Cantaloupe gets it from me !

Last weekend we bought some fresh ripe strawberry from the Farmer’s market. The very sight of them was inviting enough for anyone to gobble atleast a dozen.
Cantaloupe being an ardent strawberry sure enough ate her heart’s content.

As I saw her enjoy the strawberries, I was reminded of the time I was expecting Cantaloupe.
Strawberries were my favorite. Any time of the day, I was ready for them … mind you, I just had a mild liking for strawberry before I got pregnant. Somewhere, the pregnancy cravings kicked in and strawberries topped my chart of favorites at that time. I continue to eat them even now … but I am not crazy about them the way I used to be. Cantaloupe reserves that quality!!!

Also I had a distinct aversion to “Mustard seasoning” (tadka). I hated it … I would patiently separate out individual mustard seeds from the dish before I ate it. Thankfully Cantaloupe has not got this repulsion!! (again, I developed this dislike only during pregnancy)

Another friend of mine, when she was expecting said, she had developed a special liking for “Papads” and every meal HAD to go with papads. She also loved idlis and consumed loads and loads of them when she was pregnant. Sure enough … her little boy, is a true Idli fan. Anytime I know they are going to visit us, I make sure, I have soft idlis ready for the little boy!

I’d be interested in hearing any special likes / dislikes you might have developed during the “Special” period and see that your little one has inherited the same.

My FIRST award - Schmooze Award

I have been awarded ... what ??? Me?? Am I sure??? When Noon mentioned "Cantaloupe" in the "Schmooze Award" list ... I was like, is that Me??? May be there is another Cantaloupe. And the good soul that she is, Noon sure left me a comment about my award in my blog, erasing any doubts that I had!

And so THANK YOU SOOOOOOO MUCH for my FIRST and possibly ONLY award :))


Some how the word "Schmooze" made me unfortable for the first time I read it. Then online disctionary came to my rescue and cleared my dirty mind.
This is what is says:
verb (used without object) 1. to chat idly; gossip.
–noun 2. idle conversation; chatter.

Now I am more comfortable with this award ... (wow, I won it !!!) It really feels great, since I am newbee in the blogging world (not really ... I used to write under a different name) Thanks again Noon.

And now to spread the joy ... most of my fellow bloggers whom I enjoy are already awarded. (calm down Cantaloupe ... you are one of the last ones to get the award). Poppins, Usha, Noon ... these folks are already awarded and I miss SS.
But here are some fellow bloggers whom I enjoy:

Anita: She has a unique style of writing and her bloaps are definitely worth a read.

Kodi's mom: Her humorous style always leaves a smile on my face.

KT's mom: Simple style ... yet the message is sent across.

Pixie: Mostly relatable most ... perhaps because of similar upbringing.

Shruthi: She touches on various topics ... and writes beautifully. (in her blood :) )

Congrats folks !!

Our Songs

Noon tagged to come up with “Our Song” list and engagement story. I have already written about our engagement story.

Moving on to “Our Song” list … hmm, well, first a disclaimer.
“This list is written by me because the songs mentioned are “Special” to me … if BP is asked about it, the most likely reply would be “I love these songs … but are they “Our Songs??”

It was the night we had arrived from India, after our marriage. For me, it was the first night, I was spending in the US. Being so far away from family, first time in a new land, new settings, I was going through a lot of emotions. As we settled down on our bed, BP came sat, beside me, patted me on my head and said he’d like to sing a song for me. The song was “Minchu hula, minchadiru ….”. I was soooooooo touched. I had never heard of the song before. (really felt stupid having missed out on such a romantic song till then). The lyrics of the song could not have been any more romantic. It is a movie song where the hero compares his girl to precious things and concludes, his doll (girl) is better than anything else he has ever known.
I had tears in my eyes … I had never imagined BP to be so thoughtful … he had just ensured a perfect setting for us to start our life together.

Another song which I consider “Our song” is yet another kannada song. This was again, during our initial days in the US. I knew BP was not trained in Carnatic music, he had a very basic understanding of that kind of music. Myself, being trained in music, I always had this habit of converting movie songs which appealed to me into music notes and recognize the “Raaga”. One evening, I was preparing our evening snacks, setting the table ready before BP came back from work. I was humming the song “Mellusire Savi gaana, Yede Jhallane Hoovina baana”. Then I heard BP surprising me with “Sa sa sa sa sa…. Sa sa sa sa” … basically he sang the same note “Sa” in the tune of the song  Could not just control my laughter !! Even today, everytime, we hear this song, we look at each other and say “Sa sa sa sa …. Sa sa sa sa”.

Moral of the story

Last night I was narrating a bed time story to cantaloupe. I was narrating the “Grapes are sour story”

Me: There was a fox who was hungry… found grapes …… etc etc …. And then the fox jumped, jumped again and jumped again but had no success … finally the fox decided that the grapes are sour and went away.

Me(to myself): I must add some moral to this story …. Hmm … ok

Me(to Cantaloupe): So you know, you must never give up like the fox … you must keep trying, anything you cannot get is not sour really.
Got it?

Cantaloupe: Oh yeah amma

Me(so proud of her): So what did you understand?

Cantaloupe: I will keep jumping in the class !!!! I will never give up, no matter what !!

Me: WHAT ????????