Recently Mamamia published this piece I wrote about a birthday party Prima was deliberately excluded from. Turns out a lot of people have been excluded and had something to say about it. Others felt I had been too “pushy”. Either way, about 400 people commented on the piece (on the Mamamia site) and 1069 people […]
So this morning my cousin took Newborn out so I could: (a) take a break from Newborn’s marathon of whingeing (with intermittent 100m whinge sprints) – surely Nature could have refined the teething process?; and (b) send more pieces of writing to Mamamia in a desperate attempt to “be a writer when I grow up”. […]
Please note, all names of people and places have been changed to protect the identity of those involved and to prevent any lawsuits that may be instituted as a result of this blog post. Dear Dr Jones, My son Secundo is a patient of yours and we recently attended your clinic at the Royal South […]
In the playground recently, whilst waiting for our children, a mummy (hereafter referred to as “Working Mummy”) asked me how my work was going. I explained that I don’t work and she said, “Oh, but you have a babysitter don’t you?” There was something about her tone that made me respond with a “Since having […]
Today a 7 year old’s birthday party made me cry, and it wasn’t even my 7 year old. My daughter Prima tearfully explained to me that every girl in her class, except her, had been invited to the party of a classmate (hereafter referred to as the “Birthday Girl”). Apparently, the Birthday Girl had shown […]
http://shankarichandran.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/ShankariChandran-websiteheader-300x100.png00Shankari Chandranhttp://shankarichandran.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/ShankariChandran-websiteheader-300x100.pngShankari Chandran2011-09-06 21:30:072017-02-23 01:47:33It's a random birthday and I'll cry if I want to
This post was recently published by Mamamia – click here to read that version. “Good job darling!” I yell, with my face arranged into the Encouraging and Affirming Mummy Pose. Both my thumbs (not just one) are raised and simultaneously punctuating my prose as I shout “Great work!” and “Good try sweetheart!” whilst smiling so […]
http://shankarichandran.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/ShankariChandran-websiteheader-300x100.png00Shankari Chandranhttp://shankarichandran.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/ShankariChandran-websiteheader-300x100.pngShankari Chandran2011-08-31 19:48:272017-02-23 01:47:43Everyone’s a winner baby, that’s the truth
Virginia Woolfe wrote that ’a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction’. I haven’t finished reading her entire essay yet but I feel smarter and more emancipated simply by owning it. My copy is kept on my bedside table right next to Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children, […]
http://shankarichandran.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/ShankariChandran-websiteheader-300x100.png00Shankari Chandranhttp://shankarichandran.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/ShankariChandran-websiteheader-300x100.pngShankari Chandran2011-08-29 19:54:452017-02-23 01:48:56A Room of One’s Own
A couple of weeks ago, a piece I wrote about cultural identity within Australia, was published by Mamamia. This is one of Australia’s most popular lifestyle sites and although it does not report any information about social policy in the UK or Matt Damon, I now follow it regularly. I have not been published since […]
I love this blogpost by The Sarah Monologues. I am like Sarah’s husband – I’ve failed miserably at Statement Presents and organising sufficiently special celebrations for birthdays, Father’s Day etc. Like her husband, for me it’s the little things that say “I love you” without actually saying “I love you”. My Husband is more like […]
http://shankarichandran.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/ShankariChandran-websiteheader-300x100.png00Shankari Chandranhttp://shankarichandran.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/ShankariChandran-websiteheader-300x100.pngShankari Chandran2011-07-31 20:52:492017-02-23 01:49:14How do I love thee? Let me count the ways...
Moving to any new country involves mind-numbing amounts of paperwork and form-filling. Official forms often contain an ethnic or racial profile section, with a list of boxes to choose from and tick. In Britain, Sri Lankans are classified as “British Asian (Other)”. Despite an important presence in the national consciousness thanks to high profile people […]
http://shankarichandran.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/ShankariChandran-websiteheader-300x100.png00Shankari Chandranhttp://shankarichandran.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/ShankariChandran-websiteheader-300x100.pngShankari Chandran2011-07-01 13:29:312017-02-23 01:49:30Things I miss about London (Part 4): Cumbersome Racial Sub-Classifications
Michael Ondaatje once said something really clever about his Sri Lankan family and their penchant for exaggeration. I can not remember his exact words because every time I try to recall them I get distracted by what I might actually say to Michael Ondaatje if I ever ran into him. Of course even in my […]
http://shankarichandran.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/ShankariChandran-websiteheader-300x100.png00Shankari Chandranhttp://shankarichandran.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/ShankariChandran-websiteheader-300x100.pngShankari Chandran2011-06-20 13:08:272017-02-23 01:49:42Perhaps I should have clarified (Part 2): What you are about to read is true
Husband, hearing and fearing the words “domestic servitude of motherhood” go from my mouth straight to the information superhighway (ie. my grandmother and her speed-dial), decided it was time to staff up and hire an au pair. This first au pair experience was such an abject failure it was nearly our last. I am currently working […]
http://shankarichandran.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/ShankariChandran-websiteheader-300x100.png00Shankari Chandranhttp://shankarichandran.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/ShankariChandran-websiteheader-300x100.pngShankari Chandran2011-05-03 22:31:292011-05-03 22:31:29Perhaps I should have clarified
