My Dream...

What are your dreams? What do you wanna do? ..

Minita asked me this question while responding to my comment on her blog....and for some reason it took me awhile to really answer that question....

The shocker to me was that in the past few years I have been so caught up doing things and the kind of work that is no where close to my dream.....(simply coz am qualified for it!!)...that I don't even know what my dreams are?...What do I actually want to do in life?

Dunno if I still have hit the nail on the head....maybe this is it...maybe its just a phase...but I know that today if I close my eyes for a while and consider an Ideal world ...then my perfect state of being....would be as a traveler!

Not a tourist...a traveler....exploring the world....not the Paris, NY's but the little towns, forests, cities that offer the real taste flavour of life.....seeing EVERY part of the world....everything there is to see....its an endless world.....full of endless roads, streams, galleys, riverbanks, forests and above all people....to be able to capture as much of the world there is....Every place has its own story, own flavour, own lesson, own experience and own memory to offer....and I want to assimilate it all!

I know its a fantasy today--maybe some day I'll have the courage to give it all up and just take off...not knowing where I am gonna go....and yet knowing that the road I walk on will take me to the place I want would love to be in....

Have started traveling a bit but most of the travel has really been more as a tourist....but well atleast there is a first step....there's hope!:-)....

So..What are your dreams? What do you wanna do? ..

Of Broken vows...

*Once there was a handsome prince and a beautiful princess...They met each other at a ballroom dance.... The prince asked the princess for a dance and the minute they took the first step together, sparks ignited....

They danced and talked for hours. The prince wrote letters to the princess and the princess waited for the letters with aniticipation.....

They started meeting each other in the lovely palace garden and finally one day the prince bend down on his knee and said.: "Hey beautiful one, will you marry me"?

It was the most grand wedding the kingdom had ever seen...two beautiful people deeply in love...taking the marital vows...the prince taking his lovely bride on the golden chariot....united for EVER!

Its been 6 months since the grand marriage day...the princess is back to her fathers palace.....waiting for the official separation papers to be signed.....love is no more.

Every story doesn't have a happy ending..moreso in real life.Happened to get in touch finally with a friend of mine in bangalore for the first time since we moved to HK 6 months back....he got married in dec last yr....and his reply to all my "hows marital life Q's" read.."well I should let you know, we ran into lot of problems within one month of my marriage and she has been back home from Jan beginning. We would go through divorce".

I am still shocked-These things are supposed to happen to others!..Not to you or people u know!..Or so I thot....he was a good friend and a nice guy..why him?

But then..Fate doesnt judge you before owning you......

Hes the 5th person in the list of people who have got separated within a year....all cases I have heard of in the past 1 yr and reasons similar -incompatibility...Why is all this happening?..What happened to the good old days of.."Together for life"?.....Dunno who is right and who is wrong...not intending to jugde what went wrong and what could have been done better....however what has happened to our patience? why is our level of tolerance so low towards people we love and care about? Why do we feel adjustment and compromises are below us?

I do believe strongly that one should NEVER stay in a relationship which causes more pain than happiness, and that one needs to have 'exit options'--however I also believe that we don't stop watering plants because they grow slowely...when u love a plant u try everything to make it blossom...u change the soil, the pot, the location, fertilizer...EVERYTHING before u throw it away!.....Unfortunately most of us seem to be discarding our plants too soon.....before we have given them a chance to grow....

The damage could'nt be repaired...the prince and princess moved on with their lives...alone....the fairy tale was'nt a story of love anymore...but of broken vows.

No work mood today!

No Work Mood today...
....Work sucks or rather... doesnt exist!! (Yeah am one of those lucky ones..touchwood!)

Well it was almost a fantasy with me to get paid for atleast one month without any work and its come true!:-)....and stemming really out of the theory that I believe in strongly--"If a company hires me they need to pay me to be on their rolls (coz well they do get business by showing to their clients that we have X thousand qualified people with us!)...and if they want me to work as well , then I need to get paid extra! (Hubby's almost given up on me)

Its been almost a month since I joined work and well most of the month has been spent net surfing and writing insanely long mails to friends who till now didnt exist! Coz well am still supposed to be new here and in the "honeymoon phase"...

Well which brings me to the point-why, pray tell me why do I need to come to office everyday when I dont have anything 'value adding' to contribute! Sometimes when you get up in the morning and feel that no matter what..am NOT gonna work today!( have been in this mood for a month and its getting dangerous with every passing day)

So how do we handle days like these when u just dont feel like working?--coz I don't have a valid reason for leave!--what do I tell my boss?--"Hey babe, Am not coming to work today coz I am in no mood to work!"-Yeah sure!But then come to think of it--IT IS a valid reason! I mean Mood swings are not in my control and if my mood swings are unfavourable to work..well too bad!

