Happy (belated) Deewali!!

Happy Deepavali!! (The Festival of Lights)

I have enjoyed my Deewali... After a long time I burst crackers; that too with my parents, my brother and my hubby. 

Though the weather was not good and it was all cloudy and rainy weather; fortunately there was no rain in the night. The crackers would have burst even better had it been sunny. It was fun painting the Diyas, then organising them and put the right amount of oil to it and then lighting the Diyas. It was really a great experience. And after a long time I did the Puja myself. 

Oh!! I feel great when I recollect the memories,  except a few. One of those is when a burnt out cracker suddenly swifted to Dinu's leg and he burnt his leg's lower skin. He could not walk properly for around 2-3 days. Mupimet ointment showed it's magic. So he was fine by the 3rd day. I missed my sister a lot. She had night shift that day. But I hope she enjoyed wearing her traditional Lehenga / Saree. 

I tried some photography. Many personal and few object oriented. I tried take the pics of the twins we have as neighbors. Bubbly was hiding her face a lot, thus it was a bit challenging. Bubble was always ready for snaps. However, he smiles only when Bubbly smiles. 

Here are some of those pics, including one of Bubbly & Bubble:

I still have some of the crackers left, for may be later use in some other festival. :)

I hope you too have enjoyed the festival. 

Happy Deewali once again!!

♥ ~ Smile

Socialising - Modern generation vs Older generation

I was observing people yesterday sitting in the Red Bus, since that's where you can see clearly who is doing what, from my bike - Ferrari Red Honda Deo ;).

Something has been ringing a kind of beep in my head every time I see the bus and the people inside. Every time I travel in those buses too my mind wanders around to figure out why am I getting absent minded. Yesterday that puzzle was finally resolved. It's the people and their behaviour that was ringing that bell in my mind.

Every time you see at the bus you will hardly find anyone talking to each other. Even if you see a couple they too would not be talking much. All they would be doing is sit quite, holding the hands of each other, sometime keeping their head on the shoulders of the partners. I could hardly see anyone speaking. And that was kind of suffocating me every time I travel in the bus.

But yeah, you would find some people talk at times, and those are the fresh college graduates, enjoying their freshers feeling, enjoying their days just after college and entering in to the corporate life, being unaware of the days that are still yet to come. They would be shouting, making all kind of sounds, laughing. That makes me feel amazed at times. However, immediately the coming times of their life's reflections pass by fast enough in my thoughts. So, I just give a smile and turn back to my book. Oh yeah! my books are the best companion of me, unless there is someone who is interested in having a chat.

Well, the fresh grads are the only chirping birds of this jungle. There are some old birds too, ah.. I mean the people at their old age. I kinda like them. You know why, they would talk to you, if you show a little interest. Of course, if there would have been 3-4 old people sitting, they would talk for sure from their side to each other. And that remind me of my Dad and his friends. He would talk to anyone, be it old person of his age, or young to him. He would always make a conversation and people kinda like him for that. And so, even there are few friends of dad who don't like themselves, still they would talk everything on the earth with my Dad.

Now, this is just not the case with my Dad, I have seen many old age people, who are of our Daddy/Mommy's age, love have a conversation with anyone. They were interested in building relationship. My Mommy would talk to any lady, she may show interest initially or not, but Mommy would talk with a bright smile and true heart.

When I was in Mumbai, I was so surprised to see that the aunts who don't talk to each other they speak with Mom, they invite her to have snacks, to go shopping, to visit temples, to have tea, to go for an evening walk. And that was so amazing to see. I can't explain how much surprised I was when I found so many friends of her in just a weeks time. And you know what when I needed help and I had no relatives around these people themselves came to help me and my Mom. My mother was sick and I used to take care every need of her, from preparing food to bring medicines to visit blood bank to relax myself from not having my loved ones around me. But as soon as they knew about it, they all came to help me. Some came to stay near my Mom when I am not around, some prepared food, some brought fruits. That was an amazing experience I can never ever forget in my life. Even after we left Mumbai they were in contact with us.

This is the power of Socialising. However, this generation people, we hardly make any new relationship. There are people who socialise just the way our parents used to do, but that percentage would be hardly 20-30%.

Everyone in the bus sit quite, looking outside the window. However, I don't understand what they must be thinking or cherishing when they look at those people they can't talk from inside the bus. And why don't they talk to people who are inside the bus.

