Clouds

In the sky and in water.

Calm. Dreamy.

Moving gently with the breeze.

Changing from candy floss to sheep to dragon with smoke coming out of its nose.

And everything in between.

Happy

We leave tomorrow. Back home. Back to work. Back to school.

The week away has flown past quickly. With the phone on silent mode, no television, and limited internet connectivity, I felt at times disconnected from the rest of the world. But it gave us time to do other things, to find pleasure in the simple things, and to enjoy the limited time together as a family.

Here are some of the things we've been doing this week:

Exploring this chain of interconnected islands by road. Singing out loud while driving along the tree-lined roads.


Some, like this one, are separate, but easily accessible. During low tide, you can simply just walk across the shallow waters to the next island.


Making footprints on the sand.

Watching the waves crashing onto the shore.

Going fishing.

Picnicking under the trees.

Teaching Em and Hero the names of the local plants and flowers.

Enjoying beautiful sunsets.

South of the Equator

Flying south, our faces pressed against the aeroplane window, marvelling at the sights below.


Walking hand in hand; happy to have our little family together again.

Playing marbles

Colourful glass spheres
That clink together delightfully

Transporting me back to childhood

Memories of playing under the shade of the mango tree at school during recess
Hands grabbing fistfuls of sand together with the marbles

Indulgence

The satisfying richness of fudgy brownies

The fragrance of these kalhuhuthu meyva

And the sweetness of their soft ripe flesh

***

Sorry folks, I do not know any other name for the kalhuhuthu meyva. It is a bit like a custard apple, but the flesh is satin smooth. The seeds are toxic, but the flesh is just heavenly, both the taste and smell. I like to just eat the flesh as it is, spitting out the seeds as I eat; or to remove the seeds and blend the flesh with water to make the most glorious drink.

Spot the Difference

Meet Toto and Tata. They live downstairs in the yard.

And this is Tata and Toto. They live upstairs, in a container of water.

Their little sponge bodies growing bigger and bigger every day.

Much loved. Fed. Poked at. Sung to.

If only I knew which was which.

Feeling Blue

Absence doth sharpen love, presence strengthens it; the one brings fuel, the other blows it till it burns clear.

William Shakespeare

***

It's all very well for Shakespeare to have said so - and to have said it so eloquently.

But being apart is just so damn hard.

So lonely.

The last few days have been especially tough.

Cannot wait until the weekend when we will be visiting him.

Mosaic Monday: Lovely Lillies

Aren't these worth stopping by the roadside for ten minutes?

Red Brick Wall

"Don't spend time beating on a wall, hoping to transform it into a door."

Coco Chanel

"You have to find something that you love enough to be able to take risks, jump over the hurdles and break through the brick walls that are always going to be placed in front of you. If you don't have that kind of feeling for what it is you are doing, you'll stop at the first giant hurdle."

George Lucas

Mother-in-Law's Tongue

Toxic. Sharp. Blade-like.

Air-filtering, protective charm.

Bearer of pale fragrant flowers.

What's a vegetable?

Walking back home from school, Em asks: What are we having for dinner?

Vegetables.

Cautious expression on her face: What kind of vegetables?

Okra. Aubergine. Courgette. Carrot. Green beans. Spinach.

Makes a face: Eww. I don't want any, thanks.

But that's all we are having tonight.

Sulks all the way home.

Later, at the dinner table, looking at the pile of vegetables quick-fried in a tempura batter, Em gives me a hug and says: Oh great! I love these! Looks back at me like I am some kind of idiot: And these are not vegetables! These are colourful fries!

Conversations with Hero

"Mamma, do you know what moss is?"

"A kind of plant that has no stems or leaves?"

"Nope. It is the slime that forms on rocks when the dragon breathes fire onto them."

***

"Mamma do you know how much I love you?"

"Tell me."

"I love you the same as the time it would take this paper aeroplane to fly right round the whole world and up to the sun and all the way back to me."

Memories of Maama

Most children share very special bonds with their grandparents, and especially their grandmothers. My paternal grandmother died when I was about four, so I don't really remember her. I remember more about my maternal grandmother, who passed away when I was about seven. But I shared a closer bond with my great grandmother, who outlived both my grandmothers, and loved to tell us stories of what life was like when she was a young girl.

There were no vehicles in the country, she would tell us. None at all. Cows and goats would roam freely along the roads. She would tell us the story of how she went out on the streets to fly her kite, and while keeping track of the kite in the air, how she would walk backwards right into a cow. Somehow ending up on top of the cow.

Maama told us many stories. Of the pomp and ceremony of the king and his court. The festivities and parades. About the simplicity of everyday life.

Yet, it always come back to the story of the cow and the kite. I loved listening to her tell it then. I love it still today.

Celebrating 100 Posts

The thought hadn't occured to me until Sandy K set up the challenge to celebrate 100 posts on her blog. So I checked how many I was up to. And yeah - this is my 100th too :) Perfect timing, eh?

The picture is of a framed artwork on the wall of a restaurant I was in sometime back.

