The Day I Laughed Like Crazy

This incident brings me a smile even today. It happened when I stepped into the corporate world soon after my graduation.

I returned from office with my friend and colleague, Krishna, and both of us were in his room waiting for another colleague, Naveen. Naveen and Krishna had rented the flat recently and I was happy to help them find that flat in the first place.

So, that evening, the three of us planned to have a cup of coffee. Naveen had said that he would join us later. I sent Krishna to fetch a packet of milk and coffee powder. He returned after some time with the ingredients, and the next five minutes were spent in making the wonder drink.

Just when we sat down to sip coffee, my mobile rang. It was Pinky.

‘Hi, Swathi, where are you?’

‘Hii!! I am in Krishna’s room’

‘Oh!..’ there was a pause, and then she said, ‘So, whatsup? What are you guys doing?’ she asked in a casual tone. But, I felt something was wrong. Something was fishy.

‘Oh..! We are having coffee. It would have been nice if you too were here’

‘Thanks, Swathi, you guys carry on. I will talk to you later.’

‘Hey! Don’t you want to talk to Krishna?’

Beep Beep Beep.

She had already cut the call.

‘Who was it? Naveen? Where is he now?’ enquired Krishna.

‘No, it was Pinky.’

Krishna choked, and screamed, ‘WHATTTTTTT???’

I was surprised at his expression. Why did he react so much? Pinky was Krishna’s psenti, and I knew her through Krishna. Though I never saw her, I had talked to her on the phone a couple of times before.

‘What happened?’ I asked Krishna. He had been trying to make desperate calls to Pinky, but she wouldn’t pick the call. He looked at me, and threw his hands in helplessness.

‘Arey yaar! You know what happened when I went to get milk? Pinky called me, and asked me what I was doing. I said I was busy, and cut the call. Now when she called you, you said both of us were having coffee. God knows how she found out!’ he exclaimed.

That was when I burst out laughing. Oh my God! How such a simple thing brought a big misunderstanding between the lovers!

Krishna looked furious. I controlled my laughter, finished my coffee, and made my way out, while Krishna was still busy trying to contact Pinky.

I always saw such things only in movies. I was so amazed to have experienced it myself. But, deep down inside me, I was worried if the pair would break up. You know, there are instances where people break up for such silly things, you can never predict. I shared this with my roomie, and she too rolled on the bed laughing. She said, ‘don’t worry, dear, psentis have their own way of solving such things’.

The next day when I met Krishna, I asked him if he could talk to Pinky. He nodded, and smiled. The smile told me that everything was alright.

The incident might have made the pair to fight, but that was the day I laughed like crazy.

Do you also have such an incident to share with? Do post ur comments.

July 10th to 15th

Apologies for the delay.... This is what I have done these days...

July 15th - A Walk in the Cold Breeze

If you ever get a chance to breathe the cold breeze after a rain, don't miss it. I grabbed this chance yesterday. It had been raining till evening, and once the sky cleared a bit, leaving the raods moist, Pradeep and I set out for a walk. It was chilling! The one-hour flew away before we realized that it was time to be back.

July 14th - A Visit to the Kids' World

If you ask a toddler to make a picture of the world he/she knows, the picture would comprise mostly of cartoon characters. I realized this after paying a visit to the Forum Value Mall in Whitefield. As a part of their third anniversary, they arranged for a special show for kids. A person covered in the costumes of Doremon showed up on stage, while the kids went crazy about him. There was a long queue that reminded me of a cinema theatre releasing Chiru's movie on the first day.

Jaanu was thrilled to see the cartoon character come alive. She was too busy catching every glimpse of the scene that she almost forgot us. lol!

July 10th - 13th - Greeting Card

It was my favorite passtime to make greeting cards. Finally, I managed to take out some time for making one. Even though I usually require only 1 hour to finish it, I had to take out 20 min each day to complete this one. Will post the pic later.

Updates from Maddy:

Maddy did a great job by participating in a team event that required all of them to dress up according to a theme. The theme picked by them was 'Different Stages of Life'. Only Maddy can explain how 'Elements of Nature' has been modified to suit 'Different Stages of Life'. Over to you, Maddy!

July 8th and 9th

July 8th

Sorry people, I haven't done anything new on 8th. However, Maddy has done a superb job by posting health tips to the group. Hope we all benefit by following them. I am happy that she is sending something new every day. We definitely have a lot to learn from the articles she sends.

July 9th - Met my ex-colleagues

I had been thinking of meeting my old friends and colleagues in Symphony. It had been three months since I saw them. So, yesterday I left early from office and headed towards my old office.

The receptionist recognized me, and felt that I did not need a visitor pass... lol!

I then made my way towards the ODC where all my friends were seated. Once I entered the room, nearly 7-8 people sheiked 'Hiiiiiiiiiiii' with a broad smile and a bright face. That was when the rest of the people sitting there craned their necks, and few more 'Hiiiiiiiiiiii's followed. There were a bunch of new comers who were wondering what had happened so suddenly. I could see them watching me with a puzzled expression.

Within one minute, I was surrounded by ten of my friends. I could actually see how happy they were to see me. My ex-Manager greeted me well, and enquired about my current job and my performance. Boss is always boss, you know!

We then moved to the cafeteria where we had an animated discussion for an hour. What did we discuss? About work, family, shopping, friends, food.... Now I wonder how we could talk so much in just one hour. When I checked my watch, I realized that it was time to leave. I bid them a temporary farewell, and left for home. The hangover is still there.... I can see myself smiling when I am writing this.

July 6th, 7th, and 8th

July 6th - Wrote a new story in my blog

The Parrot in the Golden Cage - This story had been running in my mind for the past few days, and so I had to put it down. Check it out in my blog, and please post your comments.

Update from Maddy: "I have planted a rose flower tree in the balcony at my flat".

July 7th - Bought a Cycle for Jaanu

The shop was flooded with cycles of all sizes ranging from 1,000 to 4,000. I spent only 2,000 to buy a bicycle when in college, and even after using it for four years, it was in a good condition. I wondered how long kids' cycles would last, provided how tenderly kids handle them.

It was very difficult to select a cycle, as Deep n I spent a lot of time debating on which one would fit her height, where she would place her feet (she is too young to place her feet on the pedals, there has to be a foot rest), or whether she would fall off the cycle. Finally, after 30 minutes of the debate, we picked up one, and brought it home. It costed close to 1600. Let's see how long it lasts.

