NewEngland Aquarium

We planned our trip to New England Aquarium last weekend. I was really excited to go to Boston. I landed in USA in Boston only. But Rakshitha was very small by then. I never looked out of the window in the car as I was really worried about her bulgy diaper. I heard from my hubby that buildings in Boston are really tall. So I was very excited.

Of course the buildings were very tall. But this time also I could not have a very nice look at them because of the GPS. OMG. It is really an Art to drive in Boston with GPS. I was forced to constantly look at the GPS as my hubby was driving. Next issue was to find a parking. It took almost half an hour to park.

By the time we reached inside in the Aquarium, guess what. You are right. Rakshitha started to cry for her nap. She saw cried cried cried then slept. She is more beautiful when she sleeps. :)

Me and my hubby enjoyed some fish after she slept. Animals in zoos and Aquariums in US are lucky than the animals in Indian zoos. Everything was neat and animals seem to be happy too.

Then we had lunch there. OMG. McDonald's burger was 1000 times better than the ones available there. I hated the food. Then Rakshitha woke up and had her lunch too. Now she was brisk and enjoyed fish. She wanted to catch all of them. At last we were happy that she was happy.

Initially when we entered into the aquarium we were taken a photo. I thought it was for Identity purpose. But later learned that there was a shop outside to bill us if we need the photo. It was really shocking to know the price of the photo (21$).

Outside the aquarium there were benches and the sea breeze was beautiful. Rakshitha had a great time running around and playing. That place made this Boston trip happy. Then we went to a park near by. Rakshitha had her snack and then we made our way home. Nice weekend. :)

Rakshi is sleeping without my rocking

Hurray. We have shifted house and have gotten rid of the Bed bugs. Rakshitha was still getting up some 3 times at night. Still I had to rock her back to sleep. But now she is sleeping in her own bed and gets up just once for water.

Sometimes things happen in our life which seems like the moment we were waiting for. That is what happened to me also. Library is very near to my present house. One day I thought of taking Rakshitha there by afternoon that too by walk. She was naughty throughout the 10 minutes journey. By the time we reached there I was getting afraid about my walk back.

She loved the place. When she was playing there I was looking for books for her. We read some 3 books in the Library itself. Then we started to leave. Then suddenly some thing caught my eyes. It was the word SLEEP. I went near that book and took it in my hand. It was "Good Night, Sleep Tight" by Kim West also known as "The Sleep Lady". Something told me this book was waiting for me.

Really now I can answer my previous post, "Who is the Culprit". It was me. When I tried to follow the instructions in the book, I learnt an important thing. Children can be made to do things easily if we struggle for just a day or two. Within 2 days Rakshitha started to realise it was her bed where she should sleep. Even when she wakes up at night, I pat her a little and she sleeps. She no longer wants to be rocked. Thanks to the wonderful book.

Dress code in Colleges

Recently I watched a program "Ippadiku Rose" which was telecasted in Vijay TV (Tamil). It is a talk show and on that particular episode they discussed about the dress code for various occasions including colleges. The show started with a incident that happened in Tamilnadu recently. A writer was invited for a college function where she went dressed in Jean and kurta tops. The management stopped her from getting in and gave her a black dupatta and asked her to wear it in order to get in. She refused it and returned. What a stupid act....

When asked about the dress codes in colleges, a principal of a college in chennai said that "Dress code is must in a co-education college, because this is the stage where the students get attracted easily by opposite sex and fall in love." But does dress code stop students from these infatuations. She says it does decreases.

She also added that the parents now a days are not strict about the way their children dress up and so it becomes the duty of the college management to maintain these codes inside the college. But is it okay if the students dress up badly outside the college premises?

She also said that "Now a days students from villages also come to colleges in Cities to learn. They never have seen girls dress so modernly in their towns. So they get affected by it. " That is when a question strikes me. Have we forgotten the real purpose of schools and colleges?

There is saying in Tamil. "Matha Pitha Guru Deivam". Meaning "Mother Father Teacher then God". Have the teachers and the institutions today forgotten their real role they play in the students life?

A student learns life at school and colleges. I feel Dress Code is just a lame excuse a teacher and a institution gives to escape from their even larger duty of moulding the students life. There should be no dress code to tell the student, be girl or boy, how to dress. A real institution or a teacher must make the student understand how to dress to represent himself/herself in this society. Is it impossible to do so.

I personally think this all happened because of the attitude of the parents. The dreams of making their child to be a doctor, engineer,etc. How many parents will want their child to a good human being in the first hand. So the institutions are focusing on the needs of the parents. In that process they forget about the role they should be playing in the students life.

India definitely needs an education revolution to get out of this problems. What say.......

Who is the Actual Culprit....

Rakshitha, my 15 months old daughter has never been a problem in the day time. When the clock strucks 10 the nightmare begins. Who is the actual reason for this nightmare.....I dont know.

She was born on 7th feb, 2007. The day when my sleepless nights began. She was having her colic problem when she was 30 days old. By that time the nightmare starts even earlier by 6'0 clock itself. Then she recovered. Everybody said she will be alright by 6 months. That six months came and we were joining my husband in US. Coming here she slept very well for some 10 days. (Gets up only once or twice). It surprised me, but later learnt that it was due to her travel tiredness. Poor me.

Then she showed her actual power by getting up some 5-8 times at night. I became the most unlucky creature during nights. Soon a friend opened my eyes and suggested to change Rakshitha's dinner. It worked. But did not last long. Then another friend suggested to increase the quantity. It did work. But.........

Again she was getting up some 4-6 times. I was exhausted at night times. It would be really frustrating to see my husband having a great sleep near me. Atlast the culprit showed itself to me. It was BEDBUGS. Lots and lots on her bed. What a mother am I? I kissed my daughter a lot and begged her to apologise to me. Had the whole house treated twice. Hurray that too worked....But......

Again she is getting up 5-7 times at night. What can it be??????? Now I can say I am the most unlucky person. The Sleep God hates me.....But is the real culprit me or my daughter or bedbugs....I dont understand.