No one's Reading

Why is no one reading BIRTHDAY PARTIES-3?

Now that is depressing.

Of course I check my stats. That's the first thing I do when I log in. My millions of followers are a few hundreds of thousands short, but they have grown from 3 to 15!

How do I feel?

On top of the world.

Age 'Eyeing' Me!

So went to the eye doctor today.
Had blurred vision since a couple of months and had postponed this appointment a couple of times already. And I promise if A had not literally pushed me out, I would've cancelled for sure.
After a long wait at the doctor's, and a funny explanation of the reason of my visit- I sounded like a hypochondriac to my own ears; turns out my muscles are tired tired tired. All this because of blogging in the dark- not because this is highly sensitive stuff and needs to be protected from probing eyes.
Au contraire, it is for the sake of the probing eyes, that I have to write when putting my kids to bed, with the lights off.
Well, I hate blurred vision but at least it's not leading up to wearing glasses.

Sleepless Nights

How I wish they were because of some warm cuddles with A...

No such luck. A junior has been waking up every single night at midnight. Usually he goes back to bed around 1 in the morning, but yesterday decided to be up for 3 hours.
He woke up just as I had finally taken something for my migraine and had A heat up...a heating pad for my neck (ha ha). And then plain refused to go back to bed. I don't know what was bothering him, but something clearly was.

I hope he sleeps through tonight, or it will make me think it's the curse of the B-witch!

Bull-ying :-(

Have had a tough week as far as K is concerned.

It started with a call from school asking for him to be picked up early as he had been inconsolable, crying himself into throwing up. I went, picked up my crying baby and by the time we were 50 mts away, the child was back to normal.
All week long, the pattern continues, with him actually making himself so sick that he could not go to school. Thursday saw me forcibly leaving him with some instructions to the teachers. Same story the next day. Makes me actually go to a child psychologist to figure out if I was doing something wrong. Turns out we are fine.
Also turns out that my angel is being bullied terribly at school, with two older boys intimidating him and his dear friend. They've been calling these poor children names, seeking them out and being so obnoxious that the other kid started peeing in his pants and mine just plain refused to go to school. I did complain to the teacher. I was told they are never unsupervised. Turns out they are.

What do I do about it?
I go and find out tomorrow.

Question: What does one do when one's gentle offspring is faced with the big bad world?
How do you empower them? They will be faced with weak people like these bullies, how do they learn how to survive?
Survival of the fittest.
One more thing to teach.

At the same time, I am SAD.

BIRTHDAY PARTIES-2

I wrote once before about the kiddie birthday parties I had been attending. Time to talk just a little bit more about the same.
For the past couple of months, all our weekends have been devoted to attending birthday parties of K's school friends, sometimes twice in one evening. The whole class is invited. There is a big bouncy. The venues are big- mostly farmhouse residences, and in many cases the return gifts seem to cost more money than the gifts I have given out.

It is a bit scary.

We do  not believe in such. Kiddie parties should be just that- and not a show of wealth. But I guess that really can't be controlled. The kids are happy with a bouncy- it could be in the middle of a park, and cake and yes, you just can't do without it- popcorn! I admit that now before you make your child say goodbye and thank you, the inevitable question of a return gift does pop up, but that is easily taken care of.
And that leaves me with rich parents wanting to spend the most, do the best, have the biggest parties. I was recently at one where the only drink on offer was champagne :-)
Is it just a question of the school your child is going to- I think not.
And the next one, if this is the scale of  a 5 year old's birthday, what will the scale of their weddings be? Luckily that bridge is quite some distance off, not done away with, just to be tackled later.

It then becomes even more important to teach the little ones, value of friendships and all the things money can't buy; 'even though there's mastercard for them'!!!

How did my parents do it? I can only hope and pray we do even half the great job they did.

Axis Bank or Axe the Clients Bank?

I do realize I am just not happy with the title of this blog.
Just because the manager of the branch I have been banking with for the last decade or more behaved like a complete idiot and showed no respect for the customer, should've kind of made me think of something more appropriate like, 'axis: bank with morons, why don't you?' ....don't know- just not happy.

