Shrunk World!

Internet has really shrunk our lives. We are more accessible to the whole world, to people we would probable never meet or see. Anytime I get to know of a person or need to know more about anybody, I Google their name. Its amazing how their life opens up. I know I am also accessible to the same scrutiny, that is why I am careful and at times secretive. Yet there are those who are not. Those who think that its OK to say what you want and that it will not bite you back. Tough luck if a prospective employer or current employer happens to come across it. Most of the times they do. I'm amazed how can one believe that in these times companies are not computer savvy.

Unfortunately for these people, one who offended his clients and another who gloated about his job offer. Ouch!

Blogging and Tweeting are currently the fastest growing PR tools and not to be under estimated, esp if one's words are for the public in short the whole world wide web.

Heartfelt Moments

Growing up, saw my mum do this puja (mata pujan) every year. We would sit on a mat on the floor and mum would take our aarti. For some reason this really amused me to no end. And this year, I got to perform this ritual for Imp. A ritual performed by the mothers for the protection of their children. Neem leaves in the bath water had her totally confused. We have been having a discussion of giving her a Neem stick to brush her teeth with v/s a toothpaste. And she has heard and understood parts of the conversation. So when she saw the leaves, the immediate reaction was isse muh saaf nahi pleading with a defiant shake of the head. Once that was clear, everything else was a cake walk. She enjoyed the aarti too, couldn't get enough of it. And me? a warm feeling in my heart :)


Few days back, bed time ritual, stories are done and I'm about to switch off the lights. She just turns around, puts an arm around my neck exclaiming "my friend" . Left me speechless, I'd died and gone to heaven!


We'd gone out for dinner last night, but had to get take away's and eat at home. Needless to say, it was a much delayed dinner and Imp was sleepy to no end. Looking into my plate every few minutes. I'm almost done, looks at me and says finith? imp ko ninna aiye hai...room me jaana hai...Sitting next to me, patiently waiting for me to finish.

And last but not the least, nobody in the house to allowed to talk against her mum, me; she gets mighty upset and comes running to me to complain. And I am supposed to retaliate, which when I don't she gets even more upset. Doesn't mater that most of the time she is only being teased! Talking to her about it is just not working...

Happy Holi!!

The color of Riots is here again.

 

Like Diwali, we celebrate Holi for 2 days. Choti Holi and Badi holi. Choti Holi, yesterday starts of with Hanuman Puja during the day and Holika Dahan in the night ( usually late in the night). That is a bonfire made of cow dung cakes with ends of sugarcane burnt by the men in the family. It signifies the death of Holika and the miraculous escape by Prahalad. That sugarcane is then cuts into chunks and everybody exchanges their chunks with Holi wishes, applying Gulal as shagun. Only after this cycle is finished do we start playing . The next day, Badi holi is when we start playing early in the morning till noon. at the end of the day we are black, blue with streaks of gold and silver and dripping wet!

This was imp's second holi. And she totally loved it again. She loved the bonfire, the sugarcnae exchanges and applying color. Though she just watched letting others apply gulal to her face...she finally cane on her own with her nani..gleefully applying color to nani. Sleep be dammed.

Holi has alway been fun. And we have involved our friends and neighbours. One festival which we cousins always got together and had a blast. One instance come to mind... After playing, we all decide to go have some ice cream. We are there at the ice cream palour, and we realise that we are being stared at...getting double looks from everybody. People slowing down, stoppin to look at us...u knw like you would look at an animal in a zoo. And then one guy crashes his bike into the vehicle in front of him, while looking at us.  We were 15 of us, all black with gold and silver straks on our faces and drippin wet. We were suning ourselves in the sun while having our ice cream. We stopped traffic. We caused an accident. We had a Blast, so much so that a friend makes a statement " Man! You North indians have more fun than south indians "

Wish you all a Happy, Safe and colorful Holi !!

The First Born Tag!

1. WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED?

Yes. Nopes..

2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME?

Yup!

3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS?

Disbelief! This cannot happen to me! Took the lab technician to turn the monitor and show me the scan...

4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU?

Yes, till I saw and heard her, when I first found out. That option went flying out the window and I heard myself say no to an abortion in a daze.

5. HOW OLD WERE YOU?
Yea right, like I'm gonna say that here! :P

6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT?
when I was shown the monitor, in the middle of an internal exam to rule out a cyst...."sweet 12 weeks...its a sweet pregnancy" to my shocked surprise..so shocked that I totally forgot about that horrendous thing inside me!

7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST?

Husband was there. But it was my boss and a colleague who used to mercilessly tease me (well it was just once :P) when I suddenly fell sick!

8. DUE DATE?

Around Diwali!

9. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS?

Not for the first 3 months. 4th month was terrible. Carrot juice and Baigan were off my list.

10. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE?

Pani Puri! Had to have it every week. Pizzas, Burgers, Death By chocolate, And Sweets... I'm not a sweet eating person, I hate mitahi, but those 6 months!! God! Everyday I would have halwa.

11. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST?
My Mother In Law! And all the crazy superstitions...and tips to have a gora boy!

12. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX?
A girl.

13. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING?

Nope.Was secretly hoping that all who were predicting it would be a boy, would turn out to be wrong :)

14. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY?

12 kgs.

15. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER?

No.

16. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW?

did'nt have one and didn't miss it.

17. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY?

Nope. Fright yes. 8 months and 2 hours after lunch I dont feel her kicks...panic...call the doc...my luck its a sunday. Advised to go into emergency in the hospital and get a Doppler done. I was so glad when I heard the heartbeat! Best sound in the world!

18. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH?

The same place where I was born...Mysore

19. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR?

Four-Five hours.

20. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL/BIRTH CENTER?

Dad and Mom at 4 am.

21. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH?

The gynae and the team labor team..

22. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION?

Natural.

23. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN?

No. Begged the doc to give me med, got scolded in return... no pain no gain..

24. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH?
2.73 kgs.

25. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN ?

Just few minutes before 12 pm. I was so tired and I vaguely remember her first cries.

26. WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION WHEN THE DOCTOR ANNOUNCED THE SEX OF THE BABY?
Doc did'nt announce. Only after the doc showed the baby to my family outside did I get to see her...there were 4 nurses, 2 men and 2 women who got her to me...i was so happy i was just passed out for a few min..only to wake up to her crying :)

27. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST REACTION ON SEEING THE BABY?
In awe! Overwhelmed, glad it was over..and laughing all the time. Couldn't wipe the smile away from my face...

28. DID YOU CRY?

Nah...Laughed and Smiled a lot.

29. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER?
My pet and most recently Nautanki!

30. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY

close to 2.5 years...although the ticker is quite accurate :D

I will never forget that day... what drama, excitement, fun and loads and loads of happiness! My bro still claims that was the funniest experiences of his life. Don't believe me? Go and read about it here if you havent already read it.

The one thing that kept me company and kept me from freaking out at the stupid superstitions was "What to expect when you are expecting" and Dr. Jagdish's "Health, Herbs and Harmony". And once she was born I was gifted what to expectthe first year...these were my bibles.

I realise now that it was also the day, when subconsciously I had realized that it would be just me & imp and that I wasn't upset, rather relieved and felt free and happy like never before.

IHM thank you for tagging me. I just loved this. And realsied I have prescious posts in the drafts, waiting to be completed, just wanna edit and post them so that I dont forget later...

I tag, Apar, Mystic Margarita, Swati, Kiran and `nm. Will be logging in later to inform all, if in the mean time you check this post, please consider yourself tagged! Any anybody else who wants to do this tag, please help yourself, just come back and let me know.