Tuesday, March 8, 2011

An Ode to all the Homemakers....


Have you ever felt that you are carrying the whole weight of the world on your shoulder? Why is it that only you have to do everything to keep thethings moving? Why should only you struggle to make your house a home?

Well these questions were pondering in my mind on a Friday evening. It was raining heavily and I was completely drenched on the way to my home from office. The first thing I wanted was a nice hot cup of Ginger Tea, Coz no matter what, there is no combination better than heavy rain and hot tea. I rushed to the kitchen only to find that the Fridge didn’t have any milk in it. I braved the rain, went to the nearest departmental store and purchased a carton of milk. I went back to the kitchen, all excited with the thought of having a hot tea. But things were not going my way. I found out that the Gas cylinder was empty. No matter how much I try and extract the last bit of LPG from the cylinder, the burner wouldn’t budge. I was pissed, but there was nothing I could do for a cup of tea. I mumbled a bit but thenrealised the best thing to do is accept the fact. So I decided to watchTV..

The hunt was on for the remote amongst the stack of magazines, CDs, andnewspapers and finally the remote. Switched on the TV, tuned in to themovie category only to be welcomed by a blank screen. There was a message from Tata Sky – “ Dear subscriber, Your services have been temporarily withdrawn for non-payment of the monthly subscription charges. Please makethe payment immediately to resume your services..” OH craap !! I forgot topay the charges.. Bloody hell !! No TV, and that too its a weekend !! Nooo !!

It was a good Friday evening. Our plans for a party had to be cancelled cozof the heavy rains. So I thought of spending some quality time at home allby myself as my roomie had also left for his hometown. But little did iknow what was in store for me!

All pissed off and irritated, I finally decided to catch up with my friends online and I barged into the bedroom to grab my laptop. By the time the laptop was booting up, I had somehow managed to calm myself down. I clicked on the Mozilla browser, and by default hit the Facebook URL. You won’t believe, I was again welcomed by an alert message. – “Dear Airtel Customer,Please pay the current month outstanding amount to enjoy uninterrupted services”.. I was spell bound. Have never felt so frustrated in life. I was like wondering, why is it that only I have to do everything. Why aren’t my roommates concerned at all? But what is the point.With nothing working in favour of me and left with no choices, I decided toread a novel. Still feeling irritated, Pissed and helpless somehow byaround 12.30, I slept off.

But unfortunately, it was not over yet. I had to wake up the very next day,early in the morning as the maid had already come. Still groggy, somehowmanaged to get up, opened the door and went back to sleep, only to be wokenup by the maid, as there was no detergent powder and she couldn’t wash the clothes. I just could not believe it was happening to me. There are so many things to be taken care of in the house. I somehow told the maid to washthe clothes the next day, and finally just managed to doze off again.The door bell goes off again. It was the cook. Yes ! We have a cook. Abachelor’s boon. But not necessarily mine. She enters the kitchen andshouts out a list of things not available ranging from vegetables to atta and so on.. Man I had to finally pay her extra 50 bucks to go buy it andthen prepare brunch for me !! Add to it the additional effort of making her understand how to prepapre the normal roti – sabji without adding herown favourite masalas.. My God !! No one can ever dare to taste itagain... he he...

This was the time when i truly missed my Mom.. It is only now that Irealise how difficult it would have been for her to manage me, my sis, Dad, the maid, the cable wala, the newspaper wala, the household shopping etc etc etc.. the list goes on and on and on.... She never ever made any of us uncomfortable. Whatever we wanted was always available. She used to solely manage the entire household with such great perfection that I had almost taken it for granted. It is now when I have to personally manage these things that I realise the difficulty.

I want to take this opportunity to salute all wonderful homemakers who havebeen making houses as homes for so many years and meeting the needs of the entire family....

I salute u Ma...This one is dedicated to you.. :)

Cheers..Kash !

** This post was written way back on 25th of September 2009. But Re-publishing the same to mark the celebration of the International Women's Day...**
[Well , atleast this is a better way to cover up my laziness of not coming up with a new post.. :)]

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Say it once.. But mean it !

My thoughts... put across in words by someone else... !!

"You may not be her first, or her only. She loved before, She may love again. But if she loves you now, What else should matter?

She is not perfect, but you aren't either, but if she can make you laugh, cause you to think twice and admit to being human and making mistakes, Hold on to her and give her the most you can.

She may not be thinking about you every second of the day, but she would give you a part of her she knows you can break- Her Heart !

So don't hurt her, don't change her, don't analyze and don't expect more than what she can give.. So..

Smile when she makes you happy, let her know when she makes you mad, Miss her when she is not around and most of all Love her like you never loved her before !!! "

--- Words by Bob Marley !!!
Respect !

Cheers.. Kash !

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Constantinople and the City of Troy...

Belly dancing. Bustling bazaars. They all scream Turkey. With one foot in the East and one in the West, it’s an explosion of cultures and influences. And as one can imagine, the results are pretty amazing.

Ottoman mosques rub shoulders with Roman temples. Spice markets sit alongside chic boutiques. And dramatic mountains sweep down to sun-baked beaches. Talking of which, Turkey comes out all guns blazing on the sun, sea and sand front with waters of deepest blue whispering sweet nothings to gold-dust sands. More on that , when I move to Troy… J

What’s best is, most of Turkey’s destinations have lost little of their native flavor. You’ll find sugar-cube towns, old castles and temples peppering many of the key sun-traps.

And if it’s history you’re after, you couldn’t ask for more. Each and every place is a Journey back in time. One can spend hours together gazing in awe at needle-like minarets in Istanbul. The Haga Sophia mosque, right in the middle of the city, lives up to its title of being one of the “Key Attractions” of Istanbul..

The Topkapi castle and the and the Aya Sophia Muezi take you back to the world that was, during the time of Istanbul was Constantinople..

And if by any chance one gets misleaded that Istanbul is all about History, Culture and nothing else, Well umm.. This city of surprises has loads to offer.. ! This exotic country is also moving with the times. If one side of the city is filled with Tradition, (Sultanahmat), the other end (Taksim Square) is ready to show you the ever lively night life. A street filled with eating joints, pubs, Clubs, shops and bands playing songs, people walking aimlessly just to while away time, you have it all…

The most enchanting visit was to the City of Troy, just 4 hours of drive from Istanbul. The History behind that four lettered City is so intense that one can be immediately be transported to the battle ground where the fight between Prince Hector and Achilles took place.. Etched more in our minds as Brad Pitt fighting Eric Bana.. J

Wherever you make tracks in this mesmerizing Middle-East-meets-Europe land you’re sure to fall for its charms in a heartbeat.

For More pictures visit:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/82916621@N00/sets/72157626078335803/

Cheers..Kash !