These Trials..... they never END!

Pic courtesy-Internet

Today morning as I was leaving for work with my brain on overdrive trying to devise a fix for a broken software code that I was meant to resolve the previous day; I saw a guy and two girls armed with textbooks doing some last minute prep in the parking lot of our apartment building.
 As I made my way to my bike, I found a piece of paper on the ground right next to where my bike stood. It happened to be the examination hall-ticket of one of the girls for the HSC (XII grade) board exams. As I stooped to retrieve the paper, my back hurt due to weight of the laptop bag and the awkward position (After spending six yrs confined to a desk before a computer screen, I'm currently not accustomed to this position :P )
The trio were so engrossed in their discussion of whether to re-read the alcohols and halogens or to try and memorize the nitrogens which they had skipped; they did not even see me approach.
 I handed over the hall-ticket and quipped an "All the best" that was met with three nervous smiles which immediately transported me back to the days long gone by - those days of trying to clear an exam , exchanging notes with friends to make sure if they too had skipped the same chapters like you, the last minute cramming of new information that your friend claimed to be "verrry important" ,  the frantic turning of pages just before the final bell hoping your fleeting glance would magically help you conjure up answers during the exam to even trying to bribe God to grant you an easy exam in exchange of giving-up your favorite chicken-dish for a month.
Even your parents tried to motivate you by saying this is the final quest after which you can have a peaceful life and you just can't wait to grow up and be done with them once and for all - those dreadful EXAMS! :f
And then you grow up and life throws at you a whole new set of challenges - earning a living, getting over a heartbreak, trying to keep a job that gives you pre-mature greying and a back-pain and trying to be RESPONSIBLE and RIGHT all the time when you have no idea what is exactly RIGHT for you -  and in these quests no matter how well you are prepped you  never seem to ace them! :(

So dear students this exam season just give it your best shot, if you do well - 'Good job!' but if you don't never-mind, coz remember this is not the end. Life can have even worse trails ... but these exams you can always get a second chance!

P.S: Yup I am on a philosophical banter here. My hiatus has definitely made me rusty! 
But not keeping resolutions this year seems to be working better! :P
So while I scrape out the rust here's wishing all you folks a Happy 2016! :) - well there are still 10 months to go- I'm not that late... "RIGHT"?? :P

The Ghosts In Your Closet .....

If you are plump, you are haunted by the calories you eat

If you are employed, you are haunted by the pink slips

If you are pregnant , you are haunted by the weight you would gain

If you are a student, you are haunted by the weight of expectations and assessments

If you are in the movie biz, you are haunted by the Friday box-office

If you are sportsperson, you are haunted by a game loss.

If you are a mother, of well you are haunted all the time with worries.

And when you are a blogger, you are haunted by the " writer's block! "

We all have our ghosts, so what haunts you?

P.S : Well this post is in lieu of the Halloween spirits & not because the wordsmith in me is on a temporary ( hopefully ) furlough like some of you suspect :P :P :P

Oh wait! I just got one more - If you are an Indian, you probably are haunted by what our government bans next! :P :P

Happy Halloween fellas :vD

A Silent Apology

Like many , "Monday morning-blues" stings me hard. It's a day no-matter what I do , I always seems to be running behind schedule. Getting back into the work-mode always seem to be a mammoth task! :f

On such a fateful Monday , as I am speeding to work on my Scooty with myriad thoughts drifting in my head and trying hard to stifle a yawn ; another biker whizzes past me from my blind side almost toppling me off my bike.
 I manage to screech to a halt with a palpitating heart. And being the true Indian that I am, as I look-up to curse the guy assuming he must have sped off; I was definitely in for a shock! :o

I see the biker halted just a few meters ahead. His visor of the helmet still being pulled down, I cannot see his face. Before I could even utter a word, he raises his hand and makes the OK gesture inquiring if all was good at my end. Bewildered I nod slowly. He immediately puts his palm to his heart and bows to apologize before gunning the bike to take off again.

