Day 31 | Back to Work

Driving to work after spending 3 fun-filled days with Lil Dumpling...

Day 30 | Ray of Happiness

streaming through hallway...

Day 29 | Grow {+1 year from yesterday}

Each time I look at you, I just smile to myself and think, 'I certainly could not have done better'. You are perfect the way you are; kid at heart with real zest for life! Happiest birthday wishes to my lifelong partner, my best friend, my buddy, my soul mate and my partner in crime for life!

Day 28 | Through

Lil Dumpling's fav game till date is peek-a-boo :) Peeking through the curtains, doors, chairs, foot stools, sofas and now through his buttery soft, dimpled fingers

Day 27 | Weather

From heavy snowfall to heavy rainfall... From -8 deg C to 8 deg C... All this within a week! UK weather, you truly live up to all that hype n it's no suprise we are so obssesed with u! :)

Day 26 | Together

...not just them, but you will even find their shoes together :) Always together....

Day 25 | Landscape

Autumn memories... Of colours and holidays... 

This photo was taken in Scotland in first week of October, 2012 and probably one of my most favourite mobile phone photographs.

Day 24 | Frozen

Photograph of the canal that flows next to my office building... Every time I see the flock of ducks swimming in the canal during sub zero winter days, I feel the shiver running up my spine. The canal was completely frozen last winter with thick ice and it took more than a week's sunny days to thaw the ice. This year the whole world looks absolutely amazing! I wished I had carried my Camera but I guess my mobile camera has done a pretty good job here!

Day 23 | Day Off

Took a day off in the middle of a week to be with Lil Dumpling.... I should do this more often!

Day 22 | Corner {Road}

The whole city has turned into a truly spectacular winter landscape!!! I had tears in my eyes when I was faced with so much beauty around me… I don’t have to mention that I went little crazy clicking photographs like I did during our weekend walk around our neighbourhood. I just wished that I carried my dSLR, but for now we have to do with the photographs taken with my mobile phone :)

Day 21 | What I Do

I found it really difficult to post just one photograph of the thing I do! So here is a collage of just few things I do from being a mother of one super active toddler, to working as a full time IT professional, to food blogger, to photographer, to fashionista, to cook, to lover/wife/daughter/sister/friend, to cleaner, to bon vivant to many, many other things. I guess most women folks are like this, multi-tasker :)

Day 20 | Something You Saw

He has terrible tusks, and terrible claws, 
and terrible teeth in his terrible jaws 

He has nobbly knees and turn-out toes 
and a poisonous wart at the end of this nose 

His eyes are orange, his tongue is black, 
he has purple prickles all over his back 

He’s the Gruffalo, Gruffalo, Gruffalo 
He’s the Grrrr Grrrr Grrr Gruffalo! 

He’s the Gruffalo!

Day 19 | It Snowed....

....heavily!We went for a walk around neighbourhood, threw some snow balls, made snow man (errr...more like snow dog;), and just enjoyed it. It's been 7+ years since I moved to UK and it feels like the very first time whenever it snows... Same excitiment, undefinable joy and thrill of watching the world turn to magical wonderland!

Day 18 | Shadow

"Maybe the only thing each of us can see is our own shadow. Carl Jung called this his shadow work. He said we never see others. Instead we see only aspects of ourselves that fall over them. Shadows. Projections. Our associations. The same way old painters would sit in a tiny dark room and trace the image of what stood outside a tiny window, in the bright sunlight. The camera obscura. Not the exact image, but everything reversed or upside down.” 
~ Chuck Palahniuk

Day 17 | Ready

...to drive to work while daddy n sonny have fun at home! Lil Dumpling is still unwell. 

Yesterday night the temperature shot up to 38.8 deg C and he threw up everything he had for dinner. My poor baby :( Since it is viral infection, we can't give him any anti-biotic and can only give him Calpol. It looks like it may take few more days for him to recover. I am finding it difficult to sit here in my office and concentrate on work when my mind wanders back home, to Lil Dumpling worrying about his health. I just hope and pray that the convulsions don't return...

On other note, my Day 15 photo is one of the Fab 4 pics at #fmsphotoaday challenge! :)

Day 16 | Two Things

...I can't imagine my life without!!!

Day 15 l An (Extra)Ordinary Day

The only thing worth stealing is a kiss from a sleeping child...

On different ocassion or different day, watching my Lil Dumpling sleeping peacefully would have made me fall him in love little more with every passing millisecond...But today I am not just falling in love or stealing few more kisses, but also so much greatful n thankful for having in my life!!! Spending one day at hospital is enough to make one realise the value and importance of life...especially the little life!

Day 14 | Thankful

Life has a funny way to make you appreciate little things just when you start to take things for granted! Perfectly happy and healthy and bouncy Lil Dumpling gave us a big scare when we received a call from his daycare in mid morning. For a little guy full of beans, he got the very first cunvulsion while playing in the snow... A ride in yellow ambulence is nothing new to us; he had his first when he was in my womb n later when he was barely 8 months old! We thought the worst was over, but being in charge of another life comes with great responsibility, worries and heart break :( Thank god everything is fine...atleast for now!

My two boys are napping now, two bodies n one soul, on a narrow hospital bed. One look at the father n son figures, so much alike and so much in love with one another, is enough to make me grateful for everything I have in my life!!! Hopefully we will be back in our home when the sun sets behind the snow capped mountains...

Day 13 | Circle

I miss the sun, sand, waves, red tiled roofs, backwater, coconut trees, warm weather, humidity, blue sky, white clouds, friends and family!

I miss my home!!!

