Diary of a Wimpy kid

Keeping a diary is very sissy according to Greg Heffley.  But its not his fault that his mother bought him this diary.  He doesn't mind it right now because when he is famous he wouldn't have to waste time explaining every event of his childhood.  So we start the story with Greg moving to middle school and he starts to register the interesting events happening to him every day of every month.

But the story flows so smoothly I really didn't count if he has an entry for everyday of every month.  The main characters are his family and his only friend and side kick Rowley.  He does a lot of things for popularity but at last Rowley ends up getting all the fame. 

The deals with everyday struggles and glee of a middle schooler.  Every kid can relate to it, regardless that this story is based in the USA.  There is bullying, bro fight, school skit and the chaoes that ensues, the parenting and best friends through thick and thin.

My kid, 10 years old, is always on the hunt to borrow a Wimpy kid or a Jeronimo Stilton series.  The highlight of this novel is that it has cartoon that makes it a very interesting read for young ones.  Also the way the author has a perceptive of a kid is amazing.  Every small detail he has recorded here is in the eyes of a kid.  I am amazed at his perception, either he has not forgotten his childhood days or he is really good at understanding the kids.

Either way it was very good.  Apart from a few terms like Halloween, grounding it was a easy read for my kid too.  It is unputdownable (if thats a word??) and easily relatable.  I was nostalgic and had many good laughs.  The book is really funny for both kids and grownups as well!

Kittu's Very Mad Day - Review

This book was the winner of the Children's first contest 2016.  A debut novel by Harshika Udasi focuses on empowering the children with disability.  This was the reason I bought this book.  Hats off to the effort.  This is a Duckbill book for the Young readers and my kid is 10 years old, so fits the bill.  Kittu, the boy with the crutches, is a member of the worlds most chaotic family.  They were on their way to the Ajantha and Ellora caves when the mishap occurs.  Kittu is lost and is rescued by an icecream wala named Madhav. 

Kittu is adventurous and will do anything to stay away from his family at least for a day.  He is happy to stay with Madhav and share his meal with Madhav's daughter Mad.  What first starts as a quarrel between Mad and Kittu turns into a beautiful friendship.  Things take a turn and Kittu does the most heroic stunt of his life.  It changes his life forever with his new found confidence and respect.

The story is a good read instilling courage for the differently abled children while others get a glimpse of how hard their lives can be.  I do understand that the story revolves around a North Indian family but some parts have literal translation from Hindi, which could have been avoided.  I mean a good grammar would help kids get their knowledge as well. 

At one point I thought the facts about the skate park was made up.  Because it was too good to be true, and that too in the middle of a very remote village.  But as if the author has read our minds, she gives facts about the park and the non profitable initiative taken up by a German lady Ulrike Reinhard.  The illustrations were good describing the situations where the words has limits.  A good read for young readers who can imagine this story from a kid's point of view.

My Little Garden

When we were small kids, our house used to have a garden.  And we also used to grow a few plants on our terrace, in the jute rice bag.  Yeah, those were the days when plastic wasn't everywhere.  So everyday it would be my and my brother's (mine mostly) chore to water the plants.  My mother would occasionally go through the weeds and plant new saplings.  I remember her even churning the soil with cow dung as a fertiliser. 

It used to be such fun.  I used to read and write beneath the jasmine creepers during the evenings.  It would be such a pleasant and fragrant experience.  I remember studying hard for my exams under the coconut trees.  Even a harsh may summer afternoon would feel like a breeze sitting on that grass under those coconut trees.  In the evenings, I would spend my lazy hours in the balcony where the coconut tree would fan me the cool breeze.

Summer were the most active time when we would have nothing to read and all time to spend how ever we wish.  During our school days, we would spend the entire evening and part of the night in the terrace.  My mother would go for a couple of hours to prepare our dinner and we would all feed under the moon light or the incandescent bulb.  Such fresh and green memories.  And all of them always had a plant or a tree with it.

After my marriage and my kid, gardening was out of scope.  And mostly it was just a couple of pots.  And between houses I had lost them too, when we couldn't hold on to them due to space.  Now that we have our own, we decided to take on the terrace gardening.

