Little Brother.. Yeah .. You have grown up :) :)

I still remember the day you came into our lives. A day before Rakshabandhan. 12^th August 1992 it was!! While I waited near our mommy, the doctor told me that I have a baby brother to tie rakhi the next day. I was thrilled. I remember tying a smallest rakhi on your teeny-weeny hands and you looking at us (me and Bhavika) through your small Chinese looking eyes. It’s been twenty one years and you have grown into an adult. Of course, your Chinese looking eyes are still the same size :P :P But yes, you have grown up all these years from a cutest looking toddler, to a sweet 7 year old to the slimmest teenager and to a handsome adult today.  

Jacks, (as I always call you) you are one of the best things to have happened to us. You bring in the much needed humour and enthusiasm in our lives. Of course, you are laid back when it comes to your own studies :P

The fondest memories we have of you as a child are about you calling a programme as ‘Ghambhda Mix’ instead of ‘Bhangra Mix’, your penchant for strictly and only wearing pants as a four year old toddler, your craze for Parle biscuits, your urge to become a Police officer at the age of ten, your illegible handwriting (which are illegible even today :P) your quoting a strange figure of eighty five lakh one thousand and ninety nine for every question that had to be answered numerically and of course your incomprehensible takiyakalaams (eg. hi, meri dosti world cup, kaisi ho??.. or Bret Lee cut spinle ki speed mein). These are just a few examples and you know there a whole lot others which I can’t mention here (Lest, I get killed by you for publicly exposing them :P).

But, funny memories apart, there are times when you warm our hearts beyond limits. The most rational and mature stuff you say to us sometimes (only and strictly sometimes :P:P ) makes us think that yes, you have grown up. Every time you come to pick and drop us at the bus stop, every time you go and buy ice creams for us at the oddest hours, every time you buy us something or the other from your limited pocket money, every time you go and get things repaired which we have carelessly fiddled with, every time you have dragged our scooty for getting the puncture repaired, every time you say sorry when we get angry, every time you care for mummy and us, we cannot thank God enough for the sweetest brother we have in you.

Yes, we do get angry at you when you don't study well or when you don't behave well, we don’t allow you for outings often, you are not given the privilege to roam around at places and times you want and not to forget your limited pocket money. But I know that someday you would understand that all we did was for your own good. 

As you finish twenty one today, all we wish for you today is that you live a happy and healthy life always, scale newer heights in your career and achieve all your dreams. You are officially grown up now. Remember, that we are always with you whenever we want to fall back upon. And keep loving us as you always have. Wish you a very happy birthday.

P.S. Jacks, I write this post of behalf of everybody at home.

Super Woman… Who??

Super Woman – off late I have been hearing this tag quite often. I was watching a certain reality show, whereby a celebrity wife was called a ‘Superwoman’ by her ‘celebrity because of marrying a celebrity’ husband. He praised her abilities to manage things so wonderfully and balance things with such ease and poise. The way she took care of her own career and family responsibilities, she was a super mom, super wife, super daughter, super person blah blah blah... Good enough. 

Image Courtesy: Google

But I found it a little humorous. I mean, of course I don’t know that celebrity personally; but at the end of the day, she is a celebrity with amazing amounts of moolah at her disposal.  Not to forget, the riches of her husband. She is in glamour world and we all know how lavish their lives are. I wondered what ‘managing’ would these celebrity ‘superwomen’ be doing. I mean, they have this huge army of people who manage their lives; right from their secretaries, to dietitians  to fitness experts, to beauty experts, to hairstylists, cooks, drivers, astrology guiders, to nannies for their children.. phewww.. I mean with such a large battalion at disposal for each and every task, what kind of ‘managing’ would these celebrity superwomen be doing actually? Well, may be they ‘manage; to order their troops for whatever they want to look like, for whatever they want to eat, may be they ‘manage’ to order their children’s nannies to pick their children from schools in a particular coloured car.. :| Well, maybe that’s what they call ‘managing’.

Okay, okay I know I am sounding like anti-celebrity or something. But let me tell you I am not. All I mean here is that when you have so many resources at your disposal; you obviously tend to ‘manage’ things better. Gosssh, how many times have I managed to use the word ‘manage.’ Anyways, the point here is, who would you call a ‘superwoman’?

