My first Tamil New Year!!!

If there is one question that Amma dreads its the one where she is asked whether I have started crawling...
and if there is one thing that I love, its that of tasting everything that comes in my way...
and if there is one thing that Amma keeps doing its that of following me all around the house and clearing the path from my all-tasting tongue...

The furniture layout at home keeps getting reconfigured every other day by Amma in order to prevent me from gaining access to areas where i can get to do my favorite pastime.. licking everything clean. My favorite place in the world is under the centertable and the dining table. Amma keeps telling me that I have a future in the Army Special Forces since I love doing the obstacle course at home.. under the tables, behind the cupboard, beneath the bed and over my toys.



On 14th April, I also celebrated my first Vishu (Tamil New Year). Appa and Amma had decorated the puja area with a lot of flowers and fruits. Appa woke me up and took me to the puja area, first thing in the morning. He was telling Amma that he would like to do this every year from now on. Apparently, thats what they did in their childhood as their Vishu back in Bangalore. So we restarted a tradition that day.






I would also like to announce that on the 19th of April, I began to be able to stand up holding a table by myself. I have taken a liking to it. And on 29th April, I graduated from creeping to crawling. I now am a "kutti annai" (baby elephant) rather than a "kambilipucchi" (caterpillar). I love my Shanthi paati. She keeps dropping in to see me and play with me almost on a weekly basis.

Update 2: Vietnam Visit

Appa had to visit Vietnam in March on an official trip and he decided to take Amma and I along.. We stayed in a hotel right in the heart of the Ho Chi Minh City. Being an infant, I was only interested in observing whats going on. Amma was commenting on how beautiful the city was as well as how nice the people were. We visited the botanic garden, museum, water puppet show and assorted restaurants. The Vietnamese seem to have taken to me, and they come over, look at me and try to make me laugh. I loved rolling over in the huge king-size bed and talking to the sweet housekeepers at the hotel as they came to make up our room.

We also went to Ben Thanh market, a couple of times, Amma got herself an Ao-dai, Appa got himself a wooden ship and I got myself a set of traditional clothes too..
All in all... the Ho Chi Minh City trip gets a 10 on 10.

By the way, I have started creeping and trying to move my myself. Amma says that the movement resembles that of a caterpillar. Appa thinks it reminds him of kambilipucchi.

Update 1: 8 Months

For folks who are following this blog, apologize for the lack of updates for the past 3-4 months, been too busy discovering a lot of things.
Where shall I start

Appa took off during Chinese New Year holidays and we took this opportunity to visit Chennai & Bengaluru. In Chennai, I saw my kollu-thatha-paati, (great-grandparents) for the first time, chinna Thathas, Raja & Viswam and chinna Paatis, Lalitha and Vasanthi. My beautiful atthai Meena was preparing seriously for her 10th exams although she took some time out and treated me to a dance. My chithappas Hari and Vijay also got to know me. Also, I had a chance to visit some others of my own age group at this organization called Udavum Karangal (Helping Hands). I also visited an interesting organization called Lifecell, which stores stem cells from umbilical cord. Appa says this will become more popular in the future. I also met my cousin Pradyumnan, Preeti chithi, Babu chithappa, Thatha, Paati.

In Bengaluru, Bangalore (these names will continue to confuse me), my thatha and paati were overjoyed to see me and Raghu chithappa had arrived from Mumbai to surprise us. I also attended some get-togethers with Appa and Amma's pals from school and college. I also met Babu maama who had come over from his hostel to see me.

Finally...

This is to announce that I now belong to that set of people in the world who can roll over on their stomachs unassisted. I accomplished this feat on Jan 19th, if anyone is interested...
I now have made my own friend KaiKai, who is my next door neighbour as well. He gives me some of his own toys to play and wants to lift me, but obviously neither Appa/Amma nor his own parents allow him to..

Update: 4 Months Old

Its been a hectic couple of months here in Singapore now. I can almost roll myself over but still need a final helping push from Appa to roll over onto my stomach. Apparently, thats the biggest accomplishment for kids my age.

Thatha and Paati were here until Christmas and even Gauri athai visited us for a couple of weeks. I visited Esplanade for the first time, a 2-domed structure that is the defining symbol of the arrival of Singapore as an Arts destination.

We also visited Sentosa, the fun island with me dressed in a frock "Omi". Amma tells me that I have a funny sense of timing, sleep when I am expected to be awake and wake up when the moment has passed. Like when I slept through our whole Underwater World visit and then at the Night Safari.

We went to a temple on the occasion of Amma & Appa's wedding anniversary only for me to end up being completely terrified of the beats of the tavil during the mangalarathi. I also visited the beach at Changi Village with a whole lot of relatives. Also, went to VivoCity, the newly opened mall in Singapore for Christmas. Amma & Appa got totally hung up over getting me something to play with. Courtesy that, I now have a Floor Gym, and I am now fascinated by it. I can just keep playing with a couple of rattles, while at the same time, listening to rhymes music being belted out by the piano fixed on top. I can now also change the pattern of music by some deft manouevring of the rattles. In short, I am totally hooked.

A month now in Singapore...

I am now 3 months old...inching towards the century mark...Past one month has been hectic to say the least.

