Wrap, Wraps & More Wraps

Dreary-eyed I step out of the cozy confines of my rapturous dream world as the heavy lids oblige by parting their deep embrace.

So, it is dawn already? As in that morning time when one has to get going? It is!

The two five-edged paws drag themselves onto mother Earth as they search for their wrap while the two languorous arms tediously wrap the golliwog tresses – quite a paradox – atop the skeletal membrane at an exact 45 degree angle. By the way, an amazing work of art in that super slumberous state!

Drag…. Drag…. Drag….. Splash!!! Woohoo, so I’m still AwAkE and AlivE – Thus, whisper the water splatter as it rudely bangs on my poor sleepy child-like countenance.

As I unwrap myself from the barely forty winks, the next destination is the hearth of the house, my kitchen. Nah, in no mood of doing the honours of packing some sumptuous but mind-numbingly home-cooked fare for lunch… Quickly, then very quickly the diet-conscious half decides to reach out to the brown cereal bread and wrap it up with the low cal, marmalade and lite cheese, but cheese it shall be… And an apple is a healthy thing to munch on when hunger pangs strike right when you should be engrossed in the sonorous depths of some kinda hard-hitting professional assignment.

Hmmm…… The day moves on at its tepid pace and just when one ought to be ticking off bulleted points in the official to-do list, the feline ear-drums hear the pitiable tummy GrOwL! My hands reach out to the wrapped sandwiches and my ever-optimistic heart wills for an interesting bite… And in the nick of time, “S stop, I’ve ordered a wrap for you,” said who???

Alas, a benevolent saviour comes to the rescue; a God-sent colleague who is celebrating – Today is Giving Day. So, as the teeth bite into divine crunchiness, the principal organ of taste muses about the delights of being a carnivore and the taste-buds relish the chicken wrap; it is time to enclose yourself in the absolute scrumptious moment and a world of gluttonous gladness.

Little did this starving soul know that when you decide to share your own edible offering with another one; this time a lip-smacking sweet-i-licious dessert awaits you – coming to you from across the seas from another compassionate peer.

Wrap yourself in what you should do and witness the alluring wrappings that wrap themselves all through your way! Just do it!!!

OMG!!!

OMG! This blogger has been itching to key in more than a few words, but it has just not happened and when it does...... the realization that one has logged in after a stay-away-from-blog fasting spree of almost the coventional forty days :(  Such are the perils of keeping oneself engaged - like a bee or a fly; time to ponder?

These past days have been like a trifle pudding - sprinklings of a whole lot of experiences - sweet, sour, happy, grumpy..... one of lunatic laughs and that of tired-soul-resting-in-peace! A word of appreciation to my blogger-friends - You have surely kept giving me the reminders to shed the slumbrous skin and get going!

Well, it has been an on-the-move time..... oscillating between some pondrous and some frivolous moments. And did I mention the Ramadan take-it-easy drive that just seems to envelope the UAE during this Holy Month irrespective of whether you are at work in an office or at home?

It has been a time of realizations aplenty.... the latest being - friction is both positive and negative as the machinery of life keeps rolling...... Enjoy the positive momentum as some friendships and rapports last and set free those that are ready to move on.... and oil those which you cherish. After all, har ek friend zaroori hota hai! 

On that note, guess it's time to catch up with some of the same feather irrespective of how often you flock together :)

I want my ice-cream!

The little girl was playing with her dolls. She hurriedly went in and out of her doll-house. She could have done that all day long had her mother not interrupted with, “Get ready quickly. We have to go for shopping.”

“No, no, no,” howled the angel transforming into an angst-ridden Medusa, trying to reach out and catch her predator. “I don’t want to go. I want to play with Ria, Ronnie and Svetlana,” shouted the badgered soul, taking the names of all her companions – her dolls.

Finally, the mother managed to convince her, alluring her with the ever-successful bait of ice-cream and some more goodies. Do you think these mouth-slurping baits were ever going to really come the little angel’s way?

Nah….. Baits are some distant psychological tool used by mothers to get THEIR way around and then phishhhh…

What we forget is that kids no longer suffer from selective amnesia. And, never when it comes to things which their tiny brain keeps sending electric signals about… Parents perhaps are slowly realizing that the bait-game is passé; it’s just an anachronism in the world of today’s smart Alecs.

So was the story with this kind daughter who had obliged her mommy with her company. Her only concern was that soon enough she will be slurping and licking her favourite plain vanilla ice-cream in a crunchy waffle cone. Her mind was set that no matter what she was out to get herself an ice-cream and nothing else mattered!