Jaanu loved the cycle. It had buttons that produce noise (oops! sorry, music) when pressed. Once she discovered that, she wouldn't spare us even a minute. The music is continously ON. She also understood that the music comes only if we insert a battery. So, when her Dad tried to take away the  battery out of sheer irritation (lol!), she began crying. So,no way out! hahaha...
Will update the photos soon.

Update from Maddy:  "I have tasted fish :) "


July 8th - Cleared my Gmail inbox

Finally! I had been thinking of that for ages. When I opened Gmail after three months, there were 600+ emails, out of which only a handful were worth reading. It took me 30 minutes to delete all the mails. Thank God I have done it!

Update from Maddy:
"my sister was asking me to create a profile for her in various job sites and finally i have successfully registered her profile in few sites.
I seriously knew how happy she was, bcos she is thinking that its a very big task! "

The Parrot in the Golden Cage

Chandragupta headed to his favorite place in the palace - the guava tree in his garden. There lived his pet, the talking parrot - Meethi. He named her Meethi because of her exceptionally sweet voice.  He was awed by how quickly she learnt to speak. Every evening he would love to see his Meethi and enjoyed her chanting.

Meethi looked forward to meeting the king every day. She had been pecking a guava for her supper when she saw the king approaching. She flew around him with delight, and rested on his shoulder. Chandragupta’s face lit up on seeing Meethi.

‘Pranam, Maharaja’, chattered the parrot.

‘Heyyyyyy… Meethi’, cajoled the king, stroking her head. He then took out a ripe mango from the bag he had been carrying, and offered it to Meethi. The little bird nibbled on the fruit, and saved the rest of it for her breakfast the next morning.

After spending a few more minutes with Meethi, the king left for his palace. This went on for a few months. The people in the kingdom heard so much about the parrot, and were amazed by her talent.

One fine morning, the king’s brother, Suryagupta, visited him. Suryagupta ruled a nearby town, and occasionally dropped in to see his brother. Chandragupta was pleasantly surprised to see his brother, and received him with a warm welcome. Suryagupta had a sumptuous lunch at the king’s place, and rested for a while since he was tired after the journey. In the evening, the two brothers made a stroll around the palace in the king’s garden. Suryagupta had a sack in his hands. The king wondered what it might be and why his brother was carrying it.

‘How is your Meethi?’ enquired Suryagupta.

‘Oh yes! She’s doing great. She has learnt to say Pranam,Maharaj, you know!’, exclaimed the king.

‘Wow! That’s great. I know she’s very talented. See what I have brought for her’, said Suryagupta. He then took out a frame of metal glittering in gold. Chandragupta soon identified it as a golden cage.

‘Oh my God! You brought a golden cage for Meethi?’ exclaimed the king.

‘Yes. Isn’t it lovely? I have taken special interest in the making. It was made by the best goldsmith in my kingdom. It took him three months to complete this masterpiece, you know?’ Suryagupta looked at the cage in admiration. It had a carving of a golden flower on the periphery. The cage was fitted with a cushion for the bird to rest on. It looked beautiful.

‘Oh yes, of course, it is lovely, but…’

‘But what? I thought you would jump at this one’ said Suryagupta, who had expected an overwhelming response from his brother.

‘Of course, I love it. But, will Meethi be happy in this cage?’ Chandragupta raised his concern.

‘Of course, she will. Which parrot on earth would get such a royal treatment?’ concluded Suryagupta.

‘Okay, let’s see’ said the king.

As they approached the guava tree, Meethi flew on to the king’s shoulder, greeting him. She also recognized Suryagupta who had visited her a month ago.

Suryagupta held the parrot and placed her in the cage. The parrot had never seen a cage before. Nor did she know what a cage was for. She entered the cage, and looked around with curiosity.

‘See, I told you. She would be happy inside this. She would love to rest on the cushion I set inside’, said the king’s brother.

Chandragupta was relieved to find that his Meethi liked to stay there. He took the cage, and the two brothers headed towards the palace.

The crowd in the palace had just diminished after the sunset. So far, thousands of people in and around the kingdom had visited the palace to see the talking parrot and the golden cage. They were awed by the masterpiece.

The first day went on well when Meethi was busy watching the people who had come to see her. She felt excited and proud of herself that people longed to see her. She sang merrily and danced in the cage. Suryagupta was delighted to see such a huge response for his gift, and left for his palace the same day.

But, on the second day, Meethi was bored out of chanting the same things to the countless people flowing in. She was also very tired, having performed endlessly from the previous day. She slept for most of the day, and spoke very little.

On the third day she felt weak and feverish. She had not eaten much. She had not spoken a word. All she wanted was to leave her alone. She was sick of the crowd watching her.

The king was upset to see his Meethi in such a situation. He felt she needed fresh air. He ordered the crowd to leave the palace. Within minutes, the place was abandoned, leaving the king and his beloved pet. He took the cage to the garden, and let her free. Meethi could not believe her eyes. She leaped to the door, and flew high in the air. The king smiled at Meethi’s excitement, and left the place.

The next day, the king visited the same place to apologize to his beloved. But he could not find the little bird. ‘Meethi…. Meethi, where are you?’ he called out. There was no response. He looked around the tree, but could not spot her. Just when he was about to leave, he spotted her on one of the branches, looking at him.

‘Hey Meethi, come here. Look what I have brought for you’, he said, and took out an apple. He knew that Meethi loved apples. But, to his disappointment, Meethi just sat on the tree, watching him.

‘Hey, what’s the problem? Don’t worry. I will not cage you anymore’, said the king, sensing her fear.

Meethi still sat in the same place. Her heart was beating fast. One part of her brain told her to go ahead and make friends with the king again. But the other part of the brain pulled her back fearing that the king would cage her again. She was not willing to become a showpiece.

The king stood there for few more minutes calling her out, but in vain. He then knew what to do.  He headed to the palace, and called for this goldsmith. The goldsmith arrived in minutes with his kit, and waited for the king’s order.

The king handed over the golden cage to the goldsmith, and ordered him to follow. Together they went to the guava tree in the garden.

‘Meethi, I know you are around. Look what I am doing for you’ said the king to the parrot, and turned to the goldsmith. ‘Cut the cage horizontally into two’ he said.

‘But, Maharaja, the cage would be useless if we cut it’ said the goldsmith.

‘I know. Just do as I say’ the king ordered.

The goldsmith took out his tools from his kit, and cut the cage into two. Meethi was relieved to see this. Her admiration to the king doubled. She flew around him, singing aloud, and rested on his hand. The king knew that this moment was more precious than any golden cage in the world.

