Clutter or fond memories? You decide...

Out of the many things that are constant inspirations for the unabated cute squabbles between me and A, one is my habit to collect souvenirs. Ranging from gifts, cards, soft toys to college files, registers and even a project floppy of one of my dearest friends, I've carefully collected and preserved these personalised items that are inevitable reminders of my near and dear ones and the wonderful time I've spent with them.

A calls all this useless clutter, more appropriately a piece of junk that crowds an already crammed space that is typical to a Mumbai household like ours. It is only the prospect of seeing the very scary side of me that has encouraged him to retain all my gifts and cards till now, else they'd have somehow found their way out of my home. 

All this talk on old memories attached with such stuff has not come suddenly.There was something special that made me write about this right now. Back in school I had a pocket Oxford dictionary which I always referred to in case of any vocab related emergency, as is the case with any teenager who doesn't want to make any embarrassing mistake. It was my constant companion and I carried it in my school bag everyday. I used it regularly and it sat on my desk comfortably along with my course books. I had scribbled my name over its first page quite hastily, but two of my friends, both with a very beautiful handwriting insisted that they use all their calligraphic skills and tag it themselves, which they did.

To cut a long story short, I'd blindly packed it with all my other stuff when I came to Mumbai and had not sighted it till some time ago. I was cleaning up some drawers when I suddenly spotted it lying amidst a bunch of books. Time has taken its toll over it (also probably while being moved around by helpers), the pages are coming off in bits and pieces, the spine is separated and a brief handling by A Jr has ensured tearing away parts of it. However, miraculously still in place is the first page along with my name written on it, beautifully, by two of my dearest friends. The moment brought back memories from the past and left me smiling away to myself, all day. The fact that its in a battered state didn't even cross my mind. Useless clutter? I don't think so! :)

Wish I could make A realise that no matter now big or small, what matters is the emotion of the person behind giving you something. It is not something that can be measured in material terms. Some things might appear useless, but can still mean a lot to someone.Isn't it?

By the way this happens to be my 74th post. I'm glad I've reached this landmark and can't express enough gratitude to all my readers and blog friends who motivate me to keep writing. The next one might take long, but I hope to make it special. :)

P.S : I think I'd let you know that one of my friends who wrote my name on that dictionary was none other than our very own Nu! :)

Books et al

Nowadays I feel blessed to be able to find time to read more than ever before. There had been a huge backlog of books-to-read and I’m glad I’ve atleast begun my journey towards bridging the gap between wanted-to-read, reading and to-read ones. There's just one small glitch, so many books and so less time! :)


I don’t know how people go about choosing a book but for me it’s a very tedious and baffling process. I somehow never go by reviews and pick up any book by pure instinct. No wonder then that many times my hunch is not completely correct and I end up wasting my precious time on books like The 3 Mistakes of my Life by Chetan Bhagat, Eleven Minutes by Paulo Coelho or Unruly Times by Prashant Bhavalkar.


I’m not a very literature obsessed person but I like to read sensible stuff. I prefer reading what I can follow without having to rack my brain for perceived meanings. I despise it when people think they sound intelligent when they add difficult looking and spelling words and twist the language unnecessarily. There’s a chance of the entire meaning of the sentence getting confused and the sequence getting lost, what good is it for the reader then?


Worse still is the current crop of ‘casual’ writers coming in. Any tom dick or harry who must’ve at some point of his life entertained the thought of writing a book finds himself getting backed by publishers who’ve started waking up to the fact that as long as they write anything relating to love it will sell. Quality no bar! Hence any IIT or IIM pass-out is seen coming out with some or the other love story of his/her own. The same campus ranting, lashing out at and by professors, clandestine romances, incomplete dreams etc is seen in most of them.


If some book does have a corporate backdrop then it sure talks about either super-achievers or super-losers, while in reality most people conveniently fall within these two categories. An extra-marital affair is suitably embedded in the story, anyhow. Simple sensibilities like honesty, respect, gratitude and empathy are blatantly frowned upon on shown in a dark light, almost as if they’re a crime. As long as it sells, nothing matters. Is this only what writing is about?


