Mother of Mine

I've made many attempts to post this article but somehow was waiting for a special occasion and many have passed - Mothers Day, Woman's Day, Teacher's Day and even my mum's B'day.  Well... she is the Iron Lady of my life, my first teacher, my guide, the source of  many inspirations - She is my Mother...Everyday is her day. I am the daughter of Nirmala. 

I'm sure many of us hold our parents in high regard.  This post isn't going to talk about why my mum is most special in the world... Its about She IS the MOST SPECIAL person in My World! She is My God - The Creator of me. 

Of the thousand memories that I have of my Mum I'd like to share this one incident.  As a child I imagine I was quiet difficult and stubborn.  My mum has always led by example.  She has never forced me to just blindly do as told but encouraged asking questions, thinking and always reasoned to convince me.

There was once this time when got a note from a teacher for not doing my homework and had to get my parents to sign.  I thought may be I should not bother them with such petty tasks and forged my mother's signature.  Next day in school I showed the note to the teacher - I wasn't a great forger and she realized I had signed it. I'm a horrible liar - I can't lie for nuts! She asked me if I had done it and I nodded a yes.

The teacher took me to the School Headmistress's office.  Any kid would be nervous I guess but I was thinking My god what drama over homework not done! They really need to chill! So anyway, that day I went home with a note from the Headmistress!  Now I was nervous, homework not done would still have been easy to explain but how to I start to explain a forgery!? By evening I managed to muster up some courage and handed her the note not knowing what to expect.  She read it and then asked me if I had done. Then she wanted to see the copy and asked how I did it and then... Wait for it.... She smiled! Then she says.. "Its OK, these are those once-in-a-life things. I had done it once too when I was in school. Just don't do it again"  and I was off the hook!  

You can only imagine what a WOW moment that was.... I left thinking I have been blessed with a really cool Mom! I never again did repeat it, also when I think back I know some other people might have spanked the kid for this - not doing homework, forging notes where is this kid headed.  It was the 'reaction' that changed everything. She never raised her hand on us, she could always make us understand by explaining the situation. But more importantly I think it was also because she remembered what it was like to be a kid. This is also a good parenting lesson, someday when I have kids I know this is one of the stories I will be sharing with them :)

She used to call me a day dreamer. Yes, that's where I first heard this word I was all of five!  She would sometimes consult me silly matters but its very important, which I don't think many parents do (at least not many from my time).  They just tell the kids what to do and are not really bothered about their opinion. But that is important, it made me feel valued.  She taught me what the right thing to do is but the choice was always mine. She has only passed good things to her children.  I owe all my successes to her.  But the failures would only be my responsibility, faults that I have are my own for its only because I forgot her lessons.  

I possibly can't write everything in one post but to sum it up.  Nothing we ever do in life to try to repay the debt to our mother is ever going to be enough.  Selfless love like a mother's is something that can never ever be replaced or repaid.  

My Mother, I will forever be indebted and grateful to you for everything!

An Unmarried Girl

What is the problem if girls my age are still not married? Really why do some people have to exclaim when they hear I'm single.  Today I'm narrating an incident - a first for me. 

I happened to run into this distant relative of an aunt today.  There have been too many accidental meetings with her this year and she has been progressively becoming more annoying than the last time.  Since the last three meetings she had been asking if I my family was looking (for a groom), if I'm getting married soon or if I'm engaged.  So here's what happened today.

The bell rang and I was the one who opened it.  What a surprise, there she was - lets call her aunty Elly - with her daughter and  niece I presume. We exchanged the regular pleasantries (inside I cringed - oh why today?).  She settled in and was speaking with uncle while sat with my laptop, browsing and chatting with friends.  She looks at me smiles and asks 'To kahi baat pakki hui beta?' I smile back and reply in negative and try to hide behind the laptop! (ugghh really why IS SHE bothered?).  she goes on as asks "Are you working or playing a game?" I reply "I have to finish some urgent work" (on my personal red laptop :P). She goes back to chatting with uncle. 

