Have I hit the wall?

Well well well what do you know? I have reached the mid point of my blogathon! It has been tough, more the thoughts part than the time part while when I started I thought it would be the other way round. But as I stand exactly mid way, I  wonder, have I hit the wall? 

A masterpiece

K is a brilliant cartoonist. He has many flattering caricatures of me. But this one  goes into the hall of fame :) 

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Can I be smug?

I know, it is not a good thing to be so. I feel embarrassed. But then what else did I have to write about today? :(

So let me brag about a bit. Well.... ahem... I am back to my pre-preg weight. I Knooooooooooo amazinggggggg naaaa??? (I know the male readers (if any) might be thinking yea auratein.)

Well it was a real tough journey. As in, I ate with abandon when  I was expecting - the main culprits being chocolate muffins, carrot cakes, pizzas and parathe. Reflections even did voice a mild warning stating tires don't disappear magically. But then who heeds to good advice? So there I went on a rampage like a kid in a candy store and one fine day stood 20 kilos over weight. Staggering? Yep.

I read uplifting words - 9 months to get there, 9 months to shed it. There was advice against starting on an exercise regime very early. Plus there was the added clause of keeping the energy levels up to take care of the lil one.  With the way things were going, I was sure, I was gonna be stuck with this new me :( But suddenly something hit me - I was like, why give up without a fight? Come on one day I want my daughter to  be proud of me. Thinking this I embarked on my exercise regime .

This had my favorite step ups where I climbed stairs for 20 odd mins. If time permitted I would do it twice a day too. As I would see my sorry self climbing up and down the stairs I used to think if Andy Dufrense could make his way out in Shawshank Redemption what is this mere 20 kg(talk about getting inspired :D ) I used to add up some yoga and walks. I got on heavily into calorie counting using myfitnesspal. As I was on my way my dear friend Sam suggested green tea. God was with me and it seemed to work for me though I have met many nay Sayers.

K was always with me in his supportive best. Bless him. He would take care if Chiyaa as I went for step ups. He also got on to using the calorie counter . He was cautious of my diet all the time keeping a steady eye. He forced me to re-join swimming more as an activity I enjoyed rather than yet another exercise. He encouraged me to shed the maternity wear as I shed pounds. He scolded me like crazy if I felt bad about the way I looked. The journey would not be the same but for him. Of course there was roomie dear whose words pepped me to no end.

Gosssshhh this is sounding more and more like an Oscar speech! So on the same line I would also like to thank Aishwarya Rai Bachchan who helped take the limelight off many hapless moms like me :) good luck to you lady :).  

The final installment

of my vacation reverie.

Well once back in Chennai it was just a new set of packing and re-packing again. This time, the munchkin's stuff was a lion's share of the luggage - there were gifts, clothes, toys, it was an avalanche of pink :)

On the day of our return flight Chennai was hit by Nilam. There were rains and power cuts and all the anxiety that follows untoward climate. K kept making calls to the airlines and giving point to point updates (which in my honest opinion was of no use ;)) There was a lot of enthusiasm about a ship which had come ashore.People flocked the terrace of our building to catch a glimpse. K took this shot from his camera. Kids were very excited to see the life boats approaching. We even saw a few distress flares being let out into the sky. 

Though later it was pretty sad to know that it was the ill fated vessel Pratibha Cauvery. Little did we know then as we stood on the terrace being blown by the wind.

Somehow by the evening things started to mellow down. There is a temple of Lord Ganesha in Besant Nagar which I like a lot. I had plans to go there but somehow could not make it all the while. As things were piping down I asked K if we could make it and he willingly agreed. The temple was empty and there was the diets in all his resplendent glory ! It was as if He was waiting for us. It was very surreal to be on His presence

Once home we did the remaining packing and wistfully looked back at a stupendous trip!

