Happy New (Chinese) Year!

According to the Chinese zodiac, which is based on a 12-year cycle with each year represented by an animal, January 29, 2006, marks the start of the year of the Dog, which will last for 385 days until February 17, 2007.

People born under the sign of the dog are very idealistic and detest injustice. Their top priority is pleasing others and they often fear failure. Dogs are often wealthy. In friendship and love their loyalty, once gained, is valid for life.

Year of birth (in Chinese calendar): 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006.

What goes up, must come down!

Regarding my New Year's resolution of losing my post-pregnancy weight, I've decided to follow the suggestion of the 'Monk':

Five steps to reach a goal
1- Clearly visualize the outcome.
2- Create positive pressure to keep inspired (for example, make your goal public).
3- Never set a goal without a (reasonable) timeline; write it down on paper.
4- Perform a new activity for 21 days and it will become a habit.
5- Enjoy the process.

Let's see:


1- This picture was taken in 2004. I'll be very happy to be able to wear those clothes again. I visualize this every morning.

2- I'm clearly making my goal public by writing about this on my blog.

3- I’m only six kgs. away from my goal. So far, this timeline seems reasonable to me:
(Click to enlarge)




4- I need to work on this one... I should do some type of exercise everyday...

5- The part that I enjoy the most is when I get my weight checked and I get a little paper with the results. I carry those little papers in my wallet: they show the proof of my progress! However, I should make it a point to scan them as soon as I get them, because the ink fades from the 'fax-like' paper.
(Click to enlarge)
You see the little yellow chick on the ticker at the top of this blog? By the time it shows that Fabi is 12 months old, I would like to be at my pre-pregnancy weight (and shape!) - Wish me luck! I still have two more months to work on this goal!

Sporty Future

Fabi is surrounded by uncles who support sports.

• Alonso keeps providing Fabi with soccer gear:

• Sopan wants to make sure he has a place to play cricket:
  

250 years of Mozart

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born on Jan. 27th, 1756 to Leopold and Anna Maria Mozart.

I took this picture of Getreidegasse 9, Salzburg, Austria during the summer of 2001. It shows the house where he was born.

He was truly a child genius as he started playing and writing music when he was only three years old!
Mozart wrote many famous operas like 'The Magic Flute' and the Serenade 'Eine Kleine Nachmusik'. You can read more about his biography here and find interesting facts, like his really long name and that he never went to school!

Happy Indian Republic Day!

- 56 years ago India became a totally republican unit -

Meaning of the colors of the Indian Flag:

-saffron: courage and sacrifice
-white: purity and truth
-green: prosperity
-blue: progress



The Constitution of India has been in effect since January 26, 1950, a date celebrated annually as Republic Day in India. It is one of three annual national holidays in India, the other two being the nation's Independence Day on August 15 (since 1947) and the birthday of Mohandas K Gandhi on October 2.

Happy Tenth Month, Fabi!

Update:

Watching Fabi grow has been like watching a fast forward video of a flower blooming.

He's not just taller and heavier, he's also full of surprises. On the exact day he turned 10-months old, as if on cue, he started waving his hand to signal 'bye-bye'. He now babbles, has successfully used the potty, crawls at the speed of light and loves to laugh.

He can stand on his own for a few seconds, he can play ball (rolling a tennis ball back and forth) and makes a grunting sound when he hears the phone ring - his own version of answering the phone and saying 'hello'.

He's obsessed with dogs, cell phones and his favorite toys are books (they keep him busy for a longer time). He cries when his Daddy leaves for work in the mornings. He's a good eater and can sleep for 5 consecutive hours at night. When meeting new people, he takes his own time to make friends and smile back, but he keeps getting kissed by strangers and people keep asking to take his picture when we go to the nearby shopping mall. If you ask me, I no longer have a 'baby'....he's starting to look like a little boy. It's impressive to see the change in him as he grows over the months. I can hardly wait for him to communicate with me more and more each day.

What's your sign?

I've been learning and using sign language with Fabi hoping that we can communicate a lot sooner than when he learns to speak. I like this idea very much because the signs will bring unity among the different spoken languages that will surround him.

