Round and Round..

There are some questions in my mind for which I have not been able to find answers. They are cyclic, round and round they go. The beginning is an end and the end is a beginning. I am hoping for some views that would help me get over with them.

Adoption:

Are we giving innocent children lives? or Does adoption lead to more orphans? Does it give a wrong hint to those women, that there are people out in the world, who would take care of thier babies?

Crackers:

Buying crackers are we promoting child labour? or are we providing some life to a thousands of children who otherwise would turn to begging, stealing or worse?

Brain drain:

More people choosing to go out of India for career, education, is it depriving India of its original talents or bringing in more investments and perspective for the growth of the nation.

Condoms:

Are we advising safer sex or encouraging people to indulge premarital affairs. Rather I would say culture disintegration.

Vegetarianism: Yes it’s a new religion.

By opting to be vegetarians, are we protecting other living creatures, or are we disturbing the eco system.

Insight into friendship

Some parts of the world just finished celebrating friendship day. I am not a big fan of celebrating days for friends, grandparents, husband day. I have a feeling, they are more of marketing gimmicks. Every relationship could be honored, celebrated any day our hearts go for it. There are some celebrations dating back many years which I don’t question either.

This friendship day, for no specific reason I sat thinking of the wonderful things about friendship and its oddity. Yes I did say ODDity. It’s very strange. Categorized like credit cards, silver platinum... nothing to blame...just that there are friends, good friends, best friends and now the bestest friends. I think it’s only for friendship "best" becomes plural. I can have many best friends, and I do.

I wonder how two people become friends. It’s not like-mindedness. If its so, then all my friends should be of similar characteristics. Its not forced and followed, like an arranged marriage, where it starts as forcibly identifying the best of both and working on it. Sometimes its situation, room mates, play mates. Sometimes working together, spending more time works. Some do become friends due to incidents like help offered, accidents, functions.. But there is oddity too. Not all incidents lead to a new friendship. No similarity. Is it sharing, caring? But there are friends with whom I really don’t share anything. Not even a regular phone call, still I know they are there for me. When I meet, I talk as if we talked every other day. When we don’t, I know everything is fine out there. I am so confident same age, same sex and alike are out of league.

Friends come in many flavors. I am so proud to say, I have a dozen best friends. Really close to my heart. Everybody is different. I share a very unique relationship with each one of them. One is like a family to me. She knows everything in my life, my parents, budgets, problems and her distance relative knows me by name. I do have two motherly characters, rather mother-in-lawly characters. I get chided, criticized, loved, and advised. I have a friendly one, with whom I share that secret personal stuff. I have what I call informative friends. We are close and our conversations are usually loaded with knowledge sharing, books, work, culture. I have this friend with whom I have spent walking almost a part of Chennai. We talked everything under the sun, we knew each other well, but never actually spoke about it. We just know. Then are cuddly friends. Yes a very young at heart relationship. There are friends who were colleagues, now the few of the first ones to know the highlights of my life. Gossip, talk, shop, eat and enjoy.

I truly enjoy my time with each of them. I cherish all the moments I spent with them. In a way, they define me at different moments. I read it somewhere, if a person made, 5 good friends in their life, they can consider themselves successful. Going by it, my life is a super hit and I am living it.

The moral is Friendship is strange, amazing thing that blossoms at heart and stays forever. When it can be worded to perfection, it will become history. Happy friendship day.

Say Thanks.

I am teaching Su to say thanks when she is offered help, things or food. In her nursery, I saw them teach kids to say "Ta" for Thanks. Easy for kids. Every time I tell her ' Say thanks', I really wonder is it that easy.

It is fine, as a routine. I did say “Thanks for calling ..." on every other phone call that I picked up when I worked with the bank. It’s easier to share one with the sales girls, person on the counter, to sundry vendors for tendering exact change. It is definitely good to mutter while getting gifts. It’s most comfortable to thank Him for EVERYTHING.

It is sometimes easy if I can pay for the service or help. During my delivery there was a nurse who helped me through out the labor. She stayed by me from the beginning to end. Then there was another who came over for the second half till I left the ward. When we left the hospital, I paid the second one a good sum of money. I know what she did cannot be quantified by money, but she definitely was happy when I gave a token. It was easy again because she did the service with expectation. For some odd reason, I could never meet the first nurse till date and it kills me every time I think of my days at hospital. I did not dare to give that money to any body else, because I was not sure it would reach her. I wanted to personally thank her a lot and make it clear that money is just a part of my thanks.

Yet, it’s not possible to say thanks always. There are some situations, relations where thanks cannot be told. Saying thanks does not really help. Not only does it look inappropriate but also seem to belittle the deed. Thanks are just not enough and I really could not muster to say it. I was afraid, I would hurt the relationship. It was not truly conveying how I felt about all that they do. My parents, my husband, my best friends...I cannot just say thanks. Gifts again seem to be dull choice here. Even if say it loud a thousand times, it feels pretty less. I sometimes do feel, it would be really nice if I can open up my heart like hanuman and show them how I feel. However, they are people who truly care, understand. They always knew how I felt even when it was unsaid, untold. They are the best. It makes me want to thank them more for this understanding.

