My first impressions of Hong Kong!

I must admit that initially I was not too excited about moving to Hong Kong, when I first heard about the opportunity from S... I had a pre-conceived notion that it would be crowded, very cluttered and sort of… claustrophobic! 

But when we went there for a week to do a recce of the place and to find out schools for Baby Girl, I was completely blown away. If I may dare to say it is even better than living in Paris! ( Which I did for 4 years). So here goes what makes Hong Kong interesting and fun ( I have been here for a week only!)J

It is pristine clean, clean roads, bathrooms, lobbies, shops, train stations, metros…you get the drift. People are very disciplined and are “country-proud”. Its just amazing!
      
People are quite friendly and especially sweet to Baby Girl, especially with children. Almost everyone loves children and are very accommodating to their needs and "tantrums" as well.

After struggling in Paris to learn French and having a lot of difficulty communicating with people initially, Hong Kong felt like a breeze. Everyone understands basic English which is a great bonus for me.

People are very fit and health-conscious. I hardly see anyone , just about anyone who is overweight which is a great reminder and inspiration to remain fit!

All women are dressed really well, very smart and trendy, nothing over-the-top but always very well groomed, very chic!

     Everyone, the young and the old alike, teens ( of course), youngsters, middle-aged, senior citizens, even toddlers are all perennially hooked on to their smartphones. To the extent that, even when they are at the zebra crossing to cross the road , they don't even bother to look up from their phones - they just blindly walk across! Phew!!

     Surprisingly (for me), the men are very conscious about their looks. They have all sorts of trendy coloured hair, snazzy hairstyles and what-not. We went to a hair salon to give Baby Girl a haircut and I saw only men getting their hair done!

Every neighbourhood is different – it almost feels like you are in a different country every time coz the ambience is so different and striking from one another.

Being an island, you would expect clutter and closed spaces. But NO! ...and a BIG YAY! There are open spaces, parks, greenery everywhere. That's a huge plus for the little kids and the big kids.

It's a big plus that it is a multi-cultural populace , you see a lot of westerners, locals blending with each other so well that it feels like they belong here. It is a great environment for Baby Girl to grow up in. Hopefully, she will learn to be friendly and social with everyone irrespective of how they look or what language they speak.

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I will type away as I explore and observe and find more...

Staying true to your self!

is not easy! If you have been a regular reader of this blog, you would have noticed that my ambition in life seemed to be able to evolve into a mature, calm and composed self. 

Inherently, I am a free-spirited, impulsive, straight-shooter...as in I mean what I say...of course not to the point of being obnoxious or intentionally hurting someone. Just someone who is simple and easy to understand, what-you-see-is-what-you-get types - the type that is pretty rare exceedingly.

With the passage of time and added responsibilities, I have become more mature, not-always-eager-to-voice-my-opinion types who remain calm and smile at all times. Honestly, it freaks me out when I look at myself or evaluate myself as a third person ( yes, it is possible to do that!)...it feels like I am looking at a totally different person, not the real me.

Obviously, I feel trapped in this grown-up version of me that I have become and look back at my child-like, naive self who would look at everyone with rose-tinted glasses and think that this world and the people in it are all beautiful and good people. I really wish I could go back to being that innocent. Being mature makes you a cynic and someone who does not trust easily and I can't really relate to myself anymore...

Baby Girl is at home all day with me now and we are having fun together - playing hide and seek, running around, playing dress up ( after all I have a a live doll)....of course, partly she drives me up the wall too. When you spend time with that kind of innocence, you realize how flawed we become as we "grow up". 

Often, I have been warned by friends and family that I am too trusting and naive. It is probable that people can take advantage of my naivety. To this date, I have never experienced any negativity like that. EVER. In fact, occasionally when someone wronged me, they came to me and apologized later. So I guess it is better to stay true to who you are, follow your own instincts about life or people and you can be happy as you are :)

Idu podum enakku...vera enna vendum?

As I type this blog, Baby Girl is taking a nap and I am listening to some amazing music. Music transcends across anything and everything and makes me happy, calm and makes me realize how blessed my life is! I always feel grateful when I listen to music. 

