Daily Prompt: Time Capsule!

Today’s Daily Prompt inspired this post.

The year is drawing to a close. What would you put in a 2012 time capsule?

 

We bought our first home last year in November. By the time we settled in and unpacked our bags we rang in the New Year, 2012. So this year I wanted to make it special with all our first celebrations in this home. Our birthdays, anniversary and all the other festivities and celebrations that came during the year. Those are the moments I’d like to capture in the 2012 time capsule.

Also, I’m doing something I don’t know if I’ll see it through the end but it sounded exciting at the time so started it. I am creating a time capsule box for my daughter which she’ll get at her 16^th birthday. It will have something from all of her 15 birthdays. Considering the first year is all about baby’s “firsts’ it has pics of when she rolled, sat, crawled, walked, ate the solid food for the first time, her first time in the water. As a parent, it’s exciting to see the baby get past those milestones and I want to see them with her when she’s all grown up. I had gone crazy with decorations on her first birthday like any other mom so kept few of them aside including the birthday candle in that box. Needless to say, I kept some from the second as well. It also has a poem her grandfather and I wrote for her 1^st birthday. I ended up writing another one on her second as well. The box also has few of my favorite pics of her special day and her birthday dresses of course. And only recently her art work has also started going inside the box. Not all but some of my favorite ones. She’s only 2.5 right now and I’m not sure if I’ll have the same excitement on her 10^th birthday or later but I’m hoping to make it through 16 birthdays and relive all these moments once again when we open the box. Well, for now that’s the idea! :-)

Daily Prompt: Childhood Revisited!

I revisited my childhood today, thanks to the Daily Prompt.

What is your earliest memory? Describe it in detail, and tell us why you think that experience was the one to stick with you.

For as far as I can jog my memory the one thing that sticks out from my childhood is the amount of time I spent playing outside. I think I’m glad I was born in the era when life wasn’t so technology driven and the simplest of pleasures were to be outside the home, exploring nature and playing with friends. I remember how my parents had this rule of finishing home-work before I could head out to play. And around the same time in the evening all kids used to come out to play. Run after each other and scream while parents went for their evening walks, used to give us the thrills. Life was so much simpler, I feel. Irrespective of our age and the school we studied in, we mingled around and just had fun. If I can recollect well, there was hardly any time ever for watching TV and it was rarely exciting. The highlight in those days used to be watching movies in open air auditoriums or theatres as compared to the comforts of sitting at home watching on projectors.

Fast forward to the present time, I somehow feel sad for the kids. Everywhere you go one sees these kids either glued to their cell phones or PS3. Their idea of fun is playing a game on one of those apps installed on their phone and winning it. Their idea of mingling around is chatting with friends over the phone or texting them. I often hear from parents how things have changed in all these years. How difficult it is getting for them to convince their kids to go outside the house for a walk or just run around and play. Life has become so much dependent on technology and the exposure they have through all these gadgets that it’s becoming so difficult to just get them to breathe and even eat the proper food. I can’t even envision how things will be in another 20 years from now. I do know that it’s because of this exposure that they are better informed and a smarter generation but then the cost at which this all is coming is what baffles me sometimes.

I guess everything has its own pros and cons.

* Pic from the net.

Daily Prompt: Slash and Burn!

Daily Post took me down the memory lane today.

“Write 500 words on any topic you like. Now remove 250 of them without changing the essence of your post.”

When I was in school, I always stood out from the rest. Unfortunately for my parents, it had nothing to do with my grey cells, as much with my height. It disheartened me because I never liked getting any undue attention.

I was a prankster and notoriety was my middle name. And even though I used to be a back bencher I still was pretty noticeable, which only landed me in much trouble with my teachers. I changed school almost every two years, luckily not because of my mischievous behavior but because of father’s postings. And every time I hoped not to be the tallest girl in my class. It remained one of those many unfulfilled dreams in school. Sigh.

Fast forward to present time, I live a life of extreme contradiction where I am so comfortable with my height that I flaunt it with high heels. I couldn’t be gladder that it makes me look tall and stand out. Such is my affair with heels today that I can write a post about it.

I guess I got accustomed to being tall and made peace with it. I don’t remember much of that gradual transformation though. I think I caved because I realized that I could either accept it or grudge it but can’t leave it.

Now when I look back, I only laugh at myself for being so immature and silly. Reminisce and tell me about one anecdote from your past which makes you laugh so hard today?

