Earworm!!!

I woke up this morning, feeling terribly chirpy after having had an extremely roller coaster week. ....my lil one coming down with bronchitis and still wanting to live his life like in a swing....ups and downs....having been sent off to school today...saw me smiling, singing and smiling all over again....(I know, if one were to see me...they would have surely marked me up for admissions to NIMHANS...for the eternal foodies the basket of fruits to entice them )

But I had a reason to smile..and so I did. But I didn't stop at that....I was listening to the FM station on radio and was humming along..Songs played and the RJ's grated on my ears quite a bit... ( sometimes they can get a lil jarring...my apologies to all the RJ's I know of :( ..) and then I went about my work....soon realised, I was humming something...and tried to listen to myself clearly...and oh my GOD!!! What was that???? I was singing " Tippugondahallinalli neeru kaali aiytho....""" a kannada song (translated it means the waters in the Tippugondanahalli reservoir, a main source of drinking water, is now empty)., from the movie 'Sixer'..(After a lot of googling and pestering people, my friend Kiran got it for me!!!!!) and it was like yeeeoww....whats this I'm singing...and it refuses to let go of me....i'm stuck with it...and i'm not able to shake it off.....


Reminded me of a time when the song....(so terrified now to even type it out...) "Supercalifragilistic expialidocious" used to keep buzzing around in my ear 24/7. I keep wondering why I always get stuck with songs, with such ridiculous lyrics, or sometimes such horrid tunes...that it makes me go beet red half the time...can't even plaster my mouth to stop it...cos its in my mind and not being sung aloud....*sob sob*

Have you ever been terrorized by such phenomena???? I guess only the victim of this thing called "earworm" will understand...or do I want myself to jump out and start dancing to these tunes...nooooooo


I want those soft mushy numbers, or even the "move your body baby!! from the movie "Johny Gaddar", or even Dhoom Machale, Goan trance......but not this dumb song....anything better will do...

And while i'm supposed to be praying for my son, Cos he's going for a very important team selection tomorrow...here I am singing Tippugonda......help!!!!!

U can listen to it here

Thanks to the Lord!!

It is Thanksgiving Day, the one day of the year when you're expected to be grateful. But according to an army of psychologists, writer's and talk show hosts (even Oprah) giving thanks only today is a lost opportunity (lost, why??!!!). You should be grateful all the time they say, and one of the best ways is in writing- by keeping a "gratitude journal" - TOI

Could this mild exercise, jotting down a few grateful thoughts, really be the key to contentment??? I thought i'd try it out....I thought i'd write a letter, and started....but then realised it is the prompt for this week at writer's island.

I give thanks to...

God! He's the power above, who holds my hands and leads...( thank god, he sits above, just imagine what he'd be, if he were to stay with me....?? one more to the asylum!!! )

My family...they have given me such wonderful moments to share and shed tears around....(the salt loss, has kept me away from raised BP levels :) )

My husband for reminding me always that I have a voice that sounds extremely good within the bathroom walls....( imagine the scene, if he'd said I sang well...I would have been burning stage floors and your ears too...)

For all the plentiful occassions that we decide to throw a party....drink, eat and be merry...( Vijay Mallya would have not built such beautiful bungalows all over the place, if not for us...and I wouldn't want to be responsible for his "Don't have a roof over my head" status)

For those simply colorful and amazing festivals we Indians celebrate....( the malls would never have made their profits without these...) and the shopaholics their dose of pastime

This city I live in..its weather and its people...you must live here to know it. ....( Where else can you smell the fragrance of the Jasmine, the Sampige, the Rajnigandha, the Margosa,and lots of trees and flowers, amidst the smoke of the terribly noisy autos, the "I think I'm the king, give way" BPO vehicles, the idlis and dosas that you can get anytime anyplace...yeah even 3 in the morning...go to the market are you'll see one lone man pettige angadi {tin shop}open...)

The people of this city. They have been so hospitable....they opened doors to so many that now I get to see how tall buildings can be built and how a crowded street can look like..

