Random thoughts

Recently I saw an advertisement claiming “ why choose when you can have all?” - simple sentence stroke lots of chords within me - I did not grow up like this - we always have to choose one and having all is more than a luxury and we blindly accepted it as well - may be I when I was younger I had regrets that  I did not get what I wanted but it always made me to appreciate what I had in my hands - but now if I look back having limited resources in my life helped me to appreciate and save better - but now this time a lot of things have changed so drastically - lots of choices and lots of opportunities and lots of resources to choose from - Is it good or bad ? As usual I ponder because no answer is good and my younger cousins claim these are how changes  will come from a period to period - what I ponder more is do we have heart to appreciate the enormous resources we use or not ?


And by the way my walking/jogging is more streamlined - am definitely happy

It's been 76 days I had written

Back to writing mode.....


This May unlike any other Mays in our home has been much calmer and quieter and less travelled.....But it has also got me to lots and lots of thinking.... Reading lots of blogs and listening to many TED talks probed me to self introspect....


On those lines, have made some  changes in habits that would help me more mentally - taking a hiatus from social groups, reading more, slowing down, increasing the time spent outdoors a little more, getting back to my dance class(which is yet to start)... Will write as my days unfolds....


Did my 5k today......


Closing with a picture........

Day 31

Its been almost more than a week I came here- Sick week followed by extremely busy week ......

Nature near home

Now the writing continues

Holi Celebration

After 10 days I started my usual walk- Today 5km legacy finished :-)

After a very longgggg time, I explored my watch to use it effectively and went to parlour to pamper myself- One of the best things that has happened in the recent past ;-)

Day 30

From Kalakshetra

Missed a day .....


We watched kannappar kuruvanji drama yesterday- a musical dance drama - bharatanatyam , a dance which has always mesmerised me , always a treat to watch :-) have always wished to watch such kind of musical feasts regularly but somehow I could not, but was very happy that I could make it and watch it - Being in Chennai, should not afford to miss these kind of shows 

I heard a TED talk where they told putting priorities like exercise as something like a broken tap in basement, which needs to be attended no matter you are busy or not- Was a very good talk, whenever I think of procrastinating, I am thinking on these lines and I managed to do my walk :-)

Day 29

Linking an old post 

https://ashasiva.blogspot.in/2008/02/flash-back.html

I still reminisce my collection of stamps and look at them and keep them safe :-) And now I share these stories with my son as well

Today I had a healthy bite of ulunthu  kazhi which is the most healthiest thing I did today for myself ;-)

An old photo of me

Day 28

Pic from Internet- Beautiful words from my favourite poet

Today pretty much my later part of the day did not go well- and I missed my walk today -All leading to a crappy mood :-(   But the sun rises again- Tomorrow will be a better      day :-) 

Reading aloud a book to my son is one of the good moments that I always cherish- Nowadays I don't read to him often as he himself is a voracious reader -But once in a while, picking a small fiction and reading it to him aloud and we both talking about it is definitely one of the pleasant memories I build with my son.

Day 27

I walked my 3 km today - A brisk walk indeed- People around me are inspiring me to run:-) Lets see -If I continue like this for another 10 days, I hope I will be in a better shape to run....

My bedside table

I met a good friend of mine after a very long time and casually had a chat during the walk. - It brings a good positive feel when you connect with people personally rather than connecting in a  virtual space  :-)

Day 26

A forward from my friend about gemini at work

This forward tells a lot about me and my relation with work :-)


I managed to do my 4 kms very briskly today:-)


Things at home and life going on pretty okay-  but everyday life throws at us lots of incidents- Some pretty boring , some to look forward to , some to just pass by:-)

Day 25

From Yoga class

I did my yoga today :-) More focus on breath :-)


A very eventful day- Attended an interesting talk where empowering children with responsibilities was discussed , visited a beautiful artisan market, finally met a person from whom I got few tops online and had to get it altered(but kept on procrastinating it for more than a month), had a thai dinner and got a beautiful pair of bangles :-)

Saturday was busy but its ok :-) busy in good terms :-)

Day 24

Missed a day - will try not to do :-)


Friday evening -lazy evening - cuddled under a quilt - watching programs aimlessly

Today I want to write about an interesting incident that happened yesterday- A little boy in the class who joined only this year just went out of the classroom, saw the drying stand, picked up few cloths from the stand, sat on a table, folded it and put it inside the cupboard and walked away- Such a beautiful undirected responsibility :-) makes me to reflect more about a prepared montessori environment.

