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 There was a message from Tata Sky – “ Dear subscriber, Your services have been temporarily withdrawn for non-payment of the monthly subscription charges.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.. :)]

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 !

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 !

Anything for a Click...

At a party one of my friend spills a drink her lovely dress and is all upset that the red wine that may leave a stain on her priced possession. Suddenly she breaks into a beautiful smile when she spots one of our friends clicking the party photographs.In a fraction of a second, she completely forgot her moment of agony and is all set for a best pose for the snap..

Ever wondered how our brains are ususally wired to smile, pose, act the moment you see a camera around.. Well...this is what a camera can do to you... :)

This lil black cube with a lens on one side and a wanna be fotographer on the other (Not always) can at least for an instant make people forget about what is happening and Pose for a snap for an everlasting memory... It is very difficult to capture natural, innocent snaps of the subjects unless it is taken without their knowledge. The xception being Babies and Animals whose brains are not yet tainted by the latest show on Mtv, Fashion Tv and hell of a lot of add ons that come along... Or so I feel.....

Recently, in Goa, We were playing beach volley with a couple of my friends. Suddenly we just stopped the game, Pulled our tummies in and gave the best plastic smile we could manage in the hot sun. All this coz one of our friends wanted to take a casual snap of us playing.. he he.. His attempts to get the natural look failed coz all of us were aware of the lil black cube waiting to capture us, so we wanted to be in the best possible self.

But this was how it used to be some time back. Now with the easy availability if cameras, Social networking sites and digital media, I feel that the current generation prefers to throw caution out of the window. Everyone is vying for their quick shot to fame. The youngsters today are ready to fall to any level if they are sure that fame is bound to follow.

The success of all the silly shows on TV like Splitsvilla, Emotional Atyachar, Roadies, Truth, Love Cash and a truck load of others just go on to prove that Sleaze, Abuse, Sex, Dirty talk, anything, just about anything is fine with the guys as long as they are on TV.In this crazy rush for fame, many often forget the sensitivities associated with it.

Not many have had a pleasant experience always. There have been incidents where the subject often becomes a victim of voyeurism. I believe all this can be attributed to the easy and cheap availability of technology and a media which doesn't think beyond TRP.

I myself being a person who loves photography, would love to see the camera being in the right hands and doing the right job.


Image Source: - Google Images

Are you Listening ???

I often find myself amidst conversations where I wonder, is the listener actually listening ! Blame it on the non stop nonsense that my talking is often referred to. But how does one actually find if we are sounding "boring" to the listener? Well based on my little research and experience, this is what I have observed.... Read on to find out more....

Repeated, perfunctory responses. A person who says, “Oh really? Oh really? That’s interesting. Oh really?” is probably not too engaged.

Simple questions. People that are bored ask simple questions. “When did you move?” “Where did you go?” People that are interested ask more complicated questions, which shows curiosity, not mere politeness.

Interruption. Although it sounds rude, interruption is actually a good sign. It means a person is bursting to say something, and that shows interest. Similarly …

Request for clarification. A person who is sincerely interested in what you’re saying will need you to elaborate or to explain. “What does that term mean?” “When exactly did that happen?” “Back up and tell me what happened first” are the kind of questions that show that someone is trying closely to follow what you’re saying.

Imbalance of talking time. I suspect that many people suppose that they usually do 80 percent of the talking in a conversation because people find them fascinating. Sometimes, it’s true; if a discussion involves a huge download of information desired by the listener, that’s a very satisfying kind of conversation. In general, though, people who are interested in a subject have things to say themselves; they want to add their own opinions, information, and experiences. If they aren’t doing that, they probably just want the conversation to end faster.

Body position. People with a good connection generally turn fully to face each other. A person who is partially turned away isn’t fully embracing the conversation.

Audience posture. Back in 1885, Sir Francis Galton wrote a paper called “The Measurement of Fidget.” He determined that people slouch and lean when bored, so a speaker can measure the boredom of an audience by seeing how far from vertically upright they are. In addition, attentive people fidget less; bored people fidget more. An audience that remains upright is still interested, while an audience that is horizontal and squirmy is bored.

I often remind myself of La Rochefoucauld’s observation, “We are always bored by those whom we bore.”

Well that is a cursory glance at identifying boredom... Hope it did not bore you guys as well.. hehe....


Image Source: Google Images

Thank you...

His career graph had reached the spot earlier than he himself had expected. He was so much obsessed with what he wanted to achieve, that he had almost let go of his personal self. He had channelized all his energy and focus towards achieving what he dreamt of !..

