Dilemma

There are days when weekend Is not enough for me. When I need more time. More time to read, more time to travel more time to reflect on life more time to think , I like to write so more time to write. Then there are days when I love the challenges that every single day brings with it. When there is a competition between time and me as to who wins. When there are office deadliness, demanding kids and I a super mom or a super woman takes everything in my stride and face the day with full will and determination. There are days when I enjoy a party and get together so much that I just want to do that for the rest of my life and then there are days when I feel life should have a purpose. I should make my life meaningful and then I ask myself what I like to do and the answer comes I like to work. I like the sound of the keypad every morning. I like the different queries that every day come in my inbox. I like the importance that feel  when I want to go on a leave and there is some work which needs my quick approval and it is got stuck. I like when I get appreciated but when I’m not I get pushed and I achieve things which I never thought I could do. So I keep getting better all the time. I like when the pay check comes and I have the liberty to decide what is to be done with it.

I do not at times understand myself. Whether I work for money or whether I work because I love to work and money is an added advantage. Me a mother who has to raise 2 children now sometimes fail to solve the puzzle that life is myself. Is that what life is all about? To always keep you on your toes…till the last breath till the last moment…..to keep discovering whether what im doing is right or I could have done better……still ….discovering. Still learning!!!  I very much feel the gist of my life in these words below by Robert Frost:

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep."

Kindle or Paper

I'm a avid book reader. A bookworm perhaps. Result : There is a big bookshelf in the house which is over flooded with books! Although i kept allotting more and more space to books somehow it is never sufficient as books keep increasing day in and day out. I'm a girl who when goes to a shopping mall will not go to cosmetic section and buy the latest mascara or lip liner or lip gloss or will not check herself 10 times in the mirror or wash room during functions. I somehow always end up in the bookstore and no matter how many books i have i still have a lot to read. Result no space.

That is when my husband suggested its time to buy "Kindle". Now Kindle! I was reluctant. I for sure knew i wouldn't like electronic reading. The smell of paper, new book, the cute cute bookmarks, the collection. How is a kindle going to help me get all that. But how can i explain all this to a non book lover and hassled by all the space books are taking in the house. Nevertheless we brought Kindle (I brought the cheapest one available as i knew i wasn't going to use it much.) But i was in a shock myself.

I read my first novel and did not much miss the paper. Next i realized i could download books or buy them at the click of a button. No more taking the time and effort to go to book stores. Not that i don't like it. Its just that its not convenient every time especially with a busy schedule. Plus the convenience of carrying n numbers of books in a small device. I mean just put it in your bag and you have so many novels with you especially while travelling. You don't need a dictionary anymore as you just press the word and meaning pops up. You don't need bookmarks as you open the book and it takes you to the page where you had left . This is applicable even if you are reading more than a book at a time. The promotional offers available online. You can read so many books for free. Yeee!!!!! With Kindle unlimited you just pay a monthly subscription of Rs 200 and a million books to read. Now that's what i call a deal for a bookworm like me. No more travelling to library in traffic, no more taking the tension of losing the book and not returning it on time or else incurring penalty every day. No more worrying of kids tearing the library books as you might have to pay fine. Neither the irritation when your engrossed in a library book to suddenly realize the page is missing with a love note from someone to someone. Now that's what i really feel is digital revolution and i'm so glad i'm getting to be part of it. Thanks I love Kindle :-). Also being a lawyer its my duty to say this article is not intended to promote Kindle and views of the writer are solely his or hers and not intended to influence people. 

The Tattoo Story

Story begins with me wanting to get a tattoo. Reason, I want to look hep. Lot of people in office are getting tattoos done. People whom I've never seen in jeans are also sporting tattoos. Basically I’m being a copycat.

Logistics: I have to find a tattoo guy, check the cost, pain part of it and hygiene which is the most important. So I contact a reasonably well known tattoo artist.

Cost he says is 2500 for basic tattoo, pain less than manicure or threading (apparently his other woman clients have educated him on these things!) Hygiene: He works in one of the reputed international hospitals. When asked why, he says he helps women who have got breast implants done due to cancer. How? The implant can’t provide a nipple so the tattoo artist creates nipple for them. My reaction to this, I’m speechless and shocked on the agony that a lot of women silently go through). He tells me this to assure me about hygiene and says he would give a new needle to every customer.

Next I speak to a friend who sports 2 tattoos and she asks me few questions.

Why you want to get a tattoo. My answer is to look hep.
Is that the only reason? My answer yes.
Will you want to look at the same thing for the rest of your life? Yes.
Even after you are 60 and your skin has wrinkled. Hmm yes I think so.
What will you say when people ask you the meaning of the tattoo. My reaction, do people ask such questions. To this her reply yes. Tattoo is something that you really believe in. What do you believe in? My reaction one big question mark?
At last she suggests Goggle on tattoo. So I Google and the answer is world is divided into two sets of people one who gets tattoo and other people who are scared of people having tattoos. I thought this thinking exists in 1960’s. But I am surprised to find this attitude not only in India by Internationally as well.

