Weekend Updates And Other Such Trivia

Hello all. As usual, this Monday, I’m all peppy and fired up (long time readers will know why )

The only dark cloud looming over my head is the twin’s illness . Actually, since the GMIL fell down and fractured her hip (back in Jan this year), the twins have been good as gold. Since both me and the MIL were busy tending to the granny, we never realized that for the last 6 months plus, the twins never fell ill even once!! I mean, no colds, no coughs and no fevers. It was almost as though they were living a charmed life (Alhamdulillah). The charm still runs on I guess, because the fever is not too high . Blocked nose and slight cough nothing that a dose of crocin syrup and nose drops cannot help. Given the measly weather, I doubt they could have fought the viruses any longer anyway. I gave them an off from school today and even went to the school to let the teachers know that the twins wouldn’t be coming today. They told me to send them back only after the two are completely well. Hmmm……looks like the two will be at home right through this week !

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The GMIL is doing well (Alhamdulillah again ). The fat necrosis has reduced considerably and going by the amount that is secreted recently, we can safely say that it is a just a matter of a few weeks before her stitches heal completely. Once that happens ,I believe, she will have more energy and strength for getting up and walking around. The walking is a must, but granny is loath to do it as she feels weak and tired all the time.  Hopefully, once her wound is better, she will feel a tad more positive than she does now

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The aunt’s doing well too, though her problem persists. Alas, her diagnosis points to a back injury which took place nearly 25 years back and caused some problem with the signals sent to her brain from her lower body. This is a neurological problem and requires surgery. Unfortunately, neither the aunt or anyone in her family is convinced as to the success of such an operation. Till the time they are , I guess she has no option but to suffer the catheter

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I did a mean thing this Saturday. I still feel bad about it, but I guess it was much-needed.

I’ll give the background first – The nanny is getting unreliable by the day. Since the twins started school, she has very little to do. Me and the MIL make sure we get the kids ready for school in the morning, so this girl happily saunters in around 12 noon.  She picks up the kids at 1 pm, feeds them and then puts them to sleep. After that, she washes a few clothes of the kids, has lunch and goes off to sleep herself. By 5 pm, all of them get up. She feeds the twins their milk and biscuits and just minds over them till 7 pm. After that she leaves.In all, her actual ’work’ takes up only about 3-4 hours at the most.Yet, we never bothered to deduct her salary even though we were doing the work she was initially paid to do (like bathing the twins and feeding them breakfast). Earlier, when the twins were younger, there used to be a bucket load of washing to do, but slowly, as we potty-train them, there are hardly a few soiled clothes which need washing and even then, she prefers to dump them in the washing machine instead of hand-washing them. We don’t complain. If some clothes don’t come out clean, I put them back for washing.

The one thing that we have asked her to do is be punctual. And that is exactly the one thing she doesn’t do. She gets to sleep at our place, so she doesn’t sleep early at night. She watches television late into the night and then gets up around 10 am. When she does, she calls to say that she’ll be late (whats new!) and then finally turns up at the house by 11 or 11:30. Sometimes, even later than that.

When the GMIL was well, we never bothered with the delays. But since the GMIL herself is bed-ridden, whom should I rely on for those hours between the time I have to leave for work and when the nanny drops in?? With the school timings, that little problem was solved, but only for weekdays. Weekends were another story! I have asked her repeatedly to come on time on Saturdays because that is the only day I can get my non-official work done (any bank work, meeting people, shopping , etc). Even then, I spend only a couple of hours away from home.

So this Saturday, the nanny wanted a half-day off because it was her best friend’s birthday. I gave her the green signal, but also told her to come in early, as I had some important bank work to do. She promised to come in by 9 AM. And turned up at 11:30. By the time she came in, I was too hopping mad to go out anywhere. So just as she entered, I asked her to pick her bag and walk out. I told her in no uncertain terms that I just didn’t need her that day and that I was unwilling to pay her for just two hour’s of attendance. She started crying then, but I was too fuming mad to melt. Her delays had caused us much grief for the last 6 months, yet we all kept quiet. I guess, on Saturday, the bubble of my patience finally burst and I let her have it. I didn’t yell at her though. I was just sharp and curt. When she insisted on bathing the twins before going, I told her that there was no need for her to do that and I wanted her out of my vision pronto!

Frankly, this side of me surprised me more than the nanny or the other relatives at home (GMIL and her two daughters). I never thought I could ever scold anyone who is not married to me ( )or is not my offspring but looks like I can. I felt rotten after she left. I mean, the one reason we keep shut with matters related to her is that she is an orphan. She has no immediate family and since she spends the major part of her time at our house (not to be confused with the actual time she ends up staying, which is far less), we treat her like family. She sits for meals with us, has access to every room, knows exactly where stuff is kept and is treated with love and respect. The problem is when she does not honour that treatment

Anyhow, she left with a heavy heart, I’m sure.

“Don’t worry, she’ll come on time tomorrow”, the MIL reassured me when I told her about my outburst. “I hope so”, I replied.

So this girl comes in at 11:30 am  yesterday.

AAARRGGGHHHH!!!!!

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I saw Delhi Belly yesterday.

And I’m still wondering what the fuss is all about.

Sure, there is profanity. There are some cheap jokes. There are sexual innuendos .

But, I have seen much more than this in regular Hollywood flicks. Maybe, the surprising fact is that a Hindi film, no , an Indian film could get away with it all !! I wasn’t shocked out of my mind or laughing my guts off. But I did have a silly smile throughout, meaning, I enjoyed what I was watching. It helped that the movie was short, because towards the end, it just became a tad tedious (the loose-motions didn’t seem funny after a while ). But overall, it was fun, too much happening too soon for you to dwell on a particular scene. thankfully, there were no breaks

Don’t think of the movie as path-breaking, or bringing in a new genre. It isn’t. It’s just a movie with loads of cuss words, but nothing new. You’ve heard them all before.

The best part?

Towards the end, when the protagonist realises whom he really loves and dives in (literally) to stake his claim. Witty, crazy and soul-shudderingly romantic! Now that’s how movies are meant to feel

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I made paav-bhaji for lunch yesterday. I made it for the first time by myself and I’m proud to declare that it was finger-lickin’ good . So good that the BF took me out for the above movie post-lunch !! Hmm…that saying about the path to a man’s heart being through his tummy isn’t all that wrong after all

Frankly, I’m better at non-veg stuff than veg. I mean, the regular day-to-day food is vegetarian, but when it comes to specialty dishes, I feel I score at non-veg than veg. One can rarely go wrong with chicken or fish. But if not careful, you can totally kill a vegetable . Cook a tad longer, it becomes pulpy. Cook too less, it is crunchy. Sometimes, the spices may not compliment it, at others, it may not need spices but you end up adding anyway and like I said before, kill it!!