I do not wish to imply that all Indian authors are disappointing. We do have Sudha Murthy, V.S.Naipaul, Chitra Divakaruni Bannerjee, Mohyna Srinivasan etc who have a class of their own. Their books always succeed in teaching us a thing or two, if nothing else a few new words in English perhaps! :)


Sometimes I do rely on suggestions by people with a good taste and an even better judgement, like Nu, Titaxy and Swaram, and honestly I’ve never been disappointed. :)

I just want to say...

Let me begin with an apology to all my blogger friends. I haven’t been reading them of late, have been giving delayed replies to their comments and haven’t acknowledged their mails. Couple of my friends messaged me to ensure I was alright, so sweet of them! Am I blessed or what to have such caring friends?? :)

The fact of the matter is that I’m having some problem with my laptop which apparently (and sadly) may take longer. And while I’m dejected beyond consolation for not being able to come online for so long, not able to check mails, chatting with friends, and most of all, blogging, A couldn’t be happier. He says my obsessive blogging fever needed just that, a break! So not fair!

This internet hiatus has been good in a way though. Must agree, I’ve had a lot on my plate to keep me busy throughout. I’ve read at least four books in the last two weeks, celebrated A Jr’s second birthday, did a lot of shopping (again!) and spent some quality time with A. Contradicting my own words, this isn’t so bad. But the blogger in me keeps itching to share all this stuff with you, which cannot be helped.

So I’m hoping my laptop gets fixed soon, how soon this soon will be is a mystery in itself though. Till then, please do keep writing in. I miss you guys a lot and would keep updating as and when possible. Take care.

Role Reversal

All mothers are crazy, period! They exaggerate their kid’s smallest achievements, they feign indifference to people’s complaints against them, they adore their silly obsessive habits, they practice extreme caution when it comes to their health and well-being, they over-react at the smallest glitch regarding anything related to them, and…so on and so forth.

I’m saying all this while being well aware of the fact that I’m included in this generic but to-the-point indicative list of ‘compulsive-n-paranoid’ mother traits. What led me to suddenly come up with this? Let me tell you..

It so happened the other day that I was finishing up some work in the kitchen (grudging and sulking) late at night. While I was at work the father and son duo were having a blast; pillow fight, horse-riding on Papa’s back, cycling, dancing. Displaying extreme pride over being a good father, A said he’ll cut an apple for A Jr and make sure he eats it.

I was mildly surprised (and I swear I even blushed a bit) when A came to me with an apple slice and offered to feed it to me. Well aware of his habit of restlessly shoving one full slice in my mouth to save time (and spoil the whole romance along with ) I begged him to leave it aside for me to have it later.

What A did after that was completely unexpected! I thought I heard him tell A Jr, ‘Jaao Mamma ko apple khilake aao’ (go feed Mom the apple slice) but wasn’t sure if I heard it right. Right I was indeed! There came my cute little prince armed with an apple slice and the most killing smile in the world and extended the slice towards me. When I tried to take it from his hands he flatly refused and asked me to bend down. I obliged. I couldn’t believe my destiny and was almost in happy tears when he fed me the whole slice, no rushing, no hurrying, allowing me to chew it properly, all the while flashing that million dollar smile! *Getting all emotional again!* :) :)

It was a sight to behold. I wonder why it never struck me to take a video. May be some moments are best kept that way? I remembered all the times when I got all restless and squirmy while feeding him and felt immensely guilty for them. How true, kids teach us valuable lessons in the most unusual ways. And we mothers always take pleasure in accepting that our kids outshine and outlearn us, at any age whatsoever.

So, crazy justified??  :) :)

My Regular 9 Picks

My previous post was on tags and this one is an apt continuation. Some days ago Nu tagged me with this one. In fact she has tagged me quite a few times and now I’m trying desperately to finish them. I’d liked this tag since it was shorter and more interesting than other ones and hence it comes first!

