My Bucketlist for 2017

A New Year has begun. Wishing all my friends here a wonderful 2017! Last year, I made a bucket list thinking I should do everything in it by the end of the year. 2016 just flew! I don’t remember any of the 12 months actually being there! The bucket list didn’t work out too well either. So, the same list will be continuing this year too.

1. Get a Job – Nop! Wrote my CA finals twice this year and looking for a job presently. So yeah! This year, job has become a priority for me. No matter what, I need to get one.

2. Write Better – “I have to improve my grammar, vocabulary, polish my language, use better ideas, write on better topics, reduce writing gibberish. I want to write posts that are more meaningful. What I am doing now is, just writing away.” is what I wrote last year and I haven’t changed even a bit. I did start a new theme though. ‘Grandma Tales’ and I intend to continue it. Also, I’d like to focus on a couple of new themes.

3. Read More – I read To Kill a Mockingbird, A Song of Ice and Fire – first 2 and 3rd part one. This time, I have entered the Goodreads reading challenge and am planning to read 15 books. A very high target for me!

4. Focus on Music – I joined Smule App and sang around 10 songs. I want to sing more frequently and record more songs. Here is one song I recorded. We have sync issues on the app which is why you find some lag here and there:

https://www.smule.com/recording/shreya-ghosal-thode-badmaash/939915401_894491591/frame

5. Learn everything I have been intending to learn – I feel particularly proud when I type this. Last year, I had listed swimming, driving and dance under this. First two almost done. Now, dance is the only thing pending 🙂

6. Keep Spreading Happiness – I believe that little things can bring happiness and one need not do great things. It is good enough if one does a tiny deed of kindness. I want to do more of such deeds of kindness and spread smiles this year. Even if that means spreading smiles through my posts.

7. Quill More – This year I did! Next step is to start making quilled greetings. I could easily make one in a week right? Will keep a slot for the same. You can see the ones I made this year here

8. Become a More Serious Blogger – The aim is one post a week and read 5 posts per day. Also, I have a new fashion blog. One post a week there too. Read more on blogging and improving writing skills. As mentioned earlier, focus on specific themes.

9. Learn a New Language – French is what I am thinking currently. Maybe because my sister was trying to learn it or because I saw Phoebe speaking French in Friends and it sounds super-sexy 😛 But more importantly because I love languages and the ring they have when spoken well.

10. Exercise, Meditate, Pray – Taking care of my mind and my body. I have been going for walks every evening and that is the first step to keeping my body healthy. Prayers and meditation give peace to the mind. It is a conversation with your own inner self and also some time to free your mind from all the turmoils.

11. Become a Better Person – I added this point a week after I wrote this post. There is a scope for improvement no matter what. In my case, there are lots. My first area of focus will be putting ideas into action. Reproduction of my bucketlist itself is an example. I want to make the Earth a better place. I do have ideas. I lack the funds and I am not organized enough to make time and plan things. This particular point should help me achieve all those other ten points. I need to act on this one. I will!

 

I listed pretty much the same stuff last year and I have reproduced the list again here. Except, I am going to make an execution plan this time. It will surely be better then I hope. So what are your goals for 2017? 😀

Grandma Tales

 

“Whom do you like the most? Your father or your mother?”

This was (and is I guess) a cliched question people asked children. When they used to ask me, I used to think just for a moment and say,

“My Ammamma.”

That is what I call my Grandma. I had been thinking of starting a section on my Grandma in my blog for a long time. But I just didn’t know where to begin. The other day, I posted something relating to her on Facebook and my friends Neetu and Smisha requested me the same thing.

This was the very same day when the Bloggers’ friend Blogchatter announced the #MyFriendAlexa campaign and I was looking for a theme for the campaign. The requests and the campaign were well timed and it seemed like an opportunity to make my wish come true; Starting a section on Ammamma. And so, here I begin The Grandma Tales section!

