Mundane Musings

So the direction challenged, hard-to-tell-right-from-left me has used the Chennai Metro rail and lived to tell the story. Travelling by Metro was not so new to me as we did commute in all its glory when we had visited Europe in 2012. But what was different between then and now is that this is our very own spanky, new, bright-eyed skeletal frame work Chennai Metro, as against the mind-boggling colossal labyrinth seen in Europe, and this time S wasn't with me to help make sense of the direction and destination of each train. It all started when I decided to take the Metro to commute for a training assignment to DLF, Porur. The training program which will last 45 hours of 2 hours each class demanded a more reliable and cost efficient transport especially since my client was paying me all inclusive. Earlier I used to be extravagant and take the cab to and fro thereby dipping into the margin of my profits. But what can I say, I have gotten mature, and so more responsible (ahem). More...

S and I, who have had helped improve business of many establishments during our dating days, are finding it very difficult to ease into the dining scene after the brief hiatus brought in by our little Anakutti. Eating out has yielded pretty unsatisfactory results with very few restaurants deeming a second visit. I can't help but wonder if it has become the norm for restaurants to dish out mediocre stuff and make the diner feel privileged to part with his hard earned money that may have not been worth the dining experience. Take the case of Double Roti in Anna Nagar East. This restaurant chain has been touted as the best sandwich/burger joint to have happened to Chennaiites and we were expected to feel happy that they had graced us with their presence. (Oh how I miss good ol Mash, this side of town).This Delhi based restaurant has earned rave reviews on Zomato, which is soon proving to be a not so trustworthy review site for a 40 year old foodie. People have been raving abou...

The new cafe on the block (Anna Nagar East), Tea Trails is un-apologetically tea-centric. I don't think I have come across a menu book just for tea in a long while. Though it is a boon to tea drinkers, this may put off quite a few of the non-tea drinkers or the non-tea aficionados, but only until they come to the 'chai' page. What a selection! Rubbing shoulders with the delicate green teas and black tea choices was this intriguing list of milky tea (chai). I don't enjoy tea if it doesn't have proper milk and masala in it, as I can't for the life of me deduce the delicate differences in the aroma/ flavour of these brewed beverages. And since I can make a mean chai myself, I make do with the various hot and cold coffee options offered across cafes in the city. There are very few joints however that do serve the obsequious milk tea with masala, but that is about the one option. Here, there is a whole page dedicated to 'chai' - a whole page. There is adhra...

When you get a groove going, time flies - Donald Fagen Yep I am trying to get into a groove of things, only to realize that time indeed flies. June has been insanely busy after the dead, dull May that just went by. In addition to devoting time to improve spirituality or at least commune with my Almighty in the holy month of Ramadan, I had to juggle training assignments, Ana kutti's first day/s in school, organize a couple of surprise birthday parties, battle a stomach bug that affected Ana kutti and me which later led to dysentery in Ana kutti   and attend my higher secondary school batch reunion. Not to forget get ready to celebrate Eid ul Fitr at the end of the month. June didn't look like it had just 30 days. Initially, I was failing miserably at instilling in me a sense of calmness and peacefulness that is so important for my prayers in the month of Ramzan. More often than not, I found myself rushing through the initial part of the prayers with a myriad thoughts ...

Ana Kutti was two last month and she started pre-school this month. After repeatedly telling ourselves that schooling for Ana kutti needn’t start until she was three and a half, we surprised ourselves by going on and doing just the opposite. The months precluding this event of enrolling her to a school was fraught with no less tension and decision making. Why would a relatively smart, outgoing girl like her who had quite a repertoire of nursery rhymes, phrases and concepts under her belt need to get to school so soon? Definitely not because we wanted her out of our hair for a few hours a day. Nope. We just couldn’t have enough of her. Yeah I know I do sound like one of those sappy mothers but that is what late motherhood would do to you. J . One relative comfort I had from the whole exercise was the realization that I was still a lot better than those parents who had enrolled their kids in a most happening school in Chennai when the said child was still a tiny zygote in the...

A very happy second birthday to you and to me, my darling. This is my second year as a mother, a title I am bearing with great pride and with no less sentiment. It might sound rather filmy to your older self (when you read this, that is) if I were to confess that I can understand what the fuss in all those ‘ma’ sentiment Hindi movies was all about. “Mere pass ma hai” from Deewar – was so exaggerated to my adult ears, but sounds totally understated to my ‘mommy’ ears. I know now that I can do anything for you. This love I have for you is pure and unconditional. I know that now. I can protect you (yes get these lethargic muscles to learn some karate if it helps), look after you and shower you with things you cherish and of course, go out on a limb if it helps set your world right. And if all this is rolled and thrown at me in one shot, then I shall happily do so without the least bit of fanfare. These feelings, I must say, are compounded by your pure, yet undivi...

This sultry, humid, melting people’s resolve heat of April has made me yearn for the month that has passed us by. It was the last of our cool, dry weather with the evenings bringing with it pleasant winds from the Bay of Bengal (thank god for that water body) chasing away the truant temperatures and letting us still walk around with a modicum of decorum. Case in point the below picture. My filled to bursting social calendar of March was another reason why the month was memorable. Let me see, since I have had Ana Kutti a typical social month would be hanging out with close knit friends for starters and biriyani washed down with shandys or beer or plain water with the conversation flowing freely to distract from other realities (running behind the said child/children with their dinner, trying to stop them from scribbling or destroying a toy, managing their sleep times...ho hum You get the drift). It was all fun in a way only people who have friends with whom they can let the...