Before I Turn 35

To get things done, I usually need a predetermined goal, a target to work towards, or I am prone to wander aimlessly. But I had completely forgotten about the list I had made three years ago, until I came across it in an old journal today. The list was written a few days after I had completed my doctoral studies. I remember that I made the list one night, as I lay in bed thinking: Now what? What do I now want to do? I also remember thinking that since 35 seemed a few years away, and far enough to accomplish many of these things, that was going to be my deadline, so to speak, of getting these done.

But looking at these now, I see how little I have achieved from my self determined goals. In alphabetical order, they are:

1. Explore mainland Europe by rail - have been to Europe since then, but have not had the opportunity to travel across the continent by rail.

2. Fit into the brown dress I bought when I was 18 - okay, this one is a little embarassing. I bought this dress when I was 18, and have not worn it a single time, because I have been too conscious of my then-not-s0-flat, and now-far-too-flabby abs. But, with 45 days to go until my 35th birthday, I am determined to stop feeling sorry for myself and start doing something about it. Who knows, maybe I will fit into that dress in 45 days' time!

3. Get a work of fiction published - after a lifetime of planning several stories in my head, at the beginning of this year, I finally got down to making a written plan for one of them. All the characters, plot, and details of some of the key events are all written down. Now I need to get writing, before I can think about getting published!

4. Get published in academic journals - this I have managed to do to some extent. I have had several articles published in academic journals in my field, but not as many of I would have ideally liked. But hey, the list doesn't say how many, does it? ;)

5. Go on a culinary journey around India - this is what we plan to do on our next overseas vacation. maybe not before my 35th, but soon.

6. Go on a pilgrimage - still unaccomplished.

7. Go to the dentist - this may sound weird to many people, but I had NEVER been to the dentist until about a year ago. It was in August last year that I first sat in a dentist's chair. So this is something I can definitely cross off the list. And oh - the dentist found it hard to believe that I had never had my teeth checked, and was impressed with how I had maintained them. So there!

8. Learn a foreign language - still unaccomplished.

9. Run a marathon - this may seem a strange goal to attain, when I can't even get number 2 done. But I have always wanted to do this. I haven't yet. I will - one day.

10. Overcome my fear of public speaking - if you read this, you would know that I have not managed to overcome my fear. But unlike the past when I had given excuse after excuse so as to avoid public speaking, I have made numerous presentations and conducted training programmes for groups of people, and have also successfully spoken at large official events. The fear hasn't gone away, but I don't let it overcome me.

11. Strengthen family ties - I grew up in a very close, very loving family with strong connections between my extended family on my father's side. H, on the other hand, has lived away from home since middle school, and does not have that same bond with his siblings that I share with mine. I wanted my children to grow up knowing their extended families on both my and H's sides, and feel equally connected to both. But perhaps that was asking for too much as its not fair to compare the closeness you would feel with people you see everyday, and people you see for a few hours a couple of times a year.

12. Take my children to experience winter in Scotland - I so much enjoyed the years I spent there, that I wanted to take my children to experience the snow (yeah, and the freezing cold). And we did this last year. And they loved it so much. Hero refers to it as the trip to "the cold place."

What's the one thing that you REALLY want to achieve some day?

What is Excellence?

Education's purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one.

- Malcolm Forbes

The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.

- William Arthur Ward

Over the next few weeks I will visit many schools in my area,
and observe the teaching-learning process in about a hundred different classrooms.
I wonder how many truly inspirational teachers I will meet?
As I move from classroom to classroom,
lesson after lesson,
I will ask myself if the education we are providing is the best we can offer.
What is it that we can do to make things better?

Let me ask you this:
What does excellence in education mean to YOU?

Mosaic Monday: Bugs in the Bedroom

Em and Hero share a bedroom. It may sound odd to some people, but I think it is one of the things that adds to the bond between them. Their beds are at right angles to each other, and they will often lie in bed, with Em reading aloud stories and Hero listening to her.

At this stage in their lives, I don't feel that sharing a room is a problem. The reason they share a room is simply because there isn't another one for them to use separately - such is the inconvenience of living in a small apartment. It serves our purpose for now; but pretty soon, we want to think about other living arrangements, where each child has their own personal space.

Someone asked me recently how I managed bedtimes with both children not being the same age. In our home, they both get ready for bed at the same time. Once in their pyjamas, I read them stories and them help Hero say his prayers and tuck him in. Sometimes he will want me to stay with him and sing to him. Most days though, he is pretty tired, and falls asleep almost instantly - whether the light is on or not is immaterial to him.

Em says her prayers on her own, but sometimes wants me to stay with her. I tuck her in and allow her to read for a bit longer on her own before coming back to switch off lights.

When decorating the room, we select colours they both like. Currently it is done in pastels of blue, yellow and green. Recently, we found some cute cut-outs to put up on the wall. At the store, I let them choose the ones they wanted, and today we put them up around the room: colourful flowers, butterflies, dragonflies and bees.

Em also wanted a house with a palm tree; and Hero chose a train. So these are displayed right next to their beds.

I don't know how long they will stay put on the wall, but that is another story...

More Mosaic Mondays at Mary's.

