A weekend spent well.

We are now well into the first month of our education away from the schooling system and while the entire week is always packed to the gills, weekends are absolutely fun-tastic! This one was even better, because it combined three birthdays (OK, two were on a weekdays, but they were still fun) and a sleepover.

So first, the first birthday. Tuesday, 13 July was Masi's birthday. We made her a card and also conspired with Baba bear to get her a secret gift and Mamma bear to get her a cake. To be honest, I do not rate cakes baked by anyone but my Masi very highly, but since it was her birthday, it may not have been nice for me to ask her to bake one. That said, when it arrived, it was absolutely yummy. What's more, Mamma set up all our classes such that we had an almost free Tuesday, and we could all go for brunch at our favourite place (Masi's treat!).

We had steamed Edamame beans (these are absolutely yum; you must try them when you get a chance) and pasta. We also got a ginger ale (in a nice glass, with ice, until Mamma noticed and asked our waiter to take the ice away) and Baba bear's phone camera to play with, which he gave on the condition that we keep quiet while the adults talked of adult things, and which we used to take about a thousand photographs, half of which are of the same flower. Well, anyhoo, all-in-all, a good time was had by all. Did we tell you we sang 'happy birthday' in Mandarin to our Masi? Yep, we did.

It was Mamma bear's birthday next: on Friday, 16 July, and once again, we conspired with Masi to get her a cake (from the same baker), decorate Masi's home, and throw her a big party. Rafa joined in too. The doctor has put him in an Elizabethan collar since he has an ear infection, but he didn't let that stop him from jumping all around, barking and begging for food. He is the most adorable dog in the universe. At least my universe.

We also had a grand Nepali lunch. There was mutton and potato and mushrooms and prawns and lots of rice! And of course, cake for dessert. How easy it is to make Mamma bear happy: all it takes is a card, a cake, some music, good Nepali food, and Rafa! We took a gazillion photos and Mamma and Masi chose which ones we can keep and which ones need to go.

You see, Baba bear does not believe in deleting photos. He thinks that we need to record things as they happened, beautiful and perfect or otherwise. If all you have are perfectly posed photos of every occasion, you may not be able to get a feel of the event 20 years down in time. He says life is what it is, and though we may use makeup and lighting to look the way we think we want others to see us, most times our memories remain not for others, who forget easily and quickly, but for our own selves, to delve into once in a while and remember a time gone by. What use then makeup and lighting, perfect profiles and artistic shots if they hide reality and take us away from what really we were like then? He says that if you think you are leading a perfect life, you are overlooking something. The beauty of life is in its uncertainties, its small struggles and minor triumphs, its rollercoaster ups & downs, and its volatility and fleeting momentariness, where you are never sure how quickly whatever it is you are feeling is going to go away. If you waste your time looking for perfection, life would pass you by.

Anyway, too much philosophy. Once Baba bear gets started, he is difficult to stop, and he ends up most times speaking to himself. He claims that he has learnt all this from Ajoba (his Baba). Sometimes I think it is good he is writing down all these thoughts. Maybe when we grow up, we'll understand parts we didn't or couldn't then.

Now, before the third birthday of this week, a very exciting thing happened. Our cousin, Raavi, came for a sleepover. A sleepover is when your friends come and they don't leave at night. It is such fun. Let us tell you all that happened. You see, Raavi was born in the USA, and has only recently moved to India. She is just about 6 months older than us and like us, a polite, well-behaved, mature child who is soft-spoken and nice to everyone. How do we know all this applies to us as well? Baba told us.

So, on with Raavi's sleepover at our place: We used to speak on WhatsApp video when she was far away (did you know when there is morning in India, it is evening in the USA? Well, you do now.) and we became BFFs even before we actually met. When we had gone to her place in Pune last week, we both got matching dresses. What fun! So, we are determined to make this sleepover even more fun.

We played games, we danced in the rains (initially, with umbrellas), we picnicked in the nearby gardens, we read, we made cards, we ate and drank together, we demanded junk food (we got pasta and pizza), and we watched tv, before changing into our pajamas and sleeping together, only to awaken for a breakfast in bed, and then a surprise gift (tattoo stickers and a personalised handwritten thank you card) from Mamma for the both of us. Oh, did we tell you we also had a big fight over the rules of Uno, and didn't speak to each other for like 10 minutes before Mamma bear negotiated a settlement? Raavi wrote about the whole sleepover in her diary, and so did we. Here, you can read ours. Baba asked for our permission, and we said yes. By the way, we even saw a rainbow.

Later, on Sunday 18 July, it was Aditi Atya's birthday and the entire family got together at Mami Aji and Mama Ajoba's place. We played with Shammu, our baby cousin (we even tried a game of chess with him), and with Hrishi Chacha who can spin a ball so that we cannot catch it (he can also break and bring together his thumb, a feat of magic you must see to believe). And, of course, we had the mandatory family photographs, with Baba bear setting the camera and running funnily to stand next to us as the shutter countdown wound to zero with a beep-beep-beep.

So, when the weekend came to an end, and it was time for the running (literally and figuratively) to start again, we were ready, refreshed, and rearing to go. To celebrate, we did an easy 10km on Monday morning, preceded and followed by 2 km (to and from our home to the running place), 100 court runs, duck walk, basketball jumps, bunny hops, and lunges, before stretching, yoga, and pranayam, after which we had a solid breakfast of eggs, cheese, roti, butter, and a glass of Bournvita just as our first teacher arrived (this one comes home to teach, and it is great fun learning from a person sitting next to you as compared to someone on a screen).

Baba bear has gone off to the office and Mamma bear is planning and working at something. The house seems...normal again.

#LearningWithKymaia