Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Pattu Theories

At a wedding:

Aunty A : Come here, sing me a rhyme
Pattu acts deaf
Aunty A : Do you know Humpty Dumpty?
Pattu relents..and sings - Humpty Dumpty had a great fall
Aunty A : Nooo... that's the second line... the first line is, 'Humpty Dumpty sat on a wa;;'
Pattu: This is a different Humpty Dumpty. It goes (and sings in her own tune), 'Humpty Dumpty jumped up and fell down from the wall..'. You don't know this?



Meesaila manne ottalaye... (Meaning...something like 'the fall didn't hurt')

At home - Pattu is deep in thought and translating the thoughts into a sketch. To the Amma it looks like a triangle that is struggling to become a circle and goofing up miserably.

Amma: What is this?
Pattu: Still engrossed and a little annoyed at the unnecessary interruption. This is Meeks
Amma: Duh?! Er.. What is Meeks?
Pattu: Still Annoyed. Not even looking up. Tch... Meeeeks! It is a world
Amma: Humpf... A word??
Pattu: Sigh. Worlllllld amma... worllllld (She must have thought her amma to be an illiterate)
Amma: Oh, ok, what world?
Pattu: (who by then had drawn long lines radiating from the triangle-circle) There are lots of children there ... see..(and points to the long lines)
Amma: These are children??
Pattu: Defensive at last. The children there have looooong legs...see (again points to the long lines)

She scribbled on it before I could take a picture. The world (including Meeks) has lost a masterpiece :(

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Duh!sai Trick

A - (announcing with visible pride) I figured out how to get the first dosai right
B - Oh really? For me, the tawa usually behaves well after messing up the first dosai
A - Yeah, but the firt one always posed a problem. It sticks and you have to fight with it. But today, I got even the very first one right
(and A made it sound like the dosai sprang up obediently and did a somersault in mid air before getting its belly tanned on the tawa)
B - Oh, that's something...
A - I figured out the trick - you have to get the tawa to the right temperature - not too hot, not warm.. just about moderate and then dab a film of oil before pouring the batter. It comes clean.
B - Oh....interesting....is there some indicator for the right temperature?
A - Not sure... (thinking)
B - You have to check if this is a repeatable process...

Men make even kitchen conversations sound like some serious lab experiment!

On a different note, looks like there's still hope for (Wo)mankind!

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Random Jottings...

We visited Mahamudra, the new restaurant attached to a spa at Mylapore. What an ambiance! Food wise, you do get a lot of the routine stuff and some very different (and healthy) dishes - uses some of the native pulses like corn, maize, ragi and the likes. We loved it. I would say, go with an open mind and explore. Only pure vegetarian. There's a small shop attached, carrying an impressive assortment of jute, cane, palm leaf, stone, metal, fabric and paper stuff. All environment friendly. And then there's the spa, gym, beauty parlour etc. Indulgence.

We checked out Crimson Chakra - Pattu waddled happily in the water enclosure. Food was good, very good indeed. We were a large group and they had this really nice and convenient concept called the 'set menu'. It is something like a buffet that's served to you at the table. You get very good spread, you don't waste, you don't waste a lot of time ordering and there's no confusion either.

Dosa Calling at Adyar - One can't complain, food is decent. But the taste is easily forgettable. Good place to go if you are looking for something clean, safe and affordable for breakfast or brunch.

Before signing off - some Velachery updates: Sangeetha has its restaurant at Velachery now!
Some more new blocks on the road are:

- Red Carpet - Footwear
- CreMeMore - Ice creams
- Sketch - Clothes
- Baker's Code - Bakery

All on Bye Pass Road.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Hindi Mein Labo

....says Pattu when I slip in some English words into our conversations in 'Hindi'. Here's a glimpse of Pattu brand of Hindi
As though homework is not painful enough, Pattu insists that we have our homework interactions only in Hindi! So, here we go - me in my broken Hindi and Pattu in her brand of flawless, pure, fluent Hindi:

Amma: Pehle pencil theek se pakdo
Pattu: Barke pencil pakdo karo ke
Amma: Box ke andar likho
Pattu: Karke deko arke box lene ki
Amma: Forgetting Hindi in frustration... You have to write in this box Pattu, not there
Pattu: Darka tum ne friend ke scold karo ke ni barke ni 'pechi kaa' karo ke ni. Karo ke tum?
('Pechi Ka' is 'will not talk to you' in Tamil)
Amma: Theek hai, sorry, tum abhi homework khatam karo
Pattu: Paar ke deko ni tum box kene five kare
Amma: Pattuuu... yahaan, small letters ..
Pattu: Hindi mein labo! 'Small' Hindi ki? Hindi mein labo!
Darka?
Amma: ***Giving up. In splits!

Apparam yeppadiyo labo labonnu homework oru vazhiya mudichom!
(Finally we finshed homework 'labo-ing' in Hindi)

Monday, July 05, 2010

Back to School Updates

School reopening was delayed for CBSE schools and soon after that we went back to holiday mood in Chennai owing to the Tamizh Maanadu. Just when the school routine was setting in, there's the bandh today! Here are some school updates...

1st day of school: We heard that Pattu insisted on sitting in her previous teacher's class (previous teacher has been promoted to class I). She walked out of her class and sat in Class I saying, "This is my teacher, I'll sit here only". And a few others followed her. It took a few teachers, ayahs and other staff a good one hour to get her to accept her new teacher, it looks like.

Reality Strikes: It has been three weeks now and we are already getting home work! I avoided my homework very well, but looks like I can't do that with Pattu's.

Friday, July 02, 2010

Sinfully Yours

The River of Sin is flowing through the blog world and why should I be left behind! Apu and  Momo's Ma have tagged me and thanks ladies, would have shamelessly picked it up and done it anyways :)


IHM started it -  “Please list at least ten things you have ever wanted or done which your gender is not supposed to.”


1. I don't wear my Mangal Sutr regularly. 
2. Love Blue. Hate pink, jewelry, make up, lace, frills and flapping eyelids. I don't have more than 3 pairs of footwear at any given point of time. 
3. Bunked classes, jumped over the college gate. Picked up fights with men who occupied the 'ladies seat' in bus and many other such things. Punched a boy at school for bullying my little bro. Whistled with reckless abandon at the Cinemas.
4. Actively involved in sports, NCC and dabbled in Karate... anything outdoor without a care about my 'complexion' despite warnings that I'll become dark-er and ugly-er. *BLAH*
5. Sport really-short-curly-messy-mop just for a lark
6. Had a brief fleeting affair with Alcohol though I'm off it for a long time now
7. Lived alone, traveled alone. I once boarded a bus from Madurai to Chennai at midnight and I was the only female passenger. I was 24 then. 
8. Used Men's perfumes - I just liked them, so?
9. Hate mush and the M&Bs. I read one and avoided them like plague ever since
10. I wonder why some guests' eyes pop out while I'm chatting with them and hubby is making tea for all of us. Probably they don't know that he makes better tea (though I think my FIL and my dad are BEST at it) and that I graciously accept and appreciate it ;)


To offset these, I like to bathe atleast once a day and weed out the facial hair. Crave for gossip once in a while. Love to cook, host, do up home. I indulge in clothes and bags (all Jute and other fabric). Like a clean kitchen and bathroom.  


And I pass on the tag to .... hmm... looks like the whole world has already done it... Hema, Jayashree, Chotu's mom,  Moushumi,