The locality I live in...so peacful and serene...that I can hear the swish of the 'madisaars' ( the nine yard saree tied by women), hear the suprabhatham ( the early morning devotional number to wake up the umpteen number of God's waiting above) and also get to smell the idli's and paratha's and the cereals

My children's school, without whom I would never have known the capacity of my sons' shoulders to carry heavy loads.

My friends without whom I'd have never known the meaning of support and unconditional love!

My fellow bloggers....(thank god its virtual !! I'll never get to see them curling their 2 hands around my neck or even closing the window quickly :) )

The endless rallies held in our city,right next to Mahatma Gandhi's statues...(i'm sure he's crying so hard...he doesn't get time to tell his Hey Ram's!) I'd have never learnt the art of patience!!

The malls that have cropped up all over our quaint city ( I didn't say it, the coffee book guys have said it!! )...our students and overflowing population would never have fitted into the small MTR'S, Vidhyarthi Bhavans', SLV'S, Coffee House, Koshy's and Lakeviews...

The inflow of the giant food chains, like McDonalds , etc, without whom the new age parents would never have had an idea how to feed their children..

The beautiful temples, some so old, dotted around the city..(our students would never have realised their religious fervour or else...go to the poplular ones, like ISKCON, Dodda Ganesha Temple, Maruthi Mandir, Ragi gudda...during the exam season you'll know what I mean....)

My most wonderful kids ( yeah inspite of the pre-teen issues and the sibling wars...) I would have had such dull boring life, with no stories to smile about!! and who taught me to scream my guts off in a very calm way...

The most brilliant weather....the jackets would never have been put to use would they??


My parents, without whom i'd never have known the art of respecting people, though they maybe strangers...

the list goes on and on...and I can't see the stranglers and hear the tsk tsk.....but i'd love to thank everyone who brings the smile on my face, gives me their shoulder, wipes my tears and listens patiently to all my rants...
THANK YOU.

Wool Gathering!!

The lips lifted
eyelashes caressed
eyes drifted close
feeling the dream

Fingers splayed
on the expanding
tummy

butterfly softness
pitter patter
thy feet

Can you feel it?
They asked
I just smiled

Those tiny kisses
inside of me
bringing with it
dreams lovely

Will it be a bubbly girl?
or a bonny baby boy?
Should it matter
for I want it anyhow

Black eyes or brown
nose puckered
up in a frown

Kindhearted or moody
will there be
a beauty?

Once more the kick
lopsided smiles
with me feeling
special

There's no one
that can tell
how it can be so
special

The bundle of joy
makes the presence felt
He looks like his aunt,
no, he looks like my grandaunt

Everyone's given
their precious
resemblances

Isn't there a dream
within all those
watery eyes

I want to grow older
I want to be
Give me the milk
and let me be!!

Dream on and on
my momma's gone
Into her reverie
and I need to move on


Once more I dream on, and this was in response to a prompt so lovely at writer's island

Dreams!

This is in response to the latest prompt "Dreams" at Writer's Island. I had posted one earlier, so thought i'd just re-post it here...

Dreams!!!!
Oh !! To feel the luxury of not having to worry about routines, schedules, deadlines, kitchen.....

Would always believe that this could be found only in dreams....Been so caught up in hectic hustle bustle of life....kids, school, home, family.....it was getting smudged in the detailing.....each one blending into the other, that, only this small piece of heaven could bring me back to reality...

That life is meant to be lived!!

While I was younger and had the liberty to shirk, duties at home....I had this huge sticker stuck on my walls, which said " Life's a Beach!!"

Each day I used to have different interpretations to it...
One day it would be its expanse, on another, its mystery, its serenity, its wildness, its sounds...and in the end, its just being!!. I remember there were these friends of mine who would come up and scribble their bits on my posters, on every bit of writing material they could find ...

There used to be small comments or their very own quotes....some were so cute...thought I would always hold on to them...but

Years passed, those small pieces of paper, were all saved, read and re-read, millions of times....all my friends had set out on their journeys, just as I had done...my house had taken a ghostly feel...( this is where they all congregated to take their calls from home, to have their lunches, to just come home, after a movie...or better still to eat the 'gojju', that used to be prepared just in case they did land up....and then my parents would keep calling me by my friends names....cos they were all muddled up...they too were part of my entire being, staying up nights, standing on reams of sheets of paper, acting as paper weights, supplying endless amounts of tea, food, snacks, and lots and lots of love and encouragement....

