The 100th!!!

The 100th post!! A milestone I've longed for so long, a post I've written in my head at least a down times - and now that I'm here, I'm curiously at a loss for words. Actually, I was hoping that I would get to the 100th by 27th August - the 3rd anniversary of the blog - 3 years, 100 posts - wow, I am feeling really overwhelmed now.

The last 3 years, these 100 posts have literally given me a new direction, new vistas to explore. What started as a hobby has gradually evolved into a passion - my only regret being that I didn't start earlier  - way earlier!! It would have been such a treasure to have documented all those years in France and Chennai - all those baby years, all those Snowy stories!! Even now, reading the first posts on this blog, there are so many memories that would have surely faded - if it hadn't been for the blog!!

Since the very first post, I have wondered who would want to read what I've written. Even today, I feel a thrill, a sense of awe when I see the number hits on a particular post - nothing makes my day like a comment on the blog! So thank you, my readers - for reading, for encouraging me, for all the support!! Thank you for getting me to the 100th post!! Thank you for being such an integral part of 'Coolkarnis in China'!!

I feel like I should be writing something momentous to mark this occasion - but I'm seriously blanking out - no words of wisdom from me today! Instead, let me end with a promise to keep writing - here's to many more - more years, more posts, more everything!! I do hope you keep reading, keep coming back to share our experiences - in China, and beyond!!! Signing off the 100th post then - cheers!!

Where has September gone??

I can't believe it's already October!! And as always, I'm way behind on the blogging - too many activities, and not enough down time!! So much for my resolution for keeping a low profile this school year - 2 months in, and I'm back on the whirl - jam-packed weekends, and a blur of weekdays!! Hard to imagine what our lives would be if I went back to work full-time - where would I find the time to fit in an actual job??!!

For me, September started off with mixed feelings - after much vacillating, I decided to let go my aayi - maid - of 3 years. The debate and the indecision goes back a few months - I'm always reluctant to make a change - besides, I can never decide if I have a good reason to deprive someone of their livelihood. My struggle with the help - enough material for a book, to be sure - is not something I'm proud of. Anyway, whys and hows I'll save for another post - suffice to say that I did fire my maid, decided to go solo for a while - soon figured out that I still hat cleaning bathrooms, and with a house this size, mopping is no picnic - so, finally gave in and decided to get a new part-time aayi - fingers crossed!!

Manasi, too, had a rough start to September - the whole Head Girl, House Captain, Prefect drama?? I'm still trying to decide if this was a good learning experience or not. I think it is an enormous pressure for 10 year olds - not only competing with their peers - but the lessons of winning and losing gracefully. Seems like - rather than encourage a healthy competition, the absence of transparency from these selections and elections - engenders feelings of bitterness. Again, material for another post maybe??!! Manasi was selected to be a Prefect - and the Prefect Assembly was one of the high points of the month!!

Football and Family Fun Day followed soon after! Football in Shanghai for Manasi and Ajey - Ajey rode the bus with the team on one of the 2 days. I'll be honest - I was quite glad not to have to go - while I'm for supporting the kids and all that jazz - a day in Shanghai watching football is really not that much fun!! I did have a good excuse - I was working at FFD!! Family Fun Day is the first event of the school year organized by Friends of Dulwich. Not really a fundraiser - we barely break even - it is exactly what the name says - a day of fun for the family. The venues this year was the Grand Jinji Lake, and the entrance price included buffet lunch, and a whole slew of activities for kids of all ages!!

The FoD ladies at Family Fun Day!

Oh yes, how can I forget - I'm jumping around a bit now - the week before was Manasi's China week trip - this year to Yaolin. I was hoping that I could convince her to write about her adventures like she did last year for Nan Bei Hu - but no luck so far!! She did give us a bit of a scare though - I got a call from her teacher late Tuesday night, saying that Manasi was complaining of chest pain - nearly hit the roof - after talking Manasi through her symptoms, I was pretty sure it was just heartburn - nevertheless, we were on tenterhooks the next couple of days, ready to leave at the drop of a hat to go get her - but she finished the week, and from what I've heard, a really good time was had by all! Now if only I could get her to write...sigh!!

The week that Manasi was gone turned out to be quite busy - lunch with girlfriends, a FoD meeting, our date night, of course!! Also, right in the middle of the week, was Ganesh Chaturthi - one of our bigger festivals! Usually, Ajey takes a day off, and we have a relaxed morning with puja followed by sumptuous lunch - but without Manasi, we settled for a smaller puja in the evening - of course, what's Ganesh Chaturthi without modaks?!! And then, the Sunday after FFD, it was time for our biannual Satyanarayan puja - 4 families for lunch, but a much simpler lunch menu this year!! Both occasions were a great opportunity to showcase my mom's latest gift - a pair of silver samai - oil lamps!!

Modaks!

Right after China week trips was the Greek Day for Year 6! I think this day is meant to be an kick-off to learning about Ancient Greece - for the kids, however, it's another chance to dress-up, another opportunity to get a costume!! Rather than scrambling at the last minute, I was actually prepared - had ordered a 'Greek' costume for Manasi from taobao - which meant that for once, Manasi was happy with my efforts! Some of her friends had quite elaborate costumes - while others had a bed-sheet draped as a toga - either way, the morning at the bus-stop was quite fun!! Year 6 parent reps had also chosen to have a Parent Coffee that same day - with the hope that parents would come to school to participate in the Greek Day activities - no luck, this year either!! I'm fully convinced that these Parent Coffees are a total exercise in futility!! 

To make September even busier than normal - this year's Golden Week October break actually started in September - which meant that the last week of September was travel week for us!! Where did wgo - well, that will definitely be another post or two!! Settling into October now, watching the weather change, the leaves turn, the chill set in - Fall is definitely here, with many more activities!! Hoping to blog a little more frequently this month - so until next time!!