Well, I am still going to teach my daughter to say Thanks. It helps most of the time. When it can be said, she would understand.

Huh!!

Notepad does not have autosave option. Atleast I dont know to set it on. I hate it. Its 1.30 am and I am redoing a work in word. Notepad..worth noting this flaw.

Varalakshmi Vratham

This is practically my first varalakshmi pooja, all by myself. All these years, it was nice and easy. I tagged along with my MIL. Mostly we travelled to chennai thursday night and would land just in time. I would help her with making prasadams and then hog, sleep. Rest would be taken care of.

Yesterday, did good shopping of fruits, flowers (some roses & crysantham boquet), coconuts. My day started early with a fresh bath. Made sakkarai pongal, three types of kozhakatai. I made a few alternations to as to suit su's taste and needs, Vadai, sambhar, Curry. It was quite a job especially racing against time to start before rahu kalam. This is a vratham advised by lord Shiva to Lordess Parvathi. Its believed to bestow all wishes. I have a few wishes that demands immediate attention. I performed it with perfection in my new dress.

Now, I am so tired of doing everything and the eating. It was definitely a hard work. I used almost all utensils in my cabinet. Poor hub, its awful to see him have a nice good meal and get back to doing dishes. Fine, I shall go and give some motivational speach. This is a very important day in my life for another reason too. Next post. Wish you all a Happy Varalakshmi vratham and may the goddess bless us all.

My worst nightmare..

As its known, this was in the list of my blogs to be made.It takes form today. This happend a couple of weeks ago. I still remember, it was a wednesday, nice crispy sun shine and I was out at ASDA picking up vegetables, home needs and a nice can of grape juice. I was walking back home thinking of all that I have to do for the rest of the evening. Prepare dinner, prayer, put Su to sleep and end my day.

I just turned right into our lane, I saw father and daughter at the apartment main gate. My mind ran a thousand probabilities for such a show. I got a bit closer and Su who would usually jump on, clung to her father. I know something was wrong and took her. Hmm, then everything was clear. I could hardly hold her. She was hot as an iron box.

New parents, big fever, we were frenzied. We spent most of the evening recording temperatures 38.2,39.5,37.6, 39 ,converting to farenheit for our understanding, lying besides her as she would just sleep on (not with) one of us. Parallely reading all possible websites about things to do, home remedies and occassionally debating about taking her to A & E after a few parabolic/open tap puking. It was quite scary. If you agreed with me and nodded your head thinking thats a night mare- hold on. I have not really come to that part.

It went on like that. It was time for dinner. We definitely needed the energy to stay up night and for the worse if any. We ran our fingers through all possible easy options and settled for instant noodles. INSTANT NOODLES not maggi. I had 10 whole packets of maggi vegetable atta noodles left in my cabinet. We had done shopping the previous sunday and I picked up this Nxxu Noodles vegetable flavour. It was a bit expensive than maggi, yet I was quite adventurous.I always felt more the choice, the better.

This one had two small condiments packet unlike maggi. One vegetables and one seasoning. I know I had paid extra and I definitely get more.Followed the instructions to every bit. Boil water, Soak noodles and vegetable, Strain. Heat oil add seasoning add noodles.. mix well and serve. I did mix well and served. It looked tasteless. It smelled like some chinese left over from three days ago. I opted to stay with Su, suggesting my husband to finish dinner. He looked puzzled. I explained. I need to prepare my mind for eating that.

He is quite very accomodative with food. Very accomodative. He came back into the room, fully dressed with his leather coat on. It was about 11.30 pm. He wanted to go out and check if he could grab some ketchup/ sauce or soemthing on those lines to swallow that pan of noodles on my stove. Tough luck.

Then it was my turn. Clock stuck 12.00, it was a new day. I tried to divert my attention to things on TV. Almost all channels had playboy, excetra prefixed with 'S'. Re runs of game shows held in 2000. I ate. It was amazing. As suggested by my dear, I ate that with Bombay Mixture, Maagali kizhangu urugai and loads of thayir. Not even in my worst dreams, I thought I would eat noodles with thayir and urugai. Now, I am so proud to belong to thayir sadam, Maavadu clan. I deserve it all for testing maggi.

Hail Maggi, Hail Thayir. Still the marketing girl in me cant stop appreciating Nxxu for thier effort,bold move against maggi with a price premium for lousy Noodles.

No comments

I really have so many drafts of posts in my pensieve. All of them have just titles in here and the story in my head. But I wrote none. I dont know if its because I am too busy, or not confident about writing or its just that my blog is messed up that the comments column does not appear anymore. For the very few who visit this blog and for the fraction who leave a comment, I really feel bad for doing this to you.

Well, here is all that I wanted to write. I am noting them down so that one day i can pick them up and elaborate. I can just wipe them of drafts, so that they dont stare back at me like children born, grown but waiting to be named.

1. Being Pregnant (Yes my baby is going to be 1 year soon.) This is a stale idea.But I will still write for all the moms to be.

2. Dip Dip Tip

3. Round and Round

4. Nightmare

5. Attention Mother of Boys (NRI)

6. Opposites dont always attract.

7. Friendship

8. I am - am I?