New Job, Innocence and a Smile!

Finally the day arrived, sunny and bright. It was Thursday that is yesterday because as much as possible I always try to get into a new job or buying anything new on Thursday as I am sentimental about it.

I started the day as usual with my morning walk and rushed through the domestic chores as the maid was not there and got ready in time for the school bus. The best thing I awaited for on this day was to see her smile when she holds my hand and I need not let go of it once she gets into the bus, she knew it that Mom was going to come along with her to the school for which she was waiting anxiously all these days!

Then in the bus instead of sitting in the front with rest of the teachers I went to the kids at the back introduced myself and told we will start with telling a nice story today I will tell you from tomorrow one among you will tell me. I made a start, I told them about the coffe bean story carrot, egg and coffe bean and I said when your parents or teachers scold you you should not be a cry baby and become like a soggy carrot or sulk and be adamant and become hard like egg instead you should try to change their opinion on you so that next time they will not get a chance to scold you, they seemed to like it.

Then once I went to school as the syllabus was not decided and I am supposed to teach computers I asked the Vth class(Grade) children to write the difference between a man and computer and I could not help my self laughing when one kid came and showed me "Computer we have to buy it" "Man we need not buy" really what innocence and for the rest of the day that sentence kept on popping in my mind and a smile lightening up my face.

Off late I have observed that children are losing their innocence pretty early, it certainly is due to the information overload or the more exposure like TV and Internet but innocence is such a beautiful expression of childhood wish it is retained for a longer time.....

But don't you think in the present times, it is possible for men also to be bought? And once this kid will grow up in Life he will soon realise it?

A Beautiful Sky on a Morning Walk!

It has been quiet some time, since I gathered my senses to sit and pen a few thoughts or rather click away on the Key board. So many things going on in my mind pretty preoccupied over the weekend also as I had my sis in law over and we both had fun could manage to go for a Benetton Sale got few good clothes at a great Bargain for my daughter. I think I have to dedicate one complete post to SALEs and how we women are attracted to them but not without reason.

But once the week started it is hectic again, one thing that truly gives me the energy to last the rest of the day is my morning walk, I walk amongst the hills about 1.9 km and reach this beautiful spot in Vizag called Tenneti Park from a height you can see the beach below,

And the sea across, off late there are lot of clouds due to rains else as we stay on the east coast lovely sun rises too. And when I sit there and gaze at the sea it calms me, soothes me and rejuvenates me. And it never ceases to surprise me what a beautiful canvas the sky is each day a different brush stroke a different hue. This Monday when I went I liked the sky and its colors so much I clicked away a few pics and I feel really happy when I attach pics clicked by me. I was about to click one Mr.Crow perched and it did not like it and flew away and then another Mr or Ms crow happily obliged.

I am an early bird not many late nights but the body clock automatically rings and am up by 5am and the nature, breeze everything is at its best behaviour even my mood too(logically once we sleep over our problems(work, home or anything) the previous day, it is not worth while to start a new fresh day with the same old problems lingering over. And it is these wonderful gifts of nature that bring a smile on my face and give me the energy to start the day with the right step forward....

Seasons! Reasons for Happiness!

It was raining for almost a week now, as I said earlier however beautiful the weather is, why is it that the human mind always looks for something else than that is prevailing? When it was summer desperately waited for some cool showers a respite from the heat and when it started raining finally wanted that little bit of sunshine to dry the clothes and muddy roads as well tired of the wet feeling literally. And these are not my feelings alone but observations of people I come across in day to day life, neighbours, friends and colleagues that I make or opinions that overhear.

So in short it was a blessing to see the sunshine through the clouds finally, that reminds me of some humorously written article about seasons in some Telugu weekly in my childhood. I do not remember it word to word but the gist of it definitely yes. I will try to reproduce it here....

Oh! It is so Hot everywhere, even after having a shower we seem to sweat.

The water in the pipes is HOT, this heat is driving me crazy,

Wish we have some cool showers, how wonderful to look at the rain and sip hot cups of coffee

or eat some hot pakoras, Rainy season is oh so blissful!

Rains, Rains and more Rains, I am tired of these showers and fed up of seeing the grey skies.

Cannot dress up in good clothes and go out on the road. And the clothes do not dry. House is full of flies and there is this damp smell of clothes. Oh! when Will this season end? How wonderful winter is, those cosy mornings snuggling under the blanket, those early evenings and misty mornings wonder when the winter will be here? Winter is so wonderful....

Oh! My God It is cold so cold that we do not feel like coming out of the bed in the morning. And the moment food is prepared it immediately turns cold. These biting temperatures taking a toll on my health. Days are so short that literally there is no time for anything. I wonder when the Summer will come for those times in the park,those juicy mangoes and fragrant jasmines and ice creams in the park, I am eagerly awaiting the summer, Summer is so beautiful.....

And again it is hot everywhere.......... Life goes on....

