I am convinced !

Last week we had gone for a trip to Athirapally waterfalls . Like all our trips and almost everything in our life it was an impulsive decision . Five minutes we were thinking what we should do on the holiday ,  and in half an hour we were on our way to Athirapally along with our friends.

We came back the next day refreshed by the unexpected break and plunged into the daily routines . I did some serious  reorganising in the house to mark the start of second term .

The problem is hubby's new spectacles are missing . With special lenses and all it had cost him a fortune . We searched everywhere . Under the cabins , inside the bags , inside the car , called every body who had come across , and checked every where hubby had gone these two three days .

Our only clue was the photo taken on our way back . In the snap Hubby has got his glasses .

That cuts off the beautiful villa where we had stayed and the cascade where we had spent our day .



Retracing our trip, I thought of the restaurant where we had stopped in between . As he uses the glasses mostly to drive there are chances he may just keep it somewhere when not driving.So I googled the net to find out the restaurant's phone no. Hubby called up and talked to the cashier . Something he wouldn't have done if it wasn't his precious glasses .

To our great joy they had a pair of glasses which matched our description . So yesterday night itself we went to check it out . But to our dismay it was not the one we were looking for .Back home I searched the house more vigilantly but couldn't find the glasses . I asked hubby about the box where I usually keep his glasses . It was also missing .

In a jiffy he was back with the glasses .

He found them from under the desk top monitor. Safely tucked in by me, so that he can easily get hold of them when using the computer .I could have just looked under the monitor while googling for the phone number of Aryas and saved the day .

I am convinced that the transformation is finally complete !  I am an internet freak and less human !

Giftedness and LD

Until recently I thought both Giftedness and LD are one and the same .

How foolish, isn't it ?

While we did the assessment for Ruby last year , the special educator had just briefed me on his IQ level . His mental IQ level is 140 which would have put him in the gifted range . But his expression IQ ie . Reading and writing skills are far below . Just around 90. But they highlighted mainly the learning disability .

Even then , taking the average he falls in the bright normal range (119 ) which is also above the average population .

Wechsler's classification

Classification	IQ Limits	Percent Included
Very Superior	128 and over	2.2
Superior	120-127	6.7
Bright Normal	111-119	16.1
Average	91-110	50
Dull Normal	80-90	16.1
Borderline	66-79	6.7
Defective	65 and below	2.2

When I went to the resource at school also , the teacher wanted to list him among the gifted kids . They did not say anything about the disability. So some how I got this misconception that they are both the same . I thought they were just synonyms for being 2E ( twice exceptional).

I didn't know there are kids who have a gifted complex brain just like that of a dyslexic and at the same time don't have any of the problems.

( I never cared about IQ tests as a student because I never scored good or even average .  Now I realise it is because of dyscalculia . )

Then during one of our virtual conversations, I happened to send my son's IQ results to my  Blogger friend and homeschooler Priya .

Having an IQ of 140 puts him above 99.5 % of the population . The imbalance in the expression skills and other salient symptoms of dyslexia along with the giftedness is what created all the confusions and frustrations during his childhood.

This has lead me to an entire new area . Earlier I concentrated more on the disability part . Now only I started looking out for the signs of giftedness in my son . And they are all there .

" The giftedness mask the disability and the disability masks the giftedness . "

Because of this Dyslexic kids always get categorised in the mediocre group . Whenever I ask his teachers they say he is okay . Because they have kids who are far expressive and capable than him and because there are more kids who are worse than him and whose parents doesn't give a damn .

Priya's revelation was something new to me .  Now that I am preparing him for the exams I am relaxed . I know he can handle it and much more .  And he will do well.

Lord of the rings - Return of the King .

My 12th book in the 20 books challenge - Lord of the rings ( Return of the King ).

With this I finished the Lord of the Ring series and feel so relieved that at last the ring has been cast away . May be I would read it once more so that I can enjoy in detail the beauty of the path they followed . Till now I was also in a hurry to march with Sam and Frodo to the Land of Mordor ,  to get rid of the ring somehow .

What I liked most in the book is the Tree Ents . Their potion would be so refreshing and cool . I wonder ! I wish I could also sit and relax in the midst of a beautiful , calm , green forest and take a sip !

There are so many valiant heroes .  Aragorn and Faramir are my favourites . And Eowyn !!

