thank you versus sorry

 

i love this cartoon! i came across it from a comment on a blog post about apologizing too much and found it lovely. a good way to be more positive and to impart some agency to others, instead of taking it all on yourself.

i use 'sorry' a lot, many times as a way to say 'excuse me' or 'if you don't mind'. in many of those instances, using 'thank you' would work just as well, and so i should try it. it would make me more assertive i think, which is sorely needed!

water fun

over the weekend, we went to a small resort nearby that had pools and a few water slides. the twins had a ball, as did i! whooshing down the slides with one twin lying on top of me was such FUN :)) the last time i was on a water slide must have been when i was in school! it brought back fond memories of water world, hk's only water park that did well for a number of years, but eventually had to close down due to its seasonal operation unable to cover costs.

there were all kinds of people frolicking in the water, from teens, to parents to toddlers and grandparents. i was particularly pleased to see a couple of grandmas thoroughly enjoying themselves on the water slides in their salwar kameez. it made me want to bring my mom along the next time she is in india! the strict dress code that is the norm in pools elsewhere doesn't seem to apply everywhere in india, which is good. it is nice that people can enjoy the water without being restricted to wearing something they are not comfortable with. yay!

#microblog mondays

book club

i have never been part of a book club, but i always thought it sounded like fun.. a group of people meeting up over coffee to talk books and whatever else, yay :)

over the years, i have had various friends i discussed books with. i never found a book twin; all these persons shared some of my book tastes, but not all. that was fine though, as just talking books was important. and variety and difference meant new books/authors to check out.

in the last few years though, the number of persons i talk books with has dwindled to ONE. how sad is that?! at the same time, my friends number has also been dwindling. when someone suggested a book club as a way to meet new friends, i randomly messaged my nursery moms group to ask if anyone was interested in a book club. two replies later, we set up a three member book club, and are now reading our first book, david mitchell's slade house! i am so impressed and excited. two new friends, two more people to talk books with, two other moms to talk kids with and have playdates with, woohooo :))) [fingers crossed that everything goes well, since now that i have blogged about this, what are the chances that the whole thing gets jinxed!??!]

the only problem that i foresee, is choosing books to read, as the three of us have quite different tastes.. 

#microblog mondays

instructions

some things come with instructions. i really like instructions. i read them, and follow, and hey presto, something is working. i like recipes too, although i find that my end result does not always turn out the way it is supposed to/i expected it to.. but i still follow recipes, as i just don't think i could cook anything without a recipe at hand. i follow rules too. (which is quite a handicap living in india, the country where rules are only meant to be broken.)

is is thus very unfortunate that life, twins and relationships don't come along with their own detailed instructions. i know people who barely read through instruction manuals.. some of them just pass the task on to me. others read recipes for some background, and then proceed to create their own culinary wonder, without any hiccups or disasters. yet others seem to breeze through life, just knowing what to do in any given situation, how to deal with a particular set of circumstances.

given the lack of instructions, i read. i read on parenting, on twins, on marriage. i can't help but wonder though, how is it that i am so clueless, while other people are not?? 

#microblog mondays 

the twins' first movie

we took the twins to the cinema to watch jungle book.. so far, i have been adamant about keeping them away from the cinema- in india, it is perfectly normal to bring newborn and older babies to watch movies, usually bollywood flicks. kids here are also generally allowed to watch whatever tv shows adults are watching at home.

our friends were taking their nearly 4-year-olds to watch jungle book, and without doing any research into the movie, we agreed to join them. sigh. my boys were not happy. the first movie that i saw as a kid in the cinema was 'home alone', when i was 9/10. i remember that being a wonderful experience, and i wanted the same for my kids! i didn't think i would wait until the boys were 9 to take them to the cinema, but this was definitely too early. and the movie itself was scary for them, although i am now asked to tell them about mowgli every dinner time!

what was your/your kids' first movie experience like? and what are your tv rules?

wardrobe nostalgia

I was looking through old photos the other day, from before I got married and moved to India. Apart from all the other stuff, one thing that struck me was my total wardrobe change. I left most of my old ridas in hk before moving here (they were really quite old!). I am a keeper of things that I like –which includes clothes/ridas, shoes and bags. I still have one rida from nearly 15 years ago (is that even normal?!). so many of the ridas in the photos were with me in cairo, and then ahrc-hk. There were stories behind them, memories of outings and friends and places. 

Now I wish that I had kept a few more.. just to inhale all the memories and feelings of camaraderie and belonging and peace. Those ridas spanned two defining eras of my life –university and my first job. I will never have the same feelings about my clothes again.. moreover, the environment in India is not conducive to maintaining ridas for more than five years! (removing mud stains is practically impossible. And there is a lot of mud around, particularly during the monsoons, as well as traveling around. Same with grease.) 

#microblog mondays

homemade costumes!

i made fancy dress costumes for the first time ever! it was fun! and not as difficult as i expected. of course, they would not have been possible without google, and other expert moms who had shared their crafty ideas online; thank you :))

the twins' summer break starts soon, so i should find more crafty things that they can help me with..

#microblog mondays