It proves that we humans are not happy with what we have or can be happy constantly with a given set of situations or circumstances always longing for something more something better or the other way round we think about those good old days and hope for a better future but what we have we never ever realise how wonderful this moment is...

Most of us would have received the forwarded mail,

"We think we will be happy when we grow up, get a job, get married, buy a house, buy a car, get a promotion and so on but that ultimate moment never comes, but actually the moment to be happy is right now in front of you"

So for me and for you for everyone, Life goes on in the constant quest for happiness....

But Happiness is not at the end of the road but in the journey....

With you in the Rain!

I used to write poetry once upon a time, years ago which found its way to the school magazine 'Hansini' and now after all these years I felt like writing again may be I am getting into the groove thanks to this blogging....

It rains, and the drops fall like petals of flowers
Blessed is my body and soul to get wet in these showers…
Beside Is my beloved to shower his love
And it all seems like a blessing from above….

It rains, and the drops come and like thorns they prick me
My heart is forlorn and soul is lost trying to search me
My beloved is miles away the reason for all this pain
Without him next to me, what can be a season full of rain?

It is the same rain then and the same rain now,
But the feelings are completely different somehow
I just can say with you next to me I can see the rainbow
But when you are away, I only see the dark grey clouds, you know?

Green Monsoon and its beauty!

The color green is beautiful, especially when it is associated with nature. The ardent nature lover that I am, it never ceases to fascinate me the different hues of the color green in nature.

I think I am really blessed that I stay in a valley surrounded by hills. Initially when I was shifting to this part of the city which is known as suburbs, I really felt it is quite far off. But the few minutes of extra drive to home is worth it whenever I look across the green hills from different corners of my home. I have enclosed the pictures taken from windows and balconies of different rooms of my flat.

And when the monsoon arrives it is all the more beautiful, I feel as though the sky has given mother earth the much needed bath and all the trees gleaming and shining whenever there are mild rays of sun shining on them from in between the clouds.

And When the clouds go a little lower touching the hills, I feel like going up the hill and touch those clouds, of course when I go up the hill I pretty well know that I will not be able to touch the cloud but from down here I do get that feeling and it is a happy feeling. I do not know why there is this phrase 'On cloud nine' but I certainly feel that way being on cloud nine.

I like to get up early and when I do that I go for walk looking up at these hills seeing the clouds pass by and feeling the mountain breeze in my face and hair. When I cross the hills I reach the sea shore and it is nice to look at the sea from a height. And especially early in the morning nature is at its best, calm, serene, fresh and mesmerising. It gives positive energy to go through the rest of the day!

Has anybody of you ever experienced this magical experience?

Change: We all need but difficult to accept!

Off late I am slightly in a melancholy mood, as I am going to change my job soon. Most of us say I am bored of doing the same thing again and again I need some change, but familiarity has its own comfort levels, be it the peer group, neighbourhood, job or anything.

There are people who are born in a particular place, grow up there and take up the family business and settle down in the same place. Then there are globe trotters. There are also men in the armed forces who are transferred every now and then to different corners of our country into completely contrasting geographical and climatic changes. And they get used to it.

I have been used to moving from place to place and adjusting in different places right from my childhood and use to enjoy it making new friends along life's journey. There was a time from 96 to 2000 that for every new year i was residing in a new place altogether. It is not new for me to change jobs either, right from the time I graduated I have been working with intermittent breaks and into varied professions. Every time I use to start a new job after a break and I use to look forward enthusiastically to prove myself. But this time I am switching the job without any break and that must not be the only reason why I am feeling blue!

Over a period of time, I got used to the comfort levels of this job, the perks and the environment, the stress everything and feeling very sad of moving on but it is a choice that I have made with full consciousness and so no looking back.

Off late as I start coming to work, the feelings arise , I am going to miss this drive to office overlooking the bay, the familiar smell of the room freshener when i enter the office, the smiles of the office boys who are always energetic, the music playing above my head (as I am working in a radio station).

There are a lot of apprehensions about the next job, how interesting would it be, will i enjoy it as much, will I be able to perform to the optimum levels etc. Hope these all apprehensions will rest in peace. But this transition period of change is difficult to experience right now till I attain the comfort zone in my new job. But then that is the way of life.....

Here I like to reminisce a few words written by a friend about change

"The Oak was once a tiny seed and the flute was once a lonely reed and it is Change that brought the transformation, nothing is constant in this world, every moment something, somewhere, surrounding us is changing, the only thing constant is Change...

Beyond a Celebrity!

As I said last week that every day is not the same even every Sunday is not the same. This Sunday I had to come to work and it was a rather interesting assignment of having a tollywood hero and heroine in our station. It does not happen every day, it would have been a normal thing if it was Hyd, but them coming to Vizag is not so regular. If they come for shooting they get so tired that they hardly have the energy or the time to come for any interview.

So I was all enthusiastic to come to work and came along with my better half and daughter in tow. They actually were coming to promote their new film 'Current' and I was rather feeling sheepish as I did not watch that movie. Then I came to know that Sneha Ullal the look alike of Aishwarya Rai and the heroine was not coming.

