Unf(l)avourable!

Lately, my choices in frozen treat flavours have been disasters(Most of it because of your going overboard being the sneaky chef says hubby)!! With summer temperatures dangerously threatening to hit the 3 digits almost every day this entire season, I am having to give in to the kids' scream for ice cream. And when it comes close to being a daily affair, the health freak in me kicks in!

Frozen yogurt, though doesn't sound as yummilicious as ice cream, at Ikea stores, Sweet tomatoes and Ben & Jerry's have been such a huge success that I was overjoyed to find Yogen Fruz newly opened at the mall food court. Absolutely proud of myself for sneaking frozen yogurt instead of ice cream to my little ones, (I took them the round about way so they wouldn't spot and stop at Dairy queen) ordered 2 vanilla and 1 mint choco chip at Yogen Fruz. One lick and for the first time felt the sourness of yogurt. May be a fruity flavour would've been a better choice. The kids finished all the M&M toppings and donated the rest to me!!

Initially, tubs & buckets of ice cream made me go berserk! After struggling to finish the tubs a couple of times(thankfully I didn't go near the buckets!), realised that the pint sized ones suited our household better. It didn't stay too long in the freezer and it allowed us to try different flavours too.

To compensate for the disaster at the Mall, I went to get Mayfield's Birthday Cake(everyone's favourite) ice cream from the grocery store. Since that flavour was not available I found myself forced to make a choice. After much deliberation, picked the Rocky road(thought for the marshmallows sake A1 would forgive me for choosing an ice cream with nuts) But yet again I found the hard way that I have many more rocky (road) days ahead!

Celebrity Watch!

Guess who?

A friend had sent a youtube link of her kids video. A1, who has so far watched TV shows, movie songs on youtube saw this video and excalimed, "Ammaaa... they are on YOUTUBE!!!" So, we made her a celebrity too!! ;) Talking of celebrities, have you met your favourite celebrity and how did you react? When A1 recently met the family band "Laughing Pizza" for real, she was all dumbstruck and tongue tied!

After the initial excitement of air travel waned and become an ordeal, the one and only tiny flicker I have each time every time, I am about to fly is, "will I spot a celebrity?" Though the "celebrity" for us is either a movie artist or a sportsperson where sports limits to cricket and/or tennis. So, Kenyan marathon runner or even a Dutch footballer won't count!

One of my mother's friend is related to Vani Ganapathy, Kamalhaasan's ex-wife and my mom tells me that we have spotted Kamal & Vani in weddings during their happily married years. Though being very young at that time, I hardly remember the events. But for a very long time, I used to boast to friends about my meeting with Kamal(depending on my mood & imagination level it ranged from shaking hands to riding in his shoulders!)!! So, you can imagine who would have been the saddest person when the two divorced!!

At the peak of my 'cinema payithiam' days, one day, on my way home with a cousin, saw a crowd outside a bungalow. We learnt of a cinema shooting and my cousin was telling me that the house was called Singapore house and it was often let out for cinema shooting. I was bent upon waiting outside to see which actor/actress were inside while my cousin was getting thoroughly embarrassed hanging around there. All that I can remember now is Actor Suresh coming to the balcony to give darshan and we(much to my cousin's relief) taking off after seeing Director Natraj(Moondram Pirai villain!)!

Several years later, I had now jumped fence when it came to running behind cinema stars. At school, we were taken to watch a stupid movie called "Engalayum Vaazhavidungal", supposedly a children's movie, at Nagesh theatre. Thoroughly disappointed by the movie we were all waiting for our school bus when we heard about Anandbabu(Nagesh's son) coming into the complex. Within minutes, 3/4 of the crowd ran to see him and some even returned with autographs. We were a few girls who felt embarrassed by our classmates behaviour and later had a big fight with those who went 'running to see Anandbabu'!!

After some years in the foreign countries, with most faces looking alike, while struggling to spot neighbours at the grocery store, Aththaan and me exchange conversations like, "That Guy browsing at the laptop at the far end.. doesn't he look like John Cusack?" or "Look, look that man in the speeding convertible... he is definitely Harrison Ford!" More pathetic is when I go to famous stadiums, I won't know whether to admire the grounds or celebrities or enjoy the picnic/specialty food!!

Anyway, during one of my air travel ordeal, before A2 was born, it was just me & A1 and I was eagerly waiting to see who was going to occupy the last seat in the 3 seater row. My mind floating high up flashing scenes from 'Dil chahta hai', 'Ninaithale inikkum' and the likes... 'thud' came crashing to the ground when the empty seat was occupied by my ex-company's ex-VP!

P. S. - A1 is at crossroads now...

In Music

She is too old for Dora

too young for Hanna Montana

just right Amul chocolatey suggestions for a 8 yr old please!