Nothing to write about

Or to boast about.
Been okay with keeping on time except for Friday when I canceled going somewhere because I was running an hour late. I was late because of poor time management and not due to any unforeseen circumstances. So it was bad. Other than that though, I've been okay.
Also doing okay on calling up. There are days when I don't call because I am too tired and I compensate for it the next day. It has been good talking and catching up.
I am currently reading Faulkner Fox's book 'Dispatches from a not so perfect life'. I might write more on it after I read it fully. It has been very thought provoking and has made me think and question things about myself and my life. Is that good or bad? Dunno!
I downloaded a trial version of Photoshop Elements and have been having immense fun playing with it. I love the colors and the brush effects and all that. Maybe I should take up painting again? Who has the time though? I am so behind on work and everything else.

Same pic, another take

Playing with an old pic

Thought the end result looked interesting.

Mid week updates

Monday: Late by 10 minutes - to Gymboree, to pick up my husband and to the gym
Tuesday: On time, to storytime at the library and to pick up my husband in the evening.
Wednesday: On time to Gymboree and to the gym.
Doing good on calling up people, but I did the easy ones so far. There are still some easy ones left. It will get interesting next week or so when I start calling people I've not talked to in years...

Moving on to other things, remember my pet peeve about women judging others on their choices? It is especially so when it comes to motherhood. There are so many charged topics like cosleeping, solid foods, preschool, TV watching, swimming classes and so it goes on. For example if you're breastfeeding you can feel smug about doing it and attack the others for depriving their kids of immunity and the potential for higher intelligence. If you're not breastfeeding you can exchange notes on those weirdos who breastfeed for years and years and years. They can't be normal can they? Can they?

There are so many choices when it comes to each issue and there are always women who feel passionately about them one way or another. Which is okay. I feel strongly about certain things too. What is not okay is getting all judgmental about other people's choices and attacking them for it. Why does that happen though? I read this article yesterday by Faulkner Fox and I was really taken with it. I've placed a hold for her book at the library and am looking forward to the read.

Another challenge

Concurrently with my ongoing challenge of being on time, I am going to add another one. I am going to call up 30 different friends or relatives over the next 30 days. I've been terrible at keeping in touch and could use this as a motivation. Will post my progress on this on a weekly basis..

Yeah!

Made it on time. Left at 11:00 am sharp, thanks to a very supportive husband who offered to take care of preparing Kuttipa's lunch. Reached 17th Av at 11:20am. Spent 5 minutes circling around trying to find parking. 11:25 am, I'd paid at the meter and I was there at the salon to meet my friend at 11:30 am. She however showed up at 11:50 am. Not a surprise because I am usually late and I keep her waiting. So I got a chance to see how it is like on the other side - to be the waitee.
Could have maybe been a bit better about returning home earlier though.

Still, progress has been made. I am happy! No appointments tomorrow to be kept. The next one is at Gymboree on Monday morning at 9:15am. Last time, I was fifteen minutes late (for a 45 mintue class). Hope I do better this time.

My 'late' habit

I am not a smoker. Nor am I an alcoholic or a gambler or a drug addict or a swinger. Yet I have vices that are just as deadly although considerably more boring. Like what? Well, I don't exercise enough or eat healthy or...there is a big list here you know and I aint gonna type it all in.

One thing that has irked me a lot in recent times is my seeming inability to get anywhere and I mean ANYWHERE on time. Its nothing new. I've been that way for as long as I remember. I used to miss my school bus almost every day when I was young, till my father decided to start urging me everyday. Have you packed your bag? Is everything there? Are you dressed for school? Why don't you wear your shoes and then read your book? If you're ready, why don't you leave right now when there is still 5 minutes to spare?

With him urging me, I made it on time more often but then one day I had to leave home and go to college. I was back to my late ways again. Classes started at 8:30am and my department was a good 20 minute walk away from my hostel. At 8:15 am though, I'd still be in the mess, eating breakfast. And then at 8:20 I'd make a mad dash to my department and arrive at 8:35 am or 8:40 am out of breath and slightly sheepish. On some days one of my seniors with a bike would take pity on me and offer me a ride and then I'd be on time. Then I got a bike. Did that change anything? Nope, what happened was I started leaving at 8:25 am or even 8:30 am and was still late!

Then I came to the US for grad school and of course I was late there too. My department was located down the hill downtown and I lived up the hill, near the main campus. A good 20 minute walk here too. Most mornings when I had a class, you could see me running down the hill maniacally desperately trying to make it on time. Some days a kindly bus driver would stop on seeing me even though there was no stop there and give me a (free) ride downtown. Then I got an advisor who threw tantrums when any of us were late. That made me behave for a while. Only where he was concerned though. Other times, I was still late.

My friend had a theory that people were late only when they hated being somewhere. If you're looking forward to being somewhere and doing something, you wouldn't be late would you? It made a lot of sense and made me question myself and my motives. In the end though, it didn't make a difference. I was late everywhere regardless of whether I wanted to be there or not. It could be a meeting at work or a dinner at someones house.

Needless to say I was late every morning at my jobs too. My job in the US and my job here in Calgary. Not a whole lot late, but typically 5 or 10 minutes and I always made up for it in the evenings.

