Its been a long time that I sat down to write about issues that run in my mind all the time. Today finally I got some time off my two lill sweeties!
Recently I had a small conversation with a neighbor regarding schools in Chennai specially the ones which are closer to where we stay. We spoke about all aspects of schooling including the board the school is affiliated to... after a while this neighbor of mine made a statement.. that completely shocked me...according to her it just doesnt matter what board the school is affiliated to till class 10... after 10... she will put her child in a state board school.. because after that it is the marks and her number in the merit list that is going to get her to colleges!! and this coming from a well educated working mother!!
well..... many must be wondering what is so shocking in this... she is completely right...!!
But I don't come from that school of thought. While I agree it doesnt matter much as to which board the school is affiliated to.... it does matter as to what kind of education is my child going to get from that school. At the same time..... I also completely feel scoring well by mugging books is no sign of an educated child... in my terms the child is only literate then. What is education without knowledge??
I dont blame this neighbor of mine for her attitude towards education... but thats how our higher education systems are....!! Cmon... isnt it?
Recently the IIT-JEE results were out... and the boy who topped the test, proudly stated that he put in 12 hrs of study time at the coaching centre,went to school, studied at home and still found time to watch IPL....!! man... he must be a robot! Anyways.... congrats to the child and I do wish him all the best. One of my relatives son also went for coaching classes , however dint clear the tests, but the boy who cleared the tests from his batch from the coaching class, apparently used to skip school to study for the entrance....!! Thats where the truth lies! In the race to get into the biggest of institutions we fail to give due importance to our school.... the school which makes us capable of appearing for such exams....! Again.... whom are we to blame ? Our education system is like this.... isnt it!!
My maid has put her children in a school, for which she has to save every bit of penny earned to educate them. Where is the government ... to support these people ... to give them good education.... why cant the government do anything for the economically backward class? Why is our reservation policies caste based?? Why cant the economically backward upper castes avail of any reservation policy or economic help from the government?
I believe there are also difference in the pass percentage eligibility criteria for higher education depending on which caste you belong!! I fail to understand how can a child from one caste who shares the same teaching environment which another upper caste child can get the advantage of a lower pass percentage eligibility criteria!! Though I would understand it completely if the same backward caste child belonged to a small village and excelled in the exams there ....! Doesnt it mean that we are being partial to that upper caste child who must have performed extremely well in his /her small village but would have failed to get admission for higher education only because of the higher pass percentage criteria..?? Cmon.... why are we living in this 18th century civilisation??
Why is there such a sudden change in the attitude of our society....?? Why is it necessary to know who belongs to what class or caste.... ?? How can one score brownie points just because he/she belongs to a backward class. Is the value of education so cheap??
My daughter has just joined a school which doesnt boast of any rank holders .... but still is considered as one of the best schools in Chennai... mostly because of their idea of holistic child development and not concentrating only on academics. However, my relatives still ask me why did I choose the school which has no rank holders to a school which boasts of rank holders every year!! Goodness.... why are we so crazy about marks and rank holders.... when will we ever realize that we dont need to send our children to school to make them rank holding machines... we want them to be illuminated minds... educated children. By educated I dont mean scientists and engineers and doctors only.... any field ..which they find interesting and doing the best in that. Imagine if we never had archeologists .. how could we ever learn about history??
Coming from a defense background and studying in a Kendriya Vidyalaya all my schooling years, I never realised that I belonged to an upper caste ... and at the same time, my friends were mix of all castes, we never found the difference and till date we are all good friends.
In the name of caste and class are we providng our children ... the future of this country good education.... are we as the present generation parents being truthful to them....?? With the current education system... I wonder where are we headed to??
Friday, June 4, 2010
Friday, April 16, 2010
Strange life
Its been more than a month since I took a decent meal...... more than a month that I read a newspaper.... more than 3 months that I bonded with friends .... ... been almost 6 months since I thought about my so called "hobbies"!!been ages since I had a decent conversation with anyone (including hubby dear)and the worst.... been a week since I slept well...(which means a decent 6 hours at night!)..yet I have been keeping my spirits high and not letting myself down!
The above things dint bother me as much even a week before.... but now its eating into me slowly... and worst its affecting my personal life with my children...!! I have become very impatient ... to an extent that I litrally screamed at my lill one... who is yet to turn one!
and why does it affect me now???... simply because I feel totally alienated from the rest of the world. I realise bonding with friends .... just for that half an hour.... makes you fresh....!! It may not be the most productive thing on earth to talk... it might just be a small gossip or a joke.... or some stupid story to share.... but that small talk is necessary to keep you sane....!!
I live in a building with 8 apartments.... where my flatmates are elderly people or working couples!! and the one couple with a child of my elder one's age never shows up... untill she needs some help from me! well...cant blame her! she might have her own plans .... who am I to ask....!!
But then .... just a few buildings away.... in another apartment complex there are people who bond with each other on a daily basis.... each one is there for the other one... when needed...!! Their kids play (irrespective of the age)with each other and the elder children take care of the younger ones.... and this gives enuf space for the mother to breathe.... if not anything else.... just close the eyes and take a small nap to ease up tensions!
