Friday, April 26, 2019

Tiffin Tales 100

Hola...

Yay, its my 100th post today...Well, the journey of jotting down started a few years back, but down the line I lost a bit of momentum due lack of time. My babies took out every bit of my energy and time and I found it a bit hard to write. Now that they are mobile and willing to do some of their tasks I get 'some' time to come back to this love of mine.

So today I will be just focussing on my writing journey. With years I have made lots of memories along with experiences. We all like to cherish good memories and avoid remembering the ugly ones but in a subtle way they teach us lessons which we remember them in a way. Everything happens for a reason, they say but lets cherish the present moments so that I have lots to share in my coming years.

Talking about memories I can say about this week. A sweet little girl I met in the park a couple of days ago. The child was around 5 years of age and had the most gorgeous eyes. Even though I met her for the first time, I didn't feel like. She seemed to be too friendly and her mother confessed that she isn't friendly with everyone. She seems to have known me and the hugs she gave were pure love. I played with her for quite some time and she was reluctant to go. So i continued to play for some more time. The only sad part of this story is that the family was leaving the state over the weekend. I felt a tad sad. How I wish I had taken a couple of pictures with her with her mom's permission. I couldn't visit the park after that due to weather conditions but I somehow missed that pretty girl. Every child is adorable but somehow her smile stuck with me. I wish she grows up to be a good human being and be always blessed. This was my special memory of this week.

As it's my century post tonight I am planning to make a nice dessert. I still have to decide but I will share with you all. You all will be in my thoughts though.

Enjoy your weekend..

Tuesday, April 23, 2019

Tiffin Tales 99

Hola...

I am still shaking with the news thats going all over the world. So many innocent people have lost their lives at prayer place, something I am still trying to come to terms. In the past one week , the world changed so much.

We were looking forward to the Easter weekend break due to various reasons. We were waiting to meet one of our old friend after a few years and hence we were excited. We were invited for actually two celebrations and the kids were elated. But the news of Sunday morning changed so many feelings and my emotions since then have been quite tumultuous.

We all love our festivals and festive time and such a tragedy is beyond our imagination. We ourselves have put questions on humanity and have stooped so low. The innocent people who were completely unaware of such a catastrophe shakes up my entire faith. The ones who survived do not know whether they will ever be able to lead a completely normal life. The barrenness of their minds and heart will only crave for death.

Until Saturday I was enjoying my friends visit and the weather. Sunday morning bartered my heart. My heart and thoughts go out for those innocent people who are perhaps till numb with pain. May the time heal your wounds with love. My prayers are with you all..

I am still upset and hence skipping today discussing about lunch box. I hope and pray you all lead a healthy life surrounded by love...

Tuesday, April 16, 2019

Tiffin Tales 98

Hola..

Subho Noboborsho or Happy Bengali New Year..

It was celebrated yesterday by all the Bengali's all over the globe. This day is also know as 'Poila Baisakh' of the first day of the month Baisaikh. A new calendar year starts on this day and we seek blessings from the Almighty and the elders of the family.

I learnt a bit from my grandmother and she told us this. One day Emperor Akbar called his astronomer Fatullah Shrazi to create a combinative calendar between Lunar Islamic calendar and Solar Hindu Calendar. So he came up with a name 'Fasal I shann.  which means a year of good harvests. Gradually people started to adopt this thinking it will bring them a year full of good harvests and prosperity. Over the years this day gained more popularity and the Bengali calendar year bulged up.

This day the shopkeepers close all their previous credit accounts and start new registers. Goddess Ganesh and Lakshmi are worshipped and Bengali's feast on various delicacies. I have very fond memories of my growing years growing up amidst the festivities. New calendar neatly rolled with the help of a rubber band would be given to all the store customers. I remember me and my brother would wait for those calendars to check who had the better images and could hang that in front of our study table. I still have a calendar in my house even we use the phone to make appointments or check the dates.

I still follow the small rituals on the day even though nothing elaborate . I worship, make a good meal and call my family and relatives to seek their blessings. They cannot touch my head to bless me but their exciting voices are enough to comfort me that their love and blessings are always with me.

This morning My S wasn't interested in taking lunch. He wanted salad. So I made him a simple chicken salad with a simple dressing. I packed it cautiously so that the dressing doesn't mess up his lunch box. The snack box had a banana and a few strawberries and yoghurt..

Enjoy the day and most importantly enjoy the moments.

Friday, April 12, 2019

Tiffin Tales 97

Hola....