And whats the point of me dragging my butt out here when am probably not even an inch productive today..maybe companies should just face realities and have leave for such reasons...and there can be n number of them...like:-

1)" No work mood today" leave
2)"Daru Party hangover" Leave
3)"Too much sex last night" Leave
4)"Maid's unwell so need to nurse her" Leave
5)"My Dog puked last night" Leave
6)"Didnt have Ironed clothees to wear" Leave
7)"Parents coming to town so need to clean the Pigsty " Leave
8)"PMS" leave for women
9) "The last episode rerun of Amercian Idol is on in the afternoon and i missed it last night"Leave
10) "The cute babe/dude in the next cubicle is on leave today"Leave
11) "My Gf/bf caught me fooling around-I need to go under cover" Leave
11)"Just Like that" Leave (Thats my favourite one!:-)..

and the list goes on..and mind u these are all reasons that are extremely "life-impacting"--now if I dont have Ironed clothes to wear coz my Dhobi for some godforsaken reason didnt turn up or I missed the last episiode of amercian Idol(I mean whats the point of seeing all the other episodes if u miss the last one!)..How do I come to office????

....Bossmate are you listening!!...AM NOT GONNA WORK TODAY!!WOW!!--FEELS GRT!:-))

If only...

...Am in one of those "If only" moods today....!

Very dangereous this type of mood is...all great discoveries and inventions were started with these two words...Imagine where would we be today if the Einstein's and Galileo's of the world had'nt been in this mood-If only The world had ligth at night, If only I knew whats making the apple fall down..etc etc!

And yes I have a huge list of if onlies.. what are my If Onlyies...for the day??...Here goes the list.. If only...

.... I did'nt have to work but get paid as much ....
I had a chocolate house where I could get up in the morning and eat the bathroom tap!(Hint!Hint!) :-):-) ....
Mommy could be with me everytime I wanted a hug and pampering and nice food and then go back to bombay everytime I need to party late;-) ....
I did'nt have to wax, or do my eyebrows, underarms(ouch!!..that one's bad!!)...:-( ....
On the first of every month I got up in the morning and Voila! ...had a new hairstyle! .....
God had'nt made something called Milk--Yuukkk!(thank god for bournvita!) .....
There was real santa claus .....
I had a candy floss machine at home...yummmm:-) .....
I was big enough to ride a enfield bullet:-( .....
All my good friends were always with me...in the same city.....
Everyday would be "Ekta Pampering day"(Hint!!Hint!!) .....
God granted me a new wish everytime I sulked:-)

If only...if only...time would stop...! or maybe not!!...

Would like to have a fresh list of If onlyies tomorrow:-)

??!!

Guess what....Saw a completely bald man (those with shiny bald head types) with a sly comb tucked in his trouser pocket!!!!!!!!!
????????
why????

The Ideal Man in 8 simple steps

hmmm...so its my turn now thx to Ron-Well atleast I could have got a better tag-like 8 simple ways of grossing out people or 8 innovative ways of farting in public!

Sigh...well whatever..atleast this gives me something to keep myself busy with during office hours!

Guess am supposed to state the rules so here it goes:
1. The tagged victim has to come up with 8 different points of their perfect lover.
2. You have to mention the sex of the target.
3. Tag 8 victims to join this game and leave a comment on their comments saying they've been tagged.
4. If tagged the 2nd time, there's no need to post again.

So here goes my list and well mind you a lot of this is fantasy(in fact most of it)....coz any women in her right mind would know that the species called "ideal man" is endangered if not extinct;-)

1) Needs to be my best friend-MOST IMPORTANT-I mean If I am seeing him or married to him and I have a crush on some guy-he should be the first one I should want to run to to talk to about it!...He needs to be my friend first before anything else! I know thats asking too much but hey like I said its a fantasy list!

2)Must Absolutely, must like to read bedtime stories to me!...No alternative to this and I dont mean reading out ayn rand books as bedtime stories. I mean Enid Blyton types original ones and well the icing would be if I do fall asleep while he is reading:-)-Hubby dear scores high here!

This also largely inclues pampering me-I mean cmon!...EVERY woman wants to be pampered....its her way of feeling special and important part is, pamper me by my definition of pampering and not be his definition ..(Hint!Hint!)

3)Should be able to stand up for me in front of others (even his family/ friends) and drive the point that -"Hey , Shes my wife/ girlfriend and u need to respect and accept her just the way I have!".....thats the deal clincher to me!

4) Similar to Ron's-Must be comfortable doing potty talk, farty talk, burpy talks ...whatever with me and not think about it as different to any other 'intellectual conversations" we might have

5) Be able to handle my mood swings-trust me I have loads of them!-and in most cases should be able to handle the situation if I am unreasonable and not expect logic in EVERYTHING!

6) Express his love..whether its a hug, kiss or cute cards, music, cooking for me ...whatever....its not about having said it once or at one phase of ur relationship--but keep the spark & excitment going!..It should be ok for him to say he missed me or that he feel lost without me:-)

7) A chavinist is a strict NO-NO. So believe in a equal relationship in every way. If he can have night-outs partying with his female friends-so can I!