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Grandmothers are visible angels with invisible wings, silver hair, and oodles of cuteness. Have you noticed how stories with Grandmothers are always heart warming?

Ammamma is this adorable surprise package with stories galore! She is funny, smart, hardworking, charming, lovable & a cleanliness freak!!! Ahh… She is much more. She has a painful past, yet the twinkle in her eyes never fades. She has been a strong woman and even in her old age, she stands tall and fights her back pains away! It goes something like,

“Ammamma, stop doing all these unnnecessary chores!”, I’d say. She has to keep doing some job all the time. She can’t sit still.

“I don’t like seeing things like this!”, she’d point at a pretty well arranged cupboard in the kitchen.”

“I am the one doing it. What is your problem? You go study!”, she would shoot.

And that is how she fights her pains 😀

As far as my memory goes, she has been a silver-haired, huggable angel always smelling of Vicco turmeric, Mysore Sandal soap, Ponds talc and home. She is this fuzzy feeling you get when you see babies, puppies and everything loving, nice & cute.

My Tranquilizer

When I am with her, I forget all my worries and I know I am alright. She is like a walking tranquilizer. One hug and there is peace. It is as though she has the power to ward off all my inner turmoils.

Some nights, I go to her room, climb onto her bed and there is a space on her bed that is mine. I find that space, lie down, curl up and snuggle up to her. She’ll either tousle my hair and tell me how I never tie my hair and how bad that is for my hair or run her palm on my hand, find a rash and admonish me for not applying oil on my body. And those few moments are enough to just flush out the entire day’s stress. I always feel I never do enough of that these days due to my studies.

My Naughty Teddy Bear

Do you know what makes her beautiful? Her wrinkles. They are these lines of perfection that make her, her! I can’t imagine her without them.They are so soft, I can’t resist hugging her and kissing her. Man! She hates that. The moment I’m out of eyeshot, she wipes her cheeks. If I see, she’d say,

“I don’t like that, with a sheepish smile.”

Um… she doesn’t do that anymore, though. Maybe that’s because I kiss her and wipe her cheek for her. 😀

I also pull her cheeks and say “Ammamma kuttyyyy!” in a high-pitched voice. She loves that, but never admits it. She’ll feign pain and say, “Even though you’re thin, you are too strong. My cheek hurts. Stop doing that!” and sure enough, there will be a smile that she’d be trying to hide.

It took us a while to understand that she was in fact secretly enjoying many of the things we did for her, while denying them all. She could be a puzzle sometimes. But that is what makes her, her. All those pranks, pretences, love and the care she gives us. Knowing the value of Grandparents, I’d say go spend some time with them today. I’ll do that too. And for those of you who miss having grandparents, I hope you enjoy these posts and that they fill at least an inch of that space. Until next time;

Love.

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You can read the stories about Ammamma under the Category ‘Grandma Tales’ which you’ll find on the right side of this page. (Scroll down! Scroll down! 😀 ) If you don’t find it, just leave a comment and I’ll get back to you. If you love my ‘Grandma Tales’, again please leave a comment and I’ll be grinning ear to ear and replying! 🙂

I am taking my alexa rank to the next level with Blogchatter

My current Global Alexa Rank is 22,06,315. Gotta lose them like losing weight. 😉

 

A Healing Phone Call

True Story ❤

The Women in My Life

I have been wondering for a while as to why do we have a separate day to celebrate womanhood and why did that happen to be on March 8th. I have heard people raise such questions on many occasion. I saw some rants in FB saying everyday is a day of love, why celebrate it on Feb 14th? Similarly, I see questions on Mothers Day, Friendship Day, Father’s Day etc. I see memes that say

I don’t have to post on FB to let my mom know that I love her.