Last week.. one of my friends who lives in that apartment... called me over to tell me that they are making a recipe which I have been asking for a long long time and she asked me to come over. After finishing my duties at home I walked to her place... to find 2 more friends waiting . All of them living in the same apartment. They were all talking between themselves.... each pouring their thoughts.... their woes and their share of laughs..... and they do this practically everyday. They even planned to take their children for a small picnic on their terrace... these kids would have loved it!! They share the same hobbies and their children bond well.... I just couldnt stop wondering.... how can people be so lucky...!! Well some are... and thats the truth...!! I felt alienated from them... because I felt I am intruding their space.... and they went on making plans for the next day and the day later...! I never felt like this ever.... it was like I was completely lost......!! People I have been bonding over a period time... have suddenly become so different to me...?? What was the problem..... was it jealousy or envy.... jealosy that in spite of all the work they have at home... they still find time to do things they love....?? Jealousy that they have someone to talk to and pour out their emotions....!! while at this..... I get a call from hubby dear that a courier of his is waiting to arrive anytime.... so I rushed back home... so that I dont miss it...!! At any other time I might have waited and gone a lill later but that day I rushed home.... because I was suffocating there... I felt very lonely and I just wanted to run away from there...!!Wow..... when I look back.... I feel sick about myself that I did that! But thats what I did shamelessly!
What is the remedy to such a feeling? what should I do... I am just piling up this jealousy inside me and throwing it up on my kids.... As home makers we cook and take care of home.. As mothers are expected to take care of kids... their tantrums and their requests.... but as an individual as a woman dont we have a need... to do things that we love.. just once in a week?? is that asking for too much?
am I wrong in feeling so jealous.... or am I over reacting?? I really dont know..... what to do...! I know that being impatient with kids is wrong... and they wont even understand if I say sorry to them.. but what do I do?
It is said that the other side of the mountain is always green..... true I cant judge their lives, but then thats what I said in the beginning... that half an hour outside the mundane and monotonous life .. is necessary to keep you sane....!!
The above things dint bother me as much even a week before.... but now its eating into me slowly... and worst its affecting my personal life with my children...!! I have become very impatient ... to an extent that I litrally screamed at my lill one... who is yet to turn one!
and why does it affect me now???... simply because I feel totally alienated from the rest of the world. I realise bonding with friends .... just for that half an hour.... makes you fresh....!! It may not be the most productive thing on earth to talk... it might just be a small gossip or a joke.... or some stupid story to share.... but that small talk is necessary to keep you sane....!!
I live in a building with 8 apartments.... where my flatmates are elderly people or working couples!! and the one couple with a child of my elder one's age never shows up... untill she needs some help from me! well...cant blame her! she might have her own plans .... who am I to ask....!!
But then .... just a few buildings away.... in another apartment complex there are people who bond with each other on a daily basis.... each one is there for the other one... when needed...!! Their kids play (irrespective of the age)with each other and the elder children take care of the younger ones.... and this gives enuf space for the mother to breathe.... if not anything else.... just close the eyes and take a small nap to ease up tensions!
Last week.. one of my friends who lives in that apartment... called me over to tell me that they are making a recipe which I have been asking for a long long time and she asked me to come over. After finishing my duties at home I walked to her place... to find 2 more friends waiting . All of them living in the same apartment. They were all talking between themselves.... each pouring their thoughts.... their woes and their share of laughs..... and they do this practically everyday. They even planned to take their children for a small picnic on their terrace... these kids would have loved it!! They share the same hobbies and their children bond well.... I just couldnt stop wondering.... how can people be so lucky...!! Well some are... and thats the truth...!! I felt alienated from them... because I felt I am intruding their space.... and they went on making plans for the next day and the day later...! I never felt like this ever.... it was like I was completely lost......!! People I have been bonding over a period time... have suddenly become so different to me...?? What was the problem..... was it jealousy or envy.... jealosy that in spite of all the work they have at home... they still find time to do things they love....?? Jealousy that they have someone to talk to and pour out their emotions....!! while at this..... I get a call from hubby dear that a courier of his is waiting to arrive anytime.... so I rushed back home... so that I dont miss it...!! At any other time I might have waited and gone a lill later but that day I rushed home.... because I was suffocating there... I felt very lonely and I just wanted to run away from there...!!Wow..... when I look back.... I feel sick about myself that I did that! But thats what I did shamelessly!
What is the remedy to such a feeling? what should I do... I am just piling up this jealousy inside me and throwing it up on my kids.... As home makers we cook and take care of home.. As mothers are expected to take care of kids... their tantrums and their requests.... but as an individual as a woman dont we have a need... to do things that we love.. just once in a week?? is that asking for too much?
am I wrong in feeling so jealous.... or am I over reacting?? I really dont know..... what to do...! I know that being impatient with kids is wrong... and they wont even understand if I say sorry to them.. but what do I do?
It is said that the other side of the mountain is always green..... true I cant judge their lives, but then thats what I said in the beginning... that half an hour outside the mundane and monotonous life .. is necessary to keep you sane....!!
Monday, February 15, 2010
Valentines Day dinner! :(
Not that I am not a romantic person.. but frankly I could never understand why we make such a big issue about Valentines day!! I mean if you are in love.... you are in love... you don't need a specific day to remind yourself and make your partner feel special ...! At the same time if one really wants to dedicate a single day for love... whats the harm... why do we make that such a big deal...???
Anyways.... this puzzle is for the more informed and wiser people to solve..
What prompted me to write this post today are some pictures that a friend of mine had posted on her Val day celebrations with her husband...! An exotic location and dinner by the seaside.... and that is surely romantic! I couldn't stop myself getting envious.... but then that's about it.
My mind rolled back to the days in college when "the" girlfriends would spend hours getting beautiful for that special dinner date with their respective boyfriends...!! I could never really get the idea as to how can you have dinner with the same guy almost every day and yet call the Val day dinner special?? I mean logically it doesnt! Once a room mate of mine enlightened me... Valentines day dinner is all about love ... !! Wheew.... I almost saw a halo behind her...!
Aaah Cmon! How can you be nice and goody one day and come back to fights and mistrusts the next day and call yourself being in love?? I found all that very dumb... and I still feel the same about it.
