Flying

I am on my way. In the air for eleven continuous hours.

In Your Eyes

Innocence. Awe. Hope.

Sweet and sour

The bilimbi in the yard

Bunches of sweet-sour green fruit.

Gorgeous in chutneys,

salads and curries.

Surprisingly refreshing when juiced.

Why Do I Need a Title Everytime?

Started the day off with apple and cinnamon pancakes

sprinkled with nuts

and smothered in maple syrup :)

Batter recipe:

half cup self raising flour,

2 grated apples,

generous pinch of cinammon,

2 tbsp sugar,

1 egg,

one third cup milk

(Serves 2 and a half people!)

***

At work,

I kept hearing what I thought was knocking on the door of my office

that opens out to the balcony.

This was who I found at the door.

The poor little fellow

looked scared and confused.

Perhaps unable to find its way back home.

He was there the whole morning

keeping me company with this pecking on the door

but had flown away

by the time I returned after lunch.

Creating a Vision

Here, children begin kindergarten at four years of age.

They are six by the time they start first grade.

Like anywhere else in the world,

the fourteen years that a child spends in school

play a crucial role in the development of the child.

During the last few weeks at work

we have been compiling views from people across the country

on their vision of education in the future.

What kind of young people do we want to help create?

And these are some of the recurring ideas that we liked:

someone who is responsible and active

confident and creative;

someone who is

motivated to learn and explore.

What is your vision?

What words would you use to describe the kind of young people

you want to see in the future?

Would you like to...

... join Baby, Maggie and Zainab for a tea party?

***

This is posted at the request of Em;

who took the picture and

suggested the words.

This Archipelago

You've seen from my pictures how I live surrounded by the sea.

It may be too small to appear on many maps,

but I feel blessed to be living in such a beautiful part of the world.

Please vote for Maldives here.


***

Maldives is also fast becoming synonymous with climate change and global warming.
Being the most low-lying country on the planet,
it is likely to be the most at risk from rising sea levels.

Are you part of the 350 campaign?

According to www.350.org:

"350 is the number that leading scientists say is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide—measured in "Parts Per Million" in our atmosphere. 350 PPM—it's the number humanity needs to get back to as soon as possible to avoid runaway climate change."

Are you taking part in the International Day of Climate Action?

What are you doing to help the environment?

Green Hearts

Tiny yellow flowers

On three-leafed clovers

LOVE growing in wild abundance

Morning Walk

Started the day off with a walk

and a stop at the playground.

Feeling energised and ready to tackle

all the tasks that need done around the home.

I consider myself a morning person.

I like getting up early

and seem to accomplish the most when I get started early in the day.

If I begin the day on an active note,

I tend to get so much more done,

and tend to remain active throughout the day.

How about you?

Bileiy

This glossy heart shaped leaf

from a creeper belonging to the

Piperaceae family

is known by many names in South and South-East Asia

where it is chewed along with areca nut,

as a stimulant and breath freshner after meals

~ a practice that has continued since ancient times ~

and is a strong part of the culture in this part of the world.

Although used for various medicinal purposes,

it is now believed that

the high rate of oral cancer

~ together with the dental problems ~

in South Asia

is related to the use of these leaves.

***

But try telling that to someone who starts the day

by chewing on these

and ending the day (AFTER brushing the teeth!)

with another helping.

It's the Little Things that Matter

A picnic need not be about elaborate food

served in pretty plates with matching cutlery.

A simple sandwich

made with love

and shared with your loves

while sitting on a browned frond from the coconut tree

close enough to the ocean

to feel the spray from the waves

is just as good

if not better.

It is the simple things that matter.

Come and join us in a celebration of simplicity.

Thank you

... for your kind words of support

and for your understanding,

my dear friends.

Your presence here

and your lovely comments

mean a lot to me.

And help me feel

less alone.

In Need of Calmness

Hero has caught yet another cold

and is struggling to breathe through a blocked nose,

frustrated that he cannot suck his thumb for comfort.

He wakes up from his sleep

every now and then,

uncomfortable, breathless, scared.

Em had yet another prolonged tantrum today

screaming incoherently,

her eyes angry yet frightened.

After several tantrum-less months,

the last few weeks have brought them back on:

a clear sign that I have not been able to pay her enough attention.

It is moments like this

when I question myself

on my capability as a mum.

