Mumbai Calling.....

Counting the days to my trip back to Mumbai 
It's been over nine months since I've left Dubai.
Looking forward to a break and spending time with family,
I'm sure they're waiting for us too, anxiously.
Both sets of grand parents will be excited to see their grandson,
He's surely going to keep them entertained as he's a huge bundle of fun.
Waiting to relish the lovely food made by Maa and saasu Maa,
it'll be nice to taste something different from my own cooking, ghar ka khana.

It'll be great to catch up with school friends and college friends too,
Maybe we can go watch a movie or two.
Watching a movie in a theater in Dubai is a rarity you see,
Cause I have my toddler 24x7 always with me.

Got to grab a bite at Cafe Andoras and Candies,
and not to forget my favourite Aga Brothers Frankies.
Something in Dubai which I surely do miss,
just a juicy bite into a wet franky is pure heavenly bliss!

Visits to joggers park, Mount Mary's and bandstand I will surely make,
walks up and down Kane road with my best bud for old times sake.
It'll bring back memories of the good ole days
Where we'd walk up and down the steep slope to lose weight.

There's so many things I want to do in my two weeks stay,
wish there were forty eight hours in a single day.
But with all the fun and excitement, Nigel will be missed,
hopefully we'll be a threesome in December, though we wont be there for Christmas.

Anyways that's another six months away,
right now excitedly waiting for my Mumbai Unexpected Holiday!!

When life gives you Lemons....

When life throws at you lemons like tennis balls
Don't stand there all shocked and alarmingly appalled
Cause you can turn those lemons into sweet lime juice or nimbu pani,
Depends on how you want to look at the glass, half full or half empty!

Sometimes a few drops of sour lime  are needed in our life
Life would be too boring if it was all sweet without any khatta meetha spice.
Cause sometimes after the heavy rains, a rainbow is shone
Even though adversities at times are to be faced alone
As no one can help you except yourself
You can come out of your rut or in your sorrows and problems delve.
Life is a box of chocolates or a bottle of jalepenos
You never know what you're going to get,
some part maybe sweet like chocolate,
And some may burn your backside like jalapeños, don't ever forget!!

I want to do...NOTHING!!

Nothing is the something I want to do today
Nothing is the feeling in me going through my hair
Nothing is the food I want to cook or bake
Nothing is the decision today I want to make
Nothing is the only thing that I want to do
Nothing is the everything I need to think through
So Nothing is the schedule for today which I want to follow
But Nothing cannot be the something which I think I  can do tomorrow!!

Happy Daddy's Day.....

You know we always talk about supermoms and never super dads,
But without dads we wouldn't exist, now wouldn't that be pretty sad!

Dads are a son's First super hero, a daughter's first love,
one of the best gifts, sent from God above.

I have fond memories of childhood with my dad,
When he'd get back from work, we'd search for goodies in his office bag.
He was like Santa Clause who never came home from work with his hands empty,
He would always come home with chocolates, fruits or even mithais like pedas, ladoos and Jalebi.

I remember the stories he'd actually make up for Carl and me,
The funniest stories which are still embedded in our memory.
The times we'd turn to him when we felt low or down,
he'd listen, crack a joke and wipe away our frown.
Even till today, I can talk to my dad about anything under the sun,
from the most trivial, taboo or even on raising my little one.
I was lucky to have my father with me on my wedding day when I walked down the aisle,
I know I'm not a "Daji" anymore but I'll always be to him his grown up child.

When I was in search of a life partner, I wanted someone a bit like my dad,
And when I met and married Nigel, nothing more made me happier and glad.
Cause' besides being a great husband, he's a super dad too,
sometimes he looks after our toddler better than me too
He is a patient, loving dad and makes a great father,
and when Mikhail and he get together, they set the house on fire.
When I look at Nigel, I see shades of my father in him at times,
And the way my father is an idol for me, 
in time Mikhail,his father will idolise!

Memories on the first day of school...

I've been seeing a lot of posts on Facebook of how Valentina's son Adam and Kamal's son Karl are both starting primary school first standard or should I say first grade or grade 1 ( that's the style now) and it brought back fun memories of our school Apostolic Carmel Convent.

