Proud moment receiving trophy from Grandmaster Maurice Ashley

Switching places with my favorite celebrity

I suddenly wake up one day and realize that I’m not in my own house. When I get out of the bed and look around, I see a door. My curiosity just makes me open the door and it was a bathroom. I have the biggest shock of my life as I look at the mirror... I was M. S. Dhoni! If you don’t know who M. S. Dhoni is, then he is great Indian cricket player and my most favorite celebrity.

            I don’t know whether I am excited, nervous or overwhelmed. However, I started to panic and ran out of the door, then something caught me in the corner of my eye. It was a piece of paper stuck on to one of the nicely decorated walls in the room. As soon as I looked at it I realized that it was a schedule, but when looked closer I got an immense shock. There was a cricket match in a few hours with me, M. S. Dhoni in it and I was in London! So I felt like fainting.

But I calmed down when I took some deep breaths. After that I threw everything that looked like cricket gear into what looked like an Indian cricket kit and I threw on the jersey for India. I was the happiest person at that moment as I got to wear the Indian cricket jersey, it must be in the top of the wish-lists for every Indian cricket follower.

            Then I went out of the other door and rushed passed some other rooms. So M. S. Dhoni must have rented a house in London for this match against Australia. When I finally reached the front door of the house I found myself hungry so I ate some food from the kitchen. I found M.S. Dhoni’s favorite drink which is milk in the fridge and that really helped my morning. Then I was ready, so I went out of the front door and saw the streets of London, I was amazed at how busy and charismatic they were. After that I got into M.S. Dhoni’s Ferrari and surprisingly I knew how to drive it. I knew that playing Mario Kart would help, so I put in the coordinates for the Wembley Stadium in the GPS (which was written in the schedule) and there I go to the stadium.

            Then I reached the stadium and I saw rest of the Indian team, I couldn’t believe myself. I was excited to see Virat Kohli and tried touching him, but he was like “what is it bro!”! So I realized once again that I am not my normal self anymore, I am M.S. Dhoni. Then he said that it was almost time for our match against Australia. So I started to sweat, not because of the heat, because of my nervousness. But I relaxed when he said that we were to start bowling (or pitching if you play baseball).

I sat at M. S. Dhoni’s place as the wicket keeper who sits behind the wicket so that he can catch the ball if the batsman doesn’t hit the ball that the bowler throws. At the end of Australia’s batting they scored two hundred ninety-nine runs which was really an amazing job and my team was on a tricky spot. But I knew that if my team tried hard enough, we could still win.

Then it was our turn to bat. We were started off good but soon we got worse and my team Captain said that I can’t go into the game yet. So I waited impatiently. Finally I was allowed to step in to the pitch to bat, and I was delighted. But my smile turned into a frown once I realized that it was the last ball and India needed six runs to win! So India had two hundred ninety-four runs. Six runs is the hardest shot to get from a single ball – everyone knows that!

When I went to bat my feet stomped on the pitch as I saw the Australian bowler Billy Stanlake who was getting ready who gave me a spine-chilling look.  Memories flashed back in my mind where Dhoni had hit amazing sixers and saved the matches. So I took a gigantic breath and stood up. The bowler sped down the pitch like a cheetah and when he let go of the ball it came to me at terrific speed.

I closed my eyes and swung the bat as I hard as I could not knowing if I hit the ball or not. I waited for a few seconds, still closing my eyes and holding the bat in the air. I was not sure what was happening until I heard the audience and the Indian team chanting my name (Dhoni! Dhoni! Dhoni!). When I opened my eyes I realized that I had actually won the game for my team by hitting a record breaking six runs! It was a moment of extreme bliss. After everyone had congratulated me for winning I found myself exhausted.

So I drove back to M. S. Dhoni’s house and I head straight for the bed, I didn’t even realize when I slept. But I woke up again to realize that I was back in my own house. It was all a dream! And a perfect one to have.

Nail Bites

Nails, nails, my lovely nails
Ten of my nails in my lovely fingers
They look flat, and beautiful
Days passed by and something happened
I started biting my nails when I got anxious
My lovely nails got crooked and bitten

People around thought yuck-yuck-yuck
Nail-biter, called by buddies
Better stop it now, said my dad
My lovely nails, I wanted to stop biting
I was out of control and couldn't stop
For a year or two, I tried and tried
Determination is what I had to have
I decided to stop, stop and stop
Shouted, screamed and let things go
I stopped biting them for once
Happy, happy and happy forever
Nails, nails, my lovely nails
I have them back intact

(Published in Creative Communications, Poetic Power)

Dude Diaries

Poorakazchakal!

MEA Drawing/Painting Competition (first prize)

For my brother

For my lil brother who wanted to do some coloring

Google Doodle attempt

For the one where mom and dad missed the deadline for submission😑
"I google for animals almost everyday!"

Travelogue

MY SPRING BREAK TRIP

After a lot of planning, I went to Nevada and Arizona with my family during spring break.
In Nevada we went to Las Vegas and in Arizona we went to the Grand Canyon.

On my first day (in Las Vegas) we checked into our resort and then took a stroll through "the strip". It was really busy in the night and there were a lot of people gaming in casinos. I really wanted to try my luck but it is the Nevada law that no one under 21 can game in casinos. We got back to the hotel really late and then slept.