Sunday's highlights yet again

Continuing my series on Sunday's highlights here comes another one :) 

Yesterday was not so much of a fun day and I had to literally pull out these 4 events. But once having done that, I felt yesterday wasn't too bad after all :) 

• Got a real sweet message from a friend with updates of his daughter. She is just 10 days elder to Chiyaa and we keep texting each other of our progress err.. rather our daughter's progress :) 
• Had a scrumptious Sunday breakfast - na na nothing elaborate cooked by yours truly. It is just  a tradition we follow - coffee, maggi noodles and omlette :)  every Sunday :)
• Managed to watch the movie Argo inspite of zillion and one distractions from the naughty 9 month old
• Ordered and Indian takeaway (we both eat to beat the blues :P ) so much so that we were uneasy after having hogged like that. 

Today's accomplishment

I know not fair putting a pic of a baby in the name of a post but she reminded me of tele tubbies!

Ab aaj ki baat

Let me take a break from my Yaadoin ki baraat and come back to the present for a while. 

Today was brilliant! Because today we had a photo shoot !! Yeppie. When Chiyaa was barely 4 odd weeks old, we had on a sudden spur and by virtue of amazing marketing skills of the salesperson had purchased coupon for a photo shoot for the three of us. I had somehow asked the lady to extend the validity of the same till the time she might be able to sit. The voucher lay in one of the many 'unclaimed' stuff zone, when one day I decided to take some action on  it. So I went ahead and booked an appointment. Today was the day.

We made some cursory plans as to what we were going to wear - one was an all denims look with parents and kiddo decked in jeans. The other was full on Indian with K donning a kurta pyjama, Chiyaa in ghagra (God did she look splendid!) and me in salwar kamez. The third look was 'just casuals' :) The photographer was a very charming fellow who was all encouraging of our choice and color of clothes and fabrics (I don't know whether he was just being patronizing to make us comfortable :D, but who minds compliments even they are not meant :P ) The session was good fun with we being encouraged to play around with the little one. We were made to tickle her and play lots with her which was super fun. One hour, the kid behaved like an angel and was all smiles. After which she started getting tired and sleepy and fussy. The photographer was again all praises for her cooperation.(I am so proud of the lil one! I know all moms are proud of their babies aint they  :) )

Chiyaa slept off blissfully in the pram which gave us the chance to grab a nice cuppa coffee and some sandwiches. It was real nice just sitting in the coffee shop with K - silence and coffee... mmm.. .nice :) We also had plans to buy a tv! Yea yea the techno freak hubby wants a Biiiiiiiig one for a 'better gaming experience'. We booked the tv and it was time for mommy shopping. I got K's share of my bday gift ;) a coat :) Then the 4 o clock showers started and we scooted home. Back home I prepared a meal which thankfully was to K's liking. And as we zeroed in on the movie Aiyya to watch for time pass - I remembered arreeee aaj kaa possssst!!!! Hence this utterly hurried in post.

Ignore any typosssss pleaseeeeeeee

Week without K

K left for Chennai leaving Chiyaa and me to be at BBSR. He was to enjoy 'bachelor-hood' for a week, while I was to savor all the pampering I could at my maika.

There were invitations to visit left right and center. The food that was laid was simply to die for. One of my Chachi ji even made pani puri  as a starter knowing my undying love for the dish. There was a dahi bara aloo dum party which was a rocking hit. I hosted a lunch (rather invited to a hotel) for my cousins. We ate like famished pigs. Literally for 2 hours, we just kept on eating. We made a trip to my maternal granny's house which was a very lively day. I am always amazed at how much emotion a baby can evoke. People in their seventies start bouncing and jumping around. Bless them! 

Every single day at BBSR was made up of family, food and fun. There was no end to it. Chiyaa was carried on shoulders, bumped around and she also fully participated in all the action. She was so eager to play that she would barely touch food. It was a real challenge to make her eat! But then we used to join forces and somehow make her have something. 

Like all good things, the stay at BBSR drew to a close. We started wrapping up things. With Chiyaa around, the whole aura of gloom that descends over me when I leave BBSR was not there. Her chores kept our minds off the fact that soon the time to bid goodbye would come over. And that time came :( With all its heaviness. It was a nauseating feeling. Papa was too emotional and could not restrain his tears. Mummy was more practical assuring everyone. But I know she was being cut into half inside. As we walked towards the departure terminal I looked back once at my family, their faces wretched with grief. It was a strangulating feeling. 