Would you call a woman as ‘superwoman’ who struggles with time everyday to meet her professional and personal commitments? Those thousands of working women who wake up early to pack lunches for their children and husbands, who rush around the mad house in the morning trying to make their children reach school buses and then catching trains & buses themselves to reach their offices. Offices – places where they might still be struggling to prove their mettle compared to their male counterparts, where possibly she would be taunted for taking those extra leaves which she might have taken to tend to her sick children, a place where the so called glass ceiling does exist but everyone out there is just trying to push it under the carpet.

The same woman is worried about what would she cook in the evening and shops for the necessities while returning from office. A woman who would be equally tired when she reaches home, but still manages to help children with their homework and run the remaining errands. The same woman's weekends are even more hectic with all the pending work at her disposal. Yet, she does all of this jugglery to keep the family going. And yet at the fag-end of the day, somewhere inside her, she nurtures a guilt within that she cannot make enough time for all the things she wants to do for her family.  And of course, not to forget those scores of ‘housewives’ (as they are called) for their unwavering dedication and non-stop efforts for running a house. Now that’s what I would call a ‘superwoman’. Would you?

Look around, we all have such ‘superwomen’ around us who struggle in their own ways to keep us going.  Appreciate them. Appreciate their struggle, their efforts, their small endeavors.

Next time, you think your mom doesn't cook delicacies every day, just try and remember the struggle she puts up even for the most routine work. Next time, you think your wife isn't able to give enough time to you, have a look at the hard work she puts in to make her home look good or the help she extends to the children with their smallest of the small errands.

Why is it that we need a Woman’s day to celebrate the beauty, the enigma, the struggle and the efforts of a woman? This post thus comes at the oddest time and away from the so called single day dedicated to celebrating womanhood.

Go ahead, tell the woman in your life, be it your mom, your wife, your girlfriend or your bhabhi that she is a superwoman and you appreciate the struggle she puts through for making your life a little easier. Do it and I am sure, you would not mind seeing her beaming from ear to ear. Not much effort for what she puts in. Isn't it?

The Horrendous Sunday Night...!!

Image Courtesy : Google

I sit here in a grumpy mood

As if the next day is to be doomed;

You probably guessed it right

Yes, I am talking about the horrendous Sunday night…!

Flashes of the past two days swim through my eyes

They were days of fun, frolic and high-fives;

The revelry started all by the Friday night

And end the Sunday evening with a fright…!

Is there something called a holiday hangover

If so, I get it every weekend over and over;

Haven’t yet found any ‘lemonade’ to help me calm down

As I stare at Monday with a nasty frown…!

I see the clock tick away time  

As each moment brings be closer to facing morning blues and rhymes;

This Sunday night wears me down

Pushing me to the brink of yet another mini-nervous breakdown…!

The next morning looks to me so bleak

As I almost drag myself into yet another week;

Yeah, it’s time for those five days to pour the suffering

Fighting my way out of the never ending problems, politics and troublings…!

Savoring every moment of this Sunday evening

Every passing minute so fiercely I cling;

I see yet another weekend coming to an end

And my mind starts pining hopes on the upcoming weekend…!

When you say nothing at all…

I might not be the best daughter

I don’t listen to you all the time,

I get angry, I get cranky;

Punish me as much as you want,

But don’t be quiet

Coz 'apart' my world falls;

When you say nothing at all..

I am the not best sister;

I don’t get your perspectives every time,

Your wishes, I don’t always grant;    

Fight with me as much as you want,

But don’t be quiet

Coz 'apart' my world falls;

When you say nothing at all..

I can’t be called the best friend you’ve ever had;

I don’t call you often and I know it makes you mad,

Shriek at me as much as you want,

But don’t be quiet

Coz 'apart' my world falls;

When you say nothing at all..

I am not the best girlfriend one can have,

When you praise other women, jealousy pangs I have

Don’t buy me gifts my next birthday and yell at me as much as you want,

But don’t be quiet

Coz 'apart' my world falls;

When you say nothing at all..

I have not been my best as a wife,

You come home to a messy house at times,

While my shopping bills give you sleepless nights,

Scream at me as much as you want,

But don’t be quiet

Coz 'apart' my world falls;

When you say nothing at all..

I try hard but I am not the best mother,

I don’t always give you enough time and that makes me bother,

I push you to try harder coz this world I want you to conquer,

Fight with me in your childish ways,

But don’t be quiet

Coz 'apart' my world falls;

When you say nothing at all..

My People, My World,

Whenever I give you nightmares,

Scream, shout and fight out aloud,

But don’t be quiet

Coz 'apart' my world falls;

When you say nothing at all..