 

July 5th - Computer Classes

Today (that is, on July 5th) I held a class for my MIL to teach her how to operate on a laptop - right from switching it ON to accessing a particular website. I am not sure if she has the confidence to do it herself again. Got to revise it on the weekend.

Update from Maddy: "I have met Eega team and had great fun with them at inorbit mall."

Check her out in this pic holding the T-shirt. 

 

Isn't it a pleasure to educate somebody? 

What did you do yesterday?

Being a Technical Writer

Before I became a technical writer, I always underestimated the work. ‘Huh! Big deal… writing about how to use a product, or why to use a product must be just click this – do that…’ that was my opinion, like all the Developers and Testers. Little did I know that writing is very different from technical writing.

On my very first day as a technical writer, my Manager asked me to pick up any 5 items in my vicinity and define them. When I looked around, I found these – a table, chair, telephone, a book, and a pen. I found it silly to write about such things that we knew right when we were all toddlers. I sat down at my table with a pen and a paper. And, dear me, it was very difficult to articulate!!! I had too many words to fit in a definition. I wrote, then cut it off… then wrote again, and cut it off… For the first 5-10 minutes I would have written 5 versions of definitions just for a table and a chair… Just try it yourself. Before you read further, can somebody define a telephone for me?  These are all my versions of definitions of a telephone:

A telephone is a machine used to talk.

 Poorly written!

A telephone is a device that is used to talk.

 Can be better!

A telephone is a device that is used to communicate.

 Something is missing.

A telephone is an electronic device that is used to communicate.

 Incomplete definition!  I wrote many more versions of this definition and finally wrote this:

A telephone is an electronic device that is used to communicate between two or more people who are distributed geographically.

Phew! Finally, I arrived at the correct definition. Can you now imagine how technical writing is different from writing? I then realized why my Manager had asked me to do this exercise. It was her way of teaching me that technical writing is not as easy as we assume it to be. Or, perhaps, it was her way of testing my writing skills. That’s why whenever I find somebody talking low about technical writing, I have an urge to make them undergo this test.

Why Are Moms Unique?

It was 6 ‘o’ clock in the morning, very dark, and the entire city was asleep. It was difficult for Latha to wake up as it was cozy to lie inside the blanket. Besides, she wakes up at 7 every day. She had a lot of things to do that day, so she couldn’t afford to be lazy.

Finally, she brought herself to wash her face and have a cup of coffee. After cleaning the house, taking a shower, doing pooja, it was 7:30. By that time, her husband, and the guests who had arrived the previous day had woken up. There were four elderly people among the guests. She hurriedly made tea for all of them. They gribbed that they had been waiting for “a long time” for tea, though it was only for 5 minutes. She apologized for keeping them waiting and got back into the kitchen. They were murmuring something; she knew they were talking about her.

Latha headed to the kitchen to make breakfast. It was 9 ‘o’ clock when the breakfast was served. There was idli, sambar, chutney, and seamya. She was busily making arrangements, when she heard a cry from one of the guests. ‘Who the hell uses their left hand to serve food? Is this what your parents have taught you?’ he questioned her. Latha realized that while handing over a plate to him, she had used her left hand. Everybody started blaming Latha for being careless. They also blamed her parents for not bringing her up properly. A big discussion followed as if she had committed a crime. They failed to recognize her efforts in making the recipes all by herself. They failed to relish the taste of the food items. All the time they consumed food, they talked only about the “big crime” that she had done.

Latha was already very hungry for she had not eaten anything after she had woken up. After hearing the elders yell at her, she was reminded of her days before marriage when even a little effort from her side was very well appreciated. Her Mom gave her a thousand blessings when Latha offered to help her. Even if she made a mistake like this one, her parents corrected her patiently. There was no yelling or blaming when she was with her parents. She realized how hard her mother had worked.

Mothers are known for patience. You never realize how much they work, how strong they are to face such comments, how patient they are to teach their kids. You realize all this only after you get married.

Latha regretted the times when she complained about her Mom’s food. She prayed God to make her as strong as her Mom and had her breakfast in silence.

Believe in Yourself

Anu enjoys the journey to her school. She smiles at the flowers on her path, loves the sun shine on the waters of the lake, listens to the songs of the frogs, and greets all the shopkeepers, autowallas, and kids who she’s acquainted with.

One fine day, as she was on her way to school enjoying the breeze of the spring, she came across her friend Jaya, who was also going to school.

‘Hi, Jaya, good morning’, said Anu with a bright smile.

‘Hi, Anu, a very good morning to you’, greeted Jaya. But, instantly, her forehead frowned as she examined Anu. ‘What’s the matter? Why do you look dull today?’ asked Jaya.

Anu was surprised at this remark. ‘I’m the same as I am every day. Anyways, let’s head to school. We might get late. I have to buy a couple of things at the Krishna stores’, answered Anu. Krishna stores is a stationary shop close to their school.

And together they walked for another couple of minutes to reach Krishna stores. It is their usual hangout place.

‘Hi, Uncle, how are you?’ enquired Anu, looking at the shopkeeper.

‘I’m fine, dear, how are you both?’, he replied with a smile.

‘We are fine’, said both of them. ‘Please give me a black pen and a long notebook with white pages’, said Anu.

The shopkeeper handed over the same and collected the amount from Anu. As the girls were about to leave, the shopkeeper remarked ‘Anu, what’s the matter with you? Why do you look dull today? Are you not well?’

Anu was surprised again. ‘No, Uncle, I’m fine. Got to hurry up now. Catch you later. Bye’, said Anu. And they both left for school.

They reached the school gate, and to their relief, they were just in time. The watchman, a grey-haired person with a thick moustache, greeted both of them. To Anu’s surprise, the watchman, too, made the same remark, that Anu was looking dull.

Anu, now, started to believe that she was, indeed, looking dull. The smile on her face faded a little, as she entered the classroom. She was lost in thought, when her mathematics teacher entered. All the students stood up to greet the teacher. When they all sat down, the teacher announced ‘Today I am going to make you solve a few numericals that I taught you yesterday’.

A few students did not like the idea as they were cautious whether they would be able to solve. Few others were excited to show off their talent to the rest of the class. Anu was always interested in mathematics. She would have loved to solve any kind of problem that the teacher might ask. Besides, she was his favorite student. But that day she was lost in thought as to why she looked dull.

When it was Anu’s turn to solve a problem, Anu politely rejected, saying, ‘Sir, I’m not feeling well today. Please let me rest for a while’.

