Much ado abt nothing...

For better or for worse, Happy New Year

2011-12-26T05:07:00.000-08:00

I know its Christmas time and the air around is filled with lots of festivities and joy, but it also translates into being busy for a stay at home mom, with my daughter having her holidays, my blog has been pushed to take a back seat.

But heres wishing that all my readers and fellow bloggers had a very merry and cheerful Christmas and wishing for a new year that comes with loads of love, luck, happiness and more of good things for all of you. (please leave your wishes too...need them lots and lots!) May it being with it the gifts of joy, goodness, passion, humanity and empathy for all of us.

Though we all know about the prophecies related to year 2012, we shall all welcome the year with grand celebrations as always, that is what HOPE is all about, such is life. LIVE ON.

The End of the Mayan Calendar is scheduled for December 21, 2012 (give or take a year). The possibilities of what this “end” might mean is an increasingly hot topic on the Internet, in conferences, printed articles, and in discussions all over the globe. This is because it just might be an incredibly important moment in history -- e.g., the end of history!

For more information on the year 2012 and 2012 prophecies read this article: 2012 Prophecies This powerful article explains everything about the year 2012 and how it relates to the Mayan Calendar. It explains various 2012 prophecies and the significance of the year 2012.

You may also enjoy the article "2012 Problem" by Ralph Miller. It is more of a shamanic view of the year 2012 and the 2012 prophecies. It combines the ancient wisdom of the sacred plant "ayahuasca". You can read this fascinating article on the year 2012 here: 2012 Problem

I also read here ( It says, Every significant Internet provider around the globe is currently in talks with access and content providers to transform the internet into a television-like medium: no more freedom, you pay for a small commercial package of sites you can visit and you'll have to pay for seperate subscriptions for every site that's not in the package.) now this worries me. But looking at the blog, I would rather like to believe that the author has made such remarks to garner more publicity for himself than anything else. Still got my fingers crossed.

How can we forget when how we welcomed the year 2000, even then the world was going to come to an end, gadgets, phones, machines were not meant to work in the 2000 format, knowing all this we partied harder, so for better or for worse, Happy New Year!

Destined to...live

2011-12-16T20:43:00.001-08:00

With many crusaded dreams,

Painfulcherished moments

Cruellycrushed creatures,

Live life toyour fullest

We are oftentold.

Close my eyessee stars,

Even with openeyes, see stars,

Darkness makesthem black,

Man makes themblue.

How does onelive, love or forgive

What never iswhat you want

You get onlywhat you deserve

What you aredestined, fated

But who knows,who decides?

Child likepleasures,

Man likepassion

Woman likemisery

No you don’tknow it,

No you don’tcare.

That’s how Ishall keep.

That's how I shall try to

Live.

Compliments

2011-12-13T22:43:00.000-08:00

My days’ started off wonderfully.I got the 2^nd most beautiful comment in my life! (But bothof them haven’t come from my husband, or boyfriends for that matter.)

I know I never write about personal stuff much, but don’t know today amtyping this, will find out only later if I post this or not.

Coming back to the compliment I received,ohh, the only thing that could beat it was if it had come from my husband, orjust any other guy instead of this sweet girl.

She saw me at the gym, lazilyworking out, I am THE laziest member ofthe class, even the instructor says so, but I’m also the only one who’s beenattending his class from the start, so I guess it evens it out.

After the class, we met in thechanging room, she started hesitantly, “May I say something to you?”, and I waslike, OH no, here it comes, what could itbe, my shoes my top or my pants, or even worse, is there a tag stuck behind myback…gosh!

“Ya, sure tell me” with a small smile that took more force thanthose push-ups!

“Your face…”

My hands instantly go to my face, what?

She continues, “Your face is veryattractive, your features are very nice…”

I relax and even blush, “Oh thank you, that very sweet of you.” I can’ttake criticism but I don’t even like getting compliments, it embarrasses me. I know they mean well and good, but still I happento look at the person suspiciously.

“When I saw you I felt like I wantedto keep looking at you, could not take my eyes off your face”, she adds.

Well now I was almost blushing,has this person been a guy I would have swelled, but as she was a female, mademe wonder, think and even suspect her motives, see I told you na I get suspicious.

But later when we spoke and I figuredout she was not a lesbian and meant no evil, I felt swell! It made me so happy that I hope I dint gain some inches with theswelling!

Giving compliments is a meantask, especially to a stranger, so kudos to this girl, whose name also I dintget. But even otherwise, one needs to put aside his/her ego and to give a compliment,more so if it to someone of the same sex.

But there are some compliments whichsomehow sound like insults. Any accoladeor praise, even though meant in good spirits, that leave you confused is a badcompliment. Theystrike you like, no she dint just say that, not in front of an audience!

“You are looking nice today”, don’t I look nice on other days?

“Your hair’s looking good, wheredid you get it cut?”, are you saying myhair’s not nice, but only coz of the cut it’s looking good?

“Are those your real eyes?”, no I’m wearing artificial eyes!

“That dress makes you look thin”, Am I fat?

“Wow, is that a natural tan?”, yes I was born dark, nothings fair.

“You havea very photogenic face”, does this mean Idon’t look good in real?

Another of these confusedcompliments that most of us receive while growing up is, you can do better. Why isn’t what I did good enough? Why youwant better?

Your daughter in law is very good”,identified and accepted as a perfectbali-ka-bakra (sacrificial goat) cause “good daughter-in-law” here means, dumb,as in both stupid and mute.

But the most dreaded complimentthat no woman wants to here has to be, “congratulations, your baby bump is socute”, when you are not even pregnant! I’vestopped congratulating people till I’m 100%sure that she’s expecting.

Another female oriented compliment-cum-insulthas to be, “you drive pretty well for a woman”, and I don’t have any words for this one.

Once a very long time back, a friendof mine had tagged me as “a tit-for-tat person”, later she tried very hard tojustify saying she meant it in a good way, but I was not. It was for this sameperson that I had got into a fight with my seniors at work, and she was saying thisto the same senior “That’s how Pooja is, let it go”

I remember, I colleague of mine gotengaged to this jerk of a guy from the same office, and when I found out, thebest I could say was “good for you”,she not knowing that it was not a nice compliment took it as a congratulatoryremark.

I know it tough to get over someof these compliments, but the best possible way to deal with them, as per my experienceis, to ignore them. Say a thank you, with a smile and let it go, as innocentlyas it was said, take it like it was not meant to be that way. Maybe the speakeris not as fluent with her language skills as you are. Most of the times, theperson’s intentions are innocent, but even it not, thank you works best, as it’slike a missed shot for the person. It will annoy the person when you don’t flareup or get hurt as per his/her expectation.

Have a good day! And make sure yourcompliment are just what they ought to be.

A Starry Sunday

2011-12-05T02:39:00.001-08:00

Yesterday two “stars” were inIndore. I’m not naming them because I don’t want to give them any morepublicity than they already have garnered, as it is, these days it’s prettyeasy to guess who one is talking about, as the options are limited to those whohave a film releasing in the near future.

Well we, ,my husband and me, wereunaware of this fact (habit of not reading the newspaper on Sundays is a badone and needs to be changed ASAP), and happened to take our daughter for a funfilled Sunday at the same place, my daughter happens to love that particularmall’s play zone. But we were in for a shock.

The moment we entered the mall wewere faced with a sea of people, not knowing the gravity of the situation, weassumed it to be limited to the ground floor only. Thinking the floors onhigher levels would be better off we started towards it.

But only the ground to 1^stfloor escalators (lifts were closed, and even the escalators were notfunctioning), were passable. On the next level we realized we were stuck,security people would not let us go down thinking we (a least interested coupleholding a scared 5year kid) would mob the stars and the audience would not letus go upstairs thinking we would take away their precious prized positions.

As it is someone later told us,that the mall’s staff was all busy keeping the crowds in control behind thetight ropes, so there was no one available at the play zone. So now going downwas the only option left.

Somehow we managed to get a“spot”, actually an envious spot, on the same escalator through which we hadcome upstairs. The view was great from here, we could see the stage clearly andat the same time, there was no-one pushing or pulling us either. We had morethan once requested, demanded and even pleaded the security people to help usleave the mall, but they told us, as the crowds was getting larger the gateshad been closed so as to keep new people from arriving. So finally we accepted the fact that we weredestined to give the “stars” a glimpse.

Stuti, my daughter, wanted toknow where did so many people come from and why, it’s the biggest pool ofpeople she had ever seen, and when I explained to her about the star crazypublic, she innocently asked me “so Mumma, all these people have come from allover India?” and she was shocked when I told her no beta, they all are fromIndore only, but then she had to ask me where do these people go on otherSundays? To which I had no answer.

After waiting for more than anhour (an hour for us, more than 2-3 hours for many who had come since a longtime to get to see these actors), being told another 10-15 minutes for morethan 10 times, the stars finally arrived. Arrived they did! To mikes notworking, bouncers hitting and pushing the crowds, and whistles all over themall. Did I mention the air-conditioning or ventilation was also not doing itsjob properly!

What happened was complete chaos,not at all properly planned, ridiculously managed and even pathetically executed.Temperatures were rising, tempers were flying and people were getting more andmore out of control. To add to all this, 2-3 glass panes, huge glass panes,fell off from escalators on the ground floors. Thank God no injuries werecaused.

First of all such events, I feel,should not be planned in enclosed places, and even if they are the authoritiesshould make sure their infrastructure is appropriate not for the crowdsanticipated but for the actual numbers. And if you are having such stars come,don’t advertise, as it is, word spreads, by leaking it the media you areinviting the general public, then don’t tell them how to behave.

On talking to a few of thesecurity people, I found out they had not anticipated such a turn around. Hello,what do you expect? In a country where actors and cricketers are only second toGod, who would miss this opportunity, especially on a Sunday?

I think, even our public is to beblamed. Can someone please explain to me, yes I’m an idiot, what does a guy getwhen he sees a beautiful actress (only after she’s layered herself with tons ofmakeup), on a stage, just waving her hands to generally everyone or rather noone, after waiting for more than 2-3 hours and shoving and pushing the crowds,and also fighting with the guards? After being treated like a jerk, he still ishappy just seeing him and her on stage?

Hands on Haiku

2011-11-30T21:48:00.001-08:00

This is my frist attempt with Haiku, contrary to what most of us think, it is not at all simple to be simple.
Haiku is a very short form of Japanese poetry typically characterised by three qualities: Hope, Peace, and Harmony, as per Wikipedia. But for youknowthatblog it is a simple 3 non-rhyming lines of just 5, 7, and 5 syllables as per the theme of the week.
This weeks theme is Absence, and here follows my first attempt.

Never have, never will notice
all those years ago went missing
love joy innocence around.

Shall I say what feels
within the insides of me
crippling as times fly

But if I do say
presence can turn to absence
so let words be scarce

Please give me your feedbacks, as I'm sure there have to be some miscalculations.

Time life-line

2011-11-22T02:05:00.001-08:00

Randomly Daily,

There was a time when I wanted to embrace you, death

But when the time came a couple of hours I had to ask.

Of all the things when you wake me up, alarm clock

All I ask for is some spare minutes, around 120 would be fine.

Last night when I was battling with you, insomnia

Tossing right left and center

Wishing 2 hours would just casually fly away.

As a child,

When times were tough and testing, exams

In school I always prayed

Let these 2 hours stretch so long,

For me to study more

And score galore

On the ground though, playground

With friends and games,

Always warned you, time

Come not so soon, give me some grace

And come 2 fun hours away.

Mornings were the same, withthe sun bringing light

And mom’s same music, yelling

To wake me, to take me on

The ride of the day

Why not some more time I ask?

What the big deal in 2 hours anyway?

Later in life,

When I was there, in college

There were moments,

When you could have helped,

Make it to class on time

Make it to finish line,

But you were most needed

When…

Those 2hours with coffee and her

Went like a blur,

But another 2 with just coffee

Were a curse.

As of now,

Always running short of time here, officedesk

With files flying low while the works pilling high

How many wonders could have been worked

If you just gave me those 2 magical hours though?

Never have enough time to be with you, wife

Just stealing flashes from here and there,

Never have time to sit and chill, show you my love,

Give me 2 hours more on the house for thou.

At the park with my hand in hers, mychild

I wished these hours would just pause for 2

Only for the cause of my love and joy

Is with you

Need to go out and pamper you, moiself

For health, care, love and spares

Want to travel, want to relax

Want to be whatever is to be.

Surf Excel

Give me 2hours you, but I’m telling

I’ll come back for more and more!

This post was written for Surf Excel Matic #GetSmart Contest on Indiblogger. They want to know what you would like to do If you were granted 2 extra hours everyday ? Do share your views here!

Join my blog's Facebook Page here.

Surf 2 hours away

2011-11-21T21:49:00.001-08:00

Lying on my bed,

No it’s still not late

Though it’s almost 10

But I got 2 hours to spare.

Till the moon cradles his head

And my eyes go droopy dead

So up I bounce,

Think on what to pounce

If Only it was a.m.

Fill shopping bags would be my goal

But as its p.m. closed is the mall

I had some unread paper,

But for that I am late

Coz by the time I’d get done

It would be another date.

New news waiting at the door

With all the things I so bore

I thought of my guy

And what all we could do

But nothing works with him

After he’s had his booze

Back to square one, with what to do

Cause today I have 2 hours to move

Then I do what I do best,

Google about what to do,

And it opens a treasure

On things from head to toe

I settle down on paper craft

With a stick of glue and paper

But strike I hear the clock

Telling me, my 2 hour’s over.

Why does not it trouble me you may ask,

Cause I tell you, tomorrow

I shall surf clothes again,

And be rewarded with a 2 hour gain!

This post was written for Surf Excel Matic #GetSmart Contest on Indiblogger. They want to know what you would like to do If you were granted 2 extra hours everyday ? Do leave your comments. And unlike me, don't waste this precious time whiling away.

Join my blog's Facebook Page here.

Happy?? Children’s day

2011-11-14T19:00:00.000-08:00

Today my 5 year old daughter’s routine was like this.

6:00am (Yes before the sun rises) Get up and get dressed forschool. Bus arrives at 7:00am.

It’s a very important day for her at school; she hasChildren’s day celebration (read competitions). There

was a Spell Bee event,followed by some fancy chocolate-cookie races and some quiz games.

For breakfast they had to take their favorite snack which couldnot be Maggie, chips, burger or pizzas in short nothing junk (nothing that kidswould actually have liked). So I make her cheese parathas (my favorite and boring in her vocabulary).

For lunch they were served the routine food (again boring) butas it was a special day, a single ice-cream scoop was given as treat. Vanillaice-cream, she detests.

2:00pm Back from school; has her fruits with a bowl of curd.She shows me the cute “Happy Children’s day” paper lolly she got from school.She tells me its “”Chacha Jawaharlal Nehru’s bday today, and so its children’sday”.