Well that was an understatement when I was so rudely treated by the supercilious and extremely full of himself bank manager on being presented by the simplest of requests, ' Is it possible to have a one point contact with the bank?' It was as if I had asked him to surrender his salary to me! 'Do you have a priority account?' Hello?? Which age are you living in and which age group do you belong to?
We were given a priority account by an amazing account executive who went out of her way to keep the customer happy.
And to this the dumb idiot replied, 'She did what she shouldn't have, no one does it and will not either!'

My my such strong words- it almost made her sound as she was bestowing unnatural favours rather than retaining clients for the bank she WORKS for and actually doing the job she was being paid to do. He twisted my words out of proportion, making 'transactions' sound like a dirty word and told me in no uncertain terms that 'no one would do it'!
Do what? Make a demand draft by debiting money from my account on a cheque I had signed?
Sending a runner home with some papers which needed signing as I had a four month old baby?
Making sure that the credit card guy or the investment guy actually met me?
Sending a fresh cheque book?

Unfortunately it's idiots like this manager who will cost the bank a huge amount of money. And it's even more unfortunate that they will not even get to know about it as Axis Bank does not have a way of getting feedback from their customers. Perhaps they don't need it.

I will go this weekend to close all my accounts with this place and will smirk at the con of a manger as he smirked when I asked an account executive for an account closure form.

Away in the City!!!

That's what we did yesterday for A's big day!
Pending the iPad2- just don't seem to know anyone traveling to the U.S or alternatively anyone willing to carry the same for me; it was the only sane thing I could think of giving my completely bone tired husband.

 Poor moi!

So I checked us into the Trident in Gurgaon for the day. The idea was to stay away from this depressing house and give A some much needed relaxation, especially on his birthday.
It was pretty much what I had wanted from the day- spent almost entirely in the pool. We had a leisurely breakfast after checking into our luxurious 'pool-view' room. Even if I wanted to, I wouldn't have been able to find any faults with the freshly brewed coffee or the brilliant omelet or the waffles or the presentation of it all!

It was strange to be in the city and yet to feel away on a holiday. I heartily recommend it to all. Just try it- play hookie from work in the middle of the work week, splurge a little on yourself, spend a day of decadence, force yourself not to think of anything at all and see the difference! It will be good.

Budget Travel

...is not budget anymore.

Yes I know these are inflationary times. I also know that prices are not the same as they used to be a decade and much more ago when A and I actually started traveling. Heck we have actually done an Amritsar-McLeodganj-Yamunanagar trip in 6000/- rupees in all, spending on petrol for our dear old Fiat Uno, stays in clean, decent albeit government hotels  and mind you they were definitely not budget backpacker options, food and a bit of shopping!

But now it seems whatever option you might choose, you have to dish out a minimum of 4000-5000 rupees. And these are not even very fancy. When did it all change? Is this what my parents and other people across ages have been repeating to themselves whenever they are confronted by astronomical price of things they just payed peanuts for?

I don't believe so. 'Traveling' in India has finally caught on, with the masses now actually indulging in all forms of it; from weekend trips to cruises to adventure to heritage. I also believe that all those charging the earth now are cashing in on the consumer psyche which wants them to indulge in a bit of luxury even when they 'believe' they can't afford the true luxe offered by the big hotel chains! Little do these poor (ha ha) susceptible people know that the deals and discounts offered by the latter far exceed in terms of value for money.
True there are those who prefer the warmth of a small home-stay to the sterility of a five star hotel. For these there are home-stays in places like Kerala charging 10,000/- and more per night!!! Shocking? You bet it is. I came across quite a few of these options when preparing for our Kerala trip last September. We poor people chose the sterility of Taj- much cheaper, much more convenient and definitely more equipped to handle random touristy demands! But then maybe I can't truly appreciate quality when I see it.

