My visit to Madkai

My father took me to his friend's place for some work.

On the way I saw a river, and many beautiful temples.

We met a man, on the road, near the temple, and we asked him which temple was this. He told us the name (but I forgot). Then we reached my father's friend's place, and his wife was playing with me and teaching me how to cook. Her name is Bharati.

On the way, while we were going, near the petrol pump, there were these guys selling flowers. My father took a photograph of them. They were selling flowers, because today is the festival of Ganesh. When I went near all the fruit-sellers on the road, they were all selling flowers (mogras) in white and orange and red colours.

I also saw the road leading to the temple of Navadurga. Another temple was very beautiful and big.

Making sweets

Today we're going to learn how to make 'neuros' and 'modaks'.

To make 'neuros' and 'modaks', you first need to grate a coconut. Some wheat-flour (maida). And two bowls of sugar. Plus two coconuts.

Then, you need to take small pieces of maida, and make a round-circle out of it, and flatten it.

Then, you need to take a rolling-pin and make it flat, and big.

Then place your sugar and coconut in it. And bring it together, and make sure that none of it falls out.

Then, take the cutter and make a small curley design at the end of the 'neuri'. Place it in the cooking oil, and wait for one minute, and then it's ready.

But 'modaks', you need the same things.

First take the maida, and put the coconut and the sugar in. Make it into a round circle, with a curley tip. Then place it in the oil to fry, and your 'modak' is ready.

One aunty taught me how to make these today -- September 3, 2008.

A 'modak' and a 'neuri' is made for the festival of Ganesh. The festival of Ganesh is when Lord Ganesh is brought to people's houses, and they make an offering (puja) and offer fruits and flowers to the god, and light incense sticks (agarbatis).

It comes around this time of the year.

An outing to Panjim

When I went to Panjim, I first went to the Science Centre. After that, I went near the Miramar side of the beach. There are these guys who sell Arabic food. Then I ate Arabic food.

After that I went for my friend's birthday party. Her name is Shivika. And after Shivika's party, I went to Cafe Prakash, where we usually go.

We went to Varsha Book Stall and bought some magazines. Then we went back to Shivika's party and left the magazines there. After that, we went to Anandasharam.

Anandasharam is a restaurant where you get a 'fish-curry rice' plate. Now you get Chinese too. After that, I went and had an ice-cream. I chose the coffee flavour, and then I came back home.

An outing to Panjim

When I went to Panjim, I first went to the Science Centre. After that, I went near the Miramar side of the beach. There are these guys who sell Arabic food. Then I ate Arabic food.

After that I went for my friend's birthday party. Her name is Shivika. And after Shivika's party, I went to Cafe Prakash, where we usually go.

We went to Varsha Book Stall and bought some magazines. Then we went back to Shivika's party and left the magazines there. After that, we went to Anandasharam.

Anandasharam is a restaurant where you get a 'fish-curry rice' plate. Now you get Chinese too. After that, I went and had an ice-cream. I chose the coffee flavour, and then I came back home.

My dream is to fly...

During the novenas in the Saligao church, each ward had to do a play and cook food. So our ward in Saligao, Sonarbhat, did a dance. The dance is called 'rise up'. We had got a special teacher who teaches dance. His name is Sneidon. He taught us very well. At first I could not get it at all, but afterwards I knew it very well.

Now again, for August 14, we are doing the same dance in the Club (the Saligao Institute). It is for the feast of the chapel called St Cajetan's.

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My exams

My exams started on the first of August. We have eight subjects. They are: English I & II, Hindi and Konkani, History and Geography, Science and Maths.

Science is a very nice subject, I enjoy Science very much.

We have completed three lessons in this term. We have to study four more for the coming exam, soon.

My Science teacher's name is Miss Sophina. She used to teach in St Xavier's College, but now she has come to our school. She is thin and tall, and teaches very well.

I like English too, because we learn nice lessons. Our English book is also very colourful and there are nice stories.

This lesson that we are learning these days is Robinson Crusoe.

My English teacher's name is Sister Flory. She speaks English very well, and also teaches us grammar. Grammar is sometimes a l-i-t-t-l-e hard, when I have to underline the pronouns. But English and Science are my best subjects.

I also like Maths, but I find it a little hard, with the division sums. Konkani is nice; I know how to speak well, but it's hard to pick up the answers. Hindi is an easy subject and very nice. The language is very nice too. History and Geography are nice subjects. In Geography, we learnt about political divisions in Goa. In History, we learnt about Sunita in space. Sir Vijay teaches us History and Geography. He also is our class teacher.

During our exams, different children from Std VI, VII, VIII, IX and X, come to sit in our class. So that can't copy from each other. They don't let us cover our exam sheets, so that we are fair while answering our exams. Our school leaves early at 11 am, and they give us time to study, so it becomes easier for us.

