A Letter to the 10-year-old-Swathi from the present Swathi

Dear Swathi,

I hope you are doing well. I am doing well in my current job. You will be surprised to know that I have become a Technical Writer, contrary to what you have planned. You have planned to make me a school teacher, am I right? Well, dreams change, baby. What really matters is I am quite satisfied with my job right now. I also maintain a blog to try my hand at creative writing. Isn’t that cool?

What else is going on in your life? Regular going to school, doing homework, playing with friends, and sleeping? How I wish I could be you! Anyways, since you love swimming, join a swimming course. Believe me, you are never going to get a chance again.

I also know that you have fear of public speaking. Don’t worry, you are going to overcome that one in college. But why wait till your college days? Do the things that you are afraid of. Confront them, and the fear will die away.

Another thing that I have noticed about you is that you do not seem to appreciate your physique. Appreciate the body that you live in. Believe me, you are going to become taller, stronger, and sharper, since you drink Horlicks every day! J Okay, jokes apart, love your body, nourish your body, and you will feel more comfortable to be yourself.

Finally, help the elders at home with the household chores. You have no idea what a tremendous effort it is to become a mother of two. So, appreciate the efforts put in by Mom and Dad. Help them every way that you can.

Love you lots,

Swathi

My Ideal Place

My ideal place would be a gated community which has a lot of greenery, serenity, and peace. It must have the following facilities:

• No private vehicles, except for cycles. The parking lots at the entrance of the community should stop the entry of vehicles and thus the pollution that comes with them. However, if the community is too large, buses can be arranged.
• Beautifully laid out roads with dividers and foot paths
• Rain water harvesting
• No litter
• No usage of plastic
• Water supply for only a couple of hours each day
• Trees, trees, and more trees
• A huge library
• A school that brings all-round development of the students - Along with academics, the schools teaches moral values, leadership skills, and encourages participation in extra-curricular activities
• A college
• A hospital and a medical centre
• An orphanage
• A home for the mentally challenged
• A few functional halls to host functions, summer camps, vocational training, etc
• Play areas for children
• A sports club and a gym
• A swimming pool
• A shopping complex
• A theatre
• An open-air auditorium for all the enthusiastic folks out there
• A vegetable market
• A ward to accommodate all the servants
• A water recycling unit
• A paper recycling unit
• A plastic recycling unit

Phew! Such a long list. Actually, the prompt is to use 400 words to describe my ideal place. But, I am unable to come up with more items. In fact, I wrote a similar article before.

My Getways From The Pressures Of Life

The good thing about the pressures of life, family, or work is that they never last long. They are always there, but stress and excitement come and go - like dawn and dusk. But if something is bugging you for longer than expected, you need to do something to flush it out of your life.

These are my getaways from the pressures:

1.    Beach: The best thing about a beach is it is never ending and never boring, at least to me. I can sit there for hours together every day, even without a company. Gazing at the countless waves, the crabs, the clouds, and the sun/moon, soothes my mind. The beach is the one thing that I miss in Bangalore.
 

2.    Shopping: Shopping lifts up my mood so much so that I forget to look at the watch. When my sis, Sowmya, left for US, we shopped for a month. Believe me, the very thought of “going to shop for one complete month” kept me awake the night before! I was that excited!
 

3.    Friend’s house: Talking to your best friend is like seeing a psychologist. Even if you don’t tell your friend what’s bugging you, talking to them about random stuff helps a lot.
 

4.    My blog: I actually started my blog to overcome my frustration (Of course, I also use it to hone my writing skills). Writing is my way to venting out my feelings. If I do not want to share my sorrows on my blog, I just write them down in a word doc. If sharing it with the concerned person helps improve the situation, I share it with him/her. Otherwise, I delete it. Either way, it helps me get those drains out of my system.

Remember, YOU are bigger than any of your problems. Most of the time, you might be simply magnifying your problems. Talking to yourself really helps in such cases.

12 Things To Do When There’s No Power

Although the prompt just says that there’s no power, to make it more interesting, I am assuming a situation where you are alone at home after dawn, and everything is dark except for the moonlight.

1. Play Antyakshari or sing all your favourite songs aloud. This one is my favourite. I do this even when there’s electricity, just to irritate people around me.. hehe
2.  Talk to yourself. Talk about your treasured moments, talk about your future, talk about the people you love the most. Talk about what you expect from yourself. If possible, write.
3.  Phone a friend.
4. Dial a wrong number and propose to him/her.
5. Just go window shopping. Shop for four hours without spending a penny.
6. Talk a stroll in the park nearby.
7.  Imagine as if you are on the stage facing thousands of audiences, who are eagerly waiting for your performance. Now perform. It can be a dance, a song, a speech, poetry, magic, or anything that fancies you. 
8. Play with your neighbouring kids, or chat with your neighbours.
9.  Blindfold yourself, and cook your favourite recipe. Since it’s already dark, you don’t need to really blindfold yourself, I guess.
10.  Make shadows with your fingers focussed by moonlight.
11. Dress up like a devil. Wear white clothes, let your hair loose, hold a candle, etc, and scare your neighbours.
12. Sing a pathetic song in a terrible voice, record it, and send it to your best buddies, without letting them know that it’s you.