I thank God for K beside me which made the tears stop way sooner. One wonderful, surreal, ethereal leg of the vacation was over. Memories were all I could carry.

Now day 2?

Day 1 at BBSR was a buzz. It came and went filled with lively chatter, tasty food and of course the hullabaloo around Chiyaa. The next day my parents were hosting a get together of close family and friends to 'show off' the new baby :) By my parents's standards, close family and friends ended up being - err- 200 :D

The day started early with my Aai (which is maternal grandma in Odia) coming over. Now she was the Super Aai now, being promoted to the stature of great grandmother :) She was beside herself with joy on seeing the little one. Pity she did not have much energy to carry her, but I could see the joy with which she followed the little one with her eyes. People kept coming and going and Chiyaa was perfect celebrity. She went to everyone, no qualms at all,even pulled a few chains of some aunties and specs of some uncles. She was at her gregarious best. The person I was waiting to meet was my dear hum-naam Amrita :)  She is a blogger whom I follow since forever. Lately my sis kept raving about a 'friend' Amrita. And I was like kaun hai yea ladki. She went on to give some details, and I was like ting ting ti ting. Rings a bell! I asked if she writes blogs and sis said,  yea she does, keeps sending me links which I read sometimes :P Then I happened to check her profile on Facebook and there it was - her blog url blinking at me. I was like yeayyyyyyyyyyy Sherlockkkkk!!! So we became friends on the ubiquitous FB and the rest  as they say is history :)

It was real nice of her to come over, even though she had a flight to catch. (Yes really) The din continued and little did we realise that it was 1600 already and we were yet to have lunch! We scampered and had the fare - pulao, mixed veg, chutney, aloo gobi, malpua, rasgulla, gulab jamun, pakode. Shuddh Odia khana! So hearty. Mere to aansoo aa gaye! 

Towards the evening there were only a few close family members remaining. That's when my best friend Sam called over, that she could drop by in another hour. Sam is my sounding board. Our friendship if I choose to quantify it - is 17 years old. But there is nothing in that number. It fails to exemplify how precious a person she is. (I don't have much friends :( There are only 4 people I liberally associate with that word. It is a very niche term for me :)  ) Anyways, she happened to be in town that day. In fact she had a trip to another city, but she made sure she came over with her mom. Now how splendid is that! We could not actually have our jibber jabber - but that she came, that I could see her after 3 years just made my day. Seeing her mom, awakened all those old memories of school. Aah nostalgia!

Sam and aunty had dinner, after which they rushed back. K was to start the next day back to Chennai, leaving me and Munchkin to lavish in all the glory at BBSR. We had no idea what a week lay ahead!

Now this one is easy :)

In my last post I waxed eloquent of the pani puris in Orissa. Now how about a glimpse of heaven?

The set up

Hard at work

Ufffffff

Bring em onnnnnnn

Aaj to sach main dimaag ek dum khaali tha

Like seriously. Generally there is some budding thought but today I am at a complete total utter loss as to what to write.

After a lot of thought I realised I am yet to complete my chronicles of the India trip. Hmmmm so where was I ? I did write about the initial bits. Now for my fav part - BBSR!

As soon as we landed I could not wait for the baggage to come - for I could see my dad eagerly waiting at the entrance. I grabbed the munchkin and rushed out. He held Chiyaa and hugged her. I was so touched I nearly had tears. I know my dad has a lot of fondness for daughters and having a grand daughter he has become very emotive. Earlier I have always seen his stern disciplinarian self. But since Chiyaa I have seen the self that sneaks upon my sisters iPhone to check videos of the baby, the not so computer savvy person who keeps pestering everyone to log onto Skype and the one who keeps asking for updates on Chumki every now and then. Yea he calls her Chumki and I think that name is going to stay :)

Stepping into home was aahh!!! Home! Period. The pictures of lord Ganesha adorning the stairway, the handicrafts mats on the floor and the general air of the hard work mom puts in everyday to maintain it just fills me with joy and satisfaction. Once a bit refreshed sis took the onus of lunch. We got ordering like crazy from a local takeaway. The food was simply awesome but we were looking forward to the evening when we would make the haloed trip forrrrrrr pani puri!!! Woo hooo!!