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda

Musings and Amuzings during a Training !!

Classrooms bring in fond memories, don’t they? Right from fun, to punishments, to teasing, to cheering; everything about classrooms are special. It had been quite some time since I sat inside a classroom and hence when I got this opportunity of

Image courtesy: Google

attending a four-day training programme along with a few other colleagues on project management, I was super excited.

The training programme turned out to be insipid and all I was left to do was observe people and things around which gave birth to this post. So, here is point by point account of what I saw and what my brain thought during this training period.

Day 1: It begins

10:25 am	Reached the venue. Lost the way in the huge building.. Somehow, asking around helps and I reach the training centre on time.. Super excited about the training. Which means being legitimately away from office and office work.. Yipee !!
11:00 am	All the goody goody things are over with the organizers wishing that the program helps us in future and other such blah blah blah…
11:10 am	The customary introductions .. And then the lecturer goes on to announce that the training is for 35 hours which is a compulsory requirement in case one wants to become a certified professional. So far so good.
11:11 am	First bencher asks: “But this training wouldn’t be for 35 hours? If we count 8 hours a day, and given the four days training it would come to 32 hours and not 35 hours.”  What an observation!! We all look at each other in disbelief about the depth of question asked by him. Some suppressed giggles by people around and some disbelief looks later; the lecturer replies to his insightful question – “We can extend a few hours if the training doesn’t get completed on time” The first bencher nods and smiles.  So much for the love of training !!!  :P
12:30 pm	People start shifting in their chairs with pained expressions on their faces due to the continuous blabbering of the lecturer.
12:40 pm	I look at my watch.. Damn it’s just 12:40
12:45 pm	I look at my watch.. Damn it’s just 12:45 ??? Is my watch working ..?
12:48 pm	Another first bencher has given a few examples about his software atleast fifteen times by now. Okay, so he is one of those teacher’s pets types. The kind I am totally allergic to.. Puke.
2:00 pm	Yay.. Lunch time.. Everybody shares their mutual pain of sitting through the boring lecture and those super uncomfortable chairs
3:30 pm	While I drift off into my own world, I ask myself - What can be the new things I can write about in my blog ?? Some 3,489 ideas later I stumble upon this stupendofantabulouslyfastasmagoricallymagical idea of writing a post on my thoughts during this training itself.. Me! Little genius ;)
3:45 pm	The Software guy is on the roll.. He throws his examples at every instance possible.. Puke Puke
5:55 pm	Yay!! Yay!! Yay!!  Baji bell aur ho gayi chhutti…

Day 2: Torture on the roll

11:00 am	We have a pretty girl in the class.. This time she sits right opposite to me.. I notice her and then I notice who else is noticing her.. A few people seem to be stealing glances. Ahem Ahem ;)
11:05 am	Yawn Yawn.. Counting the number of people yawning away to glory… It’s 5,678 times that the phenomenon called yawning has occurred in this drab room full of people uninterested in listening to somebody who is speaking something about something K
12:30 pm	I throw dirty looks at the person who keeps on asking unnecessary questions again and again and again..
12:40 pm	Words such as ‘iterative process’, and ‘critical path’ fall on my eardrums and I nod at the lecturer as if I am listening to things intently..
12:45 pm	Can I throw a water bottle or some heavy piece of furniture at the person who keeps on giving his software examples again and again?
1:15 pm	Can I kill myself with the stationery? Or better, kill the lecturer..
1:20 pm	Whatapp and FB come to rescue.. Somebody already updated their status as ‘Bored’ - ‘Same here’ I say to myself.
2:45 pm	I try not to fall asleep by keeping my eyes wide open.. Observe observe, I say to myself.. And I observe the oh-not-so-good fashion sense, the pale white colour of the walls, the chipped nail paint of the pretty girl, another girl trying to eat a chocolate clandestinely and a sea of blank and emotionless faces..
2:55 pm	I throw words such as ‘change of law’, ‘technological upgradation’ and ‘cost overshooting’ at the lecturer just to let her know I am around :P
4:21  pm	Wondering why can’t some hurricane named ‘Bipasha’ or ‘Kareena’ hit the city here so that electricity goes off !!
4:22 pm	My colleague asks the person serving tea if he could have two for himself.. See, there are others as well who are finding it difficult to stay awake, not just me :P
4:25 pm	One of the persons has at last dozed off.. literally and the pretty girl makes signs for showing it to me.. I continue the trend and notify my colleague about the same.. We stare at him, smile and continue the trend of notifying others
4:35 pm	I remember a joke about lecturers which said that they have a bad habit of speaking when others are sleeping.. Seems true here as well
5:55 pm	She mumbles something about time management.. Probably unaware that she had already overshot her time of finishing her lecture.. Day 3: Heights of Boredom