It all happened so fast that it took  me a few seconds to recover from this escapade but I found myself smiling as I saw him vanish over the horizon. And as I kick-start my bike to heed for work, I even find myself murmuring a prayer to help the unknown biker reach his destination safe and on time. He really seemed to be in a hurry but his little action actually uplifted my Monday morning spirits which would have sunken to a new low had he not stopped to apologize.

In our hurried world, we forget to be mindful, to be courteous, to be humble , to be thankful. But we forget actions speak louder than words, even your small gesture can change someone's life for better or for worse or may just cure someone's Monday morning blues! ;)

The Periodic Tales!

As I walk down the aisle of the supermarket gathering supplies for the month, I pick up my monthly stash of sanitary napkins and casually toss them into my shopping cart. The lady next to me cringes and glares at me as she hurriedly hides her stash amidst other stuff in her cart. :|

I am at a cousin's place watching a movie on TV with her family of two sons, a sanitary napkin commercial comes up , the room turns uncomfortable as my sister fidgets with the remote to flip the channel. :|

A friend empties her shopping bag on the bed as her brother walks in , she drops her cardigan on the pack of sanitary napkins that have rolled out of her bag. :|

My aunt doesn't allow me to dispose off the used sanitary napkin (wrapped in a paper) in the dustbin of the house as there are men in the house, "You need to use the one across the street on such days.", she says. :|

I am sure each of us have such a period tale to share some so weird that you actually have no idea how to react!
Don't even get me started on the age old beliefs and superstitions that get thrown at you from time to time by people around you.

Even our commercials focus on only the ' accidental stains ' - that seem to be the only trouble we face when we are on our period.  What about cramps, bloating, depression, insomnia, the mood swings and the struggle to be at work when every cell in your body urges you to curl up and sleep.
And what's with the 'blue' ink ???

Those stains wouldn't have been such a distress had we not made such a big deal, whispered about it among our girlfriends, hushed-up about our agony and referred to our period as "that time of the month" or "un dino" and so on.... :f

Relax ladies, we are WOMEN, we BLEED!!!! BE PROUD. And if our society can't handle it let's educate them better!!

Travel Bug!

My FB timeline always remains splashed with pictures of people travelling to all parts of the world. (though the chain of hashtags preceding them can be aggravating at times. :P)
And most of the free-time at work is spent drooling over every travelogue that comes up on my search engine. Some of them so inspiring that I feel the immense urge to just pack up and set sail this very second! :D
But alas, I am more of the conventional types who is stuck at a never-ending job , with infinite number of bills to pay , traumatized at the thought of travelling solo and above all never seem to save-up enough to take a vacation no matter what I do (the pockets are always empty.) So I just sit here read , have a digital vacation and envy the ones  actually living "the dream". :(
I know for a true traveller my reasons  would sound all very lame but then again I am always awed by the ones who actually quit their jobs, stuff their lives into a backpack and live life on the road.. Like WOW!!! How do you do it?? :b

And here my travel bucket just seems to overflow, every time I stumble upon a new haven... When will I experience the solitudes of the inaccessible monasteries of the world,  drive through the most scenic roads in the world, be mesmerised by the ancient civilizations that ruled our world, get spiritual in the most sacred places on earth, wake up on the most serene beaches in the world, hike through the dream trails of the world ...  I know I am just another wanderer at heart! ;)

The world has so much to offer and I'm running out of time!!!! ( It sometimes terrifies me as I am yet to start :o )

 P.S : If you are the unconventional types, go on buy that ticket, spread your wings and fly.... while I get back to my digital sorjourn! :f

Pic courtesy: Internet

Lost and Found?

