Also: what about your stepney? — I drop my kid at school at an ungodly hour. Around 6:45 am. After she hops out of the car and goes through the school gates, I have the perfect window of time to fill up the petrol tank in my car and check the air pressure in the car…

Overcompensating is heavy work — I wasn’t particularly nice to my mum, OK? I was needy and wanting. Even when I could have been nice to her, I wasn’t. All in aid of my husband’s family, which I felt always came first. In December 2014, I had two seats to my daughter’s school Nativity play and I chose to go with my mum-in-law instead of with my mom.

Getting mistaken for my own maid, and then for a beautician — Is that an insult or a compliment? —

Spoiler Alert: the most important exercise was reading. — I’ve been losing a pound a week since 21 May, the day I was allowed to start a regular diet and workout routine after my hysterectomy. How do I do it? Calorie deficit via Healthify Me and a personal trainer to hold me accountable? It’s not THAT simple. If it…

A photo story from India — We got a surprise visitor today: my hubby’s big brother dropped in — all the way from New Delhi! He took the Rajdhani Express, a simply lovely and reliable train that takes just seventeen hours to get here from India’s capital. When my hubby’s big bro walked into our home…

I’ve avoided festivals. I never had the energy to decorate, cook and commemorate India’s million-and-one festivals a year. Then, my elder daughter left for college. The younger one has four more years of school. In four years, the school circuit will be closed to me for ever. …

What did the teacher say, was she angry with you? — I’d never have guessed what the teacher would have said! — Busy week playing and working hard My fourteen-year-old, Sivakami, has had a busy week of school. Apart from regular school, she’s stayed back in school for an hour for activities like English Crossword, Treasure Hunt and Dumb Charades. This Monday, Sivakami has a Maths test coming up. She’s been scribbling…

This morning, I requested my daughter to take a picture of kids going to school from the car window. She didn’t get a very clear picture, but I hope the two pictures she took make it clear how different the school run is in every country, and yet how similar.