The teacher did not find anything wrong with Anu’s appearance. So, he replied ‘You look perfectly alright, Anu. However, if you still wish to take rest, you may head to the sick room. Let me know if you need help’.

Anu thanked the teacher and left for the sick room.

 

With that we come to the end of the story. What have we learnt from this?

1. Negative comments on your personality can easily effect you. You underestimate your strengths. In this case, Anu felt that she looked dull, although she started the day as usual.
2. Once you lose confidence in yourself, positive remarks might not help you build your personality. In this case, when the teacher told Anu that she looked alright, Anu did not believe him.

So, a note of caution to all my friends: Do not go by anybody’s words that belittle you, or lower your self-esteem. Just believe in yourself. Impossible is nothing.

Revolution 2020 by Chetan Bhagat

 

Well, the story revolves around three youngsters – Aarti, Gopal, and Raghav from Varanasi. Here’s the story in a nutshell:

These three are friends right from the age of 10. Gopal is the narrator of the story. Right from childhood, he’s a loser. He loses his mother at the age of four, he doesn’t make it into IIT or the NIT, he loses his Dad at the age of 18, and he doesn’t win the love of Aarti. Raghav has everything that Gopal doesn’t have – loving parents, a seat in IIT, and, most important, Aarti. He builds up jealousy on his friend, Raghav. He aspires to earn more money than Raghav. With the help of the local MLA, and by bribing all the govt. officials, he sets up an Engineering college on his ancestral land. That makes him very rich and busy. Eventually, he becomes close to Aarti and wins her love.

Raghav is a dynamic young man who wants to change the society. He aspires to become a news reporter and bring out the dark truths of the politicians. He joins the BHU and becomes the editor of the college magazine. After he passes out, he doesn’t become an IT guy, like all other IITians. Instead, he joins a famous newspaper office as a news reporter. One article against the corrupt MLA shakes him out of his job. This makes him strive harder and start his own newspaper – Revolution 2020. His busy schedule leaves him very little time to spend with his beloved – Aarti. On the top of it, his own newspaper becomes a flop show, and he’s bankrupt.

Aarti is portrayed as the most beautiful girl in Varanasi. She belongs to a reputed family with political background. She treats Gopal as ‘just a friend’, and Raghav as a boy friend. Once she finds that Raghav doesn’t give her the time and attention that she needs, she hangs out with Gopal. Eventually, she erases the ‘just friends’ barrier and makes out with him. What a betrayal to her beloved Raghav!

Gopal is more than happy to have Aarti in his life. That’s what he wants right from the beginning. He feels he is now at a better stance compared to Raghav. Gopal is a true example of jealousy and a person with identity crisis. He has money, status, power, and Aarti. He decides to spill the beans to Raghav about his affair with Aarti. But, suddenly a sort of realization dawns upon him - how can he call himself better compared to Raghav? He might have more money, but that was earned through illegal affairs. Will Aarti love him if she gets to know how he earned the money? So, he uses his influence to regain Raghav’s job. He makes Aarti hate him for life time, and watch her get married to Raghav.

I loved Raghav’s character – he always knew what he wanted, he stuck to his principles, and he never lost hope.

I loved Gopal’s character, too – though he used illegal means to earn money, he realizes it very soon, and sacrifices his beloved to somebody who deserves her, that is Raghav. He even gets a chance to become an MLA, but lets Raghav try for it, because he feels that Raghav can be a better politician.

I hated Aarti’s character. I have never seen a fickle-minded girl like her. How could she betray her beloved just because he’s too busy in his mission? Breaking up is one thing, betrayal is another. And, what happened to her ‘just friends’ policy? I felt like slapping her.

I did not like the usage of the F-word quite often. That was not necessary. Apart from that, I loved the book. As always, Chetan Bhagat kept the readers run through the lines. Needless to say, the book was quite interesting. I am surprised to see how much bribing goes into establishing a college. The book sends a message – you can do anything on earth if you have money and power. But, eventually, if you pause and think about it, it feels useless to have money earned through corrupt practices. I suggest that you read the book. By the time I finished the book, I was in tears!

The Last Leaf

Bobbie and I have been friends right when were five. He lost his parents, and his granny looked after him. Each day we met in the school, and together we played hide-and-seek, chased cats, gossiped about our classmates, and loved each other’s company. His Granny passed away when we were in college, and he was alone. But the busy college schedule left him no time to brood over the past. He was a happy-go-luck guy, and that was what kept him alive.

We graduated a year ago. I took to painting, as that was my passion. Bobbie was not sure what he wanted to do in his life. He applied for all sorts of jobs that he considered decent, all across the state, but in vain. There was not even a single Organization in the city that he had not tried for. Poor Bobby was depressed, and left with little money.

I was busy looking for opportunities to showcase my talent and earn a penny. My talent was well appreciated, and I could make a living for myself. During this one year I visited many places in the state, as part of my job.

I visited my good old friend only once in 3-4 months, and was worried that he could not stand up for himself.

Finally, it was a couple of days back that I saw him again, and I was taken aback at the condition he landed up in. He was lying on his bed, draped in rags. He looked as if he did not shave for more than a month, and resembled a rag-picker. He had been suffering from a low fever and cough, but he would place faith in a doctor. When I insisted, he visited a doctor in the city, but would not go for a treatment. All he says is ‘These doctors are always like that. I wouldn’t waste the little money that I am left with’. He wouldn’t borrow a penny from me, because that would damage his self respect. His face turned baby pink, and his eyes looked deprived of a proper sleep. ‘I am going to die in a few days’, he blurted, fighting back his tears. Poor Bobbie, what do I do now?

I looked around the house, or rather, the single room that he lived in. It was covered with a layer of dust and cobwebs. His garden was full of dried leaves fallen from the peepul tree. The tree had only a handful of leaves left. Maybe a clean atmosphere might make him feel better, I thought. I picked up the broom lying under the bed, and cleaned the house. Bobbie looked pleased.

Next, I started out to clean the garden as well. The dried leaves scattered on the floor made me feel sick.

‘Hey, dear!’ called out Bobbie in a broken voice. ‘It’s ok, leave the garden. Thank you so much for cleaning my room, I feel slightly better now. But this tree continues to shed leaves every hour and there’s no point cleaning it up. The tree’s condition is similar to mine. It’s deteriorating every day. Once it sheds all the leaves, I too will be gone’, he said, with a bleak smile on his face. I tried to defend, but that didn’t help. So, I hugged him good night, and left for my home.