I'm not following any specific technique in the process of teaching the signs, I'm just using them as much as possible, hoping that Fabi will pick up their meaning.

I came across a scene for the movie 'Meet the Fockers', where the character played by Robert De Niro is communicating with a baby through sign language. It's really funny!!

My OWN Bureau

MARI



= Mari.wav
(Click to listen)






MARIE



= Marie.wav
(Click to listen)







This is just for fun...I've been meaning to write this post ever since the 'Anti-Marie-Bureau' ad campaign started here in India because I completely identify myself with the logo you see at the top of this post.

The 'Marie' biscuits are very popular here in India; people like to dip the biscuits in their tea. You find different types of 'Marie' biscuits and lately this ad campaign started to introduce a new type of these biscuits.

The reason I identify myself with the logo is because it represents a 'campaign' I would have liked to launch myself after coming to India....you see: my name is Mariluz, but I shorten it to 'Mari' so that it's easier for people to remember and to pronounce. (Click on the 'Mari.wav' link to listen to the pronunciation).

On the other hand, I pronounce the name 'Marie' the 'American English' way, just as you hear it by clicking on the link above.

But here in India they pronounce both names the same way. So, eventhough I hear my name correctly all the time, I've had to get used to see it spelled with an extra 'e' at the end. Therefore, I am now officially joining the 'Anti-Marie-Bureau'! Do you like my idea?

Jail Time

Dime que lees...

This is my reading list nowadays:









Eventhough I started reading this book sometime ago, I'm still on chapter 9 (four more chapters until I finish the book). It's very good!

















I know...I know...it's fiction...but I still wanted to read it, so that I would know what all the buzz about this book was about.
















This is the Spanish version of 'Eat Green. Lose Weight'. I got it as a gift from my Dad and up until now I have only used it as a reference. I'm hoping to read it completely very soon.






What are YOU currently reading?

FYI

It's a great time to be in Mumbai.

Hindu Festivities

It's been several weeks since I mentioned that I wanted to post about the hindu festivities celebrated here in India.

I think it's about time I wrote about it because today I was caught by surprise when I was greeted with a 'Happy Makar Sankrati'. My friend Shweta has a detailed post about 'Makar Sankrati'. As far as I know, today is the day when:

• people traditionally would greet saying: "Til gul ghya" ("Accept these sweets from sesame seeds and jaggery") and responding: "gud gud bola!" ("Speak sweet words to me!")
• wear black clothes
• fly kites

Below, you will see a calendar I have found with the most important hindu festivities, which should help me keep track of the celebrations that take place. I have highlighted with red, the celebrations that I have seen here.

Encontré un calendario de las celebraciones hindúes que me ayudará a recordar algunos de los días festivos de India. Hoy en día no hay tantos feriados como hace unos años, pero las generaciones actuales siguen muchas de las tradiciones - aunque no siempre tienen muy claro el origen y el significado de los festejos.

Este calendario tiene enlaces a las descripciones (en inglés) de los días más celebrados y he marcado con rojo los días con festejos que he visto o en los que he participado.

Algunas de las cosas (curiosas) que he visto hasta el momento son:

• gente que se viste de blanco para luego paticipar en una 'guerra' de polvo y agua de colores
• personas que ayunan para 'recibir dinero de su deidad'
• mujeres que ayunan todo el dia por la salud y larga vida de su esposo; comen solo cuando ven la luna llena al final de ese dia.
• gente que baila por la calle al ritmo de lo que a mi me parece música 'techno', desfilando con su deidad en forma de elefante, para luego tirarla al mar.
• gente que se reúne a bailar incesantemente durante varias noches
• la venta indiscriminada de fuegos artificiales y el incesante ruido de bombetas hasta altas horas de la noche.
• el día en que se levantan antes del amanecer para darle un masaje de aceite a los hombres de la casa

Todas estas costumbres tienen una explicación ya sea religiosa o histórica. Lo interesante es conocer el significado de fondo de cada tradición para lograr entenderlas un poco más.