I used to have many sets of parents....2 sets at home...Appa and Amma, my uncle and aunt,
then M's parents who believed I was one of their daughters too....and I remember uncle used to always tell the whole world..." U need any info, just ask P, she'll know.....she's a dynamite..." A's parents who each time they visited our city, decided that their daughter was set up in our house, so they just needed to pour all their love for me too...I was so blessed...but then this dynamite had slowly fizzled out...had become flat...

There was a transit house ...we called it that cos, we always used it like that, but never thought of it like that...spent more time than at our own homes,but this ,a beautiful home, was filled with so much of love, outstretched arms....lots of food.....the food platter never would know who would be the recipient, but stand it did, quietly, till late nights ....knowing full well, that there would be at least one taker. Uncle had the biggest heart life could create...They had 2 sons and a daughter, and lots more who used to follow their sons into their house....and he spread his wings to 2 more girls, their daughters in law....and none of us were made to believe that we were not theirs....he's not with us anymore, but each time I remember love, he's my example for it...they still spread their arms....thru their sons, daughters in law, grandchildren, nieces....and uncles and sisters, and all.......

And then there was this huge family of friends....each one who stood for each other....we still do, I realised that yesterday...we still land up in the other homes and demand food...shame notwithstanding...but in the end, we still r the same teenagers....wanting the same things out of life.....and they still pull us up when we r slipping, give us those strong hands, give us their endless 'I'm there for u's'

Was reading thru some really immature scribblings we had written during those days...not realising that we would be reading it together after many many years....we all had dreams, we all had goals, and we all had the will to do it...but when I read them , I realised, I havent lost out on any of those dreams....it still exists, its just waiting for me to finish with all my previous goals that I had set....i've done most of them....and I am proud of what I have done so far...and one of my dreams was to be around kids , lots of and lots of them....and when I was with them, I wanted to have the feeling of love for each and every one, equally...I achieved it....they all are just like my own...and now I realise it was a silent dream while we used to spend time at this friends house...I wanted my arms and home to be always welcome to everyone...its a slow process....but i'm getting there...

And now i've begun to step out on my journey to achieve what my most important goal was, my dream........until then its hoping that my determination is as powerful and strong as my DREAMS are........

This song, was one of my favourites , and I wanted you'll to listen to it too

Curiousity killed the cat!!

PS tagged me for this meme, and had me thinking all through the weekend. Though it looked easy at first read, it got me thinking in a few questions.

But I tried my best to give you my honest answers...hope it satisfies the curious cat :)


1. Which one person would you choose to understand you better?

My son undoubtedly.!! Entering his teens soon....he thinks i'm the witch right now :( . Nothing I say comes out right for him.

There's a constant battle, and though he's always a sweetheart, there are times, when I feel, I wish he could understand why I say things and why I make him do them. Cos we always think of the best for them.

2. What do you think is the best age to be? Why?

Actually i've enjoyed every stage of my life. Each phase had its fun times and sobstories, and I never want to turn back the clock. But I think the time when I was expecting my babies were the best time of my life. That was an age where I dreamt and smiled and saw miracles happen. Can't ever forget that.

3.Of all the people you know, who would be the easiest to seduce? Why?

Now thats a sitter. "My dear husband". Sometimes, I feel as if i'm meeting him for the first time, and I never have to try too much. I guess with age and growing marriage years, its just taken for granted, and we stop making attempts. But I can't think of anyone else :)

4. What's the best advice you didn't heed?

Some of my best friends have tried advicing me on the art of saying NO. I've never been able to heed to their advice.

5. Show and Tell. What comes to mind first when you see this picture? Or, tell a story if it reminds you of one

The SNOOZE alarm. One of the best inventions in history for me. For times when I get very little sleep, the snooze gives me the false feeling that i've overslept. And I don't know what i'd do without it... ;)

Those who drop in to read, see if you feel like answering these questions...it could be fun..take it up and let me know

Black cat crossed your path??

