Friday evening..blues

Its friday evening and I feel soo exhausted and tired...not that I have done anything significant in the past one week but the thought of having worked for 5 long days actually makes me more tiring.But the best part is the weekend which I am looking forward to.Today while bathing kiddo I asked him how the celebrations for Aug 15 are going on.He said PT sir will ask all of them to do as he does and will draw a line on which all the kids have to walk.I asked kiddo if he is learning how to walk on that line drawn by PT sir.With a long look at me he said'I already know how to walk mumma' for which I could not stop laughing.Okay,Yeah!!How true.
  Today I am getting super bored at office.Just wish it is 6:30 instead of 4:30..two more looong hours to go.sleepy,drowsy, bored,don’t feel like doing anything.Y.A.W.N.
I instead decided to watch a new AIB video..just hoping that no creepy colleague comes and peeps into my system.Hello AIB ;-))

I am back..one more time

I have been wanting to write on my blog for quite some time now. Been away from this wonderful space  for quite some time...There have been many thoughts revolving around my head...but have not been able to make it through my little space. One more year or a little over a year, to be precise  has gone by and all that stands out to say that I have become more materialistic and less creatively involved in my little/ only mine space.But what with all the time on hand I have now with one more change in job, I have resolved to write atleast one blog post a month.So here I am once again with my ranting and whining...all the way ; - ))..Leaving you with the beauty of vizag shores.

clueless!!! Totally!!

Guess I take on to writing when I really have no idea on how to go about doing all the work which I take on to my head and eventually  realize that I cant actually perform it !!! Phew!!! I am sooo confused right now , totally clueless..My boss has assigned some work ( which I understand that he himself has no clue about) and this is where I end up at.. whining about the kind of over enthusiasm I unnecessarily display at work ...and all that leading to a blog post with my clueless rantings.And to top it up the semester is fast ending and I got to complete the syllabus for which I have to prepare a notes.... I really am so annoyed with my boss, not that he assigned any work but the kind of work he gave and the expectation out of it is totally hopeless.I really love the field I am in , the kind of feeling you get when you understand that you are enlightening a few young minds, that feeling is totally awesome, but setting boundaries around each line and sentence and word you speak and asking the best result out of it is an absolute sin.So what I did all evening was opening power-point, checking what info I have to insert , checking Google on how best that can be done,then back to ppt,then info,then Google some more then realize that I have not been blogging much these days and here I am!!! I don't understand how can I keep on ranting for 1 hour for the kind of strict info (about our college and its various activites as a part of college campaigning) which was provided to me,impossible.So how much time do I need to bounce back of that annoying situation....1,2,3,4 ok I am fine , decided I will talk to him clearly that there isn't much clarity on the work he has assigned and I am off  to  checking some kadhai chicken recipes.ciao ; )

Knock knock...

Its been a long time...lots of things happened since then....job change,got enrolled into Ph.D,busy with training classes even on Sundays,managing on the home front etc. etc..well, honestly I was too lazy to blog.thats the real reason........OK pretty much the summary of the bad and good in my life these days...but how time flies....
so today's holiday for me,thought of doing 100 different things with umpteen plans for today but when I finally realized that all of that is not really possible in this one decent holiday I pretty much settled in for blogging which I had almost forgotten.May be I find writing very comforting or energizing...I don't know...
I am a bit off today…am realizing that I need almost no reason to get ‘upset’ these days, so I don't think these mood swings count anymore. Anyways, felt a bit bored today...so I felt like listening to some peppy number and there it was..."Saadi ke fall sa tumhe match kiya rey,kabhi catch kia rey..."  the first time I listened to this song I was like , oh god how awkward and idiotic the song is but after I heard it again I was like OK ..Prabhudeva's songs can uplift ur mood sometimes with such weird lyrics.....Hey indeed it is a peppy song...after listening to lungi song in every channel and every other school's annual day function I feel this song is soo refreshing,so its first lungi and now sari ka fall.
    Y'day the senior students felicitated two faculty members who were getting relieved.It was very heartening to see how students shower their love and respect towards their teachers when the thought of separation sets in.For a moment I felt that the same concern should have been shown while the classes were being taken.But somehow they seem to undermine the importance of listening and actively interacting in the class.For me, evn if the student mumbles anything Its a great achievement in itself, but dear hardly do they speak.They listen( that's what I prefer to presume) as if they are totally engrossed in the lecture and the saddest part is even when a question is raised at the end of the session, the same engrossed look with no reaction or response is found.So what were they engrossed in really??