I bow in respect to women who can make classic vegetarian dishes. In fact, I bow to women who can stay vegetarians

I can give up mutton (forever!) and chicken. But seafood makes me weak in the knees. The delectable smell of fried prawns, the crisp covering of batter over soft, succulent surmai, the South-Indian fish-curry in coconut milk….what’s NOT to love?!!

Gosh!! Talking of food just makes me hungry!

Going down to the cafeteria for snacks now. You all take care and have a wonderful week ahead.

Love,





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A Menu that had me flummoxed

I was purchasing some quick goodies a couple of evenings back when I came across a restaurant menu board displayed outside the restaurant next door.

I read it. Then re-read it. Checked to see if anyone else was giggling too. Alas, I was the only one !!

Am not sure if there’s one single item where I can point my finger and guffaw. Anyhow, let me show you the list first. And also, let me categorically state that there was no attempt at humour when this list was put up (or so I’m hoping ) :-

The Menu

So what all do we have here?

•  A single ‘S’ acting as a replacement for the ‘S’ after the apostrophe and also the abbreviated form of “Special” — Check

(I specially like the way this particular coup was executed )

• Suspenseful Soup name , given the space between “MAHI” and “SOUP” — Check

(I tried replacing the blank with EVERY alphabet. Nothing made sense , except maybe if they made a mistake and put up an ‘H’ instead of a ‘G’ and then realized they were out of ‘C’ )

• Passenger Name Record  Hot pan, Methi AND Adraki — Check

(What?? Isn’t that what PNR generally stands for ?!!)

• Fortune brand of rice — Check

(First time seeing a brand of rice being displayed prominently on the menu. By that margin, wouldn’t ‘Kohinoor’ make a better impression??)

• Desert name followed by exclamation of error/regret — Check

(Am LOVING that OOOPS. I seriously wonder what was going in the mind of the guy who put up this board )

• Ladies available at 10% Discount — Check.

(Err…ummm…. *wagging finger* Not good man, not good!!)

And the biggest surprise of all??

They spelled “SIZZLING BROWNIE” correctly!! Really!!

Wonders will never cease





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Opinions, Observations and Updates

Today’s post is VERY random.

There are a hundred things I feel I need to write about now, but, given the fact that I’m busy and also a born procrastinator, am taking the easier route and updating about some latest happenings from the MomOfRS household. Also, I need to put down stuff about what I think about issues (which otherwise, NO ONE bothers to listen to!!).

1) It’s the season of marriages! There are three lined up within the next two months itself. Whats more, they are all first cousins of the BF, so attendance is a MUST.

What I’m ticked about is the fact that all are love marriages

Finally, finally, I see the barriers breaking. Me and the BF feel vindicated. Am sure these kiddos must be thanking their Bro for opening up the gates for them

2) We were asked to wear BLUE to office today, in support of our Indian Cricket team (I know, the match is tomorrow, but then, we wont be in office tomorrow, right?)

When I came in this morning, there were only a handful of people who had remembered. Alas, I was one of them. Can you believe it? A non-cricket-lover actually turning up to cheer the Indian team?!

But then, the mail said, “Cheer the Men in Blue”. I was kinda doubtful about me loyalties. You see, the SL team wears blue too!! So which team are we really rooting for?!

BTW, I kinda look like this today -

As you can see, I’m happy. Actually I’m not. That’s my regular grin. When I’m REALLY happy, I look worse. Thankfully, I don’t have any snaps in that emotion. You are saved , I guess

3) A few days back, I’d posted about Dad and the golf-ball joke.

Well, for people who’ve been asking, Dad didn’t suffer a fracture. But he’s now suffering something worse!

A root canal.

Apparently, some blood got clogged in one of his molars which resulted in acute pain. The only option was a root-canal surgery (which people who’ve been through it once , will empathize with). The op was yesterday and Dad’s doing fine. Except, he can’t talk (a fate worse than death for me )

Anyhow, thanks y’all for the good wishes . Much appreciated

4) Tomorrow’s the day when we take the GMIL to the doctor’s for another check-up.

Tomorrow’s the day I promised Aapa I would go shopping with her.

Dilemma. Priorities. And what not!!

I’m going to play the sentiment card on the BF and see if I can cajole him to accompany Gran tomorrow. After all , I’ve been with her for ALL her visits, can’t I be spared this one time?

And also, isn’t he her most laadla pota, the guy she pampered senseless (and poor me have to face the brunt of it!). She’s the one for whom he rejected a dozen onsite offers.

As for me, I’m the notorious girl who ensnared her darling boy. An outcast for most occasions, but useful at others.

Sigh. I have my plus points

But I guess this is the time for him to prove the blood-water-thickness-theory! Wish me luck as I go at him today!

5) Its 6pm now and though I’d planned to leave early today, I’m still stuck in office. You know why??

Because I HAD To blog. There. I confessed. Am addicted.

Woe me

Anyhow, I think I’ll bid adieu now and catch up with y’all next week (of course I’ll be unavailable for the weekend!!)

Take care folks. And have a great weekend ahead.

(Also, hoping that India wins. I swear )





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Weekend Updates from the Household

(I staretd writing this post yesterday, but never got a chance to complete it . Thought of updating the first paragraph, but then thought, what the hell, you guys should know what I wanted to write yesterday !! So, without any corrections, I present – )

Hiya People, its Monday morning once again, but by the time I finish this post and hit publish, you’d be just getting ready to slip into your pyjamas and call it a day. Nevertheless, my good wishes stay

The weekend update post is not as busy (or long)  as it was a couple of weeks back. Apart from the nanny who bunked both days and the MIL who wasn’t home on Saturday to the BF , who was home, but totally useless, I’ve had my hands full. But I survived to write this post,  didn’t I?