I ask her what she wants to do today as it’s her special day.She tells me “Mumma I want to watch tv, Doremon, Chotta Bheem , Mr. Bean…” (Herlist is endless, I happen to remember only these many); Wants to eat Maggie, strawberryice-cream and some chocolates (this is added sensing her mom’s in a generousmood today). She does not want to study or even do her homework, (whatever mademe ask her)! I don’t agree, but don’t say a no, thinking its Children’s day.

But time soon flies and it’s time for her evening class.

3:30pm time for her evening class. Have children’s daycelebrations (again competition) there too. Kids have to talk about whatchildren’s day means to them. I have no clue what she’ll say but judking by theanswers I got I’m sure she does not stand any chance of winning any prizes (she’smumma’s girl, even I never won much). Anyways I don’t want to dwell on it muchcoz I have dinner to prepare before she comes.

5:30pm. she’s back and I make Maggie for her finally; that’sthe least I can do for her, while she gets comfortable on the couch with theremote. All this after she promises methat she will complete her home work later, or even the next morning pukka - pukka, I let her go, knowing very well nothing of that sort will happen.But then it’s her day, so she’s excused.

But some time in the afternoon, when my friends told me theywere taking their kids for some children’s day celebration (more competitionsand promotions too this time) to a couple of places, even I was tempted. But thenI thought why? Why would she want to go and run races with spoons in her mouth,why would she want to stick tails on donkeys or even shoot balloons? Just sothat I can show off to my friends some extra certificates, gifts or the bestpossibility was appearing in a group photo in the local daily? Would it exciteher? Yes it would if her day had not been like how it was, had she slept till10-11 in the morning, had not gone for swimming for 45 minutes, she would have enjoyedit, loved it.

But then there are times, when I wonder if as a parent, whatwill happen if I don’t give her the same exposure that these other kids aregetting, would my daughter be missing out on some things? Will she not be as completiveas the others? What is it that I need to do? Do I let her enjoy life as it is,or do I push her and run with her from one competition to the other, from oneexperience to the other? What is the right thing to do as a parent? What if shedecides to become a couch potato for the rest of her life? Obviously I’ll beblamed!

It is not easy to assimilate that a child is happiest whenshe/he gets to do what she/he wants, to be able to decide what and when. So decisiontaken, I go to the couch to ask her what she wants to do, but I can’t ask her.

7:00pm She’s snoring away and smiling! And here I am having the Maggieand blogging!

Rational Religion

2011-11-11T21:39:00.000-08:00

Being a Jain, I’ve got the privilege to attend, (I am forced to listen to) sermons by our gurus. No I don’t have anything personal against Jain Gurus or for that matter any other religious person, but there are some things that I would like to ask them or rather open their eyes towards.

First of all, who are Jain Munis (Monks, and here I would like to talk about Jain munis only cause I’m most familiar with them).

In Jainism, there are 2 main bifurcations, some are idol worshipers, some not. The ones not worshiping idols take their Maharaj Sahebs (monks) and Masatijis (nuns) as Gods. Before I go any further, let me also tell readers who don’t know about Jainism that it is one of the most scientific as well as toughest religions to follow, as far as fasting, praying or other aspects of living are concerned. These monks lead a very tough life, they travel by foot, bare foot, around the country throughout the year, eat only food that they are offered, only when they get it appropriately, drink only boiled water, and use least materials as possible, some don’t even wear clothes. Rest use basic simple white unstitched cloth that is wrapped around their bodies.

They stay at an Apasra, Jain shrines; only if they are invited during the 4 and half months of monsoon, as they do not walk when it is raining, as it is believed that during this season there are numerous living micro organisms in the atmosphere. Jainism believe in giving AbhayDaan(gift of security, fearless existence ) to all living organisms.

I would like to share some examples for the same too. Like how often after having a bath we leave the tumbler in the half filled bucket itself? Often. But Jainism says that the living beings present in that bucket of water fear that you shall fill another tumbler and disrupt their environment again, so if possible use minimal water, and after you are done, do not leave the tumbler in the bucket. Chopping vegetables, using electricity, wearing clothes, applying cosmetics or even using basic furniture items are a complete no-no (sins).

So much so that Jain Priests wear white cotton mask at all times to cover their mouths so that no form of life will be disturbed by their talking, coughing or deep breathing acts.

Basically to cut a long story short, I am well aware that Jain gurus lead a very tough life, physically and mentally. They have my utmost respect; there are no two ways about it. Rather I hold great admiration for their families too, who have allowed them to take this tough path for the betterment of mankind.

But, (there is always has to be a but with me) What I fail to understand is, why sacrifice all worldly or materialistic things and still aspire to be something above the rest of us? Well as soon as you embrace living like a monk, you are given a stature high above a normal human who is slaving his life away to earn a decent livelihood for his family, it also includes the donations and charity made to these religious causes, including the monk’s bread and butter too, well in-case of a Jain Guru he shall not accept bread, so a roti for him please.

I've wanted to ask them, but never was allowed to so putting my thoughts/questions up here.

I agree you are above the rat race that we are in, but hello, isn’t yours another race all together too? You are running for sainthood, for moksh or mukti? Moksh/Mukti here refers to being spared the misery of being reincarnated again and again, till we don’t pay or repent for all the sins that we commit knowingly or unknowingly.

So when I look closely at the life of a monk, (to all those who may ask me what has given me the right to look into a monk’s life closely, I’m a nosey person) I find lots of discrepancies and there are various inconsistencies in what they preach and what they do(just like me I realize).

Like in our normal world, we strive to achieve the most in the world, similarly in their world or domain they do the same, race for the highest title of sainthood. Like us even they have ladders and ranks amongst them and aspire to have shrines built in their honor. And why? So that they can conjure up a large following of devotees or disciples (read fan, who are willing to donate generously “materialistic things” to their causes).

In Jainism, most of these causes are like saving a cow’s life, feeding a needy family, providing appropriate facility for the welfare of Jain Sadhus and Sadhvis.

They all want to be the best preachers, best orators and be recognized for the numerous welfare and development projects that they have initiated and been successful at, sounds familiar?

Doesn’t all this add up to doing good work, social work or just plain being a nice human? But with time some things need to be changed, some “traditional and religious ideas”need to be worked on so as to bring wide spread acceptance among the youth of the society.

On the other hand maybe if people like me and you go out and preach the world on how we should help the needy and donate to good causes, then it would not be so effective, to make their words count or bring about some results these extreme steps many be necessary.

But what disgusts me the most, or rather always has ticked me off, is that even though they are at a higher altar in life, believe in purity of thought action and are more closer to God, they too have succumbed to petty practices specifically that of gender bias.

Gender discrimination is so deeply ingrained within us that these so called Gods also have fallen prey to such appalling ways of thinking. In Jainism, and also in some other Hindu religions, women devotees are not allowed to touch sadhus(priests) and similarly male devotes stay away from sadhvis(nuns). Isnt that almost like being an untouchable?

Most of the times, we also notice that sadhus, priests or monks are allowed to rise up in the rankings much faster that the sadhvis, basis only being their gender. Even if the rank is the same of a nun and a priest, he is always given priority over her by default. After all it’s a man’s world, be it ours or theirs.

Recently I was reading a book on Hinduism and vedas, ya sometimes I pick up these books by mistake too, in which I was shocked to read about the tradition of applying sindoor. The main component of traditional sindoor is usually vermilion. A component considered to be toxic by nature.

As most of you must be aware that Hindu wives are expected to fill sindoor (for me it always looked like a stamp of being taken/sold/unavailable!) along the parting of their hair, thus applying it on the scalp (where the pores are most open), so as to let it seep inside slowly. It is a sacred and most prominent symbol of a Hindu married woman. Like I’ve said earlier, Vermilion is a toxic substance, you might now wonder why a Hindu married lady is made to apply if it is a known toxic, and well that’s the precise reason for making her do it.

A female’s life span is comparatively longer than her male counterparts, as we all know, and that’s exactly why this practice was incorporated, to slowly poison the wife so that both the partners can die with each other, and for the ones who dint die a natural death, they were made out to be satis. (An abolished tradition of Hindu wives burning themselves alive on their husbands’ pyre).

Doesn't it sound like that applying sindoor is more like killing someone slowly and painlessly? Most of us are not even aware of the meaning of some traditional rituals that we are made to follow. We just do as we are told, as again asking for logic or questioning our age-old praths (religious ceremonies) is considered to be a taboo in most Hindu homes.

Let me know if you are aware of any other such traditions or ritual, love to hear new fascinating things like this.

Oil Parampara

2011-11-07T22:48:00.000-08:00

The baton of hair care, in India can be summed up in one word, Oil. The tradition to oil hair has been passed along for generations, but with time variations and changes have also come.

In my grandma’s days they used to oil their hair religiously, day and night, not for a minute you could find their hair dry or not-oiled. Then my mother’s generation brought around some changes and somehow convinced their mothers to let them keep their hair washed and dry on weekends, yes since then the weekends have been special.

But while I was growing up, mom thought it best to oil my hair to school so much that my classmates used to ask me if I owned some oil refinery or something! That’s when I told my mom, henceforth I shall oil only when I don’t have school.

So from weekdays to weekends, oiling was taking a backseat, but in no ways was it going to surrender.

While growing up I often tried, after seeing on television, various oils be it non-sticky, quick absorb formula, hot-cold oils, oils for winter oil for summers etc etc.; all new and with “Innovative” formulas. Some could improve my hair in one night, while some more advanced one could do wonders in an hour. Though I dint believe in them, after all tell me how can the oil help if it is washed off so soon, but still, I tried them all. And somehow the oiling parampara (tradition) was upheld. Though I did know that oil did help, if left on my hair for some time, so that it penetrates and nourishes the hair and the scalp.

These days, my latest experiment, is Dove. It has launched its unique hair care range which contains Vita-oils, an ingredient found to be very effective for hair growth and hair nourishment.

Dove Vita-Oils containing products, go deep inside the hair fiber and help lock in the nourishment of oil; making hair smooth, shiny and beautiful with every wash. This sounds like a product I had been praying for, to have something that will let me keep my hair oil-free while at the same time, not denying my hair from the benefits of oiling.

The Dove Nourishing Oil Care Range Includes:

Y One?

2011-10-30T22:31:00.000-07:00

These days we have ONEs all over us. First it was the RA-onemania and even before the dust settled on RA-one and G-one, F-one was here! Andjust like its fast cars, it was done in three days, creating so much GA-GA.

I’m sure we all remember some years backthere was this other fixation with ONE in Bollywood, like Coolie No.1, KhiladiNo.1, Hero No.1 even a Biwi No.1 and so on.

But like our reel heroes, in real life too we all want to be“the ONE”, be it the smarter one, the rich one, the successful one, specialone, loved one, the BEST ONE. Nobody wants to be NO-ONE, everyone wants to beSOME-ONE, some-one else.

Since childhood, we have always been told we have to be the firstone in everything. It started with crawling, knowing very well there were a billionkids who started crawling before us.

Be the first one to say Mama/Papa, so what if there wereagain millions kids doing the same thing all over.

Then we had to be the first in class, then in school laterin the club, followed by city and then the first in the country.

Why do we have to be first in everything, rather anything for thatmatter? Why can’t we just be satisfied being good, being happy in our space?

We all know we can’t be the first and the best in everythingin life, but in the aspiration to be the “One” we are not able to be the “HappyOne” today.

Love life, and always remember you ARE special!

Tress mess No stress, Dove is here

2011-10-30T01:42:00.000-07:00

Hair, the crowning glory of any face, (I have purposely not said just a woman’s face, not wanting to rise a spate of male furry) and it is true, no man would be considered handsome if he were bald!

Hair, chemically is a dead part of our body, but brings life and vibrancy to a dead face also! Nothing dead has even been more important than Hair! Our hair can make or break our appearance; it is the defining point of one’s personality.

Since the days of Cleopatra, a lady’s beauty took an exponential leap if she possessed long thick healthy hair, in India we like it black, the darker the better.

I personally believe clothes, makeup, posture and everything else takes a backseat in comparison to the hair! I mean just imagine, Sushmita Sen or Shilpa Shetty without their gorgeous manes, all dressed up and looking pretty, but would you have given them a second look had their hair been not so kind to them? But they didn’t get those gorgeous locks just like that, yes I agree they have been more lucky then some of us, but even they have to put in regular care and efforts to nourish and maintain their hair.

In India, I personally believe the South Indians and Bengalis have it easy. They are blessed with beautiful long lustrous dark hair. In the South, women usually wash their hair and apply plain and simple coconut oil on the wet scalp itself, no fancy olive or almond oils for them. And their diet also helps them. The use coconut oil and fish in their daily meals surely helps. Similarly Bengali babes also have it in their genes or their fishes! Look at Sridevi, Hema Malini, Moon Moon Sen and her daughters and you shall know what I am talking about.

But not all of us are so blessed, so we need to put in extra efforts and make the most of what we have.

First of all there are some ground rules that all of us should know, understand and remember.

1. No matter what you can never change your hair type.

2. Recognize your hair type then style and nourish it accordingly.

3. Unclean hair translates into unhealthy hair.

4. All expensive products need not be best products.

5. Chemical treatments will definitely harm your hair.

6. Natural remedies cause least damage, but are also more tedious.

7. No substitute to eating fresh green veggies and fruits.

There are two ways in which you can better the quality of your hair. Internally and externally.

Internally, not only for hair these 5 things will help in many matters of the body.

Eat fresh green vegetables and fruits. Especially which provide vitamin A, B, proteins and folic acid. (Green Peas and Dals help). Once I was suggested to take Vit A and C for forty days every morning with my breakfast and then take a gap of 10 days; continue again for 40 days, to help me control my excessive haifall.
Drink around 3-4 liters of water every day. You should ideally drink 3-4 glasses of water first thing in the morning and another 3-4 glasses at bed time. The rest you can have in any other flavored fluids, less sugar and not chilled.
Exercise for atleast 30minutes in a day. Some yoga poses like Sarvangasan, Matsyasan, Poorna Halasan are very beneficial for your hair. They improve blood circulation to the head and also boost hair growth.
Live a stress-free tension-less life. Easy to say, meditation and deep breathing exercises help.
Avoid dirt and pollution as you can. You could use a cotton cloth to cover your hair, apply a good quality hair serum or leave on conditioner which acts like a protective layer on your hair.

Externally, you can choose two types of products, one which make your hair look healthy and the other which actually make them healthy. I prefer the later one, because if my hair is healthy they will even look healthy in some time. It’s just that products that make my hair look pretty show instant results, while the other tries my patience.

Like for example, if I were to shampoo my hair (using any shampoo available)and give it a good blow dry it will shine and look nice instantly, but instead if I use a good nourishing shampoo specifically suitable for my hair type and let it dry on its own, my hair would not look so great initially, but in the long run, my hair won’t be damaged either.