I remember moving to a new standard would mean new books obviously which were normally purchased from Navjeevan or BBC from Linking road Bandra or Navrang book stall, a small shop on Bazaar road which would always be packed more with parents than students.
Since school always commenced in the monsoon, we had to buy " Rainy shoes" or rain shoes which were famous for giving shoe bites ( in my case) or the blue and white Keds from Bata or one of those shops on Hill Road which no longer exist anymore.
New bags, new " water bottles", new pencil boxes etc. 
Talking of pencil boxes, remember the press button ones, where you would have some ten buttons and if you pressed anyone, a sharpener would suddenly pop out or a ruler or a pencil, God alone knows what else popped out!!
I also remember some class mates with clocks on their school bags, that was pretty funny!! If I knew such bags existed,  I would never wear a watch, would have referred to their bag if I wanted to know the time. ( Apologies if anyone who is reading this had one, written in jest).
Also our uniforms would be crisply ironed and new. But seriously I've never seen so many shades of grey anywhere else but in our school. There was the light grey, there was a greenish grey, a turquoise grey, a dark bluish grey, an aquamarine grey, a blackish grey. 
We all managed to look so colourful even in grey!! 
Our socks too were different. Best part was most of us wore our socks ankle length or some even below the ankle. I was the only doofus who actually wore them all the way up. ;).
But it made Sr. Theodmira happy!! 
I remember those " Squeezy" bottles which were in fashion at one time and also remember Charlotte Pinto having a bright red one, which was used by me to spray her back in the ninth (Charl if you're reading this,you can kick my ass when you meet me next) and was bullied by Shonaly Alva to get the dirty swob and clean the floor. 
Whenever we purchased school bags, we had to ensure that they were tough and strong as we had to carry a heavy load for nine or ten periods. Those days the math class and bio class etc. were called " Periods"and we were given time tables with timings and the subjects and the tenure of each period.

I don't remember how we were allocated classrooms or divisions so if anyone remembers, please enlighten me. But I remember if a new girl joined, we'd ask " Girly Girly what's your name??"
The " Girly" bit was so funny. 
I remember Shruti Channa and Manisha Murthy as the new girls in the seventh who ran faster than Usain Bolt. I'm sure they still do but I guess now it's after their kids.
We'd choose our partners till the class teacher herself would ensure that friends would not be together and the naughty ones were normally put with a studious one or a quiet one. I remember Salima Kolsawala as my partner in the tenth, but the best part was we both were naughty and talkative sitting on the last bench being pulled up many times by Teacher Maryanne.

There's so much more but I guess I'll leave that for another post.

Only now I feel that our parents had it so easy then, they had to decide whether they wanted us to join an SSC or an ICSE school where there were not so many, unlike today where you have SSC, ICSE , IB, CBSE, etc etc...and in Dubai it's even worse where you have so many options that we parents are so confused.
But I just hope that wherever my son goes, he makes happy memories like I have, of Apostolic Carmel Convent. Cause' no matter where you go after school, maybe you study in the same country or go abroad or don't study at all, you can never forget your roots and your first school years. During these years you make friends, where some of them turn out to be friends for life. 
Yes, you make great friends along the way too. But for me school friends will always be school friends, you can never forget them. No one knows you better than they do!

The Search for a Preschool.....

And so the search for a pre- school begins,
for my toddler to expand his horizon, make new friends and fit in.
But here in Dubai where there is a myriad of schools and nurseries,
how will I find the perfect one for my toddler who's not even three.

There are Montessoris and play schools run by various nationalities,
From Europeans to Americans to Indians, Filipinos and even kiwi.

So what do I look for in my search for the perfect school
A global mix for Mikhail,
Now wouldn't that be really cool!!
Where he learns to mix with kids from various countries,
Learn about their way of life, their culture and food specialities ;).
Where he learns to mingle and make new pals,
Learn to mix with the guys and the gals.
More than learning his numbers and ABCs,
mixing and mingling with other kids for me is a priority.
Unlike in India where children mix about, laugh and play,
sadly in Dubai, children are stuck at home due to the heat, lack of child company at times, what to say!!

Mikhail loves meeting people and loves going out,
He's smart and observant and will enjoy nursery no doubt.
He knows his numbers and his A to Zee,
but which nursery to enroll him in, has put husband and me both in a quandary.
If in Mumbai, we had no tension or worry,
As we had decided to put him in a friend's Montessori,
But here in a faraway foreign land, 
We've to still decide where we want to send our lil man.
We want a school which is airy and bright,
Not stuffed with kids but the number is just right.
Not set up in a home or a small room but is run properly,
By certified teachers who are trained in teaching and Montessori.
Where kids not only learn to memorize but use their brain,
Learn also to apply common sense and intelligence when they are trained.
Where medical aid is available in case of an emergency,
And first aid is given by helpers incase they fall or scrape their knee.
We want a preschool which will be a home away from home,
As it'll be the first time my lil man will be away all on his own.