A letter to my son on his Fourth birthday

Dear Kiddo,

Today you turn four. FOUR!! I’m sure it’s the kind of thing mothers say every year to their growing children, but I just can’t believe how fast the years have passed! It seems like one minute ago you were standing in our living room, wearing diapers and trotting around searching for some thing known only to you! It’s like I think I have been always living with you, since I was born. It is as if we couldn’t imagine anytime when we were existing without your presence. Such intense is your presence in our lives that I feel what I would have missed had I not had you. Now every thought of mine revolves around    you and every plan I make is keeping you in total consideration. I still remember that as a young mother, so naïve at singing lullabies I used to make up my own and sing for you while rocking you to sleep  and you used to stare at me( with a doubtful expression) when I went on singing my own made up lullabies. And then I blinked and there you are total FOUR!

I still remember how freaked out I was to hold you in my arms, that I kept away from taking you in my hands for almost one whole day just to keep my little bundle from any harm due to  my mishandling. Now I guess I have the confidence of running your play school too!!

You have started having conversations with me and I honestly feel as if I am in the presence of a peer!! Such incredible memory you have that I sometimes have these guilt pangs which question me if I am wasting away the time of a genius in the making! May be I need to hook you up to some sport or craft where your skills are not wasted away!

Your school days have really taken off this year and a few weeks back you have subsequently discovered your new love (or addiction) for playing games on the computer and the mobile. Your love for Ben 10 has only grown in leaps and bounds and gotten so much on you that you have made me mug up the names of all the aliens! I always used to think Cartoon shows meant only  Tom and Jerry but then you changed my whole view and now I am very well versed with every dialogue the cartoon characters say by twisting their mouth in 100 different ways. I realize that you have a heart of gold when you wanted me to feed the cats hovering around our house rather than  feeding you the milk and setting curd, which is your all time favorite.I was almost in tears when you said to your papa that “mama loves this song, please don’t change”  when a song from Aashiquie 2 was being played on TV! I couldn’t have asked for a better baby!!!

Today you are 4 and I know in 10 years you will be 14 and I will feel like I just blinked again and POOF! You are grown!! But please know this my son, of all the things I hold dear, more than anything I possess, I treasure these small moments that turn into days that turn into years and ultimately memories. They are my treasures and I am so thankful that you were added to our lives.

Happy Birthday!

Mamma

Monsoon in vizag!!

I'm not sure where to begin..which is exactly why I haven't updated this blog  for sooooo long.But may be this lovely weather out here is making me write again .....guess the season of monsoon is back.May be the only time in Vizag which makes you go quenching for more rains in this season.Monsoon, there's magic in this word.Totally associated with romance, rejuvenation of life and joy. It is the moment of madness, when love seeks love and life knows no death, and the music of the monsoon, the dance of the rain overwhelm our hearts.The intoxicating smell of first rains, crisp air and dark clouds rolling around the sky is just too overwhelming for me who loves the rains.May be because we get so little of the rains that we keep asking for more!! It even rained on the day of my wedding.I don't remember eating off the kadhais   but then it did drizzle a bit which I very happily welcomed.It was around this time of the year that I got married.Sometimes when I look at the albums and video I think I could have looked more better rather than the confused look which I wore in most of the pics. Well more on that in some other post coz the weather is really good outside and the poetic me feels like turning on some favorite songs of mine to feel the romance in the air.So off I go to my chores with some nice music turned on!!!  

of kids!!!

I couldn't help resist the urge to go back to this page on yahoo for recollecting the points over and over again.So,what better way to store this piece than my blog,so here it goes one of the good lists on upbringing.
1. Teach them to lose gracefully.
Kids who always win aren't going to be ready for the real world. Teach your child how to deal with disappointment. Let them see you try and fail while maintaining your composure.

2. Encourage perseverance.

Children need to learn to get back up after they fall. When you fall down, get back up and try again. Successful individuals are persistent people.
3. Be a constant presence.
Be there when your child needs help with their homework, a ride to soccer practice, or someone to talk to. The key to raising successful kids isn't an expensive present - it's your presence.
4. Cheer loudly.
Be your son or daughter's biggest cheerleader in whatever activities they choose. Don't point out their failings. Celebrate their progress, as well as their success.
5. Don't do it for them.
It can be tempting to help your child through the rough spots. Know your place. You won't help your child succeed if you do the work for them.
6. Try new things.
You'll never find your niche if you don't get out of your comfort zone and try something new. Encourage your child to try a new sport, read a new book, or get involved in a new activity. Be sure to let them see you do the same!
7. Nurture, don't shelter.
If you want to raise successful children, you'll need to walk a fine line between nurturing and supporting them and sheltering them from the real world. I wish I had some magic way of knowing which side of the line I'm treading on, but the truth is that you just have to trust your gut with this one. If you shelter your children too much, success will be so much harder to come by in life.
8. Play fair.
The old adage about cheaters rings true today. Remind your children (often) that fair play matters more than winning and losing.
9. Keep your cool.
Do you yell at the coach from the sidelines? Use obscenities to handle situations at home? Fly off the handle regularly? Keeping your cool inspires your kids to do the same.
10. Be the example.
If you want your child to succeed in life, be the example for them in all that you say and do. Children learn when we forget they're even watching. What did you teach your child today?