I initially thought of listing all the events of the weekend, but then better sense prevailed and I’m now just categorizing all that I did and didn’t

What I Did Do

Cooking. Nimkis and pooris to Mutton Curry to Desi ghee (yeah, including the churning butter part. Quaint, isn’t it )

Minding the kids. No comments

Minding the Fort (aka the household)

Minding the mood swing (drat that bluddy India-SA match!!)

Washing clothes (the washing machine went KAPUT   and I don’t give my clothes to the maid)

 

What I Didn’t Do

Shopping for essentials (grocery and stuff which was HIGH priority for the last two weeks. Blame the nanny for bunking and ruining my plans )

Visit the parlour (*ahem* this is kinda rare activity, but since the BF commented not so kindly that I resembled a grizzly bear, me thought some TLC at the neighbourhood beauty spot was much needed)

Make biscuits (which I’ve been planning for ages….err…make that 2.5 years or the time since we bought our microwave!)

Operation Cupboard-Clean-Up (planned for months now. The strategy is in place, execution is pending!)

The twins were good as gold and stuck to their routine of pulling off the hair on my head, strand by strand.  I’m rather immune to the pain by now. As for the BF, the lesser said, the better. I’ve never understood the fanaticism behind cricket, but I’m sure I hate the game for what it makes of my man.Grouchy, grumpy, grunty. Stuck to  the couch and not even getting up for a loo break. Lunch, tea and dinner, all served at a fixed spot in front of the TV. The kids can holler like red-indians for all he cares. The wife can wail piteously, wring her hands in frustration and threaten to leave the house with the kids forever and all he’ll do is ask her to shut the door as she leaves. Because menial jobs like that cannot be carried out during crucial matches.

So the wife took out her anger on a BIG lump of maida (mixed with salt, kalonji and dried methi) , pounding it for all she was worth, rolling them out, cutting out small circles with a steel glass and then deep-frying them. The twins LOVED them, which was a big high, given that Shobs rarely chews anything and Lui has a sweet tooth.

Snack time *

 

Sunday turned out as usual sans the guest list of the previous few weeks. The BF vented his ire on India’s loss by storming out of the house at 7 AM to play a match at the stadium near our place. It didn’t help. His team lost the match. He stormed right back in and didn’t come out of the room for the rest of the day.

The twins were better today, and by that I mean , they allowed me to spend some time cooking and washing my clothes. In fact, the twins assisted me in drying the wash (there’s this small matter me needing to rinse a couple of them twice after the kids dropped them). It was fun

BTW, did I tell you about how enlightening it is to churn butter? I didn’t? Ok, well, here goes – You collect oodles of malai. When the box can take no more, you add a dash of curd to it, mix it well and kept in a warm corner. Also, make sure you transfer the curd-mixed malai to a larger container. You wouldn’t want to clean up the resulting mess otherwise! Next morning, you have two options -

a)  make the butter this way*

b) or use technology*

Guess which route I took ?!!

Once you’ve got the butter separated from the buttermilk, dump it into a vessel, load on the gas-burner, ignite and leave it alone to simmer and cook for ages (believe me, it took an agonizing 2 hours for the final ghee to materialize )

That said, I think the best part about the weekend was the super-duper time spent with the pests. They got in the way, stole the nimkis, bawled for apples when there were none, peed all over the place and generally had a good time. I had a good time too, because seriously, one can howl and rant over the mess which needs cleaning up, but its all worth it when your kids jump on your back and give you an impromptu kiss, or say ,”Mamma…Aa lau too” in their most serious voice!!

Yes, it’s totally worth the mess

* All images sourced from Google Images

 

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About a Pink Boy. And other such news

Good friend Srihari forwarded me this link –  My Son, the pink boy.

I hung on to each word, because it said a lot I’d have liked to, but only better. It also brought out memories of this post which I wrote when people started objecting to my son painting his nails red and playing with dolls

Its a pity that we are so strait-jacketed into thinking in a certain way that anything out of the blue immediately sets our alarm bells ringing.

Anyhow, do check out the link above (and also Sarah’s blog)

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I wanted to post this particular news day before yesterday itself, but work and bad mood didn’t permit it.

Seriously,I want this woman to be awarded the highest civillian gallantry award!!!

Way to go girl! I wish the educated female populace had half the guts you have !!

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Puss in boots  :D

I really have nothing to say here. Just thought the entire fiasco was pretty (un)funny.

Maybe the starlet should post a snap on twitter, posing with her ‘friend’ and ‘sister’ . That would answer all the questions , wouldn’t it?!!

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I used to be a rediff regular.

That is, before they started posting tiny, sleazy video images on the home page under the guise of “follow”.

Seriously??

Do they really expect people to follow the innumerable “MMS scandals” and “car mein sex” rackets?!!

Err…..correction people. I just hopped over to check and found that people *gulp* actually do follow !! Really

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Rounding up, hats off to this guy. He’s practically managing a little village by himself.

The best part?? This news gets publish in a UK tabloid before it hits the Indian media

India. Population.Yeah, we are synonymous like that

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Last but not the least, do the body-painted men-in-blue gross you out as much as they do me?!

This particular image makes me go “Ewwwww” !

I did hear some tidbits on these snaps being photoshopped to slice off the flab and pump up the ‘ceps. But not able to find the related links.

Never mind.Will post them as soon as I find them.
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Of movies, friends and kids

When I ranted about Action Replayy recently, good friend Sheets suggested that I watch “Jhootha hi Sahi”. I wasn’t keen on it, mostly because I have a very low opinion of a certain Mr. Abraham . I agree he’s rather dishy and pleasing to the eye, but that’s just about it! Mr.Wooden Face gives fierce competition to the study table that I have back home.

As the fierce lover in Jism, he had The Smirk in place.

As the righteous police officer in Paap, he had The Smirk in place.

As the clever villian in Dhoom, he had The Smirk in place.

As the acting-gay buffoon in Dostana, he had The Smirk in place.

I tell you, I was so SICK of the same slightly-bowed head-half-smile/smirk -raised eyebrow look, I almost felt like feeding him a plateful of bhut-jolokia, just to see if it could dislodge The Smirk!!

Anyhow.

This weekend, I watched “Jhootha hi sahi”.

And I take back every rotten thing I’ve ever said about him

*Sigh*

I had no idea he had it in him!! How did he do it??

For people wondering what I’m raving about, do take some time to watch this film. Its a rather sweet movie and I don’t know how I’m ever going to overcome the John-crush I’m going through right now!! He is simply irresistible

And oh, my favourite scene is the one in the video store where he goes to meet the female lead. And the scene right after that when he takes her for coffee.

