While looking at their cousin Tashu (aka Puka) – a 2 year old – getting ready in a full Tux for his 2nd birthday, complete with black shoes and a bow-tie, Anika couldn’t resist but comment – “Dad, you see him – a 2 year old, wearing a full suit. And then we have Dumps,…
Category: Gubs
Redefining Pessimism
Anika: “Hey Dad, you know in Instagram there is meme with a glass half full, and a list of people and how hey would see it.” Dad: “Like what?” Anika: “Like, an optimist sees it half full, a dreamer sees it with water above the air, a scientist will see it with half air and…
Sparkling Water
Dad: Here Gubs, try some sparkling water. With all of your refined tastes, this is the way to go. Gubs: Why would I do that? Sparkling water is like Angry Water. I am angry anyway.
20 Points
Wham! Bam! Pow! Whack! 4 straight hits to Daddy’s tummy, in quick succession. Dad: “Oww! Why did you do that Dumps?” Dumps (To the nearby sitting Anika): “Aneeeek, I get 4 points! 4 extra points!” A puzzled and hurting Dad turns to Anika and asks, what are these points Gubs? To which Anika responds…
Anika to the rescue
Dumps is obsessed by his Thomas jacket. Wears it day and night, inside and outside. Obsession to the point of his Dad losing his hair, and his mom prematurely aging. Dad has taken Dumps aside multiple times and given him a lecture – “Pumpi, no Thomas jacket inside the house, only outside.” – with no…
First day of uniforms
Excited for a full week after the uniforms were bought. Dressing up and modeling in front of Mom and Dad every night. Wore it and struck a pose for Mama. And then heard that she will have to wear these EVERY day for the full year. Excitement diminished, but didn’t disappear.
Straaaiiight
Ms. Pandey has been spending the last two months in Bhopal, India, along with Dumps and Mama. Last night, as she was about to embark on the journey back to Calcutta, and then to San Jose in a week, she was in a particularly chatty mood. Dad: “Gubs, you know that you are going to…
Eager shoppers
Mama was in the Indian supermarket, shopping for groceries. Gubs and Dumps were aimlessly checking out the store and re-arranging all the shelves. Mama finishes her shopping and proceeds to the cash counter to pay. To her surprise, she finds a Skittles bag in the cart! Mama: Where did this come from? Anika: That’s for…
Becoming a girl
Feeling super-excited about Holi because it brings the prospect of painted nails. Asking Mama for a layer of tinted lip gel Choosing which dresses to wear to school – in fact, choosing which night clothes to sleep in Shoes! Shiny shiny shoes! My cuddly-cutie Gubsi is becoming a girl.
The kid network
Anika’s favourite friend – Preethi – is moving to another school. Anika and Preethi were inseparable. Were. Mama and Daddy learned about this yesterday at a friend’s party. Mama and Daddy were depressed – to think that Anika’s world would not be the same again. Of course, not a word was whispered about this to Anika….
Doctor’s Visit
Fall 2009, and flu is the topic of the season – well, at least when Tiger Woods is not. Shortage of seasonal flu vaccines, severe shortage of H1N1 flu vaccines, paranoid parents and sick kids. Ms. Pandey gets first preference on the flu vaccines and is taken to the doctor first, unannounced of course. A bit…
On-demand pee-pee
Daddy has been religiously taking Anika to the bathroom for a mid-slumber pee-pee session, not wanting a fiasco, especially given the freezing temperatures outside. Ms. Pandey, on the other hand, has been waking up every morning around 4am, walking over and then quietly slipping beside a grotesquely snoring Daddy. Perhaps it’s the nightmares – Mama…
Problem solving
When confronted with a question or a problem – Anika: Research, dig, tackle. If somewhat sure, make the move – gently, perfectly. If unsure, pass. Dumps: Look at the problem. Throw a solution. Did it stick? Next one.
Musical Memory
Now this is stunning! Ms Pandey has recently turned into something of a Disney movie fan. Not the recent Pixar stuff, but old time classics such as Pinocchio, Robin Hood, Sleeping Beauty etc. And she cannot sit through whole movies yet, but the length of the snippets she can watch are definitely bloating in size….
The mischief gene
Well, it is always there for Miss Pandey, but it shows up very prominently when a catalyst is present. The strongest catalyst right now is her cousin Ved. Left to themselves, Miss Pandey and Ved are quite the quiet kinds – angels, some might proclaim. But throw them in a room together and you get…
Trust me
If there was a million dollar question on “Who wants to be a millionaire?” and the answer was based on a fact that you, the player, thought Daddy, Mama, and Anika might know, please call your friend Anika. While wandering around Costco with Anika, the ever-clueless Daddy was wondering aloud: “Does Dumps wear Huggies #3…
Taxman
Tax day was near and Daddy was fretting over it, profusely. Anika has been watching Robin Hood with quite some interest lately, and can sympathize with Daddy about taxes, as one of the more depressing periods in Nottingham’s history occurs when Sir John raises taxes 3 times over. So, while driving solo with Anika, Daddy…
The simpler pleasures in life
When was the last time you built a sand castle? Flew a kite? Sat on a toy train? If you don’t have kids – pretty darned long time ago, right? Before kids, I even scorned at these things – what a waste of time. Well, perspectives change. This weekend, Anika and Daddy took a solo…
Earrings
A huge dilemma – Pretty-as-a-princess earrings, but the trauma of two prickly ears. Beauty overpowered the trauma, and Ms Pandey got a set of pink sparklies aligned perfectly on her ear-lobes. As soon as Daddy came home, the whole episode was narrated in great detail, including the parts where Anika cried, but it wasn’t really…
Homework
Rumors have been floating around Anika and her friends of the infamous homework pack from Challenger. Ms Pandey was rightfully concerned as she got up Monday morning (BTW, this homework is still a year away): Anika: Mama is homework difficult? Mama: No, it is fun Anika: Is it easy? Mama: No, it is just what…
D for E
Anika has a new cash register – well, no longer new as it was a Christmas 2008 present from Mama and Daddy. But, Anika’s cousin, Mayank Bhaia, craftily showed her a way to produce an “E” (error) on the box by dividing a number by zero. Since Ms Pandey was having trouble grasping the concept,…
What is Daddy like?
Anika: A big ball of cotton that speaks.
Lego
Mama and Daddy are trying to inculcate an interest in Lego from Ms. Pandey. Why the sudden urge you say? Well, because we think that will instill patience and concentration. So Mama and Daddy decided to get a Lego house for Anika – something meant really for 8-12 year olds. It was Daddy’s job to…
Smarty pants
The high-energy Ms. Pandey is never tired nor sleepy, unless of course, she has to do something that her parents have asked her to do, in which case slumber overpowers her for a few minutes. Mama’s dad (Nana) used to play a game with Mama when she was Anika’s age – shine a torchlight on…
Difference
When a 5 month Ms. Pandey went to Chicago, her aunt gave her a bead-filled plastic hourglass, that generated some serious noise when it was flipped over. One flip of the toy, and Ms. Pandey went into a state of fearful surprise leading to a few minutes of howling and crying. The same toy was…
Kanni Lal
Kanni and Lal (or Kanni Lal) are the two pieces of cloth that were tied to Anika hands, like homegrown mittens which couldn’t be yanked off easily, to prevent her from sucking her thumb at night. They had been there on her hands every night for almost 2 years now, and Mama had promised Anika…
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