we are same same but different!

was a terrible song from what I hear was a terrible film made by Nagesh Kukunoor of all people! But nopes, this post isn't about bad songs or bad movies or even the NK mentioned above whose previous movies I have loved!

G(a)R(l)AND welcome! The view and space just outside the balcony!

So we celebrated our 5th anniversary over last weekend and went to this gorgeous resort called Our Native Village which is pretty close to Nrityagram in an area called Hessarghatta. WE fell in love with the place the moment we saw smiling faces, were offered yummiest jal jeera I have had and stepped into our pretty sunlit room.

The Room! You can see how happy Cubby is! So were we! :D

The low bed on high stone block had Cubby happily jumping all over the place. The wall behind had a beautiful painting and the orange "curtains" made outta mats just added to the feel. The Balcony opened to vast amounts of green and the stone structure that was our room was naturally cool and didn't need AC which they anyway don't have. TV and AC are two modern amenities that this "eco resort" doesn't offer and you don't miss it at all.

The bookshelf in the dining hall! Cubby was fascinated with a lion and the Ferris wheel!

The airy dining hall has a book shelf full of well thumbed books and some broken wooden toys that kept Cubby occupied every time we were having a meal. And yes, the food was delicious enough for us to spend long time at our table! :) What followed such a hearty meal was what you see below;

a much needed siesta! :)

So that we wake up fresh to see, do and enjoy all that there is!



Gawking at the turkey! It was huge and strutted around making weird sounds!

There were turkeys, roosters and hens to run after or just gawk at because I for one had never seen an asli turkey! There were the owners' dogs and their absolutely adorable puppies! So totally cute that even Cubby who is usually guarded when around anything new was OK having them sniff at him and jump on him! :)

The gorgeous pond / pool! :)

They have a beautiful natural pool in form of a pond with lotus flowers and occasional toads to keep you company! Cubby had fun in the pool with his papa. Ofcos his ego kept coming up every now and then when he realized he isn't supposed to enjoy all this after having said "nahi jaana hai" pretty vehemently. So rona dhona in between laughter kept happening! :)

Getting our hands dirty! The guy Umesh did most of the work but we did get two pots back! :)

You can indulge in all that rustic life entails. Starting from milking a cow (we were quite content just watching, thank you!) to getting your hands dirty as you try your hand at pottery! They also offer kite flying and gilli danda if thats what fancies you! We did the bullock cart ride and though it was nice to know what it feels like by end of it it just didn't seem fair to use it as a joyride.

Mom and son by the small pond while Father got his massage!

There is a spa as well and though not as fancy or spic n span as some of the newer ones (this one has oil on its floor etc), the person offering the massage was awesome. M got a full body massage and came out maha refreshed! Since they didn't have a female masseuse that day, I had to make do with a foot massage the next day which was quite nice too!

The view that greeted us next day morning! A flock of cranes! :)



I dunno why but i LOVE this picture! :)

The room rents are a tad steep but it is totally worth it. Only slight discomfort is the number of flies flitting around because they dont use any chemicals etc, but somehow you dont notice it much! Almost not at all! :)

Anyhoo, we casually mentioned it to the owner that we have come to celebrate our anniversary. Imagine our surprise when we were told that they have arranged a candle light dinner for us by the pool side! When we went back to the room post dinner is when the post with this title started happening in my head! Have a look and tell me what you think! ;)

Our bed decorated with flowers at ONV! we giggled like l'il kids!

This is why! The bed on our honeymoon in Himachal Pradesh! :D

sitting on the khatiya around the bonfire with tired Cub!

The Bonfire!

Us in front of the fireplace in our room during honeymoon! :p

Us at the bonfire at a lovely hotel in Thanedar!

Us holding hands at restaurant in Parwanoo in Himachal!

Holding hands over a romantic candle light dinner at ONV! :p

Me, the new bride at the hotel table during honeymoon!

Me, 5 years later, with Cubby next to us as we are about to start the dinner! :)

Yup that's him on the khatiya in the passage! :D We were meant to have a peaceful dinner! We just made a request to the hotel guys and within minutes a comfy bed for the sleeping Cub was ready! :)

Me making funny faces at mall road in Shimla because M kept insisting on some pose!

