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?? ;)

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??

Got Awarded! YAY!! :)

‘Jab koi kuch dil se chahta hai na, real mein, to use wo zaroor milta hai’

Me quoting a filmy dialogue seems very melodramatic but this is exactly how I’m feeling right now. Ever since I saw this award I was secretly hoping that some kind soul would give it away to me, and the darling that she is, Comfy did just that! Thanks Comfy dear for this yummy looking Cupcake Award…Hugs! :D

Another good part is that I get to tell three things that I love about myself (so people have some heart and be kind to me regarding them :)). Here goes:

1.I love my eyes and I’ve often been complimented on them too. Sensuous, naughty, beautiful are some of the adjectives that have been used for them. My eyelids have a reddish tinge to them which stands out even on my wheatish complexion and give them a permanent ‘made-up’ effect.
2.I love my ability to transform myself into the role of a friend/daughter/sister etc effortlessly depending upon who I’m with and what the person needs or wants me to be at that time.
3.I’m incapable of holding grudges against anyone. If someone has hurt me I’d try and cut off from that person completely, but never let anything fog my judgement or understanding to indulge in anything foolish.

I also need to post a picture I love...so here it is :)

Reason...nothing special....I just love the way this cute little kid is sleeping...not a single worry in the world..dreaming away about God-knows-what! :)

I'm passing on this badge to these 5 wonderful people: G , Titaxy , Addy , Chatterbox , Psych Babbler

My blog is even more special to me because of all of you. Thank you all guys! :)

And the Golden Award goes to...

Remember the time when you bought a dress you had second thoughts about and which garnered the most compliments for you? Remember that activity course you took only following your friend’s footsteps and insistence but which seemed like it was made for you? Remember the last time you had an undercurrent of myriad intense feelings inside you but it was all left unspoken because you couldn’t bring yourself to voice it freely?

These and many more such instances made me resort to this Blogosphere. I like to call it as a virtual notice board where we can simply scribble whatever we feel like, it always works. There were many things I wanted to share, express and convey, but there was nowhere I could vent out all that. As someone who seldom speaks out her mind openly and has been leading a domestic existence for a considerable time, this was a welcome release.

Amongst the many other lucrative facets of blogging, one is the freedom of expression it offers you. There are no prejudices and you needn’t worry about being judged or misconstrued by anyone. Even if they do, it’s not your problem! It is your space and you can paste whatever you please on it.

Guess you must be thinking why I’m ranting so much on blogging suddenly. Giving away the news a bit late, but this happens to be my 50th post! It’s a huge achievement for me, since I wasn’t too keen about it when I started out. Slowly as I started reading other blogs and receiving more readers and feedback on my own, I felt inspired and appreciated, and that helped me come this far.

To celebrate the Golden Anniversary of my blog and as a token of gratitude to all the nice people who visit my blog, comment on it and follow it I’m giving away awards today. Thank you guys…you’re superb!!! Hope the same rapport extends and grows in future.

This goes out to all those lovely pictures we get to see by:

Nu

Titaxy

Comfy

G

Reflections

D 

Preeti

This goes out to the blogs that sometimes provide us with strange stuff, but which is thoroughly enjoyable:

Nu

G

Addy

The Analyst

Vinay

Chatterbox

This is for the blogs that talk about issues and life, and which definitely make us sit up and take notice of things in and around us:

Nu
Titaxy

Mihir

Deven

Rohini

Zephyr 

Preeti

Psych Babbler

Hmmm...this one goes to all those Moms out there (can I award myself??) who provide us with the cute and bubbly activities of their sweet kids. I don't know very well about all, but the ones I know are:

Comfy

Zephyr

Reflections

Preeti 
Rohini

(Who all can I add here??)

All the girls...this is for you!!!

Nu

Titaxy

G

Comfy

Rohini

Chandrika

Swaram

Psych Babbler

Reflections

Preeti 
Chatterbox
Zephyr
D

And finally...this is for all the people mentioned above. For being my 'Blogger Friends' and giving me your valuable comments and feedback!!!