I have to list 9 things that I wear regularly. This can be a bit tough for the mother of a 2-year old, since I’m left with little or no time for myself or my choices, but let me try and get this list ready :)

1.Rings- at any given point of time one would find me wearing at least 3 rings on my fingers. I’m absolutely in love with them and do not choose to part with them at any cost!:)
2.More rings- My brother jokes exaggerates that one day I’ll become a sieve, owing to my fondness to get pierced. I wear three pairs of earrings and a nose ring too!;)
3.Hair accessories- Though I have gorgeous hair that look best when left open, on any regular day my hair are carelessly done up into a bun with the help of a clutcher/hair pin. I hate the constant distraction they cause otherwise.
4.Kajal- I detest any other form of eye make-up but I can’t do without my kajal. I love the sensuous and smoky look it gives to my eyes and wear it everyday.
5.Jeans- From being signature cowboy attire to being an integral part of any girl’s wardrobe Jeans have come a long way. I swear by my untorn and very conservative pair of Jeans (colour no bar) at all times and comfortably slip into them anytime!:)
6.Smile- Wonder if this should’ve been first on the list, but nevertheless. A Jr’s innocent smile has taught me the importance of a smile like I never knew before. So now even when I’m not in the best of my moods I try to wear a smile on my face and scare those frowns away!:) :)
7.Slip-ons- I don’t like being barefoot even at home and love to don my soft and comfortable pair of slip-ons all the time.
8.Face creams/lip balms- I’m very picky when it comes to either of those ‘se my skin is very sensitive. I do not put any make-up but there won’t be a single day when I didn’t pamper myself with these!
9.My heart- People say that I wear my heart on my sleeves, and that I guess can come under the regular ‘wearable’ category! I’m very emotional and feel and cry more than I’ll ever accept.:D

So there!! That was the list of my essential and regular 'wearable' stuff! I'm not tagging anyone here. Whoever likes it can this up and drop a comment on my blog informing me of it!

The 'Tag' Bug

 

Not too long after I’d started blogging Reflections tagged me for the first time. I recollect being confused and lost as to what I’d to do with it and going through the blogs of all those who’d done it. It was a long one, but I felt compelled to complete it as fast as possible, like an assignment that had a deadline attached to it. It was unnerving, almost like a pressure, to do it the right way lest I disappoint the one who tagged me!

Since then I’ve done many tags and can comfortably say that I’m unfazed by them now. I like to see them as a challenge; making one think eccentrically in a direction we don’t usually direct our minds to (remember my Hi-five tag), making us look at the fine picture of our lives closely (Strikethrough tag), looking at ourselves in a different perspective than we have till date (My Sins against Gender Stereotypes tag) or simply sharing certain facts about us with everybody (Seven random things tag)!

With all due respect to the person who came up with this idea at the first place, there are some people who like tags while some think of them as work. I’d like to know what is it that you think tags are really meant for. Here’s what I think:

1.First and foremost, giving a personal touch to this electronic medium of writing. Giving fellow bloggers an insight into the person behind that blog page.
2.Increasing your blog’s popularity by joining the bandwagon. 'Everybody does it, so do I' thinking.
3.Trying to increase traffic to your blog with the tag-so-many-people-in-the-end clause.
4.Facing blogger’s block? Tags provide good filler posts.
5.Venting out your creative energy by dancing on someone else’s tunes. It seems mysterious and exciting. Take it as an extempore.

Whatever the reason, they're fun and I accept that I look forward to people coming up with splendid and unique ideas for them. Bloggers out here have such a fertile imagination that some tags require a lot of hair-pulling and head-scratching to complete them! Some tickle your funny bone while some make you retrospect on certain untouched aspects of your lives.

There are bloggers who take up tags rightaway while some sit on them till they eventually have to drag themselves out of their laziness owing to peer pressure :). I'm sure everyone must have a different take on this whole 'tag' thing.What is it that drives you? Would love to know your thoughts on tags too. Share them with me.