The scenes by themselves are rather short, but you seriously feel for this guy folks!! He’s SO DAMN CUTE!!!

Ok, I gotta stop all this gushing…and I need to start praying that he does the same magic in his other movies . And for the record, I didn’t much like the female lead, but the BF found her cute!!

(I married this guy, so I better not judge his taste )

And oh, Sheets. Thanks a lot sweetheart! I wouldn’t have bothered to watch it if you hadn’t suggested it . Mmuaahh!!

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Good friend (and cubicle mate) SK  is BACK!!!

She was in Obama-land for the last two months and I was really bored with her absence! I had planned a nice welcome set-up for her for which I wrapped up household chores early, shopped for colourful streamers and balloons and then dashed to office to decorate her desk. And being the good friend that she is, she ruined it all by turning up early!! And this is the same girl who used to arrive as late as 11 am to work!!

Sheesh!! Either she’s changed for the better or I’ve lost my touch for better planning!

Whatever the case, am glad she’s back

And ohh, she brought us loads of chocolates (but obviously) and also some Victoria’s Secret cosmetics!. I tell you, girls know how to gift girls

Take a tip guys!!

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Talking of chocolates, there were nearly 10-12 people who’d gone on-site for their project. There were 4 girls in that group (SK was one of them).

All the people returned in phases, some before the others . SK was the last to come back.

All the guys who came back, brought large bags of chocolates (for the uninitiated, it is an unwritten rule in IT companies that anyone coming from on-site HAS to come back bearing chocolates. Or don’t turn up to work at all!! You may change any IT company, but this unwritten rule is all omnipresent).

We were rather surprised to note that the none of the other three girls brought back anything for the rest of the team. It was all the more noticeable because the guys at work mentioned this fact. And some friendly sorts didn’t back off from saying that girls are born “kanjoos”!!

Aah Well. I’m glad SK proved them wrong.

Auratoen ki laaj bacha li

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So we were all sitting around having dinner. Lui was on her father’s lap and he was busy nuzzling her. At one time, the BF gently bit into her cheek. Lui howled dramatically and wriggled out of his lap. She went running to the GMIL and pointed at her father,

Lui : dadi……abba…kaata.

BF : (mock angry) Lui, did I bite you??

Lui : (ponders over this, looks at he BF, looks at me and says confidently) Mamma!!

GMIL : who bit you Lui?

Lui : Mamma

Me : Grrrr……!!!

Anyhow, I wasn’t gonna take this lying down. So in order to drive in the lesson of honesty and truthfulness, I sat down my daughter post dinner for a heart-to-heart mother-daughter talk. The BF sidled up to me to find out what was up.

Me : (holding her hands) Lui, tell me now, WHO bit you?

Lui : (bows her head, peeks at her father, peeks at me, raises her head and says confidently) Dadi!

(The BF was in guffaws at this point)

Me : No Lui, tell me honestly, who bit you?

Lui : (totally confident) Dadi!!

Now if this girl doesn’t have the makings of a politician, I don’t know who does

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I’m in a rush to leave for work. I pick up my purse,helmet and lunch bag and head towards the shoe stand near the front door. At the door, I place my stuff on the table and bend down to search for my sandals. Little Shobby comes running up to me.

Shobs : Mamma….oppice…jaata?

Me : Yes baby.

Shobs : Mamma…shoes. (so saying, he dives to the shoe rack and retrieves my sandals in seconds)

Me : (blowing him a kiss) Thanks a lot betu

Shobs : Mamma…helmet lo.

Me : Haan beta.

Shobs : Mamma ….dabba lo.

Me : (totally worked up because of the delay but not wanting to be rude to my boy) Haan betu. I’m leaving now.

Just as I open the door, my little boy stands and stares at me.

Shobs : Mamma!!

Me : (turning back ) Now what baby??

Shobs : (with a straight face) Mamma…..mat jao.

I nearly drop my stuff!!

When did my itsy-bitsy little boy learn to talk so much?? When did he learn to use just a few words to render me speechless?? When did he learn to use his emotions against mine?!

When did my kids grow up to give me my first heartache?!!

I’m thinking this year’s going to be tough. Life is not just going to be about food,sleep and play. I’m not sure how well I’ll be able to handle my children’s emotions. How well I’ll manage to keep their fragile selves intact, to not cause any damage!

*Sigh*

Who said motherhood was easy?

And like I said before….the one who said that must have been the father !!

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The Weekend Update

A Very Good Morning people

So what if it is raining cats and dogs in November, at least the day is clear and sunny .The mood is bright and peppy (although the hyper rates of onions is such a dampener ) and I’m all upbeat and raring to share my weekend activities (For the naughty ones thinking on the gutter lines, let me state clearly, the BF wasn’t in town this weekend ! That explains the good mood. Hah!! I kid, of course ).

Saturday was spent in shopping ……of the Trivial kind. You know, the one where there is no ONE particular big thing you want, but zillions of little things which you’ve been meaning to buy since ages . That includes stuff like hair-scrunchies, clips, safety pins, winter socks, cotton scarves, soap cases, etc. Thankfully, most of this stuff was available at a single store and I was done rather early.

Some more loitering around the market place tempted me to buy some more ….but……some self-preservation instinct kicked in and I returned home with only stuff that I needed. Mean feat, that . The BF would have been awfully proud of me , if he was in town. But he wasn’t. What a shame

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I had chinese for dinner  after what seemed like decades!

The BIL and me are fans of chinese cuisine. Unfortunately, the rest of the people at home not only HATE the food, they also turn up their noses at the mere mention of the word (that includes the BF too. Which means, he doesn’t like going to chinese food speciality restaurants. Mainland China , Haka, how I miss thee ). So when Saturday night was free of the BF, the FIL and MIL , we (me and BIL) took the opportunity of ordering Chinese takeaway. Some delicious Schezwan fried rice, noodles and chicken manchurian later, I reiterated that Chinese food is THE BEST cuisine ever . The BIL hailed my comment and we made sure to finish the entire contents of the boxes and leave not a morsel of the undeserving lot (read, other-members-of-the-family. Yes, that includes the twins too!!) .

Burp.

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Had to get up early on Sunday morning (story of my life ) . The MIL was staying over at a relative’s place on Sunday. The rest of the family would be home for lunch and I had to attend a friend’s child’s naming ceremony.

