Few things life has taught me.....and I am still an eager student

1. Don't judge people. Period.
2.If you have already judged them anyways, they will prove you right. Ha!
3.It's not your degree or your resume that often lands you at a higher post in your job, its your tongue, and a little bit of your work
4.Man is a funny animal, always wanting what is not - when I have a job I wish I hadn't and when I don't, I wish I had
5.Never tell your baby what you don't want her telling you
6.Reminding someone something he claims to always forget, does not help - AT ALL
7.Unlikely that you can change the world, be the change you want to see in others. That MAY help
8.Just because you are a stay at home mom and spend all your waking hours worrying about your little one, does not make you the best mom, and nor does that ensure that your offspring is going to appreciate you for life
9.If you appreciate something about someone, let them know about it.
10.Spend sometime each day noticing little things around you, which you seem to be taking for granted
11.It is never easy to forgive and forget. At least pretend!
12.Be nice to all, you never know who is gonna be your neighbor up, or may be down under
13.After 60, unlikely that people will change. They never did when they were 30!
14.Read a lot. This time shall not come again. Might as well gather all the gyan you can when you find the time and haven't still developed Alzheimers'
15.Love is hard to find. Reciprocate it.

By The Water Cooler

This one is for Radio Parul, and her book 'By the Water Cooler' ....read on

Day 1 - transfered to the Bangalore office (after working for 6 months as a trainee). Like the spring chicken, I am one of the first few to turn up. My boss who is all of 27 and and whose first trainee I am, has arranged for some office girl to get me some flowers. That, for you, is a welcome note. My boss, walks in almost an hour later, and the rest, even later than that. *Young* I think. We exchange niceties.

Lesson 1- don't be so eager to work on the first day that you exhaust your energies by turning up this early....you never know how long you have to hang on!

Day 2- as promised he takes me on his bike to the closest bank to open an account. I would require a place to drop that cheque which will feed me (yes that's all it would do).
It's a Splendour and so anyone sitting pillion, in a synthetic outfit (and a rookie at bike pillion) is likely to end up in the driver's seat rather than ones own.
Lesson 2 - never wear synthetic if you are riding Pillion!

Day 3 - happens to be a Saturday- a holiday, nonetheless we are all there.....in comfortable casuals, enthu cutlests all. I explain my interpretation of a report, aloud, as if I have been dying to hear my own voice. 'Keep that low' says my boss, 'I have a bad hangover and your voice is making my skull rattle in my head...'
Lesson 3 - speak in hushed tones if your boss has a hangover

It is evening after a lazy paced day at work. The office is a house (like a typical one in Bangalore), and my boss is sitting by a window gazing out. I ask him, what are you looking at ? He says, 'the moon'....the vibrant colours....'Moon and vibrant colours, I add'....'hmm....he says, gazing on'. I don't see them, I mutter. You will if you do 'pot', comes the reply.
Lesson 4 - do grass to see vibrant colours in the moon.

3 days down, and I have learnt quite a bit at work, don't you think?! I have always been a quick learner ;)

I am so... internetish

If you are wondering what that means, let me explain...

If ever you google anything on earth (or outside of it), you will get adequate evidence to support or overrule any hypothesis that you harbor. I was running a search on f"lourides and toddlers"....I got adequate evidence to believe it is "good" and "bad" for toddlers. End result - I am well informed but as confused as earlier.

Working out of home, makes one dependent on the internet a lot, and google then becomes what you would term in the real world- a best friend! With google as best friend, what has now happened to me is what the old sanskrit philosophy would term 'sangadosha' (literally translated company effect). What it primarily means is that one begins to behave like ones companion/ friend owing to the close interactions/ proximity one keeps to them.

Now if you were to tell me how good something is, I can provide adequate information why I believe otherwise. You would be none the wiser after which. At the same time if you come up with a theory about how something is bad. I could very well prove otherwise. No! I never participated in debates while back at school......but the internet has done this to me!!!

Let me know if you have ever had a similar situation :)

Solong........happy googling!!!

I never cease to amaze me

Yesterday was my bday. Well no cookies for guessing my age....because it hardly matters. After a while one stops counting. At last count I was umm..urr...25 I think :)

I spoke from 7.30 am in the morning, with a 10 min break for breakfast, until 2.00 pm and then continued from 4.00 pm until my lil one asked to be accompanied to the park. I caught up with a conversation or two in the park as well. Over 7 hrs of telephonic conversation about everything under the sun, with all who called to wish me. I must admit I did not expect to be so busy receiving calls, since I have been pretty laid back on the wishing circuit this year, being a self proclaimed BUSY mom...with an even busier baby.