I generally thought that celebrities keep us waiting and was in a relaxed mood but I was in for a surprise the Hero 'Sushant' (He is the nephew of the famous 'Nagarjuna' and the grandson of legend 'Nageswar Rao') came in sharp at the scheduled time. Earlier too I had couple of visits, one was the famous 'Ram Gopal Varma and then ' Varun Sandesh of happy days fame etc but Sushant was so different, he was so down to earth, very patient, cheerful, realistic no airs and baggage yet all. This was really a pleasant surprise. He patiently obliged the callers talked to them with interest and posed for n number of photographs right from the security to electricians to fans, everybody.

What I really wanted to put across is beyond this celebrity status is a warm human being with his own set of emotions, feelings and fears also may be (fears to prove himself to be successful in the Field he chose, to keep up the family name and live up to the legacy of his uncle and grandfather and make his own space amongst his cousins and other stars).

It is a memorable experience and I do wish this sweet hero a really bright future in Tollywood!

So my Sunday was a funday although a little disappointed with lack of rest but still it was worth it.

Making Heads Turn!

There are head turners every where, be it people, hoardings, buildings, trees anything, we have a glimpse when we pass by and then we turn our head again to take a second look and they are head turners.

Why I want to talk about head turners is not that I am making heads turn now :-) May be I did that in my twenties or sweet sixteens but was too naive to acknowledge. Being a head turner definitely gives a high.

I remember when my daughter was Baby, so chubby and so cute that wherever I went with her she made heads turn and people wanted to touch her and hold her and I definitely was a proud mom. But right now the head turner is our new car!

Recently two weeks back we bought a car the Honda Jazz and coincidentally it is the first car of that model to be out on the roads in Vizag. And wherever we went and stopped be it the petrol bunk or the temple where we did pooja for the car or on the beach side. Groups of people pointed out at the car and made their friends turn their heads to catch a glimpse of the car and it was fun watching people comment about the car. Some people walked up to us enquiring how much was the car on road and how much mileage it gave etc.

I know that this is completely temporary and at the rate that the automobile industry is growing in India and the ads on TV there will be another new model on the road from another brand and ours will be an old model and will stop turning heads.Life is like that there is something new happening everywhere every time and attention span lessons day by day and something special today becomes ordinary tomorrow.

Recently I chanced upon to lay my hands on an old diary written in 1998 where I went in a car probably maruti 800 then and wrote someday I should own a nice car and with good music go for a long drive. Now the time has come, but what was once a dream now is not as much a dream come true I mean that intensity is not there, it became rather a matter of fact to own it. But how I wish life did not become so mechanical and practical and dreams can be realised as passionately as when they were dreams.

Well it turns heads or not does not matter, but I definitely am looking forward to lots of sweet memories and long drives and family outings with our new car! And I definitely like its Tag line!

'One Life! Why so serious!'

Clouds and Colors!

So the monsoon has finally set in Vizag and it has been really cloudy for the past few days. It is really nice to enjoy this kind of weather sitting in doors and looking out at the drops of rain falling. Even the music of rain the pitter patter is so serene. The clouds hanging on the hills nearby and hearing to classic of Kishore Kumar humming along 'Rimjhim gir saawan Sulagh sulagh jaaye man.....'

But when it is grey for long it gets on our moods also and the mood becomes melancholy. But the best thing about rainy season is the colors that brings along well it is the umbrellas I am talking about, how many colors and patterns can they come in and it is really heartening to see these lovely colorful umbrellas against the grey backdrop.

Just wear bright colors like, oranges, yellows, Reds, lime greens and see how it lights up your mood and the day does not seem dull anymore. I personally follow this rule and trust me color has its way in turning around the spirits. Call it color therapy but it works. For all those who have to wear the dull and boring formals and stick to corporate dress code go for a colorful tie or a colorful scarf and at least the umbrella can be colorful definitely no black umbrellas please they are pretty boring.

I for myself chose a bright floral umbrella at Akbrallys in Mumbai last year and felt very happy about it. Even rain coats are available for the kids in the brightest of fluorescent colors and they look so cute in that match them with a pair of gum boots and let them splash in the rain water.

These are joys of life to be experienced we too feel like spreading out hands and turning round and round in the rain singing " Vaana Vaana vallappa chethulu chapu chellapa", let them get cold no problem cold is a way of cleansing the system the more we protect the more they will be susceptible to health disorders. Exposing them to nature is the best way of making them robust with health and increasing their immunity.

So colorful umbrellas and colorful raincoats clouds in the sky and smiles on the faces along with some paper boats and a few clicks on the camera you have memories for a life time.

Joy of Learning something new!

Yesterday I joined my little girl in the skating class. It was long awaited one. But due to the odd timings of my work I kept on postponing and finally the time came, when I am switching my job just to be with her to take her to learn all that she want to.

