Shift Happens

Living in exponential times...gotta love it. GSH

Sebastião Salgado

Adventures in babysitting

Just like the title suggests this weekend has been quite akin to a movie of the same name I remember seeing when I was in school.

It started out to be a quiet one away in Woolongong. As my sister put it "come along with us, what will you do home alone" which in parenting speak translates into "we need you to babysit". I gave in.

Didn't realize how much goes into a simple 2 day trip with a baby. My producing skills sure came in handy, and I was mocked at by my brother-in-law for the many lists that were drafted, re-written and then published.

Other than what I was asked to do I took care of the entertainment for Naina - made sure we had plenty of Tigger & Pooh videos on my laptop and all of her favorite music including the most important one, her bedtime music which has spiritual and calming chant tracks all in Sanskrit.

I will skip through and go straight to the adventures. Last evening Pooja & Karan leave to go for their seminar. I am chuffed with having rather quickly managed to put Naina to bed. While she is still on my lap I am debating in my head which would be a better entertainment choice tonight "House" or "Grey's Anatomy". Neither, she wakes up very suddenly, is upset because I am not her mum and does not recognize her surroundings. The screams get louder and tears more real and lo and behold I am covered in baby throw-up - she does not stop for quite a while and we both are covered from head to toe (and I spend an hour in the shower getting rid of the lovely un-escape like fragrance on me).

Thank God for cellphones but most importantly the silent mode on phones so mothers can be in seminars and still keep an eye on SOS calls from babysitters. Help arrives and all is good...

.... until today. We come back from a walk around town and I need to use the loo. Since the suite isn't 'naina-proofed' I am afraid to leave her by herself so decide to put her back in her pram. I keep talking to her so she knows I am still around. As I am washing my hands I hear her screaming and my heart begins to race. I jump out to find her stuck in her pram trying to get out of it, escape more like it (I forgot to strap her). I panic and this time my brother-in-law comes to the rescue calms the baby down and gets her out of the tangle. Phew!

The afternoon is uneventful!

But not for long. My princess wakes up from her afternoon nap and needs a nappy change. Simple enough. Done it many times before. It all goes smoothly until a moment's delay or pure bad luck if you ask me, and my niece is covered in her own pee because my hands were not swift enough to put the damn nappy under her in time. I somehow manage to get myself (and her) out of that mess.

A clean happy baby decides to make a nice day into an even more stressful one and topples a chair over herself while I am in the kitchen sterilizing her bottles(I swear I kept an eye on her). My agile body leaps into the air and across to the living area and manages to rescue her and hug her until she calms down.

That should have told me today is not my day. Take the rest of the day off Deepa!

Now I am running out of ideas to keep this very curious baby safe in a hotel suite that isn't the least bit baby-proofed. So I text my sister for help yet again. I am told to meet them half way between the hotel and the convention center so we can all get a bite to eat (I was thinking more on the lines of "House of Ale"). The thought excites me and I shift into fifth gear and zoom in and out of rooms grabbing everything I can think of that the baby might need and head downstairs.

A nice gentleman offers to help me with the pram down the few steps at the entrance while I hold Naina and the next thing I know is I am on the floor with a knee that is throbbing bad.

This is what happened. As I was coming down the steps, I slip and realize very quickly that any moment now we are going to hit the SUV at the foot of the steps. So in my mind I already know that I have to make sure nothing happens to the baby. In order for the baby to not leave my arms and get hurt I hold her real tight enveloping her and instead break the fall with my knee.

It was frightening until I loosened my arms and saw Naina smiling at me. Thank you Krsna! A lot of people came running toward me. A chair, blanket (its winter here) and ice pack were brought out immediately, but all I wanted to do was hand over the precious one to her rightful owners.

So my dear friends I am typing this post in my PJ's nursing a very bruised and swollen knee with a few extra strength painkillers (and I admit, a beer) in me.

So how many of you have I scared off (parenthood) with this post. If I have, this is what I will say, its all worthwhile just for that hug they give you when you are reading 'My first words' with them, or the smile they bring to your face when you see them sleeping in their cot with their tiny bottoms sticking in the air or the way they play with your hands as you are holding their bottle while they drink.

I would do it again!

Lost without "Lost"

A few of you know exactly what I mean. The few whom I emailed my "Lost" woes to. When I left New York, I wasn't bothered at all by the fact that Australia is half a season behind us coz I was so used to downloading episodes on Itunes given the crazy producer life I led. Not bothered until I didn't see "Lost" and "Grey's Anatomy" listed under TV shows and thus began a fervent research into why the fuck was Itunes doing that to me and I found this:

What about video content for my iPod?

Unlike American iTunes users, Australians don't have access to Disney and Pixar movies such as Pirates of the Caribbean and Toy Story. US-based shows such as Channel Seven's Desperate Housewives and Lost are also missing. Video content is limited to short Pixar animations, music video clips, and video podcasts. As far as television is concerned, you can download clips from shows like The Chaser's War On Everything, Nerds FC and Rove Live by subscribing to their video podcasts.

Aye aye aye!

Without dragging out my TV woes I will tell you this - Deepa where there is a will there is way Joshi managed to download the season finale and much more AND on Itunes. It's a secret ; )

I have to say Australia isn't too advanced technologically. I am faced with having to settle for DSL since internet through cable option is only for home owners not renters in apartments. They have crazy plans that have download caps depending upon your internet usage and if you go over your planned usage the speed slows down to dial-up speed until the beginning of the new billing cycle. (not like paying Time Warner Cable a monthly fee and you have internet and it is mad fast) AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

After many emails and calls to Optus I have been told that I should go for the 60GB plan given my video and audio downloads. So now I have pinned down the neighborhood I want to be in, the cellphone and internet plans I will subscribe to, cable TV through Foxtel. I just need money to pay for all this and that comes with a job.