That night I could hardly sleep. Bobbie’s last words echoed in my brain – “Once it sheds all the leaves, I too will be gone.” The optimist in me woke up… ‘So, that means that if the tree restores to its original state, Bobbie would be back in good health!’ I thought aloud. I remember seeing that the tree was left with only a handful of leaves. Oh my God! What if they fall off by morning? Then I knew what to do.

I sprang up from my bed, picked up my painting kit, and left for Bobbie’s house. I entered his garden stealthily. It was 6 in the morning, and the sky shone with an orange gleam. Bobbie was fast asleep. Maybe the medicine, which I had forced him to administer, worked. I looked at the tree. Good Heavens! Not even a single leaf left! I picked a shiny piece of paper from my painting kit, and painted a leaf on it. I cut out the outline and affixed it to one of the branches. It indeed looked like a real leaf! I couldn’t help but feel proud of myself. Any talent is worth it only when it helps somebody.

The morning birds chirped while leaving their nests for food. Bobbie rolled slightly on his bed while still asleep. I made a quick move out of the house, fearing that he might wake up and spot me.

I visited him every other day after that. I tried my best to keep him happy. Though he never had faith in doctors, I made him take all the medicines that the doctor had prescribed. We talked about our childhood days, our school, and our friends. He looked forward to meeting me every day after I returned from work. He looked better day-by-day. This continued for a couple of months, and he was now able to do all the household chores himself. I felt happy for him.

‘I must now find a job’, he told me one evening, when we were seated at my place, sipping coffee. What a positive change! The guy who felt that he would die in a few days is now ready to work! I was excited. ‘Bobbie, my man, I’m so happy for you. I will do anything to find you a job’, I poured out my heart.

‘I know, dear, I know. You have done so much for me. If only you did not paint a leaf and stuck to the peepul tree, I would have gone…’

There were butterflies in my stomach. ‘How on earth do you know that I painted one?’ I exclaimed.

Bobbie chuckled. ‘I noticed that there was only one leaf that did not fall from the tree. I felt that the day the leaf fell down, I would leave this world, too. One week passed, and then two weeks, and then three, but the leaf would never fall down. Meanwhile, my health improved, and I was able to my daily activities myself. I welcomed this change heartily.
'Yesterday, when I returned home from the market, the so-called leaf fell from the tree into my hands. I was surprised to note that it was just a piece of paper, painted like a leaf. For a few minutes I could not understand why it was stuck to the tree. I then recalled telling you that I had compared my health condition with that of the tree. Remember, I told you that once the last leaf falls from the tree, I too would be gone? So, I realized that you have done this to bring about a positive change in my attitude. And, you know what? IT WORKED! Yes, I no longer compare the condition of my health with that of the tree. But, the last leaf had given me a ray of hope. Every day I felt that I had another day to live.’

He hugged me with tears of joy. ‘You changed my attitude, dude! If I am able to stand up on my feet now, it’s because of the ray of hope you have created. I want to live, I want to work, and I want to do my best’.

I felt pleased with myself for bringing about this change in my fellow mate. I helped him search for a job. Finally, after a week, he was hired as a clerk in a bank close to his home.

As the saying goes ‘Whether you think you can, or think you can’t, you’re right’. Bobbie’s life is a living example of the same.

This story has been published in www.yourstoryclub.com.
 

Watching a Horror Movie

Smitha had always been afraid of horror movies since her childhood. She had goose bumps just by watching the trailer itself, let alone the actual movie.

But she had made up her mind to face it. Being a science student, she knew that devils never existed. Yet, watching a horror movie was so terrifying. She had to come out of it. Hence, she decided to watch a new horror movie that had just arrived in the city.

She was doing it for the first time. She did not even know who the actors were. She did not hear any reviews about the movie from any of her friends as nobody had watched it either. On the top of it, she went alone. This meant that there was no shoulder to tug at, when she was afraid.

It being a morning show, and that too, a weekday, there were hardly thirty people at the theatre. The huge door to the hall opened and everybody moved in, pushing one another. Smitha entered the hall slowly after almost everyone entered, searched for her seat in the darkness, and sat there. The movie would begin anytime now. She prayed in silence.

The movie started with a sheer dark background, casting an abandoned bungalow in a deserted area. The sky was storming and pouring heavily. Smitha had already imagined herself in the situation, and had a tickling feeling in her stomach. The sound effects added to her feeling. And then there was a sudden noise as if a huge building had collapsed. And, everyone in the theatre sat up. Smitha let out a small shriek. She had promised herself that she wouldn’t shriek or run away while watching the movie.

The movie went on for another couple of hours. It had moments of darkness, bloodshed, whimpering, and what not! Smitha was successful in not screaming, but her insides felt like her nerves would explode any moment. Whenever there was utter silence, she could even feel her heartbeat. And finally it was over. She liked the climax because the devil perished, and everything ended up in a favorable way. She let out a deep sigh and left the theatre feeling good about herself. She had finally made it! She proved to herself that she could face it.

If you think of it again, this incident is similar to our lives. Sometimes we choose to face our challenges, and most of the times we are forced to do so. We don’t get to watch a trailer of our lives, meaning we do not know what is to come. What lies ahead of us can be horrifying or threatening. Not always do we end up in a happy note. The difference between a movie and a real life is that in a real life, we are the actors.

Walking on Eggs

It was a pleasant morning with the orange gleam of the sun shining on the waves of the sea. What a lovely sight! I was jogging on the sea shore like many others. Few people were capturing the morning beauty (not me, the sun… Ahem! Ahem!) in their cameras. A camera can capture only the picture, but not how you felt when you were there.

After jogging for a few minutes, I found a flowery path nearby. I had never seen that before. I noticed that many more people were entering the garden. And so I approached it. It was picture perfect! There was a central path and a variety of flowers and bushes on either side. I entered the garden and jogged for a few more minutes capturing the smiles of the cute little flowers.

After a while I felt something crack under my foot. I looked down to find a broken egg. I had been too engrossed in enjoying the moment that I did not notice the people around me, or the path ahead. I was taken aback to find that the path had hundreds, or perhaps, thousands of eggs. They lay quite close to one another that it would be difficult to avoid stamping them. I found that many others ahead of me were struggling to walk on the path. I looked around for exit.