When I berate myself

for choosing to be a working mum

instead of one who stays home with what should be her only priority.

Working together

I love days like this

when they are best buddies

working intently together

on completing a project

When nothing can come between them

and they are completely focused on the task at hand.

Making their creations all the more wonderful

because there is so much love in them.

In Two Weeks

I will be back here.

This picture was taken last November when we were holidaying there.

This time I will be going for a work visit

minus the family.

The kids are not happy at the thought of being left behind

but excited because H will be home

for the time I will be away.

***

Speaking of travelling,

I have been looking at possible places

for a fortnight away

once the children get their school holidays in November.

At the moment I am open to all ideas

and am considering various places in

India, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore.

I'm looking for a holiday that can be both fun for the children

and relaxing for H and me

with nature, culture and lots of good food thrown in.

And of course within my very limited budget!

It is hard to decide.

What's the most important thing you look for when planning a holiday?

Doesn't he look the part?

When he is not being a superhero

or a handyman

or an adventurous explorer,

Hero dabbles in amateur photography

(mostly of himself in the mirror).

Growing In Our Yard

The flower may not be attractive

Or brightly coloured

But underneath its folds

Finger-sized green bananas start to grow

The children are excited to observe

How the fruit matures everyday

perfectly at their eye level.

The flower has now been cut off

and devoured in a stir fry.

We continue to wait for the fruits to ripen.

Budding Artist

Last week,

I was very impressed with the colourful creations by the students

in Em's school.

Beadwork, collages using different materials,

paintings, sketches and printing.

A very colourful art exhibition indeed.

This is Em's collage, showing traditional craft of Maldives.

The brown one is a raa ban'dhi,

which is a container made out of coconut shell and rope

and used by toddy tappers.

Em used pencil sharpenings and pieces of rope to make that.

The red one is a lacquer vase.

She used red cloth,

some small black seeds and gold ribbons for it.

They are both placed on a piece of mat

and surrounded by a border of shells.

It was selected as one of the best ten pieces in her class.

My Super Handyman

Hero is a whizz at DIY jobs around the house.

And with his superhero powers,

he is so quick too :)

***

If only I had someone like that at work to fix my computer

which has crashed,

eating up all my work in the process.

EVERYTHING gone, just like that.

Family is Love

Collage by Em in 2006

In a second grade classroom last week,

students were telling each other about their families.

I was moving around the groups as they talked,

eavesdropping into their conversations.

These are some of the comments that grabbed my attention:

"Family is love.

A great big puffy cloud of pink

with my mum and my dad and me sitting on top of it."

"I am really lucky because I have two families.

I live with my mum and stepfather during the week

and with my dad and stepmother at the weekend.

I have double the fun."

"Family is all that matters.

Family is what makes you YOU."

A week gone past...

... and not a single post from me. Not a good start, after my break for the conference.

But with work commitments that require me to be elsewhere during evenings, and my mother-in-law staying with us (for the first time ever, and that too without H around, - which of course translates to me trying my best to impress her with my domestic skills), there is little me-time left in the day.

I've missed you all, and missed my time spent here.

Here's to new beginnings!

Letter writing

Em loves writing letters.

She is always writing me little notes

or making an envelope and 'posting' letters somewhere for her toys.

Last week Em and Hero were playing in the living room

when suddenly I heard them quarrelling about something.

A minute later, Hero was beside me in my room.

Not longer after that, a handmade envelope was pushed under the door.

It was addressed to:

James Victory.

The letter read:

To James,

I partly want to apologise to you, as I have partly made a mistake. The other part is that I am happy with my mistake. It means that I learn by making mistakes. By the way, I am having a party. Are you coming? Please send an answer.

Lots of love, Mary xox.

I read the letter to Hero, who immediately jumped up and ran out wanting to go to the party.

But he was firmly sent back by Em, who wanted an answer in writing.

Hero took out some paper for writing, and went out again, asking Em to help him write the letter.

The letter was written, and came under the door again, addressed to Mary Salsania. It read:

I want to come to Mary's party. I also want to apologise to you because I kept on arguing.

Lots of love,

James xox.

I'm back!

Helloooooo!!!

I've been away so long, there's so much catching up to do.

The conference went so smoothly;

everyone commented on how well organised it was.

So it was so worth all the long hours at work and sleepless nights.

I'll be along to your place soon to see what you have been up to in my absence.