While mommy dear became oblivious to the bait she had thrown, her daughter did not let her forget… even in-between the tired foot-steps dragging themselves from one shop to another; being literally dragged by the high speed pitter-pattering feet on seeing a board which shouted- SALE.

Her belief, not the ardent shopper’s, but the hooked ice-cream lover’s belief was firm that today was her special ice-cream day…. “I will get it even if I have to walk the ten extra steps for it ultimately,” perhaps thought the tired, but optimistic soul.

Hmmm….. I too want my ice-cream eventually and will have it!

I Also Saw...

Have you seen the sun, moon, stars and the sky?

The bird’s flight, the duck’s waddle

And, the smile of the passers-by?

Did you see the man with the cigar?

Driving a luxurious four-wheel

And, the prosperity around his central keel?

Did you see the candy man?

Shouting forcefully to sell

And enjoying his sweltering tan?

Have you seen the gleeful child?

Playing with his vivacious mom

Who has a manner which is not so mild?

  

I also saw.....

The dark sky,

The ceaseless flapping,

The tears before the smiles,

The lean shadow toiling relentlessly,

The hot flushes on his face,

The mother's hair thin and white...

And the courage and perseverance behind the smiling might!

I WILL!

I was going up and up

Moving up and only upwards

Lost in my gleeful trance…

The only way I knew

Was the upwards prance.

After being on the ground

Almost as if I was grounded

Springing up was fun…

Like an arrow from a bow

My speed was second to none.

Throwing total caution

To the winds

Rise like a phoenix I did…

Smiles galore throughout

And tears I forbid.

Thud thud thud

I landed flat

Face on the ground…

I found myself

With wounds around me wound.

Tsk tsk tsk

I rose again

Threw the albatross off…

With spirited steps

I was again off.

                       

Fall and rise I will

Cry and smile I will

Crawl and run I will…

Living life absolutely

I promise I will!

It does happen :)

Alright, I'm all set for the roller-coaster.... dreading the jerks and the near-death spins.

Hey, I get onto the ride and what is this? It's done with in almost no time!

They say- "It does happen.... When we decide to take things head-on, the battle is half-won and the remaining isn't even half as unbearingly spicy as we'd envisaged and blown out of proportion."

It does happen..... The stronger the resolve, the shorter seems the steeple-chase; greater the determination to win, the faster does the race get over with the winner's tag.

It's all about the fighting spirit and the desire to gobble down the unsavoury bit first and then relishing the best part. After all, life is a mixed platter... but, it does happen!

LIFE & YOU

Life tests those,
Who have the strength.
You aren't allowed to break -
Though you may bend.
Troubles knock us,
And turn us around;
It's all for the good -
Thereafter joys abound.


Don't under-estimate yourself,
Nor what life offers;
Miracles will take you by surprise -
With happiness filling your coffers!


Just walk on,
Let life lead you...
You don't need the joys -
They need you!

After the intermission when the movie refuses to begin?!?

Imagine, just imagine, you are seated within the comfortable air-conditioned confines of a multiplex enjoying the latest blockbuster......

Aha! This wishful thinking has already taken one away from the scorching 45 degrees Celsius and the routine of life per se!!!! Intermission happens just when you'd rather not have it; simply because your heavily-burdened mind is engrossed in this thriller  - and most willingly taken on the task of tracking the possible trajectory of the plot.

So, we rush like sprinters out there to win the race before the gluttonous multitude throng the snack-bar. Yay! Yay! I'm first - "I'd like to have a small coke and a pack of salted-caramel popcorn. Thank you."

Back in time to watch the second half, munching away at the corn like a kid whose just learnt the super-duper fast motor skill of moving one's hands between the popcorn bucket and the mouth. "The cola never tasted so yum before," you announce to the uninitiated, your partner while watching the movie as you silently pass off a burp with a silent remembrance of an adage - "It's better to burp and taste it than f--t and waste it!!!

Waiting in eager anticipation for the movie to begin, but it doesn't.... seems like some fault in the reels and the rolls and the..........

Ufffff! Exasperated? Definitely!

Stop a while and think - What if you didn't have the popcorn to munch away meanwhile? 

While we wait for what we've planned to watch as our supposed good life, are we missing out the popcorn bites and the wondrous sips of the cola???

Itsy-bitsy teenie-weenie yellow polka dot bikini...

I used to detest the idea of studying for tests while in school; primarily because this bundle of grey cells simply didn't have the capacity to mug-up things.

I have no qualms in admitting that learning by rote was definitely not in line with my scheme of things - to the extent that I'd rather conjure up an essay in Hindi mentally and then translate and pen it down in the Sanskrit exam. I was ready to attempt to grasp the logic and apply it, get a palette of colours and create my own shade rather than go with the 'given'.

