Birthday countdown

Its 31 days to my birthday. A milestone. A beginning of a new decade and an end to the previous five. Am I keeping track by drawing lines and crossing them out every 7th or 10th day on a wall? No, I’m not. Thanks to my dear husband, I know exactly how many days there […]

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Induction into induction

I finally got myself an induction hob. I have been hob-less since my gas powered stove blew up on me. Even now I shudder at the thought. Expectedly that scary incident has been a little difficult to forget. It was also the reason I took my time to find a replacement. Anything but gas. The […]

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My mum’s sous chef

I am now my mum’s personal sous chef. Who would have thought? Certainly, not my mum. Not me. Not my husband. He still laughs at my current thrust-upon role. He finds the circumstance-driven transformation rather ironic. I am not at all keen on cooking, especially the savoury stuff. I even have a plaque on my […]

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Speaking at…

A phone call from a friend, whom I hadn’t texted or spoken to in a very long time, made me wonder about conversations. She and I, two people speaking with each other; exchanging information and updates about each other’s lives. But, that wasn’t what occurred. After asking me how I was, obligatory niceties out of the way, […]

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Knee pain and the Net

A few weeks ago, my mum complained of knee pain. She had difficulty standing up from her toilet seat. She has chronic arthritis and osteoporosis. She aches all over. Her pain is constant. Accentuated by phases of more pain. I was concerned. About the pain. About sitting and walking in her condo. About the possibility […]

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Christmas 2020

The tree went up on the first Saturday of December. Glittering with ornaments, tinsel and fairy lights. Spirits were lifted and brightened a little.  What else? Desserts. Always works for me. A sure mood enhancer and belly pleaser. I decided I’d bake some traditional desserts, not attempted before. To surprise my husband. To fondly remember Christmas 2020. To not […]

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The week that was …

On Wednesday, I had to re-order my mum’s favourite Sunsweet Pitted Prunes online. This was after the previous online order failed to arrive. The seller on the first platform did not bother responding to five queries on the prunes’ whereabouts. I complained to the platform. It refunded my money to its wallet. And, explained that […]

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Pongal rice, Karthigai and festivals

I helped my mum make ‘Sakkarai Pongal’ or Pongal rice last Sunday. Obviously not biased but she does make the tastiest Pongal rice I’ve ever had. This time around, she also got the thumbs-up from my husband, who doesn’t normally like the texture or taste of sweet rice. He likened it to a really delicious version […]

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Deepavali 2020

My mum’s most anticipated celebration is happening this Saturday, 14 November. Not easily excitable nor normally demonstrative, this is the only time of year that she’s animated with almost childlike enthusiasm. Deepavali – the Festival of Lights – has always given my mum a sense of joy and excitement. As a child, a wife, mother and […]

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Real or fake?

Many years ago, my mum used to read a weekly magazine. I forget the name now. It was a Tamil tabloid that carried news on politics, celebrity and lifestyle interspersed with some bizarre short stories. What I remember most is my mum reading, half-believing and relating the whacky snippets to me. The ones that jump […]

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