No one will ever put Baby in a corner...

My dearest Nona,

How much more can I love you!!!

You are the most important ingredient in my life.  Saying 'You keep me grounded' would be giving you too little credit for the wondrous and numerous blessings I've received. Growing up to be a strong and yet stubborn woman, I place that credit at thy feet.

You taught me to persevere during difficult opportune moments, to give my 100% when I had no faith left, to pray till I understood the meaning behind my heart felt litany, to give than to receive, to make do with little and feel as rich as the Queen, to hold my head high, to cry when I was ashamed of my behavior and attitude, to grind in me the realities of life, to teach me how hard work is a measure of success especially when you're not born with the smarts, to lead by example, to find peace during troubling times, to helping me with my studies, to letting me be young, wild and free... To letting me be - Me.

I made a promise before leaving Canada. I don't seem to be willing to live up to my end of the bargain. I'm assuming JC understands because he has let me remain selfish and have you be there for me.

I'll always be numb about that day when you injured yourself. It took me two months to feel like I was in control again.

Day before, you and I were sleeping on the bed. I was hugging Anna. You won't remember but you were patting me and putting me to sleep. I was so overwhelmed that I cried myself to sleep. Happy tears.

You are my Mother,  nana. You have taught me to ask "have you eaten" before thinking of self. You've given me sooo much, I have been unable to repay your generous spirit.

I will always regret not being there for you while I was 'busy' growing up to be an adult. I blame myself for your alzheimers. You gave us everything and I let you down so badly when you needed me the most. I'm trying to make up for that wrong today. I know you don't even recollect these things, but I really am trying to atone for the wrong I've done by you.

I will always love you...  With every beat of my heart, Baby Lily.

From your God child, tramp, hot pants, stupid girl,
Pinchu / Chelsea girl

To all the women who FIT the BILL

Happy Mother's Day.

For me, there are just two women in this world who personify all that this day symbolises - Mother Mary and my nana.

The third category goes to my friends mums... they really have been a mum to me in so many ways. And I'm so grateful for that, knowing that my friends have been kind enough to share and even lend their mums to a lost and often lonely loony tomboy.

I just went for a stroll around Oberoi mall today - Saw tons of moms and girls spending time together getting pedicures; FB is filled with notifications and photos of special moments of people and their mommies (can't even imagine the remaining who don't wanna publicise it on FB but show their mum how special she is at home); Whatsapp + BBM - love you momma messages - all except one soul.

It's like society just mucks around the fact that everyone's mother is a blessing in disguise, would lay down her life for you, woke up when you cried in the middle of the night, took you shopping for girly clothes, -  SHE is the perfect mom.

Well, just FYI - some of us didn't have any of that. Some of us were made to find ourselves on our own.

Maybe, that in the end is the best lesson cause today - I'm a self made woman. I know my worth.

That - mom... is the game changer.

Happy Mother's Day.

Kitchen tales with my right hand chef!

Got some time to kill so just wanted to write about the gazillion things that drive Chelsea each moment, of every minute, of every hour, of every day.

A great day so far. I attempted to make dal with drumsticks and a side dish of cabbage and potatoes with my Jane Doe - Nana dearest. Lol. It was a treat. She snuck up to the gas adding her own ingredients every time my back was turned. And a couple of glasses of water because - 'the cabbage wasn't cooking na chelsea'

The culprit behind my
masterpieces in the kitchen :P

... lol. I just stared at her.

"That's what I do too!!!"

Like Godmother, like grandchild, I always say.

I go to wash my hands only to come back to find some drumsticks floating in the cabbage. If you've ever seen videos of logs of wood floating downstream... well that's what my cabbage bhajji looked like. I yelled... NANA!!!!

She did the one thing she deserves an Oscar for... DAK - Deny All Knowledge.

I swear that woman is a first class act. You end up doubting your own intelligence and learn to swallow that the resident ghost was up to no good and did said mischief.

Then came the daal. 'Have you put salt?' I must have answered that question about a minimum 15 times. Ultimately, I forgot if I had put salt or not. So I added some.

Salty daal with drumsticks are in vogue people.

But it is fun cooking with my Grandmother/Godmother. So, you basically have two people in the kitchen - one who writes recipes on small scraps of paper and fixes a dish by throwing in her secret ingredient re: curd while the other doesn't remember she can cook but knows the ins and outs of a kitchen!