Rambling Mind Ep. 2 Part 1

Childhood: Being nostalgic is flipping through your own photo book in your mind! There are so many memories, I wish there was something (now that the technology is so advanced) or someone who could just print them out, wouldn’t it be wonderful! From the most vague memories to day-dreams to the most vivid ones. Some things I would want to change and some let them stay that way.

I have listed down a few which makes me want to live life all over again :

1)      My sister looked very beautiful like a German baby with blue eyes and red lips when she was a baby, I don’t remember her as a baby, but I do remember the way she ate ice-cream, her small cute little face smeared with ice-cream, her sticky hands and her clothes eating more of the ice-cream than she did.

2)      I remember my gift on my 13^th birthday, a small Alsatian female pup, we named her Elsa, after the movie “Born Free”. She was my favorite dog out of all the ones I have ever had!

3)      Dad’s favorite breakfast that he taught me as my first ever experiment in the kitchen, and after all these years, it’s my favorite too: Half fried egg and toasted bread slices.

4)      My mom’s long gorgeous hair! Thick, black, wavy and just plain beautiful.

5)      My first bicycle ride on my own.

6)      My first fall wearing roller skates.

7)      The wedding of the dolls, a Charlie Chaplin Doll, we married him off to a pretty looking Doll under a tree in front of our apartment. We invited our neighborhood friends for the party and made small bowl size ‘chapatis’ and ‘chutney’ and drank ‘Rasna’ equivalent to Sunkist. It was a hit.

8)      My Imaginary friend “Tammylan”, much inspired by Enid Blyton books and the movie “Drop Dead Fred”

9)      My first ever best friends divided into categories. “School bus best friend” , “Class Best friend”,  “Sharing Tiffin box best friend”, “Behaved nice today, Today’s best friend”, “Best birthday gift best friend”!!!

10)   When my favorite flowers were Gladiolas and Lotus.

11)    The little Christmas celebration we used to have even though I was not a Christian.

12)   Innocent New Year parties with just dancing and fried snacks on the terraces!

13)   My first dream of becoming a poet!

14)   My first crush!

15)   My first fight in school with a girl!

To be continued…

Branded for life!

Are you branded? Not like the Texas longhorns, or the Derby horses, but are you bitten by the Brand bug? Well, I am not just talking about clothes, it could be anything from food to beer, shoes to perfumes, jewelry to gadgets, anything.
      I have always had friends or family members around who are an advertisement from head to toe and their habits also cry out loud that they cannot survive without brands. Not only are they proud of their branded babies, but they take care of them like they really are babies! I was never a fashion conscious person, in fact I completely lack aesthetic sense!  Comfort was the topmost priority.  If the fashion police would have seen me in my college days, I would have been the worst offender! A few friends in my college days would work part-time so that they can earn money to splurge on branded clothes.
       It is a sin if women don’t have a Louis Vuitton bag in the course of their lifetime!My brother-in-law likes United Colors of Benetton clothes and Michael Jordan shoes.  A friend of mine loves Abercrombie & Fitch. My niece would do anything for a Zara top or FCUK clothes. My father has to have tea called ‘Society’ tea. He will not buy any other brand of tea. Now someone like one of my cousins has to have make up from MAC, she just swears by it and will hunt down each and every shop/mall till she finds her right brand! One of my friends is crazy about Apple products and calls his collection his family. Now they are all of different ages, genders, from different walks of life. This is how the brand gets popular, more number of people irrespective of age, gender, where they come from will determine which brand is the most popular of them all.
     Business owners are spending so much money to attract people and retain customers. Several tactics, gimmicks are introduced to keep the moolah flowing. Does all of it really pay off in the end, is quality compromised in all of this? Frankly, I don’t think so! Brands are expensive because they guarantee good long lasting quality. Say if I buy something from a flea market and buy a similar thing from a branded shop, obviously there will be a major difference. But judging a person based on their ‘branded’standard of living is not right, it won’t help in making friends, will not always help in getting a job, will not be a qualifier for marrying someone,  so brand or no brand, what matters is what is underneath your skin and bones, who you are from the inside, the registered or trademark signs of what you are as a person. Only that brand called ‘Human’ will make all the difference, and you have the copyrights for it!