Aloe Vera is one ingredient that can help your hair (and even your skin for that matter) both ways. Drinking Aloe Vera juice (from people who have tried it, eeekkkss!), helps makes hair soft and healthy, and by applying it on the scalp helps to control hair fall and make the scalp germ free.

Consuming vitamin supplements of A and B, Evening Primrose oil and Triphla (an Ayurvedic mix of amla, harar and bahera) are said to make our hair healthy.

If we were to notice simple hair damage signals early enough then we can take corrective steps to curb or reverse the damage. Here’s a list of some hair damage signs, which can be controlled with proper care.

Signs of Hair damage

Rough or dry hair – sufficient moisturizing and use hair serums
Excessive Hair fall – eat healthy and stay stress free
Dandruff - yoghurt, lemon, and a clean scalp helps
Split ends –regular haircuts and hot oil treatment
Greying of hair – needs special professional help

In all the above cases, we need to delve into the root cause and them find the right solution.

Here's my cleansing routine.

Shampoo Use a shampoo which suits your hair type, your quality and your daily routine.Shampoo twice so as to clean it thoroughly.

Condition Always condition your hair after washing it and towel drying it. But make sure your dont let the conditioner penetrate into your scalp. Rinse throughly.

Serum A serum acts like an outer coat for your hair, shielding it from the sun, pollution and dirt.

Mask Use it once a week to help you deep condition your hair. Use this from the middle of your hair to the ends, not to be used on the scalp.Leave it on for 5-7 minutes and then wash it off with lukewarm water.

Enjoy the difference.

I'm not at all a know-it-all person, nor any professional, these advices are received from various sources, including my granny, mom, friends or my beauticians. Some of it is also accumulated from reading various magazines or articles on beauty and hair. So please excuse my ignorance or any mistakes and before taking any medications or supplements do consult a specialists, like I've said earlier, each one is different and so is our hair. Please also feel free and do correct me.

Here gals and guys help me put together a list of real, fun, absurd things, ingredients, methods that you have heard, tried or been advised/suggested to try to help better your hair! Sounds fun? Then jot down yours as comments under this post! (Multiple entries allowed the more the merrier!!)

All images used in this post are taken from various Dove advertisements on the net. This post is for the Dove competition on Indiblogger.

Qvendo re-discovered

2011-10-27T23:25:00.000-07:00

This is mysecond virtual shopping tour of the Qvendo store. Know more about my firstvisit here.Yes, I’m hooked and booked to this fantasy shopping, instead of the tiringwindow shopping, I’m glued to virtual shopping, not to mention that there’s asilver lining of being able to win the prize attached to it at the same time.For those who don’t know what I’m talking about, I’ve been given Rs.75,000 touse at Qvendo’s Online Shop to win the same amount if selected in the top 3.

But I guesseven otherwise, virtual shopping is much easier on our legs as compared towindow shopping. It is even softer on one’s pocket. As for me, I’m loving it!Here’s my take ONE (cause how can I not have more than one option!) on how Iwould dress up if given the 50k to shop from Qvendo, would love to hear yours.You can also participate by joining Qvendo. Mind you, this is a byinvitation site. So better catch the deals as soon as you can before your neighborgets it, here I would also like to mention that some sales and deals areonly available for a limited time, around 5-10days, especially the hot items.So don’t waste time instead grab whatever fancies you ASAP.

TO start with I’vealways wanted a nice little black dress, something that is considered a must ina female’s wardrobe. But as I don’t wear sleeveless dresses, the LBD alwayseluded my collection. But here on Qvendo, I’ve come across the perfect one.

It’s a CalvinKlein silk knee length dress, in a natural black colour, with very precisedetailing and appropriate cuts in the right places to give me a very classiclook. Its cut and style is such that minimum accessories will do the jobperfectly. But then how will I use up my remaining amount of Rs. 35,300(50,000-14,700).So let’s continue.

For a clutch Ishortlisted two options, as I was getting great deals, I could indulge myself! Iopted for the pink one so as to add some extra colour and bling to the outfit,a perfect accompaniment in case I’m
wearing my dress in the day time. But if Iwas to wear for a night out, I’d rather carry the gold clutch with pinkdetailing.
The pink clutch is from Flip-flopand is available for Rs. 2,800 while the Golden one, also a Flipflop product,is priced at Rs. 1,400. Surprised? Even I was, but then that’s how it is atQvendo, new and better deals everyday.

I still havelots more shopping to be done, with around 31thousand still at my disposal! Yippeeeee!So let’s hit the loveleather section and see what we can get our hands on. I had to getsomething in black and maybe will even pick a golden with Pink to go with myclutches, let’s see if I get lucky!

My first obvious choicewas the black Chloe Strap peeptoe for Rs.14,900 which originally was forRs.27,900!

While my second option was thisSchumacher strap sandal in beige and coral colours worth Rs.8,900 which wasoriginally tagged for Rs. 24,700!

Ive also selectedthis brown D&G glares, worth Rs. 7,900 for they have this unique shapewhich go well on almost all face cuts.

My next selectwas a Grey Lawrence Belt worth Rs. 2,900 which you’ll have to pay Rs. 5,200 incase you don’t buy from Qvendo.

Opps when Istarted my tour, I was under the impression that how would I be able to spendso much on one site, but now looking back I think I need more, are youlistening to me Qvendo? Here I’ve just managed to shop for myself, need to buysome for Hubby and baby too. Please give me one more go! And then there’sDiwali also around the corner, I was thinking if I could get some gifts forfriends and family too.

So I think I’lltake a tour no. 3 all over again at Qvendo’s! Till then Happy Shopping!

Incase you havenot yet registered with Qvendo here’s your chance to do it again! Mind youthese memberships are by invitation only, and that too this link shall take youto be a VIP member, so don’t waste time! Discover Qvendo

Oh before you get on your own shopping tour, dont forget to leave your footprints here in form of some comments!

To like it on FB click here, it will help me win the competition! And for all the bloggers, don forget one like deserves another! Best Of Luck!

Sweet and Sour

2011-10-27T23:17:00.000-07:00

Ever noticed a sugarcane juice vendor more commonly known asGanne Ka Ras wala in most parts ofIndia? He keeps squeezing the sugarcane until its well past the limits to getoptimum juice out of it, knowing very well his product will be sweet or to themost a bit tasteless.
But at the same time, a lemon juice vendor (our nimbupani wala), never will do anything like that, he gives the lemon a requisitesqueeze and then throws the lemon in the bin.

Even if he tried to squeeze the lemon further, in an attemptto get more juice, he will only get sour or bitter juice. And hence spoilingwhat he already has.

Physically sugarcane is much bigger and stronger than alemon, but because sugarcane is a “sweet” fruit, it is taken for granted; it isalways expected to deliver sweetness. But the lemon whose properties we all areaware of is never expected to give sweetness, same is with life. We only needto portray our real properties to the world around us, people and circumstanceswill follow accordingly.

Most of the times, we do things so as to make others happy,to make them say such nice things about us, we are scared of being taggednegatively, of being called arrogant, ill-tempered or any other such name so wefall in line and do as we are told. We need to let the other person know howmuch we’d be willing to give in to him/her, to a relationship or to acircumstance and the rest shall follow.

I’m not saying we should be sour and bitter at all times,though there is nothing wrong with it, as there are countless recopies whichneed the lemon’s sourness, but we could all try to be like a sweet lime. A bitsweet normally but if pushed – squeezed more, give way to some bitterness too.

Life is all about balance, but by the time we learn this balance, we realize we have reached the end of the rope.

Qvendo, Brands at your doorsteps.

2011-09-30T22:50:00.000-07:00

When I was told to imagine having Rs.50,000 at my disposal to be used at the Qvendo's Luxury Brands site, I was elated! But once I got to the site, I realized how tough it was going to be. There were some amazing brands with unbelievable offers and a great array of exclusive stuff.

Qvendo, a Luxury boutique fashion shopping club, brings the best brands from the international shores right to our door steps. It not only offers it privileged members, which are by invitation only deals that are hard to give a miss, but also shares best fashion and style tips and techniques from England to India!

Being more of a shoe person, I hit the Love-Leather corner first. But not to my surprise, I could not decide on just one, but having Rs.50,000 at my disposal and with such good discounts, I chose to settle for 3. (Little did I know, Rs.50,000 does not mean I can have the world!)

My next obvious stop was the glares department. With brands like Giorgio Armani, Hugo Boss, Emporio Armani and Dolce & Gabbana, all vying for my attention, it was once again difficult to choose just one. Here are my picks.

Next destination was the bags department. Here I choose these two.Both go well with what I already have in my wardrobe at the same time blend seamlessly with Casual Indian or western wear. These bags are also very convenient to use and

Oh no, I hate to do this, but Qvendo has just launched new stuff, a range of dresses from the Houses of Calvin Klein, Hilfiger, Armani and many more. I'm off for more shopping! What are you waiting for?

Here’s your chance to be their exclusive VIP member for free, but I’m warning you, the deals they got there will tempt you, and make you want more and more.

http://qvendo.com/vip/indianblogger

Indian Driving Rules.

2011-09-15T21:41:00.000-07:00

Rule #1

Valid license a must for drivers.

Indian interpretation

You are allowed to drive as soon as you are 18, and allowed to learn, on the roads and .around the city, as soon as your legs reach the accelerator.

The sooner the better.

Rule #2

Follow the traffic rules, signs and signals at all times.

In India

We don't learn about the traffic rules, signals or for that matter, most of the times we don't even have time to see the signs or lights. There’s so much more on the road to feast my eyes on, and I’m such a perfect driver, always watching the roads, what do I need traffic rules or signals for?

Rule #3

Always overtake from the driver’s side of the vehicle you intend to overtake.

In India

If I have to overtake why do I need to take sides? Once I overtake him, he will know it, as it is he’s driving so slowly!

Rule #4

While entering a round-about, the rights to the road are always of the vehicle on your right, left incase of left-hand side drive. Let vehicles already in the circle exit first.

Indian Methodology

When I’m paying equal amount of taxes, how can his right to the roads be more than mine? Why should I let anyone else go before me, when their driving skills are not even half as good as me?

Rule #5

Always use your indicators while changing lanes or turning your vehicle.

In India

In most of the cases, we don't indicate, and even if we do, we have our hands and feet at our disposal! It is so easy to use one’s hand and indicate instead of switching on-off my indicators.

Though, I don't know why I need to indicate my direction, when in a moment they shall know where my car is headed.

Rule #6

Rear view mirrors and side view mirrors help you drive more safely. Use them at all times.

Indian version

In India, the roads are so full that there is no space for side view mirrors, most of the times, they are either removed or kept shut.

And for the rear view mirror, why do I need to look at the vehicle behind me, when I can hear him honking on my head?

Rule #7

A car has to be parked as per the parking lines in order to save space and not hinder traffic.

Parking in India

As it is, it is so difficult to get a parking space and if I go about being thoughtful about others, where will I park? I should get a parking space closest to my destination (In India it can rain any moment, so being I’m prepared), and my parking should also offer me the easiest exit route. So always leave at the least ½ a car’s gap behind and in front of your car!

But there is one common “unsaid rule”, which we witness all over the globe. A mentality, that all females are “bad drivers”. So when a man sees a women driving he will go fast and over take her, show her who’s the boss hoot some more louder and stare at her like she’s from the moon. But being a female, this is still my favorite one; I use it to my advantage.

I take it like, as I’m a female driver, I’m bad, so please excuse me, and let me go, at my own pace in my own fashion.

Happy driving.

Ganpatti Bappa shall not help

2011-09-12T02:16:00.000-07:00

No No please don't misunderstand me. I am also an avid believer and follower of Lord Ganesha. And we also keep Ganeshji at our house for 10 days. But every year when I witness Ganeshji being immersed in water with all the fanfare and singing and dancing, I wonder why we do this? I’m sure there is a logical mythological tale behind all this too just as almost all our Indian traditions do have. But what if Ganeshji takes offence and is hurt by all this annual tradition of ours? Then what? One scenario could be like this.

Once there were some people drowning in the middle of some sea or river, they were all praying to their respective Gods and Goddess.

A Christian family called upon Jesus to help them, Jesus came and rescued them instantly.

Next a Muslim couple was helped by Allah. They reached shore safely.

The Sikhs gurus came to the rescue of their fellow Sikhs.

Cutting a long story short, at the end of it only a Maharashtrian family was stuck on the ship. Everyone could see that Ganeshji was jumping up and down, but on closer inspection they realized that Ganeshji was happily dancing and signing and not trying to help his worshippers.

Someone asked him what was the reason behind all this, he very innocently replied, every year this is the same that they do to me, how was I supposed to know they will not like it!

So moral of the story is, incase you are stuck in the sea or river, never pray to Lord Ganesha!

GanpattiBappa Morya!

Mangal Murti Morya!

An Apple a day keeps the Doctor away, but...

2011-09-09T04:22:00.000-07:00

My dad v/s my grandpa

Year 1955

Subject: Radio

Dad: Pappa, there’s a new thing shaped like a box, and it talks to you. There are people inside who will talk to you and will also sing for you. You will not have to go to the chowk (meeting place in small towns and villages.) and ask your friends about things happening around you.

Grandpa: Are you mad! How can someone talk to you from a small box? How will the box know what is happening in our village? Don't waste my time.

Dad v/s Grandpa

Year 1970

Subject: Telephone

Dad: But why not? If we get this instrument, we can talk to you sister who lives all the way in Haridwaar. It will be so nice. Mom can phone and ask her friends what time they have to go to the temple instead of making me run to their house all this time!

Grandpa: What you are talking about is not practical. It’s a joke. How can a person talk to someone who is miles and miles away from here? It’s a scam. Not possible at all. Don't waster your time and my money on such non-sense things.

Me v/s Dad

Year 1990

Subject Computer

Me: But why not? Everyone at school is using it and I am the only who doesn’t have it. You know we can play games on it, mom can save her recipes in it and you can do your accounts and calculations in that same machine. Its like having a Robot! It will surely make life very easy for all of us!

Dad: Why would I want to use such a big machine to do calculation which I can do easily on my calculator? It does not make any sense! And mom is also happy using paper to save her recipes why buy a computer? Money does not grow on tress, learn to value it!

Me V/s Dad

Year 2000

Subject Mobile

Me: But dad, I have to have it! I can’t go to college without it. All my friends have one and so I also want one anyhow.

Dad: But why? We have a telephone at home, you can use it when you need to, and I don’t understand why would you and your friends want a phone with you during college?

Me: With a mobile I can even text my friends and tell them what I have to say to them.

Dad: Why would you want to text your friends when you can talk to them? Your generation does not value money. Wait till you have to earn it yourself!

Son v/s me

Year 2011

Subject Samsung Galaxy 750

Son: But ma you don't understand, it’s the latest, fastest and the sleekest so far.

Mom: That’s what you said when we were buying your mobile last time, you said it works faster than my computer.