It puts me in such a happy frame of mind and I always resolve to listen to more music everyday. I always think of my life - like Before Baby Girl and After Baby Girl! I had a lot of time to myself earlier. Now that my little "energizer bunny" is here, she has taken over my life like a whirlwind - I would never have it any other way! There is this song from the movie "Kadal" and the lyrics perfectly describe how I feel about her - idu podum enakku...idu podume...vera enna vendum...nee podum ( roughly translates to this is all I want, what else do i need? you are all I want! )

I always thought the greatest feeling is to be in love. I am totally in love, unconditionally with her - dare I say, I love her the most, more than anyone else - not even S! :)

I realize so often that we are so muddled in our daily lives and routine that we never stop to see how far we have come or maybe even realized or achieved that thing or milestone we have always dreamed of. Take a moment to enjoy this lovely moment in life, acknowledge it and cherish the contentment. It's a wonderful feeling. I am feeling wonderful right now and very thankful ...blessed! :)

Nowadays, I am obsessed with Pinterest and always browsing through some amazing inspirations and DIYs. We tried to make Baby Girl co-sleep with us in her crib. So we cut a section of her crib and attached it to our bed. Then, I had a great idea to personalize her room. 

So I asked the carpenter to make cut-outs from the leftover wood. He came up with a capital "A" and a small "a". I further accessorized it with some jute yarn and jute stickers. She is thrilled with the result.

Randomness...

I was clearing some things away in the cupboard and found my old dairy I used to keep as a teen. It was divided into sections - syllabus written down, lyrics of my favorite songs, self-motivating letters to myself ( yup, you read that right!), dress designs. ( ...and a little footnote that reads designs by pretty woman, my real name there). 

Cut to present, I am designing clothes for The Little People ( click on the blue text to go to the Facebook Page). I had no idea then that I would really get round to doing it really. When we first started out, we began with little girls and slowly realized that little boys don't really have something quirky or different and unique specially designed for them. So we began designing for boys too and we are totally loving it.

Now, I look at interesting objects or things that would fascinate a child and wonder how to incorporate it in a design! I must admit I am obsessed with TLP. Recently, we went on a vacation to Srilanka. We went to this street market and I spotted a guy on the road selling a wide variety of gorgeous, eclectic mix of buttons. I was so thrilled and grabbed them. They are always on my mind! 
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Baby Girl has a daily ritual when she gets back from school. I pack some snacks for her as she takes the bus to nursery and she may get hungry in transit. On most days, she will come home and eat it. She will get changed, create her own little world - replete with a glass of water, her snack in the tiffin box (only! dare you give her a cup!) look outside the balcony and really, be contemplative and quiet - Amma HAS to be in the background while she dreams. I love this side of her too. 

As a child, I remember insisting that my Amma should pack my lunch in the tiffin box only. So my mother used to "pack" my lunch in a box even when Saturday was a holiday and I had no school!!!! Amma's girl she is, eh?
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I love my life. It is better than I ever imagined it to be. How blessed am I? I have everything in my life, I always ever dreamed of, and in a place I wanted to be.
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Baby Girl is officially a toddler!

Time flies by not only while you are having fun...also when your baby girl is growing up at lightning speed and you wish you could freeze time! Nowadays, you will probably often catch me either engrossed looking dreamily at a beautiful luminous chubby little baby face or watching a video of Baby Girl creating havoc as a baby! 

I know it sounds cliched but she will be my biggest achievement whatever I do in life. She is such a dream come true, that when she arrived on earth and they gave her to me....I repeatedly asked " is she really mine?"!! 

I often describe her as an "energizer bunny" when friends or family ask me about her. She really is on the go from the minute she wakes up in the morning until it's time to snooze - that too is a big battle to make her sleep. 

Even as a little baby, she would never wake up crying...she would always wake up smiling, with a hint of mischief on her lips and to this date, she is like that. In fact, she will bring along her bottle of milk, any toy she has been playing with and ride the cycle and come to me for a cuddle or hug! I cherish those moments...a very loving child, always happy...she makes life so beautiful.

An angel with horns, always ready for mischief and never lets me sit down for a minute. I owe my slimmer self to her coz I always running around with her or behind her and if not cleaning up all the mess she is busy making all the time! Having said that, I would never have it any other way. I have always dreamt of an active child who is relentless, not some quiet child sitting doing nothing. You should be careful about what you dream of, eh?