Rambling Mind Ep. 1

Wouldn’t it be cool to work in a library? With so many books around, have sublime music playing in the background. Just drowned in the ocean of knowledge and every single droplet (read book) gives you that fresh spritz you need! Ah! That would be some life huh! Some quiet time to relax and read.  Unlike the chaotic life of running errands and cooking and cleaning and going to work stashed up with paperwork. Or escape the idiotic non-stop staring, eye-crushing, head-swirling computer work that starts in the day but doesn’t end till night!? I confess, I have to have FB every single day. If I don’t run through it, just makes me restless, it’s like a drug addiction ( I have not used any, but I am sure other FB addicts who are also drug addicts can relate to what I feel. I feel sad for them too if they have both the addictions).

Sometimes, I just want to run away from everything, believe I am single, without any family, any restrictions, just one day and just live the day like I want to, be able to go wherever I want, eat anything, wear whatever I want to, not talk at all, keep smiling endlessly, no mobile, no I-pad, no laptop, no television, just a few songs may be, no questions asked!

Why can I never have a Best friend!?

I am not going to go into any philosophical stuff. Just had a pep talk from a friend today! It is weird, is it because I am a Cancerian that I need pep talks all the time, or is it because I have my mood swings or is it because I underestimate myself, whatever it is, professionally or personally, I behave much better when I have a pep talk from someone, or could be a really good song, or a nice movie, inspirational book, it gives me a real boost in life. The effect lasts till I encounter another negative experience, person, phone call, or some incident which has all the good, happy, positive material stored in my brain, go down the drain. I don’t know where that drain is.

Well, I have learned this through experience, and I promise my sister, that I will never have a best friend! But how and why do I reach this stage of becoming best friends with someone, and one day out of the blue, getting stabbed in the back! Ouch, that hurts!

Acquaintance/Neighbor/Guests/Friends Friend is all under the same category.

Friend/Pastime Friend/Needy Friend/Dependent Friend/Mandatory Friend also fall in the same category

Best Friends/Crying Shoulders/Pat on the back/No Sorrys or Thank yous/ No Egos/Siblings or any relative could become a Best friend.

So basically, it takes levels to come to this stage…and the level drops in a second without any freaking efforts to this….

Backstabbers/Jealous/Hurtful/Egoist/Snobs/Chauvinists who can all get you on your knees, make your faces droop to the ground, that it becomes so obvious that you are hurt. Ugh!

So how do I become a victim of this abysmal deception??

A few things I guess. I am sure many others can add to their personal experiences.

> I always tend to stick around negative people hoping, someday they will change, they will realize!

> I ignore the deserving ones and trust wrong people blindly.

> I just cannot accept the way people are, try to change them, the World will end but that won’t happen! No, Nay, Never!

> I cannot pull down people or drop to their level of sarcasm. Why God, isn’t that what nicer people call being diplomatic? Hmm, hmm??

> Why do I  struggle to be perfect (like they pretend to be) when I know I am not!? No one is…that is the universal truth.

> I expect and expect and expect to receive as much as I give….even if its candies!

> I cannot forget or forgive.. Proves I am a human yet again…Ha! And you thought I was a…

> Can the real friend please STAND UP??? Or wave, or hit me with a bird, or a donut!?

> I am so effing loyal!! I am not trying to praise myself here….Pinky promise!

> I guess I have to lie sometimes, for their own good, I must become a Truth warrior! \m/

> I am full of free advice. For sure no one needs my advice for their decisions unless I were a lawyer or doctor….I am none! Whoopsie!

> I talk so much and listen so less…Err..Yes, I do

Oh my God, so am I the one at fault here? Well, back to Square 1 …….

People judge, people scorn, try to belittle you, but you don’t have to be what they think you are….if I just turn the above comments into positive ones, I can learn my lessons quicker, become a better person. In the end, if I treat myself as I would like to be treated I will have the most effective relationship with the most important person who can be my best friend! No points for guessing! ME!!! 

