Curfew

We have been snow bound since Friday. The historic blizzard of 2010 started Friday afternoon, slowly and steadily first but then picked up pace and continued until Saturday evening.



We are covered now with huge mounds of snow all over us, thanks to the heavy shovelling. It's a beautiful day outside, with the sun shining in all its glory, the mounds glistening but venturing out is still not recommended.



The roads are slippery and treacherous. There have been many accidents and in short, its a mess out there.

We look at this curfew as a welcome break, spending time together as a family and its been fun and relaxing. This is the second blizzard for me since I moved to the US. The first one was in 2002 when we lived in Baltimore. Equally messy and treacherous. But it was just us (Hubby dear and I), no kids to worry about and keep occupied.

This time, however, things are different. With two kids, excited in the beginning but gradually becoming restless, its an entirely different story. They are pumped up more than ever and it is a challenge to channelize their boundless energies in a productive, useful way. We are trying and I think we have been successful to some extent.

So what are we doing to keep the kids happy and our sanity intact? We are-
- reading. Luckily I had borrowed a huge load of books from the library. So we are reading voraciously. This curfew is giving D ample opportunities to master his reading skills. He is doing a great job and I am so proud of him.
- watching movies. Thank God for Netflix and Red Box. Watching at least one movie everyday sometimes two. The kids too are enjoying a couple of their movies.
- cooking as a family and it is a riot. The kids helping out and now they have caught the 'cooking ' bug.
- Coloring. Not me, no. But the kids. They are making full use of their new marker set and activity books.
- snow activities-snow fights, sledding and a frail attempt at making a snow man. I say frail cuz the snow man looks puny and small. Nevertheless, we had fun making it.
- Story creation. Yep, the kids got involved in writing/ creating their own story books. They got excited, used their imaginations and the results were remarkable. D, especially got totally involved-he wanted to write a story for me, his Mama. His story was simple, straight forward just like him. It was earnestly written and with a lot of love. The final product was deliciously heartwarming! Leaving you with D's story and some pictures of his book.

The Storm
Once there was a mama
Then there was a storm
Then the storm stopped and then there was a rainbow
And then they lived happily ever after

Books I Read

I have been wanting to do a post on books I have read in the last few months. Finding time to read is a struggle for me but I try to indulge myself whenever I can –late night, on the pot, during lunch breaks, while waiting at the doctor’s office. I am even known to read a few lines while filling up the car at the gas station. I did manage to read a few –some worth mentioning, some better forgotten. So here’s my list of worthwhile reads.

Open –Andre Agassi

Agassi begins the book by proclaiming his disdain for tennis-the game he owes everything to. He tells the story of his contradictory life with brutal honesty, gives a glimpse of how he thought of himself and his life, the difficult and challenging relationship he had with his father, his failed marriage with Brooke Shields, his descent into self-destruction, how he found love and hope in Steffi Graf, his victories not only on court but in life. It is a rare and touching look into the life of a tennis prodigy and star.

The Palace of Illusions (POI)– Chitra Divakaruni

I am not a fan of Divakaruni’s books. I couldn’t finish ‘Mistress of Spices’ and I didn’t like ‘Sister of My Heart’. But after reading MM’s effusive praise for this book and hearing my friend, Sonia speak with equal gusto, I had a change of heart. And this time, Divakaruni didn’t disappoint me at all. POI is beautifully written. I loved the way she retold the Mahabharata in the voice of Draupadi. I enjoyed the ending of the novel, as much as the beginning. I simply could not put the book down. In spite of all the violence and agonies that are inter-twined in the story, it left me with warmth in my heart at the end of the story.

Help –Kathryn Stockett

Set in 1960’s Mississippi, Kathryn Stockett’s debut novel is a compelling read about two black housekeepers and a young progressive white girl. It forced me to contemplate the divisive culture that existed back then (one that has faded away for the most part-thank goodness). The author tackled this sensitive topic with humor, warmth and honesty and brought the characters to life with her wonderful penmanship. Loved it!

As an aside, I would like to announce that I am done reading books on immigrants – their complexities, struggles living aboard, the duality they live in blah, blah, blah. Thanks to Manju Desai’s book called ‘The Immigrant’ (no surprises here!)I read while on my trip to India. I will not go into the details, I rather save my breadth. All I can say is that it was lame.

The Idol Effect

Mama, when I am growned up, I will go to Hollywood, declared A.
OK. What will you do there? I asked to keep the conversation going.
I will go and sing the ABCD song. I will be a 'whock (rock) staaar'.

Yep, we have an American Idol zealot among us.