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A birthday party for Aren

Yesterday was my brother's birthday. Yesterday my brother became five years old. All our friends came for the party. Because the Olympics were going on, we had to make a Chinese dragon. First we had to take a chart paper, then we made a plait out of two different coloured papers (like orange and yellow) ... Then, we pasted the plait on the dragon's head. We attached the broomsticks, and made the Chinese dragon.

We also played another game. We took a coin, placed it on our nose, and tried to keep it on our nose without falling down.

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From my notebooks...

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The pool party

My twin friends Shimmie and Shimron had their birthday recently. They celebrated their birthday at a hotel. They had a pool party.
The pool was four feet deep. My brother needed a float.
We were going underwater. Delilah, our friend, was doing the froggie swim.
They have a house at their hotel. After we finished swimming, we went to their house, had a bath, and ate snacks.
Then, after that, it was time to cut the cake. They had two chocolate brown cakes, with lovely roses on top. They gave everybody a small packet of pumpkin seeds to eat. The leave-home gifts were lovely soft dogs. And mice.
It was a very nice party.    

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A dog named Blackie

Blackie is our neighbour's dog. She is black-and-white in colour. They actually call her Tickoo. But we call her Blackie, because she is so black and lovley.
She always obeys what I say, and never bites us.
She always guards the house. She is a very loving dog.
Right now, she has gone and is smelling our kitchen table.
My brother sits on her back, and she takes him for a ride when she is in a good mood.
Otherwise, she just walks away, and he falls down.
Her owner's name is Prema. But she comes to our house, and we also give her food and look after her.

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Going back to school

It started in the rainy season when I came back to school. My school started on June 5 (2008). I like my new class. The division of my class is Division C.
My new teachers are the tall and pretty Miss Sanjyut, who teaches Konkani. Miss Anne, she teaches science and maths and is very kind and never shouts at us. Sir Vijay, he is our class teacher, who is always very polite. He teaches us EVS (environmental studies). Sr Flory, she teaches us English very well and she is very pretty. Another sister teaches us craft very well (Pranita told me), but she has not yet started teaching us. Sr Lily is our new headmistress, and is very pretty and kind to everybody. She is new to me, because now I am in the fifth standard, which is in the secondary school. Till now, I used to be in primary school.
My class is located close to the sand-pit, and near the big playgrounds. Our class is in the front of the school.
In my class I made many new friends. Their names are Chelsey, Mellisia, Lianna, Rashmita, Pranita (Eeram). There are also new children like Jonathan and Brendan. Most of them come from Babyland, a school in Calangute. They don't have a secondary section, so they come from our school.
In Division A (students taking Marathi), my friend Abigail and her friend Varuna and Rebacca have come to our school, from Shiksha Niketan. Shiksha Niketan is a school in Sangolda, a village next to ours, and children have also come in from other schools.
In the holidays, I went to Bombay, and I also went for a 12-day Konkani summer camp at the Thomas Stevens Konknni Kendr. And now, I'm going to start going, on Fridays, for a Portuguese training camp. My grandmother died in the holidays, so I couldn't get to be with her. I miss her very much, but I will always remember the good things that she has done for me.
In my holidays, I got a little bored after some time, so I'm happy to be back in school. I miss my primary teachers a lot, and I think kof them every day. I miss my favourite teacher, Teacher Bella, and my other favourite teacher, Teacher Sybil, who left the school. I miss Teaching Neeta, Teacher Savia, Teacher Latika and Teacher Rosy, Teacher Pratima and Teacher Aarti, Sister Esmeralda (she used to be very kind to me) and all those who taught us in the primary.
I also miss Aunty, a lady who used to work for the school and keep it clean. But I don't know her name. She still works in the primary section.

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Aren... and his Maths

An activity play-school

I have started going to Bal Bhavan (only once so far). They teach you many things, like creative writing, games, guitar, clay-modelling, puppet making and other things.
Bal Bhavan is in Campal (Panjim). It takes half-an-hour to get there.
I have joined clay modelling and guitar classes. And creative writing.
My brother calls it Bal Bum-bum, because he cannot pronounce it properly. He is four years old.

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Looking forward to the church camp

The Saligao church camp is being held in Lourdes Convent, because our village church has been replaced. Repaired. They will be doing tee-shirt painting, and other things that I've not yet found out. Abigail, Delilah, Isabel, even my brother Aren will come with me for the camp. It starts on May 5, 6 and 7, or just after. It costs Rs 75 for each child to attend the camp.

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Aren's math talk

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Evenings at the swimming pool

Aren at our small pool (not Vista do Rio).

Uncle Caje, my mother, my brother, Isabel and me all go to the swimming pool in the evening. The pool's name is Vista do Rio.
We go there at 4 o'clock and finish by 6.30.
The pool is in Porvorim. A girl named Monali from the same building where Isabel lives comes to the swimming pool with her father.
We all swim together. We swim in the big pool. We throw a one-rupee coin in the water, then we dive in and find the coin. Whoever finds the coin first is the winner. Isabel and me always find the coin. A girl named Trisha also comes there.
My father says that the pool takes a lot of water from the village-sides ....