11:00 am	Why is the hurricane not hitting this place, I wonder?
12:45 pm	Urghhh.. these uncomfortable chairs.. every few minutes people try and shift in their places to make themselves comfortable.. But these chairs seems to be designed to make humans uncomfortable :P
12:52 pm	The lecturer speaks about some output process.. My phone beeps. It reads: “Output here is boredom and we are supposed to prepare boredom management plan”  I chuckle at the cost of being caught !!
1:30 pm	I notice that the software example guy is silent today. He seems to have run out of his examples too!! Thank Heavens for that.
3: 00 pm	I am on self imposed ‘shut up’ spree today.. Not a word spoken in class.. Don’t wanna sound too intelligent you see, people around might get complex :P
3:15 pm	A thick layer of boredom has settled on the entire class.. No moving, no shuffling in their places.. Eerie silence except for the sound of the lecturer’s mumblings
3:45 pm	If the hurricane is not finding its way here, can I remove that wire of the projector so that the entire thing goes off ?? Na rahega baans na bajegi baansuri !!
4:05 pm	The lecture reads from the slides about quality management. Probably unaware that her quality of keeping the class engaged is not that high. Of course her quality as a ‘Boredom Inducing Machine’ seems to be of ISI grade  :P :P
4:15 pm	The boredom inducing machine (BIM for short) speaks “This activity blah blah blah is the non value adding quality of the project” Her mere reading of the slides is also a non value adding activity to this training programme.. I think !!
4:35 pm	I notice that I am sitting on second row and I might be missing out on all the fun happening at the last benches.. Make a mental note to myself to sit at the last bench tomorrow..
4:46 pm	We are on some risk management thing when my phone vibrates to a new message from the colleague – “Don’t take so much risk that you get exposure towards high sleeping doses” :D Some people have creativity for sure.. I smile sheepishly ...
4:48 pm	Yawn, yawn, yawn.. everybody, everywhere..
4:50 pm	I think I should atleast listen to something from the training. Decide that I would pay attention now for some time.
4:52 pm	Damn. I have the attention span of a two year old… Where is tea ???
5:00 pm	Okay, so I have been reprimanded by BIM for not paying attention.. I try to become smarty pants by asking her some random question but she catches me.. Damn her..
5:15 pm	I receive a message from a colleague : “Risk of this training is that we may not be inclined to take any further trainings J” I want to laugh loudly at this but I make a straight face and stifle a giggle.. no more reprimands required.

         

Day 4: Finally …

10:30 am	My plan of sitting on the last bench is ruined.. Buggers!! All the last benches already taken..
11:15 am	BIM is teaching communication. Probably unaware that her communication skills are right at the bottom of the pit..
11:35 am	I haven’t forgotten yesterday’s reprimand. I listen to BIM but stare blankly as if she is speaking Gothic..
12:05 pm	My spinal cord seems to have frozen.. The uncomfortably designed chairs have been doing their work to the best.
1:00 pm	I think about the feedback form about the BIM to be filled at the end of the training and I smile sheepishly at the thought that it doesn’t look that good for her.  ;) ;)
3:00 pm	Signboard at my brain’s entrance: “Numb. Not able to register anything more”
3:25 pm	One of my colleagues is drawing lotus flowers and some other thoughtful designs on his book and other one is watching a video on his mobile, while I try hard at understanding Gothic :P
4:14 pm	The BIM says she has one last presentation for us which would only require her to read the slides.. Duh !!! Doesn’t she know that’s she has been doing just that since last three days…  Mere reading of the slides.. huh!!
4:37 pm	She has asked the software examples guy to read through some slides.. In between he reads “We BORING” instead of “We bring…” He seems to be reading people’s minds, I guess…Everybody gives everyone a ‘yeah-he-is right’ kinda look..
5:15 pm	YAAYYYY !!! I SURVIVED !!!! J J J

All I can say after all those thoughts is that boring classrooms can bring out the best of people’s creativity in the form of doodles, intricate designs, mind sharpening sudoku exercises, mastering the art of sleeping without snoring and of course, the blog writing skills !!! :P :P