Me making funny faces at Nrityagram because M kept insisting on some pose!

Us taking random picture in Shimla!

Us, getting a random picture taken at Taj Kuteeram!

Isn't it all too similar? That's why the title!

So does this qualify as second honeymoon?! hehe!

celebrating 5 years and going on 11th! :)

I am a firm believer of Karma and partly destiny too. No, I have never discounted hard work because many a chances get squandered because we keep waiting for things to happen on their own.


So for me the fact that I met M is Karma (good one at that) and the time it took me to convince him that we are good together is the hard work I put in! :)


And as we complete 5 years of being happily married and 11 years of knowing each other I must count my blessings and tell M just how much I love him and how lucky I feel to have HIM by my side.


Of course we have had fights. Some of them have been nasty too. But through it all what is comforting is that we have known how important both of us are to each other. WE have always known that the good times have been a constant rather than being an occasional thing. We know each others' strengths and try not to play on the weaknesses when we have a fight.


M is definitely the better half between the two of us. Both of us come from fairly different backgrounds and the fact that he accepted the change much faster and a lot more gracefully than I did says a lot about him. For that I can never been thankful enough.


Past 5 years have been a joyride and I have loved every moment. Be it the late dinners because we were both learning to cook or the bike rides in rain and sunshine. The movie watching spree when we watched just about any and every movie that released ( karam and Naina anyone?) or the trips to Majestic to buy pirated DVDs when we finally bought a TV after a year of shaadi. The discovering of new restaurants and your uncomplaining company to all the exhibitions that happened in the city. The small barsaati we lived in to the current house we should be getting out of but don't want to! The times when stuff was bought only after we needed it and had the dough for and the occasional faaltu kharcha we can afford to do now. The fact that we are genuinely fond of each others' parents and more often than not how my relatives call you and yours call me when they need something or just for a chat! :) The time we finally bought the second hand Maruti and went on our first long drive with Papa guiding you to now taking Cubby in it just about everywhere. The pregnancy where you were a rock solid support and to see you being the awesome father I always knew you would be. The lavish praise you heap on me even in public laughing away the Joru ka Gulaam tag and just how much faith you have in whatever I do. I feel lost without you even with my own friends and family.


For all this and many more intangibles I Love You! Don't ever leave my side! And don't lose that sense of humour and the smile! :)


happy 5th darling pati M! :)


and here's some random wedding day etc photos! :) I know I made a gorgeous bride (there are no NOT gorgeous brides according to me!) and M still whines about how he wants THAT biwi back! hehe! But me in lenses and make up is only a dream as of now! ;)

The ONLY shy dulhan pic of me! On wedding eve! :)

Maine jeevan ki dor se tujhe baandh liya hai! Corny? yes! True? YES! :)

Nope! No kissing the bride in Maharashtrian weddings! Just some Chinese whispers! :)

The wedding day. I never really stopped smiling since! :)

"Kaan pili" where the brother warns the groom to betta take care of his sister!


M acted the part well and yes, the brothers let go of the ear only after they are given a gift! :) Nothing like good ol' threat of corporal punishment! Hehe!

A photo op among many others! :)

The garlands being exchanged! :) Yeah, I was ANYTHING but shy and nervous! ;)

Find our faces between the flowers! hehe!

The homecoming! :)


I had to kiss all his thirteen cousins and give them a gift to be let in! :) And the fun was just beginning! Can you imagine I forgot to call my folks and tell them i reached ok! gah!

Lord Of the Rings! :)


I think we did like hazaar extra rounds to make M win, but i still won! Woohoo! :)

A LOT of dancing happened!

A LOT of smiling happened! :)

Till we were too tired to do either!

Uske baad kya hua is for me to know and you to guess! ;)


Here's to many more M! :)

Chin! Chin!

