thoughts – Novembrella

Mission Giftpossible : A Toddler’s Guide to Birthday Shopping

July 25, 2025August 29, 2025by novembrellaLeave a Comment

My toddler, much like his eating habits (where all vegetables are apparently an offense to humanity), is extremely picky about who he lets into his exclusive VIP inner circle. He loves them fiercely, protects them like a bodyguard on RedBull and yes, he also fights with them like it’s a debate driven to the ground! But at the end of the day, he little tribe is non-negotiable.

So, it was his closest friend’s birthday (an event on par with the Oscars in his mind) and ofcourse he wanted to give her the perfect gift. Now the past year was easy-peasy, I took him to the store where he browsed like a tiny gentleman, chose a gift and boom! Happy friend, happy life! This year was a whole different story. This year was a whole different era! This was the “I’m-4-Plus-And-I-Know-Everything” era. *face palm*

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motherhood, Mum Life

Trying To Explain Trust To A 4 Year Old (And Realizing I Couldn’t!)

July 16, 2025August 29, 2025by novembrellaLeave a Comment

Today, my 4 year old toddler stumped me with a question.

Whilst I generally pride myself in being a quick thinker and do particularly well on my toes, when he asked me what “trust” means — I didn’t know what to say. It got me thinking about why a concept so close to my heart was so hard to put into words.

This wasn’t one of my toddler’s random thoughts and question (if you have a 4 year old, you know what I mean!). It all began when he said he doesn’t “trust” a friend. The way he used it? Spot on! It fit perfectly considering the situation he was describing.

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Photo Journal, Thought Blog

Shining Bright Like A Diamond!

March 10, 2019October 30, 2020by novembrella3 Comments

“Fill your life with women that empower you, that help you believe in your magic and aid them to believe in their own exceptional power and their incredible magic too. Women that believe in each other can survive anything. Women who believe in each other create armies that will win kingdoms and wars.”

— Nikita Gill

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Photo Journal, Thought Blog, Travel Diary

Another Year Gone By…

February 17, 2019March 6, 2019by novembrella2 Comments

Another year has passed and I can’t help but wonder how fast the year has sped past on. Can you remember the first hour of 2018? I can like it was yesterday – and it was such a wonderful feeling ringing in the new year in a place I never thought I’d be. It was special, it was heart wrenching, it was amazing and it was sad. I’m a mixed bundle of emotions at New Year’s – the retrospection of the past year mixed with the exciting unwritten journey ahead makes my head spin in different directions. I remember bringing in 2018 thinking that this year was going to difficult but it was also going to be one of the best there was. Oh boy – I had no idea what I was in for. 😉 Continue reading “Another Year Gone By…” →

Thought Blog

My thoughts on “The Reluctant Fundamentalist” by Mohsin Hamid

February 10, 2016March 24, 2018by novembrellaLeave a Comment

“There comes a time when you have to choose between turning the page and closing the book.” – Josh Jameson

Hey you!

It’s a new year, which calls for a new resolution. This year I’m trying to go the toned down version of Mark Zuckerberg’s 2015 challenge (A wee bit late, I know! 😉 ). I’m hoping to read a book a month and as Math would have it, 12 books by the end of this year! 12 books that will positively influence my life and my views in any little way possible. Going back a couple of weeks, I was browsing Pinterest and I came across this very wonderful list of short reads (For all you bibliophiles, I’ll have the link to the list pasted at the end of this post! :)). That’s where I stumbled upon “The Reluctant Fundamentalist” by Mohsin Hamid and it immediately piqued my interest. Continue reading “My thoughts on “The Reluctant Fundamentalist” by Mohsin Hamid” →