Green and all its shades

My mom and dad love gardening and growing up with both the parents so much into it, some of it has rubbed off on me. Though I have time and space constraints, I have managed to keep alive some plants in my balcony. I love watching them grow. I don't spend as much time in my balcony as I should but I am proud of what is growing out there :) I do miss having a house with a yard. It is a dream of mine to have a lovely green garden with a swing, so I can sit down and watch the plants grow. I am also liking the art of photographing nature and beautiful things. I just have a Canon Powershot S3 IS, nothing fancy.


Spider plants ( Chlorophytum comosum) are one of the most common of houseplants and are native to Africa.


A striking dark purple succulent( Aeonium arboreum var. atropurpureum ).


The Boston Fern (Nephrolepis exaltata) is quite easy to grow and it’s the plant that’s the most efficient at removing formaldehyde (the most common indoor air pollutant).


The Chinese Money Tree ( Pachira Aquatica) is a unique plant from the Orient which Feng Shui Masters recommend for improving wealth & prosperity.

Hiking-Picchetti Ranch Open Space Preserve

A friend of mine arranges these small hikes for families every now and then on weekends, and I make a point to go on all of them. I enjoy being outdoor and being in the nature. There is something with the greens and browns that keeps me happy and calm. So this June it was decided that we would hike with the kids at the Picchetti Ranch Open Space Preserve. So off we went on a Sunday morning at 8 am carrying some water and snacks for the hike. We met up our friends at the parking lot of the winery that is on the preserve.


The weather was cloudy and cool and was perfect for the hike. The children were all excited and started off running, little did they know that they were going to walk about 2 or more miles. We parents chatted and enjoyed the greenery around us. We could see the reservoir from the trail we took. The views were beautiful.


We came across this beautiful pond with little frogs hopping everywhere and a large tree had fallen with its branches close to the ground making it a perfect spot for the young and old to climb on and in general be a child.



After more than a mile it was time for snacks and a break posing for pictures and all. After some rest it was time to head back. This time around there was some whining from the kids but all in all they did great. The highlight of the hike for me was sighting the peacock near where we had parked. We were tired and ready to go back home and we see this peacock with lovely bright colors showing off his elegance not afraid of kids or us. We clicked so many pictures of that bird and he was a big showoff.


We were really hungry by now and my daughter and me headed to Chaat Bhawan for some yummy parathas and chaat. A wonderful day came to an end and now I am all set for another hike.

If I were in charge of the world

If I were in charge of the world, I’d cancel
violence, smoking, and also drugs.

If I were in charge of the world, there would be
gum chewing in class, movies to watch at school,
and peace in our world.

If I were in charge of the world, you wouldn’t
have mean people to bully you around. You wouldn’t
have diseases in the world. You wouldn’t have to sleep
early or you wouldn’t have to eat vegetables. You
wouldn’t even have to clean your room!

If were in charge of the world, a Fudgesicle
would be a vegetable! All monsters would be French
fries, and a person who is tardy, and sometimes makes
mistakes, can still be in charge of the world.

By: Shreya Tumma
June 3rd 2009

Again, kids say the darnest things

Amma and Daughter (Shreya ) are driving back from J's house.

Coversations :

Daughter : Amma what is J aunty's last name ?

Amma : Bhattaram

Daughter : What is M's ( J's daughter ) last name ?

Amma : Mazumdar

Daughter : But why are they different ?

Amma : Oh because J aunty did not change her last name after she got married.

Amma thinks this is a good opportunity to brain wash the daughter, so she asks : will you change your last name when you get married ?

Daughter : Nope !

Amma is happy for a while but it is short lived, as soon as she realizes that she does not care for Shreya's last name "Tumma" which happens to be the dad's last name :)

Evil brain works again and amma says : Oh but Shreya, everyone teases you and calls you "TUNA" in school, so if you do get to change your last name you should.

Daughter : Yeah you are right amma, but waaaaaiiiiiiittttttttt what if it is something like "SALMON" ? !!

Amma : Shreya Salmon...... ROFL and has no answers :)

Happy Holidays and a Prosperous New Year

After lunch everyday, usually I go for walks with my friends at work. I look forward to these walks, since they give me the pleasure of spending my time chatting away with friends just about anything and everything and also this is the only exercise I get. I am one of those who picks up small rocks, twigs, leaves, pine cones anything that grabs my attention and I bring them home or diplay them in my office. It just makes me feel like I am amidst nature. On a windy day I found all these dried twigs that had fallen from the trees and I brought them home. I spray painted them with a can of brown paint and placed them in a vase. Well this season all around me is about Christmas and the holidays. To keep the spirit ongoing at home I wanted to do something with the daughter. She wanted me to get a tree, but I am not for cutting down trees just for the heck of it. I know these pine trees are grown every year so they can be cut, but still I wanted to do something festive with what we already had. I spent two dollars and got some ornaments and we decorated the twigs I had. I picked some more twigs today from my walk and added to my collection. So voila we now have a unique christmas tree of our own. A very happy new year to all of you. Hope 2009 is terror free !

One of my favourite corners

I don't spend a lot of time at home at all. Most of the time on weekdays is spent at work, or driving the daughter around to all her activities, or meeting up with friends, or just hanging out with the daughter shopping or at the movies or just eating out. I am not complaining because this means I have very little time to breathe or worry about. Also this means that I don't get to really cook a lot which I dread, and no one can blame me you see I am soooo busy :) Mostly the Sundays are spent at home. I avoid going out on Sunday as I want to enjoy the home that I have created for us. I have one favourite spot in the bedroom where I sit and browse or read.

This rocking chair came into my life on one of the Saturdays I went biking with the daughter. There was an estate sale going on which is basically someone selling their stuff because they are moving out of the house. We went inside to take a look and this chair was sitting outside in their backyard with a price tag of $25. It was in a pretty bad shape and so the price ( usually they can sell from $150 ) I just knew I wanted it. So I paid for it and the owner was kind enough to drop it off at my apartment. I am sure he wanted to get rid of the junk :) The next day I went and purchased some spray paint that can be used on wood. I wanted it to look different and the shade of color like wood was not going to work. I settled for this pretty green. So an effort of two days of spraying the primer first, and then the paint, and letting it dry finally ended, and it was ready to come inside the house from my balcony. This chair now sits in my bedroom and is one of my favourite spots in the house !

Another candle, another year

Well sometime last month, actually on 21st I turned 36. I wanted to write about it right away, but 26th came and then I was in shock at the events that unfolded in Mumbai. I still feel the pain and I fear a lot more thinking of what the future holds for my child. Hubby, friends and family called and e-mailed and wished me. Husband sent me flowers to work and ordered a vedio camera online. Friends at work took me out for lunch. Daughter made my day extra special with a wonderful handmade card and surprise gifts ( earrings and necklace ). She made me take her to a store nearby the previous evening and asked me to let her shop inside while I waited for her outside. She asked me to buy a shirt and then hand it over to her. I bought a yellow shirt and then came out and waited by the door. She hung out and with the help of the salesperson shopped for me. Later next day she made a beautiful card almost a booklet with wonderful words, at the day care. Three of daughter's friends made me special cards and gifted me with a yearly planner. I was really touched and floored. We went to a Thai place for dinner and we met some friends who were already there. We joined them and we had a good time. I then got the surprise gift from the daughter. My freinds out and treated me for dinner. All in all though I was missing the husband, I had a great day. Will save this page of my life safely, for reminicising later :)