So what has changed? Why am I suddenly irked by my lifelong vice? Because I've taken it to a new dimension after Kuttipa's birth. I could dash out the door previously and still make it within 5 or 10 minutes of the original time. Now dashing out the door is impossible. I've to make sure his sippy cup is packed and there is a snack packed just in case and that he has socks on and perhaps a jacket if needed. I need to plan well in advance and get my act together if I need to be on time anywhere. But I am not doing that. I am still behaving like I can dash out the door 5 minutes before the appointment. What's the result? I am REALLY late - 1/2 hour or sometimes an hour late. Late to doctor appointments, late to library classes, late to meet friends, late late late everywhere, everytime.

A couple of days ago I stumbled onto this post by Steve Pavlina. I'd never heard of this guy before but am starting to go through his site. I like his writing style - its sensible yet inspiring. At least the stuff I've read thus far anyway. So inspired by this article, I've decided to do a 30 day challenge of being on time. It actually started today but today went bad. I was supposed to meet a friend at an indoor play area at 2:00pm. It was a 25 minute drive and I left home at 1:30 even though I intended to leave at 1:15pm. Construction delays and some wrong directions from google maps set me back and I reached at 2:15pm. I would have been on time had I left at 1:15 like I intended. But there are still 29 days left. I am meeting a friend at 11:30am tomorrow. Let's see how that goes...I'll write again tomorrow night.

I've been beating myself up for missing the deadline to the Vibe 98.5 Cute kid contest. Sure, there are like 2400 kids entered in it but still Kuttipa would have had a chance, right? I am not sure which photo I'd have entered though. Probably the one below, taken a few months ago when it was still summer.

Plum yum rummm....

Christmas didn't mean much to me when I was growing up. It wasn't as flashily celebrated (back then) as Deepavali or Pongal or even New Year day. The only thing I associated with it were the colourful illuminated stars displayed on the facades of people's houses. We had two Christian neighbors for a while and every time I passed by their house, I'd stop and admire the stars. The other thing associated with Christmas was cake, or more specifically plum cake. My father's friend gifted us a large plum cake each year at and it was soooo good!

My attempts at finding good plum cake here in North America have been unsuccessful. Every year I succumb to the supermarket displays of fruitcake and end up buying a package and then being quite disappointed with it. This year was no exception. So I wondered if it was maybe a good idea to make it myself if the recipe was easy enough. A search for fruit cake recipes yields thousands of results and many of them are from the site cooks.com. In particular though, I LOVED this recipe.
http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1619,159163-255200,00.html
You won't have any fruitcake at the end of it, but hey you'll be so drunk, you won't notice! Yeah!

Ha, another Monday!

So soon too. This Monday wasn't bad though. Busy but not bad. Both Kuttipa and I had a cold most of last week. I know I am almost over it and I hope Kuttipa is almost over it too. He seems to have a bit of a sore throat or something. Or maybe it's just general fussiness in eating. I wish I knew exactly what was going on with him sometimes when he cries. I know that a lot of moms say they are pretty good at reading the cues but somehow I am not there yet. Maybe its my reduced brain power. I am never quite sure when he cries. Is he sleepy? Did he hit himself? Is he not feeling well? Is he sleepy? Is he throwing a tantrum because he wants something? Does he not like whatever it is that I am trying to feed him?

My friend will be delivering her baby soon - today or tomorrow. Hope all goes well for her.

When you're pregnant your greatest worry is getting the baby out. It's only when you have the baby that you begin to realize that your worries are just beginning. A lifetime of worries, big and small. No one ever told me that you have to start being mentally strong when you become a parent. Even if they did, it wouldn't have meant much. Just words. There is so much advice everyone gives you when you're pregnant but mostly you learn it all first hand before it sinks in (and then you advise others ;-)). So I wouldn't have taken it seriously if someone had warned me that I'd need mental strength. But its true! If you broke down at the slightest of worries, you'd be a nervous wreck in a week. But again, you have to somehow understand when to worry and when not to. I wish I knew how that worked!

Yes, we can!

The lark's on the wing;
The snail's on the thorn;
God's in his Heaven -
All's right with the world!

-Robert Browning

Yes, I know that Obama is not a superhero. He cannot work miracles. I am still celebrating though! And so should you!

Just another **** Monday

And I am not even working anymore...So I've no reason to complain about Mondays really. And coming to think of it, my grumpiness has nothing to do with it being Monday today. I am grumpy because - well so many reasons really, petty stuff all of them. Sure sign that I need to be having more fun with my life. If you're busy having fun, there is no time to be grumpy, is there?

Today I became part of the herd of moms who enroll their children in Gymboree paying $$$. Why? Because I truly think Kuttipa needs to have more interaction and needs more stimulation beyond what I can provide for him at home. So Gymboree we went and joined. It seems pretty good too. I was impressed with their obstacle course and toys and everything. The instructor seemed pretty fake though and that would be the only thing I wish I could change. I also attend the free programs at the library. They don't have colorful toys there but the instructors are very warm and genuine. Oh well, can't have it all.

So its D day tomorrow - US elections. I was getting worked up about it and feeling resentful that I had no control over the results. But then really, even if Obama wins, are miracles going to happen? Oh don't mind me. I am just cynical and grumpy today. If there is some US citizen who does stumble upon my blog today, I would still encourage you to go and vote tomorrow.