I caught hold of a passerby and asked her what on earth was all this. She explained ‘This is the path for the break-no-eggs game. Once you are here, there’s no getting out unless you complete the 1km path.’ I looked around for exit. Oh my God! No exit! I was trapped there. She continued, ‘if you break any egg, you would be punished by the authorities. The more eggs you break, the heavier is the punishment. There are hidden cameras in the bushes to track the number of eggs you have broken’.

I took three more steps and broke another egg. I heard a click from the bushes. Oops! Counted! I waded my way through the path of eggs and ended up breaking a few more. What a stupid game! How on earth can somebody come out of it without damaging the eggs? Why did I get here, in the first place? Why should I be lured by the cute flowers and put myself in danger? I could not enjoy their presence. All I wanted was to get out of the place.

I opened my eyes. I was in my bedroom, lying on my bed. It was dark except for the bed light. My husband was in his slumber. Huh! I was dreaming. Thank God! I drank a glass of water and slept peacefully after realizing that I need not worry about breaking any eggs. A few dreams are much closer to reality.

The Festival of Colors

It was Holi – the festival of colors. Me and my gang of girls ensured that we had an early breakfast that day so as to escape from those spraying colors on us. After we returned, we entered the battlefield. Laughing, chatting, chasing, running, skidding continued for two hours. And then we ran out of colors. My roomie and I had a brilliant idea – that we would cycle to C’not and get some more colors. Ha! As if the tons of colors that we were soaked in were not enough!

We took out our bicycles from the shed, mounted on them, and headed towards the gate. As soon as we came out of the gate, skreacchhhh! Sudden brake… Both of us were taken aback at the sight in front of us. There were nearly fifty boys waiting outside the girls’ hostel, to catch the girls coming out. They were dressed in torn clothes soaked in mud, broken eggs, tomatoes, and of course, colors. For the first time that morning we felt that there were people who looked worse than us (pun intended).

 

A few guys saw us stopping dead near the gate, and headed towards us. But the watchman prevented them. I should really appreciate the watchman for being able to control such a large mass.

My roomie and I exchanged a look. We knew what to do. The guys were about 50m away from the gate, thanks to the watchman. We accelerated our bicycles so fast that before the guys knew it, we took a left turn and zoomed into the professors’ quarters. We giggled for such a nice escape. Little did we know that there was yet another group of guys in front of us. Oh my God! What to do now? One group behind us, and another in front of us…. We were trapped. And then, the professors’ quarters came to our rescue once again. We took a right turn and ran into the first house.

We reached the courtyard and noticed a middle-aged lady, clad in a cotton saree and colors sprinkled here and there, coming out to wish us. We wished her a happy Holi, and took her blessings. The professor came out, too, and wished us a happy Holi. Even though we had a nice time playing with colors, it felt good to receive their blessings. Then the lady went in and brought sweets. That felt like a complete Holi – fun with friends, blessings from elders, and sweets! What more do you need for a celebration?

We thanked the couple, bought colors in C’not, and after a few more escapes reached MB. Can you imagine that the 1km ride took us 1hour on bicycles? But that was the most memorable Holi in my life.

The Man with the Horns

This is an old story I heard from my roomie. Presenting it to you after making many changes and adding masala:

Lakshmi was busy preparing meals in the kitchen when she heard a scream from her bedroom. She was startled and hurried to the bedroom, wondering what on earth made her husband, Raju, scream so loudly.

Meanwhile, Raju rushed to the kitchen to tell his wife about the disaster. Both of them almost ran into each other at the door.

Lakshmi looked at her husband, and it was her turn to scream. She shrieked like a little girl watching a horror movie.'What the hell is this? How on earth do you have horns?’, Lakshmi asked him in a shrill voice.
‘I have absolutely no idea how this bizarre thing has landed on my head. After the shower I went to the dressing table to comb my hair, and and …’, Raju gulped to fight back his tears.
‘Hey! You are not fooling me, are you?’, Lakshmi wondered aloud, touching his horns and trying to pull them away. But, they wouldn’t come.
‘Shut up! I am breaking my head wondering what might have caused this, and you think I am fooling you?’, Raju cried out, pushing his wife away. Lakshmi understood that it was something serious.
The couple sat on the bed thinking hard, but nothing would strike them. Lakshmi tried to console him by saying that the horns would disappear the way they had appeared. She said that she would love him the same way she had always loved him. Raju was comforted by her words. He wondered why he had never realized her love towards him. It is only during tough times that you realize who really cares for you, and who tries to wash off their hands.Suddenly Lakshmi straightened and her eyes lit up. ‘What happened?’, asked Raju, genuinely surprised. He always feels there's a child hidden inside Lakshmi. She never loses hope. That’s what he likes about her.
‘Let’s talk to the Pandit. He’s the head of the village. He might come up with a solution’, said Lakshmi, breaking his chain of thoughts.
Raju did not really appreciate the idea. The thought of everybody looking at him weirdly embarrassed him. How was he going to show up in public?
‘I’ll get the Pandit here’, said Lakshmi. Raju wondered if she had a see-through vision with which she could read his mind. He smiled bleakly.

That evening Lakshmi visited the Pandit’s house located close to the temple. It was a small house surrounded by a huge garden and a fencing wall. She, being from a low caste family, was not entitled to enter the Pandit’s house. So she sent a ‘gate call’ to him through the Pandit’s daughter, who was gardening at that moment. The little girl ran into the house calling after her father.
A middle-aged man clad in a saffron-colored dhoti emerged from the main door. He had a clean-shaved head, except for a pig tail in the center of the scalp. His forehead had several layers of sandal wood and kumkum. As he approached the gate, Lakshmi bowed politely, joining her hands. He nodded.
‘Ha, Lakshmi, what’s the matter? What made you come here at this time?’ enquired the Pandit.

Lakshmi was nervous. She did not know how to put it, although she had rehearsed a thousand times in her mind. Finally, she had brought herself to speak up. ‘I have encountered a very weird scene. I am at my wits end. I am in need of help. Only you can save me’, she wailed, with a tensed expression on her face.
'Go ahead, and tell me what your problem is. I’ll see if I can help you’, said the Pandit, somewhat irritated that his time was being wasted.
‘My husband, Raju, has horns on his head. I have no clue why that happened…’

‘What!!!!! Raju has horns???!!!!!!’ exclaimed the Pandit so loudly that a few passersby gathered to follow the conversation. After all, it would be a great news to gossip. This unsettled Lakshmi a little. She wanted them to get away. She tried to ignore them, but she couldn’t. She could hear their whispers.