It is not anything new, but still I have forgotten how to tend to plants.  After a few slips our way, we are still learning and enjoying.  It is like seeing a child grow.  And emotionally it so calming and bonding.  I now a days, enjoy most of my evenings with my son in the new found garden.

Now wait a minute.  This is just a humble one.  Don't dream of an exotic one with grass and green house and stuff.  This is a economical yet most satisfying one.  Though my son's studies is taking a dip, I still think it is a good way to relax than to watch those wretched cartoons, movies or serials.

Here are a few pics of the garden.  I will soon try to post about each individual plant as I come by.

Front Pleated Kameez

Well this is kind of late for this update.  I mean I had sewn this dress for my house warming party way back in May 2017.  But I guess its never late to mention the alterations I have made.  I wouldn't say alterations as its just the bling that got replaced.

So we go shopping for dress and I was left with a choices that had hit the market way back and was still trending.  No sign of pleated Anarkali which was creating a buzz throughout.  So when my hubby asked me to quickly choose a dress, I knew I had to sew my own.  I am no expert at this but I can figure out based on a few detailed pictures.

I had to make up my mind on the colour and the fabric, on the spot!  I was literally stumped and colour blinded at the same time.  My brain was buzzing with a hundred different suggestion and I was struggling to make a decision.  Finally I selected a good green in raw silk and a brocade fabric in the same green.  But since I wanted to highlight the pleats, I had to again buy a different brocade in pink.  Also the decision was made because of the net fabric that I had highlighted my yoke part with.

Then comes the important part, accessories or bling.  I was exhausted enough with the shopping for home and the function, so I picked up the first thing I  could lay my hands on.  Believe me, even for this, getting the right colour was a bit tough.  So I kind of went with something you can see on the photo.  I know it looks cheap and what was I thinking.  Ever since it has been sleeping in my wardrobe.  Finally guilt took over and I made some honest effort to find some alternative.  (could have been that or the fact that I was finally getting some ME time in the mall, ALL ALONE, can you believe it??).  I rattled every button shelf I could find and finally the above button showed up, just like that.  It was the right size and it would be a good and decent replacement to that cheap bling.

Now its all ready to wear.  Pardon me for the poor lighting and wrinkled clothes.  What can I say, I
am a old soul in lazy bones.  So may be I will update the proper ironed and neat dress when I wear it (God knows when!!).  Till then bye and do share which version you liked better.

Home Sweet Home

Home.. Just the word bring me many memories of my childhood.  After marriage we had to move around a lot and settling down had not been an option till a couple of months earlier.  We had to settle down somewhere and so we did, in a place that was convenient in all terms. 

We had bought an apartment earlier, but that was not at all convenient (I am not talking about space) so we sold it and started looking for a plot.  Finally we got one within our budget range.  From there it had been a very impatient wait.  But the workers we had were very skilled and patient.  The planning and designing took ages, not to mention the paperwork and the government offices.  Finally we did it.  We had built our home according to our taste and liking.

It was like seeing a baby grow, just faster.  And when we stand in the mere skeleton of the house deciding what should go where, we can actually see our future in the house.  It is a pleasure that I think everyone should enjoy.  Still there are few flaws and dents which I think could have been planned better.  But with the limited space and budget constraints, I am satisfied with what we have

We have tried to incorporate our past and plans for the future in the house.  I think that is what makes it feel special.  The memories we build with the house.  Though its been 5 months (can you believe it... time flies by) I feel so connected already.

We do have a long list of DIYs and tweaks that we would like to do to decorate the house.  But right now the bare walls and the sparse furniture keeps us cosy.

In the meantime I would like to record some of the improvements that has happened since we moved here.

I did not click any pictures for the purpose of blogging, so bear with me when the pics are not up to the mark.

It started from this - an empty ground

To this - a house with its full structures

To this - a house on the brink of becoming a home

Still we are really proud of our house and about the work we had done with it.  We had only gotten help for the elevation.  Even the house plan or the floor plan was designed by us, the engineer had to just tweak a few for the pillars and beams.  So there is no one to blame but us if there is a hitch somewhere. 

Though we are not the decor type we do try and make it a better place rather than an eye sore.  So I shall record some of the DIYs, tweaks and decors we do around the house.  Our home is still very much in its initial stage and needs a lot of attention and spending. We will go about it in our own pace still enjoying life with friends and family.