Needless to say, I had to get up early, make breakfast, make lunch, wake up the twins, brush their teeth, feed them, bathe them, dress them, repeat the same for self and then take the kids and the nanny to the other end of the city where the function was. By the time I landed there, I was sooo hungry (obviously, because in my hurry to leave, I’d forgotten to eat breakfast)!

Once inside, I was glad to see my good friends Vishal and his lovely wife Anu and also, their most adorable son Nanhu. Shortly, Srihari (one of my most loyal blog reader) walked in with his beautiful wife Shubha and their four-month-old angel daughter. And oh, the function was Shripad’s. If only Sallu was here, it would be like the old times…..but alas, Sallu was in far-off Obama-land and couldn’t make it . Never mind…the rest of the guys made up for it

It’s funny you know…there are some friends with whom you don’t really have to call up or mail or chat with each time to keep up ’friendship’. You can be away for ages  and when you do get together, you start off your conversation from where you had stopped last time. It’s almost as if the months and years haven’t passed by since our last meet. It was something similar on Sunday. There was loads of back-slapping, loads of friendly jibes, jokes, and baby-talk. Yes, the guys were actively involved in baby-talk as were the women . We welcomed Shripad into the world of fatherhood and started advising him on the do’s and don’ts of looking after a baby. By the way, Shripad’s daughter is SUCH a munchkin, all twinkling eyes and shy smiles . God bless this little angel. Ameen.

Nanhu, the shy, quiet kid that I last met is turning into one handsome brat . He talks nineteen to a dozen now and was last seen imparting the importance of brushing teeth  to RS, who was quite in awe of the ‘big bhaiya’. He described in detail how the worms grow big in the mouth and eat up the teeth (not that it made an iota of difference to my girl) and sounded so grown-up (he is not yet 4 year’s old )

The twins lived up to their reputation. At least RS did . She was soon making friends with my friends and their kids, cooing over the babies and trying to feed them papad :roll: . SS was surprisingly shy in the crowd. He was clingy and would not let go of me. Eventually he did, but would not leave the nanny’s side. He was friendly enough to wave goodbye while we were leaving though

**************

From the function, I made a trip to my SIL’s (the BF’s younger sister) place. It’s been some time since I visited them and it was good to drop in and let the twins spend some time with their cousins. BIL(SIL’s husband) entertained the kids with firecrackers (only phooljhadis). It was nice, relaxed hour that we spent there…with BIL looking after the kids, me and SIL could chat and catch up with each other’s life. She’s a very sweet person and so mature, it’s always a pleasure to talk to her. I feel blessed to have her as a part of family . I know of friends who dread having their SIL’s come over to their place. But not in my case. My SIL’s presence is always welcome . She is the most non-interfering person I’ve ever known and I guess it is this trait which helps me get along with her .

***************

We took an auto from SIL’s place and headed home. All in good time, because the minute we stepped inside, the heavens opened up and we received another lashing of rain. Its been pouring EVERYDAY since Diwali and I wonder at the extent to which our environmental cycles have been disturbed!! If this isn’t an eye-opener, I’m not sure what is?!!

I called the BF (who was in B’lore) who reported (yes, thats the right word )that he was at my parent’s place. He had dinner there with parents and Bag’s family. How I envy him

***************

HOW COULD THEY?!!!

Someone please hang Mr.Vipul Shah upside down, turn off the AC, and make him watch “RGV ki Aag”. On repeat mode!! And while we do that, hang Akshay Kumar and Aishwarya Rai too (and I dont CARE if she’s a Bachchan!!)

Arrghh!! I’m so MAD, I’m seething. And though its already three days since I saw Action Replay (Pray, What is the logic behind naming it Replayy?!!) I’m still fuming at the memory!!!

They committed sacrilege. A Blasphemy. An impious reviling of a movie held close to the heart for decades!!

*Sob*

I’m so rushing and grabbing a DVD of “Back to the future” to cleanse me of the filth I just saw!

Oh Marty……!! Where art thou?!! Thou hast magic…..and these infidels hast nothing. NOTHING!!

I can list a hundred points where the film falters, but I guess it would be a waste of time. People who’ve seen it may know what I’m talking about and those who haven’t, for heaven’s sake, stay away. Miles away!!!  Save yourself the agony and torture!

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Some more Randomness

This is a totally random post on some observations made over the weekend.

But first…….

Confession 1 : I really can’t think up of a single decent topic to talk on today

Confession 2 : I was too lazy to upload the latest snaps of the twins

Okie, so back to randomness……….

Shopping on Sundays is a complete no-no. And I mean it . So the next time the BF suggests we do the monthly grocery shopping on a Sunday, I’m going to biff him on the head. Which would be less painful than entering a store brimming with chattering women, ill-tempered men and badly behaved children!!

On that note, let me tell you what happened yesterday. We went grocery shopping to a mart near our place. It took us a few minutes to get hold of a trolley because every family AND their kid wanted a trolley of their own! Once inside, it was total chaos. The kids were racing their trolleys down the aisles, couples were discussing the pros and cons of Tide over Wheel while blocking the access to the shelves for others!! I must have muttered a hundred “excuse-me”s while trying to grab my stuff. And is it a surprise that I was the only one with a list in my hand (which made my shopping much quicker!!). Everywhere we went, couples, parents, youngsters kept discussing what to buy. For the love of God, couldn’t they perform this activity at home?? Why does the decision making have to happen at the nth minute, making life miserable for others??

And oh, the kids!! When the BF suggested we take the twins along, I said NO. We were going shopping and the kids had no business coming to the store. Alas, some parents think otherwise. They bring their entire brood along (in some cases, as in nuclear families, this is unavoidable. My sympathies). But what gets my goat is that these same parents forget they have brought their children along as soon as they enter the store. So while the mama and papa are busy fighting over which toilet cleaner is better, little munna is busy kicking a ball at other customers and little munni is busy picking fistfuls of grains from the large containers and throwing them all around. The staff, already harried because of the crowd , tries to admonish the kids, but since they cant figure out who the parents of the brats are, the kids have their own run of the place!!

