Happy Halloween

Today is Halloween!!!! I actually wanted to say scary Halloween...But this is happy because, its the first Halloween for Shravan and I really dint want to scare him. So, whats this Halloween all about?. Halloween actually means "All Hallows Evening" celebrated on Oct 31st. What do people generally do? - trick or treat , attending costume parties, carving Jack-O-Lanterns, visiting haunted attractions, playing pranks, telling scary stories and watching horror films. So What did I decide to do - Carving Jack-O-Lantern offcourse :).The next very obvious question - What to carve? - I didnt want my little mind to wander and google all possible options, I gave the choice to Shravan and got an impulse response - MICKEY!!! how much time was saved :))

Well the prepartion started from Saturday. H(a)unted all possible super markets in Kongsberg to find a nice pumpkin to try our hands. Ram initially skeptical though was ok because he anyways knew he will get his halwa later out of it :)). We finally found our pumpkin in ICA. They had quoted 17.90 NOK but never realised its the cost of per kg and my pumpkin was 5.2Kg. Ended up paying nearly 90 NOK. High Time to learn Norsk - What say??? ;)))

Did a detailed study on Saturday evening as to how to carve step by step and here they go

Assemble all your tools and stencils. Didnt include the scissors and Knifes - reason so obvious - Shravan was hunting behind them. I go to grab the camera, he runs to hold the knifes and Ram happily sits and watches this ;))

Take off the top to clear the gutter inside. You can save them too. We can clean the gutter to get the pumpkin seeds alone, dry them and roast it for a quick snack along with your evening tea :)

You can paint by hand using black paints if you are good at it or tape the stencil along the pumpin and mark dotted images with knifes on top of the stencil. I took the easy route :)

Now the Journey begins. Reading the instructions, it looked like I can complete in other few minutes, but trust me it took few hours to get to this stage. A big thanks to Ram and Shravan for not disturbing me. Shravan will now and then come and peep to see his Mickey getting ready :)

Now to see your work, lit some candle or diya inside the pumpkin and close the top.wow!!!

My Mickey was ready. Did some detailed study on the corrections to be made and took another
sweet one hour to get it as neat as possible and this is how it finally looked in the total dark.

So, Happy Halloween!!!! I know this is incomplete without a pic of shravan holding his Mickey and Halwa for Ram. Will keep you posted :)

Sisterhood

What's the good of news if you haven't a sister to share it? and this quote is just being apt to me for the last 28 years :) Was wondering what to write for my next blog, discussed most my routine in the last blog. But with my sister visiting me (or rather my little brat) for three weeks last month was so much fun. Three weeks then seem like 3 minutes but 3 good weeks to sit back and cherish now. Yes, this blog is dedicated to my one and only cute'st sister SUDHA.

I have spent my last 30 years with her. But what made these 3 weeks so special?. - Me being away from my family, or My sister being away from her Mr. Jilpu (Thats the first pet name my son got :)). Elder sister's kids are the world for younger sister - and my sister is no exception to it. Sitting and watching your sister playing with your kid and parenting him - What a scene -Every minute of it is worth an Oscar for the best sentimental movie. Agree???

I always had a guilt feeling (I think I still do have) of bringing my kid all the way to Norway while he was being pampered to the core in India by his aunt and grand parent. I know he means the world to my sister. So their dating after 4 months was such a relax to me!!!!!

So much was planned over the phone for months to-gether on how to spend everyday. What meal to cook, what movies to watch together, where to roam around, how to spend time with our little naughty don and I guess the list will be incomplete without catching up the gossips back in India ;)). Cooking didnt happen too much though, but we did watch a couple of movie or rather a movie everyday :). A week trip to Paris, Weekend trips within Norway, Daily trips to supermarket and my dear son's second birthday bash will always be cherished :)

Sometimes the motherly affection towards her makes me feel really special. She is just two years younger, but most of the time she is like my sweet two year old daughter. Imagine managing such a sweet sister and really terrible two year old son in one place. Trust me, it was FUN :)

Sisters don't need words. They have perfected a language of snarls and smiles and frowns and winks - expressions of shocked surprise and incredulity and disbelief. Sniffs and snorts and gasps and sighs - that can undermine any tale you're telling.