Calendar 2006

January
14 Lohri
14 Makarsankranti / Pongal
26 India Republic Day

February
13 Vasant Panchami / Saraswati Puja

March
08 Maha Shivaratri
15 Holi
30 Hindi New Year
30Gudi Padwa / Ugadi
30 Cheti Chand / Chaitra Sukhladi

April
06 Ramanavami

13 Vaisakhi
14 Tamil New Year / Vishu
15 Bengali New Year / Bohag Bihu
22 Mahavir Jayanti
24 Hanuman Jayanti

May
23 Buddha Purnima / Vaisakhi Purnima

June
22 Kabir Jayanti

July
08 Rath Yatra
21 Guru Purnima / Asadha Purnima

August
06 Teej
15 India Independence Day
19 Raksha-Bandhan
27 Krishna Janmashtami

September
05 Shikshak Divas (Teacher's Day)
07 Ganesh/Vinayak Chaturthi
15 Onam
18 Pitr-Paksha begins

October
02 Gandhi Jayanti
03 Pitr-Paksha ends
03 Mahalaya
04 Navaratri begins
10 Durga Puja begins (Maha Saptami)
12 Navaratri ends
12 Vijaya Dashami/Dusshera
17 Valmiki Jayanti
17 Lakshmi Puja
20 Karwa Chauth
30 Dhanteras
31 Chhoti Diwali

November
01 Diwali (Lasts 5 days!)
02 Vikram New Year 2062/Govardhan Puja
02 Kali Puja
03 Bhai Dooj / Bhai Phota / Bhav-Bij
15 Guru Nanak Jayanti

This is what happens when...

...you are a foreigner and have been married to an Indian national for more than one year.
You get a 'PIO Card':

I checked Fabi's tag and it says:

Esta es la etiqueta de Fabi:

El reto se acaba de hacer mas dificil...

Estar al cuidado de un bebé todo el tiempo, es sin duda un gran reto. A mi parecer, al principio es más fácil porque los bebés duermen mucho y aunque es cierto que comen a cada rato y los cambios de pañales son frecuentes, uno tiene tiempo para otras cosas...excepto para dormir en las noches, porque también se despiertan a menudo!

Una vez que Fabi adquirió movilidad, yo empecé a notar que las reglas del juego ya estaban cambiando.

Fabi empezó a gatear y eso estaba muy bien ....hasta que aprendió a hacerlo con la velocidad de la luz. Ahora tengo que correr detrás de él para que no salga por alguna puerta abierta o no alcance algo que no sea un juguete.

Más que un entrenamiento para él antes de poder caminar, siento que esta etapa me prepara a mí: me sorprenden mis reflejos y la flexibilidad que debo tener para estar al rescate cuando se necesita.

Fabi se está estirando muy rápido...a veces me parece que se levanta de una siesta y ya puede alcanzar lugares que antes de la siesta no podía!

A Fabi le estoy llenando uno de esos 'libros de bebé', pero es muy difícil determinar el día exacto en que empieza a hacer una actividad nueva. Sin embargo, hoy capté claramente el logro más reciente: PUEDE SUBIR GRADAS! Hasta el momento, sólo se acercaba a la primera grada y yo podía parpadear tranquilamente porque sabía que no podía subir....pero después del logro de hoy, voy a tener que elevar el nivel de seguridad de mis 'antenitas que detectan movimiento'.

In case you were wondering...sometimes I do feel like a foreigner.

For the last six months or so, I've had some assistance with the housework, a lady named Nassim. Here in India, she would be called 'servant', but I don't like that term and I don't even like to use the word 'maid'. So, I call her my helper, because that's exactly what she does: she helps me!

Nassim is a small, thin, young woman who has 3 kids of her own. She understands more English than I do Hindi, but we manage to communicate somehow. She normally comes early in the afternoon and handwashes the clothes (including Fabi's cloth diapers!), cleans the floor and washes the dishes and cooks chapatis for Ishan. Everyday she comes and also sweeps the terrace, the front garden and the back of the house. Sometimes she also has the initiative to do some additional cleaning if necessary and even cook a dish for Ishan if I ask her to.

She takes two days off every month - one day at a time - and she normally lets me know beforehand.