The D day: My friend the one with 2 tattoos decides to get a third one. I tell her I want to come and watch so that I know what I am getting into. We go to a tattoo parlor. The tattoo parlor has lots of tattoos on the glass window some good ones some like skeleton which I find scary. The tattoo maker has his whole arms tattooed. My friend asks for a Trishool (Trident) to be done on her hand. He first draws the design on her hand with a pen and when she is satisfied with the design, size of the tattoo that’s when the tattoo maker begins the real work. He takes out a big needle from a packet. It’s a size of a pen. He then shows it to her for her approval to open the packet. Once she nods her approval he then opens the packet. He then begins work on the tattoo. Both my friend and he try to have a small talk to distract her from pain. She is sitting coolly. I watch her face with attention to see any signs of pain, irritation. Nothing her face is blank. In 5-7 minutes the tattoo is done. There is no blood. He then applies lot of Vaseline to her hand. She asks for a touch up to be done on one of her old tattoos which was done by her some 5 years back and has kind of gone light. I watch all this is in astonishment.

Outcome: Do I get a tattoo done. No. I’m still thinking. But I have realized there is much more to a tattoo then just a style statement. In case I decide to do it, this time I will be much more prepared and ready for it rather than randomly deciding to do something. So much for tattoo.

Writing a Blog

I have been toying with the idea of writing a blog from the last one year. In the meanwhile I have been reading a lot of blogs. I see a lot of blogs with pictures of handbags, cute dresses, birthday celebrations and cute stationary. While these blogs are definitely fun to read (and I am addicted to some) I wasn't comfortable writing this way. I somehow felt it was a bit too teenagers type. Before you start guessing my age I’m not in my 20’s but definitely 30’s and I think my way of writing is more mature. (Maybe it should be given my age).

Like everyone I had initial concerns that if I start writing that will be another core for me. It will be an additional task and I will have to keep coming up with articles all the time. I read a lot about what topics to write, 365 blog ideas for a year,how to choose your audience for the blog, what would the people like to read about. Finally I gave up the idea of writing a blog. That’s when a colleague of mine sends me a blog link that I really like and I finally decided to write a blog. It took me some time to realize this is not about people but it is about what I want to write.

Often while reading all the stuff on net about blog writing we actually lose what we want to write about. My blog is simply about my experiences in life and about my views. That’s it. Nothing more nothing less. When I read the 365 blog ideas for a year I did write on a few topics to be on a safer side but later I realized this is not what I want to write about. It’s okay if I write less I only want to write about the issues I strongly feel about. And when I do feel that way,words just flow out of the pen or in my case the keys in the keypad get hit faster. Sometimes it is more than enough that you feel about certain things in a certain way and it is good to be natural than to copy others and write what other blog writers are writing about. Thank god finally good sense prevailed!

Weird names

Amir Khans PK is one of the recent movies that everyone is taking about for so many reasons. One of the things that have been highlighted in the movie is that we human beings are so confusing. A particular color is auspicious in one religion and inauspicious in the other, a particular custom good for one religion and not so good for another. 

My today's article further highlights this dilemma. Sometime back an apple was an apple, today it is a brand for consumer electronics. A tablet was a chewing tablet today it’s a mobile computer. A recent incident happened in office when a colleague said I went to buy a tablet (electronic gadget) and I said oh what was wrong with you (I confused it with the medicine pill). Another time the same person said I picked up a tablet (medicine pill) and this time I said, I thought you bought it sometime back and we all burst out laughing. Similarly Mango a famous fruit is a famous clothing brand today. Who knew people would have blue tooth with which they would connect with each other. I thought all tooth are white! One more brand that a transport company in our city uses for its buses is Orange. Now this I think is food for thought. Isn't it?

Weekend chakkar

When there are few hours left for the Friday getting over and we are nearer to the beginning of the weekend why do we start feeling so happy and once the weekend begins immediately the question is what to do? And then there is whole list of things to be done (Grocery, cleaning, ironing, stacking fridge etc. etc.) and when the list is over weekend is also over and Monday morning again we think when will weekend come!

Life is beautiful. So r people.

Well I never ever imagined that I would write a blog in 2015. That was not in the Agenda. Agenda was simple to work hard to play hard, do some yoga shred some kilos, eat healthy blah blah blah but here I am writing my first blog! I don’t know what 2015 has in store for me, as of now I am amazed with myself.

My very first post is about life and people. Whenever I meet someone new I am amazed by the way people, talk, think, choose their words. People never fail to amaze me and I always learn something new from every person I meet or see. It’s nice to know how people feel,think, their fears, their aspirations. I am a listener most of the time and somehow I have experienced that because I don’t judge people easily, people feel very comfortable to talk to me to tell me their sorrows, secrets even though I do not ask about it!

I do not know how long will this fascination continue with me but it has always been with me. So is life. I like everything life has to offer, the foods, colors, books, each and every single day, the monsoons, the bright sunlight in the morning, the rains. Every day I want to achieve new things which I have never achieved till date. Does everyone think this way or am I super excited? Here is cheers to life and to people.