What would you do when there’s no power? I hope nobody is going to try #11 and #12 on me! :D 

Cinderella - A twist to the tale

Cinderella is in the kitchen when she hears the voice of a stranger talking to her step mother.

“Madam, I want you to try this glass slipper, and see if it fits you. The Prince has ordered that all the ladies in his kingdom try it. So, I want the other ladies in your home to try it too”, says the stranger.

Cinderella’s heart skips a beat. “Is he talking about the one I lost at the Royal Ball?” she wonders. She peeps through the window, and sure enough, it is her own slipper in the man’s hand.

Her step mother tries the slipper, but it’s too small for her. Her sisters are now summoned over to try the slipper. Cinderella eagerly waits for her turn; she begins to head towards the four of them. She too deserves a chance. She wonders what would happen after the slipper fits her foot. Will the Prince marry her?

Thrilled about the thought, she looks at her second step sister try the slipper, after the first one failed. To her bewilderment, the slipper fits her sister!! What! How can that happen? But she cannot protest since nobody knows about her secret visit to the Royal Ball.

Her step mother and her first step sister are now clapping in excitement. Her second sister is so delighted at her fortune. The stranger looks relieved that his quest has come to an end. He leaves for the royal palace to carry the news. Unable to fight back her tears, Cinderella runs back into the kitchen, and sobs. The others are too occupied to notice her.

That night Cinderella is unable to sleep. She is confused. The Prince is going to marry her sister. How does she stop it? She wants to tell the Prince everything about the story, but how?

The news spreads the kingdom like wild fire. The Prince announces that he would come down to her house to meet his angel. Cinderella waits for a chance to speak to the Prince for a couple of minutes, wishing that he might change his mind. All through the day she is busy dishing out nice recipes for the royal guest, while her step mother and sisters are busy trying to look their best.

Finally, the Prince arrives in his chariot by dawn, as promised. All the three ladies welcome him warmly. The Prince looks at her second sister to say something, but his smile turns into a knitted brow, and he doesn't say anything. He looks at her with a bit of confusion and bewilderment. “Was it the same lady who danced with me that night? She looked divinely that day. How come she has changed so much in just a week?” he wonders.

Cinderella spreads the dining table, and lays down dinner for all four of them. The Prince’s chain of thoughts is broken by the magnificence with which the table has been laid, and the aroma and the taste of the dishes. The four of them relish the food in delight, while Cinderella caters to their needs. Finally, while serving the dessert, Cinderella spills a spoonful of ice cream on the Prince’s clothes.

The ladies shout at Cinderella. Normally, she would have buried herself in embarrassment, but this time she is silently happy. Cinderella offers to help the Prince wash off the ice cream, and he does not seem to mind. She takes him to the kitchen where the ladies cannot see both of them, and closes the door behind the Prince. That’s when the Prince observes the lady who has offered to help him.

The radiant eyes, the rosy lips, the glossy hair, the tall and thin structure feels familiar to him. “Hi, I am Cinderella. I have to tell you something”, says Cinderella in a hurried whisper. “Shh! Let’s dance”, asks the Prince, holding out his hand.

Cinderella cannot believe her eyes. She places her hand into his, looking into his eyes. The moment he holds her, he realizes that she is indeed his angel. They dance and dance, yeah, to music that only they both can hear, until they hear somebody bang on the door. Both of them come back to this world at this, and the Prince opens the door to see Cinderella’s second sister at the door. She looks at both of them in bewilderment since they are still holding their hands.

The Prince realizes that there’s something fishy about the whole affair. He confronts, “Tell me, what did you do so that the slipper fit you? You know that you were not the one who danced with me. Tell me now, otherwise, I shall have you beheaded.”

The lady is shocked that the Prince has found out the truth. She has to confess now. “Well, I am madly in love with you. So, I decided that I would do anything and everything to marry you. With the help of a witch who lives at the end of the city, I got a spell on myself that made the glass slipper fit me”, she said.

Cinderella is shocked, but relieved that the truth has finally come out. The Prince then tells the guilty, “True love and happiness cannot be gained by a spell. It has to come from the heart. And, no matter what you do, truth always makes its way to the right place at the right moment. I am not going to punish you because all is fair in love.”

Cinderella is surprised at his generosity. The Prince then turns to Cinderella, and asks, “Will you marry me, Cinderella?”

Cinderella is filled with tears of joy. She turns pink, and hugs the Prince. The Prince gets the answer. Actions speak louder than words. They both get married and live happily ever after.

PS: Friends, I have written this piece of fiction as part of a writing prompt that asks me to re-write the story of Cinderella with a twist. The prompt says that the glass slipper fits one of Cinderella's sister, and I had to pick from there. Although I was asked to end the story in a sad note, I did not have the heart to do that. We, Indians, are not big fans of sad endings, am I right?

Picture Prompt

Friends,

Today I have got a picture prompt. It asks me to pick up the 14th photo from an album and what I get surprises me.