‘Hey Bhagavan! Why did such a thing happen to Raju?’, the Pandit continued. He was lost in a deep thought for a while, and finally made a very offensive statement. ‘Looks like Raju must have committed a great sin. The Almighty has chosen to punish him this way. We can’t forgive him. I’ll arrange for a panchayat tomorrow. Bring him there, and we’ll decide what needs to be done’, said the Pandit and turned to leave.
Lakshmi couldn’t believe her ears. She clasped her hands to her mouth, awestruck. Tears were rolling out of her eyes. The villagers protested behind her, saying ‘We can’t forgive Raju’, ‘He had to be slaughtered to death’, and so on.
‘Please don’t do this to him. He was always very kind to everyone. He never committed any sins…’ Lakshmi pleaded, but the Pandit had already left.
Lakshmi turned to face the curious audience who were still passing comments and giggling. She hurried home to meet her poor husband.

Raju was watching the Television to kill time or to divert himself from the disaster he had landed up in, but in vain. He avoided the mirror. When he heard Lakshmi approaching the house, he sprang up with an air of hope.
Lakshmi cried like a baby and hugged him. She narrated the whole story, and spread the tension to him. Raju loathed the Pandit and the villagers. ‘What’s the use of education when you can’t apply logic? What’s the use of chanting mantras or listening to the Gita all the day when it doesn’t snap some sense into your being?’, he wondered.
Panic is the worst disease, and it’s contagious too. After a couple of hours, the couple composed themselves. It dawned upon them that they had to get away from that hellhole. The couple made a living in the village with a small pawn shop in the market. They were left with little money. They wouldn’t survive if they ran away. But do they have an option? Yes! The best way to solve a problem is to face it.
So they planned to attend the Panchayat the next day. The news had spread like wild fire and everybody opined with the Pandit that Raju had to be severely punished. A huge crowd gathered at the mentioned place when the couple entered. There were exclamations, giggles, gossips, murmurs, and what not. But Raju was not intimidated. He was determined to fight.
The Pandit observed Raju from head to toes, and fixed his gaze on the horns. After a few seconds, the Pandit looked at the crowd and spoke, ‘Dear villagers, you have been asked to assemble here to witness how the Almighty punishes the sinful’. There was a pin-drop silence. The Pandit looked at Raju and asked, ‘Tell me, what have you done that you have landed up in this situation? If you accept your mistakes, the severity of the punishment can be reduced. I will give you 5 minutes, and if you fail to answer by that time, you will be hanged’.
Lakshmi shrieked in horror. She clung to her husband and cried out aloud. She was so shocked at the hostility of the villagers, and the so-called Pandit, that she couldn’t utter a word. Raju comforted her, and turned to the Pandit. ‘As per my knowledge, I have never done anything sinful. If the Almighty thinks I need to be punished, he will punish me. If he thinks I deserve a beautiful life like the rest of you, he will save me’, said Raju in a saintly voice.
At the end of the 5 minutes, the Pandit declared, ‘Raju will be hanged. This should be a lesson for all of us to be free of all sins, and devote one’s life to the Almighty’. He turned to Raju and asked, ‘Do you have a last wish?’ Raju shook his head. The Pandit signaled to a few of the villagers to make arrangements for hanging the culprit.
Raju turned to Lakshmi who looked half-dead. She was weaning and held him tight. He lifted her face with his fingers, and whispered, ‘I love you, dear. You were such an asset to me. I could never imagine a life without you. Be the same cheery-looking girl even after my death. Be bold, and stay away from these morons’.
‘How… how can I.. be… be the same… wi… without you?’ was all Lakshmi could say.Meanwhile, arrangements were made for the heinous act and Raju was summoned on to the stage. Lakshmi collapsed on the ground, half dead. The Pandit’s crew covered Raju’s face with a black cloth and…. FLICKKKKK…. To everyone’s astonishment, Raju’s horns vanished!!!
If you think that was a miracle, it was nothing compared to what happened after that. All the villagers who gathered there, including the Pandit, developed horns!!!! Only Lakshmi did not. There were a lot of cries, shrieks, and protests. At this point, Lakshmi got up and was back to life. She couldn’t believe her eyes. She looked at Raju with a broad smile.
Raju uncovered his face and witnessed the miracle. He knew that the Almighty would rescue him. He touched his scalp to check that his horns had vanished, and ran to his wife in excitement. Both of them tried to escape before anybody noticed them.
The Pandit had to save his face before the villagers. It was only a few minutes before that he had declared that developing horns is a reflection of one’s sins. And now, he himself has developed horns. What would he answer now? He thought for a while, and finally announced, ‘Dear villagers, it’s not our fault that we have horns. Since all of us have them, it is not possible that all of us have committed sins. I am the noblest person in this village, as all of you know. I have devoted my entire life to the Almighty. Hence, developing horns is the Almighty’s way of rewarding noble people like me. I see that all of you fall into the same category. The only ones who don’t have horns are Raju and Lakshmi. So, we have to hang both of them. Are you with me?’

The villagers liked the Pandit’s decision, partly because that gave them protection, and partly because they were afraid of him. They unanimously agreed to his decision.

The Pandit ordered his crew to catch Raju and Lakshmi and summon them. Little did they know that the couple was already on their way to leave the hellhole. They ran for hours together to catch a bus to a city far away from this place. They knew that the Pandit would make a decision in his favor, and convince the stupid villagers into believing it. They started a new life in the new place and worked hard to make a living. All is well that ends well.
Moral of the story:

People always try to save their skin, and blame others.

The society always blames the odd-man-out, even if whatever he does is correct. If everybody does a wrong thing, it becomes acceptable. One beautiful example for this is asking for dowry. Everybody does it, and so everybody thinks it is correct.

Celebrating Womanhood

Being a woman is the most difficult thing in the world. Agreed.
Your parents expect you to behave well with everyone, your in-laws expect you
to manage the entire household all by yourself, your kids expect you to be very
sweet and give them a lot of time, attention, and patience, and tell them
stories, and your hubby expects you to always look pleasant and presentable.
Phew! Lots of expectations!
But there’s one positive side of being a woman. A woman can
pursue her dreams. This is because the primary responsibility of financing for
a household lies with the man. Woman merely acts as an additional supplier of
money in a family. While the man’s income is used to incur household expenses,
a woman’s income is used for investments, tours, travels, and luxuries. This is
the scenario with most of the middle class families.

Hence, a woman has a choice to make in her career. She need
not run after the jobs that guarantee a fixed monthly income. If her dream is
on the creative side, be it arts, literature, or social service, she can live
the dreams.