I recall this incident about a friend's Valentines day! Dressed in white and baby pink she looked heavenly.. (she was otherwise too very pretty)... and so in her own words she had the best valentines day dinner... and the most romantic one at it!! (wherever it was... at least she admired it!)... good!! Her smiles and blushes were obviously making her statements very real....! and I am sure it would have been!! But then the very next day the couple had a serious argument and they broke up the following week! whew! Now that is something I couldn't understand! I mean was I naive then... or was all college love tales going like this! I really didn't know... !! I can shamelessly admit that the only time I had a boyfriend to "celebrate" valentines day was when we both were separated by our busy education schedules.... (I was training and finishing my mid term on the job training and he being my senior was back in college), so I could never really understand the funda on Valentines day dinner... and the funda... "love is in the air" and "its all about love"!!
Even now ... after 8 years of marriage( which makes it 8 Valentine's days with my life partner) and two kids.... I still don't understand whats the big deal about "The Valentine's day dinner"
But then these are my thoughts.. I am sure when my kids grow up, they will go for their respective valentine dates... I hope at least by then I'll have an idea.... whats the whole deal about the "valentine day's dinner"!!
PS: I wasn't envious about my friend's dinner because it was Valentine's day.... had she gone to this place any other day.. I would have been equally envious....
Anyways.... this puzzle is for the more informed and wiser people to solve..
What prompted me to write this post today are some pictures that a friend of mine had posted on her Val day celebrations with her husband...! An exotic location and dinner by the seaside.... and that is surely romantic! I couldn't stop myself getting envious.... but then that's about it.
My mind rolled back to the days in college when "the" girlfriends would spend hours getting beautiful for that special dinner date with their respective boyfriends...!! I could never really get the idea as to how can you have dinner with the same guy almost every day and yet call the Val day dinner special?? I mean logically it doesnt! Once a room mate of mine enlightened me... Valentines day dinner is all about love ... !! Wheew.... I almost saw a halo behind her...!
Aaah Cmon! How can you be nice and goody one day and come back to fights and mistrusts the next day and call yourself being in love?? I found all that very dumb... and I still feel the same about it.
I recall this incident about a friend's Valentines day! Dressed in white and baby pink she looked heavenly.. (she was otherwise too very pretty)... and so in her own words she had the best valentines day dinner... and the most romantic one at it!! (wherever it was... at least she admired it!)... good!! Her smiles and blushes were obviously making her statements very real....! and I am sure it would have been!! But then the very next day the couple had a serious argument and they broke up the following week! whew! Now that is something I couldn't understand! I mean was I naive then... or was all college love tales going like this! I really didn't know... !! I can shamelessly admit that the only time I had a boyfriend to "celebrate" valentines day was when we both were separated by our busy education schedules.... (I was training and finishing my mid term on the job training and he being my senior was back in college), so I could never really understand the funda on Valentines day dinner... and the funda... "love is in the air" and "its all about love"!!
Even now ... after 8 years of marriage( which makes it 8 Valentine's days with my life partner) and two kids.... I still don't understand whats the big deal about "The Valentine's day dinner"
But then these are my thoughts.. I am sure when my kids grow up, they will go for their respective valentine dates... I hope at least by then I'll have an idea.... whats the whole deal about the "valentine day's dinner"!!
PS: I wasn't envious about my friend's dinner because it was Valentine's day.... had she gone to this place any other day.. I would have been equally envious....
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
PLAN...EXECUTE and REVIEW!!
In school and college I have always been taught to PLAN and EXECUTE and REVIEW my actions
When I look back today... and look at life...till now ... it looks like I have been such a bad planner.... a worse executor and needless to say the "review" part never really happenned!!
School - When in school, I was a freak who loved geography and history as subjects and hated physics and chemistry, so I always thought I will become an archeologist by profession! After my 10th exams.. I was set to take up arts as my stream for junior college but ... my father's posting and the schools in that place took away that option completely! So I ended up taking commerce as my stream and completed my school! While still in school I drifted from history and geography and was wanting to take up psychology as a subject for graduation... but in between came the fascination for food and my interest in that took me to my graduation in Hotel Management!
Coming to think of it... I really never planned to take up Hotel management as a career option!!
College... i joined to learn more about the fascinating world of food, but ended up hating large scale cooking concepts and inclined towards the other world of hotels... the Rooms management! Thankfully during my campus selection days I got placed with a premier hotel chain in India and my second job saw me flourishing at work. This was the time when I was getting laurels for my work and almost everybody knew me by name and face in the hotel I was employed with...
Coming to think of it.... I really never planned to win accolades and become well known in such a short span... but it just happened!
Marriage .... Just when I thought something was going fine... marriage happened. Marriage was probably the best thing to happen ..... but coming to think I really never planned to get married so fast.... but it just happened that I met my Mr. Right very early!
Career ... Marriage also made me come face to face with harsh realities!! Reality that my working in hotels was not liked by family members! So I kept changing jobs.... whichever I found attractive and different.. so that I could at least learn something new. This inquisitive attitude and "I can learn and do everything" attitude landed me with my biggest professional blunder... a job I should have probably refused when offerred!
So there I go again..... No Planning ....!! forget execution.... !!
Then came Children... Our first one happened after I got treated for some serious hormonal imbalances.... so the first child was competely planned!! (at least some where I used the planning action!) but the second one happened when I was still to cross the planning phase.... !! So there I go again ...... No planning... but he is such an angel and sweetie pie that I am glad the idea got executed well!! :))
So why am I writing these things today...!! Because I think somewhere down the lane... I feel i have changed so much as a person after marriage and children. I could never see myself as someone confined to the four walls of home and baby sitting... but thats what I am doing now! 10 years back... career was so much on priority list ... and 10 years later I have achieved nothing in life! whew....!
