I should totally write down the stories I tell Tara every night. She thinks they are hilarious. She also asks a ton of questions as I tell the story, which helps me clean up the plot a bit. It’s a fun creative project to wrap up the day. Story-telling is definitely a hobby I discovered after I became a parent. My imagination is rather weak. But I am decently good at all the voice modulation and light weight animation. Regardless, Tara looks forward to the stories. And then she narrates them to Daddy next day 🙂

It was Noah’s birthday party today and I could not make it. Packing with Tara around is a nightmare. So I had to give up on the party and pack our bags while Tara and Agam went for the party. I am very emotionally attached to a few of Tara’s friends. Noah is the most sensible and sober five year old boy I know. He is so caring, and helpful. And he is super polite. Tara and Noah are like yin-yang. It’s true, opposites attract. I was so sad to have missed giving him a tight hug on his special day. 😦

Last Friday our team went for Star Wars. It was ok-ok. It’s a masala Bollywood movie with a bit of everything. Of course my favorites are the droids. They have a new one D-O. Cute as a button. Two dialogues that stayed with me – “No one’s ever really gone.”and “Never be afraid of who you are.” More on those another day. Half way through the movie I texted Luke and asked if he remembered Rey and his tryst in a galaxy far far away. He chuckled and sent me a gif that made my day. We were on the same team little over a year ago and were fondly referred to as the Luke and Rey of the team. I find my masters wherever I go. More like I need my masters wherever I go 🙂

On Friday night we went to Da Sichuan to wish our Sichuan Dadi happy holidays. She is quite a character. Refused to seat me until Tara and Agam came inside and then carried Tara to her chair like a baby. Sichuan Dadi and I celebrated a decade of knowing each other. It was comforting to spend time with her and of course enjoy our usuals. She makes delicious dishes for Tara with gluten free tamari and guides us on what else Tara can eat from the menu. I am a sucker for this love. It’s so pure, so self less and so nourishing. Tara sees it too. She and I talked about Sichuan Dadi at bed time. She asked me why I call her Sichuan Dadi. And I told Tara a bit about the family we are born into, and the families we adopt. They are both precious and giving. Not sure if she understands at this age. Some day she will.

Watched Once Again, again on Friday night. I don’t quite know what I love so much about the movie. Probably the maturity of the characters, powerful expressions, quiet pace. Or just the salt and pepper hair of Neeraj Kabi 😉 I am always stirred by that movie and end up lingering with the characters a little longer, and usually something creative comes out of it. “Will you come?” is probably something Tara (female character in the movie) would have written.

Anyways, I tried a gluten free apple crumble this weekend. I was not impressed. But Agam loved it. Tara, not so much. Need to work on perfecting the recipe. That was likely the last baking project for 2019.

I’ve started writing a 2019 retrospective. So much happened this year. Phew! 10 days to 2020!