Meeting the Parents

Mera dil bhi kitna pagal hai ye pyar to tumse karta hai

Par saamne jab tum aate ho kuch bhi kehne se darta hai…

(My silly hearts loves you, but is afraid to confess it in your presence)

What I’m about to say might not be in the same context as this song, but comes closest to it. Normally A’s the perfect husband; considerate, caring, helping. I’ve happily confessed many times on my blog that I feel blessed to be married to a gem like him. He’s more resilient than I ever can be and can tolerate my insanity and temper with surprising ease. He showers me with endless ‘I Love You’s , random pecks and hugs are aplenty, making me feel like a very desirable queen! :)

Having said that, there’s another side to this story in which the queen magically gets converted into a make-shift stranger. And it does not feel good! :(

Let me elaborate a bit on this. One thing that me and A end up arguing most when at my in-laws’ place is his indifference towards me. When we’re on our own I’m at liberty to voice my opinion and behave according to my wish and will. But in front of his parents I’m expected to blindly follow their rules, no matter how demeaning and chauvinistic they are. The usual excuse is, ‘Follow them for as long as you’re here. You’re free to do what you want at our place’. Is there really the need to have such double standards, especially when I detest it from the core?

Forget about the cute mushy habits, I know they are tough to follow (the concept of stolen moments is lost on him) when there’s people just about everywhere. But aren’t there simple things that can convey love too? Or is it a taboo to express your feelings when your parents are around? The MIL doesn’t mind claiming full right on her son for as long as we’re there while I’m left sulking and grimacing for not being able to get through to him. Tricky situation, and my loss all the way.

This setting is bearable when the number of days is limited to single digits. When it starts getting longer than that, it becomes a pain and I can’t wait to come back home and get my normal husband back. It is not at all exciting to have to endure all this. I’ve not been able to figure out where exactly the problem lies. Is it the mother who still can’t let go of her son? Or the son who thinks ignoring his wife would make his mother feel better? Or the stupid belief that we need to bow down to our elders’ wishes at all times?

Whatever the case, I don’t see myself being freed from this maze anytime soon.

Past, present and future

After having a wonderful time at the Blogger’s meet over good ambience, good food and above all, a group of very warm and real blog friends, I was looking forward to capturing this great experience in a dedicated post and locking it up in memory forever. However, due to my procrastination, Ugich Konitari, Vivek and Nu came up with their versions of the meet well before me. Can’t beat their all-inclusive accounts of it, hence I’m not going to do it again. Go to their blogs to read and see what all we did there! :)

Have been missing from the blog world for over a week, quite unlike me. There’s so much to write, but no time and even less patience and concentration. The job of a mother beats everything else hands down. Last few days I’ve been very busy nursing A Jr who’s not been keeping very well of late. Blame the rains for it, which bring along with them a whole lot of infections and diseases. It’s been crazy, but he’s a little better today, and I’m slightly relieved. The next few days are going to be very eventful and I want him to enjoy every moment of it.

There’s a whole lot of fun awaiting us on the other side of this weekend. My Uncle-in-law and family are coming from US after almost a decade, which makes this out first official meeting. Along with this, there’s my bro-in-law’s wedding which is going to be a grand affair, and for which we’re doing our part of the preparation too. Starting from brushing up our dancing skills, getting our best sarees and jewellery in place while matching it with our spouses and kids, to cooking up new ideas for pulling the desperate groom’s leg, we’re doing the best we can. 

Everyone’s been planning for this from months in advance and eagerly waiting for it. And what better time for it than a wedding, when everyone’s in high spirits and out there just to have a good time? Such occassions are always the best way to make amends, form relationships and come closer. All in all, it’s bonding time for the family.

All this is going to take a while. Will be gone for some days but will be back with a lot more to share with you. Till then be good and be safe! Ciao! :)

My 'Man'ly sins and me! (edited)

I was having the time of my life reading everyone’s sinful confessions, not worried in the least to think of my sins even once. Pinsy tagged me to do this (!) and before everyone claims my sins along with theirs, I’m doing it right away.