Day 23

Picture from the past- Tulip garden from Central Park,NY

Today when I was coming back home, I stopped by to get flowers from my flower seller paati and she had lots of roses with stalks- I asked what is the price and she said 60 and its a valentine day :-) Years back I have been an active listener to lots of discussions , anecdotes , interesting proposal stories and used to wonder about all this- Will we ever get excited about a day ? Will we really feel the need to celebrate - Years have passed by and ages have rolled on - Many gestures from my husband like making sure I get out of kitchen at 6:30 am, making sure my plate for breakfast and other items are ready at the table, glass full of water and insisting me to drink even if I am in a rush and making sure I have my morning happy are what is Life made of  :-) I now know what to cherish :-)

Day-22

My personal notepad to jot down my thoughts

Today even though I was very tired and reluctant to go to work, I managed to gather myself and got ready to start- But the day was very eventful- A meeting which I had thought about and prepared in my head went well and my ideas and thoughts and concerns were discussed positively :-) - And a few positive ideas and observations were shared in an another meeting with me which made me to look things with more positivity :-)


Not binged on anything as well no walking today- But did a vazhaipoo vadai for my snack which itself is a healthy option.

Day-21

After a long day just lying down in the swing and moving to and fro, doing nothing is a bliss though affordable only for 15 minutes ;-)

I did yoga :-)

Well the week has started and let’s see

Day 20

Pelican foraging in its habitat

A busy morning, a well relaxed afternoon, a brisk evening is all today was. Looking forward to the next week for a few reasons :-)

Yay!! I walked 5 km and also have lost a 1kg :-) This makes the day even more better :-)

Day 19

Birds near our home

Today we went to watch few birds near our home and had a quality time- From not knowing a bird other than a crow(thanks to a friend of mine who instilled this interest in me and took pain to show me how to watch birds), today we saw many birds and were able to identify on our own and talk about it among ourselves :-)  Thanks my friend cum colleague for sharing your interest with me which has become a part of us :-)

After a healthy breakfast, the day started well and I manage to do all unfinished pending tasks :-) Tomorrow will be better. -

After a break of two days, I walked 3 km today :-)

Day-18

Late  by a day but am going to give excuse for Fridays to myself 

  Photo wall from my home - a blend of old and oldest memories 

I wore a beautiful pink saree yesterday gifted by my mother - wherever she goes if she finds anything beautiful and small and intricate and elegant she buys to gift it for me :-) she and my dad always have a very good taste :-) 

Day-17

Yoga doodle of aasnas by eshvar for his notebook - like his doodle idea

I used to often pick up water lilies from a pond nearby my home on my way to work- the auto Anna would patiently wait for me to pick it up and come - and few other days I would take two or three flowers from my home to arrange them in a vase - today when I was coming down from lift I remembered that I forgot to take a few flowers - but when I got in the auto , the Anna had already picked up the lilies as he had come little early to my home and lilies were near the road side - such a lovely gesture by him :-) 

Day-16

Photo taken at eshvar’s Yoga class - very true


Managed to do my yoga today 


Today morning on my way to work , I read an essay titled ‘the flow of learning and teaching - through forty years as a teacher ‘  - she has written about what sustained her to continue and make a change - she has talked about distance as well as engagement with children - she has talked about personal space for the teacher and enjoy the present moment and how teachers should be open to learning and be reflective and sustain The creative energy to work with children 

All in all a very positive and inspiring note to read - to reflect why I should sustain as a teacher 

Sometimes I forget to see the big picture and get Carried away by petty things - reading a note like this always reminds me the real reason I became a teacher. I also need to tell myself to talk less about day to day chores and wait calmly and observe the situation diligently rather than talking to each and every person about my feelings and thoughts -in fact We are such a Tiny minuscule in the galaxy that all these things don’t matter - being calm is an expensive habit to cultivate :-) 

Day-15

Once a week cleaning and setting up of lamp

I managed to do my walk today evening - A good start , nothing to complain about.


Today I think I did lots of listening- very interesting stories from skin of snakes to the shell of tortoise to sensorial comparison of things to describing a shirt  :-)

Day-14

Most of my days starts with this and ends with this - a very staple diet at my home :-)


A well packed routine day starts after a hectic travel weekend - so things are just getting back to Normal-loads and loads of laundry to be done - know what my weekend is going to be about - just got some veggies and fruits for the week to flow - so walking and yoga has all gone for a toss for last three days - hopefully back to my routine from tomorrow :-) but I ate consciously today which is always GOOD :-) 

Day-13

I know am late by a day but that’s ok - given the excuse I was travelling back ;-) 

Weddings are fun to watch and enjoy and talk - especially the weddings where the bride and bridegroom  and respective families are cool about everything :-) 

A treatful Sunday to watch for eyes:-) 

And an opportunity for my son to know my paternal cousins and their second generation and to play with :-) 

Day 12

On our way to bengalooru for a wedding 

I ate consciously today avoided snacks and sweets.

Meeting my paternal cousins after a long time  and talking to my Appa’s cousins was The best thing of today . 

Day 11

Yesterday was so busy but that’s ok - though late by a day but did not  want to break my habit to write 


Lots of planning and working in the Friday night as I am travelling this weekend for a wedding . 