Son: Not this time, The Samsung Galaxy Tab 750 is not only the sleekest and fastest, but it’s a breakthrough in all technological aspects. Trust me. From work to entertainment, from social sites to school projects, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 can handle it all. No more waiting for pages to load and games to start, with the NVIDIA tegra 2 Dual core processor I can instantly load games, project files, images all in an instant!

Mom: But you have a laptop for all these same reasons! What’s the need to buy a tablet?

Son: Ma, once you see this video you will realize what’s so special about this tablet.

CLICK and enter into a new world!

Mom its,

Lighter than your compact powder
Faster than the fastest Bugatti
As sturdy as The Rock
As Reliable as Rahul Dravid
As stunningly beautiful as Katrina Kaif (Oppss I forgot you like Aiswarya Rai better)

All in all, it’s the best in the world of tablets, and we have to have it too!

Mom you always say an apple a day keeps the doctor away. But if I have the galaxy tablet, it will keep everything and everyone at the tips of my fingers.

Son v/s me

Year 2025

Subject waiting for a new demand

He is still stuck like glue to his Samsung Galaxy Tablet!

Son v/s me

Year 2040

Unbelievable even after so many new gadgets have been launched, he feels he has an upper hand over his peers with his galaxy tablet.

Why not?

2011-08-17T03:59:00.000-07:00

As a child I remember reading an Akbar-Birbal tale in which someone had stolen something from Akbar’s palace, but no one had any idea as to who the culprit could be. There were thus around 25-30 people who were under suspicion.

And as usual Birbal came up with a novel way of catching the thief. He announced to everyone on the palace premises that he had in his possession a magic lotion, which was transparent, but when applied on a thief’s palm would change its color to red. Hearing this, everyone was wondering what next. Now Birbal asked each one of them to go in a room alone and apply the lotion on their palms and come out. After the whole bunch had gone in and applied the lotion, to everyone’s surprise, there was no red palm in the room.

So now who was the thief they asked each other.

That’s when Birbal declared the thief; it was the person who did not have a rose fragrance on his palms. The “Magic” lotion was rose water, and it would not turn a thief’s hands red, but could keep the fragrance away from the person who did not apply the lotion fearing his hands shall turn red!

Today when I see the politicians and the bureaucrats showing their negative attitude towards the Jan Lokpal bill, a similar feeling is creeping inside. Why would they want to pass a law which shall bring a negative impact or spin a web which will strangulate their income?

Whenever a government employee, be it from the banks, railways or ministers themselves, want a pay hike or any of their demands fulfilled, if they feel something is not going as per their plan, declare strikes or bandhs, carry out rallies, disrupt a common man’s life, public and private properties are damaged and sometimes even destroyed; But still no one is taken into custody or remand! Because it’s a politician’s call.

Today, when a common man did the same, the same police force and the ministers call it illegitimate? The system is now trying to illuminate the nation of the laws and protocols that exists for carrying out a peaceful agitation. Is the government trying to educate us about my rights to use my fundamentals rights are also in subject to their conditions?

But all is still not lost. The government still has decency and has not applied section 144 across the nation, it is still letting the media do their work without interference and last but not the least, it had the decency to retract and apologize for some callous remarks made in reference to Anna Hazare.

Anna, the Brother of the nation

2011-08-16T04:53:00.000-07:00

Not that many of us would have switched on our TV sets, yesterday morning to watch our flag being hoisted or the false promises we hear our Prime Ministers make each year, as compared to today morning. Today, when Anna Hajare was scheduled to go on protest with the support of millions of other patriotic Indians. We all, people who have been following Anna, were aware that the govenment will definitely do something or the other to crush the movement or at least hamper its proceedings, like how we witnessed during Baba Ramdev's agitation.

But what happened today morning was more shoddier than anyone of us could have expected. This was the worst morning to begin our 65th year of our so-called Independence!

Even before he could start his protest, a non-violent one, he and his aides we taken into "CUSTODY", upon being inquired on what charges were the police taking them into custody they were told "We don't know, we have got our orders!" A very filmy dialogue, but then as they say, real makes reel.

Who gives orders to their sub-ordinates to harass and humiliate, to cage a 74 year old Indian citizen who is fighting for like a common man for a common man, in a country which is governed by the common man? Who claims to be the world's biggest democracy? I also saw an old man in a wheel-chair being taken into a police van so as to maintain law and order situation in the country. Does those intelligent politicians out there think the common man is such a big idiot?

Ironically so as to maintain law and order situation in the country, Anna Hajare, today's pillar of non-violence and a image of Mahatma Gandhi, has been kept imprisoned in the same ward as Suresh Kalmadi who is facing charges of corruption. Maybe the change will come from their itself.

For those of you who are blank about what I'm talking about, here is a list of 10
things to know about Anna Hazare 'n Jan Lok Pal Bill.

1. Who is Anna Hazare?

An ex-army man. Fought 1965 Indo-Pak War

2. What's so special about him?

He built a village Ralegaon Siddhi in Ahamad Nagar district, Maharashtra

3. So what?

This village is a self-sustained model village. Energy is produced in the village itself from solar power, biofuel and wind mills.

In 1975, it used to be a poverty clad village. Now it is one of the richest village in India. It has become a model for self-sustained, eco-friendly & harmonic village.

4. Ok,...?

This guy, Anna Hazare was awarded Padma Bhushan and is a known figure for his social activities.

5. Really, what is he fighting for?

He is supporting a cause, the amendment of a law to curb corruption in India.

6. How that can be possible?

He is advocating for a Bil, The Jan Lokpal Bill (The Citizen Ombudsman Bill), that will form an autonomous authority who will make politicians (ministers), beurocrats (IAS/IPS) accountable for their deeds.

8. It's an entirely new thing right..?

In 1972, the bill was proposed by then Law minister Mr. Shanti Bhushan. Since then it has been neglected by the politicians and some are trying to change the bill to suit thier theft (corruption).

7. Oh.. He is going on a hunger strike for that whole thing of passing a Bill ! How can that be possible in such a short span of time?

The first thing he is asking for is: the government should come forward and announce that the bill is going to be passed.

Next, they make a joint committee to DRAFT the JAN LOKPAL BILL. 50% goverment participation and 50% public participation. Because you cant trust the government entirely for making such a bill which does not suit them.

8. Fine, What will happen when this bill is passed?

A LokPal will be appointed at the centre. He will have an autonomous charge, say like the Election Commission of India. In each and every state, Lokayukta will be appointed. The job is to bring all alleged party to trial in case of corruptions within 1 year. Within 2 years, the guilty will be punished. Not like, Bofors scam or Bhopal Gas Tragedy case, that has been going for last 25 years without any result.

9. Is he alone? Whoelse is there in the fight with Anna Hazare?

Baba Ramdev, Ex. IPS Kiran Bedi, Social Activist Swami Agnivesh, RTI activist Arvind Kejriwal and many more.

Prominent personalities like Aamir Khan is supporting his cause.

10. Ok, got it. What can I do?

At least we can spread the message. How?

Putting status message, links, video, changing profile pics.

At least we can support Anna Hazare and the cause for uprooting corruption from India.

At least we can hope that his Hunger Strike does not go in vain.
At least we can pray for his good health.

Free Association Writing?

2011-08-05T03:40:00.000-07:00

I read about a writing technique called free association, it’s sometimes used by writers, (some non-writers also like me) to help them write their thoughts out; it need not be grammatically correct or intellectually right. Authors or writers are said to use this technique to help them draw out their session plans. Or would it be called chapter plans here?

Well reading about it, I thought why not I try it, cause its been a long time since I wrote anything on my blog, and though there’s sooooo much to write about I just dint know where to start from or rather what to start with. I shall refrain from calling it a writers block, as I don't feel I fall in the writer’s criteria in the first place.

So here’s my 1^st attempt at free style writing. (Later I noticed I’ve always indulged in this style even when I dint know about this technique too.)

Its 9am in the morning, (ever heard of 9am in the evening?) and after reading the newspaper, which has less news and more advertisements, though I’d like to confess here, that advertisements are all that I read in the newspapers here. Actually, at home, we get only Hindi dailies. And these Hindi newspapers advertise mostly in English. Looking at the paper I wanted to grab my husband’s wallet and go more for free association shopping rather then writing, but then as the 1^st option was not practical I opted for the 2^nd one.

But what to write about, the weather? The day and time? I don't know what to start with, again I don't know how to write? I guess this exercise, which seemed very easy on reading about it, requires more patience, more discipline which I certainly lack.

When we want to screen out our thoughts and focus within our core or soul or whatever it is, we somehow cant, I guess that is what they mean when they say it comes from within.

So waiting again for words to come out from within.

Till then am enjoying your write ups my fellow bloggers! (I’d read some where, the more you read the more you will think; and the more you think you shall know and learn; and if I know more I will either talk more or write more!!)

I also am thinking if I’ve got lazy, you know it’s more fun to just read and comment rather than think and write. I don't know maybe it says something about my personality, maybe about me. Does it happen with you too? If it’s a temporary phase I’ll like it but as time flies by I’m even worried, when will I get over it, over my laziness and start writing and putting forth my views again. But then again, is this new post a sign? Does this bring an end to my hibernation from writing?

My fingers are crossed.

M Back...

2011-07-18T23:48:00.000-07:00

Well I know some of you noticed and some dint, :(, but its OK, its just feels good to be back.
Had gone to mom's house for an extended vacation as my sister was getting married.

Special thanks to Bikramjit, for wondering where I've wandered off it. It made me feel special. Thank you.

As every time I shall first take time to read what you folks have been writing about and then write my side of the story.

Hum Saath Saath Hai

2011-04-30T03:57:00.000-07:00

My blog title has been inspired for a fellow-blogger (Always Happy) friend’s titles. She has an unusual way of putting up important things in a light and easy manner. And so today when I was thinking of an apt title, I happened to use her technique.

While dropping my daughter for her classes yesterday, which I’ve been doing for more than 6 months now, but some things strike you late, I passed a house, where there is an Audi, a Lexus and a Porsche, parked side by side a speed boat. Here I would like to remind you my friends, its not so usual in Indore to have so many top end models in one house, so you can imagine how filthy rich this person would be, but then his next door neighbor with whom he shares boundary wall is a, you may not have guessed it, a slum dweller, who works with a monkey and a street dog to earn his daily wage!

My daughter’s school is a supposed to be amongst the best in the state, but in its back drop, there is a area which is house to a small group of homeless people, for whom education is a far away dream, the only things that they pray for are food and a decent pair of clothing.

In life we often come across such stark disparities, which at times also make me feel guilty, I don't know why. But then I see the other types and I also feel jealous, how she can have more than I have. I don't know if it happens with everyone or not, but when I’m in a good mood, I see the lesser ones, but when I’m in a bad one, I always see people who are better off then me.

Though I have the sensibilities to understand that on the ladder of life, the rung that I'am standing on is not on any of the extreme ends, , but there are always things that someone will have that you would be longing for. It could be anything, material, emotional or physical. For my daughter, it’s the baby monkey she sees everyday on her way to school, she even asked me why she can’t have a monkey in her house too. For me its emotions. I think love can conquer over everything, if there is enough love and acceptance around you nothing in this world can let you be sad or low.

Tathastu, God Bless.

2011-04-04T06:34:00.002-07:00

You are the spark that ignites

The life for me

Otherwise it’s just spurts of

Air in and out of me

You make life worthy of being

More than love to be seen

Is to be felt

There are spasms that happen

Here and there, not too often

Of missing and seeing you

But the presence makes up for moments lost.

I would like to have more of you

More of you than life itself,

More here than there

More with me than without me

No, I’m not complaining

Just aspiring for more

Hopeful for a Tathasthu! (Wish Granted)

Knowing you are loved is not enough

Feeling the love is what matters.

Tathastu, God Bless.

2011-04-04T06:34:00.000-07:00

You are the spark that ignites

The life for me

Otherwise it’s just spurts of

Air in and out of me

You make life worthy of being

More than love to be seen

Is to be felt

There are spasms that happen

Here and there, not too often

Of missing and seeing you

But the presence makes up for moments lost.

I would like to have more of you

More of you than life itself,

More here than there

More with me than without me

No, I’m not complaining

Just aspiring for more

Hopeful for a Tathasthu! (Wish Granted)

Knowing you are loved is not enough

Feeling the love is what matters.

Crazy Cricket Craziness

2011-04-02T21:51:00.000-07:00

So finally we’ve won the world cup, what an honor what craziness what not!

Here first let me tell you I love cricket, and enjoyed the match as much as anyone.

And my heartiest congratulations to one and all!

But how do we celebrate? And how do we take the victory or the failure makes the man a winner.

Yesterday, as in most parts of the world, not just India, but also in the US, in

Canada

and the Arab countries, our national flag was all over the place.

People were seen holding, waving and prancing all over the roads with the flag, isn’t this some kind of disrespect to the flag?

Our national anthem, for which we are supposed to stand up and show respect, was the favorite song to be danced on, be it in the streets or from car speakers.

Mad and crazy things happened on the streets, lots of people with kids and wives were harassed and troubled, because a majority of the public was “HAPPY”.

The streets were jammed, people were jumping out of cars in the middle of the roads and dancing, singing and abusing, I can understand the dancing and singing part, but why abuse? Blowing your car horns, trumpets and dholl (drums), it was all happening and adding up to the noise decibel.

Even before the match, we called them Ravans, and spread the word about “Lanka Dhavan” (Burn Lanka), is that the way we Indians treat our “Atithis” (Guests)?

We were the world cup finale’s hosts; I feel we could have shown some poise some dignity.

On my way back from a friends place after witnessing the awesome moment, I saw some rather shocking things, things I dint think should happen, weather here or elsewhere. And these incidents wiped off some of the enthusiasm off the feeling of winning the world cup.

Just that we were stuck in the traffic and took more than 90 minutes for a 10 minute drive was not enough.

There was a couple with a small child in the car who was terrorized by all this shenanigans. A man happened to jump upon their car! He may not have found enough space on the roads.

People throwing holi color with water and beer was also a very common sight, did we get free alcohol with the world cup too that I was not aware of?

Fire crackers were another nuisance. I can understand bursting crackers, but this was more like bursting the whole fire-cracker factory! My next door neighbor has delivered a baby the recently she just got home yesterday morning; I was more worried about the child than anything else.

You shall also see lots of people saying, “PROUD TO BE AN INDIAN”, I want to ask weren’t you proud to be an Indian, sans the world cup? Is being an Indian, only limited to winning the world cup?

Lessons in Life

2011-03-10T20:26:00.002-08:00

In life we often fear to be misunderstood, we worry about how we will be perceived by others, these others could be people whom we care about, or don't care about, but still they matter.

Recently I heard an anecdote; it is about a father and son, who are traveling with a pony, from one village to another.

When they began their journey, both of them were ridding together on the pony. A while later, some passer-bys commented how cruel they were, two healthy men ridding on one small pony, hearing this, the father got off the pony and started walking while he let his son ride on.