Reading Fest

Reading Olympics has taken the Bora household by storm. After winning the bronze a few days ago, the boy is on a ‘reading’ rush. The quest for the silver has begun. Yesterday, the equally excited mother rushed to the local library during her lunch hour to get a handful of books. Upon seeing their new collection, the kids whooped! Excitement rushed out in a palpable wave thought their small limbs and bodies. They grabbed their individual sets and pored over them animatedly until dinnertime. Both mother and son managed to squeeze in 4 books before bedtime. The target for silver is 250 minutes of reading. They are now at 140. The boy is certain that he will meet his target by tomorrow. The mother is confident her son will.

The books read so far are:

Fly Guy, Fly High – Tedd Arnold
A Bad Case of Stripes – David Shannon
Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa: Horse in the House –Erica Silverman and Betsy Lewin
The Bones of Fred McFee – By Eve Bunting
Frog and Toad are Friends - Arnold Lobl
Harry in Trouble - Barbara Ann Porte
When Sophie gets Angry:Really, Really Angry - Molly Bang

Revolutionary Road

Finally watched ‘Revolutionary Road’ by Sam Mendes this past weekend. What an artful masterpiece! Leo and Kate as the Wheelers sucked me into their struggles as a suburban married couple. They were simply brilliant! Their dynamic, intense portrayals undoubtedly took the movie to a whole new level.


photo courtsey: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Yates

Based on the book of the same name by Richard Yates, it captures a theme that is common yet so obscure among young married couples. This perceptive tale revolves around the trappings of a marriage, shattered dreams and hopes. The daily disappointments threaten to destroy what seems like a perfect marriage to the outside world. It is a story of two people who start to unravel the ties that bind them and question what they ever had in common in the first place. I am not a Sam Mendes fan but I think I have become one. His skillful direction added interest as well as depth to the storyline. It is engrossing and I came away feeling strongly about the movie, its characters and the fateful ending.

Little Known Facts

I was at a leadership meeting a few days ago where we (the meeting members)had to introduce ourselves with a 'little known fact'. I thought up of an inane one for that exercise but it got me thinking - hmmm, what else? So, here are a few more.

1. I cannot stand body hair, particularly facial hair. I used to use hair removing cream on my face until one day I kept it on longer than I should have and ended up almost burning my face. So, bye-bye to cream, hello to bleach. Yes, it doesn’t remove the hair but makes it less visible and I am OK with it.
2.One of my favorite pastimes besides listening to music, watching movies and reading, is talking to myself. Especially when I am sitting on the pot. Oh, and I talk in my sleep too.
3.I have to have something sweet after my meals-be it a dessert, piece of candy, gum or meetha supaari.
4.I ate my own poop when I was 2 years old.
5.I was caught forging my dad’s signature in class 6. I failed a test and didn’t have the balls to get my father to sign my report card. So I signed it myself.
6.Once, I smoked beedi on the roadside with a local while camping in Saat Taal in the Kumaon Hills.
7.I still think I chose the wrong profession. I should have been an actor.
8.I was a professional Manipuri dancer for 5 years and performed at several local functions and contests. My teacher was schizophrenic.
9.I have physically assaulted people. In school, I slapped a boy in my class. On another occasion, my friend and I bashed up a guy in Defence Colony, New Delhi for pinching my boob and public masturbation.
10.I used to travel a lot on trains. On one such trip, my friend and I spent the entire journey in the toilet. We travelled for 7 hours and our other travel companions in that filthy, stinky restroom were a farmer and his three goats.

Books, Books, Books

Reading Olympics is on at D’s school. It started two weeks ago. Last night he qualified for the bronze by reading a total of 125 minutes over the last few days. It took about 8 books to reach this milestone and there’s no stopping. D is elated, excited, enthused about his new found ability to read-yes, he read most of them. This morning he took the recording sheet to submit to his class teacher.

With a big smile and twinkle in his eyes, he told me, “Mama, I will tell Ms. Smith that I read most of the books. All BY MYSELF!! She will be SO proud of me.”

You bet, son…go toot your horn!!! Silver…watch out, here we come!

List of books read:
Jethro Byrd, Fairy Child- Bob Graham
The Blast Off Boy and Blorp: The Big Science Fair by Dan Yaccarino
The Giving Tree – Shel Silverstein
Spider Man Saves the Day- Action Figueroa
How Do Dinosaurs Learn Their Colors – Jan Yolen
Daddy’s Little Helper –Frank Endersby
Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland – Lewis Carroll and Helen Oxenbury
The Teacher from the Black Lagoon –Mike Thaler and Jared Lee