In my opinion.....

In the car when ammA was listening to radio (NPR) about the elections

pAdukA - I know Mitt Romney

ammA - huh? How? eppadi theriyum? (How do you know?)

pAdukA - Ms. Sue sonna (Ms. Sue (pAdukA's teacher) told me)

pAdukA- Ms. Sue sonna Mr Obama President ippo (Ms. Sue said that Mr Obama is President now)

ammA - good job pattu

pAdukA - Election na enna ma? (What is election, ammA?)

ammA explains as much as she can to pAdukA about election.

ammA (wanting to  meddle with pAdukA) - nee yaara choose pannuva pAdukA? Obama va Romney ya? (Whom will you choose pAduka? Obama or Romney?)

pAdukA - no one..

ammA -  yen (why?)

pAdukA - ennakku rende perayum theriyAdhu. naan pesinadhey illai (I do not know both of them. I have not spoken to them)

pAdukA - appA choose pannuvaala ma ? (Will appA choose?)

ammA - yes ma

pAdukA - appA Obama/Romney theriyuma? avAloda oda pesinAlA ketkanum. appo dhaan choose panna mudiyum (I have to ask appA if he  knows them and has spoken to them. Only then can he choose one of them)

ammA - ! (lesson learnt)

appA  and pAdukA discussing about Lord Krishna

appA - paaru pAdukA krishna evaluavu neelam-a irukka (See how blue Lord Krishna is?)

pAdukA listening carefully to all that appA was saying

pAdukA (smiling) - appA, blue va iruppala? ellam pretend dhaane (appA, can someone be blue? All of this is pretend right?)

appA - ! (changing subject:)

(Pictures) November-2012

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(Pictures) Sept-Oct-2012

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My timeline :)

I have come a long way as a performer :)  From being shy and running away to standing right in front improvising to the songs :) Looking at these videos, my ammA is getting all nostalgic and  cannot believe that her little girl is growing so fast ! So to help I throw a tantrum to make her feel that I am still a little girl but she gets frustrated and asks me to behave like a big girl! I really don't know what to do..

Here is how I have progressed -

Stage 1 - "I did not know that people will watch when we sing :) Running to safety "

Stage 2 - "Follow the teachers, stay in place, sing and dance." 

Stage 3 - "Stand in front, dance, sing, enjoy and improvise to get attention. :)"

So many ammA-s

I am so confused by the concept of people aging, babies being born and so on. My ammA is even more confused. Here is why I think so

While driving to a shop -

Me - ammA, appA thoppai lerndhu pAppA varumA? (will a baby come out of appA's tummy?)

ammA - no, pAppA appA thoppai lerndhu varAdhu? (no, baby will not come out of appA's tummy?)

Me - yen? (why?)

ammA - appA girl ilai (appA is not a girl)

Me - appo yen thoppai lerndhu varummA (so, will a baby come out of my thoppai?)

ammA - nee big girl-a Anapparam (after you become a big girl)

Me - big girl kalyanam apparam-a? (after I am a married big girl?)

ammA - yes correct

Me - appo yen thoppai lerndhu pAppA, madhura thoppai lerndhu pAppa, madhurA, nAn ellarum serndhu vilaiyAdalAm la? (baby from my tummy, baby from madhurA's tummy, madhurA and I can all play together, right?)

ammA (not answering) - hmmm..??

Me - ilai ammA, appo naraiya ammA vA iruppA. (then there will be so many ammA-s)

ammA - nAn dhAn onnoda madhurA oda ammA evalavu vayasu AnAlum (I am your and madhurA's ammA however old you might be)

Me - yen thoppai lerndhu pAppA vandhA, nAn ammA dhAne, madhurA thoppai lerndhu pAppA vandhA madhurA ammA dhAne? (If a baby comes out of my tummy, I am a ammA and madhurA will be a ammA when a baby comes out of her thoppai)

ammA - (not answering)

Me - appo neraiya ammA dhaane iruppA? (then there will be so many ammA-s?)

ammA - AmAm! (yes) pAdukA, vera edhAvadhu kelu. (ask about something else)

Me - (hmmm... she is as confused as I am. So let me ask something she knows about;) ammA kadaila ennaku edAvadhu vAngithA (ammA please buy something for me in the shop)

(Pictures)July-August-2012

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No smoking

pAdukA gets back from her first day at her summer camp.

pAdukA - ammA, you cannot smoke near me.Go away... smoke away from me!
ammA - uh?
pAdukA - My teacher has told me to tell mommy and daddy to smoke in a corner and not near me.
ammA - enna? (What?)
ammA - smoking na enna theriyumA? (Do you know what smoking is?)
pAdukA gesturing breathing says - idhu dhaan (This is it)
ammA - That's breathing.
ammA thinking to herself  - I thought I had a long time but I have to get ready in a hurry to answer many things starting with smoking!