Vizag is blessed with a good skating rinks and good coaches, many have represented in national and international levels. Not that I want Vennela to go for such competitions. All that I want her to have is fun and experience the joy of learning something new.

This is taught by my Dad, he always encouraged me to learn anything that I can. So if I dabbled with Carnatic music, Bharatanatyam, Basket Ball, Yoga etc during my childhood it is because of him. I do not regret that I am a master of none, I am happy to be jack of all.

It is the Joy of learning that is exhilarating. Even now I felt so good a few months ago when I started to learn swimming. In between a few friends we joined together and learnt bollywood dancing wow! it was really fun.

And again this brought back memories of joining Shiamak Davar's workshops that I joined with my friend, travelled miles for these classes but it was worth it.

I just could see the radiant smile on my little one's face and after the class, she said mom I want to do skating for 10 hours.(Although she just started the class with only one skate on one leg and dragged the other one.) I prayed God, let this enthusiasm and interest last long.

There were kids of all sizes from 2 and half years old to 12 year olds and it was a beautiful sight to see them zoom and turn around in the rink. Some of them falling down and toppling on each other again getting up and going.

There is such a lot to learn from these little ones, the first thing is how to get up and smile after falling down. I too felt like learning to skate because in my childhood I did not get the opportunity.If only I can overcome my hesitation of being the odd one out among the students and start off I for certainty do know that it will be a great experience, I should do it soon.

I plan to join carnatic music again and re learn with my daughter. Also I want to learn to draw, sketch and paint. I want to experience this joy of learning something new again and again. It makes life much more interesting

Will she be Happy ever After?

Working in Mirchi I got used to giving a spike(making people curious to know what I am going to write about), hence the title, with the picture all of pretty well know who it is.

I am talking about the famous Rakhi Sawant, the name associated with adjectives like bold, brash, rebellious etc; She is definitely not a stunning beauty. Sans makeup she will never make heads turn. Be it the vital statistics or any features in particular.

Television after privatisation has undergone many twists and turns, music shows, dance shows, laughter shows, reality shows but this particular show 'Rakhi ka Swayamvar' can be said as 'its different'. As usual it was hyped about not only on the channel that it was going to be telecast on and other media like the papers and websites etc.

I was curious as usual with random thoughts. Earlier too Rakhi did participate in 'BIG BOSS' and Nach Baliye with her then boy friend 'Abhishek'. The thought flow went on how much did the channel pay her? What are all the aspirants looking forward to in marrying her. Publicity? Becoming Rich? Or do they really like Rakhi so much? If they do like for what is it that they like her? Her looks? Her Dance? They certainly must not have come across her inner qualities.

And then I was thinking about Rakhi. The small town girl, middle class girl as she claimed. Innocent she claims herself to be and even the contestants say so.What is she looking forward to? Can she get a true life partner on this show, or is she doing it only for attention and money? Is she going to get married and divorce later?

The thoughts are still there and the show started and is going on. I was not watching the show ardently without batting the eyelid bcs that is the time when I concentrate on the 9pm news as it is an integral part of my profession. But on and off when did I watch and caught the glimpses.

There were 16 contestants from almost all professions from as far as Canada to small cities of India from Kashmir to Nagpur. From all walks of life. Each one was trying to woo her with some small gifts ranging from T-shirt to an idol of Ganpati and a white wedding gown etc. And the best friend of her ex boyfriend gifting her It was really funny to watch them saying Rakhi U are very beautiful, and hilarious to hear them read poems about her. I think the obsession with phoren is caught up with Rakhi also, ultimately she selected the guy from Canada for the day.

And I really do not know what Ram Kapoor is doing there? Why does the channel want him cant Rakhi handle herself or if not Ram Kapoor is there nobody else? He has become so wide filling half of my Television screen Ram with the earnings this channel gives U better pay for a gym membership or a slimming centre soon.

Let us wait and watch how this show will develop? Will Rakhi get her suitor and marry him and how long she is going to keep him.

Rainbow of Bangles!

Wow! I am on a real high today. No I did not go for drinks but a shopping spree. It is the last day of the month, Salary yet to be deposited so how can I shop? Of course there are credit cards but I do not use credit cards, I am an ardent debit card user. That way I am more in control of my expenses, as such we women are shopaholics and if there are sales then no stopping us.

Well enough of suspense most of you must have guessed from the title that I shopped for bangles, yes I am never tired of buying glass bangles, my latest craze in bangles. There was this exhibition of handicrafts and hand loom mela going on from a few days, since the day I came to know about it I was so eager to go. I was sure that I will find some good bangles and ear rings. And today took off with my two jocks. It was a good one hour out of office but it is not a problem bcs when there is work we stay back quiet late so it was really flexible.

First it was couple of bags made of Jute material, they are in vogue and look trendy on a Kurti and they cost only 100 and 150 each. And then the real treasure! I picked up a couple of pairs and seeing my interest the shopkeeper took out a box and kept in front of me, I could not leave out even one color, they looked so beautiful in under the light gleaming beautifully, it is a personal opinion that the luster is better than any diamond or gold bangle.

