I am back again……..

Hey people……i know i had vanished from the blog world for quite some time.But its just that my life was taking a whole new turn…..and I needed to get away and adjust to all of it.So here I am back again….from a new land….Canada or Kaneda as our punjabi brothers love to call it.

Cheers!!!!!

Jimmy

Robert Whitlow brings Jimmy, a fourteen-year-old boy with a developmental disability, into your life and he will touch your heart and leave you changed. Mr. Whitlow has done an excellent job writing a legal thriller from the mind of a child. He has created a world where relationships and the love of God drives the story to its amazing conclusion. Jimmy, the title character, is a 14-year-old “special needs” child with a below-average IQ. He has mental limitations but possesses a rare quality of inherent goodness. Jimmy’s father is a successful attorney in the small Georgia town where they live, but Jimmy isn’t very close to his father. However, he is extremely attached to his stepmother, who married his father when Jimmy was four years old. Jimmy’s mother abandoned the family when he was almost two. The book is told through Jimmy’s innocent eyes as he becomes a key witness in one of his father’s criminal defense trials, partakes in outings with his devoted but unsaved grandfather, becomes involved in a custody battle when his long-absent birth mother seeks joint custody, begins high school with its challenges and dangers, and ultimately faces a life-and-death situation near the end of the book.

Overall, the book was a good read. It took a few chapters for me to become really interested in the characters, and sometimes the plot seemed to drag a bit, but Whitlow’s prose is good. Several parts of the book are quite humorous and caused me to laugh out loud. Others are frightening, as told from Jimmy’s point of view. Some moments are sad, as well. I felt a bit betrayed by the writer at the end of the novel, but that’s often what happens with bittersweet stories. The novel’s crux is not the plot but the characters, which are developed quite nicely.

To the unknown readers of my blog.

Hi……just now I was chatting with a friend whose favorite pastime is pulling others legs and saying mean things which he really does not mean.

He wanted to know if my blog seriously had any readers.So all you unknown and known readers of my blog…..please do read this post and put back some comments so that I can prove to my friend that there is someone out there who appreciates my literary genius.

Unaccustomed Earth

2 weeks ago……….my greedy self was rummaging through a friends bookshelf when she gave me the latest Jhumpa Lahiri(Pulitzer Prize-winning author) book. Having holidays and having ample time on my hands, I sat down to read this wonderful piece of literature.And I must say that I recommend it to each one of you (whether or not you have ample time on your hands)

Unaccustomed Earth is a deeply sad book. I would not advise reading the strong stories too quickly; they will each haunt you for days afterward. The book consists of eight stories — longer and more emotionally complex than any she has yet written. The book takes us from Cambridge and Seattle to India and Thailand as the stories enter the lives of sisters and brothers, fathers and mothers, daughters and sons, friends and lovers.

In the captivating title story, Ruma, a young mother in a new city, is visited by her father, who carefully tends her garden, where he and his grandson form a special bond. But he’s harboring a secret from his daughter, a love affair he’s keeping all to himself.

In A Choice of Accommodations, a husband’s attempt to turn an old flame’s wedding into a romantic getaway weekend with his wife takes a dark, revealing turn as the party lasts deep into the night.

In Only Goodness, a sister eager to give her younger brother the perfect childhood she never had is overwhelmed by guilt, anguish, and anger when his alcoholism threatens her family.

And in Hema and Kaushik, a trio of linked stories — a luminous, intensely compelling elegy of life, death, love, and fate — we follow the lives of a girl and boy who, one winter, share a house in Massachusetts. They travel from innocence to experience on separate, sometimes painful paths, until destiny brings them together again years later in Rome.

Each of Lahiri’s stories is a powerful tale that pulls us in, mesmerizes us while we’re there, and releases us with the knowledge that we’ve just experienced a small masterpiece. The stories…are both memorable and unpredictable.

what to write???

hey people……nothing to write,the wait is too long…..want it to get over soon……just want to get on with everything.

The Bucket List.

“

You measure yourself by the people who measure themselves by you. “

So, I heard this line from the movie and it really struck me. Most of the time, I think that I just live for myself and no one else. I’m not saying that I should live my life for other people, it’s just that, it’s an amazing thought that there is someone who actually learns from things that I say and do. Er, just watch the movie and savor the numbers.
And yes, I made my own bucket list
The things I want to do before I hit the bucket
1. Write a book
2. Go to Canada
3. See my darling wild niece grow up to be an intelligent and fine young lady.
4. Visit Alaska
5. Go to Disneyland
6. Witness the phenomena of the end of the world (aren’t u sick of so many people talking about it)
7. Make sure I let the people important to me feel that they are
8. Sing in front of a large crowd
9. Adopt a child and love it like my very own

My sort of happiness!!

While walking earlier this week to take my little niece to the park, a thought occurred to me and that was I really don’t need a lot of things to be happy. It was an odd moment for me to be driving into realizations, I know. I just thought that I could buy whatever I want, eat wherever or shop for anything, that’s easy but it’s also temporary.  All I really, really want is the smile on my loved ones’ faces whenever I buy something for them or the laughter that we share when we dine out, the unending and amusing stories that I hear about  their lives, and the tight hugs I get for just co-existing with them. Those are the moments that could give me incomparable bliss. And that idea that I am appreciated, loved and indispensable is very self-gratifying.