Argue with me!

I was reading "beginning reader" books. I came across the word "SIGHT". ammA tells me the letters "G" and "H" are silent and I should not say their sound.
pAdukA - appo, yen G and H irukku. eduthudalAme? (then we can remove G and H)
ammA - G and H eduthuttA SIT aagum. ( If we remove G and H it will be SIT)
pAdukA - yes. adhunAla yenna? (so what?)
ammA - appo S,I,T na enna solluva? (then how will you pronounce S,I,T?)
padukA -  SIT
ammA - SIT vera SIGHT vera ( SIT and SIGHT are different)
pAdukA - SIT na okAradhu (SIT means to sit down)
pAdukA - SIGHT na enna?(What is the meaning of SIGHT)
ammA - enna pArkarayo adhu SIGHT (What you see is SIGHT)
pAdukA - appo G and H vendAm (then G and H are not needed)
ammA does not agree.
pAdukA (Exasperated) - SIT panna dhaan nanna (SIGHT )theriyum (only if you sit down you can see well) adhudhaan G and H vendaam nnu sollaren (that's why I am saying we don't need G and H)
ammA (thinking to herself) - good logic but what was the argument about?
                                 

(Pictures) May 2012

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Watching a movie with me

I have been down for a couple of days with fever. I look and feel tired and am totally out of my usual high spirits. ammA rented a movie online for me to watch. It's of my favorite character "Tinkerbell - The great fairy rescue"
ammA was eager to cheer me up and watch the movie with me. She cannot complain about her experience watching a movie with me. She knew what she was getting into. appA had told her earlier the  movie watching experience with me - Lion King and 15 minutes of Rio. Here is the drama of me watching a movie :

All characters were happy and there was a nice song I enjoyed to start with.
pAdukA - "nanna irukku ma"(this is nice)
When the real story started I could not stop tears from rolling. ammA did not notice from the kitchen until I was sobbing loudly.
ammA -  "enna aachu pAdukA" (what happened pAdukA?)
pAdukA - yen ma enakku bad picture laam podara? (why are you showing me a bad picture?)
ammA - enna?
pAdukA - tinkerbell-a pidichitta. anda punai bad-a irukku (Tinkerbell is captured and that cat is bad)
ammA - paaru ellam seriapoidum (keep watching everything will be ok)
After couple of minutes
pAdukA - fairies laam Tinkerbell-a pick up pannikalai innum (Fairies did not rescue Tinkerbell yet)
ammA - innum paaru porumai-a. seriapoidum

A minute later
pAdukA (crying loudly) - enakku idhu vendaam. kashtama irukku (I don't want this. I feel bad)
ammA - OK vendaam paarkAdhey (don't watch)
pAdukA - Tinkerbell aathukku poiduvAlA (will Tinkerbell return home)
ammA - poiduvA (She will go ) yen pAdukA idhukku poi azhara. padam dhaane. ellam story dhaan ( why do you cry for this pAdukA, this is all a story and a picture)
pAdukA - ennakku bayamma irukku. enakku nee munnadiye kaamichena naan azha matten ! (I am afraid. If you had shown this earlier I would not have cried!)
ammA  (wondering how she could have shown the movie to pAdukA before she (pAdukA) can see it for the first time!) I will watch with you after I finish all my work

pAdukA keeps questioning ammA about the story for about an hour until she sits down to watch with her.
pAdukA(constantly) - eppo mudiyum ma? (when will this end?)
ellaam seriapoidum-a? (will everything be ok)
ammA - pAdukA paarka vendAm (let's not watch)
pAdukA - no paarkalaam ( let's watch)

ammA constantly looks at pAdukA as she was emoting better than the characters in the movie. The movie ended and so did pAdukA's flurry of emotions
pAdukA - ammA, fairies laam nanna irukkaalaa? (Are the fairies ok?)
ammA - yes. nee paartha ila? (yes, you saw right?)
pAdukA (back to her normal self and recounting the last scene of the movie)) - Do fairies drink tea?

ammA after having seen one movie and one live performance thought to herself

"Is this what you got from the movie after such a drama?"

Happy Mother's Day to My Best Friend!

Today is my chance to erase all the bad things I have done to my mom over the last year and get enough brownie/goodness points for some future favors.