If you ever happen to see me, you will never guess my true age. I am blessed to look young. Although there are times I wish I looked a little older (and may be fatter) so I could throw my weight around, it is never gonna be.

I take my lil one to the park each evening. Lil T loves to play by herself...in the sand pit, on the slides, on the swing, in the stone patch and the meadows. There are curious onlookers who want to know why she does not play with the other kids. Well, the answer my friends is that she likes it that way, and I would rather have her like what she is doing...than force something down her throat. Yes, I do give her an opportunity to interact with other children, but I would think she knows best what she wants.

I have noticed, moms hang around in groups - not exactly me...but most of them. I visit the "congregation of moms" that meets daily at the park. .....serves more like a support group. ....If you lend your ear, this is what you will definitely hear "mine has stopped eating"..."mine did that awhile back but seems to be better now"....."mine no longer snatches a nap during the morning hours"....."nor does mine, baby"...."oh well! that's such a reassurance........."mine has been acting weird"....."when do they not?!".....I would be worried if they did not act weird. They somehow seem to be programmed that way. Weird...weirder....weirdest....."mine sleeps in the cot"..."oh so does mine"...."what the hell...they are not going to sleep with you for life, so giving a lil bit of comfort to your lil one in the initial years won't do you any harm"....How many rules are they supposed to abide by......don't do this....and definitely not this....this is a strict no no.....not that one!!

And I have been reading that you ought to be a yes parent!!!! Sure ...can I stuff the toothbrush in the loo...yes, why not. Can I swallow a kidney bean...definitely. Can I stand up and jump from my pram...."whoever stopped you"........saying yes is def easier than saying no....just that I dread the repercussions. I am waiting to meet the YES parent. How charming!

My life post Nov 2007, has been different. Well, let's just say "different". I serve as a car seat, an animal and bird cry impersonator, while I brush my teeth, I strategically place my foot on the loo cover so that no unsuspecting lil toddler dares to open it and stash was some toys, bowls, spoons, even soap at times into it. I leap like a frog, sniff like a mouse....oh no! I am not crazy...I am just a mom!

Erma Bombeck

When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, "I used everything you gave me".

Fringe benefits of Failure and the importance of imagination

I have been hearing about Rowling's address to the Harvard university graduates. It was only by accident that I chanced upon it here.

I simply enjoyed reading it and couldn't stop. The end did not disappoint me either. I am sure you will enjoy reading it too.

While I read the papers a few days back when Jeffrey Archer was in India, I remember the bit where he said 'Rowling made it after 14 attempts, but very few know that I (Jeffrey Archer) had to visit close to 17 publishers before my first best seller'

At the end, all I need to say is 'perserverence pays'

Oh I miss the nanny...

Right now all I am thinking is ....was I in my right mind to make a bold decision of a holiday with Li'l T sans the nanny. Gawd! what was I thinking??!!!!
Gawd! Gawd! Gawd! never thought I will miss baby's nanny so much.

As a youngster I distinctly remember a write-up I had written. It was titled "The Ps in my life" - one of my first and foremost was Pamam - the ever endearing uncle. The second P was the Hobbes I have mentioned in my profile description and the third was my difficult boss and finally now it is the baby's nanny. The P's in my life have always made a difference - whether it be xtremely positive or xtremely negative....but they could never be ignored.

This holiday has only taught me how indispensible THE nanny is!...the most important P in my life these days

Slice of my life these days (now that I am on a holiday!!!!)
-Get woken up by a wailing hungry baby
-feed her
-change her
-motivate her to crap so I can then lie low during the day (I feel more relieved when Li'l T has clean bowels, than when I do....I guess that's what motherhood is all about)
-make sensible conversation with her (as sensible and meaningful as it can get with a 5 month old)
-watch over her while she busily flip flops all over the bed (she does not like the floor)...simply to ensure she does not flip flop off it.
-give her a rejuvenating oil massage followed by a bath routine (which she simply looks forward to)
-bathe her
-dress her
-feed her
-put her to bed
-console her every time she wails
-change her
-feed her
-change her
-feed her
-change her
-omygosh did I forget taking her around to all anxious relatives homes
-change her
-feed her
-remind myself that this is all my doing
-change her
-feed her
-and finally at the end of day crash after putting her to bed.
.........I am looking forward to getting back home. I have promised myself a good holiday after I dutifully handover li'l T to THE nanny. That is when my holiday actually begins .....