Somehow, I can’t blame the kids much. They learn from example. Like the lady who insisted on shoving her trolley at people’s posterior, since she was in a hurry. No ‘excuse-me’, no sorry. After all, shoving people around is her birthright. And oh, lest we blame women, let me clarify that men are no better. Specially the men who think they have the sole authority over the billing counter. So they stand guard while their brats and wife run around the store, bringing one item at a time to get billed. Obviously, the clerk at the counter is none to happy about it. But on Sundays, they generally don’t bother arguing with such pests. It’s not worth the trouble. And people like us (the list-bearing and shopping-sans-kids types) have to bear the brunt!!

Okay, so that was a rant. Now that I’ve vented some steam, I feel better

Thanks for lending me an ear (or an eye )

**********

RS is in a new phase these days. She loves clicking snaps. Sometime, with an imaginary camera

So don’t be surprised if you meet her next and she goes, “potuuuuu….smiiiiiiile”. She not only gives a BIG smile herself, she also bends down at the waist to get a better angle. And this, coming from a midget like her!!

Her regular ‘camera’ is her toy cell-phone. But when that’s not at hand, she simply brings her thumbs and forefingers together and goes, “smiiiile”.

Cute. Very cute

**********

SS :  (from the bedroom) Mamma.

Me : (from the kitchen) Haan betu??

SS : MammmAAAAAAA.

Me : Bolo!!

SS : Aaavo.

Me : Kahan??

SS : Maamma aataa??

Me : Yeah, coming.

SS : Mamma…..Lui (RS) shee shee (big job).

Me : OHH!! And I wonder why RS couldn’t have called out herself!!

SS :  (going upto RS and patting her head) Lui shee shee !

He’s quite his sister’s keeper, my boy.

***********

We had a lunch party at work a few weeks back. Since the regular employees of the company have to account for every second (unlike the contract employees like us ) , we decided to order lunch to office instead of going out. My manager sent me a mail for arranging the lunch at 10:15 AM. The official mail for the lunch said 12pm. So I had enough time on my hands to go to the eatery and place my order. The boss had also asked me to buy farewell cards for the three people for whom we were having this lunch party.

So me and another friend from work rushed to the eatery and placed our order. We had to make the payment there itself so I used my card. Surprisingly, the card got rejected. Then I called another friend at work to come with his card. He arrived promptly enough. And his card got rejected too. Apparently, there was a problem with the card reader. So then I rushed to the nearest ATM to withdraw money. On the way back, I also bought the cards. The total expense from my side was 1580/- for the food and 120/- for the cards, which made a total of 1700/- (not a big amount).

The boss asked me to hand over the bills so that he could get them reimbursed, which I promptly did. And then I waited. I waited for more than three weeks after which I finally dropped him a mail as a gentle reminder. He replied back that the actual reimbursement would be coming later that week, but if I ‘wanted’, he could pay me earlier. I was rather bothered by the tone of this mail and so  didn’t bother to reply.

Two days back, he came to my desk and handed over 1500/- saying that the accounts team will not be reimbursing the amount spent for cards. He said I could collect the money for the cards from my colleagues who had attended the lunch.

I didn’t bother. Because I was livid. And realized that qualification alone doesn’t make a good manager. People-management is also required.

Firstly, he paid me less for the lunch than what I’d spent.

Secondly, as he was the manager, he could have absorbed the expense for the cards and returned me the entire amount. He didn’t.

Thirdly, as a parting shot, he said that he’ll be pursuing the accounts team more diligently now, as it was now him at the receiving end!! So as long as its my money, he needn’t have bothered!!

I feel bad writing about him like this, because till then I looked up to him somehow. He’s a gentle guy and prone to being over-ridden in most team discussions. But what he has in his favour  is his perseverance. He’s like that stream that can carve rocks, not by force, but just by its continuous flow. He must have reached his current position on some merit and I’d like to give him the benefit of doubt.

Except in this case. Where he was totally petty.

Lesson learnt : The day I reach his post, I’ll be careful never to use up a single penny of my subordinates!!

**********

The BF played a NASTY trick on me yesterday.

On Saturday night, we’d gone visiting his relatives. We returned late in the night. On Sunday morning, when the maid still hadn’t turned up, I reached into my purse for my phone. It wasn’t there.

A few words regarding my phone. It’s a brand new Nokia 2700 gifted by the BF because he thought that the older Nokia 3230 was ancient (and I think otherwise). I’m one of those people who gets very few calls. No surprises there, since I’m considered a threat on the phone. Once I get talking, its difficult for the other person to hang up!! So fearing extensive mobile bills, people steer clear of calling me. There was an episode when I’d forgotten the phone in my office locker over the weekend. When I rushed to get my phone the next Monday morning, there wasn’t one missed call on it. Get it?? NOT ONE DRATTED MISSED CALL!!!! Apparently, NO ONE missed me!! How sad is my life??

Anyhow, so I didn’t really miss my phone till Sunday morning when I was fishing for it in my purse. I couldn’t find it. I was sure that I’d misplaced it somewhere, or lost it somewhere on the way the previous night. But I distinctly remembered calling up a friend from work while I was seated in the car. So, the first place to look for it would be in the car itself.

When I first mentioned to the BF about the lost phone, he looked disappointed. “Can’t really keep a gift, can you”, he mourned. And then he gave me hell over the entire morning. about how I’ve been careless, and have always been, dragging instances from past, present and *gasp* future. All this while, I was making frantic calls to my phone, in the hope that a kind soul would answer it and return it to me!! Hah!!

No one answered the phone. But at one time I did get an engaged message. I fretted further. the BF was going out for some work and I asked him to look for my phone in the car. He did and called back at the BIL’s phone to tell me he couldn’t find it . My woes deepened. Worse was when I tried calling and the call didn’t get through. Memories of my first phone came crashing on me. It was a gift from dad after I got my first job. I lost it hardly a few months later. When I tried calling on it, the person who’d taken it had removed the SIM card and switched off the mobile.

The same was happening now.

By afternoon, I was in literal tears. The phone was a gift, a latest one at that, not even a month old. The BF didn’t let up his jibes and  taunts. And once more, in front of the MIL, he asked, “You really can’t keep a gift, can you?”. That was it. I lost it completely and broke down sobbing saying that I never wanted a new phone in the first place and he never asked me if I ever wanted one and it wasn’t only me who’s lost stuff before, he had lost stuff too, even those gifted by me and blah, blah blah….Halfway through my rants and tears, I saw RS holding out my phone to me.

SHIT?!!

I should have stuck to my guns and insisted that the phone would have been in the car itself. My lack of confidence gave him the fodder to trouble me.