The day didn’t go well- from morning , the rice got burnt while boiling to me spilling a cup of hot coffee on my saree and so one thing led to other and I was  running against time to be on time to school - I was anxious and angry when I started to school but took a deep breath , calm down - but actually things were much better throughout the later part of the day -in the night when we retrospect I did not like the way I reacted in the morning but we always learn and there is always a hope of sunshine for the next day to be a better human being 

Small doodles that I enjoy to do 

Day 10

We had a meeting with Eshvar’s teacher today and all I heard was he is a happy and cheerful boy, ready to help his friends and children younger to him - comes forward to help whoever may be - super glad mom :-) and she  also discussed about how to demonstrate to  our children  to live a simple life without any extravaganza and cherish simplicity. Simplicity is always beautiful and hassle free both physically  and emotionally  - a great thought to think about consciously every time when we are with our children :-) 

A photo from past 

Day 9

Water lillies from my neighbourhood pond :-)


Today I enjoyed lunar eclipse, without doing my routine to walk , but that's okay I guess  :-)

Day 8

The corn and capsicum salad which eshvar has done in his school and wants to replicate his exact recipe ;-) no more no less :-) 

After a long day to go for a brisk walk is the most difficult  thing  to do but I made up my mind and walked at least 3 km today and tracking food is helping and alarms me also ;-)

Had my cheat food of two mysorepaks- when I think of today that’s the best thing that has happened :-) 

Day 7

Night walk in our neighbourhood 


Today I managed to walk 3km only 

 Looking at the picture and our neighbourhood it has definitely grown from a deserted neighbourhood to a lively place - we used to wonder if our move to this place was really a good decision but now I don’t have second thoughts - fear was something in my head - whatever I worried in my head did not  happen - so facing fear is better rather than dreading about it :-) 

Day 6

This is the tapioca adai which I tried today- was delicious :-). 

I was able to accomplish lots and lots of small tasks that I had left undone for months - from filling petroleum in bike to taking copies of my personal data to driving my car till adyar - all in all a well spent Sunday and all geared up for next week !!!
And oh yeah I managed to walk my 5 Km today 

Day 5

Today we cycled 10 Km to the new location  of Eshvar’s school. It is a very silent and serene area with trees all round and various birds flying. The buildings are looking promising and I hope  Eshvar will have a nice memorable time here. I am glad that they retained all the existing trees in the location and planned their buildings around them.

Day 4

Kolam for today :-) 





I walked 5kms today :-) 


An interesting incident happened today - A boy has inspired Eshvar to do a DIY cloth parachute from his classroom - when he is self inspired, he always amazes me with the amount of uninterrupted efforts to do it and at the same time involve his friends to work with him - he has got the instructions very clearly from his friend and today’s afternoon was so interesting that we did a small parachute and flew it from our balcony. That’s how we celebrated our republic day :-)

Day 3

Our daily long ride to and fro from school:-) 

Could not go for my walk today - :-( 

A calm peaceful afternoon today without any interruptions to do my work - was able to concentrate and set up very peacefully with lots of thoughts reminiscing my olden learning days which I experienced few years back 

Today I mentally prepared myself and visualized my mornings and started . Sometimes it works :-) 

Day 2

I managed to do my 5 km walk today 


Though I try to start my day with a positive note it’s back to square one when my day ends but that’s not the reasons to quit - it means you have try little harder ;-) 


Out of all the things that happened today something positive to carry to your head and ponder about - A small interesting  anecdote shared with me which I am writing here 

At age of 35 predicting another 40 years to live, keeping a marble aside for every month of our life we have at least 480 marbles in our stock - now life is all about how we care to preserve them and create good memories or throw them whimsically :-)


And today was one of the days I managed to go out with my friend have a heart to heart chat with my friend for more than an hour and laugh over the silly jokes and share and empathize for each other - conversations are definitely a mood lifter :-) 

100 days - Day 1

Changes are inevitable 
It’s always how you handle it that matters 
And for me life has thrown a change every now and then 
I have learnt to let go off a few things and sail in the tide 

This time somehow I am too clingy and paranoid to accept the change and let go off a few things 

I usually don’t like this negative aura around me 

Either I work harder and try to change it or accept it 

But this letting to go is hard than I can ever imagine 

So I want to try this - always believe simple changes help us to see ourselves and things around is better.

For next 100 days I am going to write a brief note everyday 

A picture from my life
A simple step for my healthy body
A simple positive thing that I observed for my healthy mind 

Today I managed to do my yoga in the morning 

I witnessed a beautifully enacted  play by a group of elementary children today . The children carried themselves very well. I always like the people who work back stage and try to observe little nuances they do for the drama to go well before the audience -  and today I managed to observe the way the props team took care to adjust the microphones before  the start and the ushering team stacked the chairs once the play was over - all these were taken care of independently by children - yes of course with lots of preparation before the play . The amount of self responsibility  they carry when they  are given a Environment  does always give a hope that responsible children can form a responsible society:-)