Everyone of us has a lost and found story as a kid. You don't? :o And I thought mine was the most boring childhood ever! :P

Anyway flashback to the time when I was a 3-year-old and Dad decided to take me to the 'Sunday market'. Sunday markets were the busiest of all days. It was so crowded that people had to wade through, squish-squashing each other.And what a ruckus it was, that even if you yelled at the top of your voice nobody would pay head! :/
So taking an hyper-active toddler to this brouhaha was definitely a mistake! :f

Well, so on that fateful day I had no idea how I let go my Dad's hand and wandered off on mine own. It took me a while to figure out that I had been lost. I looked around at all the passing legs and none belonged to Dad. I did try searching for the right pair of legs for a while, but finally gave up and retraced my steps back to Dad's scooter.
I have no idea how I found my way back as even being armed with a GPS these days, I'm never able find the same street again and even more thanks to Dad for choosing an 'outrageous blue' color, I could spot the scooter even from outer space! :P
So there I was waiting patiently for Dad to discover me and  after what seemed like ages, Dad turned up panting and the relief that flooded his face on seeing me perched on the scooter was immeasurable. I though had the look that it was the most obvious place you would find me! :P
However that put an end to Dad ever taking me to any place alone. He always made sure Mum was in tow to keep a watchful eye on me. ;)

But then again that misadventure did help me brag about my smartness to one and all over the years and also conjure up this post. :)

As kids whenever we we got lost, we somehow always seemed to find our way back with or without the help of some good Samaritan.

But now as grownups ,we tend to get lost on a whole new level and there seems to be no one who can direct us back , we just have to do it all by ourselves ... adjust our sails and paddle our way to the right destination.
But sadly we seem to have no clue about the right destination :(

How awesome it is when........

•  Someone thinks you look way younger than your actual age. :$
•  Crossing off the last item on a list. :tup
•  A new friend calls you by your nickname for the first time. :$
•  Staying out with the gang all night till the place shuts down. :e 
•  There is a good turnout on your birthday even when you are as old as Methuselah :party
•  You accidentally stumble upon your insane kindergarten photos :O
•  Finally recognize someone , after staring at them forever. :f
•  Stretching your legs after a very long car ride. ( Phew!)
•  Fixing gadgets by smacking them. ;)
•  Finally figuring out how the fancy hotel faucet works. (Eureka!)
•  Thread a needle without blinking an eye
•  Your boss leaves early from work on a Friday. (Yay!!!)
•  Spinning in your office chair for no reason. :O
•  Collapsing into bed when you are massively exhausted and worn out. :f
•  Making a wish before blowing a candle. :$
•  Perfecting your signature on the last page of the notebook. :$
•  Finding change in your old denims, like finding lost treasures. ;)
•  Meeting the one who loves the same weird food combinations like you. xD
•  Making pinky swears that you actually keep. :$
•  Just staring up at the sky. 
•  Getting the chocolate with the flavor you like from an assorted box. :)
•  There are texts and messages to read when you randomly check your phone. :)
•  You realize 'its a Friday' when you thought it was a Thursday.
•  The smell of a very old book. :L
•  Making it to the movies just before the trailers begin. 8)
•  Finally getting out that piece of popcorn that was stuck between your teeth all day. :b
•  That cold glass of water on a really hot day.
•  Hitting a bunch of green lights in a row when you are really late for work.
•  The elevator going up stops directly at your floor. :)
•  After a long day at work, you come home to the smell of someone cooking your favorite dinner. (Yummmm...)
•  Cook-up something for the first time and it turns out really well.
•  Getting in line before it gets really long. 8)
•  Sipping hot coffee on a cold rainy day
•  Make it home late in the night on an empty fuel tank. 8)
•  Your ears pop back to normal after a shower.
•  Watching something download really, really fast ( This is a really rare treat! )
•  Something you badly want is on Sale. :e
•  When the clock states you have more sleep time :)
•  Getting a full fuel tank just before the prices go up. 8)
•  That right feeling after having thrown-up
•  Taking off the bare heels after a crazy day and walking bare foot. :)
•  Finally the braces come off. :f
•  Moon-walking in your socks
•  A stranger says 'Bless you' , when you sneeze :)
•  Reading through the nutritional value on products and eating it anyway! xD
•  The smell of first rain :L
•  Clicking the perfect picture ( Tummy tucked-in just in time! xD )
•  Someone randomly calls to check on you :)
•  Typing something correctly at the speed of light. 8)
•  Learning a new keyboard shortcut ( Its like turning Einstein :P )
•  Getting blog time during office hours ;) ;)

It's not that we don't have our share of crap in life, but making a big deal of those small moments make life worthwhile! :)

And if you craving for a 1000 more reasons , here's where you go 1000 Awesome Things

Totally 'be-car' !!