Five minutes later she asks me "How old are you?" I'm a little annoyed at her question but reply - 25.. She still wants to confirm so asks me which year! My uncle replies "She is 86 born same year as my elder son" She is now calculating and says " So you have completed 25 and running on 26..hmmmm" I usually don't care when it comes to stating my age but the way she said it felt like she was disrobing me :(...  I wonder when she will leave. Elly is relentless.. she seems to have made up her mind to get as much as info about me today.  She asks me about my star sign, horoscope details! There seems to be no end to it,  I feel like a victim. Pause.  She is now back to talking to my uncle. 

Then she asks me "So what kind of a guy are you looking for?" I'm surprised and dumbfounded at this question.  I stumble and just able to  react with ''huh?!.. Why... What do you mean?"  She asks "What are your expectations? a Doctor, Engineer, Professor?" I reply "I don't know" and go back to starting into my laptop praying God let this be over soon.  And then another question "What's your height?" I tell her I'm 5ft 4in.  She goes on... "So will you be fine with a 5ft 5in tall guy?" OMG she had someone in her mind already!!! I'm quick to reply with "NO, The guy has to be minimum 5ft 9in... I wear heels you see and some are about 4 inches high" (I'm just ROFLing inside) 'Elly had crossed over her boundary of the regular nosy relative and walked in to the role of a matchmaker and couple of steps too close into my personal space.  I wish I could just walk out right now but can't look rude.  I'm praying someone just calls me.

"Oh!" She exclaims and continues "Well you know wearing heels is not good for health.  There is a Orthopedic I know and he advises that girls should not wear heels at all.  I know it looks good but in the long term it causes back ache" after intruding my personal space she is now acting as my health instructor. She then asks how many siblings I have and what is my educational qualification how long have I been working. By the end of it I was sooo annoyed and tempted to say Thanks very much but I love wearing heels and I don't plan on getting married at all.  

This was my first ever experience with a nosy relative.  Makes me wonder why can't girls be single and happy? Why do people expect that after a certain age we have to get married? I understand marriage can be beautiful if you meet the right one but it can be totally opposite if rushed into.  From where I'm standing right now its - Better alone than bad company.

The Wait

The one skill I need to acquire is PATIENCE - not that I'm perfect otherwise. I think I'm one of those almost perfect people and I'm glad to be almost perfect instead of totally PERFECT else everyone around me would be soo jealous LOL!! (OK I'm digressing now :P back to the point) The toughest part in life is the wait, learning to wait.  

I think wait can be a silent killer or may be its not the wait but the anticipation of what could be.  I felt it would take an eternity to grow tall when I was little.. hmm now that was a random sentence (I've decided I'm not going to cancel anything I write and think aloud in this one) so yea, coming back to the point of waiting and anticipating.  I'm very impatient when it comes to the verbal hook (I just can't solve those funny riddles, I'd rather pester the person to give me the answer! :P)... and the friends who know that use it against me sometimes.  A friend sends me a text 'I need to tell you something'... Well Seems like she wants to check if I have the phone handy so I immediately reply 'Tell ME!'.. I mean why can't she just text me what it is.. why the I-have-something-to-tell mystery? 

Another friend of mine (now this is just for the pleasure he gets out of making me wait.. and I get soooo mad at him, I Can't describe!) so he calls me tells me 'There's something I have to tell you' and I say 'Yeah????' and he says 'I'll tell you when we meet in person' (Isn't that totally annoying!? I absolutely hate it!) I never annoy my friends like this because I understand the pain ( Pain? :P LOL) I think we humans love to create suspense and drama (why am I even surprised!) Why do you think Daily soaps are such a hit.. I think because people are nosy :P they want to know whats happening in other peoples life.  Then again the wait... the soaps make you wait and you wonder what will happen (do you even now-a-days? I think its totally predictable).

Another random thought about the waiting process - You know what I don't like about waiting too long? Its the fact that after you know you have waited for way longer than you should its making the decision to move on.  Just because we have invested that much time waiting of something to happen / appear you feel you can just put in a little more time.. it then sort of becomes like quick sand pulling you in deeper and deeper (that is the worst part). Its like waiting for the Buses in this city, after you have waited 30 minutes you know you will wait for another 10 minutes, but then even after another 15 more minutes there's no bus and you get into a Rickshaw... and soon as you start moving then you see the bus arriving (you feel worse when you see how freakin empty it is!!) Its just best to move on sooner if you don't find something than be stuck in one place because of the time already invested.  Moving on is good, change is always good. (did that sound like something from the book Who Moved my Cheese? Its just common sense I think but then that is so rare! :P)

They say the wait makes things seem worthwhile and if it weren't that we'd get bored even sooner. There's a lot I could write about this subject but I've run out of patience! So ending with quote I really love  :)

                 I am extraordinarily patient, provided I get my own way in the end.

