The Magic of Classics

Finally! Some time away from the mundane life that I have! These days I'm being introduced to the word 'stress' in a big way. It's physical torture to sit in one place and stare at the computer! But there's something that works as a great stress buster for me and gives immediate relaxation: music! I'm waking up to the charm of old Hindi songs recently. I'm truly amazed at their simplicity.

Listening to these songs is such a beautiful reminder of a world that once was. The intricate way they describe emotions... feels so fragile and so pure. There are a hundred ways of saying the same things - love with shokhiyon me ghola jaye, grief with tujhse naraaz nahi zindagi, joy with pancchi banoo, nostalgia with najaane kyu or plain madness with junglee - each a beautiful, modest expression in itself. Just makes me feel so relieved and truly relaxed.

Guess it's true for every simple thing we come across. We're so busy trying to make our lives better, that we forget to appreciate the goodness of being natural. I know that sounds cliched but its true all the same. Just stop and think for a moment, that in this mad race where are we all headed, and what is it that we're looking for?

Now playing: Aaj phir jeene ki tamanna hai :)

Tohtally random

Finally, got some time to blog. Even working from home doesn't leave me with too much time. In between, I got so many thoughts that I wanted to write about but somehow couldn't pen down any. And now I remember none! How awful! :(

Well, I'd rather chit chat then, about the latest goings-on in my life.

Celebrated my birthday last Monday (14th Sept.) Gosh, 24 feels old!

Got hubby to join facebook and now he's addicted. Silly me!

Work's hectic. Have taken a work from home editing assignment with HT, that keeps glued to my seat for 5 hours, besides the other content development work. And what's worse, I don't get offs on Id, Dushera, Gandhi Jayanti...yada, yada. Actually, its not so bad, but it pinches me because hubby gets all the long weekends and I don't! Hmph!

Ma Pa completed 40 years of their marriage yesterday. Wow, that does feel like a long time. Wonder if I'll be able to make it so far! :P

Last 2 weeks have been full of going to visit relatives - most of them sick. Gosh, there were like 5 peole who were in hospital. I really hate hospitals, they give me the creeps.

Shopping always lifts my mood. Bought a new saree the other day. It's red, chiffon, and damn sexy!! Can't wait to wear it! :)

Oh, and I got a new phone! Finallyyyyy. Actually its a gift from hubby. Needless to say, I luuuurve it! :D

Rahul Mahajan is doing a Rakhi Sawant - except its a 'swayam-vadhu'. This is just one of those moments when I roll my eyes, give an exasperated sigh and say: ewwwww!

That's about all that happened. Nothing eventful. Will hopefully update soon. ;)

XOXO

Good idea!

India is a land of opportunities! I thought otherwise, till very recently, when I started working from home. I didn't realize web writing was such a lucrative option. It's simple, it's easily accessible and there's always work to do! And I guess I'm good at it too, with my list of clients growing! I'm thinking of turning my freelance jobs into a business... I think I will be able to manage it just fine. Let's see how things shape up! :)

I'll be a businesswoman :D!!

Shame on me!

Sometimes I can be so stubborn, it makes me sick! If someone else were me, I'd slap her! I don't know why there are some things that I just don't do!!

I've been learning to drive since I was in class 12, that was like 6-7 years back. I've been to two driving schools, and I have a valid driver's license. But I just can't drive!!! Everytime I try, everytime I sit on the wheel, it feels as if the car is out to get me! My legs shake, my knuckles turn white and my heart beats faster than a subway train! And if someone tells me to reverse, I experience a nervous breakdown!

God knows when will I gain confidence on the wheel!! It's really a shame!!

Being the change

Disclaimer: This post just happens to coincide with the approaching Independance Day!

We are a great nation. We've got it all - the government, the democracy, the infrastructure, the public. The only thing is - they don't run. We don't make it run. But that's not the point. The point is, do we even want it to run?

We, as the general public are not happy. We crib about everything - no water, no electricity, our maids are charging more, the police department is corrupt, there's so much red-tapism in politics, petrol prices are going up, this isn't right, that's all wrong, yada yada yada. But we, ourselves make full use of these 'discrepencies' to our advantage. We bribe the cop when we're caught speeding, we keep 2 maids to run the house for us, almost every household can afford a driver, having contacts in government agencies helps us get our work done faster, we enjoy the holiday on voting day but don't vote... the list is endless. We talk about Westernizing the nation, but the point is you think we Indians can really shed our lazy, callous habits and live a life of discipline?

Before we start blaming the system for everything that goes wrong, we need to stop ourselves from choosing the easy way out everytime. In my opinion, it is a two-way road. We can't wait for them to change us. It's time we stopped being reactive, and be proactive. That's when we'll be able to call India a great nation in the true sense.

The next chapter

Like most of you predicted, I wasn't able to stay away too long! So here I am, beginning a new post, a new chapter of the second act of life. I hope I last this one out.

I celebrated my 1st wedding anniversary on July 18. Can you believe it has already been a whole year? I can't. It's as if it were only yesterday that I was getting jitters about marriage. Though time has zoomed by, it has left some very major impressions on my life. You see, married life is not the blissful journey I thought it to be, rather, wished it to be. It isn't bad, but it makes you grow up real fast, whether you like it or not.

Soon after the honeymoon, hubby and I were staying together, but not with my in-laws. Boy, what chaos! I didn't know the first thing about running a home! It was literally madness in the first couple of months - I couldn't cook so that added to the mess. Somehow, with help from my mum-in-law and mom, I got things going. But the loneliness killed me. I wasn't working at the time, so the empty walls of the house bored me to death.

During this time, my father-in-law's (Dad) health deteriorated. He was diagnosed with stomach cancer and his condition showed no sign of improvement. That is when we took a call to move back in with my in-laws. It turned out to be a life saver for me. Not only has it helped me learn the ropes, but has also given me a chance to get to know everyone better. There were times when I had to be at the hospital with Dad for hours. Cancer has a knack of taking a toll on everyone's lives. It sure did on me, because I felt connected to this new family, shared their sorrow as if it were my own.

Dad passed away in March this year. The house is suddenly quiet, devoid of any real joy. My happy-go-lucky mum-in-law puts up a brave face, but I know she misses him the most. I can't even imagine what hubby went through...he's without a father now. The thought itself makes me feel like something's died inside me. But the best thing about all this was that we were united in our grief.

Things have somewhat gone back to normal. I've quit my job and have started freelancing from home. This way I get to be with mum-in-law more often. When I look back at this one year, I realize it has changed me. I am no longer the dreamy-eyed girl I once was, but a more practical individual now. I'm still wishful at times, but try and remain grounded. I wonder what the years to come will bring in, but I know now, for cerain, that I won't be beaten.