Motherhood, a soap opera!

Fifteen months of motherhood has taken the toll. What else would explain my perennially tired existence, pony-tailed hair-do, dark circles, and a constant desire to sleep?

I guess this must by a reality for any expat mom with out a full-time help or the support system we take for granted, back home. Yet, I find it difficult to accept that I do not have any time to myself.

That’s not completely true, is it? -  I get my daily breather when my part-time help comes home and on weekends when Daddy is in charge of Smera. But, there is something that I find very difficult to come to terms with - being at someone’s mercy to go to the beauty parlour ! I am not being unreasonable here, just enough time for me to get through regular and very essential stuff, nothing fancy.

I shouldn’t though, be complaining about the lack of inspiration when it comes to personal upkeep. I only to need to step out to my balcony to spot all the lovely ladies in our apartment complex - some even mothers of 13 or 14yr olds, look younger and definitely fitter than me.

I have on numerous occasions complimented them, and somehow that still does not feel enough to applaud the way each one of them take care of themselves. There is a fashion-week-feel to the occasions I get to meet most them together – usually for a party at someone’s place.

During the recent Valentines Day, on the way to one such get-together, I bumped into a lady at the elevator. I was on the phone, but we noticed each other and then we surprised each other, when we later turned up at the same party. But nothing could have prepared me for what came next.

After the customary pleasantries and introduction, the sweet lady revealed, that when she met me at the elevator, she thought I was some college girl skipping class on a Valentines day!

A college girl! - far cry from the down-beat self assessment early on. “My Santoor-moment”, I told myself, while sporting a broad grin through all of the following week.

I guess, a well meant compliment works better than the best beauty treatment.

Note: Santoor is a well known bathing soap brand in India. The brand is made popular by its iconic yet consistently cheesy commercials.  It typically features a beautiful Mom walking into a party being spotted by unsuspecting ladies. Just as everyone shower compliments such as ‘which college are you from?’ or ‘are you single?’ – a child appears on the scene calling “Mommy…” to everyone’s surprise. Here is a video

My massive problem of passive road rage

It is confession time yet again at Sangrywords – on popular demand, this time on my passive road rage.

Fasten your seat belts, here is the laundry list:

1.     Yes it’s true, I swear at people who cut the queue jump in front of my car without indicators to save a mirco-minute.

2.     The even more annoying ones are those who tail-gate as they are in urgent need to attend to a severe case of diarrhoea.

3.     Must not forget the ones who talk on the phone and do not mind even if they are out their lanes.

4.     Aha and lets also mention those ladies who apply make up while driving in the speed lane.

5.     And then are those who drive at a snail's-pace-60 where you can go upto 100km/hr.

6.     The frustrating and tentative jaywalking pedestrians.

7.     The last one are the kinds that I have witnessed only in this part of the world - driving with one foot resting on the window or the dashboard (no, not a typo!).

What’s so passive about all these things you may ask?

The reality is, all of the above are acceptable as long as I am at the driver seat - I can duck, dive and drive away. But all bets are off when I am at the passenger seat. I was busted recently when my husband  caught me swearing  a not so innocent rash driver. And just after that, my husband found my first edit of Take care, Not chances post to be bordering on being snobbish.

After a lot of soul searching, I am left to wonder if should be attending a Road-rage anonymous group (passive division). If there isn't such a thing - perhaps, I could be the founding member and the patron.

I am currently on the lookout for fellow addicts. Let me know if you any of you suffer from the same condition by sharing your story. 

Happiness, now comes as a roll !

What is the one that one food that unites most of us here in the Middle-East, it is found in most cities of the world but sold under different names and varieties? I am talking of Shawarma – a generous helping of chicken or meat, spicy or regular with bit of salad, garlic dip, pickles and fries – all rolled together into a wrap – just ideal for anytime of the day.

The reason I am talking of Shawarma is that I recently visited Shawarmaji’s in Al Barsha that opened a few months back. It is one of those places that caught my attention by it’s peculiar name and I was keen to check it out.

Being in the Middle East for about five years, we have tasted this ubiquitous any-time snack in a number of varieties. The gourmet-version from a sit-down restaurant, platter-version from the food courts, the spicy-version from the road-side café and the cheap and cheerful version from the IKEA cafeteria are just to name a few. As you can see, it is very easy to become a Shawarma aficionado, if you are living by this neck of the woods – and hence my expectations were very high.

Sorry to kill the suspense this soon - the experience at Shawarmaji’s was phenomenal! Every delicious bite of that Mexican Shawarma roll constituted the ideal model of what a true shawarma should be – chicken cooked and spiced up to perfection with a few crispy bits inside, juicy and extremely tender. The meat Shawarma was the first time for me and it surely did impress me – seasoned so well that I couldn’t stop at one. And surprisingly for a comfort food, it tasted healthy - I am sure the generous layering of herbs and mild coat of olive oil did the trick.