I didn’t write over December 2010 and January 2011. Not that this was noticed by the literary or blogging world of course, but it was the first time since I learnt to put an HB pencil to paper that I didn’t want to write. Not a blog post, not a postcard, not even a list […]
At dinner last night the children wanted to know why they had to eat their brocolli. I explained that brocolli is high in iron, amongst other things, which was needed to strengthen their blood. This led to a discussion with Prima, Secundo and Tercero (aged 7, 5 and 2) about our circulatory system and I […]
After nearly two decades of legal training, my life – even my mummy life – is broken down into 6 minute billable units. I can’t help but see the passing of time this way. I’ve never had a biological clock; it’s always been a billable one. Today was a day like any other day. I call it […]
http://shankarichandran.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/ShankariChandran-websiteheader-300x100.png00Shankari Chandranhttp://shankarichandran.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/ShankariChandran-websiteheader-300x100.pngShankari Chandran2011-04-05 15:59:362017-02-23 01:51:09It's the little things that count
On a recent (fully (extended)) family holiday, the little ducklings met a new cousin (aged 5) who greeted them with a catchy little song he seemed to have composed just for them. It went something like this: “Sai Baba, Sai Baba, Saieeeeee Babababa Ba Ba.” Sai Baba is perhaps modern India’s second best known holyman […]
Last week it was our wedding anniversary. Ten years, four children, 53 stitches and one migration later, we found ourselves back at the Canberra Hyatt, the hotel where husband and I spent our wedding night. A decade ago, we arrived there after a seven hour wedding ceremony. Neither of us had eaten all day, our facial […]
That Jesus seemed like a great guy. With his heavy facial hair and strong attachment to his mother, he could just as easily have been Sri Lankan as Israeli. Whatever his ethnic origin, his golden rules of Do Unto Others and Love Thy Neighbour etc seem like outstanding principles to live one’s life by. And he […]
I should say that watching Spooks from Australia makes me miss London. Spooks will give you a slightly misleading view of London. In Spooks, it never rains, the Northern Line is always working, it is possible to cross the city and diffuse a bomb in 8 minutes, the A&E wards are never overcrowded and budget […]
http://shankarichandran.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/ShankariChandran-websiteheader-300x100.png00Shankari Chandranhttp://shankarichandran.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/ShankariChandran-websiteheader-300x100.pngShankari Chandran2010-12-09 11:25:142017-02-23 01:51:51Things I miss about London (Part 3): Spooks
Warning: this post is as long as the book, and not nearly as interesting. The Sri Lankan High Commission is holding a food fair today. With my mouth watering at the thought of freshly cooked hoppers (try to imagine a crepe cooked with coconut milk and palm sugar), I asked my father if he was […]
http://shankarichandran.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/ShankariChandran-websiteheader-300x100.png00Shankari Chandranhttp://shankarichandran.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/ShankariChandran-websiteheader-300x100.pngShankari Chandran2010-11-13 15:20:022017-02-23 01:51:59The Origin of the Species
Mamamia! (Part 3)
/2 Comments/in Parenting /by Shankari ChandranRecently Mamamia published this piece I wrote about a birthday party Prima was deliberately excluded from. Turns out a lot of people have been excluded and had something to say about it. Others felt I had been too “pushy”. Either way, about 400 people commented on the piece (on the Mamamia site) and 1069 people […]
Mamamia! (Part 2)
/4 Comments/in Parenting /by Shankari ChandranSo this morning my cousin took Newborn out so I could: (a) take a break from Newborn’s marathon of whingeing (with intermittent 100m whinge sprints) – surely Nature could have refined the teething process?; and (b) send more pieces of writing to Mamamia in a desperate attempt to “be a writer when I grow up”. […]
Dear Doctor
/10 Comments/in Parenting /by Shankari ChandranPlease note, all names of people and places have been changed to protect the identity of those involved and to prevent any lawsuits that may be instituted as a result of this blog post. Dear Dr Jones, My son Secundo is a patient of yours and we recently attended your clinic at the Royal South […]
My CV
/18 Comments/in Parenting /by Shankari ChandranIn the playground recently, whilst waiting for our children, a mummy (hereafter referred to as “Working Mummy”) asked me how my work was going. I explained that I don’t work and she said, “Oh, but you have a babysitter don’t you?” There was something about her tone that made me respond with a “Since having […]
It’s a random birthday and I’ll cry if I want to
/12 Comments/in Parenting /by Shankari ChandranToday a 7 year old’s birthday party made me cry, and it wasn’t even my 7 year old. My daughter Prima tearfully explained to me that every girl in her class, except her, had been invited to the party of a classmate (hereafter referred to as the “Birthday Girl”). Apparently, the Birthday Girl had shown […]
Everyone’s a winner baby, that’s the truth
/3 Comments/in Parenting /by Shankari ChandranThis post was recently published by Mamamia – click here to read that version. “Good job darling!” I yell, with my face arranged into the Encouraging and Affirming Mummy Pose. Both my thumbs (not just one) are raised and simultaneously punctuating my prose as I shout “Great work!” and “Good try sweetheart!” whilst smiling so […]
A Room of One’s Own
/3 Comments/in On writing, Parenting /by Shankari ChandranVirginia Woolfe wrote that ’a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction’. I haven’t finished reading her entire essay yet but I feel smarter and more emancipated simply by owning it. My copy is kept on my bedside table right next to Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children, […]
Mamamia!