Then I thought... I can always start working again... what should stop me....!! But with my children around ... i can never get comfortable with office environment... I would be physically in office but mentally.. I would be at home...!! So thinking of working again 4 years after leaving the corporate world.... seems very scary and unattractive! Possibilities of working from home... seems negligible and even if there are any... god knows how much can I concentrate on work with two small kids at home!
It was when .. I was pondering about work and how to get financially independent again when i saw my two kids laughing and playing with each other.. fighting and crying... both of them trying to get my attention to compain about the other....(the younger one who is 9 months old uses "amma" for evrything these days!!).. I realised that I can never trade even a fat pay check from a fortune 50 company for such small incidents that happen at home... nothing can bring back these sweet moments and the joy that these bring to my heart
So... no matter how much I plan...... I (may) never execute them... even if I do execute... I (may) never review them!! Gosh... thank god I am not a Management Grad from a reupted college... I could be such a bad example for planning and executing and reviewing!!!
When I look back today... and look at life...till now ... it looks like I have been such a bad planner.... a worse executor and needless to say the "review" part never really happenned!!
School - When in school, I was a freak who loved geography and history as subjects and hated physics and chemistry, so I always thought I will become an archeologist by profession! After my 10th exams.. I was set to take up arts as my stream for junior college but ... my father's posting and the schools in that place took away that option completely! So I ended up taking commerce as my stream and completed my school! While still in school I drifted from history and geography and was wanting to take up psychology as a subject for graduation... but in between came the fascination for food and my interest in that took me to my graduation in Hotel Management!
Coming to think of it... I really never planned to take up Hotel management as a career option!!
College... i joined to learn more about the fascinating world of food, but ended up hating large scale cooking concepts and inclined towards the other world of hotels... the Rooms management! Thankfully during my campus selection days I got placed with a premier hotel chain in India and my second job saw me flourishing at work. This was the time when I was getting laurels for my work and almost everybody knew me by name and face in the hotel I was employed with...
Coming to think of it.... I really never planned to win accolades and become well known in such a short span... but it just happened!
Marriage .... Just when I thought something was going fine... marriage happened. Marriage was probably the best thing to happen ..... but coming to think I really never planned to get married so fast.... but it just happened that I met my Mr. Right very early!
Career ... Marriage also made me come face to face with harsh realities!! Reality that my working in hotels was not liked by family members! So I kept changing jobs.... whichever I found attractive and different.. so that I could at least learn something new. This inquisitive attitude and "I can learn and do everything" attitude landed me with my biggest professional blunder... a job I should have probably refused when offerred!
So there I go again..... No Planning ....!! forget execution.... !!
Then came Children... Our first one happened after I got treated for some serious hormonal imbalances.... so the first child was competely planned!! (at least some where I used the planning action!) but the second one happened when I was still to cross the planning phase.... !! So there I go again ...... No planning... but he is such an angel and sweetie pie that I am glad the idea got executed well!! :))
So why am I writing these things today...!! Because I think somewhere down the lane... I feel i have changed so much as a person after marriage and children. I could never see myself as someone confined to the four walls of home and baby sitting... but thats what I am doing now! 10 years back... career was so much on priority list ... and 10 years later I have achieved nothing in life! whew....!
Then I thought... I can always start working again... what should stop me....!! But with my children around ... i can never get comfortable with office environment... I would be physically in office but mentally.. I would be at home...!! So thinking of working again 4 years after leaving the corporate world.... seems very scary and unattractive! Possibilities of working from home... seems negligible and even if there are any... god knows how much can I concentrate on work with two small kids at home!
It was when .. I was pondering about work and how to get financially independent again when i saw my two kids laughing and playing with each other.. fighting and crying... both of them trying to get my attention to compain about the other....(the younger one who is 9 months old uses "amma" for evrything these days!!).. I realised that I can never trade even a fat pay check from a fortune 50 company for such small incidents that happen at home... nothing can bring back these sweet moments and the joy that these bring to my heart
So... no matter how much I plan...... I (may) never execute them... even if I do execute... I (may) never review them!! Gosh... thank god I am not a Management Grad from a reupted college... I could be such a bad example for planning and executing and reviewing!!!
Monday, February 8, 2010
Getting tagged..... Nothing could be funnier!!
I got tagged by Life_Refactored.... Answering these questions got me back to my school and college days when we friends maintained something called a slambook..! What happened with my slam book... I guess Raat Gayi baat gayi!1 Anyways.... heres what I have to write!
1. What is your current obsession?
Blogging and running behind my kids!
2. What are you wearing today?
Green Salwar Kameez
3. You are on your deathbed and you want to judge your life. How would you.
how well a role model have I been to my children!!
4. What’s the last thing you bought?
4 sets of salwar kameez ......
5. What are you listening to right now?
Uff teri nazar--- Karthik Calling Karthik
6. What do you think about the person who tagged you?
The best thing to happen to me ... :)
7. If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be?
Coorg - amidst coffee estates....!! hmmm....
8. What are your must-have pieces for summer?
Tang Orange Juice / cotton kurtis and long skirts
9. If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
Egypt and/or Greece......( Anybody listening!)
10. Which language do you want to learn?
Tamil - to write and Read... at least to teach my kids when they learn it in school!
Bengali - I think it is one of the sweetest languages in India!
11. What’s your favourite quote?
Smile... and the world will smile with you... and Smile ! It costs nothing
12. Who do you want to meet right now?
Kailash Surendranath - to tell him that the latest version of Mile Sur mera tumhara sucks big time!
13. What is your favourite colour?
PURPLE and BLUE
14. Give us 3 styling tips that work for you.
Long Wrap around Skirt with Kurti !