Transition from a Best Friend-Girl Friend-Wife! Part III

Part III continued from Part II

You are so sure by now that this is the person you want to lose all your teeth with and still struggle to talk! The environment at home just seems busy with parents meeting parents, choosing date, venue and time, shopping, planning the wedding, everything seems to happen too fast. Time flies by at a supersonic speed. The D-Day is here. You are excited and nervous at the same time with a plethora of mixed emotions in your mind, about the new life, finally bridging the gap, no longer dying to see each other scenarios!  A completely new chapter in your life is waiting to start! Wedding goes well. Muscles relax. You are now light on your feet. You are newly-weds, meeting relatives, visiting temples and all holy places, socializing and introducing your spouse to everyone, celebrating. You are glowing with pride and loving it all. This effect lasts for about 6 months.

So now you are a part of a daily soap instead of a weekend program that leaves you some mystery behind, instead things get predictable. By now, you are used to waking up next to an ugly morning face, a set routine day! There are automatically some do’s and dont’s. You don’t check each other’s phones, you do call each other once in a day at the least. Personal spaces are now marked territories. Now you are a little conscious of your PDA. You have distributed who does what, the garbage always goes to the men and doing the dishes to women! Now you no longer bore your friends instead it is encouraging to joke and gossip about family members and spouses. You know all the burps and farts that never existed in your boyfriend-girlfriend relationship! You praise the good habits in public and despise the bad ones in person, cribbing everyday. The husband is now complaining and so is the wife. The complaints differ from the girlfriend-boyfriend stage, now you are not comparing anyone else’s dress and asking them to learn how to dress like that, now you are complaining of choice, you are complaining of an overflowing wardrobe, of how you can’t keep the socks and hankies in their original place, how you throw away shoes and towels here and there, how the food is not as good as mother’s, how your in-laws treat you, how the other couple looked happier, how you have changed, how you don’t remember special occasions, how you don’t spend quality time with each other, only two of you, since you are with each other 24/7!

This could be a bit overwhelming to single people, but married people have their own fun too!

Now you are so independent, no one asks you any complicated questions, you are not answerable to anyone except each other, you have free will to go out, party with anyone, socialize  shop! There is no room of doubt, suspicion, or the fear of commitment.  You are always looking out for each other even if you don’t see each other the whole week due to work or other responsibilities. You share burdens, joy and sadness. Making a few sacrifices, compromises, adjustments to keep everyone happy. You are literally together in sickness and in health. Now wherever you go, whatever you do, you are buy one get one free! It is only, we and us! It is not ‘ a lot like love’, it is LOVE!

This ends the trilogy of the girlfriend to wife transition, I am enjoying each phase and looking forward to more of those to come. I pray that you stay satisfied and together in love and marriage forever and ever!

Transition from a Best Friend-Girl Friend-Wife! Part II

Continued from Part I …..

Roses are red, Violets are blue,

I never knew love until I found you!

The ‘Boyfriend-Girlfriend’ stage is so complex yet beautiful. You want to make it public, but you can’t make it official just yet because you are not sure yet if he/she is ‘The One’. There are a few jealous creeps who want to ruin it all for you and your special one. You tend to forget it all when your boyfriend is like ‘Rocky’ or ‘Rambo’ to you who protects you from all the bad guys! Although he may not have the physique, but he has mental strength, which makes sense when you are in love. Everything that your boyfriend talks is some sort of wisdom to you. You start believing all his words and respect him for having general knowledge which is up-to-date and with the times. You go weak in the knees and have million butterflies trying to escape from your stomach tickling you from inside, and you believe it is true when he says ‘You are the most beautiful girl in the world’, ‘You have the most beautiful smile, the most beautiful eyes!’ ,’Your laughter is like a child’s so pure and innocent’. This is the ‘Golden era’. You are the center of attention, his football or cricket matches are not a priority, You are.