Friday Fill In………………

Sorry, I haven’t posted in so long. My blog is a little young for me to abandon it so quickly (even if temporarily), but I’ve been in a mess and am still there and for how long, god only knows??????????????

A collegue reminded me today in the midst of my nursery singing lesson that she had not read anything new from me in a long while now so here I go…….

1. I hate summertime in Chandigarh.

2. It seems I always have too much to do in too little time.

3. Sleeping is a great thing to do all through the day.

4. I think I need a nap (all the time)!

5. And as for the long weekend, I plan to relax……without the sounds of children crying, of the school bell ringing, just read a bit, eat some ice candies, watch a movie or two………….

6. Oh did I tell you, my maid just informed me that she will be on leave for 2 days so dear friends, there goes my weekend.

1-2-3 magic

A few months ago, I came across a site about teacher’s training. They covered an interesting parenting and classroom management technique called 1-2-3 Magic by Dr. Phelan.
I would love to share it with you……………..
The principle from what I understood: When children misbehave they do it to push our buttons on purpose. They are testing us and they know what they are doing. Kids need boundaries to see how little or much they can get away with. The problem happens we as parents/teachers “buy” their bait. Tempers flare and discipline is not reinforced. What happens in result is diversion from the issue and confusion on both sides.
How it works: When a child misbehaves, argues, or whines all you need to do is simply say “ok that’s 1″ and hold up 1 finger. If they push it again, 5 seconds later “ok that’s 2″ and hold up 2 fingers. If they still push your buttons, say “Ok that’s 3. Go take 10″ (which means time out, go to their room or face the wall depending upon your preference). Over time the kids will understand and stop even before you get to 3. In addition, you will eventually be able to “train” your children and during outings all you have to do is raise your finger.
The 2 key points the site told us to remember is the following:
• Don’t talk
• Be emotionless
According to them, the problem with parents is we overly talk to our kids when disciplining. Then if they don’t understand, we get angry. We think they should think like us when in fact they think like children.
When children are determined, no matter what we say, nothing will get through to them. They have tunnel vision. They will beg, plead or throw fits to get what they want or attention even if it’s negative reinforcement. In return, we get even more frustrated and angry. If we stop a child as quickly as possible before they reach that state of elevation, it will save us from lengthy tantrums and the children will eventually learn self control.
In addition, special needs children need the same types of reinforcement. If they aren’t verbal, have downs syndrome or a learning delay, children will be able to understand the simple numbers and hand gestures over time with enough consistent reinforcement. It’s less complicated for them to understand and you to implement.
Skeptical – I decided to implement this process in my class. To my surprise – my kids got the concept immediately. I explained to them what I was going to do and what it meant. They understood when Maam got to 3 it meant trouble.
However, the problem wasn’t them, but ME! I realized that I was afraid of being a bit “firm” on them and used too much logic and discussion. I talked too much! I gave too many chances vs just sticking to 1-2-3.
Now, trying to convince a 4 year old that she couldn’t have biscuits at bed time seems like a silly discussion, but I found myself trying to talk her down when she said “please please please…” (She’s 4… what was I thinking!) I also found myself frustrated when my darling niece of almost 4 whining over TV or computer. It seemed like when I showed her “my emotions’ she only returned by being more emotional… as any girl would. So if anything, the website was useful as it made me more attentive and aware of my own discipline tactics and consistency.
1-2-3 magic is starting to work but just like I am training my children, I have to train myself to keep my logical and emotional side behind when dealing with an illogical child. So now I am trying to extend the 1-2-3 till 5.And believe me it does work. Just try it once.
To learn more about 1-2-3 magic visit http://www.parentmagic.com/

What the hell are we watching………………..

Our film industry is paying more attention to western culture than they need, they are NOT BEING THEMSELVES! The fake life style they show of people in Europe, America, and other foreign countries is wrong. Not only do they represent their lives wrong but Indians in India get the wrong picture too. Never have I seen a Bollywood movie that does justice to foreign countries! It’s not easy as 1-2-3 …. Our dancing on foreign streets in a foreign country with background dancers…..jeez. Bollywood was on a rise but it has fallen miserably and it’s their own mistake!!! They are not even trying to represent India; they’re making re-makes of Hollywood movies!!!!!!!! Examples would be “King Uncle” a copy of “Annie”… “Ta Ra Rum Pum” was easily the human version of Disney’s “Cars”……the list goes on and on and on.
What I really feel is wrong with our cinema is that movies ALWAYS revolve around a love story…and these movies are shown to kids as young as four/five year olds.India is left behind when they deprive children of movies with morals or just child like movies such as the classical Lion King or such. Seriously what is up with EVERY Bollywood movie being a LOVE STORY??Indian cinema is not creating movies with a story line anymore. They show junk and foul play rather than educating the public in a clean way which families can accept. Ex: Dhamaal….haven’t seen it but heard enough of it that I want to STAY AWAY! Once the cinema STOPS portraying foreign countries wrongly in their movies and even less in their movies THEN only can they represent their Indian pride..if they have any in the first place…the cinema really needs to get over the whole “America/Europe” thing because over the years it has become overrated. I can bet the Indians living in America would be laughing seeing the cinema’s disoriented view of their country.

So come on valued filmmakers……lets see some good stuff rather than spend our hard earned money on highly taxed film tickets, greasy popcorn and tepid coke bottles.