It's Friday again and most of us are thanking the universe probably. The weather played such a damper after those two bright days. The temperatures dropped down more than expected and we have wrapped ourselves again. This morning my S refused to go to school saying its winter again and I faked about spring. Poor him. I had to explain him that weather conditions change very quickly here and hopefully we should be back to spring weather soon.

This week we received a disturbing news. A friend of mine was discussing the other day that one of her neighbors had to go out of town along with his family. They had to take a flight for a couple of days owing to so function. As we all do, they got themselves a cab from their home to the airport instead of driving themselves. Now the twist is the cab driver apparently appeared to be a helpful and smiling guy who had a friendly chat all along to the airport. The family thanked him and payed him tip too for all the extra help with their luggage handling. When they received their destination and turned their phones on they were surprised to see a lot of missed calls from their neighbor friends. They hastily called and were flabbergasted with what they heard. The cab driver who picked them from their and dropped them at the airport went straight to their home to break their door with the intention of burglary. Some one suspected and it seems their house alarms went on too. This caused a panic and soon people realized something dubious. The man got caught. The family went almost benumbed thinking about the driver with whom they chatted a couple of hours back. It was both shocking and startling for them.

When I came to know I wondered how low we can go these days. We fake everything. Trusting is more complicated than raising children. We all have friends, some real, some virtual yet we don't know whom to trust. The family was sure to be shaken by this incident. Every time I learn about things like this I question myself, where are we heading towards? It shakes my beliefs and makes me question about humanity. It doesn't make me angry but makes me feel pitiable towards my surroundings where I cannot confide in anyone.

I hate to share these stories with my S but I still try to make him aware of the surroundings. I always ask him to smile more and trust less. Life is full of surprises but I always advice him to enjoy the pleasant ones and leave the ugly ones behind. Learn from them but do not carry them with you. Its Friday and it's pizza day for my S. His snack box had a banana, some slices of pears and a piece of small cake.

Enjoy your weekend folks and please spread more positivity around you.The world badly needs it...

Tuesday, April 9, 2019

Tiffin Tales 96

Holaaaaa...


I cannot contain my happiness because its a sunny day too. The warm rays and some gentle breeze is firing up everyone's spirits. Spring is here or should i say summer is almost here. This morning as i moved the curtains, I felt the first rays of sun hugged me to wish me good morning. Sunny days are mood lifters for sure. All through out the day I worked so much without an iota of dilatoriness.

I do not have any story or emotions to share today. All I can say or rather I want to soak up all the sun and spread sunshine wherever I go. A good weather is such a mood uplifter I must say. The past few weeks have been so full of heaviness and faineance that I strongly needed this dosage of sun shine. A light breakfast, tons of work, playtime with the kids at the park and tired feet. It's time to hit the bed with saying some words of gratitude for the wonderful time.

This morning I made mixed rice with vegetables and some paneer slices. I drizzled with some butter and he has happy to carry it. The snack box had some fruit slices, yoghurt and a small piece of wafer. I hope you all enjoy your present state  and if not hang in there for the dark winter nights do not stay for ever...

Monday, April 8, 2019

Tiffin Tales 95

Hola...

Friends, how are you all doing? Spring or summer, I am sure a new weather has slowly stepped in bringing a change in our attires and moods. I went in to a small hiatus from blogging and now I am back. The weather change hit me quite badly and I was quite affected. It took me a couple of days to be the real me and then I had to fight the germs for my children too.  The poor ones were knocked down too and as a mother I was fighting their germs and constantly soothing their abysmal moods.

When the germs left the spring vacation came. The clocks changed and we started to get more of daylight. It seemed as if we woke up from a deep winter slumber to welcome the spring sun. The break was appreciated by all. Children woke up later than the usual mornings and evenings were spent at the parks. Its still the season to wear the hoodies and light sweaters yet this weather is always delectable. During the break we went in and around our area and explored some new places and cuisine.

The break has certainly stimulated and reinvigorated us and now I am looking forward to the summer break. This morning its been a nice spring morning with the sun shining warmly and my children smiling to make my day brighter. My S wanted to have some chicken rice for his lunch and I made it. He usually eats less and making in lesser quantities is an art which I  have learnt over the years. I have numerous episodes of making in large quantities and forcefully having it myself. I still do go over board at times but the measurements are now better registered. His snack had a few apple slices and some strawberries and a small pack of yoghurt.

I hope to be more regular now and catch you all soon...