With a menu of different variety of the Shawarmas, I can wait to go back there again.

You can contact them for delivery at - 04 4521717 

Location - Shawarmaji is near Lulu Al Barsha, opposite Dubai American Academy.

Image courtesy - google.com  

Twice as Versatile?

I was recently given the 'Versatile Blogger Award' by Iamlonelytoes and PurpleChronicle.  It may appear as the blogosphere equivalent of chain-mails, but if you think about it, it's got to be good to be recognised by your peers. Thank you Joriel and Kajal!

According to The Versatile Blogger Award rules one has to:

§         Add a picture of the award in your post.

§         Thank the award giver.

§         Share 7 random facts about you.

§      Nominate 15 other bloggers for The Versatile Blogger Award and let them know that they've been nominated.

Here is my list of 7 random things-

1. I love to talk. A LOT. My report cards always had ‘very talktive’ remark on them.
2. I don’t sweat much on my face just get hot flush. I secretly pray that one day I can also sweat like everyone else.
3. I was once served chewing gum in my KFC. Yikes !!!
4. I have lots of grey hair, more than my mum does. Sigh !!
5. I have a habit of saying the same thing in 3 languages – Hindi, English, Malayalam.
6. If I were given option either to die or eat fruits (esp banana), it would be a hard choice.
7. I suffer from passive road rage, I’ll tell you all about this in another post.

These are some of my favourite blogs, some new, some old but all are worth reading. Check them out when you get a chance.


Squeaky corner
Anzz café
Life unordinary
Indian ma
Madhusha
Awesome since ‘92
A beautiful mind
Musings and Reflections
Confessions of a Semi-Domesticated Mama
Nona Pensive
Arnab Maity Travel and Photography
Style by Eva diva
A Traveller's soul
Sandier pastures
Spilled milk shake

Take care, not chances

There are few things that make me really angry. Somewhere on the top of the chart are callous actions of people who put their own lives at risk. Even worse, are the actions of people who put others life at risk. But an event I witnessed over the weekend made me re-think about my whole definition of callousness.

Imagine a busy street, really busy street. All you can hear are the noises of buzzing cars and screeching tyres. While driving down that street, I notice a young mother swiftly manoeuvring her 4-wheeler through busy traffic. Only a slight problem though, that 4-wheeler happens to be a pram! What are Mom, Baby and a Pram doing on a busy road? Don't get me wrong, there is a neatly-laid, well-marked, pedestrian walkway running parallel to their flight-path.

As if these antics were not enough, I was appalled to see the toddler was not even strapped properly on to the buggy. Just when I thought I had seen it all, the duo (or trio should I say) makes an even more daring move. Weaving through a barrage of impatient SUVs and jumping the median, they somehow get to the other side. They then continue their journey - no, not through neatly-laid, well-marked, pedestrian walkway on the other side, but on the road.

The Mom looked in a hurry and the baby who was stretching herself out of the pram seemed to enjoy the ride. I am sure they had something very important to do, was running late and was in a rush to exit the busy road as fast as anyone could. But really, is it worth risking your life for saving a couple of minutes?

Jaywalking may come across as a harmless act of darting across the road. Here in Dubai, jaywalking is illegal and would burn a hole in your pocket should you get caught. But the real point is more straightforward - it is just not worth it! And remember, our big city is not really known for careful and considerate drivers. Take care, not chances.

A dose of Mom's love as a flu medication?

Down with flu and trying to catch some sleep, I kept looking up at the ceiling all night, thinking about one person - My mother. Why is that we miss our mothers more when we are down and out? Isn't it just amazing how better you feel just by the very thought not to mention their physical presence. Last night I wished I could be in her company, running her fingers through my hair and comforting me with her magic words, she has this astonishing ability to make me feel good.  Not that yesterday was a particularly bad day - what is a wee bit of flu in life's overall scheme of things and yet I wanted to be at home with her.

I think Moms as mood-lifters are one of the life's greatest yet often undervalued pleasures.  She has made my worst days into joyful moments by sitting beside me listening to my rants without letting me ever feel silly. There is nothing to beat 'mom-made' when it comes to comfort foods - the taste of her Aloo-ka-paratha with generous helping of butter and Rajma-Chawal still lingers on my taste buds. And yes, the Hot Rasam with Pappadom used to be just the perfect cure for the cold wintery evenings in Delhi. See, you can't really blame me for craving her company.

From a willing listener to the word's greatest cook, my mummy thoughts then drifted on to an uncharted territory - spirituality. My mother’s life has always been infused with an element of spirituality which she tried her best to instill in a care-free daughter. Like any other teenage-rebel, I never paid much attention to this during that time but have since come around acknowledging the importance of it. The power to forget things and forgive people, that most problems could only be solved with a clear head, to be god-fearing and that karma is knowing that every action of mine will have an impact on my life.