The search is on but nothing yet. I am going out of my mind. I know I know. I should enjoy this while I can but I am a restless soul with crazy energy. So I have been running a lot, and man do I miss my park (Prospect Park), another necessity, an alien concept here I am finding out. There are tons of playgrounds, every bloody corner you turn, makes you wonder - well they certainly are fertile.

After many a days of exploring I have finally nailed down a good course, one that has some climb to it too and nice looking houses. I can't complain, its the one time of the day I get totally to myself. My outing for the day unless you count the occassional trips to the local growers market. And without fail the manager steps out of his alcove to flirt with me, even when I am at my worst, in my joggers and trainers. I think he has Italian blood in him. For now I am happy with my friends Pooh, Tigger, Roo, Piglet and Buster.

Let me leave you guys with this thought. I want to make money, I want to make money doing what I love, I want to make more money than I made in New York. Right! Wrong. If you are making between $75K-$125K you pay 42% in taxes. Fucking hell!

A Minute longer...

... the second time in my life this song plays in my head as the runway approaches. Maybe if we stay in the air my move may not be as real as it is. But I wasn't in the cockpit so we did touch down!

It did feel good getting out of the air we all had been breathing for 14+ hours and stretch those long legs (don't even think it Leigh Scott, I am a woman with long legs, as much as you would like to think you are taller than me!). Walking down the airport reminded me of the Geico "Airport" commercial. I followed the signs that said "visitors" even though I am migrating. Will I ever call any country my own? Not quite sure yet????

I will give it to the Australian version of the INS, unlike the U.S Homeland Security (ooh I am scared) that even at 7am in the morning every desk had an immigration officer so even though the queue was long it didn't take much time until I found myself at the baggage carousel.

I anchored myself to a corner and awaited my bags each weighing more than 75 pounds. I had marked them with red and gold tags so I did spot them, but I wish I hadn't, they were bloody heavy and not a chivalrous man in sight. Seriously, I was told so much about aussie men, where the fuck are men when you need them? I managed somehow, damaging my already messed up back in the bargain. I begin to push the trolley and bam, all my bags are on the floor right in front of an officer. My request for help with the bags was instanly denied "the laws here do not allow us to touch passengers bags" I was told. Her statement made America under George Bush seem like Dalai Lama's Dharamsala to me. Oh well deeps you are on your own again! Just as I said that a dog came sniffing my bags, made me wonder if what Dr. Goldberg gave me was indeed ambien, did knock me out for most of the flight!

Oh Krsna, totally forgot about the stringent Australian quarantine laws. An officer asked me if I had anything to declare in my "very few" bags, should have said "my freedom", instead I volunteered "just gluten free crackers officer".

All my woes were dissolved instanly like alka seltzer in water as soon as I saw Naina, my gorgeous 11 month old (soon to be 1) niece.

Baby Rohan and Anya Arrive to Proud Parents!

One of my best male friends, Ishwari, and his wife, Sladana, were blessed with healthy twins yesterday around 9PM New York time!!! One is a boy and one a girl, weighing 5.7 and 5.5 pounds respectively. Their names are Rohan (after the famed West Indies cricketeer) and Anya (which has positive connotations in both Sanskrit and Serbian....what an amazing cultural mix!). Parents and newborns are fine and resting up for the long haul ahead...

How fucking fabulous is that, no?!!!! [beaming]

Blessings to us all, indeed. :)

GSH

Land of the aboriginies-Getting there

Almost 15 hours of flying time it read on the screen in front of me. Thank Krsna for all the junky magazines my friends gave me, all the "House" and "Lost" Episodes I downloaded to my ipod and the ambien Dr. Goldberg prescribed.


I have gotten travelling this sector, JFK-SFO-SYD, down to a science. This was the 3rd trip I made in less than six months. Yup, sure do have many a miles now, except that the airlines always make it crazy hard to bloody use them. Apparently my ticket was ineligible for an upgrade to business class. Atleast reinvent the usage of miles - how about use miles to pay for excess baggage - so people like me who usually have a whole bag full of shoes or this time around 3 BIG bags of all the clothing I could possibly fit into the bags, since I moved to Sydney 2 weeks ago to start a new adventure (boy little did I know it will literally be one, more on that later).


My charm did not work this time around with the check-in agent. I guess the fatigue, 4 weeks of running around to wrap up 8 years of my life in NYC, showed on my face. He finally took pity and moved me around to another seat in a row where there were 3 empty seats next to me. Boy did that make me happy but also brought out the nasty side of me (a side I never see or even like). This new (mean) person spread all her stuff, neck pillow, books, jacket on every seat so it looked occupied so no one would steal them away from her. She even looked through some college kids who struck a conversation with me at the gate worried that the fellow "Lost" fan would come and plonk himself next to her for the duration of the flight.


Rewind: As we waited for the flight to be brought in from the hangar - passengers started conversations with fellow travellers and thats when I met these kids - they were headed to various parts of Australia for a vacation. The jokes were endless - none of them had ever stepped foot outside of the United States and the longest flight they had ever flown was from Boston to San Francisco. Our flight was delayed because of a technical failure and of course that led to the "Lost" fan saying - "this ain't good, the Oceanic flight that crashed was on its way from Sydney to Los Angeles". Not funny I thought, I had my reasons to not participate in conversation about crashes but I kept them to myself.


Fast Fwd: Much itv, 3 movies, few pages of a book and an ambien later I wake up and decide to walk around, stretch, brush my teeth and use the loo before the inhabitants of the plane arise and the loos start to resemble the ones on Indian trains.


A vegetarian breakfast and a few tears later (it finally hit me as we started our descent into Sydney that I had just left behind a life I love so much and people I love so much), we land at Kingsford Smith International Airport.