Much to everyone's surprise and the examiner's restless horror, yours truly would be the last one submitting the answer-sheet with a -"Done ma'am" - gleefully basking in a sense of some kind of convoluted achievement and walking out of the hall with frisky princess-like steps versus the plebeian majority!

Nothing's changed so far. And would I want it to?

A mail in my inbox displaying some arbid letters and numbers, making not much of a sense to me as I try to decrypt it...... But, the lucidity it brings to my mind- Aha, bliss!

With twinkle-eyed glares, the screen could turn into ashes with the intensity; the two sockets carry on with their mechanical task while a curve perches itself so permanently that the smile lines and crow's feet feel like an immovable fixture lying ever-since.

Again Ms. Patrician nests her ideas and nurtures them bordering on ecstasy. What the heck! Teeny-weeny thoughts and the wide grin ..... WoUld I want to cHaNge that?

Itsy-bitsy teenie-weenie yellow polka dot bikini....... She was afraid to come out in the open..... Itsy-bitsy teenie-weenie yellow polka dot bikini... Now she's afraid to come out of the water..... Water to the blanket, from the blanket to the shore, from the shore to the water and from her water to the :)

I AM THERE

When all seems lost,
And hope is hard to find...
Just look around you -
I am right behind!

    When despair surrounds you,
    And you don't know what to do...
    Just call out to me -
    I'll be there on the slightest cue!

When your patience runs dry,
And you are about to cry...
Just listen to my foot-steps -
I'm there, hearing your every sigh!

    When helplessness ensnares you,
    And you drop a pearl, a tear...
    Just experience me around -
    I feel your every fear!

So, when the going gets tough,
And a smile is hard to spare...
Just share it with me -
For, I am always there!!!

The Lost Maiden

Lost in play,

Lost in innocence,

Lost in fun,

Lost in glee -

Life so far, thus be!

    Lost in friends,

    Lost in youthful vigour,

    Lost in dreams,

    Lost in thoughts of fun-filled yore -

    Life is yet to be more!

Lost in unfulfilled aspirations,

Lost in new-found relations,

Lost in love -

Beyond me, life is much!

    Lost in comforts,

    Lost in every day tussles,

    Lost in matters of family -

    Life is about turning crazy!

Lost in maternal love,

Lost in multiple roles,

In a chaotic yet lovable strife -

Lost now in loving life!

Don't want, thank you!

"Hey, what's up? Game to loaf around a bit? Just get ready, we leave in ten minutes," so calls D, a friend of mine, the evening before the last.

As a matter of fact, impromptu plans - aha, lovely paradox - are always more delectable. And, scrumptious it was! When two foodies meet, you're sure gonna rock the taste buds and we did :)

Apart from running some productive errands, the focus of the evening was on food, the small eateries which get clouded in the smoke of the bigger names, the best kabab rolls, sandwiches, desserts..... slurrrp.

The highlight was also this friend's daughter who is just under 1095 days on planet Earth. This young lady had to have a dash of what we call the lipstick on her smiling lips and some 'make-up' - afterall, she was going out with mamma & S auntie. Then her napkin had to be in place while eating and a drop of juice falling on her hand - a state of emergency would have been declared had the wet wipe not come to the rescue.

So, we walk out, satisfied gluttonous souls and our next stop is an ordinary water-fountain in a corner of the mall. The young lady plonks herself beside it and her fingers twiddle in the water with, "Look mamma, water; look auntie, water," and the smile sitting pretty on the face like a fevicol ka jod.

Just an ordinary fountain and such an adrenalin rush? Crazy child?

No, crazy adults! We get so engrossed in our worries- some self-magnified that we tend to just overlook the smiles which are literally shouting out to us, "Hey, you want to spend some moments with me?" And, we just shout out from behind our doors without as much as peeping through the key-hole- "Don't want, thank you!"

मंज़िल तक...

कुछ सपने, कुछ ख्वाब,
अपनी राह ढूंड लेते हैं.
ड्रिड हों इरादे अगर,
तो अपनी मंज़िल पा लेते हैं.

  थोड़ी उदासी, थोड़ी झंझनाहट -
  यह तो हमारे साथी हैं.
  रास्ते के रोड़ों के बाद ही,
  डगर नज़र आती है.

कठिनाइयां और बाधाएं तो...
जीवन रंगीन बनातें हैं-
इन्हीं के बहाने तो जनाब हम,
ईश्वर को याद कर पातें हैं.

