Huh ?

I like nature trips because they are such good fun in such little money.

Thinking ...
I LIKE nature trips because they are such good fun in such little money ?
Huh? Ye--es

or
I like NATURE trips because they are such good fun in such little money.
Yes

or
I like nature trips because they are SUCH GOOD FUN in such little money.
Yes

or
I like nature trips because they are such good fun in SUCH LITTLE MONEY.
OOOOH Yes!


(cheep cheep ! cheap cheap !!)

A little less than a Stranger?

Have you ever wondered that there are so many people in our life who we don't know, yet we know. The milkman, the paper delivery boy, the cashier who works at the neighbourhood grocery, the vegetable vendor, and so on...

And what about the people you pass by regularly. People who cross your way as you both exercise everyday. Or the people you meet in the lift at office or at home.

Are these people strangers ? Well, of course they are ! They aren't even simple acquaintances. You don't know their names or what they do. Whether they are married or single; with or without kids. You have no idea where they live. You are clueless about their life; what makes them happy or sad. And you definitely won't be okay if your kid walked away with one of them.

Yet in other ways these people aren't totally strangers. They aren't faceless. You acknowledge their presence with a smile; and sometimes not at all; but you soon start recognizing them. You somehow seem to expect them and when they are missing, you're startled. You take a moment to stop and wonder what happened to them - why aren't they where they should be at this time ? Is something the matter ?

So who are they to us ? I've wondered about this - and the best explanation I could come up with was a-little-less-than-a-stranger.

How does a balloon deflate ?

Got a haircut. Chopped off 3 inches from my shoulder-length hair. And, coloured it RED.

Friends loved it.
Said I look younger.
Me delighted.
Me excited.

Me : Husband, notice anything different ?
Husband : Of course ! I can tell. You changed your earrings, didn't you ?

Dr, why ?

Why are doctors so obsessed with the fact that they are doctors ? I got thinking about this after I received a wedding invitation recently -

Dr (Mrs) X and Dr. Y would like to invite you to the wedding of their son Dr Z to Dr (Miss) A; daughter of Dr (Mrs.) B and Dr C on blah, blah, blah....

Please ! Someone please explain to me - when 2 persons are getting married; what does being a Dr have to do with it ? Is the identity of each of these people defined by being Dr...so much that your name can not be said aloud unless you attach a Dr to it ?

Is life henceforth going to be -
Hi Dr, I'm home !
Dr, pass me the ketchup
Dr, my sweetheart, I love you, please don't be angry with me
Dr, you have to pick up the kids after school today
Dr, we need to talk

And if that isn't enough, why is it that women feel the need to attach the extra Mrs or Miss after the Dr ? So why should you have Dr (Mrs) Blah Blah or Dr (Miss) Blah Blah ? Why do you need to announce your marital status to the world. What does that have to do with doing a job ?


Someone, please please explain this to me.

Fell off the wagon

Lots of stuff happening in life...or may be its in my mind... I'm not sure; but whatever it is, apologies for falling off the wagon.

Am trying to get back on; and concentrate on writing.
Excuse the erratic-ness (??)

Made bread

Made bread. Yes I had the time. Remember I'm unemployed ?
Yes! I know, all of you think its a good thing. Yes, I also know I'm the only one who's bothered about this state-of-life.

So anyway, yes ! I made bread
No, It wasn't so difficult
I surprised myself.
It gave me a big kick. I didn't know I could.

Have I felt this pleasure before ?

What pleasure, you ask ?
Well, pleasure of seeing the bread rise the way it ought to
The pleasure of creating stuff from scratch with no machines
The pleasure of it smelling yummy
The pleasure of not being able to wait because the smell of cinnamon is driving you nuts
The pleasure of tasting nuts and knowing THIS is the real thing
The pleasure of looking at a foccacia and thinking - hey this looks just like from the bakery
The pleasure of a coffee and a cinnamon roll you actually made yourself
The pleasure of biting into it and it actually tasting good
The pleasure of feeding it to husband (wow! good job) and kids (ma! I don' wan')
The pleasure of passing it to friends
The pleasure of seeing the look of admiration & surprise

Well, it is pleasure with a capital P.