8) Should want to make the most of life in everyway-try out new things, experiment , want change , create change and adventure in life. Very important for me coz although I am restless and get bored very fast with status quo, however am not too easy with change and hence he need to compliment me there!

Well thats the fantasy list-not as difficult as I thought!.

But keeping all the lists aside, this is specially for my cutie hubby dear-who says u need an ideal man to be happy--what say sweety?:-))

Now to list the other 8 tagged victims....hubby dear, nidhi, bharat, Jupe, PT, abhishek, 4wd and Bob dear....:-)

p.s:- Update--Hubby dear has posted is tag blog.....%$#&^#@ (and you guys thot my list was wishful!)

The Grind Begins!

Yes-The days of glory are over, the grind begins!
Last week was my first work week in HK-yes hubby dear works three floors below me!

Week one has been good, having a workoholic british boss(lady mind u) ,meeting team members, listening to boss bitch to me about superboss, repeating over and over again that I am an Indian, I am married with no children, My profile is blah blah blah......etc etc....

Like everywhere else HK worklife and environment has its own peculiarities and one week of "pretending to be busy" has given me enough time to observe people ard from the corner of the eye:-)

Thankfully on day one my PC/ email, desk etc all was set-up. Please note I had a full stationary loaded desk cabinet given. In fact there was also a hanger provided to hang my coat...full impressed I was...have realised people here have a somewhat fetish for stationary..the stationary boy almost got reprimanded by his boss because I didnt have pencils in my stationary cabinet..woah!!

The first ten minutes in the morning are spent in the "setting up the workplace ritual"..yeah its almost like a ritual, cleaning the desk of papers, putting tiffins in the fridge, arranging stationary, arranging the extra peices of clothing on hangers(not to be left on desk!)...etc etc...

Its by and large a peaceful work environment where chinese collagues (once they start noticing a new face) will pass by with a cordial 'hi with a smile' on the face...implying..."I am supposed to know, but i dont...and well If I do have to, HAVE to , know u, then I will eventually anywayz , till then Hi with a smile"...cool!

In most places office desks are provided to enable storage--unlike here where they are provided to enable Stuffage!!....Most desk will be Overflowing with not just papers but with lots of other knick-knacks, snaps, tonnes of stationary, plants(yes!), toys, cups/mugs, toiletries....and between them somewhere a PC....sigh!

Every female colleague has a small pouch of toiletries put away in the bathroom , for their three hourly touch-up sessions...this one's totally beyond me!!!

The most notable feature however is the fetish for "between meal snacks" which is almost as important as the work itself!....each desk has one indispensible corner dedicated to food storage which includes chocs, chips, biscuits, cookies, crackers and some unrecognisable stuff...and mind you PACKS of these....and yes they are replenished religiously on a weekly basis!....Am still struggling to finish one box of biscuit wafers!!

So am trying to fit in to the HK way of working...putting my coat on the hanger provided, have now two packs of biscuits and a dedicated bottel of water.....have managed to put one pen holder with two pens and some files to occupy the desk.....and of course stuck tonnnes of useless print-outs on the pinboard....:-))

And of course writing this post during office hours helps me give the 'one week only and am already busy look".....phew!

HK...here I come:-)

p.s:- Yet to figure out what to put in the bathroom pouch!!??;-)

Shaving and Men!

What is it with these two??...Why cant they live together in peace under one roof!

Was having a discussion with a british couple last weekend over dinner and we happened to 'stumble' upon the forbidden topic of shaving--especially so on weekends!...hmmm

I was amazed to see how "not shaving on weekends" is a worldwide laziness 'syndrome' with men and not restricted to nationality, location, size, looks.....etc etc(whatever!)

I mean women wax too and atleast we DO have a logical excuse to not want to do it...its painful!...and yet its done...religiously every time its required to be!

Its amazing how many excuses the 'ever so creative' minds of nthe male species can pull out every weekend to not shave-and mind you these vary every weekend!...(Please note--these are based on actual and observable behaviours and any exaggeration could be purely intentional!!:-)

1) "If I shave too much my hair growth increases and then I have to keep shaving more and more!"....so????????
2) "My skin will become hard with too much shaving"--err...honey women dont really get turned on by a 'soft chin'!
3)"Hey its a weekend!...holiday time, am supposed to be off every ritual of the weekday"--Sure, how come its not applied to eating, drinking, sleeping and watching TV as well???
4) "Know what, am trying a different look-I need some change!"--Can I apply some make-up on you as well?
5) "Think I look quite hot with a stubble-girls dig this look"--Oh cool...reason enugh..doesnt matter if your wife doesnt!:-)
6) "I know u'd love me anyway!":- Sure sweety, ur not leaving me with too much choice here are u?!!!

And there are probably dozens more....If only men out their "Oh-so creative" minds to better use;-)

Well...anything written in this post is not a piece of fiction and any resemblance to any individual or mammal living or dead is by design!:-))