Now I am a pani puri connoisseur. I have had it across the length and breadth of India and reached the conclusion that the awesome-st yummie-st divine-est and just out-of-the-world-est happen to be in Orissa ! ( Call me chauvinistic and yes you have full rights to disagree and you may even tout your state's fare as the best)

We made a trek to the place that sells the best pani puris in the world. I could write poems about them, I could wash the feet of the vendors, I could build statues of them or I could just keep on eating them. One crunchy puri filled with spicy potato filling dipped in the sour n spicy tamarind water - zannat kahin hai to yehin hai yehin hai yehin hai.

We scooted home and retired quickly for the next day would be long.

I wanted to try this too

I had read some where about a lady who wrote about 4 good things that happened in a day for a month. Again as always I wished to try that too. Now what better opportunity than this blog-athon.

These are Sunday's highlights : -

• It was brilliantly sunny !
• Had superbly tasty chicken biriyani at a friend's place by virtue if an impromptu invitation
• Tried a new venture today ( details on it in another post :) )
• And K told he needed 4 hours at work but came back in 1.5 woo hooo!!!

Lemme try this

I am generally a bundle of thoughts. There is some chain of thought or the other running through my mind. Fed up with these voices in my head, I think I started blogging. And now I have even taken up this err.. blog-athon. 

Now I suddenly see thoughts vanishing. Come onnnnnn! Don't give up on me now!!! I was wondering if I could post my din-charya (too lame), my kiddos din-charya (uh ho.... ) or menus I cooked or..... Urgh. Then I just stumbled upon this - why don't I write a movie review.  I have not done that in this space. I am very critical of movies and mostly I end up strongly disliking movies that are popular. Dark Knight Rises, Kahaani, Vicky Donor for instance.I whole heartedly enjoy the Bol Bachchans, RA.One and We Bought A Zoo though. Weird - yep.

Now coming to the movie I watched - it was English Vinglish. Hmmmm.... !!!SPOILER ALERTTTT!!!

I don't think I can sufficiently review the movie without spilling some beans :( 

Ok here goes --

• What's with learning English in New York. What about Rapidex English Speaking Course, Veta, British Academy for English Language?
• Completely beats me that a woman who could not order a cuppa coffee in a roadside restaurant ends up taking a subway to her classes.
• She was a superb mom and stuff, but I think she really forgot to teach her daughter some manner. Ek laafa lagane ka tha and she would be proper grounded.
• Why did she have a bone to pick with her hubby all the time? As in seriously when he hugs her goodbye at the airport, she retracts as if he has a contagious ailment. And this was the woman complaining about not being hugged. Duh!
• The mild romantic angle with guess who - a French. Yawn! Come on are we done with stereotyping here?
• She was going to English classes only not pole dancing. The need for keeping it under cover was?!!
• Wearing the over coat only after placing an order in full English. Hmm why may I ask?

These were the bits that were so jarring, that I felt like Hmpf! But then overall - I did not feel like running away :) I really appreciate these movies with a female protagonist, after Kahaani this again was one which hinges on the central female character. Way to go Bollywood! 

Well... that's how my thoughts are on movies. :) Totally off the mark.

Now comes the tough part

I had heard/read somewhere - the start is easy, its the continuation that is tough, especially the second day. I feel truer words have not been said. Be it anything - a study routine, a diet, morning walk, saying a prayer - the first day is done with such band baaja. With a sure shot hope that, everyday is going to be like this. I am going to study like this and complete all chapters and even have time for revision this exam. Nevaaa evaaa happenedddd in mah lifeeeee - revision karke exam likhne ki feeling kya hoti hai aaj tak nehi pata mujhe. I hope I get to write some exam in my life where I would have revised.  Amen to that :) This just gives me a cheeky feeling to brag a bit about myself. I always wished I would get 100 in an exam - always. There were many bright brains in my class who would bag a 100 as if it was some random number. But for me, it was always like 70 is brilliant! But then finally in my ripe old age, I wrote a certification. This one to be precise -->. And I got a 100!! Ahemmmmmm! Once it was over, all I was thinking about was getting to work. But then my manager made my day saying - 100!! Many people never get to see that. I was like yayyyyyyyyyyy yippppeeeeeee!!!