Finally after a two-year hiatus, hubby gets his new set of wheels!
Though its not the first time he owns a car, but this time the excitement and enthusiasm seems to be on a different level. :f
The last car he owned  had to go, because he married a super smart woman (yup that's me ;) ) who successfully managed to drill into his brain - "You need to invest in a home , not a PlayStation or a caaar!". :P
So as home EMIs took the toll on our minuscule budget, he had to part ways with his favourite toy!

Finally after a lot of deliberation, altercation - he shooting down most of my brilliant options and a dramatic search for the 'right' car that suits our needs ( or rather his ) , we zeroed in on a pre-owned car. :f
Though I hate the colour, he managed to win me over not with its aesthetics, its Torque, its Bhp or its safety features  but with the crucial promise of being there and driving me around 'whenever' and 'wherever' I needed  [  Well what more do I need !!! :) ]
But I had no idea what I was signing up for - random night drills to check if the car is 'OK'; if you are stepping out of the house for any reason - the car has to be inspected; no matter how late you come from work - the car has to be inspected ; over-driven googling on how to make the car even more "awesome", frequent discussions ( always one-sided ) on what the manufacturers should have done to make it more 'awesome', random instructions like " watch the door " , " don't leave your stuff in here " , " your nails could leave a scratch "  and the most damaging - refer to the car as 'she' not 'it'. :/ :/
 [ You think I am going to oblige that! :@ ]

Further more the constant obsession  to wash-dry-polish-vacuum the car to make it sparkle when getting him to take a bath on a lazy Sunday afternoon can be a tussle! :/

Yeah... you got it ! My new found nemesis who is stealing all the 'ATTENTION'! :@ :@

P.S:- I do pray the novelty wears off soon, as for now he is totally "be-car"! :/

Something Borrowed - There Are NO Ordinary People !!!!

I have no idea who originally wrote this , it came to me via email over a decade ago and  the beauty of the thought leaves me stupefied even today.................
( Salute to the anonymous author on such an amazing thought !!!!  :b )

Walking on the road , you pass so many people.....

Some look confident , purposeful , well-dressed , and well-maintained...

But the majority appears so ordinary , wear ill-fitting clothes , unfashionable footwear , have too much fat or too little , nothing remarkable about them, nothing attractive...

But yet someone somewhere eagerly waits for this unimpressive man to come home every evening...
Someone's entire world turns around the strength of this frail-looking woman...
Someone's very purpose in life hinges on this brash youngster cutting through traffic....
Someone knows only the shelter of these old arms each time their world begins to crumble....
Someone will count hours , minutes , and weep like a child when this pock-marked face alights from a long-distance train....

Someone will cave in , crack up , and never be the same again if this one person disappears from the face of the world....

There are no ordinary people...... :h

Oh! Womaniya :)

The international Woman's day  passed a month ago and all I did was post a few FB messages, wished a few ladies in my life, decked -up in a "vintage skirt" ( to me vintage is an outfit I haven't worn since time immemorial :P :P ) , watched the Bollywood movie QUEEN ( which was refreshingly non-Bollywood with lot of authenticity and a Kangana with a refined demeanor and unmatched performance - BRILLIANT ), pestered hubby dear in buying me two new attires which  may just adore my closet for eternity till they see the light of day  (literally! ) - I buy lots of beautiful stuff  (  bags, shoes, dresses etc ) and I wait endlessly for a special occasion to introduce them , so at any given point of time you will find  at least one thing in my closet that I'm waiting to adorn. ;)

Anyway getting back to the prime reason of this post  - a modest tribute to some of the inspiring women in my life!