Then they came across some other travelers, seeing the son ridding alone on the pony and his father walking they commented on how the generation is shameless and all, hearing this, the son got down and made his father sit on the horse.

A little further down the route, someone called the father heartless and uncaring, who was himself ridding comfortably on the pony but making his son walk in the heat! Listening to this, the father also started walking with his son.

Now, seeing the two men walking with the pony by their sides, people started calling them foolish and stupid~ why walk when you can ride on it, they asked. And started laughing, not knowing that is where they had started with.

In life, we often want to do things that are not approved of by others, irrespective of the fact whether those same people matter to us or not in life. If they are important in our lives and love us truly, they will agree with our methods and thoughts, and incase they don't, we should not let them bother or influence us, but we do, and by doing it, we hurt ourselves only.

I don't know what is right what is wrong, but I think we should try and do what we want, how we want, as long as our actions and decisions don't hurt others and make us happy it cant be wrong. Rest I don't know.

Cricket (mind) Blogging!

2011-03-07T21:35:00.000-08:00

The game of cricket is considered a gentleman’s game, how I don't know, but what I do know is, 11 men throwing, catching and hitting a small ball with a wooden bat on an open ground does not seem manly to me, more like kids play.

These days with the world cup happening, it’s more and more everywhere. I had read somewhere that after football internationally cricket is the most favorite sport, why? What makes cricket click so much, that in India it is also called at our religion? What is it about the game that takes ones fancy so much? What is it about it that excites people in Asia so much?

When I asked some people they gave me some ill-logical reasons, like,

Because there are so many players and more spectators, so more people can play and watch and enjoy.
Hello, sports like soccer and hockey also have 11 players a team and stadiums can accommodate as many spectators as cricket grounds do. People come to watch the matches only if the sport is popular, not vise-versa.

Because in cricket every ball can effect the result of the game so its interesting.

Not all balls can change the fate of a game, yes agreed there are some close matches, but that happens in all games, all sports, so what is new?

Someone even called it the game of the beasts!
I know we get a kick out of seeing others suffer, but cricket is not such a beastly game as rugby or soccer.

The game has money, glamour and fame also in it.
Yes it does, for it is a very popular game, and the players are paid well because of its popularity, and not the other way round.

It is also said the cricket is gaining popularity because of the various forms it is played in, like you have the test matches, one day tournaments and now the 20-20 format also.
But like I said earlier, there are other sports too like, football and hockey which are also played in many formats, rather they have indoor and outdoor matches, they play on land, water and on ice too, and they also have variations in the number of players too.

But like all of them say, cricket is a mystery, make hay while it lasts! That’s what our politicians, stars and players seem to be doing.
Happy cricketing!

Following the post, I had some more inputs from a co-blogger, (I hope I am using the right word)Parimal, which I would like to share with my readers too.

Blue text Parimal
Black text Pooja (Has no negative intonations)

1) Cricket is so interesting because india won world cup in 1983 and this generation, i.e our generation was bought up seeing only cricket where we were named champions of the world. So that kept cricket floating in India.

1983 is a long time back, we are a country which forgets what happens in a month, how can you say we are clinging to the 80s?

2) No individual sport can match team sport in its excitement. So really cricket had only competition with hockey and soccer. Before cricket, hockey was religion in India but the decline of Indian hockey in the world prompted inclination on cricket.
I have to agree with you here, like i said, the more the number of players the more the fun. just proves the world is with you if you are successful.

3) Soccer and hockey are too physical games for the liking of an average Indian. Wherein cricket you can do your bit and then relax. for e.g. you can bat for a while then get out and relax while others are batting or you can bowl your over and relax at the fielding position.

I may be wrong here, but I think in soccer the players are rotated and given time outs too, so as to give them resting time too.

4) Cricket can be improvised and played any where with minimum amount of space and equipment and players. (Two players can play cricket. Can two players play soccer or hockey? :D)

Here I have to say, yes two players can play Hockey and Soccer! Think about it.

5) Lastly it is not all about money. It has made itself so strong that financial activities are surrounded more and more to it. I find it not at all wrong if it is making this amount of money. But eventually its the joy that it gives us; and it is multiplied because more people follow it and are happy because of it.

I think all sports give a joy to its followers, how it happens during the FIFA world cup, I think that the popularity of football/soccer is also on the rise.

Expectations

2011-02-20T21:59:00.002-08:00

I have read

I have been told

I have experienced

But still I have not learnt,

Is the core of all problems

Expectations

Wants, desires, wills

All come in a package

Called life and love

They don't sprout

Without a cause

Without a reason

They come with feelings

Of friendship

With kinship

And affection

They grow with

Bonds over time

Chats over coffee

Conversations

And occasions

In some instances

They nurture and foster

In others cases

They sabotage and kill

Relationships

Companionships

When you expect and don't get

You get frustration

When you get expect and get

It makes you want more

But

When you don't expect

You get fulfillment

Joy and happiness

If you can

I expect you to not expect.

Anything

Nothing from me

From anyone

My Name Is Pooja!

2011-02-16T21:40:00.000-08:00

A few exciting facts about the name Pooja. Yes, don't look here and there; I’m talking about my own name.

Oh BTW, it can also be spelled as Puja, saves one alphabet and also some paper and lead, in the later years to come.

For starters technically my name means, a prayer, no ways was I a prayer for the Gods!

But otherwise it also means to worship, does is mean I have to be worshipped or should I worship? Well as I still have this confusion, I don indulge in worshipping or let anyone worship me!

If you haven’t noticed by now, let me enlighten you, Pani-Puri, pizza, pau-bhaji, petrol, paint and Pooja, all exciting, delicious and interesting things begin with a P.

If I remember correctly there were al the least 2 Poojas in each of my class, every year. Some more in the other sections and divisions, in short the most popular name in the school was undoubtedly, Pooja!

There is this person whom I know of, his best female friend was Pooja, later his girl friend also had the same name, and he married (not his girlfriend) another Pooja! But that’s not all; his younger brother also fell in love and later married a Pooja, this time the same one!

But then coming back to my name, that’s what the blog was supposed to be about in the first place, Pooja Shah Desai, that is Pooja as in my first name, which I have elongated elaborately, brings us to Shah, my maternal name.

The Shah surname which I guess has some origins or roots from some or the other royalties, remember all those Shah Jahans’ and Akbar Shahs that appeared so frequently in our History texts, latest in the list being Shah Rukh Khan. But I have failed badly to try and draw a connection between any of these famous personalities, mainly because they all are Muslims and me a Hindu, as if you dint guess it from the name Pooja.

Here let me also tell you that Shah, if not more, is an equally popular surname amongst the Gujarati clan. It is one surname that the

government is not issuing visas to also.

And if all this was not enough, I married a Desai, now here I will go back on my words above where I said Shah was popular, because there I had not taken into consideration Desai’s popularity.

On the last count, only on facebook, count for number of Pooja was more than 600 and these were only with some mutual friend connection and with pictures, I did not dare find more, so I gave up the idea of finding how many Poojas like spelling their name as Puja!

Number of Pooja Shah also happened to cross the 600 mark, I dint have the inclination to count further.

And now what, u guessed it right, the count of Pooja Desai also crossed the 600 mark. I think there is something with FB which allows only 600 names to be displayed!

And here I was trying to find out, which of my name is more popular! If the government were to start taxing parents for calling their daughter Pooja, they would be lesser debt!!

But all said and done, there are some virtues too in having a name that is so common! I have all the anonymity that I would want, and still use my real name. I can say “My name is Pooja, naam to suna hi hoga!” with more ease than any Rahul!

Upcoming Fab-Feb!

2011-02-09T21:46:00.000-08:00

No other day (or celebration or what ever you may call it,) has been witness to changes as turbulent as has our Valentine’s Day, from a little known day amongst thousands of days that are celebrated all over the year through out the world, it is one of the most awaited days in the year, not only by the youth but for everyone in the family.

In the 80s or even maybe early 70s, if I remember correctly, Valentine’s Day was not much celebrated or even recognized by many. Before this, in India, other than Independence and Republic days, only children’s day was celebrated, or rather recognized.

Initially it was assumed that the day is for lovers only, as in a girl and a boy, and was considered a taboo thing so the youth used to hide it from parents and celebrate it outside. It was more like an anti-social thing. But gradually, slowly but surely we can say our understanding changed.

Once people were familiar they embraced the day and hence forth from the mid-80s, it was celebrated with lots of fane-fare in almost all metro cities. But it also had to face the wrath of some political parties, who even got violent and nasty in some cases. Who does not remember the Shiv Sena revolts in Mumbai, then Bombay?

After being politicized and criticized, and not to mention, they got their publicity, what they had intended in the first place, it was accepted that as the day is to encourage love, friendship and peace, it shall be allowed to be.

From then on, the marketing gurus took on; the day was the 1^st amongst many to be looked upon as big spending excuses. From cards, chocolates, cute teddies (just noticed how all of them begin with C) to expensive (read profitable) options like jewelries and diamonds. The list was a long one and never ending one. I had read somewhere about properties also being sold as valentine gifts!

And Valentine’s Day became what it is today. There is no news paper, no magazine, no TV channel no web site that does not remind you that it’s around the corner, and they also give you ideas for making it special for your loved ones (I often wonder do people really take it seriously after getting out of college?)

Talking about celebrating days, I just found out (from my service provider, who smses me the dates and days, and suggests I should send smses to my loved ones too.) that in the month of February, there are so many celebrated! Here’s a list, please add if I have missed out any.

Most of us think, February is the month of love, but it is also the friendship moth, I know like you people even I was thinking then why we don't have friendship day in this month too. So that we have to buy friendship day cards and gifts twice! They are not called marketing gurus just for nothing!

Feb 8^th – 14^th is Smile day, Rose day and also Propose day. (To make things simpler, they have clubbed it so you can celebrate all these days throughout the week!)

Feb 9^th is Chocolate day, and most of the time, people send virtual chocolates, so much for management guru tricks!

Feb 9^th is also celebrated as a Flower Day; this is news to me too! It’s supposed to be Primrose and Violet flower’s day, they are like trying to compete with rose day! They are supposed to be the flowers of the month.

On Feb 13^th is the International Friendship Month, how can a day be celebrated as a month? Whatever!

Now that you have celebrated friendship day, internationally, on the 13^th we shall also bring in “I value our friendship” day. Someone please help me with all these dates and days!

And finally arrives our special Valentine’s Day, need I mention the date also? But this is not the end of the celebratory week

!

But not many of us know, well actually even I would not have known it had I not been writing this post, that on the 14^th we also can celebrate, Heart to heart day along with a Hug Day! I’m sure all the guys out there dig this day!

OK so had fun on the 14^th? Now its pay back time! On the 15^th we have the “Thanks for a great valentine day” ritual. And here I was thinking we will get a break.

But the best one is yet to come, on the 19^th, after celebrating and thanking your valentines, its time for a Temporary Insanity Day! Yes INSANITY DAY, thank God it’s a TEMPORARY one! There were serious chances we would be permanently insane if we go through celebrating all the above mentioned days; not to mention almost bankrupt too!

And to end the month, the last week is also celebrated as the International Friendship day, yes, in case you forgot to celebrate it the whole month, you have one more chance, I shall refrain from saying last chance, as I’m confident, next month also we will be given lots of similar opportunities!

And the finale,(the best of the lot) take a guess people, there is Bread and Banana day on the 23^rd, followed by a cuddle day on the 25^th, will someone please tell me the difference between a hug day and cuddle day? To top it all, on the 27^th day of the month, we have the Polar Bear day, i seriously can’t go on. I need to go out and celebrate over the head day!

2011-02-08T02:52:00.000-08:00

I am sharing a forward I came across my inbox yesterday, could you please tell me if its for real?

Dear Friends!

Petrol in Pakistan Rs17 per litr

Malaysia Rs 18 per litr

In India it's Rs.65per litr

Why is there a difference within India itself? World Market CRUDE Oil is not

the reason for this. It's all Gain for private owners? As we are the general public, or Common Man as R.K.Laxman wud hv said, we have to raise our voice, let's raise thru Emails.

Forward this to all Indians who care.

IT HAS BEEN CALCULATED THAT IF EVERYONE DID NOT PURCHASE A DROP OF PETROL FOR ONE DAY AND ALL AT THE SAME TIME, THE OIL COMPANIES WOULD
CHOKE ON THEIR STOCKPILES.

AT THE SAME TIME IT WOULD HIT THE ENTIRE INDUSTRY WITH A NET LOSS OVER 4.6 BILLION DOLLARS WHICH AFFECTS THE BOTTOM LINES OF THE OIL COMPANIES.

THEREFORE " Feb.14 th" HAS BEEN FORMALLY DECLARED "STICK IT UP THEIR BEHIND " DAY AND THE PEOPLE OF THIS NATION SHOULD NOT BUY A SINGLE DROP OF PETROL THAT DAY.

THE ONLY WAY THIS CAN BE DONE IS IF YOU FORWARD THIS E-MAIL TO AS
MANY PEOPLE AS YOU CAN AND AS QUICKLY AS YOU CAN TO GET THE WORD
OUT. WAITING ON THE GOVERNMENT TO STEP IN AND CONTROL THE PRICES IS
NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE REDUCTION AND CONTROL
IN PRICES THAT THE ARAB NATIONS PROMISED TWO WEEKS AGO?

REMEMBER ONE THING, NOT ONLY IS THE PRICE OF PETROL GOING UP BUT
AT THE SAME TIME AIRLINES ARE FORCED TO RAISE THEIR PRICES,
TRUCKING COMPANIES ARE FORCED TO RAISE THEIR PRICES WHICH AFFECTS
PRICES ON EVERYTHING THAT IS SHIPPED. THINGS LIKE FOOD, CLOTHING,
BUILDING SUPPLIES MEDICAL SUPPLIES ETC. WHO PAYS IN THE END? WE
DO!

WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.IF THEY DON'T GET THE MESSAGE AFTER ONE
DAY, WE WILL DO IT AGAIN AND AGAIN. SO DO YOUR PART AND SPREAD THE
WORD. FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW. MARK YOUR
CALENDARS AND MAKE* *
*Feb.* 14 th

A DAY THAT THE CITIZENS SAY
"ENOUGH IS ENOUGH"

We forward so many junk email to many of our friends, now let us do
it for some useful cause to cut down the price of the petrol .. ....

REMEMBER : *Feb * 14 th

I would like to know your take on the situation.

A Father's Death

2011-01-31T20:44:00.000-08:00

I want him to die.

God please kill him.

Take him away forever.

I wish to kill him myself.

Give him death and free him from the pain and the torture.

I could not see him in this trauma, God spare us.

These thought plagued my head. I told him to dream, to live and to survive, I said we were fighters, but today it’s best he leaves and goes away. To a better place.

Last year he was diagnoised of cancer. They said he had a good chance if I would go for chemo. We said we will fight death, we can and we will survive. Never knowing it was our last fight. Each treatemnt weaker than the previous one, each taking a heavy toll on both of us.