Well draped saree for any ocassion with minimal jewellery!
Kohl in my eyes!
15. What is your dream job?
Any travel talk show....! I get to see places.. meet new people and learn new things! Wow life cant be better!
16. What’s your favorite magazine?
Cooking and More - Tarla Dalal, Filmfare,Parenting,Outlook Traveller.
17. If you had $100 now, what would you spend it on?
A valentine gift for my dear hubby ,a dress for my daughter and a drum for my son !
18. What do you consider a fashion faux pas?
Women wearing jeans / skirts with bindi on their forehead and flowers in their hair.
19. Is exercise a part of your daily routine? If so, what kind of exercise is it?
Yep.... if running behind two demanding kids is considered exercise!!
20. What kind of haircut do you prefer?
Straight and simple
21. What are you going to do after this?
Sleep!
22. What are your favourite movies?
DDLJ, Lakshya,Swades,Dil Chahta hai, Mozhi,Jab we met
23. What inspires you?
A good conversation with my father and Ramayana
24. What do your friends call you most commonly?
Nits
25. Would you prefer coffee or tea?
TEA!
26. What do you do when you are feeling low or terribly depressed?
Cry and throw tantrums
27. What makes you go wild?
K... when she doesnt listen to me! and doesnt clear up after playing!
28. Which other blogs do you love visiting?
hmm......!! quite a few... though I love to read random blogs
29. Favorite Dessert/Sweet?
Khubaani ka meetha, Gulab Jamun.
30. Do you believe in fate and destiny ?
Yes.
31. Favorite Season?
Rains
32. If I come to your house now, what would u cook for me?
Home made chocolate cake and tea(or coffee!!)
33. What is the right way to avoid people who purposefully hurt you?
Ignore them!
34. What are you afraid of the most?
Height.... thats the reason I couldnt enjoy AvATAR! I surely have acrophobia!
35. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought?
when will I ever lose that flab?
36. What brings a smile on your face instantly??
K's version of sita in ashoka vatika!
38. What would you do if you were made PM of India for one day?
Eat drink and sleep.... what else can you do in a day cmon!!
39. What is that one thing that keeps you going.
Hope for a better tommorrow.
40. Whats one thing that you used to love that you left
CAREER!! Cant say bakery anymore ...!!
41. What would be your reaction, if you come to know that today is the last day of your life
Pray that my children and hubby have the courage to move on..... and live an honest life
42. What are your hobbies?
Music,Bakery,painting.....! (I do none right now!)
43. What do you hate about yourself?
Taking my parents too much for granted!
44. Your favourite animation character (or cartoon)
Little Krishna (Courtesy Big Animation and Nick Channel)
Rules for those who are tagged:
Respond and rework – answer these questions on your blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own, and add one more question to the list. Then tag others :)
I tag
www.karasevai.blogspot.com
www.ssstoryteller.blogspot.com
1. What is your current obsession?
Blogging and running behind my kids!
2. What are you wearing today?
Green Salwar Kameez
3. You are on your deathbed and you want to judge your life. How would you.
how well a role model have I been to my children!!
4. What’s the last thing you bought?
4 sets of salwar kameez ......
5. What are you listening to right now?
Uff teri nazar--- Karthik Calling Karthik
6. What do you think about the person who tagged you?
The best thing to happen to me ... :)
7. If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be?
Coorg - amidst coffee estates....!! hmmm....
8. What are your must-have pieces for summer?
Tang Orange Juice / cotton kurtis and long skirts
9. If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
Egypt and/or Greece......( Anybody listening!)
10. Which language do you want to learn?
Tamil - to write and Read... at least to teach my kids when they learn it in school!
Bengali - I think it is one of the sweetest languages in India!
11. What’s your favourite quote?
Smile... and the world will smile with you... and Smile ! It costs nothing
12. Who do you want to meet right now?
Kailash Surendranath - to tell him that the latest version of Mile Sur mera tumhara sucks big time!
13. What is your favourite colour?
PURPLE and BLUE
14. Give us 3 styling tips that work for you.
Long Wrap around Skirt with Kurti !
Well draped saree for any ocassion with minimal jewellery!
Kohl in my eyes!
15. What is your dream job?
Any travel talk show....! I get to see places.. meet new people and learn new things! Wow life cant be better!
16. What’s your favorite magazine?
Cooking and More - Tarla Dalal, Filmfare,Parenting,Outlook Traveller.
17. If you had $100 now, what would you spend it on?
A valentine gift for my dear hubby ,a dress for my daughter and a drum for my son !
18. What do you consider a fashion faux pas?
Women wearing jeans / skirts with bindi on their forehead and flowers in their hair.
19. Is exercise a part of your daily routine? If so, what kind of exercise is it?
Yep.... if running behind two demanding kids is considered exercise!!
20. What kind of haircut do you prefer?
Straight and simple
21. What are you going to do after this?
Sleep!
22. What are your favourite movies?
DDLJ, Lakshya,Swades,Dil Chahta hai, Mozhi,Jab we met
23. What inspires you?
A good conversation with my father and Ramayana
24. What do your friends call you most commonly?
Nits
25. Would you prefer coffee or tea?
TEA!
26. What do you do when you are feeling low or terribly depressed?
Cry and throw tantrums
27. What makes you go wild?
K... when she doesnt listen to me! and doesnt clear up after playing!
28. Which other blogs do you love visiting?
hmm......!! quite a few... though I love to read random blogs
29. Favorite Dessert/Sweet?
Khubaani ka meetha, Gulab Jamun.
30. Do you believe in fate and destiny ?
Yes.
31. Favorite Season?
Rains
32. If I come to your house now, what would u cook for me?
Home made chocolate cake and tea(or coffee!!)