Trust me I am not trying to bring down the private enterprise. Au contraire, I am all for it. Lovely and warm people opening up their houses, their sanctum sanctorums to the sometimes crude and rude critique of people who have no respect for the fact and who demand satellite television connections in a small village somewhere in Hiamchal Pradesh, amongst other equally banal stuff.
I am all for knowing that the owner of a small place where I am staying won't treat my request for an early meal for my children (trust me NOBODY eats at 1830 in India!) as rubbish and would even offer the use of the kitchen for my idiosyncrasies- making my own dinner. It's not always possible and I understand and accept that. After all one is traveling and is trying to be open to everything.
I am all for the fact that the food in the kitchen will be fresh as there aren't too many things leftover like in big hotel kitchens.

What I just can't understand is the money I am being charged for it. I mean, I don't mind paying 3000-4000 rupees for a kickass small family run hotel, where the sheets don't make me itch for the ones I carry in the car. But someone has to sit up and realise that they are charging way too much than is justified.
I have some very beautiful places to recommend which still do not cost an arm and a leg for a weekend trip: Meghniwas in Jaipur, Carlton's in Mussourie and some more.

But the need of the hour is many more of these.
Maybe I will start the trend.

Two followers!!!

My!!!

My fortunes seem to have changed...have TWO followers...thank you for sparing the time to read me :-)

So much...

...Has happened.

Always seems to be the case.

And now it all seems to be closer to the end- which is why I am still here.
And now for loser-tragedy-queen-like-pronouncements, "if the end didn't seem near, I would be flying away, far away.

Burning within me, the images and the memory of the grievous insult inflicted on me.

And the trauma that I now internalize- forever.

And the millions of insults heaped on me- forever.

Yes- you are insulted only if you accept them- how many should I not?

Before I break down forever- a little bird inside me- dead forever.

All  for love, love for all.

I have to beat...

...the number of posts I clocked in 2010. the third month has ended already and all I have to show for this month is 4 posts!

Dear Diary,

I had a decent day today, which considering the circumstances, is good…yes I saw Notting Hill as well. In fact A and I have it marked as our fav chick-flick-for-two!

A friend read my blog and said it was more like a personal diary than a blog. I understood what she was saying then- I don’t anymore. What are blogs if not online personal diaries or extensions thereof?

In my diary I could choose to write about my really impossible than life itself in laws or about issues that touch me- I thought I did both. Maybe it’s the style of my blog- not very bloggish, but then why would this template be available to be ‘templated’?

A jr is now saying ‘hi’ and ‘bye’ clear as day and runs to the sound of the motorbike.

I love my children.

So ill again

Since monday- terrible state I have been in! And if I don't whine on my own blog then where the hell will I? BAD BAD BAD!
Could not breathe...it is the scariest thing in the whole wide world- not to be able to breathe. My nose and its insides were jammed as if there were mobile jammers around someone bloody important- just no go!
It has taken me two whole days to get down to being plain ill. The doctor said he was at quite a loss to see my condition- wow I really am going on and on about my blocked nasal passages. Don't encourage me people or you won't know where it ends!

Tender Hooks

Just finished reading this sequel to 'Diary of a Social Butterfly' by Moni Mohsin, simply 'crack'. Don't really know anyone who speaks like the butterfly with a bottega, or don't I?
Well the book is nicely written in the style of its prequel with the language full of direct hindi-english or is it punjabi-english translation and deliberate mis pronunciations. It is a full on take on what one assumes is the pakistani social scene. But I am pretty sure the parallels exist in all societies from here to Timbuktu and from there to the first world and back! The society ladies all decked up in their newest fashion acquisitions with the must haves and the must dos and all that goes along with it. The fixing of marriages and the planning of parties, the 'show offers' and the not so 'effluents'.
It is funny and I read it in two days flat. Of course the fact that I was laid up in bed and had some hours to myself did help a lot, but the book is quite entertaining in a society gossip column kind of a way.
Totally recommend it- not for die hard fans of Stephen Hawking or Ayn Rand  though.

Don't Know Why...

I know why…

I am with Anuj.

I know now why I do all that I do for him.

I know why I suffer his parents and his gossipy back stabbing brother.

I know why I didn’t run away when his parents started acting so weird with me.

It’s because he loves me just the way I love him.

He loves me- it has finally dawned on me. Become clear like night and day; like clear night and day!!!!

After 17 years of being together, I finally know why he’s with me. He loves me.