on a rainy day! :)

When Cyclone Nilam was ravaging Tamilnadu, Bangalore saw it's side effects with two days of incessant rains, crazy winds and sudden drop in temperature turning Bangalore into a veritable hill station all of a sudden. Considering there was hardly any rain during the entire rainy season, everyone welcomed these showers (atleast for the first day before the roads got worse, traffic turned for worst and damp clothes occupied every available surface in the house!;)


All said and done, the weather was gorgeous - the kind where you either cuddle under a razaai all day long or step out and enjoy the rains. We decided to do the later! We left thinking of having lunch at some new place in the city. But both the places we shortlisted were typically enclosed spaces and how does one enjoy the weather there, really?


So, we just turned the car around and decided to go to another new place we had just heard about called Cafe Buzzinga in Whitefield, Bangalore. Found the phone number, called and found exactly where it was and reached. It is lovely open space @ Lakeview Farms (which in itself is a private property - a part of which the owners have given for commercial purposes).


Cafe Buzzinga is as casual as it's name makes it sound. Run by two young partners, it is a simple place with daily fresh menu on a white board and comfortable cane chairs on pebbled ground. The kids felt at home instantly. Add to that the huge lawn (belonging to the owners) where they had a free run (till the owners came along) and indulgent service - we ended up having an absolutely fabulous afternoon!


What made the whole experience superlative was customer delight offered by the cafe! We absolutely LOVED the bacon in their all day breakfast combo. Since we wanted to have more of the said bacon, we asked them if they could make us a bacon/cheese sandwich which was not on the menu. There wasn't a moment of hesitation and a perfectly grilled sandwich was at our table soon enough! :)


Here are some pictures that should give you an idea! :)

On our way out! Cub holding Bub's hand to keep her under the umbrella, while Bub has plans of her own! ;)

In the middle of the huge lawn of Lakeview Farms! :)

Cub trying to channelize his inner Hulk! But he was too happy to get it right! :)

Arre Bhaiyya! Let me pose by myself! :)

Doing a round of the lawn while the food gets ready! :)

and Bub chose to take a walk with her Papa! :)

Time for some hot chocolate?! :) Served very thoughtfully in a little Espresso cup for a little girl! :)

Content smiles post a great meal and a good time! :)  

The lake and wet roads on our way back! 

One bole toh FUN!

Facebook killed the blogging star said one friend's status and it is so true! :( I write one post a month in a good month! It is not just writing, but even reading and commenting that has hit an all time low and as much as I hate it, I just don't see the situation changing too soon. Trying to work on it though. There was a time i spend hours surfing through all the blogs I loved. A lot of them have gone the same way and are not really active now. A lot of them also changed to real life friendships and personal connections were made.


But that does not change the fact that a whole lot of my memories are now just getting lost somewhere out there instead of being captured here forever. Yes, there is the instant gratification on facebook, but it is not something I can go back to and suddenly smile thinking "Oh! This had happened too?!"


The Bub turns ONE today and I think I have written a total of one post for her till date. That is when I am at home and seeing her do everything so much more than I did with Cub. Feeling terrible would be an understatement. So what has she been upto all these months?! :)


Bub is a charmer with her big eyes and even bigger smile. Now with seven teeth peeking out, she looks completely different and all grown up, but no less cheeky than before! A little more maybe.


Because she seems to give out her smiles freely, folks tend to try and pick her up or carry her in their arms. They are sure to be in for a surprise and not a pleasant one that. The smiling girls turns in to a wailing banshee within seconds. Man! She is LOUD! It is difficult to ignore her when she starts bawling her eyes out, though thankfully till now she does not do it as often!


You know the Eat to Live and Live to Eat funda?! Well Bub belongs completely and totally to the latter. Touchwood and all that jazz. She just LOVES to eat just about everything. Except the healthy stuff. The carrots and cucumbers and thrown out within moments. Oh well! Cannot have everything going right, can we?! But still, she is not fussy in general. If she likes something, she will eat it even if it is spicy with her eyes watering and tongue hanging out! :p It does not matter if she has just had her meal or has just woken up from her sleep, she sees food and she wants it! Its actually really cute and funny to watch her demand khaana.


She picks up little games pretty quick and KNOWS that she has mastered something new. The whole wicked and proud expression in her eyes is something to be experienced.


She loves shaking her cute l'il butt and waving her tiny hands in air when she listens to music - the item number variety! Sigh! But it is way too cute to be upset about it.


She is quite capable of taking care of herself already. She is quite prompt in voicing her disapproval and always ready to grab things she wants. She has a maha strong grip and does not let go of things easily. The dirty looks that follow are quite scary already!


In physical milestones, she can obviously sit comfortably. Stands and cruises with support. Crawls super fast. Can throw a ball. Pick up even smallest of things easily and ensure that they go in to her mouth irrespective of whether they are edible or no. Pulling random stuff out of her mouth means getting your fingers bitten. Hard!