* Pic is from the net.

The white-bearded man & the tree!

I simply love this time of the year. It’s all about hope, joy, peace, love, sharing, giving and above all, being grateful. December gives me more than one reason to be over the moon. As the year approaches an end one can reflect upon their journey this past 12 months and look forward to the New Year which holds nothing but new promises and belief. I love going to malls especially now because you are only greeted with people, brimming with mirth and high on holiday spirit. There’s this hustle bustle all around as everyone is trying to finish shopping for their loved ones. Huge Christmas trees adorn the stores to allure all these gleeful souls and the only music your ears hear are the carols. It’s around this time that even the radio starts playing these melodious Christmas songs and jingles to create the festive aura. TV doesn’t stay far behind either and joins the festivity spirit with their Christmas movies marathon. It’s all so Christmassy, if I can say that.

But most importantly for me, it is also the season where the white-bearded man with a potbelly cheering Ho Ho Ho mystically appears at our homes filling it with gifts. While the kid in me believes in Santa Claus and wants to have fun doing everything possible to make him feel welcome, the adult in me tries hard to reason with my very own logic. But since kids are God-like and their innocence is infectious, so I let my kiddie thoughts ambush any other adult reasoning and override it at least for this month. All I know is if there’s something that gives you true happiness then follow it through with a pure heart.

I do know it’s a tad early but I still went ahead and set up my Christmas tree nonetheless. Who knows, Santa might just decide to greet our home earlier than late just because. Although I’m still to buy Christmas stockings to hang them over the fireplace mantel and of course the gifts would only appear dramatically on the Christmas Eve.

The point of the matter is I love Christmas because it gives me a chance to decorate the Xmas tree and embellish it with the gorgeous ornaments and lights. I love the fact that I can look forward to the portly, joyous man who brings only laughter and expects nothing but love. I love that I can devour those lip-smacking Xmas cakes and not be guilt-ridden. At least, not now. The only thing I don’t like is the weather. Cold winds and the rains put a damper on my celebratory spirit. But it is not about me, it’s about Santa and his reindeers flying him around on the sleigh. And I think he loves it.

Ah! It is all so whimsical, magical and fun. And I love that over and above anything else.

Daily Prompt: Audience of One!

Picture the one person in the world you really wish were reading your blog. Write her or him a letter.

Daily Prompt has popped a question for me and although it was a tough decision to choose between Santa Claus and my 2.5 year old daughter, it’s the latter who won in a heartbeat. And I do know she cannot read any of this now but I hope someday she does and until then I’ll keep modifying it! :-)

My dearest Ladybug,

They say life is a journey and in this journey comes along people that change you and your life dramatically. Of course for good. For you I’d say, although you came along in my life but I’m proud I played a teeny role in creating you. You are the God’s gift that I’d always be thankful for. The day you were born everyone was ecstatic and welcomed you with open arms. Suddenly we had this over burst of energy and happiness that knew no bounds and holding you in my arms made me realize what it feels like to be a mother. In these past 2.5 years, we’ve both learnt and grown so much together.

It is so true when they say that you get a second chance on your childhood through your kid. I’m beginning to see a new world through your eyes and deriving pleasure from activities that I had long forgotten. You teach me every day what unconditional love truly means. You are at such a tender age and already turning out to be independent in making your choices. Like the other day when I was taking out the clothes for you to wear, you were so upset and ended up deciding what you’d want to wear. As years go by, I know I may not agree with you and your choices all the times, especially during your teens, but know this that I’d always have your best interest in mind.

Trust me when I say not everything is hunky-dory all the time. There are days when you are extremely difficult to handle and throw tantrums and our bond is tested but we sail through and come around as strong as ever. I can only hope and wish that as you grow up and I grow with you, the relationship blossoms into friendship than just a mother and daughter. Even if you experience an iota of pleasure in our relationship as I share with my mother, I’d be content that I raised you well.  I hope you get to feel the bliss of closeness and openness that can be there in a mother-daughter relationship.

Today while I was writing this post, I stumbled upon these beautiful lines which sum up my emotions for you so aptly. :-

“If the sun had a daughter and if he was to give his little girl away in marriage to a guy and send her off to a new family, he would know what darkness is!”

Such is my love for you and may you always know this in your heart that behind all the differences, fights, disagreements (big or small) we’ll have, there is a heart that beats for you the strongest.