He was so happy when I took all the twelve pairs he reduced a few Rs happily. They brought back happy memories of similar shopping escapades with my dear friend who is far away across seven seas now. They also made me remember the lines of the the poem learnt in school in the English class "Bangle Sellers By Sarojini Naidu" 'delicate, bright Rainbow-tinted circles of light' how beautifully put in words. I also bought mother of pearl Kada that the Bengalis wear with matching year rings and as it in the shade of half white it will go with many outfits.

Then I moved on to earrings and they were also just 10 Rs per pair. And lo! I exhausted all the few hundred rupees I had with me. But the happiness is priceless. The best part is to have a burf ka gola that too kalakhatta, it has been ages since I ate, may be some where in chowpati in Mumbai.

Friends and relatives often appreciate the way I dress and co-ordinate my accessories. Being the Virgo that I am I always used to strictly adhere to matching syndrome. Be it bangles, ear rings bindi etc(now I stick to maroon or black) but bangles and ear rings still I try to. But when I have to pack for a trip it does take some time to pack this stuff too.

From the days of many bangles I have come to the single bangle or two stage except for when I go to weddings etc. And they do go so well with the Indo Western kind of clothing that I wear Kurtis over Jeans etc. It is a personal feeling that all it takes is a few hundred rupees and U have accessories to match all the outfits in the wardrobe.

No problem if there is not a single rupee in my purse now. My bike has sufficient petrol to take me home and I know me mobile will beep tonight with an SMS saying your account has been credited with Rs.......... :-)

Actually before going on this shopping spree I wanted to blog about our Rakhi Sawant's swayamwar but it can wait. Just see the photographs of the Bangles, U will love them.

SUNDAY not a FUN day.

'SUNDAY', where there is no 5 day week how people look forward to it. Some look forward to it to complete all the personal tasks postponed(That includes washing, grocery shopping and what not.) Some want to go shopping to the malls, catch the latest releases in the multiplexes, eat out and come back home smug. That is nice for one Sunday a month but that is also exhausting and saps energy. The best way to rejuvenate is a lazy Sunday or a Sunday with a long drive and spent by the beach side but the weather should be cool for that.

In general I look forward to a Lazy Sunday, just to curl up on the SOFA have a leisurely Tea or coffee depending upon the mood. (if it is sunny I prefer Tea and if it is raining I prefer Coffee, U can see the difference too, it is nice that way for people who drink both Tea and Coffee). Going thru the Sunday magazines of the newspapers and the somewhere around 9.30 or 10am when the tummy starts growling I get up to fix a simple breakfast may be a bread toast or some milk and cereal or noodles it is best that way as lunch invariably would be heavier as it would be in general non vegetarian.

Even the breakfast is a leisure one playing or watching some cartoons with my daughter for some time, but if she decides to go downstairs and cycle around the apartment building or go upstairs and play with the dogie(a pug the HUTCH one) then I can have the remote to myself and what a blessing that indeed is. I just flick the channels and catch whatever is interesting at that moment. Somewhere around 12.30 I realise about Lunch and then enter the kitchen. But all this luxury or free time is affordable only when the maid is around and she does the cleaning under my supervision, dusting, cleaning the refrigerator changing the sheets in the two bedrooms and the Diwan. And most imp of all cleaning the bathrooms(where I do pitch in for perfect cleaning sake). And also the laundry job of starching the cotton garments(9 out of 10 dresses that I have are of cotton given the humidity and heat of Vizag) And weaves and block prints they are so beautiful in cotton adds dignity to the dressing, comfortable so I prefer it that way.

But yesterday, my maid calls up at 7.30 am (thanks to the affordable mobile phones now) and declares I will not be able to come today. And there starts my day. Although I canceled the starching episode(as rains are in I will prefer synthetics temporarily so they will dry, even after getting wet.) There went my day in washing, cleaning scrubbing, mopping and what not but when my daughter picks up the Colin bottle and wants to clean the furniture again it made my day. I do not think boys of that age or any other age would offer to do that. Daughters are daughters, I thanked almighty for blessing me with one. And carried on the tasks with fervour.

Could relax for a while in the afternoon post lunch and then there were going to be guests in the evening, again started preparations, went out to shop for some urgent groceries and it was night 11pm by the time the guests left after dinner, but felt really happy to have them so all that work was with a smile that lit up my face, and although I could not take My daughter for an outing she was more than happy to have friend from America. It is really amusing to see her to immediately try to pick up the American accent that the other little girl had. And both the girls did have double the gala time to dress up again in dupattas and beaded chains and bangles. Clicked their pictures and when they were leaving Vennela(My dr said in my ear you know Mamma why I clicked Esha's pic bcs I am going to miss her.) God thank you for this EQ that is developing in her. And for the first time she did not complain when I parted with her accessories as a gift to her friend.