The luck that is ordained for you will be coveted by others

I woke up reading this line in my forecast and was stumped...Now I'm not a person who believes in all such stuff..for me its always about "being rewarded for what you have worked for...and what you believe in"

Now when I read about luck, it makes me wonder, if there is any such thing as luck??
Its such a paradox, this word. Its always used to suit our situations.
Consider the situation where one team loses against the other...The losing team keeps harping on the fact that it was 'badluck'. Don't they see that it could have been due to the bad performance of the team as a whole or a single wrong move or
decision...they don't see it that way, cos it helps them to blame it on an unseen quantity, for then no one will turn around and point fingers at them..they were not responsible, it was "luck" that was ...

When you wish someone "Good Luck" you will not cause such an extended period of fortune, but it expresses positive feelings toward the one -- not necessarily wholly undesirable. In the broad spectrum, I feel luck is just about spreading
positive cheer to those who believe that there is goodness in being positive..

Some believe that luck can be achieved through supernatural means...is it true???
I've always maintained that each one has an opinion on issues...and no one has the right to negate his/her opinions only because they think they are right...But when one says he's so lucky, he always gets things right. Whats the reason? Have they tried to analyse? They wont, because they have got it into their head that it was luck...that the other succeeded...


According to Richard Wiseman, these four principles can create good fortune in your life and career.

1. Maximize Chance Opportunities : Lucky people are skilled at creating, noticing, and acting upon chance opportunities. They do this in various ways, which
include building and maintaining a strong network, adopting a relaxed attitude to life, and being open to new experiences.
2. Listen to Your Lucky Hunches : Lucky people make effective decisions by listening to their intuition and gut feelings. They also take steps to actively boost their intuitive abilities -- for example, by meditating and clearing their mind of other thoughts.
3. Expect Good Fortune : Lucky people are certain that the future will be bright. Over time, that expectation becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy because it helps lucky people persist in the face of failure and positively shapes their interactions with other people.
4. Turn Bad Luck Into Good : Lucky people employ various psychological techniques to cope with, and even thrive upon, the ill fortune that comes their way. For example, they spontaneously imagine how things could have been worse, they don't dwell on the ill fortune, and they take control of the situation.

Just believe that LUCK is random and so is CHANCE

Most successful people take the opposite view. They have “internal locus of control.” They believe that what happens in their life is nearly all down to them; and that even when chance events occur, what is important is not the event itself, but how you respond to it. When things go wrong, they quickly look for ways to put things right. They don’t whine, pity themselves, or complain about “bad luck.” They try to learn from what happened to avoid or correct it next time and get on
with living their life as best they can.

And now so what if the luck that is supposedly ordained to me and coveted by the other, at least he gains something...so I go back to being ME :)

Tugged and Tied!!! TAGGED!??

The pretty young thing Thinking Aloud has tagged me for the deadly sevens. I'm ever so greatful that you choose me to reaveal all and I hope I've done justice to it and unleashed myself appropriately :)

Tag Name

Seven Random and / or Weird Things about Me.

Rules

Link to the person that tagged you, and post the rules on your blog.

Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself.

Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.

Let each person know that they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Well first of all got to let you in on a huge secret.."all the things that I thought were my trademark characteristics, turned out to be in the weird category :( and its gone and
burst my rosy bubble...

So turning all of you into more weirdness..or shall we say amusing habits (I don't want to drown in the splattered bubble)

1. Hunger!! If someone were to have taken a look at me while younger, i'm sure they would have assumed my parents starved me...but let me tell you, Food was one big YES on my list of wants... Had to eat as soon as the hunger clock struck..or else "move away, because the monster would rise"
There has been a situation where we as friends had turned up at this friends house for some project work, and he was giving us lunch...come lunch time and we realised, food was great but enough in bits...so I landed up eating all the rice, and left the rotis to the 2 other friends, much to the amusement of their cook... Now life's moved on and so has the stomach learnt its lessons...I just have bananas stuffed into slices of bread smothered with butter everytime i'm hungry. "Can I hear, the yuck!!!?? "

2. I'm finicky about clean feet....the whole system can go on a strike, can be dripping with sweat and slush for all that matters, but I got to wash my FEET and then jump into bed....the rest can go for a long walk..."it can be surely irksome, especially if you're dead to the bones"

3. Time!! Can't handle anyone who can dilly dally with time...When someone gives a time , I got to go 5 or 50 mins earlier, it wont matter if I go there and wait for hours after that...I 'll just keep observing people and loving every moment, but Go I must.When my better half says "Why should you leave so early, anyway, they are going to land up late" , He just can't
understand....I need to stick to the Time...