She loves me no matter what, and that kind of unconditional love makes you realize how blessed your life is! Even if i discipline her or scold her, she will be upset with the next person that is present there...never me! While she readily apologizes when she wants me to cuddle her...she can be as adamant as a mule when she is not ready to! ...a very feisty personality, that girl! 

A brilliant child - she knows all the numbers, rhymes and can even recognize difficult shapes and she is not yet 3! She has such a quick grasp, will observe how you do something once, and master it the next minute. This smart young girl is going places, I tell you. 

My darling girl, 

It's your birthday today and we will be celebrating in Srilanka this year. Amma and Appa asked you, if you would prefer to cut a birthday cake and celebrate here or would you rather go on a plane to someplace? You clearly answered "Go on the plane" very firmly even when we repeatedly questioned you over and over. We are so glad you love travelling just like we do coz last year when you turned two, we celebrated in the Andamans. You just had a blast in the beach and ventured into the ocean with no fear absolutely like you belonged there.

You are a beautiful girl with the most gorgeous face, no doubt. However, we hope and pray you grow up thinking you are more than just your looks. We will ensure and try to imbibe good qualities like humility, kindness, empathy and most importantly, feel free and proud to be yourself, not mould yourself into something just to be accepted. (I have always felt strongly about these things, especially when it's my own little girl!)

May God bless you, my darling, my sweetheart, my happiness...and our very life...with all the love, happiness, good health, success and all that you dream of. May you always be surrounded by people who love you and care about you. May you grow up into a confident and good human being....everything else will follow suit.

Loads of love, hugs and Kisses,

Amma and Appa

The S-Factor!

S is away on work and comes back today evening. I am sitting here in the swing and thinking about him the first time we met. I was very apprehensive about meeting him for the first time, after all I had only seen a picture of him. But when I caught a glimpse of that child-like smile as he removed his footwear to enter our home...his eyes searching for me....a little smile crept on my lips. I can never forget his face from that moment or that day :)

He is a man of few words and very selective about who he gets close to, and I remember my Mother-in-law warning me that he is an introvert and takes time to warm up. Luckily for me, when I met him for the first time until today - HE is the one who talks more! We are always talking to each other - endlessly, continuously, ardently, passionately and about anything, everything, anyone and everyone! Of course, nowadays a lot of interruptions from Baby Girl - but we ALWAYS have loads to tell each other! I just realized that I talk to him just about everything without any filters. You have no idea how liberating that can be.

We have a special relationship and we are extremely lucky and blessed to have found each other. I don't mean the husband-wife thingy alone...we are each other's best friends, though it sounds like a cliche - it's absolutely what makes us work! I can totally be myself, just say anything and everything without a filter. We are always talking endlessly even after all these years. In fact, i remember on my wedding day, we were talking so much during the rituals that my Amma reprimanded me to keep quiet and at least ACT like a shy bride! 

We have come a long way - ups and downs, happiness and tragedies, understandings and misunderstandings, to love and to be loved, disappointments and frustrations, peals of laughter and high-pitched fights. I can safely say that he will always be my first priority above anything or anyone...except  maybe Baby Girl. She didn't come to me very easily
(in my defense). 

He is my best friend, the love and light of my life and I say this with all my heart. Proudly. Happily. Lovingly.

State of Mind!

I look through the archives and I notice that I have a lot to say and I have been thinking too much...or been bothered about something at some point or the other! I am now in a silent space - there is no noise in my head - there is a calm silence, contentment and a tranquil space.

When I think about it, I think it's maturity coupled with an acquired ability to prioritize what really matters. I must also admit that God has blessed me in every way possible and I am very thankful for all the big and little things in my life, they did not come easily. But then, if things do come easily, I doubt I would value it as much...a hard lesson learnt, an important one at that! 

I realize that I have begun to just "let it go". Let go of negativity, anger, expectations, forget ( forgiving does not come easily to me!), bitterness, basically leave no space for any negative space in my mind or heart. It was really difficult to get to this point but once I did...I felt so relieved and much lighter. Like a heavy weight was lifted off me. It feels good. I am happy I did that and if it has helped mend bridges, why not? I am in a contented and happy place...isn't that the best place to be in? :-) 

I have learnt over a period of time that all of us, including me, are more often than not, focused on pleasing others and fit into the "standards" set by others and it does not always work for every individual...as we are all on our individual journeys. I have come to a point where I feel as long as my conscience is clear and I am not hurting anyone's feelings ( this is very important for me!)....and if it makes me happy...i will do it. PERIOD.
It is an easier life, with less conflicts and an ability to feel happy at the smallest things and most importantly, acknowledge and count your blessings! 