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My Nana gets sick

Nana with Sharbelle (her schoolmate's daughter).

My grandmother's name is Felicia Coutinho Noronha.  I call her Nana. She used to look after me, and take me to the convent. She liked me the best. I liked her very much.
But one day, she had a fall in the bathroom. We didn't know what happened. Then we took her to GMC Hospital and then they found out that her hip bone was broken.
She was supposed to have an operation, but it didn't happen. After a few days, she kept on getting sick. And more complications came up.
On April 21, 2008, she died at 3 o'clock in the morning. On that day was my admission. When I got up, my aunty and my grandfather were downstairs; my aunty was washing clothes.
On April 22, was her funeral, at 4 o'clock. We buried her at the Saligao cemetery. I felt sad.

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The Carnival: I went for it

In the Carnival, there were Brazilian girls. They danced very well. And their dresses were very pretty.

In another float, there were two girls, one girl was had a lot of coloured feathers on her back, and the other had peacock feathers on her back.

After the Carnival we met aunty Grace [we call her Grace, she'll get annoyed] and Saachi, Shimmi, Shimron, mama and Aren.

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Goans in Burmab

My daddy published a book. The book's name is Songs of The Survivors. It is about Burma and the lives of Goan people there. This is what was written about the book. The lady who edited the book is Yvonne Vaz-Ezdani. I like the cover of the book. My father has read to me some of the stories that were written. I know some people who have written the book. Like Uncle Peter Vaz. He's a very active man, and the father of Louis Vaz.

Frederick Noronha: Songs Of The Survivors
 

Songs of the Survivors is the first book to be published by Goa 1556 - a new venture by Frederick Noronha (FN). If you're thinking of getting your book into print click here
For a profile of FN click here.
Songs Of The Survivors is a collection of the memoirs of Goan survivors of Burma in the Second World War period. Cornel DaCosta in reviewing the new book writes: … there were parallels between those in Burma and those in East Africa, especially, in relation to religiosity and a measure of joviality and a fun culture largely within the community itself …
To read the review in full and for order details check out the special GVUK supplement. Click here.

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An evening at Agassiam (dada's title)

All photos (including self-portraits) by Riza D'Mello Noronha. Copyleft,...

On the 6th of January 2008 was Renza and Nigel's wedding. Renza is the daughter of our good friend Luanna.

Renza was looking very pretty that day.

I went very close and clicked, and I got the photos which you can see over here. In the top photo, Renza's father and mother, bridesmaids and flowergirls are shown. In the African  one, I couldn't go too close because I got scared. They were moving and I thought they would bang into me. They were taking a glass bottle on a stick, and dancing. They also did the fire-limbo, and guess what! They also allowed the children to do the fire-limbo. Abigail, Gabbie, and Delialah (my good friends who were there at the wedding) also joined the limbo.

But I didn't want to go. I got scared.

My friend Abigail told me that it was stinking of kerosene. I am glad that I went for the wedding. I had a good time. My uncle and aunty, Ricky and Clare, had come also.

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Pranita and me: good friends

Pranita (the girl to the right) is Pranita. She comes to play every day in the Convent. We have lot of fun together.

She is in the fifth standard. She goes to Lourdes Convent. She is a good girl. She always is the 'den' when we don't want to be. She's the oldest. She has a brother whose name is Pratish. He is not shown in the picture.

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A lovely place to visit [title by Dada]

This is the Saturday Nite Bazaar. In these two photos, the first photo shows some handicrafts and the second shows some keychains.

My friend Isabel took me to the Saturday Nite Bazaar with her father, Uncle Caje, and my father, with my little brother. The second time, we went with my father's friends, Dr Alan Story and a Brazilian lady. There are all pretty things in the Saturday Nite Bazaar. The best thing I liked was the magnifying glass. But my parents told me not to buy it, because we have a smaller one at home. I clicked these photos with my camera and I hope you like them very much.

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Funny little boy

This is my brother, named Aren. In this picture he has posed like a funny face. He looks very funny, but I think he's cute. I took this photo in the evening before we went out to play in the Convent. In the Convent, we have many friends. When he's in a bad mood, Aren doesn't pose for me. But when he's in a good mood, sometimes, he makes funny face or laughs. He always grins like my friend Saachi.

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Little-est Pet Shop

Littlest Pet Shop is made in China. I think the people in China are very talented. They make most of the toys and I like the toys. Littlest Pet Shop are my favourite toys. I collected 11 of them. But I wish I had all.

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The baby laptop

This is the baby computer. I went to see it in the Science Centre. I thought it would be very small. But actually it was not that small. A girl named Rut brought the baby laptop from Denmark and showed it to all the people who had come for the [GNU]Linux meeting. She also let all of us play with it.

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Riza's poem