I found my answers to all those questions and today, I found my answer to Women’s Day too. It is this; In every turn in my life, a woman has been there to support me and walk me through. You might have heard of incarnations of God. I would say these women were the incarnation of Goddesses. And I had to let them know how important they are to me. I am sure they know it. But saying it makes them feel more special. I wouldn’t have written this post, if not for Women’s Day. 🙂 So here is to all the beautiful women in my life:

1. My Ammamma (Grandmother) – Where do I begin? I have been writing a post about her. But it becomes way too lengthy and jumps from topic to topic that I keep it aside for modification. I am her favorite grand daughter. She has been taking care of me since I was a baby. She used to feed me, bathe me, take me to school, I used to show my marks to her first. I used to tell her first about all the prizes I won. She used to shield me when Mom hit me. She knows when I am sad, she knows when I have not eaten. She can’t sleep if we don’t have food.She is the fairy with the wand and fairy dust that I have read about in books. She has silver hair, beautiful wrinkles and a few fallen teeth. She is my home. 🙂 ❤
2. My Amma – Oh the famed Supermom who finds everything, knows everything, flies around and saves the day. From my childhood, I have had this notion that Mom could solve everything.For instance –

   

   Image courtesy: http://www.pak101.com

   This is the story of my life :o. Not once, not twice, but forever. My sister and I are hopeful that we would get that super power sometime soon.

   She could solve almost everything. If my sister and I can’t correct something, we say, “Let Mom get back. She will be able to do it.”
   If we don’t know a location, we say, “Let Mom get back. She will definitely know.”
   If we have a decision to make, “We will ask Mom. She will tell which is best.”
   If we have a pain on our neck, “Let Mom come. She would cure it in a jiffy.”
   And finally when Mom gets back, we run to the door, “Ammmmmaaaaa…!”

   Ohh! There is nothing like Mom getting home from work. And there is nothing like a Sunday when Mom doesn’t have to work. 😀

3. My Sweet Sweet Sister – She is a whole package of elder sister, younger sister, best friend and Mom(sometimes). We have this radar with which, we simply know things without saying them. In movies or in life, when someone says something awkward, our eyes just meet on time. If someone belittles, one of us, the other one is up to the rescue. When I am down, she tells exactly what I need to hear. She takes me out when I’m down and cheers me up. She tells me when I look ridiculous. she tells me when I look beautiful. She is as weird and crazy as I am. And though I never tell her this, I love how she idolizes me at times. Most importantly, even if I buy her a tiny chocolate, she looks at me as though I gave her some treasure. We do have our differences (and our wardrobe fights), but that is what makes us, US.
4. My twin sister – As someone put it, best friends are siblings you never had. She definitely falls in that category. Many times people have asked if we were sisters and we said ‘Yes’. We weren’t constantly in touch, but we could easily pick up from where we left it as though we just met yesterday. There is so much of effortlessness in our friendship and she is the only one with whom I have got that kind of bonding.
   She is an example of classy, strong and independent woman. I have seen her grow, I have seen her learn, I have seen her change and I have seen her turn from a timid little girl to this charming lady she is today.
   The best part is, everyone at home loves her and my sister adores her. 🙂
5. The Guardian Angel – I haven’t written about her before. She is like a second Mother. There were many phases in my life. She was the star that showed me the way. She was responsible for a certain beautiful phase in my life. For a while, when I got stuck in my life, she was the one who gave me that tiny push that I needed. She was my guru. Probably she had taught me all that I had to learn. Or maybe her part in my life was over. Like a passenger who boarded from a station, she walked into my life and one fine day, unexpectedly, she decided to leave. Well, the almighty is selfish that way. He wants all the good people around him.I never cried when she left. The pain remains there like an open wound. I refuse to accept that she is no more. She is around, somewhere next to me. If she could read this, I just want her to know that I love her a lot, I think of her often and though I never said it to her, I am very grateful for showing me the right path.
6. My Teachers –LKG – Pushpa Ma’am for simply being my first class teacher. She liked me a lot and still remembers me.UKG – When I was often teased by children because of my complexion, I used to feel so low. There was a class goon and she was supposed to be the ‘best child’ in class because all feared her. The only good memory I have is about one lunch time. Someone asked our class teacher who the best student was. She said that all were good. When they insisted, she asked them to guess. After many wild guesses, after around half the class was named, someone said my name. Our teacher nodded, pointed at me and I froze. I never saw Ambika ma’am after that. But I never forgot her either.Sanskrit teacher – Manjusha ma’am for sowing the seed of love for the language. I don’t apply my mind for any other subject. But that wasn’t it for Sanskrit. The language has so much depth and beauty and she helped me unveil it step by step. I still love the subject and intend to learn further.Bharti Ma’am – For all the love she gave us. She taught us social studies. The subject is very boring as you all know but I love that teacher. Whenever I go back to school, she doesn’t make me feel like any other student. She is genuinely happy to see me and her eyes twinkle. The kind of twinkle I see in very few teachers’ eyes. I go to school just to see her expression.
7. My friends from GJA – I could never forget the three years of article-ship that I completed. Thank you for keeping it united. There are a bunch of lovely ladies that made my stay memorable. For all the jokes cracked by Lays and Jenny, for Soathy & Lakshmi for being the partners in crime, for Niki’s share in all the madness, and for every beautiful girl there who is a part of ‘Ribbons and Tiaras’ 😉 Happy Women’s Day. 

