Teething Problems

The Boogster is teething. And this means he's cranky, clingy and restless. Plus, he chews on his fist, my cheek and even his high chair table - just not on his teether. Bless him. He's having hard time of it at the moment. It can be frustrating for the both us but there are moments of pure joy. Like today for instance. He has this new thing where he scrunches up his face and whinges. His eyes crinkle at the corners, his dimple shows and he lets out a little moan. He was doing this to me while I was feeding him lunch. Enter my brother who then starts making faces back at him. What does the Boogster do? He flashes his a very gummy smile. The kind that goes from ear to ear. Crafty little bum! It's moments like those though that I really enjoy.

Rain, Rain Go Away

Growing up in England with grey skies and lots of rain, rain and more rain made me associate it with boredom. It wasn't till we moved to Pakistan and I went to school in Islamabad that I began to love the rain. Summers would be extremely hot. Coupled with bouts of electricity cuts, summers would be unbearable. That's when you would wait eagerly for the monsoon rains. Big, fat, juicy drops of rain that fell so hard, so fast. Beautiful. One of my best friends - Kinoo - and I would walk around the school building, watching the grey skies and the clouds, wishing it to rain. And when it did, we'd still be out there walking round the school while everyone else would be inside shaking their heads at us crazy girls. It was Kinoo who planted the love for rain in me. I've loved it ever since. Even the rain back here in London.

I was given a magnet which has the following quote by Roger Miller on it: Some people walk in the rain; others just get wet. Kinoo, this post is for you. I think of you every time the rain falls. I miss our walks in the rain. Maybe next time I'm in Islambad we can go crazy again!

Filipino Street Food

I miss Filipino street food. We visited the Philippines last year over the summer before Lil Dude was born. Despite warnings that the food might give me "Dehli" belly, I had to sample the various treats on offer. We didn't even have to move from our seats on the front porch. We would be ready with our bowls, money in hand, waiting on the Taho man to come walking by yelling "Taaaaho! Taaaaho!" Ammi, my mum, would call his attention in tagalog and we'd find ourselves with bowls of steaming hot taho (it's like sweet tofu served with syrup and tapioca). Other times we'd have sweet corn served with dessicated coconut (I forget what it's called) and my favourite would be the quail eggs fried in batter that you dipped in different types of vinegar. That last one would always go down realy nicely with a cool glass of gulaman. Yum. I can't wait to take the Boogster to the Philippines and have him try out Filipino street food.