His skin was peeling and burning, his body aching and crying, medications and radiations all being worse than the disease. I could not hold his hands, so was clinging to his hospital robe, chanting and praying to wane the germs away. But sometime that night I lost him.

I cried, cired lots, not knowing if they were tears of relief or of loss. Relief cause my son was free from his misery and in peace loss because he was the only person I had. Today my son din't die alone, I as a father also died.

But at the end of it I knew he was in a better place, in peace and without misery.

Have you ever had such magical moment when you felt such strong emotions? Although a dream, it seems so real to me! I am sure you have a story to tell too, share your thought as a comment here or on the Close-Up Facebook page. This post is participating in a contest, please vote for me on Indiblogger by clicking on promote there, if you want me to win! Thanks!

Revamp Your life

2011-01-23T21:46:00.000-08:00

We all have heard about makeovers. National International brands flourishing very well still go in for make overs or brand repositioning. Take for example, Reebok, Airtel, Videocon even coke which has been around for decades now, have all gone under the designer’s knife.

Multinationals change anything from its colors, tag lines to even its logo. Why do they need to do this? Especially when they are doing well with their present image. A brand is given a make over so as to being a freshness to it, so as to keep up with the newer breed of brands.

Same ways in life there are lots of times when we need a make-over. Revampign your life means bring with it a new zest to live, a new enthusiasm. When we keep doing things on a day to day basis for years at a stretch life tends to become monotonous and mundane.

We can live life in three ways.

First way is to walk the path that the world is walking on.

Second, do what we think is the right thing to do. Follow your head.

Third and the last way is to live life is by doing what you enjoy doing, what makes you happy, and enjoying your interests.

To develop your interests and to cultivate them into talents is a path less traveled. In today’s fast paced lives we forget what we like, what makes us happy, we run behind things that most of the time make others happy. Who has the time to think and analyze, we all want to just get to that coveted spot number 1 in life, earn lots and prosper lots, but what about quality, what about the other things in life. Mostly the immaterialistic things in life are neglected.

How often have we seen parents missing out on routine events in a child’s life for an important meeting? The same parent later, while spending time with his grandchild will wonder and repent missing out on doing all those things with his child, when he could.

Life revamping is all about taking time out now, for yourself and going through the other paths and options to be followed in life, while maintaining the primary focus of your life. You need not quit your job, but all you might need is to cut down on the number of hours, skip one or two meetings a month, to do what you want, when you can, who knows how many birthdays are left in your account.

Some small things to help you reposition your life could be

Change your look. It could be something simle as getting a new haircut, to something more drastic like changing your style of dressing.

Change the decor of your house, of your room, your bathroom or even just your cupboard. You could simply paint the whole house into a new theme or just one wall in your room, as per your circumstnaces. It will help.

Small changes in your rotuine also help. Like taking a new road to your office, or taking the stairs instead of the elevator.

Pursue your hobbies and interests. Do what you had always wanted to do. Paint, write, photography, travel, everything else can wait. If you are the sporty types, learn and play a sport regularly.

Build on memories revisit old friends, go thorugh the stack of old photographs, and write down what you rember about those people and things now. Who would you like to meet again, what would you like to do again, where would you like to go again?

Plan ahead the places you have always wanted to see, the things you had wanted to do, like climb the effiel tower, make practicla plans, and work towards it.

Go ahead make a new start all over again, get refreshed get rejuvenated. And be better prepared to take on the world.

Now as I’ve already done all this, I need a few more suggestions from your side. Leave me more ideas.

2011-01-21T22:06:00.000-08:00

Before posting my previous post about my friends Wanni and Brian, I had shared it with some people whom I know personally, as a test, to see what kind of reactions I’ll get from others. Most of them as expected were negative, everyone told me how I could post something on these lines; some even blamed me for advocating adultery.

Again after posting it, I came across people trying to explain to me that what Wanni and Brain were doing was not ethical, it was not right for the society.

Here I understand that emotional infidelity is worse than physical infidelity and all, but at the end of it, these two adults are doing what is making them happy, at the same time not compromising on their responsibilities and social standing.

Had I mentioned that Brian and Wanni were good or best friends than this issue would not have been raised in the first place. Tell me one thing, will changing the name of the relationship change their feelings for each other.

We often find that in India, lots of girls tie “Rakhi” to their male friends, feigning to be there brothers and sisters, these girls seriously believe that this ritual allows them to hang around with their guy friends too. And it does, when she says, he’s my rakhi brother; they are not “linked”.

I often ask myself, why something that makes us happy is judged on the basis of someone else’s belief of right or wrong. Why can’t we do some things in life being selfish, why has this sense of righteousness been so strongly instilled within us? And who has done it too. Whether its parents, society or extended family, it is ultimately us. It is us who have created then abided and now carried forwards these decrees of living, for better or for worse, depends on the circumstances of different individualistic situations.

Wanni and Brian

2011-01-20T02:02:00.000-08:00

Most of the times when people want to show love, affection they show it through some sort of a physical contact. When its love between two people from the opposite sex, it is deemed and expected that they marry and live together.

When I was in school, secondary school, I had heard someone say, love is a very difficult thing to get, meaning, you may have boyfriends now, but from amongst millions only one will get to marry the guy she is in love with.

In movies also, I was always shown a boy courts a girl, girl shows attitude for some time and then falls in love with the boy. Then they face resistance from their families and after lots of drama and tears, all fall in place and they marry, to live happily ever after.

But in real life, I came across a story or rather a real tale of these two people whom I’ve known for some time now. Some time as in I’ve known Wanni for more than 18 years now. Met her recently, coincidently. Like fate wanted me to meet her and write about her, her experience with love.

I’m sharing this with my readers obviously after receiving permissions from both and also after changing their names, but other than that the rest of it is true.

He saw her at a family gathering, a picnic of some sorts, when he was just in his teens, class 9 i.e.14years old, to be precise. She was in class 7, not even in her teens, just 12 at that age.

The next time he noticed her was during Navratri, a Gujarati celebration of dance and music, which has spread throughout India and amongst all Indians now.

Their parents shared quite some common friends because of which they often bumped into each other at family and social dos. Then he asked her to be his friend, those days a Hindi song “kya tum mujshe dosti karogi” (will you be my friend) was very popular. He sang that holding her hand in his car, while their respective mothers were in the front seat. She blushing, (should be) said “NO”; that’s what a a decent girl of those days was expected to say!

All this went on for some time, he used to come with the excuse of going for a walk while trying to see her board her bus early in the morning, and then waiting with binoculars in his balcony for the same bus to bring her back in the afternoon.

Finally she relented, and agreed to be “just friends” with him. And they went on like that for some time. Planning and pushing their respective parents to organize more outings and picnics so as to be able to just see each other. Those days there were no mobiles or the internet, so they had to use the telephone to talk to each other when their parents were out.

Though a strong bond it was completely platonic, it was those small somethings that are nothings that made them click and stick to each other. Things like talking from underneath the blanket when his brother was sleeping with him, or keeping a place for her near him while playing games with other family members, so as to be able to hold her hand, play with her fingers.

But then one day, his mother came across them and found out, and as seen in all Hindi movies, they were made to move away. He was made to promise never to get in touch with her and she too was told to keep distance. But they managed to sneak out at times and talk or meet up somehow. But both knew a future together was not in store for them.

Soon after this, his mother started a mad girl-hunt for his barely 18 year old son. And she found her match in a 16 year old girl, very pretty, very beautiful, just how she wanted her “bahu” (daughter-in-law) to be who was more necessarily from his caste also.

He was engaged, to a much prettier girl, someone who had lots of dreams and love in her eyes for him, he too was much in love with her also.

I don't know exactly how things were for him after that, but I know this much that, as Wanni’s parents were unaware of things between her Brian, and his mom, made her attend all those socials like old times, but this time she had to see her Brain with someone else, holding her hand and looking in her eyes, like how he used to do when they were together. She also had to attend his marriage and show her enthusiasm and enjoy it too.

In a way she wanted his marriage to work out and wished him happiness but also was sad that it dint work for her. But as she was still young and had lots to see in life was confident she will meet her better match too.

During the same time, she had finished her school and moved to a new place for college, met new people and more boys. But Brian was always around, somehow destiny used to make them meet and they used to pick up threads from where they had left.

It dint matter that he was married, she was dating someone else, or they dint have a future. They had their bond, their something special, yet platonic.

She also got married to a very caring and loving guy with whom she shares a very special relationship, but still Brain is Brain for her.

Time flew away, years have now become more than a decade, they both met so many people, so many special people, some still there some left, but they are still there for each other. Wanni and Brian.

They were separated by tons of excuses that were by relationships, by time, by distance, by families, by responsibilities, but destiny kept them together, through Love. Being together need not mean being physically together. Just knowing that there is someone for you somewhere is more than enough.

For me this is the best love story that I have come across in real or in reel. It taught me one thing, love is not about getting married and having sex, its about you, its more than that, coz no matter what you have your feelings are yours.

Visa: Rejected

2011-01-13T01:34:00.000-08:00

Very often we (as in Indians living in India), come across people who are in awe of others residing in the US, the America. Having lived in Gujarat, where no family is without some or the other relative in the states, I've never considered getting a US visa a hurdle in my life. Maybe more so coz I never “needed” to. Needed being the key word here.

There’s this lady I’ve known for some time now, Twish, who is married in India and has her parents living in the US. Both her parents are working in different sectors, which do not give them sufficient holidays simultaneously to come to

India

together. Because of this Twish has not met both her parents at the same time for more than a decade now. She’s applied for visas twice, rejected on both times. She has a family here, husband who’s earning much more than some of his counterparts on the American soil are, a daughter who’s doing very well academically and in-laws and other extended family members who make life worth living in India. But still the American authorities think she is a high risk illegal immigrant who once enters their soil will not leave. I want to ask why? Why will a lady leave her house, her family and want to stay there on her own that too illegally? I don't understand them and they don't understand us. For an Indian lady her child, her husband and his family is of utmost priority.

There was this other case which I heard about through Twish only, which is the main reason that propelled me to write this post today.

Uncle is a father, actually was a father of a young vibrant 20 something girl, his only daughter, whom he had send with a heavy heart, for letting her build a brighter future to the US for her further education. He wanted her to have the best in life, achieve all her aspirations and life to the fullest. All this came to a sudden, unexpected end in an accident which took her very far away then just a few thousand miles. She passed away in a distant land, alone. Her father wanted to go to US and get her body with him, so he applied for his US visa. Uncle did not want his daughter’s body to come alone like unclaimed baggage. But he was denied, rejected, saying it was not necessary.

It may not be necessary for her, or for the visa officials, but it was for a father, who had lost his only child. This is one of the most inhumane act that I have come across by a country who pledge on a daily basis to fight for humanity, for betterment of the human race and brotherhood. All these are just words. Just a guise.

Christmas Greetings

2010-12-25T02:29:00.000-08:00

My FB page is packed with merry Christmas wishes. Some pure n simple Merry Christmas, some like it short n simple, Merry Xmas, (who wants to type CHRISTMAS!)

Some are special ones, “don’t want much 4 Christmas. I just want the person reading this to remain happy & merry in life 4ever.” And this message is posted for the benefit of more than 350 people, how do you think Santa will manage this?

This one is a very happy one and it simply says Happy Merry Christmas, everyone!

Another happy Indian Christmas I came upon was “Anandmay Xmas” true Indian, true secularist.

A greeting from Santa I thought “Ho ho ho.. Merry Christmas to everyone” but it was from a lesser mortal than Santa.

But then there are some unique ones too. “MARRY” Christmas, dear whom you planning to marry off too? Then there is “Very Meri Christmas”, will someone please tell the fellow is not meri teri, its Merry!

A dear friend of mine wished all the way from the Vatican City, why he did not wish from his side I still wonder.

Here's wishing everyone a very merry and blessed Xmas, this was not from the pope but still sounds like it.

But my favorite one was “A day in my office is like Christmas. I do all the work and a fat guy in a suit gets all the credit. Merry Christmas all!”. Applies to all of us dsnt it?

But underneath all these different ways of greetings and wishing and there lies a desire to pray and hope for a better future for the other person, weather the other is willing to reciprocate or not. Though the deed is a very small, the thought that counts is insurmountable one.

Hey before you go don't forget to add your share of funny interesting or unusual greetings to my list.

Belated Thursday Challenge

2010-12-24T22:11:00.000-08:00

I don't know how all these fellow bloggers get into these various blog competitions and challenges but like looking at what they are doing. One such blog pal of mine is Bikram. After seeing HIS collection of STUFFED toys, opps sorry not toys, ANIMALS, which are not fluffy (for the record) and amongst which most he has won in the fair games, I was reminded of a similar picture I had clicked of Stuti (my daughter for all those who don't know).

And in this picture she looks like a stuffed lost doll to me. Like all parents even I am obsessed and possessed by my child.

Just A Call Away

2010-12-19T21:57:00.000-08:00

Just a call away

I know you are there

Somewhere

Far but not very away

Near but still not dear

Your embrace is familiar

Our encounter is memorial

I know it all too well

Yet somewhere

Just a mention of yours

And the joy that it brings

The smile that comes

But the memories

Prick and give pain

Hurt the within

Somewhere

Your words which were

Promises for me

Your thoughts that were

Meaning of life for me

Are all around, somewhere

The times spend sparkle my eyes

With tears

Bring weight on my hurt

With tenderness

But I know you are somewhere

Also thinking and waiting

For as you had once said,

You are just a call away

To talk, to share, to be

Together somewhere

US...

2010-11-17T06:59:00.004-08:00

Once

I was pretty, once you were attractive.

I was loving you were caring

There was chemistry

There was affection

Then there was a perfect US.

Now

I am still appealing, you are still striking

I’m still in love you still care

There is an understanding

There is warmth

But today where is the

in our lives?

We are busy, time is flying

But so is life;

Each moment is telling us,

You’ve just lost a joy

Let us gather ourselves

To build it again

To cherish you and me together

To enjoy the feeling of being US

Once Again

Different Diwali

2010-11-17T06:59:00.000-08:00

Diwali – a festival of lights, of crackers and sweets, of parties and merriment.

Light in Diwali denotes spreading of knowledge, friendship brotherhood and lots of love and peace. But in reality we end up doing just the opposite.

We welcome Diwali by cleaning our houses and then decorating it up with fancy electric lights, which consume more power then what some people have access’s to in an entire year.

We light diya’s and candles to seek blessing from Goddess Durga and Saraswati, but we forget that in doing so we are causing harm to Goddess Earth, “Dharti mata”. We use so much fuel in lighting diya’s in the celebration of this 5 day festival that we forget that some of our brothers need this same fuel to cook food.

We burst crackers, each trying to be louder and brighter than the other, but at the cost of our environment, air and noise. Ask a dog lover how much his pet is affected by all the noise created by these festivities. Ask a mother of a new born, how she managed to make her baby sleep that night.