Day 12 | Surprise

What a lovely surprise to finally discover how unlonely being alone can be. 
 ~Ellen Burstyn

Day 11 | Water

 “Water does not resist. Water flows. When you plunge your hand into it, all you feel is a caress. Water is not a solid wall, it will not stop you. But water always goes where it wants to go, and nothing in the end can stand against it. Water is patient. Dripping water wears away a stone. Remember that, my child. Remember you are half water. If you can't go through an obstacle, go around it. Water does.”

~ Margaret Atwood

Day 10 | 1 O'Clock

Lil Dumpling got up little after mid night by some terrible nightmare and refused to go back to sleep. Something bothered him as he clung to us, holding us tight, crying and he just couldn't go back to sleep :( During rare times like this only one thing works for us, and it's his favourite thing 'Mushic' ( soothing classical songs or instrumental music) as he says! We listened to music, raced some cars, danced, talked about the nightmare, and spent some time cuddling till 1:45 am! Now that my two boys are safely tucked in their beds, the sleep seems to have eluded me.... It's close to 3 am and here I am sipping a cup of hot chocolate and counting my blessings instead of feeling irritated, groggy tired mess!

Ahhh...Life! Thank you, for being so good to me! :)

Day 9 | Paper

Since last one month, we have enjoyed the warm winter days, more like autumn days, with temperature shooting up to 11 deg C in our neck of woods! I have witnessed the cherry blossom flowers blooming in few trees, confusing the season for spring! Now it looks like we are all set for another coldest winter, just like last year when all of Europe was gulfed by deep freeze with mercury plunging to -15 deg C!!!! Brrrrrr....

Day 8 | Something Beginning With T

Roarrr.... 

When little tiger visited Mr. Sher Khan on weekend, lil tiger addressed him 'meow'! Calm down lil tiger! Mr. Sher Khan is a cat as you say, just a big cat ;)

Day 7 | Street

The street we drive through every morning! We are lucky to be living in a good and quiet neighborhood with not many nosy neighbors, few good takeaways around the corner, handy Asian grocery stores, surrounded by greenery, some beautiful old world charms, old buildings, church, mansions and lovely people! I can't say the same for our old house (especially the 'quite' neighborhood!) where I lived for 4 years (and DH for 5+ years) and we were too happy to sell it and move in to our new house! For peace of mind, quiet neighbourhood is a must…well, it is for me!

It is so true what Robert Brault quotes "Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things."

Day 6 | Mine

A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous. 
~ Ingrid Bergman

Day 5 | Movement

A mothers joy begins when new life is stirring inside, when a tiny heartbeat is heard for the very first time, and a playful kick reminds her that she is never alone.

~ Unknown

First to come to my mind when I thought of  'movement' were the days when I was pregnant with Lil Dumpling! All those kicks, heartbeats, rolling, turning, stretching, breathing, hiccups, and sometimes ticklish feelings made me fall in love with a tiny life inside me even before I met him face to face! No wonder babies are the world's greatest miracles and joy!!!The greatest blessing... The greatest love... And the greatest gift!

Day 4 | The View From Here

This is what I wake up to on a very few lucky days when Mr. Sun decides to humor us with his presence! The view from our bedroom on cold winter day...

Day 3 | Heart

Cup cake Lurvvvv! 

Although I am not a great fan of sugary treats, I do like to indulge in sweets once in a while. And it was Cupcakes that kept my pregnancy hormones from kicking DH royally or sulking during mood swings! All that sugar I consumed during pregnancy shows up these days when Lil Dumpling is bouncing off the walls!!!

Day 2 | Something New

Now that the festive season and holidays are over, the day has come to get back to work, routines, projects, deadlines, meetings and office gossips! Only bright side to all these is I get to wear new cloths, new red coat and also show off my new bags that DH gifted me for the New Year!

Day 1 | Today

First day of 2013 and I have decided to take up #fmsphotoaday challenge on Instagram! Wish me good luck :)

For new beginning, new hopes, new desires, new dreams and new aspirations!

Wishing you all a life changing, world shaping, wonderful, purposeful, awe-inspiring and ridiculously Happy New Year!!!

About

“If you see something that moves you, and then snap it, you keep a moment.” 

~ Linda McCartney 

‘Pratibimba’ in my mother language Kannada means reflection. I hope that this blog helps in reflecting my thoughts, personality, sentiments, creativity (duh!!!), my inner self and sometimes untold stories through daily photographs. These photographs will capture my life all through the year; 365 days, the moments that are lived, celebrated, captured with camera/mobile phone lens and imprinted in my memory… The moments of my life that is gone forever and impossible to reproduce, but will be fondly remembered and cherished! 

I hope that I will be able to keep this blog active, which I had created a year or two years back with the strong desire and intention of doing Project 365 days, which sadly never took off due to pregnancy (read morning sickness 24/7 for all 9 months + 1 day) and then madness of one crazy motherhood! I am still unsure about how I am going to keep up with one more blog along with my personal mommy blog and public food blog, Monsoon Spice and other social media sites such as Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram! Let’s see where this Project 365, my desire to capture and document my life, takes me to… 

In a nutshell I am a mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend, food blogger, amateur photographer, bon vivant, tree hugger, voracious reader & a bathroom singer! You can read more about me here.

Most of the photographs posted are taken from my mobile phone which has been overworking due to my unreasonable desire to click anything and everything that catches my attention, captures my imagination, moves my heart or touches my soul! So please pardon if few things do not make much sense as I am known to do things on whim rather than sticking to some sort of plan!

I don’t know why I am doing this as I already have one busy life! And I also don’t know for how long I will be doing this… But here is it! Something new for the new year, something that reflects my life and something that I hope to stick to… This is my honest desire to capture and document little snippets of my life. Things that inspire me, reflect my life and made me look twice… One photo a day, for 365 days…

Wish me luck… And Welcome to Pratibimba ~ Reflections of my life! So shall we get started with clicking and more clicking?! 

Warm Regards
Sia