Hidden Gem

Every so often, we spend the weekend on an uninhabited island, where we can be one with nature, and away from the madness of life on a city afloat in the ocean.

The weekend getaway is a tiny island, even by our standards. So narrow that you can stroll (leisurely) from one side of the island to the other in five minutes and walk the length of the island from one tip to the opposite tip in about twenty minutes. So you get a picture of how small it is.


But it has a lovely white sandy beach, cooling trees and shrubs, and plentiful tropical fruit to enjoy. And my children love the floating wobbly jetty that is used to land there.

While the island itself is a hideaway, and not accessed by many people, I particularly like one part of the beach, almost hidden away in the shrubs.


Here, there is a shallow pool of water between the rocky reef and the shore which is so clear that you don't really see the water (about two feet deep here) in this picture where the dhiggaa flower is floating in the sea.

Here, we watch colourful fish swim between the corals, or baby sting rays suddenly surface from the sand. Here, we climb trees and play hide and seek. It is also here that I like to sit at the end of the day and watch the sun go down.

It is a truly peaceful place, where the only sounds you hear, apart from the occasional boat going past...

... is the sound of the waves, the song of the birds and the rustle of the wind in the trees.

See more pictures here.

(This post is in response to Georgia's hidden gems.)

Breakfast - Not Quite in Bed

Before I opened my eyes this morning, I could feel little hands on my forehead and a kiss on my cheek before I heard little feet on tip toes creep out of the room. Sometime later, I was greeted with a "Surprise!"

Em was by my bed, already dressed, with a big grin on her face. "Come and see your surprise," she said, tugging on my arm.

On the dining table, a breakfast tray was set out. "I didn't want to take it to your room in case I spilled it. And anyway, you always say not to eat in the bedroom." She had a point.

On the tray: a bowl of cereal, a tall glass of milk with a straw (a mug with a spoon and my tea things stood by the just-boiled kettle on the kitchen counter), a bowl of fruit, a small vase with a flower (flower had been drawn and coloured on paper, then cut out - see picture above) and a note:

So sweet! Isn't that a lovely way to start off the day?

In Bed

High temperature

Hoarse voice from having coughed all night

Aches all over

Not feeling like getting up at all.

Being looked after by my two little ones.

gñaviyani is for ñam ñam

Just like many children around the world are taught that A is for Apple and Z is for zebra, children in the Maldives, learning the Thaana script of the Dhivehi language are inevitably told that gñaviyani is for ñam ñam. Unlike apple or zebra, ñam ñam is the ONLY word that begins with that letter. The palatal nasal sound of gñaviyani occurs within other words, but ñam ñam is the only word that actually begins with that letter/sound in the language. So the word becomes inextricably linked with the letter.

No, this post is not a lesson in Dhivehi linguistics.

The thing is, until very recently, I had never actually seen a ñam ñam. I knew that it was some kind of fruit, but had never seen one in real life, or even a photo of a real fruit. Illustrations of the fruit in children's books were always rather vague and both the shape and colour differed from picture to picture. So it always remained a bit of an enigma.

And then, while I was browsing through the markets here, I came across the fruit for the first time in my life. Actually, I wouldn't have known it was a ñam ñam, had my little sister not told me so.

It looked very uninteresting. Hard. Brown. Without any noticeable smell. Kind of misshapen. But now I wish I had bought some and tasted one.

Now if it had been something like rambutans

Or mangosteens...

I would have been buying fruit by the bucketful! I don't think I can ever have enough of mangosteens. And I am off to enjoy some right now.

Which fruit in season now are you enjoying the most?

Simple Things

Fields of green, speckled with violet delights.

The vast blue skies above.

Lying under the shade of a leafy tree

Eyes half closed, listening to the song of the birds

And the delightful laughter of playing children.

Bliss.

Simple Things hosted by Christina.

***

Thanks to you all for your well wishes and luck. It went well - I think! Well, apart from a sudden coughing fit in the middle of it! But so glad it is all over. You were right: the hour went by pretty fast. And - I could feel your vibes. :)

Wish Me Luck

When it comes to facing crowds and speaking in public I feel rather like this mimosa pudica.

I wish I could just hide for a while until it all goes away - much like how this bashful, sensitive plant closes up its leaves and droops to the sound of loud noises and vibrations.

I am dreading tomorrow - facing TV cameras, a dozen or so news reporters, giving a statement, taking questions... a whole hour of it!

S i x t y . l o n g . m i n u t e s.

Can you hear my teeth chatter?

Quilting Dreams

I made this for Em when I was pregnant with her. I had never made a quilt before, and didn't really know how to do it. But after putting together colourful bits of cloth into a design, I hand sewed them, and added bug, bird and animal shapes cut from felt.

After having used it for both my children when they were babies, the quilt now looks tired and worn out.

But it is still used by them to lovingly tuck their toys into bed.

I've been thinking of making one for each child, incoorporating into each, meaningful mementos (such as an embroidered pocket from one of Em's toddler-year dresses).

Now, if only I could find the time. :)

What creative projects have you planned, but are yet to start?