IHM has created this interesting tag. It goes like this – The tag is called ‘My Sins against Gender-Stereotypes’. You are to list at least ten things you have ever wanted or done which your gender is not supposed to and tag twelve blogging friends to come out with their sins ;)

1.There seems to be a collective obsession for SUVs amongst girls and I’m no exception! I’ve been in love with Land Cruiser ever since I set my eyes on it few years back. Buying it would imply me robbing a bank or something, so I’m ready to settle for a Tata Safari :)

2.I’m a Mechanical engineer and was the only girl amongst 75 boys in my class. Girls from other branches joked that I blended so well with them that it was impossible to spot me in a group!:P

3.I love speed and have been reprimanded by my parents countless times for it. At times I was threatened with dire consequences if I didn’t keep check on the speedometer. And oh yes, my Kinetic had very loose brakes too :P

4.My beautician always complained that I was her lousiest client. My eyebrows, hands, legs resembled a mini-jungle whenever I went to her. She tried to make me understand the rewards of being well-kept, but finally gave up for good. :/

5.Just let someone say I cannot do something ‘se I’m a girl, and he/she can be sure I’ll prove him/her wrong! There’s a rebel in me who refuses to acknowledge the belief that choices/preferences/opportunities/endurance are gender-dependant.

6.If being a girl means crying at the drop of a hat or being hyper-sensitive and delicate, then I don’t fit the bill for sure. I’ve always been the rugged one, cold and distant. I prefer being on my own and cry in solitude.

7.I swear sometimes when I’m upset, a big no-no for an acche ghar ki ladki. This is too much to comprehend since I’ve never heard A swear in 4 years of our married life. I still remember the incredulous look on his face when he’d heard me swear for the first time. :O

8.For a better part of my childhood I had a boy-cut and loved it. Some people even mistook me for a boy once. Even now, many times I have this sweeping urge to snip my long tresses and get that very comfortable zero maintenance haircut back!:)

9.I do not qualify to be the cover model for the most dutiful bahu! I’ve done things (which I wouldn’t like to confess here) which would give the MIL a heart-attack of sorts if she ever finds out about them. My stance is clear, obeying but non-committal.

10.I love the feeling of love and all that it entails but I can’t stand a lot of mush. I hate reading romantic novels. And more so, I hate sharing personal things with others like most girls do. It seems very tacky to me.

So there…my sins are out in the open. Doesn't feel less of a girl,really!
Need to get back to being a pampering Mom and loving wifey mode anyway ;)

Here are few people who's sins I'd love to know : Garf Rohini   Nu Preeti D Titaxy Analyst Reflections Zephyr G Chatterbox Psych Babbler

And yes, most people I know have been tagged already, so those who haven't done it already consider yourself tagged and drop a comment...would love to read your sins too :D

Thanks my new friend :)

Four years ago: Marriage, dreams, aspirations.

Two years ago: Career, financial independence, freedom.

Currently: Career on a backseat, husband provided expenses, responsibilities.

The story of my existence can be summed up in these past four years. Why? Because the life that I had before getting married has almost faded into oblivion. What I did, what I liked or what I hated before this has no bearing on my actions or preferences now.  There are days when these things frustrate me, there are days when I want a break, but then there are also days when I feel grateful for them.

It is all about setting priorities and sticking to them. And when you have done that, be sure that you did the right thing. I decided to be a full-time Mom ‘se I didn’t want to leave A Jr with a babysitter or a day-care. I wanted to see him grow up with my own eyes, didn’t want to miss any of the cute things he does. I did just that. My career suffered, the loneliness at home was killing, and the demands of motherhood were daunting and exhausting. I got a bit tired of it.

But today, I met someone and things turned around. I met a lady whose son is A Jr’s playgroup-mate. The kid’s younger than A Jr and has just started school. Understandably, she was anxious about her son’s doing, the way I was during A Jr’s first week. It took all but one smile from me and she joined me in waiting for our respective kids. We got talking and hit it off almost instantly. Her story was similar to me. She left her job after her son was born and is a full-time Mom now. The situations and experiences she mentioned sounded very similar to mine.

She doesn’t even know this, but after talking to her I felt more confident and sure of myself. Not that I needed a proof of it, but seeing someone in the same shoes as mine made me feel like I had company. I was not alone out there. It felt heartening to finally have someone who's riding the same boat with you and wants to know if she's rowing it properly. I’m sure I’ll look forward to meeting her everyday and talk about everything under the sun with her.