She LOVES to bother Cub. At all times. She has to try and take the toy he is playing with, scratch his eyes out under the guise of showing her love, pull his hair when is sleeping and snatching his books when he is writing or colouring! Cub is thankfully as accommodating and sweet as a four year old can be.


She is a complete outdoor girl. The moment you utter the word "ghummi" she is all yours. Once she is in the arms of whoever is going out she will refuse to go to anyone else. She says her no with the cutest and funniest movement of her head and neck and a naughty smile to go with it. I ask her to come to me everyday when she does down with her nanny L just to watch that action and reaction and still laugh every single time! :)


She hates getting her face washed or clothes changed. Cries every single day. Every single time. That said she totally is a water baby. Loves her bath time. And on rare occasion we managed to take her to the pool she took to it like a little fish. It was so much fun to just watch her!


All in all, Bub is a whole lot of fun right now. The cute smiles, the bright eyes, the naughty twinkle, the wicked look, the curly unruly mop of hair, the big and small teeth, the funny expressions, the pride of having learnt something new, the husky voice that says Muuummmmaa and Paappa, the "main apni favourite hoon" kind of self adoration in front of the mirror, those little waves saying Bye or the one that looks almost similar but comes with the sound of Hiii, the absolute and unconditional love for food, the tinkle of her l'il payals all over the house, the pretty clothes, hair clips that don't stay for more than 5minutes and so many other intangibles that make her so special. She obviously has her father wrapped around her little finger, btw! :)


Happy Birthday darling Bub! Love you so much you gorgeous, clever and brave little girl.

You make life that much more fun, funny and complete! Have a brilliant year ahead!

Mmmmuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuaaaaaaaaaah!

The classic scary Bub expression. She looks so sure already! Sigh!

Because she know she is going ghummi! :)

always ready to bug the Cub! :)

I prefer playing with cars! :p

Don't know why but feel like calling this L'il Miss Muffet! ;)

The L'il Krishna! :)

L'il Fish, didn't i tell you?! :)

Randomness! :)

The festive season is on and I am loving it. There is a slight nip in the air, people are smiling, there are kandeels in the balconies and lights put up in every other home. M is traveling and not around for either Diwali or our anniversary. 7th to be precise. That kind of sucks, but other than that it is difficult to mope when there is so much fun in the air. Today Cub and me made small paper lanterns... the ones i am sure most of us have made in school. We hope to make some more and then put them in our balcony as Diwali decor. Cub also made a Toran in school with the help of his teachers. Since we did not have one in any case, we immediately put it up on our door. It quite lovely really.

That said I was just reading this blog post the other day and started to wonder. It is indeed true that we are very kanjoos with our praise and appreciation. How many of us ask for a feedback form, when we get excellent service? Yet, we are the first ones to look for the complaint book when we have even the slightest trouble.

While it is great to expect and demand good service, isn't positive feedback a part of this? I read somewhere that truly successful don't just learn from their failures, but also the success. WE all crave appreciation - from our boss, colleagues, friends and family. Then what makes us forget that other people want it too?

I Love M for this. He is always very respectful in his dealings with folks at every level. We go buy something, he always makes sure he finds out the name of the person and uses it to thank him / her. He shakes hands and smiles without an iota of self consciousnesses or ego. And I have been learning from him.

These days if I enjoy the service at any place, I make sure I get their names. I mention it specifically if feedback form is given. If there is none offered voluntarily (like in retail industry), I ask for it and quickly fill it out mentioning the name of the person who delighted me with their efficiency and practical approach. Trust me, it is not an easy quality to find in lot of places.

It is amazing and saddening at the same time to see their happy and surprised expression. They are just not used to get even a polite thank you on most days. The last time i asked someone else for the name of a sales girl who helped  me find the right churidaar because that girl had gone out for lunch by the time i got to the billing counter. The manager came rushing and his question was "Is there a problem, Ma'am?!" Sigh!

So next time you are happy with some work someone has done for you will you say a heartfelt thank you and then take out two minutes and put it in writing too?

Toh iss Diwali, aap kisse khush karenge?! :)

happy diwali folks! have a great time!

another quick get-away!

and because the photos of this one are so darn cute, I need to get this post done before I get lazy yet again! :)

So it is Thursday night, more like midnight, and then suddenly M comes into the room after finishing his con-calls and asks me the ultimate question "Are you sleeping?!" Errrr...Now I am not! :) We are getting a great deal at Taj Kuteeram for this weekend, should I book it. And we do.

The day we are leaving our live-in nanny Lalita falls sick in the morning and Lalita and illness = PANIC! Anyway, doctor visit done, we waited till she felt better and finally left only a little behind our schedule.

Finally we reach there around lunch hour and kids go crazy.


In a good way!

They see all the open space and it is like a dam has broken. Cub is running all over and Bub is trying to catch up as fast as she can. We go to our room and kids are even more kicked. They love the bed. Bub is rubbing her cheek against the soft linen as often as she could! :) Then we open the back door. Yes! It is one of those cottages. There is beautiful little swing in there and all of us are trying to get a spot on it.