A note to all my friends and sisters out there – chase your
dreams, and let your hubby worry about financing the household. J

Wash The Mud

It was a bright day after a downpour the previous night. The
grass on the front yard was glistening with sunlight on the raindrops. It was a
daily ritual for the two
six-year-olds, Sony and Arun, to play in the mud before their moms dragged them
to get ready to go to school. The Moms had a tough time washing the dirt away
from the kids and their clothes. But the kids wouldn’t listen. Ever since they
became neighbors, they loved to play in the mud.

Arun was inscribing his name in the mud. Sony made a model
of a hill. After she had finished the masterpiece,
she looked at Arun, and said, ‘Look at the temple that I have made’.

Arun looked at it and laughed. ‘What sort of a temple is
that?’ he criticized.

‘Hey! The temple is on the top of the hill. It has a series
of stairs to the top’, Sony protested.

‘I can make a much better one’, said Arun, and began to put
his creativity into the competition.

Sony watched in silence as Arun created a bigger hill out of
the mud. He also managed to shape a temple on the top. Sony was green with
jealousy. She jumped on to the hill that Arun had made, and crashed it in a
second.

Arun looked red with anger, and pushed her with all his
force. She fell in a puddle beside her and was bathed in mud. She began to cry
loudly, so as to gather the attention of her family.

Sony’s Mom arrived instantly and was taken aback at the
sight of her daughter bathed in mud from head to toe. Sony ran to her Mom and
wailed, ‘He… he pushed me… in… into the mud’.

Arun was worried as to what Sony’s Mom would say. He began, ‘She
was the one who stamped….’

‘Stop it. How dare you push my daughter into mud? You need a
beating’, she said, moving towards Arun with her hand raised on him. Arun’s Mom
had just emerged from her kitchen after sensing that something was wrong.

‘Sandhya, what’s happening? How dare you beat my son’, Arun’s
Mom growled at her.

‘Look at what he has done. He pushed my daughter into the
mud. He’s such a rowdy!’

‘Shut up! Don’t you call him a rowdy. Your daughter is the
one who triggers him to do all this. She’s the cause of all fights’.

‘Accha! And your son is sooooo innocent’, mimicked Sandhya.

There was a row between the two and they slowly dig into the
family histories. They complained about each other’s families, and what they had
faced for the past two years. They seemed to have forgotten where the fight had
begun, or why they were doing all this.

Sandhya’s husband had just woken up hearing the raising
voices of the two women. Just then Arun’s Dad came back from the market,
carrying a basket of vegetables. The two men tried to calm down the women. But
when the women went into family histories, the men lost their cool, and joined
the fight.

The other neighbors gathered to look at the drama. Some of
them fuelled the fire, too.

After half-an-hour of tremendous efforts from both the parties,
an old man from the neighborhood approached the sight, and knew what was
happening. He was a well-respected man in the colony. People with petty
problems approached him for solutions, and he comforted them with his words.
Now it was his chance to put off the fire.

‘Hold on, hold on, dear ones. Please stop this fight and
answer me’, the old man came on to the stage,
raising both his hands as if signaling them to stop.

The fighting club kept quiet after listening to the old man’s
voice. They were already sweating after exhausting all their energy.

‘Where are the kids?’ asked the old man. Everyone craned
their necks to spot the kids playing in the mud again.

‘Have you noticed that the kids, who were the initial point
of this fight, are back to their own world? We have a lot to learn from them. Unlike
adults, kids do not carry grudges. Even if they fight for the silliest things
on earth, they forget everything in a matter of seconds. They are happy to be
friends again’, said the old man.

The old man’s magic worked. It dawned upon the two families
that they had been fighting just for nothing. They exchanged a sheepish smile and apologized
for their behavior. The two Moms headed
towards the kids. It was time to wash the mud off themselves and their kids.

Just Chill!!!

When I read this saying long back at my best friend’s home –
‘The best thing about old friends is that they are always comfortable’, I did
not actually realize how true it is. It was only recently that I got the
essence of the saying. Whoever said it was surely a great person.

I was at one of my best friend’s home along with two other college
friends. It had been a long time since we all met. After a warm welcome from
them, we headed into the house, and lied down there for hours
together. We chit-chatted, laughed, ate, lied down, and chit-chatted again. The
room was not silent even for a split-second. No wonder time passed by in a
wink. We then decided to attack a shopping mall!! J

We took our own time to get ready and then set out lazily to
the Bangalore Central. We lost ourselves shopping for kurthas for our dear
friend. I was startled to notice the time, and so had to rush home. I bid
farewell to my buddies, and returned home.

Some of the best moments of life come without a notice, when
we are obsessed with our busy lives. These are moments that money can’t buy.

What does it take to experience such a delight? It requires
a strong bonding with your buddies, and a willingness to take out some time
from your mundane life. Next time you get a chance to spend time with your
besties, grab it! Or, better still, create one.

July 2nd, 3rd, and 4th

July 2^nd – Calligraphy skills I love my hand writing, and I am good at calligraphy. I put my skills into practice while working for a project in college, where I had to present our work on charts. Many of my friends liked them, too.

After so many years, it was time to bring it back. There was an event in our Company recently, and I volunteered to write down the names of the participants on the certificates. You know the nest thing about doing something you like? It is the hangover!! Yes, you actually re-live the moments even after finishing the task. I spent only 15 minutes on writing the names, but I felt as if I have been doing it all day, feeling so good about it.

And the best part is, I also recieved a token for the same!!! It is a Tie pin that I pinned to my cubicle.
 July 3^rd –Day off with my baby

Again, I am doing this for the first time, if you ignore the first few months after she was born, when I was on my maternity leave. Yes, I took a day off today only to spend time with her for hours and hours together. And, dear me, it is never boring.

July 4th – Finance Plan

I had been procrastinating this since long. Finally, I felt relieved to have put it out today. Life becomes simpler and clearer when you spell out things.

I sat down with my Hubby to check the inflow and outflow of money for the household. We considered all the sources of income (not that we have so many), and all the ways of spending and investing. That showed us how much we can save or invest. We then moved to our future plans, and though I am not sure if we will meet all our targets, I feel better now, to put down things at one place. You would at least know where you stand.

Adding updates from Sowmya:

On July 2nd, Sowmya spent time with a family we had known since we were in school. She always loves the company.

On July 3rd, Sowmya was alone at home for the whole day, roaming like a bhoot in a Ram Gopal Verma's movie, trying to frighten the neighborhood. Sowmya, any victims? :P