Togetherness @ 4

I've seen people planning for this day from months in advance; preparing the guest list with utmost care, making sure to get the most enviable gifts for yourself, never missing even a single occasion to display your undying love for each other, etc etc etc.

As much as I'd have liked to go by the conventional way of celebrating my 4th wedding anniversary, it was not bound to happen, and I was glad for it. I'm not exactly the anti-social type, but these so-called social-dos seem like work to me. They're fun for A Jr, but definitely not for me. I prefer being in the company of loved ones and sharing a quiet cozy evening together. But what took place was even better than my imagination.

We had two of my very dear and very fun-to-be-with brothers-in-law for company this time round. One of them's getting hitched next month and they were here for the whole wedding shopping thing (A dedicated wedding shopping post coming up very soon for you).Anyway, the day started with heavy showers and a visibly sick A Jr. Poor thing, he was down with cough, cold and some viral infection. Bunked his school and stayed home while the BIL's went for shopping alone and A joined them later.

Predictably, they got stuck in the rain and were running late. I, on my part, made sure to plan ahead a lovely surprise for them at home!  Cooked for them ( Soya+moong+cheese sandwiches and Hakka noodles, strange combo, but it totally works!) and got a sinfully rich and very delicious Chocolate cake for us. When the very exhausted trio returned, all they could manage was an honest and grateful smile and an endless string of compliments on the food and the cake. Could I ask for anything more? :)

A's gift to me is not to be divulged, but yes, I gifted him a poem that I wrote exclusively for him, from the time we met till date. His million dollar smile after reading it proved that it was well worth the effort. Am sharing it with you:

Chale the safar par tab do ajnabee the,
Ab lagta nahi ki kabhi bhi juda the,
Pehle ek saal nikla, phir do, aur phir teen,
Chautha jaane ko hai, sach mein kya hum yahan the?

Wo kal hi to tha jab hum tum mile the,
Main accident mein aur tum train mein fase the,
Kuch kaha nahi tumne, main bolti rahi bas,
Khamosh se tum aate hue kal ko dekhte the.

Aapas ki hamari an-ban ko tum natural kehte the,
Main ruthti, chillati, tum hanske jhelte the,
Anjaane mein kabhi jo tumhara dil dukhaya,
Mera bachpana samajhkar use bhool jaathe the.

Ye chaar saal hote chaar sadiyon ki tarah,
Tum inme agar apne pyaar ka rang na bharte the,
Na jaan paati kabhi mein ki khushi kya hoti hai,
Apne chiraag se gar mera jahan roshan na karte the.

Am I still stuck in my dreamy world or love is really in the air?? ;)

The First language

A short post, which is more of a question for all of you. I’ve read many articles on the growing influence and English-nisation of education around the world, so much so that many native languages are on the verge of extinction. More often than not I see parents, especially in metros, conversing with their kids in English. Whatever happened to our so-called mother tongues? Do we have fond memories of our grandmothers and mothers singing lullabys to us or telling us stories in our native language or English? If at home we do not take the initiative to make our child follow and understand our roots and language, where else would (s)he learn it? English is the first language in every English medium school; hence the child can be relied upon to grasp it with little difficulty. 

Doesn’t it become our collective responsibility then to safeguard our language and our culture, or is it too down-class to use your mother tongue at all?

Go strike it!

Pins tagged me with this one. Though it took more time to complete than I’d expected, I enjoyed doing it!

      1.       Graduated high school – Ofcourse!

2.      Kissed someone – I’d be a waste if I didn’t! :D

3.      Smoked a cigarette – Never! And don’t even intend to..

4.      Got so drunk you passed out – Nopes.

5.      Rode every ride at an amusement park – Always. It’s a must-do!

6.      Collected something stupid – No. Nothing I buy is stupid for me.

7.      Gone to a rock concert – No.

8.      Helped someone – Yes. As much as I can, always.

9.      Gone fishing – No. I’m a vegetarian. What’s the point? :P

10.   Watched four movies in one night – College life. Hah!

11.    Lied to someone – Yes. Haven’t we all?

12.   Snorted cocaine – No. Never!

13.   Smoked weed – Why, no again!

14.   Failed a subject – No. Was close to it, but got saved! (grace marks zindabad!)

15.   Been in a car accident – Yes. I wasn’t behind the wheel though, and it was the day I met A for the first time. (No, we didn’t hit him)