Thanking you all isn’t necessary. I am glad that you constitute a part in my story. Each one of you make a difference to me.

I wouldn’t ask why we celebrate a particular day for love, for mother or for father. In this busy rat race, some reminders are necessary. Admit it. I don’t express feelings like this everyday. If we don’t have a particular day, many of us will never express these feelings. I love every woman I have mentioned here. But I don’t tell them that often. Now, they will know because of this day. 🙂

Last but not the least, my dear blogging friends, Kokila, Maniparna, Ritika, Parul, Rumadak, Nimmi, Nandini, Sruthi, Brunda, Preeti and anyone I might have missed out, Happy Women’s Day to you all 🙂

PS – Oops! Belated 😛

Time of Hope, Lamps of Love & Coins of Happiness

Shakti and Vedanth will be moving into their new home in a week’s time. The initial work is all over. The painting, the electric works, the bathroom essentials & sanitarywares, the curtain rods, all the necessary connections etc have all been made. She has chosen an ethnic look for her living room and is now focussing on the bedroom. She wants it to be perfect. She loves colors. She loves everything that creates a happy, romantic mood. But she isn’t sure whether Ved would approve of pinks and purples. Of course, she could understand that. Anyhow, she decides to give it a try.

The duo are sitting before the PC. Shakti came across the site Make my home. The site reflected her taste and she asked Ved to have a look at it. They had agreed on 3 things. The room required a couple of bedsheets, a clock & a lamp. As she scrolled down, she saw the Swayam Magical Linea Bedset. She had spent, everyday of the last week taking a peek at this beauty. She wanted this one badly, but wasn’t sure Ved would like the splash of colors. He preferred everything plain. She slowed the pace of scrolling until the bedset was away from their sight.

Once they reached the end of the page, Ved said, ‘Do you know what caught my eye first? A lamp. If you like it, we could fix that.’
At once she knew the lamp he was talking about. She loved it too. How could anyone not fall for that beauty? Her heart raced as he scrolled up. She had been waiting for this moment, when she’d pick her favorite decors for her room. He kept the cursor on the lamp and said, ‘Ain’t she a beauty?’
Her, smile faded a bit. Oh! that wasn’t the one I meant. She would show him what she liked and then, both of them could make a final deci-
‘Haha! Look at that fading smile. Silly! Do you really think I don’t know what you like? Besides, my choices aren’t that bad yaar. We’ll surely have this one.’ Saying so, he scrolled up and clicked on The Yellow Door Round Oil Burner. Her face broke into a huge goofy smile which made him laugh all the more.

The lovely burner

‘Well, you know, we could pour fragrant oil and light it so that the room would smell lovely.’
‘Don’t worry. I absolutely love it. Believe me. No second thoughts.’