Hope you all liked them!! :) :)

Essence of a Woman :)

From the time human being came into existence woman has played the pivotal role in any relationship. It was only after Eve came to life that Adam got his first relations within the human species; that of a companion, a struggler and a better half. Since then whether it’s her life or the one’s depending on her, woman has been the one to make ‘relationships happen’.
 

Whatever role she’s found herself in, woman has never shied away from taking that extra step to ascertain that she meets, or sometimes, even surpasses expectations. Let me present few instances to illustrate my point.

1.A qualified and independent woman who’s never negotiated with anything in her life doesn’t think twice before giving up her flourishing career in favour of her child’s better look-after. This shows her sacrifice.

2.A highly pampered and loved daughter suddenly finds herself in an unknown territory when after marriage her mother-in-law constantly nags about how she can’t cook properly or keeps ridiculing her endlessly. Not the one taught to whine and complain, she bears everything quietly. This shows her resilience.
 
3.Her life partner didn’t turn out to be the one she’d expected and wanted. She regrets her choice and wishes if only she could go back and undo what she’d done. She’d like to break away but cannot bring herself to do it because she can’t put her kids through the ordeal that’ll follow. This shows her compromise.

4.Her kid sister wants to take up a career option that her parents would never accept. She’s convinced that it’s the best for her and wants elder sis to step in and persuade her parents. After making sure that younger sis knows what she’s doing, she decides to back her. This shows her understanding.

It would be incorrect if I try to portray that a woman has only positive traits, since we all know this cannot be true. Let’s see few negative ones too.

1.Two best friends; one blessed with the most enviable looks while the second couldn’t be more unattractive.  Though the latter would never speak openly about it, the adulation and attention the former enjoys makes her dislike her occasionally. This shows her jealousy.

2.A woman at a senior position at work makes the life of her juniors a living hell because she wants to nip any competition in the bud. This shows her insecurity.
 
3.Wedding plans are always 'in the making' in the minds of all mothers, whether she has a daughter or a son. But the moment her son gets married and shows a little more thoughtfulness for his wife, sparks are bound to fly. This shows her possessiveness.

A person’s nature and character play a vital role in shaping his life and relationships. The way a woman can perceive and nurture relationships, a man never can.  That is why a mother is called as an ‘avatar’ of God and a wife is called the better-half. In spite of her negative traits, only a woman can create a ‘complete’ family.

History has proved that whenever kingdoms have been formed or destroyed, there has always been a woman behind it. Power and manipulation are two crucial qualities that a woman possesses, whether she realises it or not. Power to change the world and manipulation to make the world a better place. It is only for her to know how these can be optimally and ethically used.

There’s a famous saying in Sanskrit :

“Triya charitram purushasya bhagyam daivo na janati kuto manushyah”

The translation simply being that when even God himself cannot understand the character of a woman, what a mere human can do, it is his destiny.

Being a woman myself I always found this very disrespectful and prejudiced. But when seen and understood beyond its obvious implication one will realize that it does hold true, for every woman in this world. Yes, no one can understand a woman, that’s because a woman believes in keeping her things to herself; sometimes out of fear, sometimes out of respect or sometimes simply because she’s too modest or proud to accept her success or failure.

So let us take this opportunity of "Women's Day" and celebrate being a woman. Let us forget all our vices and petty differences and come together and enjoy this day with a free spirit and realise what a woman means and stands for! :)

Talent in the making

Having a kid at home unarguably implies that you have to be prepared to face innumerable and endless unimaginable surprises and unforgettable moments. This time round I'm talking about a 'new' thing that my son has learnt. No matter how much I try to hide it, he almost always finds my cellphone and keeps clicking photographs of God knows what! More often than not I find my memory card full of his curious and confusing photo-art. Sharing few of his 'pictures' with you...and yes...when I tried to click some similar ones myself...I miserably failed :P

 

  

  

 

Interesting and impressive huh??

Take these signs seriously! ;)