I’m not going to take this lying down. Friends, folks, blog-dosts, help me out. Help me devise a method to take my badla and cool down my bhadakta hua gussa!!

**********

Thats all for today people.

Have a great week ahead





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My eyes, my eyes…..they are, a hurting!!!

This one’s for nostalgia. For memories best NOT remembered. But it helps to face those demons once in a while. To get a reality check. And also, to thank the Almighty that we were not infected much with that virus.

In case you think I’m rambling, please stop.Halt.Desist.Retreat.

This post is best suited to people born before 1980, though I feel a few of you born till 1985 would be aware of the calamity I’m talking about.

For the record, I talk about the period in Indian Film industry, which stood between Rajendra Chaturvedi and Saroj Khan. The gap between a Habib Mirza and a Manish Malhotra.

Eeeyup!!

I talk about the outfits and dance sequences of films in the late eighties and early nineties.

When there didn’t exist a ‘stylist’ or even a ‘dress designer’. Instead, we had ‘costume’ designers. And as the word aptly says, the outfits were costumes, best suited for theatrical appearances. And since Cinema was an extension of theatre, the producers felt no harm in mirroring those outfits for 70 mm.

As for the dance….err…the less said, the better

Anyhow, there are loads of articles on the same on the net. And I don’t want to be another critic/reviewer of those styles. But I do want to be the one to share with you these priceless gems . Please take out some time and view these. You may either feel enthralled at how these people got away with it, or you can shudder and turn away, relieved that you don’t have any such ‘demons’ hiding in your closet. Or do you??

Hehe. Just kidding .

Check these out (to better absorb the outfits and dance, please set the video on mute. Let not the music interfere with your visual senses) :-

1) Sridevi-Jeetendra : Competing with each other!

Where do I start??  From the extreme match-much in the blue to the bird-wings-tiara-red-gold to the canary-yellow-monstrosity, what were these people smoking?? Who paid money for these creations? And WHY??

Was Sridevi sleeping when they asked her for a trial. Or was she just blinded by all that colour and glitter??

And coming to the choreography……hmmm….that particular step at 01:27  (and again later towards the end of the video) must not have been easy. Hell, by the looks of it, it’s not even a ‘dance’ step. What made the dance director incorporate it in this song? If it wasn’t the steps, it’s the awful synchronizing that eats at me. Even S and J are not able to match steps with each other. S definitely looks as though her skirt will rip off any minute if she tries to match steps with J (who, not surprisingly, jumps with much gusto!!)

Help me people, I’m at a total loss here

BTW, kudos to S and J for actually looking happy performing that feat. That, my friends, is called ‘acting’ !!

2) Jaya Prada : Secrets in her cupboard

First, just ignore the caped crusader in the beginning. I have NO idea why he’s dressed like that, when its clear he’s reminiscing about frolicking on the beach with his lady-love. Dressed up for dreaming, I guess.

Coming to Jaya Prada……Aaarghh…. to think I actually liked her at one time. What was I smoking?!! That silvery, castle-tower on her head takes the cake. The faux-middle-eastern setting/clothing clashes oh-so-bad with the pseudo bharatnatyam dance!! They tried for fusion I guess, but ended up with a horrible, horrible mish-mash of unpalatable, squishy,semi-not-erotic number. Dont even get me started on the banjara look !!

3) Kimi katkar:Am glad we have no idea where you are

Warning: Jewel-coloured-tight-shalwar-kameez-with-boots-frizzy-hair-puffed-full-sleeves-brocade-dupatta-alert.

Ahh…I see you took a peep. C’mon, confess. Confess that you were as stunned as I was at the entire ensemble. Govinda, we can ignore for now. He was (is) never known for being well dressed.

As for Kimi……kimi, kimi, what’s up with those outfits? Tell me frankly, you hate it, dont you? You were just a newbie in the industry and didn’t have much of a say, isn’t it?ISN’T IT?? If the purple one wasn’t fugly enough, you exchanged it for a pink one. Of the same design. And possibly same material. WHY?? Thankfully, the boots were missing this time!!

Coming to the dance people, do pay special attention to 00:25 and 02:00. What is it?? What is the idea behind those moves? And who am I kidding here? Hell. Watch the whole video and then wonder what the song was about.

I’m surprised there weren’t rounds of protests and demonstrations when these movies got released. I’m surprised these were accepted and *shudder* copied.

But for now, if my kids ever get hold of these movies and ask about them, I’ll simply lie about my age say I wasn’t around when this catastrophe occured. That’ll prevent me from being ridiculed (or so I pray )

On second thoughts, any idea where I can grab my copy of that blue dress Sri wears in the first video?? Its kinda captivating, you know, in a faux-royalty kind of way,not that I know any royalty who wears a blue hat, blue dress, blue bracelets, blue leggings and blue shoes. Or for that matter, anyone who wears blue like that.

Or maybe, I do





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Weekend Updates……And Rainy Tales

Hiya Folks.

A VERY Good Morning to ya all

As you can see, I’m back to regular blogging now. So all of you who’d abandoned me last week, do come back. There’s lots to share , lots to talk about

Without much ado, here’s the weekend update :-

1) Its been pouring cats and dogs . No, make that Elephants and Hippos and all things large and heavy. Firstly, it didn’t rain for ages and put the municipal people in a tizzy. We were threatened with water cuts and what not. Mid-July, still no rain. And then, just when the water cuts came into effect, the rain gods blessed us with their bounty. And How?!! So we face a rather funny dilemma here. There’s water EVERYWHERE , except in the taps. The tanks are dry. We ration our drinking water. All the while, everything outside is wet,Wet,WET!!! The clothes are wet, the floors are wet, the windows are wet and that which is not wet, is cold. Brrr…!!

2) P sent me an invite for a book read (I’ve ALWAYS wanted to attend a book read) by Dr. Mohan Agashe for Gouri Dange’s book, “The Counsel of Strangers”. My first reaction was excitement. But then, reality struck and I realized I needed to make some arrangement for the kids to be looked after in the evening in my absence. The kid’s maid leaves by 6:30 to 7 pm these days. The book reading was at 6 pm. I could have made it, if the MIL or the BF were home in the evening. But alas, both weren’t. I had to regretfully cancel my attendance. Some other time P ….