16.   Been in a tornado – Thankfully, no.

17.   Watched someone die – No. Hope I won’t too, I’m hyper-sensitive.

18.   Been to a funeral – Yes, unavoidable.

19.   Burned yourself -  I’ve lost the count of it! Everything from hot pans, tawas and even hot oil have done their job well!

20.  Run a marathon – In school, yes. Would love to be a part of one now.

21.   Cried yourself to sleep – Yes, many times.

22.  Spent over 10,000 bucks in one day – I’m capable of spending more!! :D ;)

23.  Flown on an aeroplane – Yes.

24.  Cheated on someone – I hope not.

25.  Been cheated on – Yes.

26.  Written a 10 page letter – Don’t have that much patience! A long mail qualifies?

27.  Gone skiing – No L

28.  Been sailing – Yes yes, and I loved it!

29.  Cut yourself – Many times.

30.  Had a best friend – Wrong question! Best friends are applicable only in present and future tense.

31.   Lost someone you loved - We all have, some or the other way.

32.  Got into trouble for something you didn't do – Oh yes! Ask Nu, she knows.

33.  Stolen (yes :P) borrowed (yes) a book from a library - I forgot to return it, so that means I stole it right?

34.  Gone to a different country – Yes.

35.  Watched the Harry Potter movies – Yes, but not all of them. I’m not too much into special effects aided movies.

36.  Had an online diary – Yes, safe and secure, far from all prying eyes.

37.   Fired a gun - Yes. At fairs, for bursting balloons :D

38.  Gambled in a casino – No. But I did play a lot of those coin games at clubs.

39.  Been in a school play – Yes. College plays were more enjoyable though.

40. Been fired from a job – No. Kiski majaal hai ki ye gustakhi kare??:P

41.   Taken a lie detector test – No.

42.  Swam with dolphins – I can’t swim, can I try that with safety jackets?? :P

43.  Voted for someone on a reality TV show – Yes, did that only once for Rahul Vaidya, cute guy, but wasn't foolish enough to repeat it.

44. Written poetry- Yes yes yes.

45.  Read more than 20 books a year – No! I lose interest if it’s overdone.

46. Gone to Europe – No.

47.  Loved someone you shouldn’t have – Confusing question!!

48. Used a colouring book over age 12 – Yes.

49. Had a surgery – No,Thank God!! I’m too scared of it.

50.  Had stitches – No again!!

51.   Taken a taxi – Ofcourse, what’s there to ask in this??

52.  Had more than 5 IM conversations going on at once – Yes.

53.  Been is a fist fight – Ya ya, my brother was my favourite assailant and prey!:D

54.  Suffered any form of abuse - No.

55.  Had a pet – No. Dad didn’t like pets. Want to get a goldfish when A Jr grows up a bit.

56.  Petted a wild animal – No!

57.   Had your own credit card & bought something with it – No, I prefer swiping debit cards. Have used A’s credit cards sometimes.

58.  Dyed your hair – Yes.

59.  Got a tattoo – Yes. All sorts, ranging from flowers to Power Puff girls to cars!

60. Had something pierced – Oh yes. I wear three pairs of earrings (Absolutely love it!) and a nose ring too!

61.   Got straight A’s – We didn’t have grades, but I always managed to get good marks.

62.  Known someone personally with HIV or AIDS – No.

63.  Taken pictures with webcam – Yes, my Gtalk pic for one :D

64. Lost something expensive – Yes.

65.  Gone to sleep with music on – Music I don’t think, but lights yes.

I’m not tagging anyone with this one since Pins tagged a lot of people already. Whoever wants can pick this up! All yours! 

Another one on Blogging

Nu says she’s a Blogoholic and Pins says she’s addicted. If given a chance we’d all attach many such similar adjectives to our names. Blogging is like that one drug which when administered in our body even once enters our bloodstream in such a way that it makes us crave for it more and more. Right?