I went to school with this girl - the bob cut hair, a cap turned all the way round, mud clad sneakers and a hockey stick on her shoulders - though doesn't paint the perfect  glam-girl portrait - today she has her very own style that can make heads turn. To me she is no less than  a diva- she is fearless, highly motivated and her soaring adrenaline leaves me stumped. She manages to excel in anything and everything she sets her mind to - she can write ( she started penning down novels in school ), she can dribble ( made it  to the state hockey team ), she excels at a job she had no clue about , she can create miracles out of junk ( her art and craft work she gifted me in school will always remain my prized possessions ).
She is a self-made woman, extremely independent and to whom her friends are her world.  -'ADMIRATION'!

Another girl from school, though we were not the best of the buds then, our paths seemed to cross again- and- again through junior college, grad school and even through our first job - today she is my 4 AM friend , my one-stop solution to all my problems and a friend I can count on anytime-anywhere.
This care-free girl with an infectious bubbly banter and a big gracious heart taught me the biggest lesson in life - 'You just have ONE life - Live It YOUR way! -'INSPIRATION!

The last one rules my world, to me she is a warrior in the very true sense, she survived many ordeals of marital discords, sacrificed her aspirations and battled a deadly ailment single-handedly just to bring me up.
I do not have words for her ( the dictionary doesn't have the right words for her!) , just a lot of gratitude and a realization that anything I do for her ever, would never be enough.
I SALUTE her and I know I can never be even one percent like her. I am truly BLESSED to be her daughter!

These are not the only ones whom I admire ( the list would be endless! ) - but these three are the ones whom I have known all my life at very close quarters .
I admire every woman I meet because when I get to know her - I find each one of them extraordinarily UNIQUE and SPECIAL.

But in-spite of belonging to one of the cultures that believes in  woman  as Goddesses, the plight of our woman is extremely dismal. The apathy towards the atrocities
and heinous crimes arising against them makes my heart pain.
Though we blame our society, our laws and our system for all this, I somewhere feel it all stems from us women- we just sit back and wait for the world to come to your aid.
Why don't we woman stand up and resolve to bring the change - like Mahatma Gandhi said -
"BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE"

BE PROUD OF A GIRL-CHILD. STOP FEMALE FOETICIDE:
The biggest factor culminating towards the rising crimes against Woman is the widening sex ratio       ( India has one of the worst! ). 
If you are blessed with a BABY- GIRL , Be proud! Give a pat on your back and say "JOB WELL DONE!" - You just contributed to reducing the falling female sex ratio. Yeay! :) 
Never succumb to the in-laws / family pressures of delivering a BOY. Just give it to them : "Your son failed to produce the Y chromosome. So I cant help it :/ . And I'm not a slot machine, that you keep trying your luck till Jackpot strikes! I am happy with my girl! :) "

BE FINANCIAL INDEPENDENT: 
Educate yourself and your gal. Get a JOB!
 Financial independence is the biggest weapon in any psychological warfare. Never lose it.
 Instead of reprimanding and rebuking your girl for following the latest fashion trend of short skirts- grill into her the gravity of getting the best of grades and finding a JOB! Kick her **s if she just wants to sit at home even after you gave her the best of the schooling.
If you are not dependent on anyone, nobody would ever dare to suppress you.

LEARN TO SAY NO:
Be SELFISH  it's not a CRIME. Sacrifices and compromises may be a necessity but you should know where to draw a line. 
A guy sought your alliance just for your family monetary background or the hefty salary you drawn. LEARN to say 'NO'! 
A need arises in the family and a woman is always asked to compromise. But if it's not in your best interests , learn to say 'NO'- without feeling remorseful.

EQUALITY BEGINS AT HOME:
Treat your son and daughter equally. Teach your sons to do household chores just like you taught your daughter. 
Give your daughter the equal opportunity to educate herself like your son. 
Mold your sons to be compassionate towards WOMAN. Make him believe and trust that - 'Treat a woman with gentleness and respect - she will offer you her world'. Never let a woman be treated like CRAP before his eyes.
A world of gentlemen and you will always feel SECURE. 
It's up-to every MOTHER to build such a SAFE HAVEN  - that every woman like her desires.

ALWAYS HELP ANOTHER WOMAN IN NEED:
Never turn a blind eye on someone in need. Never shy away thinking - 'M just a Woman, what can I do?'. Always fear - 'Today it's her . Tomorrow it could be you!' 
You just need to make a genuine effort and you will find the power to kick up a storm! If you as woman cannot feel her pain. Who would?