So...when it appears that she's not going to show up for the third day in a row and it's later than the time when she usually comes, I make a drastic decision:

Instead of eating, reading, exercising, cooking, watching Oprah or blogging, I decide to do some housework during the valuable time when Fabi was taking his afternoon nap. I had already washed the dishes and a load of laundry was in the washing machine. I was about to start hand washing (!) dirty diapers, when I heard a knock on the door. There she was....! And the first thing that she said was....I didn't come because yesterday was Eid Ul-Adha. And then I remembered that I had talked to Sopan - my brother-in-law - on the phone yesterday and he had greeted me with an 'Eid Mubarak'. If I hadn't thought that he was just being funny, I would have realized that Nassim had taken a holiday because she's muslim!... Why didn't I realize this?...

I wonder how much longer it will take me to live in this land of great cultural and religious diversity to know what's going on!...Maybe I should get out of the house more...or just watch some local tv channels!...

A belated EID MUBARAK to all my muslim friends!

BTW, I have a couple of other stories where I've felt like a foreigner in other countries. Just ask me if you're interested in knowing about that...How about you? Do you have any anecdotes similar to this one?

He's not wearing contact lenses!

How does a gene, a section of a chromosome in the cell nucleus, make the eyes a particular color?

The exact color of the human eye is determined by the amount of a single pigment called melanin that is present in the iris of the eye. Melanin is a dark brown pigment that is deposited on the front surface of the iris. If a lot of melanin is present, the eye will appear brown or even black. If very little melanin is present the iris appears blue. Intermediate amounts of melanin produces gray, green, hazel or varying shades of brown. Genes work by directing the production of enzymes, chemicals that control all of the processes that occur in our body. Eye color genes, through the enzymes they produce, direct the amount and placement of melanin in the iris. In general Caucasian babies are born with blue eyes because at the time of birth they haven't begun to produce melanin in their irises. Their eyes may change to green, brown or other colors as melanin production begins. Babies of other ethnic origins such as African, Asian, Hispanic and Native American, are often born with brown or black eyes.

From "The Genetics of Human Eye Color" -Oregon State University
More here.

Someone really did ask me if Fabian was wearing contact lenses! I thought he was joking, but apparently he was serious and really wanted to know. Funny!

¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Tío José!

Hoy celebra su cumpleaños, mi tío José, el que me enseñó a andar en bici!... :)

¡Que tenga un cumple muy Pura Vida!...

¡Muchas Felicidades!

Sometimes .. bad things happen

In my attempt to keep my New Year's resolution, I have shopped for healthy vegetables and ingredients. Last night, I cooked a dish - an indianized version of broccoli and potatoes, with all the indian spices included. Ishan did not taste it, but I was hoping it would be part of today's dinner....

Anyway, I had some of it for lunch,


but then I had an accident:


Too bad...because it doesn't get any healthier than steamed broccoli...

Fabulous Fabi

New Year...new outfit...and looking fabulous

A New Beginning...

The New Year is here! Oh!...How fun!...

2006 found us having a late snack at home and enjoying my personal creation of mint cocktail (I wanted to use the glasses I got for X-Mas!), while we heard the sounds of firecrackers around the neighbourhood.

We watched the movie "I,Robot" on 'Star Movies' channel and I chatted with my family in CR as the clock turned midnight. And so ... the Chinese 'Year of the Dog' began...

Picture: Fabi waited for 2006 to start....but he fell asleep!

Today is also a special day because it's the octave day of Christmas and the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Holy Mother of God.

Many friends have asked me about the celebrations that take place here in India. There are all kinds of New Year celebrations here in Mumbai: from great dinner parties at 5-star hotels, to dance parties in discotheques, to family and friends getting together to wait for the New Year with firecrackers while they listen to music. We went for a walk around our neighbourhood and we saw children dancing on the street to the sound of music coming out of their computer speakers that they had set outside their window. On the other hand, I also saw something that has caught my attention since the first time I welcomed a New Year in India: for some people it's just another day...shops are open, vegetable sellers pushing their carts, people heading home after a normal day at work, etc. Very different from other places - like Costa Rica - where it seems like everyone is in a festive mood and celebrate - or at least, acknowledge that a New Beginning is taking place.