The pic was taken by Pradeep in May 2010, when my Mom and my sis, Sowmya, visited our home in Bangalore. We were at the Visweswarayya museum.

I am left with tons of nostalgia after seeing this pic. How I wish I get the golden days back! Those were the days when there was only Pradeep and I in our sweet home... wow! And when Mom and Sowmya visited us, we roamed around the city as if we had wheels tied to our feet. Visweswarayya museum is a delight to all the engineers. We were so curious to learn about everything. I also miss my dear sister and Mom very badly.

Anyways, all this writing makes me give you an advice, dear friends, when there are no kids or elders at home, live and cherish every moment with your beloved. You never know how badly you would want those days back. 

An Eventful Day

M soooo excited!!!! M gonna write about three people who made my day yesterday.

When I had informed my colleague, Ravi, that I wanted to visit the ATM branch that was about a 15min walk from office, he offered to drop me on his bike. How sweet! I felt good for the offer, but I do not seek anybody’s help unless I need it. So, I postponed my visit to another day. I wondered that had our roles been reversed, would I offer the same help to a colleague or a friend?

Another colleague, Kishore, dropped me home while returning from office yesterday. I had a meeting in 30min, and this guy was concerned whether I would be able to make it. So, instead of just leaving me on the main road, he came out of his way to drop me at my doorstep. Wow!

I was already feeling very good about having found such kind friends in a short period of time, and, to add to my joys, I got a bumper offer. Guess what? Dad visited me!!!! A surprise visit! I could not speak anything for a few minutes, imagine! He said, “I visited Chennai at a quick notice. I wanted to see you, and so, instead of taking the train back to Vizag, I got into the Bangalore train, just to see you, dear.” After hearing this, I had to fight back my tears of joy to look normal. But the smile on my face wouldn’t go away.

Last night I was tossing in bed for a long time, still grinning. Out of excitement, I just could not sleep! Wowwwwwww!!

The Good Samaritan

Today I am gonna write about a nice thing that happened to me yesterday.

I was riding at almost 50 kmph on the ITPL road amidst heavy, yet fast-moving, traffic, when the bike racing a few feet away from me came to sudden halt. I applied a sudden brake, but it was already out of my control. Thud! I hit the bike. I then wondered what had made the biker stop so suddenly, and to my surprise, there were two more bikes in front of this one. That means, this biker stopped for the same reason that I did... there were two more "thuds" before mine!! We almost made a chain of bikes.

I apologized to the biker who was immediately in front of me. He understood how I felt because he too had done the same mistake. I enquired that his name was Arun. When both of us were about to leave, I realized that my bike was not moving! OMG! What would have happened?

I checked, and found out that the wheel was misaligned slightly, and the metal dome above the wheel (donno what it is called) touched the wheel. I made an attempt to align them properly, but it was too hard for me. Seeing my efforts, Arun helped me. He had to apply a great amount of energy to bring things back into shape. I thanked him cordially, and we parted.

At that moment itself I felt that I should share my gratitude towards him with all of you, because, you would rarely expect the guy, whose bike you had hit, to help you.

Writing Prompt 1

Friends, I am starting a blogathon now, which means I am gong to write an article a day. To help myself come up with interesting articles, I am picking up writing prompts from this website: http://creativewritingprompts.com/

Wish me all success, buddies!!

This is my first entry for the blogathon:

It is seen in most homes, restaurants, and offices. Although it's just a table with a few chairs, although it's primary purpose is to accommodate food items and cutlery, it is the hub for socializing.  It's the facilitator for interesting conversations. It sets the mood for a perfect date. It lets your friends or family open up their feelings, or share their experiences of the day, thus making them feel lighter. Candle light dinners, moonlight dinners, birthday parties, family get-togethers - you can never imagine any of these without this one. It sets the stage for a sumptuous luncheon. Has it ever occurred to you that a dining table plays such a major part in your life?

P.S: The writing prompt for this article is to close your eyes briefly and think of an object in the room, and write about it without looking at it. Please let me know how I have written.

Don’t Lose Your Mind, Lose Your Weight - Rujuta Diwekar

Rating – 5/5

One line for the book: Another must-read; I am lucky to have read this book.

About the book: Ruzuta rightly says that dieting is the most misunderstood word in English. All of us have our own versions of dieting. There is an overflow of knowledge on what to eat, what not to eat, when and how much to eat, blah blah blah. Some of them are facts, some are myths, and most of them are a combination of both. Ruzuta breaks all the myths and creates awareness on eating right.

What I love about the book: The book doesn’t simply impart knowledge, it creates awareness. Rather than telling us what to do and what not to do, the book explains why we should do so. The writing is so compelling that you would immediately jump into action.

What I did not like about the book: If you insist that I have to write something here, well, I would say – the occasional use of Hindi words.

What I learned from the book: I found answers to most of the doubts that I had all my life. Here are a few:

• What exactly is dieting?
• Why should we not take tea or coffee on empty stomach?
• People lose fat by eating every two hours. Interesting, but how?
• Why and how should we work out?
• Why should we not eat anything before going to bed?

Read the book to find answers to all these questions.