Your strongest supporter ever,

Mumma

Daily Prompt: Take It From Me!

If anything, I’m a Queen when it comes to giving advice but it sure does happen that I don’t quiet follow what I say at times. And Daily Prompt threw just the right question for me to write upon:

“What’s the best piece of advice you’ve given someone that you failed to take yourself?”

 

My best advice I’ve failed innumerable times: “Free yourself from expectations!”

“Practice what you preach” is such a cliched and overly abused adage but still the only one that holds more value than the rest. And while I’d love to be the one who leads by example, often times, I’m caught in the middle. I’m not sure why but I’ve always had people open up to me caviling about their life and the ups and downs of their numerous relationships. I’ve always lamented them for leading their lives so full of expectations, be it from their job, relationship or even life itself. The act of introspection arises when every time I am asked the question how do I live my life without expectations?

It’s easier said than done to not have expectations at all and base your whole life in just giving without expecting anything in return. The truth is it isn’t easy to do this and one has to be at peace with oneself at all times to experience it. And while I do consider it is the best advice anyone can give you to live a life free of inhibitions and intimidation, I haven’t perfected the art myself. Sometimes, you know the right thing to do which demands no expectation and still you expect in return. It is only human.

Life teaches us many lessons as we all try to explore ourselves while discovering our true purpose of being here. The thing is to be able to free oneself from the unwanted baggage that we carry along; we should be able to see the bigger picture. It isn’t what others do that should reflect our next actions instead it is what we do, irrespective of the others’ actions, define us. And the only way to do this is when you are able to give and not be worried about anything in return. You cannot base your actions with the question in mind “What’s in it for me?” Be it a relationship you share with your spouse, friends, family, peers or your professional life in general.

It is when you walk, talk, read, write, feel for yourself, and not how it would be perceived and whether you’d achieve what you are aiming for is when you liberate your soul and experience the ultimate happiness.

Lord Krishna in The Holy Geeta has said:-

“Karm karte jaa; phal ki chinta mat kar.”

(Do what you ought to do without thinking or expecting the results.)

And as good as it sounds on paper, it is indeed difficult to live your life fully without expectations and that’s where I fail myself at times. I’m still learning to be at peace only with myself first over and above anything else but at end of the day it appears I’m just a mere mortal after all.

*Pic is from the net.

Children’s Day!

I remember distinctly Children’s Day in school where you’d be offered sweets after the morning assembly and for the rest of the day you’d have no classes and simply enjoy and have fun. And it’s that one day of freedom we’d wait for always for the rest of the year.

Every child wants to be a grown up and every adult wants to be a kid again. And life comes a full circle with this phrase. I remember when I was in school, I found college so fascinating. The liberty of wearing what you want and bunking classes sounded so enticing and envious. And I did have my closest friendships in college and are dear to me even now but still a part of me missed the school where the bell used to ring every 30-45 minutes. Although there were too many restrictions but realized it soon enough that it’s because of those restrictions, school was more adventurous. It’s human nature to be attracted to things you are asked to refrain from. As compared to school, college turned out more about free will and freedom. There were no rules to break so the monotony set in.

I think as you grow older, one realizes how many things you got away with being a kid. How you’d shrug your shoulders when given a responsibility or how carefree you’d be about everything because you knew your parents would worry about the important things. Each one of us has a childlike innocence and curiosity with which we look at this world. The only difference is that as we age, we reason ourselves more and restrict ourselves in our thinking. We forget the skill of “thinking outside the box” and try to find logic when looking for answers. The truth is our success lies in our curiosity and innocence which we can only hope to retain into our adulthood.

The weekend that was!

Life has a funny way of playing jokes with you at your expense but even in those times if there remains any sanity and bonhomie, it’s thanks to your family and friends who still make you feel wanted and loved and cared for. If there’s anyone who can make your world all about fun and no worries and anxiety then it has to be your close friends. They truly understand your temperament and are far away from judging you or exchange niceties when you aren’t in the mood. Life’s best kept treasures are these friendships where there’s utmost trust and faith in one another to speak your mind and be free. And such was my weekend filled with enormous warmth and love that could melt even the snowiest of mountains.