Monday Musings

 Okay!! Back to Monday Musings..Oho ho why cant we have another Sunday in a week.How can Sunday go away in a fraction of a second even before I have started to realise that it is a Sunday.But then, yes there was so much I did this Sunday(which I have been planning to do since ages,now you know how bad a planner I can be) apart from taking rest (not that I needed it,but just to have the feel of a work less day) and being pampered by hubby dear's sumptuous Prawns Biryani with Boondi Raita. So there I am, with all the energy gathered,  decided to plant two saplings, the first reason being  my two little saplings withered away due to the scorching summer heat accompanied by lazy maids negligence while I had been away to my mom's place for a short 8 day vacation (yes,only 8 days(puts a sorry face : ( ).So this time I decided that I will wait for the rains to shower and yesterday I have at last planted two little plants, a rose with 4 tiny bunch of roses and a Tulsi sapling which I got from the nearby nursery.So these are my little saplings which made my Sunday this time around.

 
 My kiddo's school started off and although me and hubby decided to go to the school and have a talk with the head mistress from where I planned to push off to my work.But then the Sunday outing had a taxing affect on me and as always I ran out of time, had to assign the kiddo's job to hubby and run away to office. After 3 long training sessions , now all I can ask for is some SLEEP.So let me be a good girl and hit the sack.Good night Dearies.

Woo Hoo !!! I am back!!

The curtain raises.....and here I am back ....hellooooo all ( if there are any ; ) ) I guess I have been away from the blog world for quite sometime now but then its okay,as they say its better late than never. But I am back again to something I have been doing since I quit (if this is the right word I could use) college.A bit of a large break I had taken to spend time with my baby, the kiddo.Not that I didn't enjoy the time with my kiddo,bah(who does not seem to want anyone else when I am around).It's that I wanted to do something more to what I have got used to doing now since 3 years.,So after a long break of 3 years I am back to my regular working life. (though I can't yet call it a full time job since I have opted for flexitime,but chalo its cool by me).
    So,here I am with a bang, back again ! yeah !! yeah !!Back to corporate world (Ahem,so heavy the word corporate sounds)!! Back to meetings,deadlines,Monday blues and only weekend outings.And with flexitime I couldn't afford to ask for a two day weekend like it was in my previous work place but then its great with what I have got.(still thinking at the back of my mind if I can make one/two  outings on weekdays too but the thought of getting late to work next morning put my thoughts in place) So okey!! can't risk myself for things which are not under my control.At least for the Log in Time recording thingy which welcomes me with a "oh! so you are on time" look. Not to mention the fact that the kiddo has got so much pampered in these vacations that he does not get up on time or he only makes it a point to get up just when his mamma is about to leave for office (making me swallow the guilt of leaving him unattended) or even when he wakes up, it takes a huge toll om my acha acha made up morning mood to freshen him up and feed something edible to him after which he decides to start sulking while I leave the house.But even that seems to be getting better now a days.
 Talking about the kiddo, I am really amazed at the speed at which he is catching up with things.I am surprised at his excellent memory and observational skills.He is also able to recall incidents which go into the purview of long lost and forgotten past according to me.Truly amazing with a mother who could not afford to remember what her hubby gifted her on her last birthday(which by the way was in April!!) Aaargh !!!
I can't seem to remember significant things while my kiddo has got exceptional memory skills.Well,it's all in the genes you see ( okay,don't give me that look). So things are going pretty fine at my home front except for a few hitches here and there which include forgetting to get  the clothes over the terrace till they got completely drenched in rain,the kiddo getting all messy in his baby oil tube which I seem to have forgotten to hide it from him and not attending to the doctor's appointment after having fixed it in one months advance.Rest is fine excepting these chotey chotey issues.
 Today will mark my first monthasary at job not to mention the fact that my first assignment was a complete disaster much to my amazement and delight (ha ha ha).And surprisingly a series of assignments followed it which I should say went well by my benchmarks(of course, I don't regard the other sides opinion here,My blog ya!!)So all goes on well until I find out that the LAN has gone off,Internet gets disconnected  and my system,my precious system keeps hanging from time to time( bangs her head on the keyboard!! yes, go ahead, feel sorry for me).But, the one positive soul that I am, I started reading a book on stress management and with all that gyan downloaded (takes a bow and says) "What ta beautiful life this is "!!