33. What is the right way to avoid people who purposefully hurt you?
Ignore them!
34. What are you afraid of the most?
Height.... thats the reason I couldnt enjoy AvATAR! I surely have acrophobia!
35. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought?
when will I ever lose that flab?
36. What brings a smile on your face instantly??
K's version of sita in ashoka vatika!
38. What would you do if you were made PM of India for one day?
Eat drink and sleep.... what else can you do in a day cmon!!
39. What is that one thing that keeps you going.
Hope for a better tommorrow.
40. Whats one thing that you used to love that you left
CAREER!! Cant say bakery anymore ...!!
41. What would be your reaction, if you come to know that today is the last day of your life
Pray that my children and hubby have the courage to move on..... and live an honest life
42. What are your hobbies?
Music,Bakery,painting.....! (I do none right now!)
43. What do you hate about yourself?
Taking my parents too much for granted!
44. Your favourite animation character (or cartoon)
Little Krishna (Courtesy Big Animation and Nick Channel)
Rules for those who are tagged:
Respond and rework – answer these questions on your blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own, and add one more question to the list. Then tag others :)
I tag
www.karasevai.blogspot.com
www.ssstoryteller.blogspot.com
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
The side affects of being a celebrity
I wonder what life the celebrities live for being who they are...!! Even without wanting to be one... they become a role model simply because they excel in field of their interest.... but is it necessary for the role model to be a perfect person in all possible ways.... I'd say NO.
Tiger Woods and his sexual (mis)adventures has made him infamous almost instantly.In a second we all forgot the greatness of the sportsman and looked down upon him for his wild adventures. In a moment his personal life overshadowed the greatness of his professional life.
I ask myself.... how does it affect me if Tiger Woods is such a maniac... the answer is NO it doesnt affect me at all....! then why do I treat him so lowly. For a country like USA, such escapades may not be so horrifying as it looks in the news articles, but they are the people who are pulling him down on moral values!!
The only reason for such a reaction is that he is a celebrity .. a celebrity who has excelled in golf and taken the sport to greater heights. There are innumerable cases,where celebrities have been hounded to get a piece of the (mis)adventures of their lives.
In the rush to pull a celebrity down for their ill doing we forget that they are also humans at the end of the day.By saying this, I am not sympathizing with Tiger Woods, at the same time I dont think it is right for me judge and doubt the greatness of this sportsman because of his sexual escapades.
As a non celebrity ... I tell myself that I can keep my personal and professional lives separate, that I shall not let my professional life affect my personal life and vice-verse, sadly the same cant be for a celebrity. Their professional and personal lives are so connected that one imperfect move shakes both the lives equally.
Tiger Woods episode(s) gives me the ideal example to teach my children about a role model. I believe we make a person a role model for what he/she achieves in their field of interest, not for the life he/she lives otherwise. We can only learn from the achievements and disregard the wrong doings of our role models. The other life of these role models is for them to live.... how they live is their choice... who are we to question, judge or comment on that choice??
Tiger Woods and his sexual (mis)adventures has made him infamous almost instantly.In a second we all forgot the greatness of the sportsman and looked down upon him for his wild adventures. In a moment his personal life overshadowed the greatness of his professional life.
I ask myself.... how does it affect me if Tiger Woods is such a maniac... the answer is NO it doesnt affect me at all....! then why do I treat him so lowly. For a country like USA, such escapades may not be so horrifying as it looks in the news articles, but they are the people who are pulling him down on moral values!!
The only reason for such a reaction is that he is a celebrity .. a celebrity who has excelled in golf and taken the sport to greater heights. There are innumerable cases,where celebrities have been hounded to get a piece of the (mis)adventures of their lives.
In the rush to pull a celebrity down for their ill doing we forget that they are also humans at the end of the day.By saying this, I am not sympathizing with Tiger Woods, at the same time I dont think it is right for me judge and doubt the greatness of this sportsman because of his sexual escapades.
As a non celebrity ... I tell myself that I can keep my personal and professional lives separate, that I shall not let my professional life affect my personal life and vice-verse, sadly the same cant be for a celebrity. Their professional and personal lives are so connected that one imperfect move shakes both the lives equally.
Tiger Woods episode(s) gives me the ideal example to teach my children about a role model. I believe we make a person a role model for what he/she achieves in their field of interest, not for the life he/she lives otherwise. We can only learn from the achievements and disregard the wrong doings of our role models. The other life of these role models is for them to live.... how they live is their choice... who are we to question, judge or comment on that choice??
Thursday, January 7, 2010
3 Idiots
Nope... I am not writing anything on the movie....!! I guess enuf has been written and discussed on how good the movie is ,how good Aamir is and how Chetan Bhagat has got a raw deal from the producers!
3 Idiots only got me back to my school days in Meerut, UP. This movie got me nostalgic... of my school days. We were three good friends and all three different in our own ways! Yet something kept us together and we are best of friends till date. None of us were preachy and none of us was a role model to the other, yet we love each other as much today. All three of us came from different backgrounds.... one belonged to the joint family.... one from a defense background and one from a modern nuclear family, yet each of us loved spending time at the other's house. It was not just the three of us ... our friendship also got our families to know each other well. While none of them really attended my wedding we all attended each others sister's wedding. I took a dirty slow passenger train called Janata Express all the way from Calcutta to Delhi at the last moment to attend to the wedding of Vinni's sister's wedding (which became so much an issue with my senior's in college that I was blocked from booking train tickets for myself!!), the journey though was very interesting and very scary, coz it took me on a bihar UP darshan trip stopping at almost all stations on the way that too in an unlit compartment till 2 in the morning! How I survived the trip.... am sure I was surrounded by angels ....! But I really dont regret it... coz at the end of the journey I was with my friend and her family for a beautiful occasion and that was more important to cherish!