Legolas , Lady Galadriel , Gimli ... Ah!!

Daughter

That sweet smile, cuddles and snuggles are enough to forget all the tantrums she make .

At the age of six she decides and chooses her attire and accessories .

I can only feel sorry for her father who has fallen head over heels in love with her.

She will soon learn how to make him dance to her tunes .

And then I will sit , relax and enjoy the show :-D

A tribute to Venu Nagavalli

A tribute to the great actor , director and writer Venu Nagavalli  who etched an image of the melancholic hero of 70 s with his unique style and ways .



The Lover in Yavanika , The true friend in chillu , The  loving brother and silent lover in Salini ente koottu kaari ..All are sweet characters even though melancholic.

Only recently I found out he is the director and script writer of some of my all time favourite movies . Even without knowing any of it he was in my favourite actors' list .

He has directed some of the best mal movies ever.

• Agni Devan (1995)


• Aayirappara (1993)


• Kalippattam (1993)


• Kizhakkunarum Pakshi (1991) (as Venu Nagavally)


• Aye Auto (1990)


• Lal Salam (1990)


• Ayitham (1987)


• Sarvakalasala (1987)


• Sukhamodevi (1986)

And wrote scripts for some more

• Vishnu (1994) (screenplay and dialogue)


• Aayirappara (1993) (writer)


• Kalippattam (1993) (writer)


• Kilukkam (1991) (writer)


• Kizhakkunarum Pakshi (1991) (screenplay and dialogue)


• Aye Auto (1990) (writer)


• Ardham (1989) (writer)


• Sarvakalasala (1987) (screenplay and dialogue)


• Sukhamodevi (1986) (writer)

I see a graph of my childhood in these movies . I cannot separate them from my memories as a child . Sarvakalasala, sukkhamo devi , aye auto , kizhakkunarum pakshi ......The stories are all so sweet and comedy packed and at the same time heartening and lovely and leaves a lump in your throat .

A legend has passed by . Now that the great persons who made movies and songs for us are passing away in the blink of an eye , I realise why our parents cannot enjoy the new movies and songs . They just don't belong here . Their favourite actors , writers and singers have all gone beyond the curtain . I realise the loss . Nothing and nobody can replace them.

Reading at Krishnaleela

As a mother to a dyslexic child one of the most frequent problem I faced was my son's difficulty in reading .

But somewhere in between he developed a passion for reading . It would be easier to say his quest for knowledge eventually took better off his difficulty to read . One fine day we realised that he has become a voracious reader  . Now when I look back I cannot point out exactly when the transition occured .  But I can tell you it happened after I stopped dragging him to read something and after I stopped correcting and checking on him .

Since then we find every silly reason to buy books . We buy books for our weekend shopping , holidays , birthdays , trips.. in short  for almost anything . In addition to this, we officially add on books to our library once or twice a month .

I have a network of old book shops in the town from where kids select their books. And some other trendy book shops like Paico , H&C , Reliance , DC books . The categories include their current interests . It could be a movie , cartoon , science , fiction , stories I tell them , their class topics , skits or anything .

A couple of  years back, before I knew anything about dyslexia once Siva had to sing a prayer for a function . So that he would not forget the verses I wrote it down for him . Actually he knew the poem by heart . But was not able to read it out and made a mess . When I think about it now , my heart goes out for him .

From there we have come a long way . As hyperactive kids it is very difficult to manage them when we go out . When I go for shopping or for some thing important they carry their favourite books along with them .

My heart swelled with pride when I saw him reading the Flag salutation at a ceremony without any mistake . It was his first attempt at reading in Public. And that it was to salute the national flag just doubled my joy . When they asked him to read it I didn't want to put him in pressure once more . But he took it as a challenge and proved himself . I am so proud of him.

Now wherever we go every body asks me about Siva's reading habit . Earlier I used to stop and explain to them in detail about the difficulty he has and how we are trying to overcome it or how he has improved . I needed assurance that he is doing well or that he would improve . But now I accept it with a smile . I learned from my experience that the most important thing to do is to believe in your child . Give them the freedom to do what they like to do . Follow them instead of making them follow you . Then they will excel.

He claims himself as a silent reader . Even now it is difficult for him to read names and unseen words  . If you ask him to read aloud you will hear a lot of jargon . But then , he understands the content superbly and that is what matters .

Yes, I know ..... and miles to go before we sleep.