Rest of the day and half of next day goes in lazing around doing pretty much nothing. We watch a magic show arranged, get our hands a little dirty while pretending to work on the potter's wheel making small pots to bring home as souvenirs. Or memories actually.


Kids get to look at ducks swimming in the pond nearby, try avoiding the sprinkler from getting them wet head to toe and just enjoy listening to little birds sing. Cub was more open to climbing trees this time and kept trying his hand at it every now and then. He actually went up to the magician when called up on and told his name clearly which in itself is an awesome improvement. He was being super helpful pushing Bub's stroller all around and playing with her, making sure she does not hurt herself. he is one rock star brother. Touchwood!


Bub on the other hand was just soaking up all the new experiences. It was so much fun seeing her play in the sand, feel little pebbles, then the rough stone and the soft green grass. And she achieve a milestone there! Learned to climb steps! :) Of course she kept giving us the scares by trying to get down head first. Oh well!


Anyhoo, here's the photos that say it so much better than my words can!

Bub and me posing on the swing!

The father and the kids! didn't i say we kept taking turns?!

I just LOVE this photo. For some reason it makes me smile every time i see it!

Bub and me again!

First you pin me down!

Then I will pin you down

Bub obviously does not want to be left out of all the fun!

Because Cub is looking soooooooooo handsome! :)

So this is how sand with little pebbles feels! :)

And crawling on red stones feels like this, eh?! :)

Ze bed in ze room!

Fooling around! :)

He finished that big glass of milk in a jiffy just because he was on a different chair! Kids!

Some TV watching when there is nothing else to do!

:) man! my son is good looking! :)

On the magician's table! :)

Finally and the only family photu! 

Cub waiting for his turn at the wheel!

While Bub watches on. She made use of this time by eating small pebbles and mud around her!

He was giving sermon to the ducks from a height! ;)

Tree huger! :)

day 2 and still crazy about the swing!

Saying our good-byes by posing with the gorgeous wall! :)

One with ze Mumma!

Getting her last feed before leaving on the steps!

which she promptly went up once the eating was done!

And waved Ta-Ta! :)


Ps. It obvious how much Cub was enjoying himself because we rarely had a "no-picture" moment and we got some gorgeous photos of him! :)

Have you checked out this blog, btw? Howlarious to say the least!

http://crappypictures.typepad.com/

Hope you guys are enjoying the festive season! Haffun all of ya!

some sunday mornings

or errr... noons turn out to be like this also. Most of the times are weekends end up being busier than the entire week. There is an endless stream of people to meet and things to do. M keeps teasing me about how he never gets to actually relax over a weekend. And then comes along a Sunday, when you have no plans really. You wake up late, breakfast turns into brunch and lunch is probably going to be Maggi with ThumsUp at 330pm. An essential part of such a morning is the tel maalish session. M doing it for Cub and me and then me doing it for M.


And you know you have done a good job of it when this is the result of that head massage!

When M goes off into a deep slumber about 5mins later in the balcony itself where the tel maalish was happening!

Cub tries to wake him up. Does not work really.

So Cub decides to monkey around on his own for a while!

till he too gives in and goes off to sleep right next to his Papa on a cloudy yet a slightly warm rainy noon.


Me, I cannot help but just smile and take pictures so that I can record it here at some point in time after I have filed it away in my memory bank already.  

:)

when you are on a summer vacation...

at your Ujoba's house in Ichalkaranji, it cannot be but a lot of fun!

because you can stop by for a Goti soda on the way!

And sit naked and eat mangoes all day along once you get home!

Or just fool around in the balcony while aaji catches up on the day's newspapers! 

wear bindi and play with katoris in the sun!

Practice your photography skills in the verandah (taken by Cub)

Learn how to put clothes in a front load machine

and push them in with all your might

till the bucket is empty!

sit on the table at a small l'il restaurant!

and get your pictures clicked with Ujoba!

and eat mangoes once again when back home! ;)

go to a green house that grows roses and bell peppers!

Indulge in shadow play with your mother!

convince Papa to hand over the handy cam to you and then pose with it!

get carried around first by Ajoba...

and then by Ujoba!

while one cannot even walk the other wants to jump all around!

you even get to fool around in Ujoba's office!

and get a good-bye kiss from Ujoba's dog - Hero!

how can he be called anything but that with those good looks, eh?!

There are smiles but we are not very happy to leave

With Ajoba, Aaji and Ujoba. happy for the good times had!


Thank you SO MUCH Ujoba for such a great time! We were there only for two days, but fun and relaxation we managed in those two was just incomparable. We hope to spend longer time next time! :)

Ps: My kids call my Dad, Ajoba. He has two brothers Ulhas and Vikas. So as to not confuse Cub, we call Ulhas Ajoba - Ujoba and Vikas Ajoba - Vijoba! This was lest you were wondering what the heck is Ujoba! :D