Romance is in the air

She sees me lying next to her, gives me a broad smile, crinkles her eyes, rolls over to come near me, opens her mouth and starts eating whatever part of my body that her mouth can reach. I guess this is love. The beginning of love! Ah D is the gal after my own heart!

This is about others

Just my luck! I was all fired up to write a rabid post this afternoon after reading an interview of a 25 year old investment banker who apparently earns 2 crores a year. I did not get a chance all day and now Rediff has removed that piece from the website. Good sense finally prevailed.

To give you the gist, this chap is a BBA from some school in Toronto who is making a lot of money and doing little else in life. Why was he featured in Rediff I have no idea. He gloats about the fact that he works all the time, rushes out of parties at weekends at 2-3 am to attend to his boss's requests blah blah.

Anyways what really got my goat was when at some point in the interview he said something to this effect- "When I started, I was earning only 6 lakhs a year. So I have done that (meaning struggled). I have travelled by bus and taxi." Oh! You poor sod! I hope the guys at the ration shop gave you your supplies at the right time. Hope you didn't go hungry.

What are we talking about? How much is enough? And what use is even 100 crores if you can't enjoy a party on a weekend? How can money drive anyone so if he can do little else?

I guess, I am a big one for a great personal life because when I pay attention to what the old people are saying I get a feeling that what remains with them is not the thrill of making pots of money but small and big joys that have come their way with loved ones, the satisfaction of having done something for others, contributed in some way.

A toast to all those who succeed in making their lives multi-dimensional and not just a green line.

Since this blog is all about me...

.. I decided to tag myself from here and decided to do a list of my favorite things.

1. Water (drinking)
2. Red clothes (maroonish red)
3. Reading on a beach or a misty hill station and with H by my side
4. A walk in the cool crisp morning air
5. Fresh flowers in my house
6. Getting together with my sisters (especially at my childhood home)
7. Paper cards -with deep meaningful words :-)
8. Open-air restaurant, good food, wine and scintillating conversation - together
9. Reading newspaper with a cup of tea in the morning in silence
10. The aroma in my father's room
    
11. Watching my mother laugh
12. Beautiful homes
13. Rice, Dal, Potato - together
14. A warm hug
15. H's Humor
16. Babies
17. My baby
18. A wash followed by combing of hair and application of nivea cream just before going to bed
19. Drinking tea in company especially that of my family
20. D's face breaking into a smile
21. Shayaris and Ghazals that I can understand
22. Engaging conversations while on long drives
23. Stopping at a Dhaba while on long drives, sitting on a charpai and eating Tadka Dal, Tandoori Roti and Onions.
24. Sitting silently in a lush green forest and listening to the sounds of leaves rustling and birds chirping
25. Holding hands
26. Bathing in the rain
    

Am sure there are many more but this is all my sleepy brain can put down.

We all fall down.

Written 3 years back on 16th August 2007.

But how can my daughter fall? As parents you believe that your child can come to no harm. Especially with young children, the feeling that as long as you take care of your child she is completely safe. But mistakes happen. And you do not have to be a hired help to commit them.

D fell from the bed today. She fell on her cheek and cried continuously for 5 mts. She rarely cries so that was something. After giving her a massage, I left her on the bed surrounded by pillows and layers of sheets on all sides. Then I went to the bathroom to prepare her bath. I must have been in the bathroom for 30 seconds. Then I hurried out worried that she may fall off. I looked into the room just as she was falling off the bed.

She cried and cried. I was worried if she had broken some bones. I moved all her limbs, but the crying didn't intensify. Then when she didn't stop crying I knocked at the neighbour T's door.

We took her to the doc. As soon as the doc saw her he said - Oh my God! And my heart sank! Her left cheek was red as an apple. He checked everything and pronounced her unharmed. And then I cried.

Got an eye on you...

...and its an evil one!

I do not understand this evil eye business. Ever since D was born I have resisted countless suggestions and admonitions about putting some black somewhere on her person. The arguments run on the lines of - "she is so chubby, you should put something to ward off drishti", "there are so many women around who don't and can't have children, kuchh kaala daal yaar iss par."..... All these coming from well educated women.

I refuse to do so. I do not believe that anyone is evil and refuse to begin my daughter's life with this burden of mistrust in others. First of all why would anyone want ill for an innocent child? And even if they did, how can they cause harm just by looking at her? And even if they can how can a small black dot repel such a strong effort to harm her?

I personally dislike this evil eye business and I think it is just a symptom of the mistrusting and quarreling race that we are.

For the record

I signed up for the Landmark Forum course today and (I think) forced H to do so too. My friend A has been after me to attend the introduction and then decide about the Forum. He appeared to be more interested in enrolling H than me.

I will be attending the course on 14, 15, 16 and 18 Sep. It is quite ambitious as these are 9am-11pm affairs and I don't know how D is going to take it. I will have to begin training her from now.

I am writing this post to record why I am doing this course. This way I can come back after the course and see what I have achieved and which notions of mine were misplaced. The main reason I am doing this course is because I am curious. Most of my ex-colleagues did this course and have been raving about it. I have personally seen people (at least one person) becoming more effective after the course. And another person decided to entirely change his career at the age of 48 years. I have often wondered what they do there? Time to find answers. Besides I am hoping that this course will help me understand myself better and therefore help me respond to everything better.

Tall order!

Whats in a name

Passport Officer: Kumari is not your surname.
Me: It is my surname. It has been my surname all my life.
PO: No, it is your given name.
Me: (tired laughter) I was given the name Monika. Kumari is the surname.
PO: No you are changing your name. Please take out ad in the paper and then come with paper clippings.
Me: Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...

This name change business is driving me nuts. Moral of the story - Parents please do not keep placeholders for your daughter's surname to be filled in by her Husband. It can make her run to the passport office many times and make her mad!