But yeah, I had a fun time with the twins, who are turning naughtier and peskier by the day!!  More on that later

3) The BF is once again down with his throat infection. Once, a long time back, when I had just begun taking an interest in him, I turned to the best friend and guide for such circumstances: Linda Goodman’s sun signs (I read the Love-signs book much later In fact, much , much later : after my marriage. Just to check if it really works. Am still on the fence on that one ).

While checking out the health issues of Taureans, I was struck by how the throat infection part was emphasized on. I’d known the BF for only a few years by then and yet, I remember him forever popping some or the other medication for that throat of his.

At that time, I hadn’t paid much attention to it. But now, I’m not sure whether to leave alone  the infections as one of his traits and let him suffer them or to get him checked properly for any underlying infection which has taken root in his throat  (the BF has already done some tests for it, but there is no serious infection, the reports say). Even the local family doctor was surprised at the BF’s regular visits. It’s at least one trip a month to her clinic, for that throat. Even my kids don’t visit the doctor that frequently!!

Is there any home remedy that helps cure sore throats? Or at least ease them? The poor guy can barely swallow water when it’s at its worst!!!

4) I’m reading a book called “The Memory Keeper’s daughter” by Kim Edwards. The book has touched me deeply, because like me, the protagonist’s (a doctor) wife also had twins, a boy and a girl. The girl had Down’s Syndrome, so the father hands over the child to his nurse and asks her to admit the child in an institution for the mentally feeble. He tells his wife that their daughter was born dead. The nurse carries out the request ,but backs out when she see’s the run-down condition of the institute. She runs away with the child to bring up as her own. Meanwhile, the doctor’s wife cannot adjust to the fact that her child is no more. Though she holds a memorial service for her daughter, there is some connection which makes her feel as though her child is somewhere around, somewhere close by. The same connect is felt by the son, but he never expresses his feelings to his parents, who over the time, have drifted apart. The doctor, consumed by his own guilt and the mother, by her dis-satisfaction with life.

I’m at an interesting turn in the story now. Will post my thoughts on it once I finish .

5) I made Paav-Bhaji yesterday. And no, I didn’t take any snaps. It’s not possible, you see, when you are busy chopping veggies, then leaving it to run after the twins who have stolen a knife from under your nose, returning to resume chopping , then hear the GMIL holler something. Leave the veggies and attend to the GMIL, return to chopping, and so on and so forth. Nowhere in this scheme of things would it ever strike anyone to go to the bed room, grab the camera, and click snaps. Specially when lunch is delayed (had to visit the Ped in the morning) and the men in the family are howling their hunger at the kitchen door !!

Couldn’t help but recollect the time when I was pregnant with the twins. I used to have severe cravings for paav-bhaji, to the extent that if I didn’t get it immediately, I broke out in cold sweat and had a bad headache!!

The MIL, totally understanding her DIL’s condition, cooked a HUGE vessel of paav-bhaji and set it before me. Eat to your fill, she said. And I did.  A normal 4-paav and bhaji eating woman was turned into a glutton when I consumed 8 paavs, slathered with a full pack of Amul butter and a large bowl of bhaaji in one go. The BF could only gape in shock. The BIL kept his comments to himself, the MIL indulged me by heaping my plate with more. Aaahhhh…..Bliss

Coming back to present, I had the usual 4-paavs and bhaji. I’m normal now. Thanks for asking

6) Took the kids to the pediatrician for their Hepatitis A vaccination. While waiting for the nurse to fill the syringes, the doc asked me if I’d put the twins in a playgroup yet. I said no, but I was planning on it once they turned two. The doc told us not to do so. She said, the twins should be put in a playgroup after they turn 3 years old. Because the play-group teachers forget they are supposed to let the kids play and end up trying to teach children how to read and write. Which the kids will anyway learn when they join kindergarten. No point in pressuring or pushing the kids into doing stuff before their time, she said.

And I see her point. Though I was earlier inclined towards putting them in a playgroup , I think I’ll just let them be the babies that they are . And the twins are in no way slow learners (just slow speakers, seeing that they are yet to join two coherent words together!!). The doc said that some kids are slow to talk and we shouldn’t be needlessly worried about it.

Well, I’m not worried. Not anymore

————————————————————————-

A long time back, in 1994, to be precise, I was in Dehra Dun. One winter morning, it started raining hard. Rains in winter were common in DDun. Whenever it snowed in Mussourie, the residual water would pour down on the valley town in heavy sheets of chilled water. It was cold. It was wet. A terrible combination. So if we ever got our socks wet, we’d be sure to shiver our way through the day, with no amount of sweaters or blazers enough to keep us warm.

One such morning, it rained so hard that the school was shrouded in darkness. The lights were switched on and we all sat huddled in our benches, drawing our legs close together for heat. It was the time for our English class and as the teacher came in, we all released a collective groan. She was a strict teacher and most of us had missed doing our homework that day. She could make out our restlessness and asked casually if we were in the mood to study or not. The class, as a whole replied in the affirmative that we were NOT in the mood that day. The teacher just became grim, we could see her pursing her lips and without a word, she left the classroom.

Now, we were really worried. If she had gone to the Principal’s office and reported us, we would all be in trouble. We were the 10th standard students that year and like any unsaid rule in KV’s, the 10th and 12th standard results held the key to the schools reputation. We had a responsibility to shoulder and here we were, shirking our studies.

Anyhow, the teacher returned shortly, without the Principal. We breathed a sigh of relief. But what really made our day (and by that I mean, REALLY) was the fact that she had returned with a bag of steaming hot samosas from the cafeteria , for the whole class!!!

We all happily munched on our samosas, chattering happily, because the noise of the rain was enough to drown the noise from our classroom. The teacher just sat in her chair, correcting some notebooks.

Whenever I look back at that incident, I remember her fondly. Because never before, or after have I ever seen a teacher going out of her way to cater to the whims of her class in this way. She wasn’t even our class teacher!

And maybe that’s why, when it gets cold and wet, I sometimes come to office bearing a bag of samosas ….for my friends and colleagues at work. They don’t expect it, like we as students didn’t expect our teacher to get it, but yet, the pleasure of finding something hot to eat on a cold day is a welcome  change, and I can feel what the teacher must have felt then. The satisfaction of making a few people happy, albeit for a short period. The good vibes, though,  stay with us much longer.

Thank you Vohra ma’am, for one of life’s lessons which don’t necessarily come from a textbook.

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