Anyways let me stop basking in long forgone glories. Same is the story about diet plans with me. I am not a proponent of dieting. I feel eating is one of the simplest pleasures of life. Just like sleeping! But then sometimes, my comfort eating goes a bit over board. I again derive comfort from the simplest of foods - tea and biscuits. Yep. I know empty calories and lots of calories. But what joy in breaking a nice crisp biscuit into 2 and dipping it in a hot mug of tea and savouring the soggy sweetness. Hmmm.... Thank God I just had a huge jug of tea else I would have left this post mid way and run to the stove. Back to my ramblings - to keep my inane cravings under a limit, I decide upon diet plans - which I start with alarming alacrity but somehow see my resolve shaking by day 2 (bas 2 biscuit main kaise guzaara hoga? Ek aur basssssss ek aur )

Morning walks,exercises,the  less said the better. I keep making and breaking schedules at break neck speed :) I was having similar doubts to this blog-athon that I picked up. Day 2, second blog, hoga ki nehi? But lagta hai this is one speed breaker handled :) 

Lets see number three :D

Hope this counts

I love something about marathons. I think I love the triumph of human endurance. Have always wanted to try one, got ample opportunities to, but always chickened out in the end. Run Fatboy Run brought me this close to try and run one - but then me being me, ahem *puk puk puk puk pukaaa* (To be read in chicken tone) 

  

I also love the blog of Reflections. I have been reading her, since God knows when. I have been on and off, but always a follower. So I read about this blog-athon (hope its correct :S) where ones gotta post a blog every single day - not forever - for 30 days. If you look at the face of it, does not sound so difficult  right. (Its like only 30 and not 300) . You never know till you do it - much like running a marathon.It seems easy on the face of it, you just have to run - no one expects you to win or anything,just keep running and reach the finish line. So lets see, if I am able  to keep up these 30 days, I might as well some day run! 

I wanted to start up yesterday, as in 15th November would have been cool to start. Middle of the month and stuff. But then lost track of time. So is this morning shows the day sorta thing? There might be more days, when I loose track of time, or simply have no thoughts to post!! That will make me a quitter :( But then, lets take the first step and see to it.

So ready set go........... This is the first post and there are 29 more to follow! *Shudders*

Diwali waali post

Well, this is becoming a ritual now, much like my favorite festival :) 

This Diwali was so ultimately special - being the first with the lil one! I could not feel the approach of the festival so much this year, cos I was a bit tied down by chores involving the baby. Since we returned from a vacation in India just 10 days back, I was in the re-alignment phase as well. But things kick started on Saturday when K announced the elaborate menu being prepared at sil's house. That made me realize that Diwali was just round the corner. I had the usual rangoli and diya designs planned. Yea if you may remember I nearly set the house on fire last year :P So this year lights were strictly prohibited. But me being the stubborn one sneakily got some candles from the local store. (Chance lene main kya harz hai ;) )

I tried my hand at making besan barfi and kalakand. They came out pretty good. Condensed milk ho to life jhingalala :) We planned to go to an Indian restaurant for dinner. We had expected Chiyaa to sit and eat with us and had gone all prepared with baby food. But she chose to sleep off! You can never anticipate a baby's moves! She happily slept off on K's shoulder. Now I have become an expert 'feeder'. Making Chiyaa swallow portions of gooey fruits, vegetables and what have you, I embarked on the mission to feed K as well while he kept the kiddo. It was good fun and way easier :) 

Dinner done, Diwali over  :(  Pictures remain :) 

Besan Barfi

Kalakand

Decoration near deities

On the floor which I guarded fiercely from Chiyaa :) Today I let her destroy it and boy was she happy :)

With the ahem safer candles

Totally totally safeeeee this time :) 

Hope you all had a great Diwali too!!