4 "I'm sorry, I don't think its possible for me to do it" , " I'm busy, can you ask someone else" ...These are lines, I've not known...can't say a decent NO to anyone...if I have to and its a real sticky situation...i'm all stressed, sweating and heartbeats go way above the top...All I just need to say is a No..but I dont know how...i'm terrified of
disappointing the other. And there i'll be falling over my face , and reaching heart attack levels, but will go and do things for the other...(I'm sure my sons have only heard the NO more than the Yes from me....but I attribute that to momma quirks :) Don't all of us mommas do that?? )

5. I love to see others around me always cheerful....doesn't matter that i'm drowning in shiploads of problems, I need to do something to perk them up ( One day i'm sure , i'll be booted, but...until then) The satisfaction I get from seeing them smile, just overpowers all else..

6. Stress!! Well I think I go over the top with this...I'm forever stressed., i'm convinced even while sleeping, but not with naturally tense situations. Issues like my son breaking his bones, gaping wounds on the head, where the whole world is panicking, sees me move around like a Sadhu organising stuff, and bringing things under control, but watch me when the stock of curd goes low, I haven't organised a back to school party for kids, or there is not so clean bathroom....you'll be able to know what the word " Crazy" means...I go crazy...

7. Concerned people told me, that if I delegated tasks, my life would be easier and i'd be left with more time for myself. So I did...but then realised, when it comes to clothes being folded before being put into the wardrobes, i'm a picky woman. The towels have to be folded to precision...no skewed edges for me.. ( my maid, a darling otherwise, can't understand why I make her
do it only to re-do the whole thing again)

And now while my eyes spot that lurking layer of dust on the table, you go ahead and decide whether anyone else who come in here to read ,would like to let us in on your random weirdness..

Conditions apply...try this if you're upto it, completely free of threat... and yes anybody who wants to try it, please do and let me know...(I need to be convinced i'm not the only one)

AND these wonderful people are hereby informed to carry on this weirdness announcements

Brown girls (Bringing in cheer ot her 25 year old self)

Spunky monkey (couldn't bear the thought of leaving him alone)

Bullshee (lets bring him out of the hot water)

Vinesh (enough of fruit juices)

Keshi (aaww...don't we need some fun)

J (on the rocks? )

Shoonyata (bring in the poet)

To Be A Friend!

And so they crept in!!
Through the writer's island


Cackle of voices
silence creeping in
eyelashes drooping
thoughts rushing in


A hand that warms
A shoulder that supports
The feet that walk by the side


A smile that lasts
through the wetness
of another's tears


The smile that knows
the fleeting world
that passes through


Long calls through the night
listening to the downpour
of wordless torment


The string that connects
the bond that builds
the circle that extends
and brings them in


A thin line that's crossed
past barriers
that of strangers:

builds within
and grows without
hope and expectation


Miles apart
minds enlinked
bypassed egos
quirkiness within


Is it affection, benevolence
harmony wthin oneself
or is it

Just pure friendship??

Is that why
you laugh together
or shed tears for each other ?

HAPPY DIWALI

The spirit of the festival

Week long planning to buy new clothes

Kids just not happy with that one set of crackers that you buy them, they'd love to buy the whole market

Gheraod by the shopkeepers, while you go amidst all your confused state of mind, to buy firecrackers, with promises of 90% discount ( could never understand this strategy )

All your sweet talking, the kids into not bursting crackers, falling on deaf ears

All your eco system crying out in loud protest

The nimble hands that roll those poison stuff for us to enjoy, going unsung, uncared and still nothing being done about it

Decorate the houses with rangolis, diyas, lanterns

Prepare those sweets, tradition clashing with modernity...but still yummy, whatever it be

Make resolutions so absurd to our very own ears -"I wont binge this time"

Break those same resolutions, with excuses "After all Diwali comes only once a year"

Time to meet up all those lovely friends from your life

Cards, waiting to be played with

Endless visits from friends and relatives (and this is so fulfilling )

Bond with all around you

Keep an eye out on those around you, especially young uns

And if you have friends who live far away and far from this maddening craziness, keep them in your thoughts while you celebrate it here

Walk around strutting your new clothes and heads held high...