I have known her for 15 years and it’s only when she came here, we realized we could’ve organized better to celebrate the reunion. But then we both laughed immediately at the passing thought because it gives us another reason to meet in the near future. Other than our incessant banter that continued through the night for the past 2 nights, I did take the time out to take her sight-seeing and shopping. And boy, she can shop and how. I only wish she could’ve stayed longer. But of course, there’s always a next time to catch up on all that we missed this time.

Feeling Light!

If I were to ever take my own words seriously then this would be the moment. The title says exactly what I mean. Quite literally. You know the feeling when you look at the mirror and wish you’d rather see a lighter version of yourself than oodles of pounds at the wrong places. That was my motivation. I’ve never been a skinny girl. Even growing up, I always had weight issues but fortunate enough to have missed being overweight. Infact, it was my stay at the hostel for 5 years which reduced my weight drastically. I guess the hostel has that “weight loss” charm to it.

They say in this world there are two kinds of people. One, who eat everything with no or almost negligible workout and still manage to look like super models. And then there are the rest who can easily gain a pound by simply breathing. And it’s no guess work that I belong to the latter group. I have had an array of friends who told me I need not worry about my weight post pregnancy as I’d shed it all and then some. But guess what, here I was still struggling. It’s the day my weighing scale tipped me off back to my pregnancy weight; I knew I had to take matter in my own hands. It came as a very rude awakening and I knew I could only blame myself for being here. I was never overweight and here I was staring at myself looking like a wrestler winning a heavyweight championship. The only difference that I was neither elated nor proud. It is in this moment I realized I’d been a fool to think that weight would shed naturally. It’s all a “moment’s” game. All it takes is that one moment and when it hits you then nothing else matters. You give in to that strong, over powering feeling not because you know you want to but because you know this’d be an experience. For better or worse. You know there’d be learning.

And thus began my weight loss journey. And I’m proud to be 30 pounds lighter in 6 months. It’s just peanuts as compared to people who shed more than 60 pounds but it’s an accomplishment none the less. And I know I’ve worked so very hard for it. My respect for people who lose weight has increased by leaps and bounds. And I’m tad close to my goal that I am overcome by overwhelming emotion of excitement, anxiety and eagerness to reach it faster and sooner than later. And surprisingly I’m making more mistakes and cheating more often than I did even a month back. They say it’s always the last 10 pounds that spoil your rhythm. It’s these last 10 pounds which are testing my patience and making me restless. The scale seemed to have stuck. I have worked meticulously for these months and now I feel being stuck here isn’t helping my morale. But I guess the name of the game is to keep going forward with the goal in your head and in front of your eyes. And I shall not stop until I hit my goal. So good luck to me on that.

The wait is over.. Finally!

iPhone and I go way back. It dates back to the time when I didn’t even own one and which isn’t until the recent past. I remember being upset with Apple for not introducing iPhone for all service providers initially. I always thought I was an Apple fan but then it made me realize I was more of my service provider loyalist than anything else. I waited until they released iPhone 4 on my service provider, which was roughly 2 years after the launch of their first iPhone. I was one of those few first who pre-ordered their iPhone as I had no patience to wait any longer. It was the month of February last year when I proudly held my very first iPhone in my hands and knew what was amiss. I finally felt a sense of belonging with the iPhone aficionados.

You know, that feeling when you want something so bad and then suddenly it comes to you. That. It is that time you don’t know how to react and control your excitement. But my iPhone 4 happiness was short-lived as right after rolling out iPhones to all the service providers, Apple went a step ahead and introduced a new white iPhone. Here, I was ecstatic with my black iPhone and suddenly there was a strong urge to own a white one. But like I said I’m more a service provider loyalist than an Apple enthusiast so I did nothing but sulk internally. I didn’t want to spend additional money on upgrading my contract with a new white iPhone, just a month after I bought mine. Ergo, I waited all these months. I didn’t even give in to the temptation of buying iPhone 4s, which was released late last year.

Honestly, I have to confess it’s been a tad crazy waiting for the time I can upgrade. And the time couldn’t be perfect with the launch of iPhone 5 this year. So the wait is finally over for me and I’m now an owner of a white iPhone 5 and I can’t begin to even tell how ecstatic I am with this new love of my life. The panoramic shots with the iPhone camera are so freaking superb. And Siri is my new best friend, whom I love to confuse and talk silly. She’s still sticking around so I take it that’s a good sign. Here’s to her and my crazy adventures for next two years and hopefully there wouldn’t be any more crazy innovations specific to iPhone until then.