March 14, 2008

Waiting for Lili..


We ordered a doll for A over the internet and we have all been eagerly waiting for her arrival. Lili is what the manufacturers call her and since A picked up the name right away thats what we are going to call her too. A has had just one other doll, a very small baby doll. Thanks to our concern that she should not become a typical girl only playing with dolls and house sets, she never had too many girly stuff. She has a lot of soft toys, animal figures, books, learning toys...but never a cute little doll. We began to notice that she has started enjoying dressing up, noticing her clothes, feeling happy when somebody said she looked cute and wearing bindi and bangles, so we decided its finally time to buy her a doll. A has been seeing her picture everyday since a week and telling us that Lili will come home 'Appromma' (Later in tamil). So finally she
is arriving today...(I think I am going to hug the guy who will deliver the parcel).

March 5, 2008

Memory Teasers

I have been having a tough time with my memory ever since I got pregnant. All the books I read and people I spoke to claimed that this is a common thing during pregnancy. So I just brushed it aside and just made fun of it. But now in my 16th month post-pregnancy, I still struggle to remember things. I am doing a little better these days trying to get more organized in a (ahem) ‘mature’ way with the help of tools like Google Calendar. And this is why the article in this month’s Reader’s Digest caught my attention; ’Memory Tricks You Won’t Forget’.
Here are my favorite tricks from that.

1: How do you remember names?

Trick: Pay attention and visualize the name and create memorable associations.

I am introduced to my new colleague, Bobby Sawyer. First I listen to his name attentively and then I start visualizing…. Rishi and Dimple singing..Hum tum (tara rumpumpumpum) ek kamare mein banda ho…..
Now every time I meet him in the hallway I exclaim “Hey Bobby, how is it going?” and my mind goes tara rumpumpumpum….and he exclaims “You always look so happy when I see you”.

2: How do you remember where you last kept something?
Trick: When keeping something always remember to tell yourself loud and clear that you are keeping it there.

I get back home and as I am entering I remind myself, to remind myself while keeping the key about where I am keeping it. Somehow reminding myself two times seems to work!

3: What else did I have to do today?

Trick 1: Use your body parts to remember things when you don’t have a paper or pen to make a list.

I have forgotten the Indian grocery list at home (nothing new) so I call B and ask him to dictate the list while I am driving. I go into the store and I try to remember what I need to get.
Head – Nuts
Hair – Cilantro (Remembering being teased a lot of times as ‘Nindu jutta illa kotambri katta’('Is that your ponytail or a bunch of coriander leaves') ,
Shoulders (Bhuja in Kannada) – Bhujia
Hands - Haldi (Turmeric) and Chandan(Sandalwood) (Remembering Vicco turmeric....nahi cosmetic)
Fingers – Okra
Butt - Battani (Peas)
Legs - Legumes

Trick 2: Roman Technique – In this method you associate your grocery or party invite list or to-do list with the rooms of your house or route to work, etc.
A task list for a day at work

Entrance - Enter the latest code changes for testing.
Closet – File papers in hanging folders.
Living Room – Attend a meeting for deciding a date for the project going Live.
Kitchen – Meet a colleague for coffee to talk about what is cooking in the office.
Dining – Book a conference room for a lunch meeting.
Bathroom – Update the release document.
Guestroom – Finish up the user manual when pretending to be busy when there are unwanted guests in your cube.
Bedroom – Manager has a meeting between 2 and 3, best time for a nap.
Backyard - Prepare stratergical explanations for back-logs.

4: What is my password?
Trick: Rhyme the numbers with words

To remember a password of 2349 I tried this

Who (Two)
said my memory (Three)
is not more (Four)
than fine (Nine).