He will sacrifice a regular ‘boys’ night for just a glimpse of you. He will ignore his best friend, cut his calls short but will talk endlessly to you on the phone. He will talk of stars and moon and how his life is empty without you in it. You hold hands, cuddle, a little PDA here and there. You tell your siblings or your best friends about how ‘He is the One’ and bore them to death with your adjectives and how romantic he is.  You take time and want to say the three magical words but wait till he says it. But not too long, because you can’t hold them back any longer. You could just pee in the pants a little with that much excitement!!! And those three words are said, “I Love You”. You could just swoon the entire day, even at the most hated song of all times.  You have those airy feet like you may fly anytime. And the gifts increase now. They are more intense. You have lots of fights in this stage, but they bring you even closer. You will make some more friends(his), he will make lesser friends(yours). You will promise somethings and so will he.

You are not afraid to show them off any longer. Now even your relatives know you are officially “in a relationship”. Now there are no more “matrimony discussions” within the family members at family gatherings and social functions. He is now also your official driver.  If it is a job interview, a best friend’s wedding, a cousin’s birthday, a nephew’s christening, he is everywhere. On status updates, in your diary, in your phone, on your walls…oh no that was the poster of your favorite actor! Rewind…..in your…..heart you pervert!

The big day takes a longer time, but if you walk down the road, in a few months, you do stop at a point, reflect at the journey and decide if you want to take a halt here or go ahead to explore the unknown territories. The brakessssssssssssss……. Part III in the making….. to be continued…….

Transition from a Best Friend-Girl Friend-Wife! Part I

I am sure the title is pretty attractive and I am even more confident that many women who have been through this phase will understand what it means to go through this. Here is what I think:
As a friend, you know each other well you are at a better stage than just being acquainted, you greet each other by names and not just Hi, Hello, you meet in groups, go to picnics, parties or other celebrations, etc. Your talks are like, “Hey, so did you see that show on TV last night? It was soooo awesome” Then you move on to the next stage to become great friends, you start going out for coffee, it does not matter if some people ditch you end up only with that friend, it is not awkward, instead you enjoy the chats, the gossips. Your talks begin with “Did you know what happened with X and Y?” Then come the ‘Glory days’ you are now best of friends you talk so much that even if your mouth hurts you won’t know, even if your ear is warm holding the phone for so long you don’t bother, you listen and talk and talk and listen and never get tired. You call and cry, and your best friend is always there, like your favorite song you are never tired of humming, and it is still not awkward, now you start sharing secrets really personal ones! You are straight in the face, a yes or a no. “If you gotta do it, you gotta do it” types! Your talks are like, “Dude, what’s with your hair!? You need to change it man, it reminds me of a porcupine”. You start complaining about your family to this friend who is pretty special by now. Then suddenly one day out of nowhere, your best friend goes away like for two days to a hometown or a vacation with the family or some camping trip. That is when you realize you are missing something, like someone just took an arm or a leg away from you, you stop thinking or think a lot, and get restless, and when your friend is back, you give the tightest hug, now this becomes awkward, something is wrong with your eyes, you can’t stop staring in your best friend’s eyes. You go home and think about your best friend the whole day, the entire night! What is wrong with you, you ask yourself, you chuckle, you blush! Oh no……You are in love with your best friend…Smile!!! Now your talks become awkward, really really awkward! “Do you think I should have done that, instead of that?” And then you enter the girlfriend stage. You become possessive, you start getting ‘hurt’ all the time! Your talks are now sagas, tragedies, comedies, and 70 mm movie like stories! Your talks are mushy so many times and sometimes over-emotional. “You know how much that hurts? You shouldn’t have said that!” And then your boyfriend has to say ‘Sorry” more than 1000 times. You will cut his calls, shut the door on him, dump your face in the pillow and cry over the smallest thing, you are the most fragile at this stage, and your boyfriend will do any damn thing on earth to make it up to you! He will send flowers, cakes, chocolates, buy more gifts, send more cards, sms, emails! Phew! You just want him to beg in the end! And then someday when you have some exciting news and you can’t wait to share it, you will patch up! Things go back to normal, all the coffee shop trips, silly shopping like “You and me” cards, gifts, toys, and so much of useless stuff that someday you are going to throw most of them away or are going to lose it anyway, or gift it to some relative on their birthday or wedding forgetting who it was from because it looks so new! While denying that you will never ever go to a park, some or other day you end up on a park bench, you don’t know how, but you do, you end up watching the worst, flop movies of all times, but you don’t care because you get to hold hands in the dark! That is some adventure…
I think I will write a part two! …..hold on….It’s far from over…. to be continued….