Bahubali 2 - The conclusion

I watched the most expected epic saga Bahubali 2 last week around this time but never got to review it as life was a bit busy.  Bahubali the beginning was a tad less announced or rather advertised.  We all had thought it was just an epic based on the myths and folklore of our ancient India.  The base of the story was kind of loosely based on the myth Mahabharath.  I mean there are two sons, one a cripple and the other the righteous.  But the cripple doesn't get to rule because he is not a cripple by body but by mind.  He, simply put, is a bad snake in the glorious kingdom.

So the story of the glorious Bahubali starts with the flashback of the dutiful servant Kattappa.  The war scenes and everything were just beyond imagination, and so gripping.  This pivotal plot just set the character of both Bahubali and PalvalDevan.  So does it decide who rules.  But the first part ends with Kattappa confessing that he killed the mighty Bahubali.  So there ends the first part.

The second part starts with an introduction of Bahubali so grandeur that it fits the grandeur of the whole film.  He is shown as this righteous ruler and caring son who is just on the brink of becoming the ruler of this mighty kingdom.  But as fate would have it, he visits his kingdom and falls in love with princess Devasena.  Turn of events leads to lot of misunderstanding, the sinuous plot of Palval Devan.  So Bahubali ends up becoming the commander in chief of the army rather than the King, just to save his word to the princess.

Meanwhile the plot thickens to banish Bahubali and ultimately kill him.  Yet they succeed in doing so.  But they do not succeed in killing his son, who is his heir to the throne.  The rest of the story is about vendetta, revenge and happy endings.

I feel the story was a bit long, some of the parts could have been cut short, like the romance between Bahubali and Devasena.  But as the story moves, the plots are too gripping to compensate for the sags.  The romance song with special effects just add more color to the movie.  The palace, the forest, the whole set is awe inspiring that you cannot find any fault with.  The director has justified why Kattappa killed Bahubali, though it was trecherous.  Otherwise the film wouldn't have grossed so attention as it has now. The facts about technology  just goes above my head.  Though we ultimately know the ending, it was still worth watching till the end.  We are proud that a south Indian film has gotten a special mention in many international screens.  Director, S.S Rajamouli and his fantasy films, like Naan E, Mahadheera and now Bahubali proves how far he can stand up to International Standards.

My not so perfect life by Sophie Kinsella

Chick lits have been my stable genre for all moods. Not just the women empowerment, but everything about it, say the fashion, the care, the romance, the drama, throw in some mystery and it is the best seller.

Some authors have been my go-to, all along. They may not be Indians and they do not depict the Indian Culture. But what with all the globalization and immigration we do get a taste of everything. The films also play a major role. So it really is not that hard to play the story in your head.

My favorite authors have been Meg Cabot, Sophie Kinsella, Marian Keyes, Wendy Wax, Jill Manselland many more. Sophie Kinsella's The Undomestic Goddesswas the first of her works that I had read. It was excellent. After which I have read many chick lits. And I have come to a stage where I can decipher the pattern. A girl with an ordinary life is on her brink and some mess comes along by the way to wreck her life. Enter the charismatic hero who by all odds rescue her and they lead a very perfect life. It’s the same over and over again. But how the plot and scenes are set and moved plays the pivotal role. My Not So Perfect Lifecould have been a bit more interesting.

Katie Brenner, the research associate who had just joined Cooper Clemmow, has the not so perfect life. She hates everything about her life and envies her colleagues life. But little does she know that the glossy and perfect picture that they paint of their lives has another side to it.
She is fired from her job and her dream to become a Londoner is getting blurry everyday with every rejection at her job interview. Her saving grace is the job her step mum offers, to setup their family business. She goes back to Somerset on the pretence that she is on a sabbatical.

Her dad's glamping business picks up and as fate would have it her ex-boss comes to stay. Katie's revenge and plots on her ex-boss is hilarious. But soon she gets to know her boss's true colours. She soon sees that no one’s life is perfect and she learns her lessons the hard way. Will she really help her boss get her job back, will she get love of life and will she ever leave Somerset to become a Londoner? Finally, she is ready to face the world as it is, without the glossy veneer.

It was a light and quick read. But it was kind of predictable and the plots could have been a bit more interesting.