Much love and hugs and kisses!

and yes Thank You! :)

So Cubby is NOT so L'il Cubby now! :)

Its been over two years since I have this blog and have tried faithfully to keep a memoir (i love this word! makes our life sound very fancy!) of our life with Cubby. But even as I look back at old posts and can say this was the month Cubby first walked and this when he first talked, how much he has grown up still comes to us as a surprise every now and then. :)


I guess thats what makes this whole parenting gig so exciting. There are always bits and pieces apart from the big moments that make you think yet again what an amazing experience all this has been and continues to be! :)


So what makes me wonder about all this suddenly?! Our baby has grown up yet again and bowled us over with just how much! :)


M was supposed to go to Bombay for some work for 3 days. My brother and Cubby's Kuns Mama who had recently visited us was also going to be there and the said day was his birthday. Somewhere the idea took germ that perhaps M can take Cubby along with him. We mentioned it casually to my folks (more like thinking aloud), but then the grandparents wouldn't have anyway else. We kept getting calls every few days asking us whether we had booked his ticket already! (Terrible twos get worse when we have to pay the FULL fare to airlines because they allow, no, make it insist, on a separate seat for the diaper clad butt!)


So it was decided that Cubby would indeed go with his Papa and stay with his grandparents while M went out for his work during the day. This was the first time Cubby was going to travel supervised by just one parent and would have lots of time without even that parent being around him.


Aaji - Ajoba were all gung-ho and enthu and told us they will manage fine. If they say so who are we to question it?! :p

carrying his own bag with airline tag! :)

carrying a bag of candies bought at the airport!

D Day arrived and the father and the child left for airport by 730 in the morning. The kid was carrying his own small school bag which had an extra set of clothes, diapers and books! :) Terrible mother that I am, I totally forgot to pack any food for him. Not even cheese slice and bananas which are a standard fixtures. Not even something he can suck on during take off and landing to avoid ear pain. That is why the mehenga candies were bought at airport and I haven't heard the end of it from M esp 'coz Cubby ate just ate ONE of them! :p From what M told me he chattered non-stop on his way to the airport and through the flight and then the cab ride home in Bombay! :)

With Gauri Tai and Atho Dada on the etrrace where his Mom played! :)

He did cling to M a bit on day they reached but familiarity with Mama helped and by evening when he had met the adorable Gauri Tai and Atharva Dada it was like he has lived in that house forever! :)

Getting the first piece of Mama's birthday cake as guest of honour! :p

Next day, M left home by 9am. As is our habit he told Cubby that he will be going to office and that he is to have fun with folks at home and that his Papa will be back in the evening. So he said bye to M and got busy with his day! :) When i called him prompted by his Aaji he told me "Maine gulabjam khaaya, teeth saaf kiya, potty kiya" and then ran off to do whatever it is he was doing. He did recognize my voice easily and had a smile on his face he spoke to me! :)

Considering I don't eat anything I even fit in a bucket! :p

The father who rushed back to an empty house (Cubby had gone to gateway of India with folks) and was missing him terribly. His already broken heart was to be shattered when after coming back home Cubby just said a casual Heylo and ran off to play with his friends! :)

With Kuns mama at Gateway of India! :)

In the boat! :)

With the awesome aaji - ajoba who don't look like grandparents! :)

The only thing M had to do for him then was feed him and make him wear his night suit. Today is his day 3 there and my mom called me in the morning saying 3 kids were trying to dress Cubby up post bath and the Cub was enjoying the attention and pampering! :)


It is needless to mention that I (his mother) was not mentioned or asked for even once! Even when I called he was too busy to talk to me! Somehow I never thought this whole gig would be so easy! :)


Hats off to my folks. Am sure it was their pure and unadulterated love and child like excitement on having him over that made it so comfy for the Cub.


And ofcos big hugs to the Husband M who agreed to this sudden and whimsical idea and made sure it was a complete success! :)


I look forward to packing off Cubby to his grandparents for longer duration during summer vacays! :p

Yes, I am not very maternal that way! ;)


But that does not mean I am not terribly proud! :)


Edited to add - M's comment because its from the Horse's Caretaker's mouth and its too cute to not be added!

"I really can't remember the last time I saw him so happy. Since the moment we walked up the stairs in Dadar, he was at home. Once he saw the neighbor kids, he was obsessed. Soon he realized easy access to chocolates and gubabjamuns under nana-nani, and he was pampered!

Kuns called him "baby teenager" once. Now he is more so. He comes home late, wants to go back before his foot's in the door and hates it when we object to some of his more rowdy friends.

He's just too bleddy comfortable here. Considering it's his first time, it's just not right..."