First leg

Dummy me forgot to mention I am back in UK. These posts are a retrospect of the wonderful vacation. 

After nearly 20 hours of travel we finally reached Chennai.

A must sleep deprived Chiyaa went in a trance to her granny, which pleased granny to no end. But then a moment spoiler - the loud honk of a lorry! And she was surprised out of her wits and shrieked out! K took her back and consoled her.

Once home, she was most amused by the - ceiling fan! She had never seen one just as she had never heard a horn. She was placed in the middle of the room as mil and sil fussed over her. After some rest we were raring to go. It was much anticipated that Chiyaa would have a lot of stranger anxiety since she spent much of her time with me or K. Being surrounded by relatives would be totally new to her, and there were lots of doubts as to how she might behave. Somehow, she was very receptive of everyone which was a pleasant surprise. She went over to anyone who beckoned.  She formed an instant bond with K's grandpa. She did cry once or twice when she went to other relatives and acquaintances, but then that's normal :) On day 2 sadly she got a stuffy runny nose due to the change in surroundings.She was very mellow and would go over to anyone and rest on their shoulder. It was heart wrenching to see her breathing with difficulty.

We met up with K's friends who were kind enough to come over home. One had got kid, one had gotten married, one had lost weight! Sometimes how much changes over 2 years and sometimes nothing at all (Hai! Philosophical me :D ) Anyways catch up with friends is always pleasant :) 

There was lots of eating, we even had a wedding reception to attend. We savoured the most fantastic fare there. Wedding menus are always delish aint they? Even though in Tam-land I have observed, the wedding feast is much similar to what served at home, but still, the taste varies! Again Chiyaa was at her best behaviour, going to everyone, enjoying a cuddle there, a kiss here. She was especially pally with K's paternal uncle who I felt had a natural knack for kids. 

There were quite a few chores to be handled at home as well - K got busy sorting his financial stuff and I was occupied arranging my cupboards and all. My niece was also around and it was good fun to see Chiyaa and her play along. There were quite a few tantrums from the elder cousin when she felt that the baby was the centre of attention. :) The funniest altercation though was when K caught her hitting Chiyaa with a stuffed bunny! He reprimanded her, she denied she did it (the bunny did it duh! ) and what ensued was a long drawn fight between mama and bhanji. It finally got sorted by a fight between mama's bunny and Neetu's bunny :) Who won? Well its like the toffee coffee dilemma :D 

The week thankfully neither passed too fast nor too slow (we dreaded that the vacation would come to an end too soon) But what I was eagerly waiting for, was soon there. The wonderful Saturday of the 20th day of October, when we took the flight to Bhubaneswar. We had an early morning Indigo flight. The check in formalities were a total utter mess! The staff were asking queues to be formed on a totally ad hoc basis much to the annoyance of people already standing in the 'original' queues. There was just one counter open where they were allowing passengers of flights that were due the next day and the next month to also check in :P ! Then suddenly they realised passengers departing today should check in first and announced the same. What followed was pandemonium. By the time we reached the end of the queue, they announced BBSR seats were over. K joked we may need to stand and go.Moved from one counter to another to yet another, we finally managed to get seats :) though not together. One saving grace through the agonizing wait was we happened to meet a colleague of K's who was also with us in the UK for some time. I had a good time seeing pics of his 3 month old baby girl while poor K stood in queue :P 

We were again having our reservations as to how kiddo would react to yet another travel. She was shrieking in delight for some time, which was followed by crying in distress which was followed by zzzzzzzz. We too took the opportunity to catch 40 winks ;) At 10:15 we landed! Bhubaneswar! Home! Maika!! 

First flight

12th October seems so far away now. But that was the day all the shopping, packing, weighing, re-packing, re-weighing, check listing and all the zillions things associated with a much awaited travel ended in. Yes we were going to India!