The next day we spent most of our time in a resort named The Mirage. This was my best part because we went to the secret garden and dolphin habitat. There I saw a lot of wild cats and dolphins. One of the Snow White Siberian tigress got excited and started going every direction I went, it was fun and I went running and hopping. But a security man (who was really nice) came and advised that I should not get it excited as they are natural predators. The rest of the day we visited other resorts and shopping malls in the strip. In the evening we watched a legendary show of illusions by DavidCopperfield (the magician in the act) and it was mind blowing.

On the third day we went to the strip again but this time we took a taxi and went to the resort named Venetian. This was a really nice resort based on the European city, Venice. I only have vague memories about my trip to Venice a long time ago. This resort had gondolas (a type of boat in Venice which has unique way of rowing) and a lot of nice restaurants which were mostly Italian. We also visited a really nice art gallery by a famous photographer Pete Lik. Then we rented a convertible yellow Ford Mustang for our road trip to the Grand Canyon in Arizona. All of us were excited about the car and enjoyed our ride to Yavapai lodge inside the Grand Canyon National Park.

The following day we spent most of our day at the viewpoints to see the Grand Canyon. The best view we had was at the Desert view in the South rim of the Grand Canyon. My dad did a wonderful sketch of the canyon with my brothers' crayons. We were lucky to spot some wildlife in the Kaibab National Forest on our way back. Then we drove back to Las Vegas that evening. On the way my mom found a really nice Italian restaurant as my brother was craving for spaghetti and meatballs. We were all concerned that my brother might catch a bad cough but luckily he got alright. That night we checked into a resort named Circus Circus which was kid friendly not like the others. We watched a circus act late night and played some games in the arcade.

On our last day we spent all of our time in this fun place called the Adventure-dome in Circus Circus. Me and my brother took a full day pass with unlimited rides and we did a lot of kids gambling and skill games. I got a big jackpot! In the end with all our tickets we bought a gun, a woopy cushion and some candy. Then we watched a clown act which was funny and I got to hold a spinning ball on the tip of my pointer finger. My parents also did some souvenir shopping. Then we gave back our rented car and went to the airport in a bus, and here I am in writing my travelogue in the airplane.


Well, that was a fun and memorable trip!

By

MahaDev S Nair

Stress Buster

Amma: Mahadev, what do you do when you are stressed?
MahaDev: You mean when I am nervous or tensed?
Amma: Yes
MahaDev: I think about Kammu. His face can bring a smile for sure. I feel relieved then!

Happy Amma!!!

PSIA district winner, advancing to State Meet

First chess tournament of the year

Cartoon Strip for Kuttikootam

Last Kuttikootam had the theme 'Cartoons'. The lil bunch had amazing creativity on the topic. MahaDev did a cartoon strip based on a previously writvisuals would be his first choice.

Achan helping with compiling it electronically

Ganesha!

A quick whiteboard Ganesha in 30sec!

8th Birthday

On 8th birthday, moving to third grade.
And the highlight of this birthday is MahaDev started keeping a diary/journal for himself. No one is allowed to touch/read/write in the journal without MahaDev's permission

Changing the World

On a random question:

MahaDev, "If you were given the power to change something in the world, what would you change?"

"I would turn all the villains to nice people and make the world a much better place to live"

More art work during summer

Summer Colors

Random Chat on being popular

MahaDev: Amma, who is the most famous scientist?
Amma: There are so many of them. You know some of them like Albert Einstein
MahaDev: Is that what he is most popular for?
Amma: Guess so! He was also good at music and playing violin
MahaDev: Interesting
Amma: What do you want to be popular for?
MahaDev: I want to be popular for caring animals and my Animal Rescue Center

Pocket Money and Managing funds

Introduction to pocket money:

With Vishukaineetam from Appuppan and Ammumma this year, boys got introduced to pocket money and managing funds of their own. MahaDev was delighted, Narayan pretended so (not sure if he understands fully on the concept of money and its power).

We had to do some Target shopping on the evening and when boys took their money wallet, I was expecting them to blow up their funds on toys or candies or whatever interesting. But, I heard MahaDev telling his little brother "Kammu, lets not use all our money today. Lets save it and use it later somepoint on something we really like"

Narayan: "Ippo Achanum Ammem okke vaangitharum alle Cheta"

But, what really moved me was when they handed me something at checkout - A $2 nail varnish

MahaDev: "We wanted to buy you something for a long time but didnt have our own money"

Amma: "MahaDev, this is one of my best days, just with your thought like this. But you do not have to spend your money on me now. Its your pocket money"

MahaDev: “We really really wanted to get you this, you have to take it. I also checked you do not have this color”

Narayan: “Amma, ithu nalla bhangiya itaal! I will buy you a red open Jeep when I get loads of money when I grow up”

I have no words to explain my feelings on this – best Vishu ever. Little did I realise that these lil boys focus on our conversations and keep track of the things that we fancy.

Narayan thinks he wants to be a doctor treating Mommies as his mom will fall ill with old age. They are soo naïve and nice, hope it stays.

Moving Up Award and Special Award for Creative Writing

Grade 2 had been so fast!