Hungry me

Just something I felt, does she really resemble me! Ha…no!

Happiiieeee Birthdaayyyy

Gratitude

My Sun sign is Cancer. I am crabby by nature! It is true. I keep complaining, this is not right, that is not true, this is immoral, that is unhygienic, this and that! I am always complaining. You will get irritated if you stay with me for 24 hours. But a proverb just got my eye day before yesterday. I had to write this post so that I can remind myself what I need to do about what I am going to write now!”When we were children we were grateful to those who filled our stockings at Christmas time. Why are we not grateful to God for filling our stockings with legs?” G.K. Chesterton.Now doesn’t that speak in volumes! Why are we not thankful and instead always cribbing, crying, complaining?

Try it. Thank someone once genuinely like you really mean it, and not just use the word. What a huge difference it can make! You will have a smile across your face, a spontaneous one, not just a formality. I am not trying to preach or advise anything, although I could be a good counselor/adviser I am sure. Just try it, genuinely mean your Sorrys, Thank yous, Hellos, you will feel a difference, a positive one. When you try this on others, try it once on yourself too, look at the positive effect. Try saying, I can do this, even if you don’t have the skills, don’t know how to go about it, if you just believe you can do it, you will, doors will open, if not doors, windows will! This was just like a light shining, I couldn’t see it earlier, but now I can see it. It’s like the feeling of you going in the morning to open the closed doors and windows, the morning light that comes in, so pleasant, you can see things clearer, the darkness goes away.

We keep requesting God, I need this, demanding our parents, I need that! But once in a day say Thank you to God, I have started it! As soon as I get up in the morning, I say Thank you! It makes a huge difference, I am making it a habit, but that doesn’t mean I should mutter it without meaning it. I mean it. Say Thank you to your parents for everything! Just once, you will know! That is such an amazing feeling. I am going to love this word “Gratitude”.

Oh and Thank you!!! Genuinely, I mean it, from my heart, for reading this post.

Thank you

I am Cloud

So refreshing, a spritz of rain, a small cloud was passing by. I felt like dancing in those tiny droplets and soaking up in the cool water, drenched, teasing the scorching sun! This sounds like a fairytale or a sequence from a romantic movie.
If I was to write an autobiography of a cloud, it would be funny and a little nasty too! The above instance would be me sneezing! I would be a proud cloud, who loves to play hide and seek with the sun, has lots of friends, like the trees, the wind, the lightning, and the moon. Those thunderstorms crack me up sometimes because they sound like a rumbling tummy! You know what happens later, right!? It rains, hmm, now what could that be!? A cloud wanting to pee or cry?

What about the wind? A friend conspiring to scare people! Karma is a b*tch, they say! You hurt Mother Nature by cutting trees, wait till I call Wind and tell it to huff and puff and you guys are going to get hurt real bad!
I do pose when Lightning tries to click a picture with flash! Oh, but it’s like a horrid gimmick played on people when I want her to strike like they show in cartoons, a burnt barbecue! Oooh ooooh, and I update my status too! Like when people are thinking too much I take the shape of thinking bubble!

I go into depression sometimes, when I turn all black! I am at my philosophical best during the sunsets. I love to have a sun bath in the mornings, it’s all Vitamin D.
I don’t know if you have noticed but angels sit with us, we are like really good friends and I do give a high-five to my bro the mountain! I like to play with the dust, move it from one place to other, like you guys play with the sand.
The rarest thing I do is paint! I can only paint in 7 colors, my painting is very famous, called ‘Rainbow’. If you are thinking you can hide from me and do something, it is very difficult, I am constantly watching, except for when you hide in those hideous structures called buildings.
I love it when you guys are travelling in an airplane, I form a sea of clouds with my friends! I like to tempt you to come and sit on my soft fluffy back! I love it even more when kids want to play the guessing game and I take up different shapes. No wonder they also love cotton candy! I hope you know who the inspiration behind it is!?