All in all SUNDAY was not a FUN day in the literal sense. "But if I see the glass half full I felt more happier for the gleaming everything because of my efforts and the Guests complimenting on a beautiful house and a tasty dinner was like the icing on the cake or the cherry on the ice cream. :-)" What more can the Lady of the home want?

The final touch is still there, when I plopped myself in the chair, she came rushing with a glass of juice(poured from the carton). I said why "Darling! I just now had heavy dinner why this now? She said 'but you are looking very tired Mamma". Felt happy that she could sense so much but bad at the same time because I could not have the juice. I told sorry dear but after a heavy dinner there is no place for the juice in my tummy and kept it in the refrigerator. Then she comes to press my forehead. My Day is made.

A Moment to Smile!

Life is full of moments to smile. When we weave such moments into a Garland, we can just exclaim 'LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL'! Some of these moments linger on and become sweet memories for a life time and will bring the same smile back when we recollect them.

Today I had one such moment, if each day was the same Life becomes pretty boring, today I got up as early as 4.30am, I wanted to go for a walk at 5am. It was long since I stopped my religious morning walks, my laziness winning over me. But Off late the urge to keep fit is growing day by day getting strict and stern instructions from the image in my mirror. Yes! 'Mirrors do not lie!' Whenever I exclaim at my workplace 'I am putting on weight' my colleagues say 'No you are just fine' but then the mirror says it all with the tiniest bulges of cellulite, brutally and thankfully honest.

But as it was raining heavily at that time of the night I could not go, sat for some time in my balcony hearing to the pitter patter of the rain lost in thoughts. Then I switched on the TV just flicking channels not in a mood to watch any news(Michael's sorrow still hanging on) most of the entertainment channels either on spiritual talk or teleshopping at that time. In that shuffle I stopped on UTV movies RamKapoor(Of Kasam se and Jhalak dikhlaja was looking so slim and young and there was Chitrangada, Sarika, Boman Irani all good actors saw the movie(Kal, yesterday and tommorow) for some time and then went into the hub dub of morning Tea, Breakfast and Papers.

Then my daughter woke up, rushed out to her Dad who was leaving for work kissed him goodbye and came back. She likes Saturdays and I too like as I can go leisurely to work and spend time with her the way she wants, she wanted me to play the student and she the teacher, I happily obliged. How these little girls enjoy the role play. Every other little girl I know would like to keep her doll house, cook with her toy kitchen play the host, teacher, doctor, teacher and Mom. My daughter is no different right from when she was two years old she used to cook and serve in imagination to everybody and anybody.

Then came the interesting part, she took my Dupatta(Chunni) lying around and wore it in the form of a Saree, brought all her bangle collection and wore them without even a color pattern. I was watching amused. Then she brought her doll took on a hand bag and I had a constant smile on my face, so the doll was her baby and she was going shopping.

Thanks to the mobile with 3.2 mega pixel and I could click some photographs for a change she happily obliged. Content, I was thinking soon she will grow up and refuse to wear anything traditional then I should show her these photos. Definitely she will be in Jeans or Minis or Micro minis no stopping her. How fast daughters do grow up.

The other day I was so exhausted by the time I reached home and she gives me a glass of water and when I plop myself she says sweetly "Mama you take rest, go to sleep I will open the door for Dad today" and with her tiny hands she presses my forehead. So it was role reversal, she was my mother and I her daughter and the feeling at that moment is impossible to put in words it only can be experienced.

Trust me nothing in the world can be bartered for the happiness these kind of moments bring. So what I advice to moms or to be moms or dads and to be dads even is, feel blessed and rejoice in such moment of bliss and savor these moments in your heart for a life time.

She is so enthusiastic about rolling out a Chapati or cutting Ladies Fingers, I try my best to sustain that enthusiasm. If we ruin that, then we cannot complain tomorrow that they are not enthusiastic about anything. It is completely in our hands to sustain it.

But, at the same time I also want to confess two days ago the same morning time it was 7.45 am and she was nicely wrapping around one chunni and another towel hanging from her head nicely pinned up on either sides(Banjaran style) and was holding this toy as her baby, it was getting late for her school as already I was telling her, it is time for her to get her bath and loosing my patience 'I shouted at her', immediately the happy smile vanished and I felt so sorry at the horrified expression on her face, but the words were already out, the moment could not be undone or deleted. I know it will be deeply etched in her memory. (No wonder she feels Momma is a Devil, and Dad an Angel bcs momma keeps saying don't do this, no colas, no chocolates keep your room tidy and so on) Yes all the sweet talks and hugs and appreciations vanish with one just harsh word. (Yeh! Ironically even my subordinates feel the same the ratio is n appreciations vanish with one harsh remark so watch out.)

How I wished I was little more patient and I ponder again why is it that we take out our impateince always on the people who mean to us so much? But then it happens with most of us at All times. So Friends it is absolutely in our hands to change a moment into a moment we smile and reminisce later or a moment to regret. Wishing you all wonderful moments to smile with your loved ones.