• The JetStar air travel experience from Bangalore to Singapore at 4 AM in the morning to start off... Someone should tell those wise folks over at JetStar to have a flight at a more convenient hour, not for me of course but for older people. Thankfully, Appa was over at the airport to pick us up at Changi.
• Visiting chinna paati Shanthi & Krishnan chinna thatha and my chithis, Vidhya and Sathya, and Manoj chithappa.
  
  
• My first ride on the pram(Amma calls it my Mercedes) to the Ruthra KaliAmman Temple.
• My first trek to Telok Blangah Hill Park with Appa, Amma, Thatha and Paati.
• Being visited by Bhaskar periappa and Nirmala periamma.
• Being rocked by Paati on my very own Jhula.
• Eating koozhu while listening to Amma singing rhymes.
• Being cooed at over the webcam by Raghu chithappa, kollu-thatha and family.
• Being given daily massage by Amma.

VoIP and Me...

I don't know what VoIP is... but it sure is making a difference in my life..
Ever since coming to Bangalore.. I have been able to listen to Appa and Appa to listen to me and to talk to Amma very often at very little cost. We have got a little tool called Skype which lets us communicate,
Now apparently there's something one step ahead...Gizmoproject This lets Amma make a call to Appa's Singapore cell at no cost apart from the monthly broadband.. Now, I & Amma can call Appa even when he is in the office or on the road through this...
Appa thinks that this is really cool...but getting Thatha and Paati familiar with this tool will be one big challenge...

Amma's Poem

Here's a little poem Amma has composed for me!!!

He came into our world, brightening it.

Spreading love with his sweet smile..

I love to look at him when he is sleeping..

Tough he wakes me up all night..n sleeps in the day..

i love when he cries while bathing..

i feel so important when he holds me with his little hands...

i feel great when he cries to be held by me!!

i see our world in his eyes..

he looks so cute when he smiles in sleep,

i love him more n more ..as days pass by..

honey... im glad this angel has made our bond stronger, sweeter..

OM WE LOVE U SOOO MUCH-MOMMY N DADDY

Happy Deepavali

I knew something was amiss as soon as I got into the plane at Raipur. Hari-maama helped us get into the plane. It was the first time I saw the interiors of whats called an aircraft. Some smartly uniformed people were making some totally funny gestures with their hands. I am told they are called 'flight attendants'. They were good-looking and also helped Amma with the bag that she was carrying and were very helpful throughout the flight and after.

And once I reached Mumbai, after a harrowing experience for about an hour, we managed to meet up with Gauri athai and then went to Raghu chittappa's house. After a break of about an hour, we were joined by Raghu chittappa and then joined the Jet Airways' flight to Bangalore. I think I am fascinated by Raghu chittappa's 'french' beard. Finally we reached thatha's place in Bangalore.

I promptly went to sleep after the exchange of pleasantries. Thatha and Paati were absolutely delighted to see me after a month. Thatha had made some 'mysurpa' and Paati had made some 'pakoda', but unfortunately, I won't be able to savour all these until I am completely weaned and am able to eat solid food.

When I woke up on 20th morning, I saw a familiar face next to me. Appa was wishing me "Happy Deepavali" and "Good Morning". And I also noticed, Amma saying that she was pleasantly surprised on seeing Appa when she did not expect him at all. And there's a lot of sound coming from explosions of 'bombs', 'fireworks' around home and occasionally I get woken up by the sound.
Here's wishing everyone a 'Happy Deepavali'.

Some things I enjoy in life

I enjoy Amma and Paati singing rhymes and songs to me...
I enjoy listening to Western Classical...
I enjoy getting a massage and the masseuse talking to me in Surgujya...
I enjoy Amma giving me whats called a bath...
I enjoy Appa calling and asking to talk to me...

I am also called Krishna!!!

I have an inkling why everyone says life is so complicated...
Appa and Amma call me Om. In the Punyavachanam ceremony where I was officially named, Appa called me "Krishna" in my ear three times, and apparently thats my 'traditional' name. Thatha and other elders wanted to call me "Krishna". Besides, per custom, grandfather's name is given to the first-born, here, me and since Thatha's name is Gopalan, my name had to be a version of Krishna. And I am told, as i grow up I will be called different pet-names by different people. Its going to be tough but I think i will manage.

The Punyavachanam on Sep 18th was interesting. Amma's folks had come over from Ambikapur and Raipur and Appa's folks had come over from Bangalore and Mumbai. I slept through most of the function. However, everyone wanted to lift me and comment on my features, whether they were like Amma, or Appa or Thatha or Paati. And after the function, Appa had to fly to Vietnam via Singapore.

Hi.. I am Om

I am told that whenever someone learns a new computer language the first program that is taught is "Hello World".

Here I am, and a warm Hello from me, Om, to everyone!!!

I was born on September 5, 2006 at 6:22 PM in Nagpur. I decided to wait for Appa to come to Nagpur from Singapore before coming into this world. Sep 5 is apparently, Teachers' Day in India in honor of former President, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, and I decided to do share my birthday with him. In fact, Amma & Appa say Sep 5 is fitting because Amma, Paati, and her periamma paati are all teachers.

I know I am going to be called Om because Appa & Amma have been calling me that for a long time now. However, the formal naming ceremony, Punyavachanam is going to be held on the 18th September at Nagpur. I am going to meet Thatha & Paati from Bangalore, Gauri athai, and Raghu chittappa who are flying down to meet me.