I need to do this more often.
One of those instances in my life which fall under the category of "Simpler pleasures in life"

Caught up with an aunt in ages. She's 80 and lonely. Sooo happy to talk to me. Every few minutes she'd say - OK, I'm sure you have to go now- and want to hang up. And be pleased when I'd say I'm in no hurry to hang up. We ended up chatting for 40 minutes. Towards the end she said no one wants to talk to her these days and that she's almost retreating in herself and consoling herself that this is life...

Made me think. Is this what I will end up as ? Lonely? Sad ? Helpless ? Resigned ?

I look at my Nani, who's over 90 - who has only one complaint from life (I think). She says she can't make her body obey her. It seems like the body has a mind of its own. Its frail & it prevents her from doing things that her mind is perfectly capable of.

How frustrating must a situation like this be? You're old and feeble; and there's nothing wrong with your mind. But you need assistance to walk, to eat, to get up, to use the toilet, for just about everything... You have to wait till people have the inclination (forget about the time) to talk to you. Your opinions are suddenly not important or relevant; and let's not even talk about your desires. You suddenly turn into a part of the house - the furniture ?Something that's always been there, something that has to be dusted ?

The sad part is that people around you are not unkind to you because they want to be unkind. Its the apathy that's killing. What do old people want ?

I am totally convinced that what the elderly need is time. They want opportunities for conversation; an opportunity to contribute. They need to be useful & wanted.

I remember my other grandmother. She lived with my parents off and on. And I remember one thing very clearly - the amount of time my dad would spend with her. After work, he made it a point to go rest in the adjoining bed, to chat up with her about her day or his. I like to think she enjoyed that time; and that she cherished it. Of course, it helped that we were young kids in the house and caused enormous hustle and bustle.

I wonder if we do that now i.e take time out for the parents. I certainly am guilty of a certain amount of apathy. So I don't necessarily take the time to talk to my in-laws at home or my parents over phone. And the parents are so understanding. They don't demand attention. They sit back & patiently tell themselves - its OK, things are different now. The children have busy lives and don't need any more intrusions.

But this situation needs to change.Of course, the biggest change I need to bring about is in me. I need to devote more time and attention to both sets of parents. Easier said than done. But let me try...

Perspectives

We and the world, are actually a wash basin.
Bhagwan-ji takes water & gargles. When he spits out the water, that's rain for us.
When he has taken a little too much water in his mouth & he spits that out, the rain is heavier...

Professor's theory on Rainfall.

Memories

As part of Professor's school assignment, he has to make a list of milestones of his life, together with suitable pictures.

This morning I rummaged through cupboards I never open & sorted through pictures of Professor as a baby. The whole experience was unnerving because I'd forgotten so many things - how he looked like a baby, how he smiled... That he was a nicely rounded baby (though we always had dadu fretting that he wasn't plump enough), his favourite toys, his crib, his high chair, his clothes. Things that have been long passed on to friends who were expecting babies. Things that CEO now considers his. That he had baby fat cheeks, that there was a time that he didn't wear glasses... That he was born just 50 cms tall and could fit into the palms of his father. The curious expression on his face during the mundan, or the simple pleasures of sitting in my shoe drawer. Playing with freshly washed clothes; or enjoying a watermelon with juice dripping all over.

Oh how frail is human memory. How is it that I've forgotten stuff that's less than 5 years old...

Tenacity

Tenacity = Not taking no for an answer. Persisting till you get your way.

CEO = Ma, Can you read me thees story?
(Ma normal. )
Ma = No.

CEO = Maa, Can you read me thees story?
Ma still normal. Slightly distracted.
Ma = Hmm... In a little while

CEO = Maa, Can you read me thees story? Now ? Pleeeez
Ma trying to be rational
Ma = CEO, Not now. Sweety, I'm reading my book (or cooking or watching TV).

CEO = Maa, Can you read me thees story?
Ma getting irritated
MA = CEO. I said NO!

CEO ignores all obvious signs.
CEO = Maa, Pleez Ma. Can you read me thees story?
Ma totally lost it. She hasn't read more than 3 lines on her book since this conversation started.
Ma = NO! I WON"T READ IT

CEO = Pleez Ma. I ask sho nicely. Why you don' wan' to read. Ma, can you read me thees book ?
Ma gives up.
Grudingly Ma = OK. Come! Ek baar ek farmer was working in the field.....