Adieu to Michael J

Today I cannot help but blog about Michael Jackson. There might be umpteen bloggers blogging about him today and among them there might be people who met him personally or attended his concerts saw him live. I just typed Michael Jackson on Google search and there were 45,100,000 searches in .13 seconds this throws the light on what an ICON or Celebrity he was. (Feeling really sad to use 'was' instead of 'is')

I was just going about the daily round of morning chores at home, when I got the message from my Morning Jock, thinking that she wants to complain about something that is not in place or some permission to change something on the show etc I opened it and could not believe what I read and really could not believe it I scrolled down to see if it was some kind of Joke. Because of late there could be any kind of jokes on sms forwards. But it was not. I immediately switched on the NEWS channels(not that I did no trust her but because it was not sinking in) and every channel it was the 'BREAKING NEWS'

'How heart breaking can 'BREAKING NEWS' be.... very apt "

I just sat still for some time, went down the memory lane when there were cassettes instead of CDS and no MTV or V channel no limewires to download but still we exchanged cassettes and any remote English Music Lover (why I say a remote English Music Lover is I myself was more a bollywood music buff but still had a few English favourites like MJ, Madonna, Cliff Richards, George Michael" only the famous numbers and albums.) I think people of my genre would be more nostalgic. My personal favourites at that age were" They don't really care about us" most kids do think about parents in these words.... when parents disagree. And of course "Black or White"(Felt happy to see the Indian dancer dancing with MJ and Indian culture reflected in the world song)

The TV went on playing someone or the other was talking about him, and there were clippings of him in concerts, with celebrities. Then I smiled wryly, the media has got its hands full.(Me being part of the Media Industry should not be saying this but after 26/11 and the media coverage of that I think many will agree with this....
I came to work in the same mood, opened Facebook and almost every status was about MJ and responses of comments about MJ. For a while I started feeling cynical, are all these comments genuine do they really Love him so much or do they just want to be part of the in group? Then a friend said, the world is like that, a person is talked about all his positive points only after his death. And you cannot even blame the media, will you stay tuned if the same channel says MJ is sitting at his home doing nothing? Hmmmmmmm what he said was right. That is the way things are and we have to accept it.

Seeing the status messages "Rest in Peace" I whole heartedly felt that he must be really resting in peace. I wonder to myself "How Happy and peaceful was he when he was here?" Most of us know that he a had a turbulent childhood and racial discrimination, drugs, broken marriages, allegations of child molestation, controversies of changing skin color, what not?

Here is Paradigm to show us Lifes' complexities. If we think being RICH we will be Happy MJ was super rich what with owning Neverland Valley Ranch what with his own amusement park etc. If being Famous one can be Happy then is there a celebrity or ICON in Music in the world bigger than him after Elvis? No Friends I am not denying that we should stop trying to be Rich or Famous but in the trials even let us be Happy.

But yes while his SOUL RESTS IN PEACE and in a day or too he fades out of our channels, we can be of the certainty that he will Live in our Hearts Forever somewhere even after many more years his songs will be playing in the nth version of Apple ipod or some other device better than that and his videos and dance forms will always be watched and inspiring for generations to come.

Rain and Relativity!

Yesterday it was cloudy, but still the temperatures could penetrate through the clouds and it was definitely not pleasant. Even humidity was at its peak. Well before all this sounds like a weather report I need to say that it rained last night between 12 and 1am and what a rain it was, a real downpour with lightning and thunder. I really do not understand whenever it rains or the winds start blowing with high speed, immediately there to be a power failure.

Does this happen only in Vizag? Is our power system so weak that it cannot withstand a few strong winds?Anyway although it is not the proper onset of monsoon in Vizag(Psst: I really doubt if Vizag has any specific monsoon, bcz it seems to rain only when there is depression in Bay of Bengal) This downpour did bring a respite from the heat that we went through for the past few days. It is cool since morning and cloudy, perfect weather for a Long Drive with some good music on.

Now I told about Rain, then you all must be wondering what is it about Relativity? Nope I am not definitely going to quote Einstein's Theory of Relativity here.(Physics was definitely not one of my favourite subjects in school, I was class topper in Biology)

Coming to the point, how people are happy to see the rain, I am seeing so many comments on FB thanks to Friends across the country from Bombay to Bengaluru and from Delhi to Kerala either people are waiting for the rain or smiling that it rained. And come to think of it none of them are farmers to start their farming season :-). Most of them might not even face the heat so much getting out of AC cars into AC chambers, still .....

Where as in the rest of the world people say "it is bright and sunny and wish for a little bit of sunshine" that seems to be the weather for a picnic or rejoicing. So no wonder it is relativity where there is snow or rains or cold weather for most part of the year a little bit of sunshine brings those smiles. And in our tropical country like India especially Southern and Eastern India where almost for 8 to 10 months it is sunny a few drops of rain do bring the smiles.

And there must be many rain lovers out there especially people of my generation born in the seventies who had the time to sail those paper boats in the puddles of Rain. But even now rain has its charm, even on screen for all those wonderful rain songs now and then in Tollywood and Bollywood.