None of us was bookish intelligent.... but we all were quite bright. While Shivani and I always competed with each other for good scores in Accountancy and Economics but how I managed to top the school in our 12th boards is as much a mystery to me as much to Neetu who was the teachers pet and was considered to top it anyways!! I still remember how we never used to take our studies seriously and used to even laugh at the tution classes (specially maths) coz we never got a hang of it. But Shivani was a great foodie and she loved Idli dosas... thats where my amma came to the rescue! She loved eating South Indian food and I got crazy about UP food.... like Tehri and Kaali dal...!! To a great extent I think my love for food and subsequent graduation in Hotel Management would have initiated from here.
Vineeta on the other hand was not a foodie... but she was one NO NONSENSE person! I remember Vineeta and I would constantly be on logger heads and Shivani would become the peace maker for us. Shivani being the most beautiful girl is the school... used to get all the attention from boys and many of them even declared love for her.(thanks to our movies!!!). One such guy who accidently "dared" to disclose his so called love for Shivani .... got such an earful from Vineeta... that I really doubt if he would have ever fallen for any girl after that. Being the soft hearted person that I am... I thought she was rude to him... but I realise now how practical she was then. I can still get the best advice from her though she has mellowed down a bit post her marriage and a child.
Its strange that I met them almost 15 years back and been with them only for 2 years .... and yet they are the best things to happen to me (well.... before marriage and children),there are moments big and small that I still cherish and given a choice lead those years all over again with the same people, still.... ! Today three of us lead very different lives... while Shivani is an AVP with an investment firm.... Vineeta and I have settled well into our married life with children and are home makers. But we still take out time to talk... listen and be for each other whenever we need each other!
This movie, 3 idoits just got me back to those beautiful days just because the three of them are as diverse as all were.
3 Idiots only got me back to my school days in Meerut, UP. This movie got me nostalgic... of my school days. We were three good friends and all three different in our own ways! Yet something kept us together and we are best of friends till date. None of us were preachy and none of us was a role model to the other, yet we love each other as much today. All three of us came from different backgrounds.... one belonged to the joint family.... one from a defense background and one from a modern nuclear family, yet each of us loved spending time at the other's house. It was not just the three of us ... our friendship also got our families to know each other well. While none of them really attended my wedding we all attended each others sister's wedding. I took a dirty slow passenger train called Janata Express all the way from Calcutta to Delhi at the last moment to attend to the wedding of Vinni's sister's wedding (which became so much an issue with my senior's in college that I was blocked from booking train tickets for myself!!), the journey though was very interesting and very scary, coz it took me on a bihar UP darshan trip stopping at almost all stations on the way that too in an unlit compartment till 2 in the morning! How I survived the trip.... am sure I was surrounded by angels ....! But I really dont regret it... coz at the end of the journey I was with my friend and her family for a beautiful occasion and that was more important to cherish!
None of us was bookish intelligent.... but we all were quite bright. While Shivani and I always competed with each other for good scores in Accountancy and Economics but how I managed to top the school in our 12th boards is as much a mystery to me as much to Neetu who was the teachers pet and was considered to top it anyways!! I still remember how we never used to take our studies seriously and used to even laugh at the tution classes (specially maths) coz we never got a hang of it. But Shivani was a great foodie and she loved Idli dosas... thats where my amma came to the rescue! She loved eating South Indian food and I got crazy about UP food.... like Tehri and Kaali dal...!! To a great extent I think my love for food and subsequent graduation in Hotel Management would have initiated from here.
Vineeta on the other hand was not a foodie... but she was one NO NONSENSE person! I remember Vineeta and I would constantly be on logger heads and Shivani would become the peace maker for us. Shivani being the most beautiful girl is the school... used to get all the attention from boys and many of them even declared love for her.(thanks to our movies!!!). One such guy who accidently "dared" to disclose his so called love for Shivani .... got such an earful from Vineeta... that I really doubt if he would have ever fallen for any girl after that. Being the soft hearted person that I am... I thought she was rude to him... but I realise now how practical she was then. I can still get the best advice from her though she has mellowed down a bit post her marriage and a child.
Its strange that I met them almost 15 years back and been with them only for 2 years .... and yet they are the best things to happen to me (well.... before marriage and children),there are moments big and small that I still cherish and given a choice lead those years all over again with the same people, still.... ! Today three of us lead very different lives... while Shivani is an AVP with an investment firm.... Vineeta and I have settled well into our married life with children and are home makers. But we still take out time to talk... listen and be for each other whenever we need each other!
This movie, 3 idoits just got me back to those beautiful days just because the three of them are as diverse as all were.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Memorable people.....
2009 has largely been an eventful year to me.
J - My daughter... had her first annual day at her play school..(whew), joined a good school during "Dashera" , enjoyed her first "Kolu" and has started taking interests in books specially Indian mythology like Ramayana and Kri shna Leela.
N : My son... he came into our lives in the first half of the year and by the end of the year he has slowly transformed into a brat.
and I completed my PG and have started taking interest in blogs and blogging.