I got my appa to buy her a bunch of small gifts, and I wrote down some of the things she loves in a card:

My appa spelt the words so I can write them:

Things you love

Heart, Fruit, Chocolate, Dosai, Pushpam (Flower), Chedi (Plant), Camera, Pattasu (Fireworks), Hummingbird, Veena, Samskrtam, Park, Madhura, Paaduka

Parental Limits

From time to time, I will be inviting others to write Guest Columns on this site. Here is from the first Guest Writer, my father:

This is what happened just now:

Paaduka: Appa, what is the tamil word for Purple?

Appa: Hmm.. I do not know. Did you ask Amma?

Paaduka: Yes, she did not say anything.

Appa: OK, Wait.. (nibbling on the computer)

Paaduka muttering:

Appa, ammakku theriyalainaa Google-la paarkkaNam illai?

(If dad or mom do not know something, we have to ask Google, right?) 

I think I was 8 or 9 before I realized my parents were not all-knowing geniuses.

My daughter is 4 right now. By the time my daughter is 8, she will probably say "Even if my parents say something, it may be better to check with the computer" :)

PS: The thamizh word for purple is ஊதா

When my mom grows up, she will be a Surgeon!

Here is what I have seen with my mother. You tell me if there is any other profession fitting for her.

- Her favorite remark whenever she sees me is "Did you wash your hands?". This can be right after I go near the restroom, go outside, or simply take my hand near my mouth or nose.

- It is very hard for me to use the scissors without her supervision. This is often true when I am trying to do adventurous stuff like cutting a thick notebook or digging stuff out of some corners.

- If she is doing some seriously complicated surgery on some veggies in the kitchen, she will put on this gown over her dress like the doctors I have seen in the hospital.

Strict akkA

This is the situation that madhurA created

See how I handle her and discipline her.

911 sisters

Sirens, fire engine and men marching with boxes - this scared me when ammA called 911 for medical attention for Madhura a couple of weeks back. On 27th Feb 2012, I went to school as usual and around 2:30 p.m. I was climbing the ladder towards the slide. I missed a step and fell through the gap hitting my chin hard and biting my tongue badly. I screamed and bled profusely. My teachers immediately called ammA and also called 911 to stop the bleeding. Once again I heard the siren and saw men marching towards me. When ammA came to school with Madhura, I went to her crying. The paramedics and teachers were all praise for how brave I was and the only complaint that I had was that I could not go out and play again.

After the doctor checked me at the urgent care, she recommended ammA to take me to emergency room @ El Camino Hospital. I was sedated and a plastic surgeon sutured my split tongue with 20 stitches (yeah, it was that bad!). The pain, long waits, multiple consultations with doctors, shots, oxygen mask, sutures made it a long grueling day :( It was past mid night when I came back home.

After a day of silence and a couple of days of slurred speech , I am trying to be my normal self hoping that the stitches will dissolve soon.

Just like sisters get matching stuff, we did something uniquely matching. We just became the 911 sisters :)

Birthday Week

Birthdays are exciting and fun. I did not know this before. For several weeks it was - "Amma, When is my birthday?" "In a few more days". I knew my special day (that's how I call it) was a Monday (Feb 20th) Never have I been so excited about a Monday. Seeing my parents prepare cake, snacks, fudge, goody bags, I felt dizzy in excitement. To top it off my parents humored me starting Saturday. Before I slept on Sunday night, I said to my ammA " kaarthala nee, appa, madhura 'happy birthday' paadi enna ezhupavai ila? " (Won't you, appA and madhura sing happy birthday to wake me up in the morning?) Had to make sure that my birthday started off the way I dreamed. Monday started with "Happy Birthday" song, kisses, hugs, phone calls and new dresses. We were off to Color Me Mine to celebrate my birthday painting with my dear friends. My birthday pictures speak better of the fun we had and the memorable birthday I celebrated.

my birthday celebration

On Tuesday when I woke up I asked "Inniki ennoda birthday kadaiyadhu la?" (Today is not my birthday right?) Seeing me in a bit of low spirit, my parents declared the week as my special week.

I sure learnt that I can change one special day into a special week. Now how about we think of a special month/year? :)

(Pictures) January 2012

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Let's get the ground rules right

My little sis is 7 months old and I think it's time I make things clear to her and lay down the rules. This is the incident that triggered this thought in me

While I was playing, madhurA grabbed a toy from me. I took it back (ammA, note that I took it back gently) and she started shouting. Yes... shouting and not crying. I could not hear any words. Just "dha..dha..dha..dhaa.." I told her to be quiet but she responded loudly with more "dha..dha..dha..dhaa.."

This is what I said to make things clear -

"appA-um, ammA-um dhaan enna thittalaam. nee kutti paappaa. nee enna thitta kudaadhu. ok? (Only dad and mom can scold me. You are a small baby. You should not scold me ok?)

That's rule number 1 for you madhurA. I will keep the rules coming from now on.