Spread love and cheer all around

And now its time to celebrate, the one festival that brings cheer, happiness, light and love

WISHING ALL OF YOU A VERY HAPPY AND SAFE DIWALI

Only Robinson Crusoe had everything done by Friday!!

When I was a child, I was told that there was never a word called "can't". I remember each time I was afraid of facing a certain daunting task ahead of me and I would hesitate, my father's words would come rolling in BIG BOLD letters...."don't give up without trying"... I did do as wished, and was most times successful. Those few times when I did fail, I always looked back at the experience and had a smile on my face. I knew I had tried.

Life's taken many turns, some tough, some so easy, I need to pinch myself to acknowledge that it indeed went past my shadows. But lately I realised, a strange kind of attitude has set in. The belief in one's self is still intact. But there is a certain extent to which there is a "I think i'll keep it aside for tomorrow" There are lots of words to describe it....the most important being "PROCRASTINATION" .

I'm sure if Tys were to read this, I'd be on his list of executables :)

Why do we do it? The most impressive people I know are all terrible procrastinators. So could it be that procrastination isn't always bad?
There are three variants of procrastination, depending on what you do instead of working on something: you could work on
(a) nothing, (b) something less important, or (c) something more important. The last one i'd have to say is one of the most difficult, and maybe good procrastination too...

Should we then put off all things ?

Should we just put off stuff that we consider insignificant or small and work towards better stuff?
Should putting off small menial tasks like making your bed, bathing, shaving , stuff like that before you work on your bestseller , or bending your back on that really important design for your office, be considered procrastination?? I wouldn't think so, but maybe the one who wants these very small stuff done might..and so you land up being his kind of procrastinator...

Errands are so effective at killing great projects that a lot of people use them for that purpose. Someone who has decided to design a house, for example, will suddenly find that the house needs cleaning. People who fail to design huoses don't do it by sitting in front of a blank screen or sheets for days without writing anything. They do it by feeding the cat, going out to buy something they need for their apartment, meeting a friend for coffee, checking email, dropping their kids off to camp. "I don't have time to work," they say. And they don't; they've made sure of that....

Sometimes I feel its us who bring it on ourselves.

But what do you do when you know you're there , doing what you never want to, that is "procrastinate" ?? Do you give up those excuses, start afresh and stop putting things off?
Each time an opportunity crops up where I can work on this putting off things habit...I think of umpteen reasons, that the other friend of mine might have if they did the same task. I also come up with absurd reasons to put it off...." kids, school work, family, health and what not" . You mean to say all the others who are getting all the work done are not having these same issues?? They manage pretty well to do it, its only that they have put things into a priority list, and their list stands out well structured.

The person who puts off his very important issue to handle things around him on a much smaller scale might eventually get a name for himself, that of being a great organiser, a great teammate, a great cook, a great friend (she/he's always there when you need them) but does the person in question really want to be that??

You may feel at this point that structured procrastination requires a certain amount of self-deception, since one is in effect constantly perpetrating a pyramid scheme on oneself. Exactly. One needs to be able to recognize and commit oneself to tasks with inflated importance and unreal deadlines, while making oneself feel that they are important and urgent. This is not a problem, because virtually all procrastinators have excellent self-deceptive skills also. And what could be more noble than using one character flaw to offset the bad effects of another?

I've always been motivated by a dear friend who always never stops to inspire that itsy bit of confidence in me. But I've always put off, stating reasons so absurd now to my own ears. But what am I doing to get there???

Me, I'm taking some time off to have a little chat with the child in me. She's still waiting for her dreams, after all. And I'm learning how to make them. Bit by bit, I'm learning.

And one day, we'll walk tall...., dreams and all