N for Now

That is the 28th birth day gift I want to gift to myself. The power of NOW and when you do something NOW- you win situation right there. Basically NOW will wash off your POP (Paaps Of Procrastination)

I have been a bit successful  this year in doing things which I really really want to but some scary activities like driving and swimming (to Mr.ISB's dismay) are still there in my pending list. Oh in fact there are zillions of things I wish to do but then I have managed to do only a few. This year I want to push myself to do such things NOW.

1. Learn Calligraphy. Now, learning it means you need a tutor which blocks my tiny calendar. So, Youtube can be one of the options I want to explore.
2. Creating Fun Birthday cards for people I love. I used to do this religiously a few years back. This has to be started again.
3. Host minimum three house dinner parties this year. Friends and a few cousins. I wish I can stop procrastinating for this.
4. Well,exploring another land. This thing is on my cards already,thanks to Mr.ISB!
5. I have been sleeping to less for some months now. I have tried to finish minimum seven hours of sleep since three four days.Let's see how this restless soul go about it.
6. Peace of Mind. Anxiety is something which might fall on my face genetically and I have seen signs as well in myself. This has to be corrected. I should start NOW to change the way I handle such situation. (I am otherwise too brave and strong,seriously! -only if I see my parents/family suffer I panic. I used to escape from accepting the change noticed in me - I have accepted this now.)
7. Expanding my ear-rings collection. 
8. Cook a new dish every month. Even with only Sundays in my hand, I hope it is doable.
9. Wardrobe make over. This has to be done. Or my own mother might kill me because my fashion conscious mother thinks my wardrobe has gone from boring to dull.Which my MIL also agrees but refrain from telling it on my face. The only person supporting me is Mr.ISB and my SIL.Kind of Unique Kaliyug.
10. This is on top. Fitness. Frequent allergy attacks and decreased stamina needs to be worked upon. I am lost some weight but really problems need to be addressed apart from loosing some more weight. 

Enough for NOW :D

M for Messages *A Birthday Post!*

So as I mentioned here, I was not really excited for the day and the eternally optimistic funny person in me could not decided on any plans to make it fun.Disappointments were slowly gripping me and the day arrived.

Midnight calls and messages were few as I do not keep my birthdays 'Public' on Social Media platforms. People who cared and remembered my birthday would any way call or chat by the time day ends and that is what matters the most.

This time calls were special because Mr.ISB skyped and was the first one to wish! Cherry on the top was my Sister-In-Law calming my anxiety of 'How to react when some one wishes' while being there with me -Personally! Cheesing over the Pizza (If that is understood) was a long phone call from my younger brother who seldom expresses feelings and he called at 12.30 pm! (Oh that  6 feet tall super irritating toddler is growing up!) My bro buddy of course did not miss my birthday at 12.

Now most of the people who know me well,know I do not really like loosing my sleep due to long phone calls even when I do feel like not stopping them. So, of course my parents and a few old friends would NEVER call me midnight. This works well as it balances my energy levels.So I really could sleep properly to start afresh the next morning.

Office started well and with one of the directors not wishing me at all even when we were constantly chatting for work! He was being different than usual but when he took out a bunch of Dairy Milk Silks and hand it over to me (Sent by his kids!) I realized he was just trying to irritate me. Cake cutting and painting my face with a spoon full of chocolate cream (Sober guys in 40s I tell you, spoon because they don't really have to touch me!Bwahahahahah) was done with a lot of fun. After lunch we headed to South Bombay for an exhibition which ended up with a lot of laughter attacks, silly photo sessions and walking for half and hour hunting for one damn Lassiwala from the childhood memories of that same director.(Please note: We could not spot him!) The tired gang finally took an Uber back to the office with spicy tangy Bhel and Lemonade. I left the office with a warm feeling which calmed me down further as I thought with night the nervousness which had not appeared ye would appear in an intense fashion. I did not know what was there in store for the birthday girl!

When I entered home I had no idea I would be given the cutest birthday gifts I could ever get from in-laws side family! I was presented a bundle of letters from who's who living in Mumbai with a big card prepared by my Sister-in-law and Dad-in-law! Letters were from my Mom-in-law, Dad-in-Law, eldest paternal Aunt-in-law, two cousins, Maternal Aunt-in-law, two best of best friends and my little nephew!  5 out of 9 letters were specifically written in pure Gujarati for my love for the language which was a super special surprise for me. (My MIL I always new is proficient in the language but the pro-face of dad was never known to me. These letters are going to be precious for me, forever! Efforts taken by my local extended family members made me feel so goood! My little nephew's message with cute smileys and her mom's message brought some fresh air from the younger generation of the extended family. My two best friends what should I say (one gave a promotion to me by making me her toddler's Masi and the other refuses to grow up and get married), what would I do without them!