They scrolled further up and…
‘Do you like this cl-‘ 
‘Hey! This one!?’
The two were pointing at the same Be Mine wall clock. There is no argument in this case. Which young couple wouldn’t want this time-telling-couple in their room?

Pink or black?

They smiled and clicked on to the link.
‘Which color?’
‘Black. What about you?’
‘I like the pink.’
‘But you like black too.’
‘Yes. But…’
The pink matches the wall now. But if we repaint with some other color, what if it doesn’t match?’
Hero! Are you lecturing me on color combos? Impressive! 
Ved gave a naughty smile.
And guess what!? You are right. Let us go for black.

Aaand that was fixed. All that remained was,
Now for the bedsheet
I guess we have ample number of bedsheets already. Do we need anymore?
(A bit upset) Guess not.

A week later…

The bedroom was ready, pretty and romantic. She had forgotten about the bedsets. She picked up the best among the sheets they had. A rich red and white combo. As she began spreading it, Ved came and said,
‘Shakthi, I really can’t get the living room’s curtains right. How can the pinks go on the blue paint & blues go with pink paint? Isn’t it the other way round?’
‘Ved, I’ll just finish this and come.’
‘Oh! I really don’t want anything to do with colors. I can spread the bedsheets. You go do the curtains.’

After sometime, Ved joined Shakthi and they did the final touch ups. They stood back and enjoyed the new look of their home. Sudenly, her phone rang. She went to check her phone which was in the bedroom. It was Ved. She picked the phone, looked at the screen, then at the door through which he walked in. ‘Er… What is th-‘ That is when she noticed the bed. The Swayam Magical Linea Bedset was spread atop the bed with all its grandeur. She looked at the bed open-mouthed, then at him, ‘What… How?’

The Magic Bedset

 

He looked at her amused, ‘Is that what you want to ask?’
She couldn’t frame the question. She didn’t know what to ask. He put an arm around her and said,
‘That day, you kept moving the cursor up and down. You slowed whenever you reached near the bedset. And finally, you asked about the bedset towards the end. On the page we were looking, this was the only bedset. I can’t read your mind, but I sure can read the signs.’

She hugged him.
‘What is that?’ She was pointing at something on the bedside table.
‘Go, see for yourself’
This is what she found on the table – A Piggy Bank and a note pad.

Rajasthan Handpainted Piggy Bank

‘What is this for?’
‘Are you happy?’
‘What sort of a question is that? Ofcourse!’
‘Why?’
‘What happened to you?’
‘Answer me. Why are you happy?’
‘Hmm… Many reasons. But most importantly, we have a house of our dreams, you just surprised me by gifting my favourite bedset & because you are with me.’
He handed her 3 One Rupee coins. ‘Put these in it & write the reasons for your happiness on the notepad. We’ll count our happiness at the end of each year and read the reasons when we are blue.’

She put the coins inside and opened the notepad. Scribbled in it were three lines.

‘Because I have my love.’
‘For our new home’
‘For her smile, on seeing the new bedsets.’

‘Oh I love you Ved.’
‘Love you too.’ 
‘And you really don’t get why the blue curtains go on the pink side and vice-versa, do you?’
She heard him smile.

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Let me confess something. I don’t know much about the different styles of interior designing. 😛 And so, I cannot differentiate between chic, retro, minimalistic, casual, eclectic, contemporary etc. The style I have chosen is ‘My Own’ – A combo of what I think is beautiful and elegant. And the reason why I chose that is, everyone likes everything beautiful. A house is made of cement & bricks. A home is made of people, family and bonding. Decor affects people’s moods. And I am positive that ‘My Own’ would only lift their spirits and make our house a home! 😉 😀
Though the above story was a figment of my imagination, THAT is how I would redo my room. 🙂

 

Image courtesy: http://www.makemyhome.com

This post is a part of Makemyhome activity at BlogAdda.com