)

How did the Lunar New Year come about?   

The most important holiday for the Chinese around the world is undoubtedly Lunar New Year and it all started out of fear. The origins of the New Year celebration vary – one of the stories included a terrible, mythical, lion-like monster called 'Nián'; ( the Chinese word for "year") who preyed on villagers.   A wise old man counselled the villagers to ward off the evil Nián by making loud noises with drums and firecrackers and hanging red paper cut-outs and scrolls on their doors because the Nián was scared of the color red.  The villagers took the old man’s advice and the Nián was conquered. On the anniversary of the date, Chinese people recognize the “passing of the Nián" ; which is synonymous with celebrating the New Year.

The Origins of the Chinese Zodiac

Ancient folk stories on the origin of the Chinese Zodiac include the tale of the Jade Emperor who summoned the animals to the palace for a meeting. The 12 animals that were summoned headed to the palace and the order that they arrived determined the order of the Chinese Zodiac. The order is as follows:
Rat:        1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008
Ox:        1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009
Tiger:     1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010
Rabbit:   1951, 1963, 1975. 1987, 1999, 2011
Dragon:  1952, 1964, 1976. 1988, 2000, 2012
Snake:    1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013
Horse:    1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014
Goat:      1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003
Monkey: 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004
Chicken: 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005
Dog:       1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006
Pig:         1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007

2014 is the year of the Horse. Those born in this year are said to be optimistic, intelligent, fashionable and charming.

The meaning behind some of the significant days in the 15-day Lunar New Year celebration:

Eve A reunion dinner is held where family members get together to celebrate and count down to the beginning of a new lunar year.

First Day The festival begins at midnight with the welcoming of deities of the heavens and earth. It is a traditional practice to light fireworks, burn bamboo sticks and firecrackers and to make as much of a din as possible to chase away the evil spirits. Most importantly, the first day is a time to honor one's elders and families visit the oldest and most senior members of their extended families.

Second Day The second day is traditionally a time for married women to visit their birth parents and relatives with their families.

Third Day It is considered unlucky to have guests or go visiting on the third day, as it is believed that evil spirits roam the earth this day. This is considered a propitious day to visit the temple of the God of Wealth and have one's future told.

Fifth Day The day is regarded as the birthday of the God of Wealth. In northern China, people eat dumplings on the morning of this day

Seventh Day The seventh day, known as the rén rì ,is considered the birthday of all common men and everyone grows one year older. In many Chinese communities, it is the day when tossed raw fish salad – yú sheng is eaten. This dish is considered a symbol of abundance, prosperity and vigor.

Fifteenth Day The day marks the first full moon after the New Year, also known as yuán xiāo jié or Lantern Festival day. It is customary to eat special sweet dumplings called yuán xiāo resembling the shape of the full moon.

Did you know ?

• It is considered bad luck to use the broom on the first day of Lunar New Year as it 'sweeps away' good luck.  
• Fish is usually served during the Lunar New Year eve’s reunion dinner, but intentionally not finished, to symbolize ' be blessed every year'.
• Red packets are given by the elders to the younger generation during Lunar New Year; the amount of money is always an even number, very often ending with 8

Loved Singapore but....

After a stay of 3 months in Singapore - a time ; good enough to know the city well ; I confess I loved Singapore  for reasons more than those below ...

1) Comfort :A well developed city with all comforts of a developed country from ease of transportation to quality of things you get here.A fabulously well connected transportation system linked by trains and buses.
The internet speed and availability of 4G makes the country well connected to the world over internet.
2)Proximity to India and a decent paying job - I could afford the time and money for at least one trip to India a month.

3)People: I liked Singaporeans for their hospitality - smile , accommodating nature and cleanliness - not to mention their hardworking nature. Singaporeans slog in and out at work and is a tough competition for the Indians working with them.

4) Availability of Indian food : Food is one thing that you generally miss when on onsite assignment in foreign countries ; but in Singapore with a prominent Tamil population you get good south Indian food and  plenty of options at it.

5) Asian Culture where children and elderly are taken proper care of . Kids are pampered , punished and corrected. I felt it to be a good place to have your kids grow up. 

And you get a good choice of Indian schools so that kids don't suffer the 'syllabus shock' if you happen to move back to India. So Singapore in general is a good option to make quick money for those in the IT industry without compromising on your kids education or the fun of those family get togethers and marriages back in India.

Having said that ...it is time for me to take leave off the city for something better back in India.

Time to cuddle up with my husband and son for a peaceful good sleep...which I've been missing all these days.

Happened to see a 'note' written my mom on the last page of a diary ... I couldn't help taking it and kissing it all over in fact on every letter or number she had scribbled . It was a very generic note - a scribble of some numbers . The upsurge of emotions on sight of her handwriting in me was so intense and profound that I had absolute no control on my  actions ..neither on my tears.

Wishing all mothers good health and long life !

Gong xi fa cai !

fruit is orange
colour is red
dance by lions
light by lanterns

year is new
soon by moon
luck bet yours
perk be so

恭喜發財 :)
Gong xi fa cai :)
Chinese New Year Greetings :)

Comfort in Singapore

Any mention of travel/transportation in Singapore would remain incomplete without the mention of the comfort offered by the city taxis. Run round the clock, across the city, along all roads,  Taxi services are a boon in the never predictable rain and sun in Singapore. Affordable though higher than the bus and MRT, taxi services are a good option in case of  emergency or while commuting at night after the bus and train services stop.

The number of private cars on Singapore roads is restricted to curb congestion and pollution .Car buyers have to pay one and half times the market value of the car as Duties and bid for a  Singaporean Certificate of Entitlement which allows the car to be run on the roads for a decade.So as statistics has it , only one in ten Singapore residents owns a car - another good  reason why Taxis are a popular option of transport here and are available round the clock on the roads.

So call 6552 1111 or just flag them down as they  ply with the green 'TAXI' mount and have the comfort of  'Comfort Taxis ' at your footstep wherever you are (in Singapore  though)...

Commuting in Singapore....!!

A small well connected highly developed sovereign city state , Singapore consists of a diamond shaped main island and over 60 small islets. With more than 3000 km of road length , the mainland is  well connected by road and rail. With a single ezlink card that can be used on buses and trains ; a traveler in Singapore can hop on and off buses and trains to reach any destination. The Ezlink cards can be bought at any MRT station ticketing counter and costs 7 SGD for the card and can be topped up from a  5 to 150 SGD.

There are skywalks in almost all bus stops to cross over the road. Climbing up and down the stairs may be a tiresome task for the aged though.

Mass Rapid Transit  (MRT ) forms the major component of Train services in Singapore and are complemented by their feeder services known as Light RailTransit ( LRT ) . Train stations or MRT stations  are usually walkable from bustops / interchanges and are indicated by the MRT station symbols.Services operate from about 05:00 am and usually end before 1 am.

The MRT stations are usually buzzling  with people in the peak hours of the day.

You may have to change lines at some stations and can be a walk of few hundred meters through the station. Have a tube map in hand and follow the signs and displays to the correct platform.

So recharge your ezlink card, get a tube map from the nearest MRT station , hop on the trains and buses to see around the whole of Singapore when you are here ….and don’t forget your goggles , umbrella and bottle of water . The Singapore weather is either hot or rainy.