- Margaret Thatcher

P.S.

I don't think I'm too impatient either.. I get like this when its gone beyond my patience limit :P

The Sale

One thing that no woman can resist is a Sale!  Even we don't need anything we still go and shop :) I was out shopping last weekend - seemed like all the malls were on sale.  Weekends can be a bad time to go shopping and I mostly avoid it especially if there is a sale! You can't imagine the lines outside the trial rooms and then again more lines at the cash counter! If its this bad I just don't shop I leave all the items I picked out outside the trial room and walk out. There are soo many interesting things I can do instead of waiting just to try on those clothes.

Its interesting to observe people during a sale.  There were this mother and daughter shopping, the daughter seemed to like something the mother thought was a total waste.  I heard her say 'That looks like a night gown on you beta!' There were also three guys shopping in the ladies kurta section - one of them wanted to gift something to his girl friend and his mum.  Poor guy gets his male friends to help him, he was doomed.  They were later seen asking help from other ladies about the sizes to pick out.

There are also those supershoppers who go shop hopping during the sale.  They seem to carry bags from every shop that has a sale - makes me wonder where they put all this stuff.  Seems like they get a whole new wardrobe during the sale season. I know some ladies who can shop all day long and they just don't get tired! I have a friend who will walk into shops, does not matter if there is a sale or no sale.  She just wants to 'look around' but she will pick up something and bargain over the price till the shopkeeper had enough and at in the end just leave it and come back. Her answer to why she does that "Just like that!" She bargains for things she know she will not buy - just for the fun of it! I don't think I will EVER be able to do that, its too exhausting. 

Another thing about sales is your luck - its truly a matter of luck to find the perfect thing you wanted at the sale.  Most of the times I find that the stock at a sale is something of a leftover (there is a reason why they call it end of season sale) but sometimes if you are lucky you are able to find something really nice.  Quiet often I end up buying the fresh stock which is not on sale but its fine because I'm totally worth it :P

This sale season I felt lucky, bought some nice clothes - luckily there was no rush even (may be it was the time of day - afternoon, evenings are horrible!)  I would have to be one of those few girls who avoid shopping during the peak hours at a sale. However, this is not the end of the sale - Shopper's Stop sale is coming soon :D

The Height of Feminism

Today is Women's Day and seems perfect to write something in support of the feminine. This goes out to all the ladies, hope you have a good laugh :)
Before that a DISCLAIMER:  to everyone reading this article - Somethings might sound familiar because you might have read or heard it somewhere. So have I, but they all came together wonderfully in my mind I just had to put it out here :)

I was talking with one my girlfriends and we happened to stumble upon the topic of marriage, love, commitment, luck etc.  We spoke about how lucky some people are while there are other still looking for love..Right or wrong places they just don't find it.  All the good men seem to be married, committed, gay or just hidden away from us. We have almost given up the idea of finding the 'One'. Wonder what corner of the world he is.. oh wait.. the world is round! Darn it!

So.. we decided we might just skip the part of having a relationship and move on to the next level - Adoption.  She said "Its a woman's world now, no longer a mans world.  The remaining males are just suckers and we need to get rid of them too. We need to keep a few though, rear them and use the sperms to 'produce' as many kids as possible for adoption and then make the New Generation" (felt like I read this somewhere) I felt as though I was co-plotting to rid the world of all the manpower just by being a part of this conversation and it was starting to worry me a bit. She realised I was lost in thought, then she said something really funny "Stop worrying about men, it's woman's day. Concentrate on the superior being here!" Girl did she crack me up. She ended her plan with the phrase - The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.

She could be very well right about us being the superior beings.  After all God created Adam before Eve because the rough draft had to be prepared before the masterpiece.  More power to women :)

A note for Men: If you read the above, please don't take it to heart its not until a couple 100 years till The Plan will be actioned.