How all I call my Sid!

Each parent has this cute way of calling their kids with weird names. When I used to hear my sister calling her son with a variety of trademarked funny names, I used to wonder if motherhood has taken its toll on my sister! Obviously, I was not a mom then. And, now I know how much love lies in all those stupid names. 

I too call Sid with different names (it's in the genes, I guess). Shornakatta, muttukatta, muttumani, etc are quite common among all of us malayalees. But some of Sid's names are really funny. Taking a note of all such names for future reference. Each time I call him with a new name, I see a delight in Sid's face. And not-to-mention a sly smile. However, I am sure he is going to melt down with embarrassment when he grows up and reads all this. ;)

Kunji vava / Kunjoos - This is what I started with since we didn't decide his name for first three weeks of his life.
Unnikuttan / Unni - His nick name. The most usual one as of now. Why I chose this is because "unni" was my dad's nick name. :) And unnikuttan, my cousin, was the first kid I ever looked after. I now call him senior unnikuttan. 
Tungloosh/ Tungloosh mani - No idea where I got it from. I was sooo hooked on to calling this name. And though Sid was too small at that time, he knew this word is coming from me and me only.
Kroosh / Unnikroosh - This one came from his dad. Again, don't remember how he got it.
Popcorn - This one too from dad, when he became a toddler. This was to signify the similarity between my son and a popcorn popping out of the vessel. 
Tishku / Tushki - Again, I have no idea where I got it from. I know it sounds too funny.
Tikku / Tukki - Just a babyish version of the previous one. But this one also lasted a while.
Pori / Poriyan / Porikuttan - Courtesy: Dad. Dad soon changed from popcorn to pori. Pori is actually the puffed rice translation in Malayalam. This name came soon after he started more than just popping but moving all around. "Porichil" in Malayalam, you know.
Chakkudu / Kukkudu - Chakkudu is a common name for pampering. But kukkudu, :) well. I once read him a story from one of his baby magazines - Kukkudu autorikshaw. So I actually started calling him "kukkudu autorickshaw".

I am sure Sid is going to be nomenclatured a lot more. Will surely update this list as time passes... :)

Addition: 3/3/2015: 
Unnanu/unnani - Named by Vallyamma (my elder sister). Whole story about this name here. Simply love the way she calls it.

My Goa tales

What I found in Goa and what I found out about Goa:

1. Goa is completely an Indian state. No ifs and buts. Though my brain knew it earlier, but somehow my mind always put Goa in a different category among the rest of the states in India. I found common Indian people there working day in and day out. Yes, we get to see a lot of tourists from foreign countries because of the beaches and the tourism department.
2. Goa is best seen in a two-wheeler. We rented a Honda-Activa for a day and a half and traveled almost across the state. The narrow yet clean roads, the picturesque coastal roads, the daily life of the inhabitants, and the not-so-daily life of all the tourists --- all these can be best witnessed in a two-wheeler drive. That’s what even foreigners do.
3. Goa beaches embrace you. Really. You feel loved inside it. You can wade deep into the Arabian Sea if you are in Goa. Thanks to the shallow coasts Goa is proud of.
4. Goa has more than just beaches. Although every tourist place is related to a water body, Goa promises you different experiences too. Not just getting wet in the beaches.
5. You get confused between river and beaches. Goa has Mandovi river in the heart of Panajim city that meets the Arabian sea somewhere. It makes it really difficult to differentiate between the two.
6. Alcohol also flows like river in Goa. It is so damn cheap there. Another thing you get confused about.
7. Tidal forests. Believe me (how much ever stupid it may sound), I didn’t know what tidal forests are until I visited Goa. A forest submerged inside a river. Although it looks spooky at times, I loved the view. You find a lot of such tidal forests in Goa, like in every nook and corner.
8. The minimum charge in an auto-rickshaw is Rs. 60. Not officially though. We boarded an auto-rickshaw to a near-by place where the hotel guy said it would cost Rs. 30 or so. As a reply to that, the auto-rickshaw driver said, “I can also say you can get a hotel room in Rs. 500. Will the hotel guy agree?” We sat there silent and speechless.
9. Ferry. They do exist. Free of cost in Goa.