The curtain raises.....and here I am back ....hellooooo all ( if there are any ; ) ) I guess I have been away from the blog world for quite sometime now but then its okay,as they say its better late than never. But I am back again to something I have been doing since I quit (if this is the right word I could use) college.A bit of a large break I had taken to spend time with my baby, the kiddo.Not that I didn't enjoy the time with my kiddo,bah(who does not seem to want anyone else when I am around).It's that I wanted to do something more to what I have got used to doing now since 3 years.,So after a long break of 3 years I am back to my regular working life. (though I can't yet call it a full time job since I have opted for flexitime,but chalo its cool by me).

Just do it...in 10 minutes

Wasting away hours and hours of our precious time and frittering away the most productive years of our lives in the name of social networking, Page 3 paper reading and chatting has become a norm of our day to day life. I think Internet has got that fascinating power which can churn hours and hours of our life in the name of mindless surfing. Internet perhaps is the only God above Gods which can make us sit for hours and then before shutting down makes us feel if we have done anything at all to call it a day. For once and all I wanted to turn these habits upside down and give my life a productive way of living by using small chunks of my time in doing things which are productive as well as satisfying. I have taken 10 minutes for every activity I wish to do for the day and then when the clock strikes 10 I put off the work and get on with other activity. And hey people it worked for me & I am sure it works for you too!!!

The first reason why it works is, we don’t feel the burden of having to devote a large part of our time. We settle for as less as 10 minutes for the prescribed task and zap, it is done. Leave it if it’s not done in 10 minutes .But chances are you don’t want to stop at 10 minutes, you might want to go ahead and do the whole task. So that’s the icing on the cake. If you don’t find the enthu continuing, you possibly don’t want to do it in the first place.

But 10 minutes chunk of time can transform your life if practiced daily.

Mastery of anything begins with 10 minutes of intense focus, followed by another 10 minutes and so on.

Let’s challenge ourselves to get focus on working in 10 minute chunks:

• Write that long put off article today
• Make that forgotten telephone call today
• Meditate and discover the inner peace within yourself
• Take a walk and look how beautiful the world is around you.
• De clutter you inbox today
• Remove all those unwanted stationery and files on your table
• Finish off all  that boring stuff you always wanted to do but were never able to put your time into
• Read your kids favorite bed time story today
• Get one cupboard /shelf decluttered today
• Practice anything which you have always wanted to

There is so much routine stuff you can get done and out of the way in simple 10 minute chunks – and then you can clear the deck for the real creative stuff.
Or better still; get started with the real creative stuff whilst you are fresh.

Ten minute chunks is definitely doable and a good way to start small and get more done.   

We often get sidetracked online with reading nonsense at times. Adding a 10 minute break in there too would be helpful.:)

Best way of avoiding getting side-tracked online is to close all your browsers windows and tabs – or better still just physically disconnect from the internet!

you can start developing a new mindset that concentrates on optimism and constructive changes, and begin eliminating the ones that influence your actions, emotions, and thoughts in a disadvantageous manner.

According to Parkinson’s Law, work expands to fill the time available for its completion. Give yourself one day to complete a one hour task, and the task itself grows ever more complex and daunting as it expands to fill the one day time allocation. Complex and daunting because the time spent in between doing the task and completing it in the time allocated inevitably gives way to gnawing irritation and stress. So time – and simplicity – can be gained by completing tasks (which fit into your goals) in 10 minute chunks and by reducing to minimum time-wasting routines. 

And relying on 10 minutes chunks is so much better than multi tasking.

And just know that you never need to struggle again with focusing on tasks – just give the task attention in 10 minute chunks and you’ll have finished the task in no time at all :-

You can also remove all the negativity we carry around by adding up 10 more minutes to our work life by eliminating

• Reading junk papers.
• Mindlessly surfing gossipy websites
• Checking inbox incessantly
• Following social media updates
• Toxic conversations with friends or co-workers

And hey today is the 10^th of May so lets get started with the 10 minute chunk in our lives from today itself!!!

Edited to Add: It was 10th when the post was drafted and got over to 11th when posted (smiles sheepishly)