DREAM. DREAM BIG!:  
Be fired-up and always work hard endlessly and tirelessly to achieve your dream. Having a big DREAM that always keeps you motivated and focused in life and nobody would ever dream to come in your way. An aimless life is a miserable life!
SO dream BIIIIG...never let anyone STEAL your DREAM!

Let's vow to do our bit rather than sit back and crib; waiting endlessly for the world to change!
I vow to do my bit. Do you?

Indianisms....????... Why so?

As a corporate newbie we had to go through an Indianisms training, to get rid of the commonly used Indian variants of the English phrases and terms. And this got me thinking about -  would it ever be possible to get rid of the icky Indianism that has been deep-rooted in our systems since generations...??

We Indians are a nosey bunch of people, we have an opinion/ view about anything and everything. It gives us immense pleasure to poke our long noses into other people's affairs. Be it their attire, their size or weight, their jobs, getting hitched or being single, having kids or the lack of it.... we never refrain from dishing out our unsought views and suggestions. But the moment we get a taste of our own medicine we shrink and wince and quiver.  Why so?

We grumble about our streets not being clean,but never seem to bother when we chuck out the next piece of chocolate wrapper. Why so?

We groan about the long lines of traffic and the damn roadblocks and traffic congestions, but we never give it a thought when we whizz past another red traffic signal or barricade. Why so?

We can write-off cheques as donations to a charity fund to get a tax waiver but we cringe at the thought of  lending a helping helping hand to an accident victim or a poor hapless chap on the street. Why so?

We are enraged at the corruption and scams in our country but never think twice when we bribe the traffic cop to get out of a parking ticket. Why so?

We despise the custom of dowry giving/taking but always are on the look-out for the girl  who has the most number of assets attached to her name or brings home the fattest pay-check. Why so?

We advocate that 'all Indians are one' but weasel out when our kids propose to marry out off caste/religion. Why so?

We allege that Politics is a dirty game and our country is going to the dogs but we never move our big fat asses and venture out of our homes to cast a vote and exercise our right. Why so?

We vouch and root for many social causes till it involves clicking the Forward button on an email but turn a blind eye when someone in our own vicinity is being a social nuisance. Why so?

We want new and more stringent rules/laws to be imposed by our country but we never make an effort to abide by them and are always trying to find a loophole to getaway. Why so?

We voice and raise our dynamic thoughts to sketch out a new India, but all our energy fizzles out when we have to take that tiny step forward to make a difference.
Why so?
:/

How hard can it be?

She stares at the blank notepad open on the desktop screen .. The cursor blinking on the first line waiting for her fingers to type in the words ...
Thousands of words seem to be flying through her head.. But they seem to be flying at a speed even faster than light..without making any  damn sense... : /
She closes her eyes, trying hard to make sense of the haphazard thoughts in her head... It seems like every brain of her cell is processing a different thought and the  harder she concentrates,the ramblings just get even more distant ... : (
Suddenly she jumps up in her seat.. Eureka!!! .. Got it ...
Her fingers hit the keyboard and fumbles around looking for the right letters to key in her thoughts..
She finds the letter 'D'... But wait, was it 'B' that i was looking for.. No its was 'D'  for sure!!!.. Err.. what was it i actually wanted to write??? : |
The words seemed to have dissolved into thin air again ...
Oh God, why the hell is this so hard!!!! .. : (

She glares at the keyboard as if it was it's fault, that the words seem to play hide-n- seek in her head..
She looks at the blank notepad.. with a hope that the harder she stares at it, the words would magically materialise on her screen.. Finally she gives up and resolves to someday locate the Hogwarts school that would teach her this skill !

Ummm.. probably its the digital world that's making it so hard.. So she ditches the computer, pulls out a paper and picks up a pen to write the amazing second post for her blog..

But an hour later all she could get was a flower doodle, which looked more like the blazing sun.
Sigh.
... And some of her idiot friends had convinced her she could write.

Bleah ! : /