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Gearing up for First day of School

The day you first held your little one, the first time he smiled at you, those first steps, first tears, first words, first bike ride... You would have experienced countless firsts with your child so far. Before you knew it, your kid is just few days away from a very important milestone - his first day of school.  If your kid is starting kindergarten this academic year, I totally feel you. I was in the same state of mind, exactly an year ago. After tending to my son for more than 3 years, that too as a stay at home mom, he is very attached to me. I was with him literally 24 x 7, except for those very few minutes I sneak into the washroom. The thought of how he would survive those 7 hours of school without me, haunted me for days. Next his preparedness to face the whole new world (without us) was dreadful. I had infinite questions/ doubts in my head. It is quite natural if you have an endless loop going on in your head. In this post, I sum up my experience of preparing my child and ...

Book: First They Killed My Father

"First They Killed My Father" was on my To Be Read (TBR) list for sometime. Finally, I read it as part of my book goals for the year 2021. It is a heart wrenching memoir written by Loung Ung, who survived the Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge Regime in Cambodia.  The story starts off with Loung narrating her family and life at Phnom Penh before communists took over Cambodia; their family fleeing Phnom Penh due to Khmer Rouge’s attack; the struggles their family encounters while travelling from one village to the other, concealing their identity for survival; their ordeal working for Khmer Rouge. In the due course, Loung’s father gets killed, her family gets separated with Loung ending up in the Khmer Rouge troop as a child soldier. By the time Cambodia is liberated, Loung also loses her mother, 2 sisters and finally unites with rest of her siblings. The books ends with Loung migrating to the United States along with her elder brother and sister-in-law. It is a very well written book ...

Rutabaga: An Underrated Superfood & A Delicious Indian Recipe To Try!

Trying something new can feel uncertain, whether it is a new routine or new job or new city or even a new vegetable, as we often find comfort in the familiar. I had reservations about this particular vegetable until I cooked and tasted it. Let me introduce you Rutabaga, a lesser known vegetable (at least for a person from tropical region like me). It is nutrient-rich, flavourful and incredibly easy to prepare.                                              When I first saw Rutabaga in the grocery stores here, I thought it would be from the yam family and ignored it, primarily because of its starch content. In addition, Rutabaga's sheer size always made me think twice to try it. In India, grocery stores sell small portions of vegetables like yam, cabbage or pumpkin, allowing customers purchase only what they need, which is...

10 things to do after reaching Canada

Congratulations!!! Finally, you have received your COPR or work visa or student visa, packed your bags, said good byes to family and friends and boarded the flight to your dream country - Canada. There are few essential activities to do immediately after reaching Canada, which  puts you in a better position and gives you the much needed peace. I am listing 10 such activities to accomplish, preferably within the first few weeks. 1. Finding an accommodation: Accommodation is the first thing you would need to head straight from the airport. So better to get it sorted before leaving for Canada.  If you have relatives or friends at Canada, then it would be the best option to stay with them for a week or two, find an accommodation and move out. Alternatively you can consider staying at Airbnbs until you hunt a house. Airbnbs are budget-friendly compared to hotels.  Check out websites like kijiji , craigl ist , facebook,  indianeverywhere   etc. You will get lot of o...

Dil Bekaraar - Enjoyable Family Drama

Dil Bekaraar, is a comedy family drama series, released this November on Disney+ Hotstar. The trailer which appeared to be set up in 1980s background was compelling. It is the adoption of novel "Those Pricey Thakur Girls" written by Anuja Chauhan. These two reasons were convincing enough for me to watch the series.                                                      (Photo credit: Disney+ Hotstar) Directed by Habib Faisal, the story revolves around the family of retired Justice LN Thakur and his five daughters, based at New Delhi and love story between the protagonists.  The cast includes Raj Babbar (LN Thakur), Poonam Dhillon (Mamta, LN Thakur's wife), Akshay Oberoi (Dylan Singh Shekhawat, protagonist), Sahher Bambha (Debjani aka Dabbu - one of Thakur's daughter and Dylan's love interest), Padmini Kolhapure (Thakur's brother's ...