I know I have not been the best daughter she could have asked for, letting her down every now and then. But I also know, now that I am mother to Smera, the role she played in my life. True it took me an occasional flu and a bout of home-sickness to reflect on some of these things. But hey, maybe that's the point.

Sunny side up

They say sunlight is the best disinfectant. And if you ask my Mom, she would say Sunlight is the best detergent, referring to the world’s first branded laundry soap. But this post is about the real thing, not the detergent variety.

Sun has a special place in Asian culture. Some of us see it as God, Sun is at the core of feng shui and vasthu techniques, we have a land of rising sun in here and even have an yoga exercise routine named after the Sun – Surya Namaskar.

Yet we as Asians, yours truly included, has overtime developed a pathological aversion to sunlight. We give all kind of excuses to get away from the sun – tanning, sun-burns, allergy, headaches and the list goes on.

It turns out that even in the sunny Dubai, ‘photophobia’ is prevalent. I was recently at the Doctors for routine check up and it so happens that my Vitamin D levels were less than adequate.  The only consolation was that I am not the only one, she reckons half of Dubai needs to go out in the sun more often – the only natural source of Vitamin D.

Deficiency of the Sunshine Vitamin at the very least could give you occasional moods swings or depression and at its worst can cause horrible things like diabetes and cancer. And for most part this can be cured by being in the sun for a reasonable amount of time.

In today’s ‘car to carpet’ culture it is so easy to skip the sun.  But we are missing more than outdoor fun when we choose the call of the mall over the time in the sun. As Sheryl Crow once sang, I'm gonna soak up the sun while it's still free……

Thank you Bloggers.com

Bear with me through this unashamed act of self-promotion.

Thank you bloggers.com for having chosen my blog as the editor's pick of the day recently. It felt nice and made my day!

End of the commercial. Have a nice day!

Writing on the wall is fear

Sometimes I really wish that I can’t see things clearly. I mean literally, especially on weekends when my part-time help gets full-time rest. I don’t keep this is a secret, my obsessive and compulsive desire to keep everything clean are (in)famous – house and car are among my favorites. You must have figured out by now, the blindingly obvious reason why I wish for occasional opacity. 

I wasn’t always like this. I used to be far from being a cleanliness freak. While growing up, I was a constant target of my mother’s ire for not keeping my room clean. Now though, the tables have turned – my mother feels intimidated by how clinical I am when it comes to cleanliness.  Maybe it’s true what they say - that you become more like your mother when you grow up.

So when did this transformation begin? I think it was around the time I got married. I am assuming all the married women who are reading this have experienced this routine – throwing wet towels on the bed and using half the collection of kitchen utensils to make a cup of tea are just a couple of examples. After years of nagging, I managed to produce a reformed man and tidy house. But this was not going to last.

In a short span for a year and a bit, I have come down back down to reality. At just 14 months, Smera seems to taking revenge on behalf of her Grand-mother and Daddy.  Try as much as I will, she has this uncanny knack of messing things up – she truly is her Daddy’s girl, just like the way I used to be (refer to second paragraph!). I have this premonition that some day soon Smera would discover crayons and transform herself into a baby Picasso, using the white walls as her canvas and the colours to express herself.

For the obsessive compulsive cleaner in me, the writing on the wall is clear – there is going to be a lot of writing on the wall.

Italian for Dinner?

Few minutes into the journey back, our car smelled like a pizzeria.  I could recognize a delightful mix of appetizing Italian flavours and yet we were nowhere near a Pizza Hut, Papa Jones or Vapiano.  We had just been to a farm in the middle of the Arabian Desert.

A farm, none like what I’ve seen before – endless rows of Basil, Oregano, Dill, Ricotta and Parsley neatly spaced and stacked inside a greenhouse. Just like a new born, each bed of herbs are rocked, fed and cared at regular intervals. Staying with the baby analogy, each of the little herbs is kept warm with a string incandescent lights that hung just above their heads.

Let me assure you - this is not something out of a science-fiction movie, though occasionally I had to pinch myself into not thinking so. This is the magic of Hydroponics – method of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions, in water, without soil. And the place that we had just been to is Emirates Hydroponics Farms in a place called Al Bahia midway between Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

To a person like me who have grown up in a city, the farm certainly is industrial-scale and yet remarkably it maintains a small-farm-charm. And I would attribute part of that charm to the live tour given to us by the person who owns the place, Rudi Azzato.

Rudi gave us a walking tour of the farm, a crash-course in hydroponics, fielded about a hundred questions, gave us a bunch of fresh herbs (pictured above) and put up with our little one who did her best to wreck his workplace.  Thank you Rudi, you were a great host and made our day!

With my newly acquired collection of herbs, no prizes for guessing what’s for dinner at our place these days!

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Post-script: If I managed to tickle your curiosity, you would be pleased to know that the Emirates Hydroponics Farms offers schools, families, & groups an educational and interesting field day trip. A fantastic learning opportunity and it is free!  You can find more details through the link below.

Emirates Hydroponic Farm