What do I want to do this year?

Baby Steps at getting back to work:
I want to, plan to get back to full-time work when Baby Girl goes to "big school"....meanwhile, when she is at playgroup, I am working on some freelance assignments. 2015 has begun on a good note. Baby steps indeed.

Travel a lot within India:
When we lived in France, we traveled all over Europe ( almost!) but realized that we had not seen half of India, our homeland! Now that we are back here, I want to go to all the lovely places we missed so far. Baby Girl has begun to enjoy traveling and is always ready to go "doin doin" in the car or "jhoom-Jhoom" in the plane! A girl after my own heart! 

Spend some alone-time with S:
Since we became parents, our whole world revolves around Baby Girl, rightfully and it will always be that way. But I realized that we are so absorbed with her that we seem to catch up on conversations in-between and miss out on important stuff. 

Fortunately, we are each other's closest friend and often discuss and share anything and everything under the sun. We still do, but in installments. So we have decided to at least take one day off a month(reasonable!) - baby-free and just spend time with each other, talk or just enjoy the silence.

Patience
I am much better than I used to be, in the "patience" area but i can definitely do better. I really want to acquire this skill so I can be a better person, a pleasant daughter, wife and mother coz with everyone else in the outside world I am a vision of pleasantry and sunshine! ..and then I think to myself, should'nt i make an effort to be pleasant to my loved ones first? 

I also want to stop reacting to various things and people, often not pleasant ones. I know its impossible for me to just not react at all...but i can make an effort to react less.

What are you planning to do this year?

Our own little world!

My whole world has changed since Baby Girl arrived, in a good way! ....and I can never say it enough! 

I took a break from work after baby girl as I wanted to see her grow up and enjoy the nascent phase with her. I did it for myself, i wanted to be right there, for all her milestones and totally enjoy being with her. I know that she will not be a little girl again! 
Of course, she clings to me naturally, like everyone of us who want their mother all the time! I still do...

Since we returned to India, S's job requires that he travel ever so often. As a result, its just us on weekdays ( thankfully, he is back on weekends, and insists that its a temporary thing!). So we have our little routine everyday, our playtime, our "rituals" and I am so busy playing with her or learning to deal with her tantrums( oh yeah!) that there is no time to think about anything or anyone but Baby GIrl! We are in our little world entwined, engrossed and totally content with each other. 


I have visually imagined this scenario in my mind, a million times. I see her peacefully sleep and as I watch her profile, I remember breaking my head wondering how she would look, while anxiously looking at her scans in the lab during my pregnancy days. But nothing matches the miracle or the reality that she is! She is an angel, a million rays of sunshine who drives me nuts sometimes! :P

Being a mother has enriched me in so many more ways than I could have ever imagined! Right now, I am happy in my own little world, after all I have an angel for company! My little cherub! 

I am a B+ sort of a person now!

"Don't expect to see positive changes in your life, if you surround yourself with negative people" - I read this somewhere and analyzed my associations very keenly some time back and acted on it. I realized that I get bogged down by other's judgement, opinions and criticism and after a long introspection, it dawned on me that its more about them, it was not me. It was their insecurity, jealousy and envy that brought about all those negative vibes. 

There is nothing much I can do about others. But I can definitely work on myself, my attitude and the way I think. So I began to ruthlessly ignore these people or what they thought of me. IT DOES NOT MATTER. Yes, I can be a better person, without reacting, with silence, and work towards it on my own terms - not based on what other's expect of me. It is not easy - its difficult to turn a deaf ear to hypocrisy, pretense, fake praises, especially jekyl and hyde kind of people, I really began to avoid! 

S is a non-confrontational kind of a person while I confront head on! I always believed that when you confront and talk it out, the problem gets solved. It does get solved, when the other is also ready and wanting to find a solution! So, when there arises a conflict with such insecurity, it is often a never-ending quicksand! It is better to keep silent and be a spectator. Let time run its course...confrontations and communication do not always work! 

You can be hurt, only if you allow yourself to be hurt - i would hear this from S all the time, through my married years. I will not allow anymore. PERIOD. More power to ME!