P.S…Mum I Love You

Remember VIRUS from 3 idiots? And his Power nap of 7.5 minutes? :):)

I, too, am on a Power Break these days; Power Break of 3-4 days. I am with my parents, especially my Mum, having loads of fun and frolic, yummy food and dishes, shopping, long chats about dresses, hairstyles, lifestyle, home, furnishings, relationships and much more. It’s total fun-a world away from the world.

Courtesy: Google Doodle

But it’s not been the same since ever. It’s the same oh-so strict and tough Mom who ensured every intricate detail to inculcate discipline in our lives. Getting up on time, fixed playing hours, home-work on time, no bunk from schools, eating all veggies and that porridge, keeping our rooms and Almira tidy-in short, a total no-non-sense. Whether school or extra curricular activities, she has always inspired spontaneously. That’s how she nurtured a few skills too, in us. But at the same time, kept us always grounded. I remember getting even 98% marks at a time in school and still feeling ‘I could have performed better, had I attempted that exam question as she had taught me to’.

Like all other mothers, she has been protective too but never let her tears or emotions dwindle us. Instead, she kept things so convenient for us, providing all the comforts required, which we could never even realize as kids. Warm and nutritious food, clean and ironed clothes, neat and tidy rooms, in short taking care of our minutest necessity without even making us realize she’s doing it for us. Now that I manage my household, I can comprehend what pain she’s been taking all these years to make sure we are conveniently carrying out our chores and assignments. It’s now that I recognize she’s so much like me only (I know it’s vice-versa, but  I knew only myself till so many years) but she kept herself aside in nourishing us perfectly.

Courtesy: Google Images

Even today I wonder how convenient things seem to be, when she’s there, how I don’t need to put any effort in any planning or scheduling, how her mere presence makes everything seem so simple, so conducive. How sharing every minute detail with her gives so much of assurance and confidence that we are on the right track. How she always has some better idea/suggestion in every respect (sorry Papa, this is applicable to you as well, but it’s Mother’s Day, so today you can surely call me Mummy ki Chamchi).

Don’t know if I can ever become that indispensable part for my family but wherever I am, whatever I am, I’ll always need my Mommy.

P.S…Mum I Love You!!!

Don’t need to do…still they lie in my to-do

Okay, let me clarify this even before starting…this is not a bucket list, nor it is any set of resolutions. It is simply a recognition; recognition of some facts that have amassed in the recent past. It’s just the cognizance of the idea that devoting some more time or at least, a little time on regular basis, on certain things will emerge me into a more contented individual.

How come? What explains that better, follows:

Cooking

I am a born “good-food-relish-er”, I can mention that as many times as possible. But I never had the slightest idea, earlier than the past 2 years that cooking food, that people relish, is far more gratifying. It gives immense pleasure, especially for new-comers-in-cooking like me, when something-even some regular food item, tingle your taste buds. So I truly madly deeply crave to move on, in this: cook food more often, more variety of recipes and try some innovations as well.

Writing/Reading

What bliss it is-writing things and reading them over and over again-only those who love to write, or simply write often, can apprehend. But forging ahead, from regular personal-diary-writing to writing-for-a-public-blog, is altogether convalescent. Above all, it gives so much impetus to write things, that make some sense. And then reading how others write, what attracts and what does not-all this, gives you a fresh vision.

As I often state, architecture has given me a distinct vision to see this world, it’s much captivating and striking than before. Similarly, blogging has given a new essence to READING, a new drift that I want to drive it further to a regular practice.

Gardening

Why the herbs grown in your backyard taste so exceptional, why the flowers blossoming out of your own plants, look so delightful? I couldn’t infer unless I saw those lovely buds coming out of a wild rose stem or those mint leaves adding so much flavor to the Pulao, I prepared. Now I don’t even mind creating those soil beds or de-weeding the garden or anything else that makes it more appealing. So now I aspire to convert my backyard into a neat and clean kitchen garden consisting of home-grown herbs, flowers, decorative plants and a little more.

Jumping back to the basic requirements is but natural in daily routine-performing tasks that we are required to do, by any means. They don’t comprise, any of the above, at least for me. But stretching myself a bit, out of my comfort zone, can be quite satiating, quite fulfilling. I am not sure how much of the above, will I actually do but as they say ‘writing things down gives them more weight’, I expect this post too, will surely propel me to devote some more time than I normally do.