/1 Comment/in Parenting /by Shankari ChandranA couple of weeks ago, a piece I wrote about cultural identity within Australia, was published by Mamamia. This is one of Australia’s most popular lifestyle sites and although it does not report any information about social policy in the UK or Matt Damon, I now follow it regularly. I have not been published since […]
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways…
/9 Comments/in Parenting /by Shankari ChandranI love this blogpost by The Sarah Monologues. I am like Sarah’s husband – I’ve failed miserably at Statement Presents and organising sufficiently special celebrations for birthdays, Father’s Day etc. Like her husband, for me it’s the little things that say “I love you” without actually saying “I love you”. My Husband is more like […]
Things I miss about London (Part 4): Cumbersome Racial Sub-Classifications
/7 Comments/in Parenting, Sri Lanka /by Shankari ChandranMoving to any new country involves mind-numbing amounts of paperwork and form-filling. Official forms often contain an ethnic or racial profile section, with a list of boxes to choose from and tick. In Britain, Sri Lankans are classified as “British Asian (Other)”. Despite an important presence in the national consciousness thanks to high profile people […]
Perhaps I should have clarified (Part 2): What you are about to read is true
/7 Comments/in Parenting /by Shankari ChandranMichael Ondaatje once said something really clever about his Sri Lankan family and their penchant for exaggeration. I can not remember his exact words because every time I try to recall them I get distracted by what I might actually say to Michael Ondaatje if I ever ran into him. Of course even in my […]
Perhaps I should have clarified
/8 Comments/in Uncategorized /by Shankari ChandranHusband, hearing and fearing the words “domestic servitude of motherhood” go from my mouth straight to the information superhighway (ie. my grandmother and her speed-dial), decided it was time to staff up and hire an au pair. This first au pair experience was such an abject failure it was nearly our last. I am currently working […]
Writer’s Block
/9 Comments/in On writing /by Shankari ChandranI didn’t write over December 2010 and January 2011. Not that this was noticed by the literary or blogging world of course, but it was the first time since I learnt to put an HB pencil to paper that I didn’t want to write. Not a blog post, not a postcard, not even a list […]
The Dinnertime Dialogues
/3 Comments/in Parenting /by Shankari ChandranAt dinner last night the children wanted to know why they had to eat their brocolli. I explained that brocolli is high in iron, amongst other things, which was needed to strengthen their blood. This led to a discussion with Prima, Secundo and Tercero (aged 7, 5 and 2) about our circulatory system and I […]
It’s the little things that count
/9 Comments/in Parenting /by Shankari ChandranAfter nearly two decades of legal training, my life – even my mummy life – is broken down into 6 minute billable units. I can’t help but see the passing of time this way. I’ve never had a biological clock; it’s always been a billable one. Today was a day like any other day. I call it […]
Choosing my religion
/5 Comments/in Parenting /by Shankari ChandranOn a recent (fully (extended)) family holiday, the little ducklings met a new cousin (aged 5) who greeted them with a catchy little song he seemed to have composed just for them. It went something like this: “Sai Baba, Sai Baba, Saieeeeee Babababa Ba Ba.” Sai Baba is perhaps modern India’s second best known holyman […]
Is romance in Ashes?
/5 Comments/in Parenting /by Shankari ChandranLast week it was our wedding anniversary. Ten years, four children, 53 stitches and one migration later, we found ourselves back at the Canberra Hyatt, the hotel where husband and I spent our wedding night. A decade ago, we arrived there after a seven hour wedding ceremony. Neither of us had eaten all day, our facial […]
Present politics
/4 Comments/in Parenting /by Shankari ChandranThat Jesus seemed like a great guy. With his heavy facial hair and strong attachment to his mother, he could just as easily have been Sri Lankan as Israeli. Whatever his ethnic origin, his golden rules of Do Unto Others and Love Thy Neighbour etc seem like outstanding principles to live one’s life by. And he […]
Things I miss about London (Part 3): Spooks
/2 Comments/in Parenting /by Shankari ChandranI should say that watching Spooks from Australia makes me miss London. Spooks will give you a slightly misleading view of London. In Spooks, it never rains, the Northern Line is always working, it is possible to cross the city and diffuse a bomb in 8 minutes, the A&E wards are never overcrowded and budget […]
The Origin of the Species
/7 Comments/in Parenting /by Shankari ChandranWarning: this post is as long as the book, and not nearly as interesting. The Sri Lankan High Commission is holding a food fair today. With my mouth watering at the thought of freshly cooked hoppers (try to imagine a crepe cooked with coconut milk and palm sugar), I asked my father if he was […]