  कोई भी जंग
  दो बार लड़ी जाती हैं -
  एक बार अपने मन में
  और दूसरी बार सचाईं में.

मंज़िल के सपने तो
बहुत देखा करते हैं...
अडिग व साहसी ही -
यह सफ़र तय किया करते हैं.

Walking the Rope Atop Niagara Falls

As I sat in a queue, waiting for my turn, a lady sitting next to me caught my attention. Her angelic daughter had perhaps gotten restless and wanted to run around. Well, she got a piece (-a peace byte) of her mother's mind. The daughter's possible thought bubble - "All this while I was quiet, mom didn't say- very good. Why now?"

At the supermarket, the naughty-eyed fella was following his mom-dad who seemed engrossed in their grocery-ial conversation all the while. Suddenly, "Mum, can I have this chocolate?" asked the fella. "Now, don't you trouble me like this. I'll leave you alone at home next time and you wouldn't want that. Would you?" roared the mom mid-way through the pathway stocking cookies and chocolates on either side.

How would have those ladies felt if for dayssss nobody ever said an appreciative word about their cooking, but if on a given day, the salt or spices were wee bit not right......."I really don't know why you had to spoil it today only when I'm so tired and was looking forward to a fulfilling dinner and a good night's sleep," courtesy, their better halves???

How would the girl or the boy behave the next time around? Perhaps, become immune and throw a bigger tantrum the next time round. Or the retaliation of the lovely lady-like cooks - what would that be like? I shudder to imagine.

Hmmmm..... Children teach us a significant reality and the rule of life - Action and reaction, cause and effect.

No child is born stubborn or rude or whatever. We give them the shape that they take. As moms, dads, aunts, brothers and so on; as elders we tend to get irritable and our luggage of another trip of the day gets dumped on to the younger ones, perhaps unconsciously many a times. By the time we realize and that too not how it all started, but that the kid seems to be heading on the wrong track, the damage is done. Thereafter, begins a greater struggle to set it right.

Not all of us are off target and neither are we so all the time. However, the tiny fissures at times can translate into a bigger crack for the kid, even if for that moment. It's not about sparing the rod and spoiling the young ones; but about giving a dog a good name and rest assured, s/he will live up to it. Yes, in today's tech-friendly and tech-crazy age where all kinds of data can go through a child's psyche unfiltered, one has to have the antennae up and even disrupt the transmission if need be.

Who says being a parent is an easy job? It's walking a tight rope running atop the Niagara Falls and enjoying the thrilling experience.... Being a pressure-cooker which cannot possibly let off it's steam easily.

Hats off to the brave hearts who literally toil zealously for years so that the seeds grow into a humble fruit-bearing tree!

Happy Mother's Day!!

Through It All

Move, move I do
Through time.
From one birth to another;
Now here, then there.

From one womb to another,
Thirsting forever for a new role.
The darkness forever pulling at me,
Light is far away.
Oh! Stop the torment.
Don't torture me!
Help me decide -
Is the flame calling out stronger
Or am I getting lost in the dark abyss?
The dark, unknown does attract.

The deep fury of the waves,
The whoosh of the angry winds,
The rapid flutter of the bird,
The rain lashing on the ground,
The rowdy crowd shouting,
And then, silence!

The calm sea,
The cool breeze,
The sailing bird,
The light soothing drizzle,
The crowd chanting in harmony...

Where do I stand?
Through it all.

Through the darkness and light,
Through the noise and calm;
Awaiting change, yet stability.

But, I am finished into ashes
And I start anew, a fresh strife;
For that's my nature -
I am life.

Frighteningly Fidgety Friday!

Ahoy! It's Friday morning and what a great feeling it is that we - the week's battered souls are hanging loose-  literally like clothes flowing on a hanger - around the house; just floating with no agenda for the early morning at least.

Yup, week end's here and we are awake early in the morning. After all, there's a meeting to attend wherein our batteries can quite possibly get charged. So, after sitting like two bears who lazily dump themselves on the two corners of the sofa with the customary tea-cup and biscuit in hand- to be dipped into the elaichi chai; we engage in the activity of flipping through some news channels, only to be bombarded with either advertisements or some seemingly all-knowing ring-laden maa or baba forecasting the day for billions of people who either share the same zodiac or birth number or God knows what not.

Relaxed first phase morning done; the hectic run-down to reaching our respective meetings in time starts with the regular alarm going off every few minutes- We have to be in the car at 9:45 AM sharp. The first dagger-ous (if there's a word) flashes through the mind- Guess I'm better off sitting at home. Next moment - Let me be the first one at the door of the house, all set!