We write once and we’ve to write more…we read once and we’ve to read more…we comment on some blog and come back to see ours to check if our gesture has been returned :P…we pick out our favourite ones and follow them…we voice our thoughts and opinions freely…talk about issues bothering us without having to bother about the repercussions…its a virtual world but still so real..

All this is much beyond non-bloggers though. For them such cute little paranoia’s are comparable with temporary insanity and obsessive Blogomania! Don’t agree with me?? I’ll tell you what all I’ve had to endure after being a part of this world.

After returning home from work the first thing A asks me everyday, ‘ So did you write a post today?’ (Hello…what happened to the ‘How was your day’ routine?)

He simply has to see what I’m reading! He reads posts from over my shoulders standing behind me and then says, ‘What’s the big deal behind writing this? So and so happened with so and so, what’s there to write about it?’ (I didn’t call him to read it now, did I?)

I’m commenting on someone’s post. He has to point out atleast once that if its not compulsory why do I have to do it at all. I’ve to think and comment, so why the needless stress on the brain?

This one is funny. I follow a lot of people many of whom don’t follow me back. Nevertheless I visit their blogs and read them regularly. He seems to not like it. He says I must get them to read me! Doesn’t that sound desperate and needy I ask. He doesn’t answer but stands firm on his views :P

If I’m chatting with someone on Gtalk he asks me, ‘So is this person your school friend/college friend/colleague/acquaintance or most likely a blog friend? Don’t you guys talk too much on blogs already?’

Many more such things to add, but you already know what I mean to say right? The concept is completely lost on these people. Smartly judging that such remarks invite only my wrath he’s learnt to hold his tongue on few occasions. Good for him.

Notwithstanding his comments I love to be here and will continue to do so, always :)

Riding High and Eating away

In three months’ time I’ll hit 30 and the weight of slowly and steadily stepping into middle age seems to burden me sometimes. That is why whenever I get the smallest opportunity to relive the childhood that I once had, I seize it promptly and wholeheartedly. One such thing which was an integral part of my childhood (and all of you too I’m sure) was visiting those typical Fun Fairs…more commonly called as Anand Nagari at our place.

As kids we waited eagerly for any such fair to come up since it promised us lots of enjoyment; all kinds of fun rides, games and unrestricted binging on junk food. Mom and Dad were lenient and didn’t mind us getting overtly demanding and vocal. We could buy anything of our choice; clothes, accessories, games. I remember buying cute hand carved pen-stands and hair clips for myself from there and guarding them with my life. What fun!!

This time when I went back home I got a chance to visit one such Anand Nagari. I did enjoy myself, but what I enjoyed more was A Jr’s excitement and insistence to see each and everything! Here are some pics from back there. Do you miss these too??

One would expect a kid of his age to be scared of a merry-go-round but he simply loved it!! I had to hold on to him tightly to stop him from dancing in the moving riders. I'm sure he had a better time than I did :P

This one was my personal favourite. The ride was probably not more than a minute long for one round and the ride had 6-7 such rounds. I always insisted on riding it over and over again but gave it a miss this time :(

A Jr had the first baraf ka gola of his life. A mix of Rose and Cola flavours, he devoured it and slurped it greedily. Needless to say his whole dress was drenched in the sticky liquid, but watching him have it so diligently made me ignore all that :)

We girls have a radar which detects any chaat stall immediately. Without the slightest care of an already upset stomach and even more calories I ate and ate lots of pani puris. This one is the pic of the chana chor stall. Had some of it then and there and carried some back home too :)

I bought lots of beautiful bangles too, but was so busy selecting and buying them that taking a picture didn't even click me, pun unintended! :P

My parents just couldn't get enough of his antics. Even at this age my father took him around everywhere. He was physically drained but had a proud smile on his face throughout. Ditto with my mother. She was the one who fed him that baraf ka gola. Loads of patience, I must add. But that's how grandparents are, right? :D

And such was an awesome fun-filled evening. Tell me, did I take you back into your childhood too??