The only way socialising now a days is Internet, and all the websites. You know what I too feel about myself that I am not so expressive upfront than I am here in the writings. However, I am working more and more to improve my socialising skills with people who I see in my place. I hope you too are doing the same.

I strongly feel we need to become like our parents, since they have that skill to socialise with anyone, anywhere, any time. And they get the help when they need much faster and it's bigger form.

Every time I go down mentally, I try to recollect the statement from Bollywood actress Shilpa Setty, "Smile is the only thing for which you don't have to pay any tax, and thus, I always keep smiling."

I think that's gonna help me a lot in socialising more with the lovely people around me. And I hope this would help you do so, too. :)

♥ ~ Smile

"Can you give me one rupee coin, Please?"

I had been to Chennai this week end and it was a gr8 trip. When we were returning from there, on the way in the station I saw a couple. They were cute. They were moving towards their platform, when the girl saw the weighing machine and she stopped. Her husband turned back and asked for what happened. She showed the weighing machine and said, "Do you see that? I want to check my weight once." The husband was said, "What?? Oh! Come on..."

She insisted him to give her a coin, again and again. Thus the husband, holding the bag in his one hand, searched his pockets with the other hand, for a "new one rupee" coin. He checked in his right pocked first; couldn't find any. He swiftly moved his hand to the other pocket; couldn't find any. He said, "Honey! I don't have any coins at the moment. You would do that some other time." She wasn't going to move from there. So, she with a sad face, softly asked him to check in the front pockets. He wasn't going to escape anywhere now. She wants to check her weight for sure. He smiled at her and checked his front pockets. Hooray! he found one. This female being very excited, took the coin from her husband, took out her shoes, gave the purse to him and stood on the weighing machine. The wheel started rotating for a while. When it stopped moving, she did put the penny in the slot. The wheel started rolling again. The bell rang, "Ting!!",  and a small card came out. Well, I could not see what was written. But she seemed happy by looking at it. She turned the card to see the hazy picture in it and the message, while taking the purse back from her husband's hand. She was quite excited and showed the card to her husband. Her husband was smiling and they walked away.

At this sight, I could remember almost all instances when I used to do the same. Of course that was when I was kid. My father used to insist me to stand on the weighing machine, knowing that I am excited to stand on that machine and see those lights twinkling in different colors. And though I could not understand what else is written in the card, I used to check the number and keep it in Daddy's pocket as if its money or is something very precious; and would ask for it after we reach home. I used to collect those cards in my treasure box. Now, that habit is gone though. However, still when I see those machines platform I feel very excited and tempted to go and stand on the machine and check my weight.

Few months back myself, D, and my in-laws went to "Tirupati darshan". When we were returning from the 'Darshan' and were waiting for the bus to come, I found so many weighing machines and I asked D to give me some coins. "Can you give me one rupee coin, Please?" He asked what for. And I told him the reason. He said those are for kids. I said where is it written. He had no answer but he insisted me not to try that. And I insisted him to give me some coins. He finally gave me some. I tried in one which was very near to us. It showed 57.x Kg. He saw that and said its wrong these are faulty machines. I went to another one and tried the same it showed me 56.x Kg. He they said, "See, I told you". I agreed that these are faulty. However, still I was excited and was trying to convince that yes I am around 55-57 Kg. And he was not agreeing. We made fun of each other then. It was very exciting. Though, I could not get the correct weight, still those machines still remind me of my childhood days and the lovely memories and the lovely persons associated with those moments.

♥ ~ Smile

Mother!!

When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child. ~ Sophia Loren

Yes, when you are a mother, you think about you and your children. However, you also think about all other people of your family whom you love, about all your best friends whom you adore, your siblings, parents. Ah! a mother really thinks about many people in her family and outside world too.

Yes, she is sometimes too much occupied with her family life. This reminds me of my mother. When she visits any shop before she buys anything for herself, she first sorts out things for us, and only then she with her available budget buys something for herself. Even though she is home maker she would save some money from her monthly budget to get us beautiful clothes. She would sometime pamper us with, various flavored milk, chat, pani puri, samosa, dahi vade, vada sambar, sandesh, kaju katri.... yummy. I love those mouth watering food items. Every time she would go for shopping we would be waiting for her in our balcony for when will she come with some special snacks this time. And she too knew that we would be waiting for the lovely snacks she would bring. The food doesn't taste so much if we sit and have it in the restaurant. However, the love and affection with which she brings the food, brings that special flavor in those. I Love You Mommy ♥.

♥ ~ Smile