But more than the above incidents, I will remember 2009 as the year I had met and discovered some very interesting people. I particularly will always remember this mother whom I met at J's school. Irritated with the fact that in spite of the lump fees that we shelled out for our children, the school was not able to handle the children as well as we could at home, this young mother went overboard with her negative emotions about the school. Upset with the fact that her child wasnt able to settle in school even after 2 weeks of schooling, she saw no reason to give the school more time to set things in order. Finally one day her son got adjusted to the school and started enjoying it and thats when she was calm. The next time I heard from her was when the school displayed the activities of our children and called the parents to the school to have a look at them. Like typical parents, My husband and I went and saw and appreciated, spoke to their teacher, got J's report card and returned home. However, this mother of J's classmate, made more efforts to find out how much is allotted for which activity so on and so forth and above all shared that info with all fellow parents. At first I thought WOW.... it never struck me to ask all these questions, but later I thought how does it matter how much time is spent in what as long as J is happy at school and enjoyes it....!! But, when I look back at these incidents, I feel, what else than the heart of a mother and its constant quest to keep her children happy, would have made her behave like that!!
Second person is a close relative of mine. Well read and working in a fortune 500 company, she has also managed to make a mark in her professional life and lives away from her parents in foreign shores. Her parents have been trying to get her married for almost 4 years now... but things dont seem to be happening yet to her. This time, on her visit to India, we had a small chat on this issue, and I realised that her idea of perfect man is too perfect to be real. She is a fiercely independent woman who doesnt want to be dependent on any person for anything. She wants someone, who can give her freedom and let her be independent, yet when she speaks to potential grooms she doesnt like the idea of them being too forward or too backward in their thoughts. Though, I believe women should have the freedom to live life on their terms, I also understand that a marriage is a bond for life, where the husband and wife are invariably dependent on each other for everything. She makes me realise, how imperfect I was when I was getting to know my husband through those innumerable calls and chats before we tied the knot, yet the fact that my comfort level with him was so high that the dependency factor never became an issue. That makes me ask myself ... in the name of women's rights are we really making ourselves too perfect to be real and co exist with men.....!!
The third is my maid. She is this inquisitive, talkative and probing woman who can spend 2 hours just talking and finish her work in half an hour. Now... you may think.. why will I always remember her... well... ! I realise that she comes from a background whose luxury items may be items that are basic necessity or desirable objects for us. Being a sole bread winner in the family of three (her husband daughter and she),she realises the importance of smile and a smiling face. With soaring prices of basic items like rice,pulses and veg, meeting ends have become difficult for each one of us. Yet, I have never seen her sulk... I have never seen her cry..... never seen her losing hope on a better tommorrow.... never seen her losing hope on the almighty! I dont know what power drives her to be what she is ... but something is... may be thats the power of the almighty!
There are many more fascinating people that I have met... but these three will always be on the top.
I wish them a happy new year and all of the people in this world a happy new year and a content year in 2010.
J - My daughter... had her first annual day at her play school..(whew), joined a good school during "Dashera" , enjoyed her first "Kolu" and has started taking interests in books specially Indian mythology like Ramayana and Kri shna Leela.
N : My son... he came into our lives in the first half of the year and by the end of the year he has slowly transformed into a brat.
and I completed my PG and have started taking interest in blogs and blogging.
But more than the above incidents, I will remember 2009 as the year I had met and discovered some very interesting people. I particularly will always remember this mother whom I met at J's school. Irritated with the fact that in spite of the lump fees that we shelled out for our children, the school was not able to handle the children as well as we could at home, this young mother went overboard with her negative emotions about the school. Upset with the fact that her child wasnt able to settle in school even after 2 weeks of schooling, she saw no reason to give the school more time to set things in order. Finally one day her son got adjusted to the school and started enjoying it and thats when she was calm. The next time I heard from her was when the school displayed the activities of our children and called the parents to the school to have a look at them. Like typical parents, My husband and I went and saw and appreciated, spoke to their teacher, got J's report card and returned home. However, this mother of J's classmate, made more efforts to find out how much is allotted for which activity so on and so forth and above all shared that info with all fellow parents. At first I thought WOW.... it never struck me to ask all these questions, but later I thought how does it matter how much time is spent in what as long as J is happy at school and enjoyes it....!! But, when I look back at these incidents, I feel, what else than the heart of a mother and its constant quest to keep her children happy, would have made her behave like that!!
Second person is a close relative of mine. Well read and working in a fortune 500 company, she has also managed to make a mark in her professional life and lives away from her parents in foreign shores. Her parents have been trying to get her married for almost 4 years now... but things dont seem to be happening yet to her. This time, on her visit to India, we had a small chat on this issue, and I realised that her idea of perfect man is too perfect to be real. She is a fiercely independent woman who doesnt want to be dependent on any person for anything. She wants someone, who can give her freedom and let her be independent, yet when she speaks to potential grooms she doesnt like the idea of them being too forward or too backward in their thoughts. Though, I believe women should have the freedom to live life on their terms, I also understand that a marriage is a bond for life, where the husband and wife are invariably dependent on each other for everything. She makes me realise, how imperfect I was when I was getting to know my husband through those innumerable calls and chats before we tied the knot, yet the fact that my comfort level with him was so high that the dependency factor never became an issue. That makes me ask myself ... in the name of women's rights are we really making ourselves too perfect to be real and co exist with men.....!!
The third is my maid. She is this inquisitive, talkative and probing woman who can spend 2 hours just talking and finish her work in half an hour. Now... you may think.. why will I always remember her... well... ! I realise that she comes from a background whose luxury items may be items that are basic necessity or desirable objects for us. Being a sole bread winner in the family of three (her husband daughter and she),she realises the importance of smile and a smiling face. With soaring prices of basic items like rice,pulses and veg, meeting ends have become difficult for each one of us. Yet, I have never seen her sulk... I have never seen her cry..... never seen her losing hope on a better tommorrow.... never seen her losing hope on the almighty! I dont know what power drives her to be what she is ... but something is... may be thats the power of the almighty!
There are many more fascinating people that I have met... but these three will always be on the top.
I wish them a happy new year and all of the people in this world a happy new year and a content year in 2010.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