We may look old and wise to the outside world. But to each other, we are still in school - Isnt it?

The way we behave with people, talk to them, react to their activities might vary person to person or with situation to situation as we grow on, but with your sister its always the same. You and she both show our arrogance, innocense and behave nonsense but deep within we behave just like how we behaved from the day we know each other. She is the one who gives you a little bit of childhood always that can never be lost.

She is your mirror, shining back at you with a world of possibilities. She is your witness, who sees you at your worst and best, and loves you anyway. She is your partner in crime, your midnight companion, someone who knows when you are smiling, even in the dark. She is your teacher, your defense attorney and your devil's advocate!!!! and she is the best gift I can ever ask my parents :) Love you Sistu!!!!

Ready to Blo(u)g

Its been exactly 10 months now......break from being a software engineer running around resources to get things done, starring (or rather working) computers atleast 10 hours a day, travelling 2 hours everyday to reach my work place, missing all the fun my son does at home, even more sad part is my sister enjoying every momemt with him and narrating all the fun they had when I reach home with a such a tired face(Its been a tough day hah!!, Yeah all 5 working days weree the same :( )!!!!! Then came an enlightment....Courage to take a break from work, passion to persue things that pleasures me and of course the motherly affection...SHRAVAN...is that magical word. Hurray!!! I am going to be a full time mom...just for shravan and only shravan the next one year....well this is how I turned from a software engineer to a full time mom.........not knowing what is going to happen :))

P.S I Quickly sent this to Mr. Ram (my dear husband and my full time senior manager for next 1 year). I expected his reaction - "madam, where is the mention of your care-taker, fund provider etc etc?".So let me try to be little humble here and say a thanks to him for supporting me,(financially..hehehe) troubling me (make me cook 3 times a day!!! :( ), annoying me (all day in office and busy with remotes and laptop in the evening), helping me (dont assume big things here...its all like switching off the light, closing the windows, Ram...I know I am mean here :)) ) and ofcourse loving me :))

Well...Why blogging after 10 months now???....I was that typical working home changing to home-maker....boasting myself to my friends, when at home - I will read more now, I can make it to the gym everyday, I will try all types of cooking, I will watch all the good tv programs,movies etc, Persue some serious hobbies. Do lot of travelling, Do some good photography and ofcourse 24*7 around Shravan. On the whole, I will be a happy person keeping people around me more happy!!!!

But What really happened?....Read more - I dont even get time to read newspaper everyday. Gym - I visited yesterday after a solid one month break with no good reason. Cooking - the routine!!! Its the apt word to describe now. Tv programs,movies - forget TV programs, Movies...the latest movie I watched is "DABAANG" in Hindi and "MYNAA" in Tamil. Hobbies - I have a storey of things still unpacked to start the work. Travelling - Oh Yeah Yes!!! everyday to the different supermarkets to buy groceries. Photography - Its only SHRAVAN all the time :).

Have I become lazy not doing what I wanted to do?. Am I cribbing for not continouing work? Is my husband not supporting?. Is my son troubling me too much?. Have I become less organised?. Have I lost interest? - When you are angry, all these questions will be answered "YES" but when you really sit back and think (hehehe...that only when shravan sleeps in the afternoon and fortunately I dont fall asleep before him :)) most or all of them will be answered "Not really".

So, to see, feel and share what it is being a full time mom is all this blog about. I will start sharing some of the happy moments with Shravan and Ram, the daily routine (I shall ensure not too much though), the good clicks, the new places, my gastronomical journey, my new releases in the craft corner and other things that comes up in the list (and few things that might drop down from the list :) )