But one more fact of relativity that surfaces in my mind whenever there is continuous rain for 3 to four days is, why are we not as happy as the first day when we have rain? On the first day we are happy, we gather together and have a party of hot pakoras, or curl up on the window sill with a hot cup of steaming coffee. Then slowly the effect wears off, we cannot sit confined indoors, there are thousand and one tasks for the people in this world to go out. We do not want to get wet and reach our destinations. Clothes do not dry, the house starts smelling damp with wet and semi wet clothes everywhere. And again we start wishing for sunshine :-)

Did anyone ever had a thought about the effect of rain for the pavement hawkers and slum dwellers? We are happy that we have our groceries fully stocked, power in place, glued to TV sets or playing games on Xboxes we have fun. But for those people if they earn for that day, then only they can have their meal at the end of the day.

The proverb is well known 'Save for a Rainy Day' but it seldom happens with most of them hitting the bottle and no savings left. Here it is again relativity. Someone is Happy and Someone is not.

So next time you venture out in the rain and if the Auto rickshaw fella or fruit vendor demands a few extra rupees please do not bargain but part with a few notes and smile that you are the reason for some one's happiness and a meal for a family.

Great start and fizzle out!

As soon as I started this blog, wow what a great feeling it was. I immediately changed my Gtalk status and Facebook Status. And like a little girl who painted her first pic was waiting for appreciation from any body and everybody. :-) I think there is a little kid in each one of us hidden behind the mask of dignity and sophistication and it is but natural for that kid to emerge now and then. Trust me it makes 'Life Happier'

I thought I will not write today. Because I know with the roles that I juggle it will be certainly difficult for me to post a new post everyday. But when I was riding on my two wheeler to work and it is a beautiful ride overlooking the curving bay of Vizag with the waves kissing the shore and specs of boats out there with there sails up. As usual there were thoughts and thoughts and of course today there were thoughts about my blog and what all I wanted to write on it.I had so many topics to write about, then I immediately sync it with the something new syndrome.

Most of us at some time or other in life go through these "Great Starts and fizzle out" syndrome. Like the little girl who plays with her new doll day in and day out and then she gets bored of it throws it aside. The teenager who gets a new jeans and just keeps changing the t-shirts and is not willing to put it for wast until she gets a new one. All of us or rather most of us start a lot of things or hobbies with a new jest but then if we burn out all the jest then there is nothing left to continue.

Whether it is a diet, exercise regime or a healthy habit I read somewhere that if we can do it for 21 days continuously then we can continue it. But somewhere there is a break and the Gap widens. So like child hood story that we read/heard/ and tell to our kids of the Rabbit and turtle

Slow and steady wins the race. I think I should go slow and steady not that I want to win any race but I as a friend of mine said "Writing keeps you Happy so do not stop writing"

who among us do not want to be Happy? ;-P

So here I go now with one post a day may be later one post a week but definitely not slower than that. Unless I am on a Holiday to ManasSarovar(someday I want to go there) and I do not have my Laptop.

Please be generous in your comments, they do give me a lot of energy to write further.

My first Blog!

I have been wanting to blog since long, I even lost track of time since when?
Approximately I remember it was somewhere in 2006 May when I posted a write up called 'THEN and NOW' about how times have changed since we went to school and how they are now on my School Alumni Group and got a lot of positive responses and gave me a high.
But the born procrastinator that I am, the thought took a back seat.

In 2007 again I chanced to peek into the world of Food Blogging through my friend Sailaja's http://www.sailusfood.com/ and for many days contemplated the idea of starting a food blog but seeing the amount of pateince and time and skill required for food blogging that idea also evaporated soon. Then as I was the parent of a preschooler+single child shifted my thoughts to have a blog about parenting so on so forth I went on wishing and thinking of writing a blog and days passed into weeks, months and years.

I strongly believe in the right time syndrome, when something has to happen it happens when the right time comes, whether you have to meet your soulmate or own your dream home or land in the right job so finally I can admit that the time has come.

I also was motivated by my friends SreeBindu of 'Moon Breeze' and Teja Priyadarshini of "Xentric Angel" time and again to start writing. And also inspired by Alekhya of "Uncle Sam's Dairies".

What you will find in my blogs will be like collage of thoughts, thoughts about life, incidents to ponder upon, parenting and may be once in a while a recipee also bcs queit often did I get a compliment that I am a good cook. And of course Movie Reviews also that is if I am able to catch a movie immediately after its release. Psst Shall I share a secret from the closet"Once upon a time there was movie called "Akele hum and Akle tum of Amir Khan and Manisha Koirala and I caught it on Friday the day of release and my views matched with the great Film critic 'Khalid Mohammad" hi hi hi so I think I can qualify to be good Film critic. What say?

As such it is a know secret that Virgos are born critics. :-)

So friends wish me all the best for "Happy Blogging "
Should I say stay tuned to more posts ahead?