What about you? Are there certain things that you also want to work on, just like that? Is there some desire, that you don’t get time for? Share your views…may be I recall some more, as well

3 big lessons this year 2011 has given me so far

You like it or not, time has its own methods of preaching, spreading its lessons on all of us-sometimes in a subtle voice, while banging hard at our doors, at other times. In these past five months too, we all must have gone through many experiences which made us learn new things or else believe certain things more strongly. I chose to put mine in this post, sharing them with you all and playing my part. Thanks to this blog-it has made me more thoughtful and learn from my surroundings in several different ways.

1. The only thing that remains constant is - Change

We find ourselves apprehensive or worried about a particular moment or situation, but actually when it arrives, things have changed a great deal. With days, months and years, things keep changing. They keep changing within us, around us. They keep us moving, they keep us alive. That is how we grow, that is how we don’t become stagnant. So it’s always better to live in the moment, live it to the fullest and perform your level best there and then-as per the wisdom and resources available.

2. This world doesn’t run on logic, though it seems so

I read in a book, “about 15% of one’s success is due to one’s technical knowledge and about 85% is due to skill in dealing with people.” Winning arguments never pay. They may elevate your ego but they can never let you prosper. We can always complain that people make decisions based on personal liking/feelings. But that is how it is. This world doesn’t run on logic, it runs on likeability. We don’t prefer to be around the people who know more, we want those whom we like more. Hence the biggest investment is in building relations, richer relations.

3. Just because you deserve it, doesn’t mean you can get it

This is the world of dramatization. Merely having potential or doing quality work is not enough, you need to present it in a vivid, interesting and dramatic way. That is how you draw attention. Now I am not talking about the cheap publicity stunts but simply highlighting your worth, so that it can be brought to the attention of people concerned. After all, this is a busy and competitive world. I usually keep sharing the Vodafone Zoo Zoo advertisements on my Facebook profile. Those creative ads are also Vodafone’s another way of gaining attention. This is how you make people like your work, let them feel your presence, give you an edge. And this all is required, so that you can get what you deserve.

So come up, accept the changes going around, nourish your relations with people around and flaunt your work/talent and spread your wings.

P.S. I am really thankful to WordPress. It has added a new dimension to my life, where not only I can share my own ideas or experiences, but furthermore learn a lot from the fellow bloggers and those who visit mine.

For some lazy days ahead, like this one…

Bags packed, heading towards the lift, my colleague asked me, “So what you are going to do today?” This was the first time when I was going to stay alone (just for one day) after my wedding since past six and half months. Although I have lived in an apartment for three long years with my room-mate and as per our routine both of us would go home and the other one would stay alone. I have lived for almost a week too, like this. Hence it was not a big deal, either any fears or boredom of staying alone. I am the one who can find plenty of things to do.

But still I am writing this as this is about something else. So coming back my colleague’s question: While returning home yesterday, I also pondered for a while about it, there were plenty of things and I also felt “I have more time today” (as if all of my work is just because of my dear husband). Thanks to this blog, there are several things in pipeline that I have to do and much more that I have to yet think about.

I reached home finally (although my home is just 15 minutes distance from my office), all exhausted. My head, eyes, legs and back were aching slightly. Somehow I managed to cook and have dinner, tried to watch some TV but nothing seemed to amuse me. Finally I went off to surf some net, talked on phone and then drenched into deep sleep.

It was only when my door bell rang up at 8 o’clock that I could get up and start hustling for getting ready. My house-help is also on a week’s leave. Now in situations like this, when I have to cook for myself only, it is pretty natural for me to not feel like cooking much. I wanted to resort to something quick and requiring least effort. And bingo! There arrived the idea of Lemon Rice, the delicious South Indian dish, which can even be made with leftover rice. I had seen the recipe in a magazine by Tarla Dalal a few days back. I quickly went to fetch that magazine from my library and went inside the kitchen. Within 10-15 minutes my lunch was ready and seemed so yummy too. I don’t know whether it was actually that delectable or just the idea of cooking without putting in much of time or energy let it taste so good for me.

So now I am saving this recipe for some other lazy days like this and sharing it here too.

Ingredients:

• 1 cups cooked rice (or leftover rice)
• 1 tbsps cooking oil
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 3-4 curry leaves
• 1 broken Kashmiri red chilly
• 1 green chillies slit lengthwise
• 1/2″ piece of ginger grated
• 1 tsp of chana dal and urad dal
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Salt to taste

Preparation:

• Heat the oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds, curry leaves and broken red chillies.
• Fry till the spluttering stops and add the ginger, green chilly and dals.
• Fry for another minute. Add the coriander powder, salt and turmeric powder and turn off the fire.
• Add the rice and lemon juice and mix thoroughly.
• Serve with a Raita and Poppadums.