We cook loads and loads of sweets and delicacies also offer them to all those who come to our house, but forget to share it with the needy.

We always want to show people how much better we are than the rest, but we forget to share our good fortune with the lesser ones.

Remember every time you feel better or more fortunate then someone else, give the extra something away, you will feel more superior.

We often say, dhan is Laxhmi, but to make Dhan into Laxhmi, you have to give it away. Try it, and feel the difference.

TATA makes BSNL happy (at my cost)

2010-11-04T03:21:00.000-07:00

Date: 25^th October 2010

Remember my post (customer is king) mentioning my trouble with my board-band connection? Well there is another twist in the story. This week again I had problems for more then a week. But because of all the difficulty I had last time they gave me a local cell number which I can call on when a problem persists. Read when they can’t provide me with the service.

Here I was happy to have some human to talk to and not some computer. But just then, I realized every time my net doesn’t work, I call my technical help desk at least 10 times in a day – this does not include calling the toll free number. And because I am using a BSNL connection, I’m being charged by them, this goes on for more than a week.

Hence I end up paying both TATA and BSNL for a service I don’t get to use. Somewhere I am also convinced; secretly TATA must be having some share and holding in almost all telephone companies. Similarly it would make good business sense for all non-performing service providers to do the same, so as to earn more revenues!

Brilliant aren’t I? NOT AT ALL. Just bored and tiered and frustrated that I can’t do anything other than right on my system, not knowing when I will be able to post it online.

Waiting for the connection

Finally I get to put the post up!

Happy Diwali!

5 minutes, please

2010-10-15T23:12:00.000-07:00

A wife called her husband at work, during his so called “peak hours “(when is it off peak?).

Tring Tring.

Husband: Hello? (In his sweet and ready-to-help you tone.)

Wife: Hi! It’s me.

Husband: “Oh, What is it?” (In his very husbandly tone)

Wife: “What do you want to have for dinner” (wanted an excuse to talk to him.)

Husband: “I’ll call you in 5 mins. Am busy right now.” (Being genuinely busy and tied up with more important matters.)

Wife: “Ok fine but don’t forget. Bye.”

Husband: “” Why say bye when I am going to call back in 5 mins.

After waiting for more than an hour the wife calls husband again.

Wife: “Hi” (a bit angry and hurt but tone still in control)

Husband: “What now, I told you I’ll call you once I’m free”

Wife: “No you said you will call in 5 mins.” (Loosing her patience, almost)

Husband: “Ok so I was busy and you can make whatever you feel like, I don’t have issues.” (Thinking he understands and is being co-operative.)

Wife: “Ok. Bye.” (Hurt, disappointed and even feeling lonelier.)

Next day the wife was out with her friends, she had called and informed her husband that she will be gone for 2hours in the evening. On returning home, he finds us still out, so he calls to inquire about her whereabouts.

Wife: “Hello”

Husband: “Where are you?”

Wife: “I told you I will be going out with my friends”

Husband: “Ok I’m home when will you be getting back?”

Wife: “In 5 mins.”

Husband not being used to being alone in the house, calls wife in less then 20mins and asks what happened why she isn’t home yet.

Husband: “You said 5 mins; it’s been more than 20.” (Irritated and almost angry)

Wife: “Ya I know, but yesterday your 5 mins was 2 hours long and today lasted only for 20 mins?” (She was teasing him not realizing that he is angry)

Husband hangs up, would have banged the phone had it not been his new hi-tech cell phone.

BCAM- SCAM!

2010-10-14T04:22:00.000-07:00

My last post was about illuminating people about Breast cancer and spreading its awareness but while posting it and giving it the title I did, another though came across my mind, and I decided to write about it before it left me. So here I am, writing 2 posts on the same day. And there I was calling myself lazy in my older scripts.

IF on the virtual front I am bombarded with news and information about breast cancer, its causes, symptoms and more then in the real world I am made to pay (literally) and contribute towards its so called research and “life saving technology” development.

There are lots of stored and restaurants which out up a donation box featuring a picture of the most under-nourished child and asking us to drop in some money just while we are paying for some frivolous stuff picked from the same store.

These days, being the days of October- also known as the PINK MONTH, stores world over are flooded with pinky pink stuff, be it ribbons, scarf, bags, caps, cufflinks, car magnets even shoes anything in the name of charity! I even came across a pink diet, beat it!

I saw this article where to spread breast cancer awareness a footballer is wearing PINK SHOES! Then there is this site who wants to make it all fun, so they have organized a pink walk, kind of a marathon, where you have to donate, under the guise of buying a lantern and walking with it till the end. Here I was wondering where the fun part is. All these marketing charades I just can't digest.

Just last week while checking my Pizza bill I came across an item called charity, I was “charged” Rs.10, a petty amount per person, but without consent. Here let me clarify I am not complaining about being charged, but about the fact that no one is calculating what percentage or what share of the amount thus collected is going where, weather it is benefiting anyone other than the pizza joint or not.

On asking the attend there, I was informed that even they don’t have a clue, in the manager’s words, “they were asked to charge and were just doing their job.” They thought I was making a scene for a mere couple of bucks, conveniently forgetting and ignoring my line of reasoning and questioning. On an average, even if the joint is billing 250 tables, a petty sum of Rs.10 accumulates to Rs.2500 per day, assuming this has been going on for even a month, the amount escalates to astounding Rs.75,000. Here I have not taken into consideration the fact that on Sundays and Holidays these joints cater to more than 500 tables.

Is there a system or technology which shows us in whose pockets this collection is going? If I’m donating to some cause I should be made aware of its beneficiaries in the least.

Charity is not something that you pay for and get away with a feel good factor; it is something you have to do. You could start being generous to people around you, who work for you in your office, in your homes and do your bit.

Taking it a bit further you could spread out in your neighborhood, your area, your city. Take a step one by one, there are a lot too many companies already spending more than billions on research, they all want to crack the code and hit jackpot, there are very few people who are actually wanting to do some good.

October, BCAM

2010-10-13T22:43:00.000-07:00

October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, not day not week a full month. Though I happened to know about breast cancer and its consequences, a bit also about its causes and symptoms, it was only after I took the quiz by indusladies.com that I realized how ill-informed I was, not only was I having some myths and misconceptions about this widespread dreaded disease, but also was missing out on some serious facts. You could also test your Breast Cancer awareness by taking the quiz yourself, but before that read on so that you get all the answers right (unlike me)!

Like for instance I was under the impression that Breast cancer can affect only women over the age of 40years, but now I know this was my false impression, cause although breast cancer in women is a common form of cancer, male breast cancer also occurs and accounts for about 1% of all cancer deaths in men.

Likewise, young women are being diagnosed in their teens, twenties and thirties. Even if the percentage is very low compared to that of older women aged 40 years and older, the point is it does happen. So it is more than necessary that we all spread the awareness message to all and sundry.

Research has yielded much information about the causes of breast cancers, and it is now believed that genetic and/or hormonal factors are the primary risk factors for breast cancer.

Staging systems have been developed to allow doctors to characterize the extent to which a particular cancer has spread and to make decisions concerning treatment options.

Breast cancer treatment depends upon many factors, including the type of cancer and the extent to which it has spread. The options are Mastectomy - Removal of the whole breast including cancerous tissues or Lumpectomy - Surgical removal of involved breast tissue with a bit of healthy tissue.

Some Simple facts:

An Indian woman has a chance of 1 in 28 of getting breast cancer in her life.

(Is this higher or lower than that of an American woman? After all we have to compare ourselves with them on all counts.)

Four hours of moderate exercise per week reduces the risk of breast cancer

(Another great excuse to get on that treadmill right now!)

A low fat diet with enough vegetables and fruits reduces the risk of breast cancer

(Don’t we always read this for keep away from of all diseases?)

Alcohol in take in excess of 60ml per day (of 70% spirit) increases the risk.

(That means we can drink 50ml per day! Cheers!)

Age is a risk factor in the development of breast cancer.

(There another reason to hide my real age.)

Male gender's not exempt from breast cancer.

(Talk about gender equality.)

Some Serious Facts

Annual Examination by a breast physician /breast surgeon is recommended when a screening mammogram is done.

Oestrogen replacement treatment in menopausal women increases the risk of breast cancer.

Oral contraceptives used for over 10 years in women under 35 increases the risk of breast cancer. However 10 years after discontinuing, the risk ceases to exist.

Mammography in women younger than 40 years has a low yield owing to density of the breast.

Breast feeding for over 6 months reduces the risk. The more children you breast feed, the more you reduce the risk.

You have higher chance if a first degree relative (mother/sister) has the disease

Self Examination +annual doctors Examination + periodic mammogram has decreased the mortality from breast cancer.

But the good news is Breast cancer has a cure rate nearing 90% when detected early. It is advised to conduct a Breast Self-Exam after the age of 20 every month and an annual

Clinical Breast Examination after the age of 30 by a Qualified Doctor and then after the age of 50 an annual Mammography is a must.

Pictures courtesy emedicinehealth.com

Sasuraal Genda Phool

2010-10-07T22:23:00.000-07:00

Being away from the net made the telly my obvious next choice or rather my other best friend. I was “hooked booked and cooked” – as the designer duo Abu-Sandeep say on their show “The First Ladies”.

In school I was taught that

India

is a land of diverse religions, traditions and customs, had they showed me these shows in those days I would have learnt my lessons much easier and faster. Now I’m almost an expert on customs and traditions of not just the Gujrati culture but also Bengali, Marwadi, Rajasthani and Marathi households.

Now I know more about these cultures then my mom too, like last week when the Gujju family of “Saath Nibhao Saathiya” was fasting and then celebrating some teej I asked my mom why she never did it! Likewise I know much in advance when Karwaachot or any other Ashtamis or Teejs are around the corner. I remember in the “Yeh Rishta Hya Kehlata hai” series (also known as Akshra wala at home); they stretched pulled and dragged the holi celebrations for more than a month!

Then in the Aanandi series, “Balika Vadhu” I learned the way they greet each other with a “Ghanni Khamma” I’m not sure what it exactly means but from whatever little I understand of the language I think it is a sort of an apology, please correct me if I’m mistaken, I’ve come to this conclusion on the basis on the 2 words, Ghanni meaning lots and Khamma meaning sorry, I could be completely wrong also. But on the other hand, in most of the other regions people greet with their Lord’s name, like Jai Shree Krishna or Jai Jinendra, or Jai Matadi etc. I rarely hear a Namaste, which is supposed to be our national greeting.

These shows create make-believe scenes so close to their natural environments that even if I dint know much about India I would always associate a Marwadi person with Rajasthan, and similarly a long sari draped in the special Marathi style with someone from Maharasthra. Though I have lived in Mumbai for some time, I dint know then that mother is “aai” then, now I do!

Similarly I’ve also come to know more about their cuisines and special food items they prefer and prepare for particular seasons. Like for instance, for Parsi a lamb and meat preparation called Dhaan-Shaakh, a lovely dish even in the vegetarian form.

Though there are also some regions and cultures that we are completely clueless about like the eastern and the southern Indians regions are largely ignored and then there is an absence of Muslim and Christian families’ completely from the screens too. Though these are mentioned in the passing in some of the “haat ke” serials like “Tarakh Mehta Ka Ulta Chashma” and others but not in the main stream line.

These days I love this show called “Papad Pol” on SUB TV, for its romantic humor. I also enjoy Suhana in “Sasuraal Genda Phool”, this show portrays how a family can make life so much easier if they all come together and accept the new girl as their own, letting her be herself and loving her unconditionally.

These things can only happen on television, but here wishing people learn from these examples and practice them in real life too.

Customer is king??

2010-10-05T02:14:00.000-07:00

Customer is king, bait or a fake feel good statement!

For the past some weeks, almost 2 months now, I have been facing regular problems with my broadband connection. On complaining to the guy whom I hand over my payment to, I’m told not to worry, it will be done soon; and it is. But he forgets to mention that it will be a temporary relief. Within 2 days I’m again facing the same problem again.

Then I take matters further and call their “customer care” number, which for the customer’s convenience they keep toll free, because of which you have to keep trying a zillion times to get through, throughout I’m wondering how many other users are having similar difficulties with their connections too!

My call is finally answered by a computer, who asks me so many (useless) questions about me, my account, my location and so on, that I almost forget what I had called for. Then after being transferred through the maze, I call it a maze coz that’s how I felt, press 1/2/3 for language selection, then again go through a dozen numbers to tell them what service I’m using, then I have to tell them which connection I’m using, and then I have to select which department I want to talk to, accounts, recharge, technical, etc etc!

Just when I was on the verge of hanging up a polite and friendly human is on the other side of the line, I say hello too and she asks me who I am, where I am calling from (how does it matter?) what connection I have and all the same series of questions all over again! And as it is as soon as I give them the name of my connection they will have all these same details in matter of seconds on their monitors as well. But as I needed my net to be working again so I oblige her though very sardonically!

Oh did I tell you even after selecting English as my preferred language I am made to converse with a Marathi speaking executive, we both somehow manage to understand each other. And after going through all their procedural requirements for almost all afternoon she tells me I am in the wrong department! I had selected technical and now I had to go to the complaints department! I ask her if there is a short cut of some sort, coz I’ve already spent more than an hour to get till her. But I realize she’s hung up- all the hospitality and politeness don’t with!

So I’m off calling them again. Anyone out there have any ideas how I can make this happen faster and easier, like life is supposed to be with developing technologies?

Birthday Bash!

2010-09-24T05:51:00.000-07:00

For the last couple of weeks I’ve been a bit busy and tied up, I’m hoping some of you noticed, well there were many reasons, but to keep a long story short, I shall blame it all on my, recently turned, 4 year old daughter, thank you thank you. First it was her various infections, I don’t know if it is with all kids or just her that she picks up all the viral and bug infections floating around the city. But the core reason I was tied up, was cause she made me promise her a “BIG” birthday party (In her words), in exchange of her taking her medicines and letting me put her eye drops as per schedule! I dint have a choice you see.

As it is planning a kid’s party is a tough job, now I had to do it as she says! So from the venue to the menu I had to get her approval and then her dad’s, after all he was the financer! As compared to our parties, I think and now I even know, after 4 years, that its more tough to work out their parties, coz in case I miss out on something for my friends, its ok, we are more relaxed and chilled, we meet to gossip not to gobble, but with kids you have to make sure they everything is right for them, starting with the invite, then they have to like the place, have something interesting to do, eat right, and enjoy otherwise all our mehnat (hard work) goes down the drain. Basically they should not get bored and have lots of fun activities to keep them occupied.

After spending so much time and energy on organizing the event, I thought why not share it with you guys and even ask for more pointers to be considered next year while organizing the party again! I also realized that the whole thing with a kid’s party can be just as easy or as complicated as you're willing to make it. Just remember a few simple rules for planning a children's birthday party.