The days before the vacation were jam packed for K. So much so, he was working till the wee morning hours many a days. I had Chiyaa to share my joys, my fears, my apprehensions, my anxieties and my uber excitement. Just the night before the trip, K started actually feeling the jitters. We were more worried about how the lil one would respond to such a long journey. At some point, he was also feeling sad for leaving Leeds. K has had much of life from Chennai. His previous trips abroad were of a shorter nature, where he never had the chance to gain a liking for the place where he was. But he has grown a fondness for the present place. He has friends, family, a work place he likes and avenues for entertainment he enjoys. (Touchwood) So he was feeling a bit ill at ease leaving the place after a gap  of 2 years and 8 months. I have somehow always felt the same about my vacations. I have spent most of my time outside my parent's place. So a vacation was always a trip to mom n dad. I would always be very excited about booking tickets and making the travel. But when the day would come, I would be sad and start missing the things in the place I was. I remember being in Hyderabad and the airport being a lil walk from my home (happy days!!) I used to drag my trolley and laptop bag and walk to the airport. All the while I would be missing my friends at work and my roomie dear! (Strange am I) Even at Chennai, I would get real senti about leaving for vacation, so much so, we would have extra tea at work to feel better :P So leaving Leeds for me, was an extension of all that I used to feel. But for K it was utterly new. It was real sweet to see this side of him ( and I got to see, I was nt the weirdo all this while, missing the place I was leaving :D )

For the first time in our lives, on the morning of 12/10, we awoke at the first ring of the alarm. No snoozing, no 'you wake up first'. Both up at the very first buzz. We got ready in a jiffy. I was texting my sis about the status - woke up - brushing- coffee - and the rest ;) Giving those point to point updates made me feel sooooo gooooooood.  :) It was as if I was inches from her! We got a very perplexed munchkin ready and then headed off to the train station. K did ask if I had packed something and got a sound hearing from me. Thats when I said my famous words - we are at the point of no return, whats packed is packed, whats not is not (Thank you thank you) . That shushed K :P 

Train journey was uneventful thankfully. Once at the airport, we had a mini scare. We were 10 steps away from the terminal and since K was carrying the luggage he had to take the lift. I was carrying Chiyaa and opted for the escalator. (God knows why :D :P ) It so happened that K ended up being in some other terminal! Now he had the trolley with all the stuff, including my hand bag which had my mobile and my wallet. I had ABSOLUTELY no way of contacting him. The only saving grace was we had time in hand. I knew in 2.5 hrs he would surely be in the correct terminal. Half an hour later, I was re-united with a very sweaty K :P

That done, we had the usual security check ins. Having a baby in hand, sped things a bit. All that and a duty free shopping spree later, we were comfortably seated in the flight.

Chiyaa was noisy, boisterous and very very active in the flight. It was quite a handful managing her. The seat next to us was taken by a lady with a 10 month old. Chiyaa had some good fun  playing with the kid. She even tried to jump from her bassinet to his! I was looking ruefully at a group of ladies who were coolly sipping gin and tonic and watching movies after movies :( They completed 3 in fact. I felt like asking them to put sub titles so that I could follow them. K had asked for Hindu veg meal while I had not selected any option. So he got his food first. He ensured that he fed me too, so that we both were adequately fueled :) Interestingly Hindu veg meal had chicken curry :P I guess the absence of beef makes it 'Hindu veg' :P We were not able to sleep a wink during the 7.5 hour long flight to Dubai. We still had a 4 hour long flight to Chennai.

Chiyaa by this time was dead tired. Sadly she was not able to sleep much due to the constant motion, jostling of other passengers, announcements et al. 30 minutes into the flight and she started bawling. There were other co-passengers who even tried their hand at consoling her, but she would not be comforted at all. She went on for a good 45 minutes. We were really worried and distressed seeing her in that state. Poor dear, she had been through a lot already. Somehow after what seemed like eternity, she drifted off to sleep. I also caught a quick nap while K got busy watching Chernobyl Diaries! (Really!?)

He could not finish the movie cos at 0300 13th October, we landed at home!