As we sit side by side within the confines of the blessed four wheels, conversation follows. Blessed because while the murderous humdrum of life seems to kill time for conversation, these rotating bodies most graciously allow its inhabitants to converse - until the wondrous invention- the mobile phone rings.

In the afternoon, having attended the meeting, am I glad that I did? What a silly rhetoric. Of course I am. When you hear of another's battles, you learn a lot more than pitying your own situation and asking most dramatically - Why me Lord? You learn that each one has an uphill road, but what matters is who perseveres. The most important reminder of the day this was!

We are about to bid adieu to the day with a sad face..... Nothing has changed - We used to loathe going to school on Saturdays and we kind of dislike going to work on this day... Not a complaint, but the child within refuses to sleep off :)

Just before, discussions happen on the corrupt politician with some food for thought - Are there any angels in today's times? There are only lesser devils..... Hmmm.... Where do I fall??? Let me try to be a shade of grey with more of white at least, try.......

With this thought the fidgety Friday ends, made us fidget quite a bit -  physically and mentally too. Hands folded for some restful dreams now.

What happens after taking a small bite of a gooey chocolatious cake?

Aha! So, what happens after taking a small bite of a gooey chocolatious cake?

Simple, we want another bite thinking that would be the final one- mentally making a note of the calorie-conscious public at large..... But do I stop? Nah!!! I lick the dish off till the last morsel!

Hmmm... One day of blogging and I'm glad that I want more of it - hope it's equally chocolatious for any kind soul who so wills to read this rambling :)

The day today can be best described as a child sitting at the tip of a beach trying to build castles of sands which are being washed by the naughty waves each time he thinks he can now go and build the next one. As I'm about to gleefully feel happy about a task being accomplished, I realize that, that one was nothing and there are far more castles to be built.

Sigh :(  Reflecting on things as I scribble on, nirvana strikes- It's indeed great that there are things to be done rather than sitting the whole day long - location irrespective - and twiddling one's thumbs or possibly even vaguely imagining actually sitting by the beach and enjoying the Dubai tan - the willed time-pass of many here.

The week end is here, the precious Thursday eve - The eve which one awaits through the week for and the hours which pass away in a jiffy! Reminds me of the coffee cone, we CJMites used to look forward to having while walking to our respective school buses after the school got over in the afternoon.. And, it was slurped up before the comatose steps wrapped in non-stop chatter climbed the steps of the bus.

To a lovely animated week end!

Two in a row

Yup, you begin, begin with a bang... so two posts in a day - not bad at all!

Actually, I penned down the first post a few days back, but began blogging only today. And, numerous thoughts have crossed my mind.. Oh , sooo many thoughts that one could have typed out, but.. and it's a big but, there are only as many hours in a day and lots to do. So apology my blog, I can't have the luxury of connecting with you always.

Coming back to LAM ( Life After Marriage in the earlier post)... Well, it's great and teaches you a hell lot of things, especially initially - right from how much of tea leaves go into a cup of tea, just about how much time you need each morning before you go for work to wind up some household chores too, what kind of food would your better half be in a mood to have this day Lord, how to make polite conversation as an adult- you no longer have the luxury of running away from meeting people you didn't want as your parents' princess- sigh :(

Nonetheless, life is good, life is fun, life is a teacher, life is your mate......

And today, I've learnt an important lesson - Never dictate to the One above what all should be packed into your life- He knows it all and better than you! So, brave what's there to be dealt with and enjoy what's meant to be enjoyed... As I am - this phase between closing one job and moving on to the next - stress or relaxation- that's my choice...

After almost four years...

Well, after almost four years, it's kinda weird to be blogging again...... But, it's all good... re-igniting the spark!

People usually tell me that I fit the bill vis-a-vis the communications field especially wrt penning or shall we say typing or rather in today's times, 'touching' down thoughts! Hmmm.... That's the outside story. Within the fact is that articulating things at work, or for others is far easier, but your own thoughts, that's a different story :)

So, here's another attempt to transfer that private murmuring into the sharing zone - inspiration being a friend who too has sharpened the long-lost pencil again. Things that friends land up doing for you inadvertently!

2007 to now.... Life's been an interesting ride, albeit full of thrills. Matrimony and the shift from the Indian soil to the sands of the Middle East, UAE.... riding on dunes with my lovable and loving partner in tow and settling in to a completely novel experience... not a pioneering one for sure as perhaps all girls traverse this journey... well  almost all - isn't that the case with the majority who metamorphose into Cinderellas, arm-in-arm with their partners? Yup, unless you happen to marry a male-Cinderella (more on that later).

So, what is LAM - Life After Marriage?

To be continued...