You could start with the guest list, (trust me don’t ask your kid whom all he/she wants, as this can make the list never-ending!) then accordingly set a budget and also make a list of possible venues available in your city.

Budget

Ofcourse this needs to be done first and in accordance with it all your other planning will follow up. Set an amount that you are willing to spend on the party and also allocate funds for all other purposes.

Guest list

You could add as many guests as you like, but then be prepared to splash that kind of money. Ideally your guest list should be a mix and a balance at the same time. For example if your party is for a 10 year old kid, it should have only children, but if your child is in the age group of 1-5 years then it would be a good idea to invite either parents or their caretakers with them.

Here try and avoid kids who don’t gel well with your child, like in my case, my daughter was disappointed that I had invited an unavoidable cousin of hers for the party.

Venue

Keeping the budget and the guest age group in mind you can select your place. In case you want to keep it at your place there are also lots of options available these days. You could choose to celebrate the birthday anywhere from your own garden or your local garden, or you could also use your terrace area, or just use your house. Incase your room sizes are small, then use separate rooms for the kids and parents! There are buildings which allow residents to entertain in their garage, basement or terraces too. You should check with the concerned authorities though.

For those who want to keep the party outdoors, you have various options too. From regular Pizza and Burger joints to food courts and ofcourse your neighborhood hotels also have banquet halls and party areas.

I personally like doing it at the home; it gives you much scope for making it special and entertaining at the same time.

Theme

More recently the word “theme parties” has cropped up like mushrooms, and now a days, there this other word I’m coming across more often “Flavor”. Well call it what you wish, but themes can me as varied and as diverse as your imagination.

You could opt for basic themes or flavors, like colors to numbers (age of the birthday child), to more exotic as World tomorrow, Royal Kingdom or anything as elaborate as you can imagine. Then there are the all time favorites like Disney characters, Ben Ten for boys and Hanna Montana for the girls. My 8year old niece tells me Barbie is “Oh so old fashioned”!

For older kids, you could use your child’s favorite book or movie for the same and then incorporate its reading or watching in the party too.

It is also a good idea to use the season or any other festival that happens to fall in the same period as the party theme too. Like for example in India, in the months of July and August monsoons are a favorite choice. During Diwali and Navratri you could keep a more traditional idea.

But all in all do sit down and ask your child what she/he wants specifically wants. You could ask the child to give 2-3 ideas as to what a party should have as per him and then finalize the theme. Sometimes kids want something specific like clowns or tattoo makers, you could either hire professionals or just get someone you know to do it for you.

Invite

You will need to send written invitations to your child’s friends with whom you don’t have personal or telephonic contacts with. Even otherwise it is a nice way to announce your party and also introduce the guests to the theme and set the mood of the party too. People will also not be confused in regards with the date time and venue of your celebrations too, so it is a nice idea to send a written invite rather than an oral one.

There are lots of ready made options available in the market but keep in mind your theme and them select the one that best fits your requirement. There are also lots of options available on the net that can be downloaded and printed too; these can also be personalized to suit your requirements.

You could also make the invites on your own if you start planning early on. For example if your theme is Balls, send a fancy transparent bag with lots of small balls and circular chocolates with it and write the party details on top of the bag.

Incase you want your theme to be monsoons inviting kids with an umbrella printed with the required details on the underside is also doable.

Décor

The décor of your venue should be corresponding to the theme of the party. It would be very convenient to hire professionals in this too, but then if that was the case you would not be reading my blog! So for decorations you could use balloons, balls, cut outs, ribbons, toys etcetera etcetera. Incase of a movie or book theme, get large cut outs made from the pictures available and set up a projection area, away from all the noise and chaos.

These days, the market is virtually filled with novel and unique decoration ideas just find something that suits your purpose and mood. Using some imagination and creativity, you are sure to create a strikingly stunning look for the room. After all, it is a very special day that comes just once a year. just once a year.

Games

Games again will vary as per the age group and also the theme of the party. Though some favorite kid party games are more or less in lines of musical chair (substitute chair for a parcel), four corners (named with relevance to your theme, eg. For a jungle themed party corners can be named as animals), or a simple Simon Says for your little tot’s friends.

The trick is to keep it simple and easy to follow for younger kids, and a bit of skill and luck based too. But in the end all kids should be happy, so don’t give away gifts to only some; all should be awarded for participating.

Food

Now for my favorite part, my daughter did not want to serve food only! But try to keep your menu in accordance with the party time. Serve finger foods and easy to eat foods if the kids are unaccompanied but don’t forget something to drink, after all the play and fun I’m sure they will be famished and will gobble up whatever you serve.

This is a never ending subject, I just think I will have to write individually on each topic so as to be able to give more and also receive more helpful hints. Don’t forget to share your experiments and experiences with me. I would also like to know which topic I should start with first. FOOD?

Suicide Awareness Week – 3rd-10th September

2010-09-20T23:14:00.000-07:00

This is in view with the suicide awareness week – 3^rd-10^th September! I know I’m late, but better late than never.

Life is like a rented house, you have to leave it one day and go, go to unknown lands, anonymous destinations, but still at times you feel so low, so distressed that those unknowns look more promising than the present that seemed “promising yesterday”. What is it about life and its circumstances that make one succumb seemingly easy to end ones life?

Recently I came across an article that said India has the highest suicide rate in the world, a staggering and ever rising 10% in which about 40% are adolescents! Various reasons and circumstances have been cited as their excuse to end their lives, but none worthwhile. The foremost excuse being education and then it was peer pressure.

As per Asiaone, an Asian news portal, in India, at least 125 people aged 29 years or below are committing suicide every day and 51 per cent of the total suicide victims are graduates, college students or younger. Unbelievable ain’t it? But true.

I came across another site, maithrikochi, (Ive also used the graphs and pie chart from them too.) a Cochin based NGO, working for suicide prevention in Kerala, who told me that state wise it is amongst the developed and more progressive states that the suicide rates are much higher as that compared to the urban regions, than why do I always keep reading more and more about farmers killing themselves?

Like from this graph, I gathered that Bihar has the lowest suicide rate average at 0.7 whereas Pondicherry has the highest average, astounding 50.2. And it was other southern states that also surprised me, like for example Kerala its average comes to 26.8. Now does his mean that education and literacy have a negative impact on our suicide rate? Bihar had the lowest literacy rate and at the same time Kerala is supposed to have 100% literate population. Amongst the top 6 slots for states with the highest average rate of suicide 4 are from the south. Tripura with 22.3, Karnataka with 21.7 followed by Tamil Nadu at position 7 with an average of 18.7, all this when the combined Indian average is 10.5 and this is the highest as compared to the world numbers.

It is also bizarre that we keep reading about students ending lives cause of all the above stated reason, but then their contribution to the suicide pie on basis of profession is a mere 5%, on the other hand housewives, ya my fellow ladies, are better donors, their share is that of 21.5%; second only to self-employed (who and what does this segment comprise of?) who are holding the biggest slice with a whopping 41%. I was thinking if they have included females working on their own under the self-employed section, then how does one decide the exact reason for taking their lives? I mean, take for example, a house-wife, working as a freelancer, but committing suicide cause of some household fight? Which sector does she fit in? Similarly, if a working student killed himself, how can we blame the education system for the same?

Since the 80’s our national suicide rate has gone up by 67%, it is not that life has become difficult and more turbulent as compared to that those days, it is just that we have become less tolerant and more demanding in life. I had read somewhere that these years are the best times to live in as per a survey, but then if this is the case why is our youth giving up so easily? What is it that makes a person end his or her own life? There was this instance in the movie 3-idiots, I would like to remind all those who ever feel suicidal at some point or the other in their lives, to keep a picture of your parents or your loved one with you, and to look at it and think again if you want to end it all or not.

Frames of Freedom

2010-08-30T22:41:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken by me on a sleepy afternoon on 15-4-07, no other photograph came to my mind when I read about the Frames of Freedom contest, for many reasons, but the foremost important one being that no matter what we say, feel or think, no bird, no sky no being is as free or as innocent as a child.

He thinks he has the world around his fingers; things are under his control; he can aim for the sky and get some starts from there. A child has not been shackled by the experiences of life so his spirit is as free as can be.

Lots of people think it would be nice to be able to fly like a bird, but even the bird has his set limitations. He has directions and methods to follow too, but a child is a man-mauji, who is not bound by any restrictions.

Some think it would be nice to go someplace where there are no telephones no internet or no television to hound them, the child has it all, but nothing can bother him.

Try telling a child and an adult simultaneously to shift a heavy piece of furniture single handedly, the child will run and go struggle to make it shove an inch, but the adult, will accept defeat even without putting in any effort; as his mind is restricted with knowledge, gained from life’s experiences.

This post is for the Blogadd's Frames of Freedom Contest

Rat Race

2010-08-28T03:50:00.000-07:00

What is it with life that makes us keep ticking? Pushes us to move ahead? What is it in life that we want to achieve and what happens after we get it? Do we feel happy? Do we relax and retire? Make place for others to compete in the rat race? Why is it called the rat race in the 1^st place? Do rats race? No, its only humans who are into this never-ending game of being one better than the other. For that matter we make rats race and also bet on rats. Well I don’t know where this happens but if we can bet on horse, cocks and cockroach races, why not rats?

Being happy is not getting something or doing something. At times it is just a feeling of being able to do something or to get something. If you want to be happy, seek it within yourselves, this is what most of those gurujis tell me, it’s also the same in all those self help books that I have read on being happy being content. But in reality is it that simple, for that matter what in life is simple?

We go out of our ways to make life simple but in turn making life more complex. Take for example all the hi-fi electronics items that man has got around him. In the olden golden era, all man needed was 2 stones and some wood. But today with technology comes head-aches (this is how the adults in my house put it up.) coz with the gadgets come the highly priced maintenance contracts and then at the end of the month the power bills, which these days is shooting higher and higher day by day at my place, well no guys that was not the reason for my long hiatus off the blogosphere! I just had lots of catching up to do, as in read all your blogs. Trust me, these days I’ve discovered a new passion, reading blogs. Especially reading old and new posts of Indian bloggers, ya I’m still biased towards Indian writers, maybe cause it’s easier for me to connect with them. But maybe once I get done with this I would scout for other blogs. Whatever I mean here by other I’m not sure, will write about it as soon as I find out. But coming back to my point of making life simple, I think it is mostly at times in our hands to take it as it comes, now that the power bills are soaring, we can try and cut down on unnecessary usage, use power saving instruments, but other than that worrying or cribbing is not going to help us. Same way in life, the sooner we accept our circumstances, our dilemmas the sooner we will be able to face them and deal with them with an open mind, with a calm mind.

How often do we realize that in a tense situation, had we kept our cool we could have approached the issue in a better manner and obtained better results? If we are able to keep cool, a check on our temper and a clear head, no situation is beyond repair. It is not very difficult to keep life simple, haven’t you heard or read- Ignorance is bliss? The more we think and try to find hidden meaning in others words or actions or read between the lines the more issues we will rake up. As in relationships, I follow a very simple rule, live and let live, but if incase there’s not much I can do to handle the issue in a proper manner I stay as far away as I can. And wherever I can’t do anything about the circumstances I blame destiny, by placing the blame on someone I can’t fight with I resign myself to the situation, but if I had blamed a person I would have thought things can be changed, circumstances can be revolutionized. But I think at times, it is better to accept, accommodate and adjust than to fight.

How many times, when your plans got cancelled or alter because of someone else have you let your steam off? How do you react when you had to drop something that you had planned for all week because of some unexpected (and unwelcome) guests had showed up? When is comes to handling unforeseen situations like a mature being you don’t need to be too old to do it. The first step to dealing with an untoward situation, or when things don’t go according to plan is to accept that not everything is under our control, then step two is to accommodate with the present way of progress and then later in step three is to see (and also wish) if there’s anything that can be done to make the circumstances more favorable towards ourselves.

In life we all have our goods and bads, highs and lows, friends and foes, adversities and opportunities but it is our attitude towards different situations and circumstances that make us different individuals, different identities. There is nothing like good or bad, it is what we want and how well we can play the cards dealt to us by destiny.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-08-24T22:48:00.000-07:00

This is a picture shot, created and edited by a friend's husband, Tojy George. Its one of a kind...was completely awed by the colors, the motion and the locations. It is locations and not location as this is a collage of 8 pictures shot in and around New York.

Much ado abt nothing...

For better or for worse, Happy New Year

Destined to...live

Compliments

A Starry Sunday

Hands on Haiku

Time life-line

Surf 2 hours away

Happy?? Children’s day

Rational Religion

Oil Parampara

Y One?

Tress mess No stress, Dove is here

Qvendo re-discovered

Sweet and Sour

Qvendo, Brands at your doorsteps.

Indian Driving Rules.

Ganpatti Bappa shall not help

An Apple a day keeps the Doctor away, but...

Why not?

Anna, the Brother of the nation

Free Association Writing?

M Back...

Hum Saath Saath Hai

Tathastu, God Bless.

Tathastu, God Bless.

Crazy Cricket Craziness

Lessons in Life

Cricket (mind) Blogging!

Expectations

My Name Is Pooja!

Upcoming Fab-Feb!

Now that you have celebrated friendship day, internationally, on the 13th we shall also bring in “I value our friendship” day. Someone please help me with all these dates and days!

And finally arrives our special Valentine’s Day, need I mention the date also? But this is not the end of the celebratory week

!

But not many of us know, well actually even I would not have known it had I not been writing this post, that on the 14th we also can celebrate, Heart to heart day along with a Hug Day! I’m sure all the guys out there dig this day!

OK so had fun on the 14th? Now its pay back time! On the 15th we have the “Thanks for a great valentine day” ritual. And here I was thinking we will get a break.

And to end the month, the last week is also celebrated as the International Friendship day, yes, in case you forgot to celebrate it the whole month, you have one more chance, I shall refrain from saying last chance, as I’m confident, next month also we will be given lots of similar opportunities!

A Father's Death

Revamp Your life

Wanni and Brian

Visa: Rejected

Christmas Greetings

Belated Thursday Challenge

Just A Call Away

US...

Different Diwali

TATA makes BSNL happy (at my cost)

5 minutes, please

BCAM- SCAM!

October, BCAM

Sasuraal Genda Phool

Customer is king??

Birthday Bash!

Suicide Awareness Week – 3rd-10th September

Frames of Freedom

Rat Race

Wordless Wednesday

You can see his more of his pictures at Tojy-George-Photography

Now that you have celebrated friendship day, internationally, on the 13^th we shall also bring in “I value our friendship” day. Someone please help me with all these dates and days!

But not many of us know, well actually even I would not have known it had I not been writing this post, that on the 14^th we also can celebrate, Heart to heart day along with a Hug Day! I’m sure all the guys out there dig this day!

OK so had fun on the 14^th? Now its pay back time! On the 15^th we have the “Thanks for a great valentine day” ritual. And here I was thinking we will get a break.