So lets hope and pray we do make the right choice for our Mikhail,
After all don't we parents want to give the best to our child!!

Will Mumbai ever become a Shanghai!!!

If wishes were horses beggars would ride,
But a Shanghai, Mumbai will never become, 
as years ago ex CM Deshmukh had implied.
With the increase in poverty and potholes and crime
And concentration of wealth in the hands of our politicians and a few sublime.
We lack proper transport and infrastructure facilities,
These need to be developed,
to make Amchi Mumbai a world class city.
It took years to build the Rajeev Gandhi sea link from Bandra to Worli,
God knows how many more years it'll take to build the latter half till Nariman point,
Maybe another ten or twenty!!
Unlike China where development bull dozes, not affected by public opinions,
In India, hindrances take place in development , 
thanks to unnecessary political and public strikes, bandhs and agitations.
We boast of the largest slum in Asia, at Dharavi
But when we land at the Mumbai airport, we are greeted by sprawling slums and not greenery.
Slums continue to mushroom everywhere, 
But politicians view slum dwellers as mere vote banks,
and about their welfare, they don't really care.
Metro work at Andheri east still seems to be going on,
Looks like it'll finish, after my grandchild will be born.
Attitude of citizens of Mumbai also make a difference,
unfortunately many of us do lack hygiene and common sense.
We'll spit and stain pavements and urinate anywhere,
But when we go to "phoren" lands like Singapore, Europe, such a horrendous habit we wouldn't dare.
It's sad that we pay maximum tax,
But besides lack of clean air, proper transport facilities,
We've had maximum terrorist attacks.

Let us pray that Mumbai does become a better city
But till then enjoy "Shanghai" the movie,
And continue to compare Mumbai to Shanghai, like our politicians with envy!!

Sometimes things don't go our way.....

Sometimes in life things don't always go as per plan or our way
And you question God "Why?" every single day,
"Why God have you done this to me?
Why have you treated me with such disparity?"
But I guess, God for each one of us, a plan has laid out,
At the right time, God will give us what he feels is right, without a doubt.
Like the four seasons, autumn, winter, summer and spring,
there is a time allotted for everything.
Maybe materialistic or immaterialistic, whatever we want,
till then we have to be patient and remain cool and calm.
Not lose faith or question the Almighty above,
as no matter what, he will always shower on us his blessings and abundant love.
We must continue to be happy and content with the life God has given us,
and live every moment to the fullest, 
without a whimper, a grumble, a grimace or fuss!!

What to expect after you've expected....

Let's have a baby, one day we did decide
And nine months later the baby did arrive.
But giving birth though painful seems pretty easy,
The after giving birth bit is what puts you in a tizzy
The first few months are filled with feeding and gurgles and cleaning their poo,
And if they do cry, you don't know whether it's colic or hunger, 
it's difficult to understand what the baby wants us to do!
Forget nights of long uninterrupted sleep,
after baby is born, you'll never sleep for months not weeks.
Then few months later it does seem better,
with them moving on their sides and their cute baby banter.
But the feeding and cleaning will still continue,
As your baby progresses and does something new.
The best part is when they start to crawl and teethe,
and all your furniture will have marks of tiny baby teeth, 
The glassware and crystal needs to be kept away,
Lest baby finds it and thinks it's a toy, with which he/ she will want to play.
Days move to months and the crawling baby starts to walk,
and they make you wonder what's behind all that baby talk.
As they grow they imitate things that you do,
they'll mop the house, wear your shoes or talk on the phone just like me and you.
They'll want to eat on their own and make a mess,
but we've got to encourage them none the less.
The toughest part is potty training them and teaching them to go to the loo,
the present story of my life which I'm going through.
They'll amaze you each and every single day,
with their smartness, their funny ideas, their talk in every way.
Yes, bringing up a child is indeed very taxing and tiring,
it is indeed for a woman life changing.
But having a child is the most wonderful, miraculous experience in the world,
which no science or human being, such a beautiful mystery will ever unfurl!