His own sense of accomplishment had driven him to a totally different world where he felt that he had to prove himself even more. In his mad quest for success, he had not even realized that he had climbed up the corporate ladder so swiftly that he had left behind many of his friends, many of his colleagues and even his close family members. Sometimes he himself was perplexed at the thought .. “ Against whom am I racing? Why am I in such a big hurry ? Who else do I have to prove? How much more do I need to achieve? When should I stop? “

He was at the Dubai International Airport, he was bound for London for another one of his regular Business visits. He decided to while away the transit time at the airport by enjoying the Dubai Shopping Festival. Suddenly an announcement was made that his flight to Heathrow airport was delayed by an hour. He was done wandering around in the airport. He gifted himself in some expensive watches, perfumes and Liquor, that’s when he decided to immerse himself into his laptop so he could be well prepared for the presentation. In the midst of the crowded lobby filled with people enjoying the festive and shopping mood he was the only person with a serious look on his face, with his eyes perched on the laptop.

Suddenly he catches a very beautiful pair of eyes staring at him. He casually notices and digs himself back on to the laptop screen. Suddenly his heart skipped a beat ! Oh my God ! Was it her ?? He lifted his head up rather hesitantly this time and there she was. It was indeed her. How could he ever forget those beautiful eyes. All of a sudden he felt very weak on his knees. He could feel all of the blood from his body gushing towards his head. He was feeling very uneasy. Unable to hold himself back, he decided to get up and walk away.

Four long years had passed after she had walked away from his life for no possible reason. Every single day he prayed to God that one day, he needs to confront her and ask her Why? But when it actually happened, he found out that he was unable to get a hold of himself. The aura that surrounded him, that of a young and extremely successful executive had shattered to that of a regular guy trying hard to get a hold of his personal self !

Just as he was about to leave, she walked up to him. The moment he looked into her eyes, everything around him had come to a standstill. The life that he had left behind, his past was very vivid and vibrant before him. After a momentary silence and an awkward minute later, she broke the silence with a very feeble “Hi”. Though his mind was screaming with in himself to vent out his emotions, he finally came out with a very courteous greeting. After the exchange of pleasantries, she mustered up the courage to say “I am sorry for what had happened. I truly am.”

He looked into her eyes for a couple of seconds longer, and finally managed to say that , everybody has a right to make a choice and that she had made hers and that she doesn’t need to apologize.

Saying this he just walked away from her still trying to get a hold of himself. He desperately wanted to look back at her, but didn’t. He fumbled with his laptop bag as he found that his hands and legs were no longer listening to him.

The flight to London had announced its boarding and he proceeded towards it. He never got an answer to his question , Why she had done it coz he never managed to ask. But after meeting her he realized the reason for things currently happening around him. This was the reason why he set on a Race, a race with himself. His endless effort to prove himself at every opportunity that came his way. He realized that he should be thanking her for what has happened, as this has only lead to betterment of his life. The flight was taking off to a new destination and so was his life. He let off a smooth smile with her thoughts in his mind and was looking forward to life with a renewed sense of excitement.

PS: A slightly longer post than the usual. Just felt like sharing this short story with all you people..

What a comeback...

Those of you who take the risk to read my posts, this one is again dedicated to an unknown friend of mine.. the traffic cop who guards the junction on my way to office....

Read post .. [A regular Guy.. may be not...]

Yes. The guy is back in form and I would say, terrific comeback brother. Our man was back in his best presentable form, the sternness was back on his face. The sense of ownership of the road was a silent yet loud message to everybody, His golden aviator shades were shining bright in the sunlight.

It was just a phenomenal revival of the old cop, as mine was the first vehicle he caught for jumping the signal while it was Amber. There was no amount of sympathy or mercy shown to me. At one point even I wanted to shout out to him saying, Dude.. I have dedicated a post on my blog about you, and this is how you return the favor? But alas I could not say anything. Just that he let me off with a stern warning and an advice not to jump signals even when its amber as it can lead to blah blah blah blah…..

After this episode, though I was disturbed, I was also happy at the fact that our man was back. That’s when I thought that everybody goes through a difficult phase in their lives. The sun doesn’t shine on you always. There will be rainy days as well. It all depends on how long you give yourself to make a comeback. I am happy at the fact that our cop was back in action and he was loving it..

How much time did I take to make a comeback? A question I can answer only when people around me tell me that I am the same old chap with a renewed perspective towards life.. Till then I will be unable to give an answer to myself…