Apart from these collected letters, I got warm messages from my favorite Aunty from USA, my mom and dad from back home. I should not forget fun conversation with Singapore friends and Frock Buddy N as without them I do not believe my birthday can turn into a special deal.

But... The bestest of the  best part of the birthday came in two sub-parts. A really really witty yet warm  mail from Mr.ISB (which he wrote after an era and was long due!) and A super funny letter from my Sister-In-Law describing how we sister-less pupils have got sisters in each other-and other embarrassing facts of my persona! :D

I think the best gift one can ever give to a person is personalized messages.Long ones preferred, for people who can write!

Because Messages can make you feel more special like nobody's business!

L for Love

Whatsapping in the super drowsy state of mind, throwing rubbish which was forgotten in the morning..    (Recollected from the chat record)

Me: Your wife is a big time feminist. But I like her as she is. She is too ahead of her times but she is tired under baggages. But,I love her!

*After 10 hours *

Mr.ISB: I love her too!

Confession that was! 

K for Kopi

Before you roll your eyes, think of me going nuts about taking up this A-Z blogging challenge and coming up with self made words- STOP! Because Coffee is Kopi in Malay. (Thank God for not calling it Coffee,Malaysia; I did not want to write about K serials of India!)

Very few things I miss from my life in Singapore. Kopi is one of them. The traditional Coffee you get in Malay coffee shops and they are highly underrated,I must tell you. Toast Box was one of the destinations I craved to go to whenever I would land up in the mall nearby when I was studying in Singapore. A visit to this place was like gifting myself some indulgence. Toast Boax is a chain there and I am sure I would have graced them all (outlets in the areas I visited )with my pawan kadam at least once.Now when I think about Singapore, I think about Toast Box as well. Every single time. (Are you listening to me, Toast Box?)

The aroma of a little dark coffee- roasted,aromatic and sweet in its own balanced way would capture you as soon as you enter. They would pour it directly from the hot kettle into the white vintage coffee mugs. Old photo frames, antique furniture and lovely chit chats around you-One can not feel lonely there. Of course, you wont like to miss delicious Peanut Butter and Kaya Toast as well. None of these mentioned jewels are available in India.My luck! I never forget how economical they were if I compare with super hyped Starbucks in Singapore.

Closest coffee I could find in India, is our very own Filter Coffee Filter Kapi! Living in a south Indian area in the Western region of the India, it is my pure good luck that I get to gulp a mug anytime I want. Every time I sip it, I remember miss the taste and the feel of Kopi in Toast Box.

May be Toast Box should start their KOPI if nothing else, in Mumbai?

And I promise to buy liters  of Kopi every week!Okay?

J for Jewellery

The only super girly trait I have if I do not count dancing in it,is my love for Jewellery. I do not care much about dresses and try to go for comfortable ones even at the risk of looking under dressed. But, jewellery? No. Ear rings are my things and compromising with the pair is not my comfort zone anyway. Bracelets, chains and neck pieces are somethings I love but seldom wear,yet I can not say that I am not into them.

Love for ear-rings and other jewellery pieces has grown into me with years.As a kid I used to wait for festive seasons as only during these days my mother would allow me to change my small boring gold-diamond studs. I never liked them and always wanted to wear stones (Ruby or  Sapphire) or pearls in a little hoop style design. Some how my love for ear-rings stuck to these precious stones and I never liked Diamonds or Gold.

My wedding preparation became a war time activity between my mom and me as she felt for the society she needs to give me more gold which was not the scene in my family (My dad's side doesn't prefer Gold and always crave for stones and pearls with intricate designs for some unknown reasons! How I love such designs!). I was hell bent on not taking too much of gold and actually pestered my dad to fight with my mom to let me have those amazing pearl jewellery of old times.

Even today, if I would buy something from my heart it wont be gold or diamonds! (I read about Blood Diamonds and how we can not differentiate between blood and non-blood diamonds.I hate myself for being happy for two sets I got during my wedding as gifts from both sets of parents.)

In fact contrary to people's belief, I feel Stones with silver, crystals and Pearls are girl's best friends.They are more economical,so you can have more of them. They are fancier.They go well with ethnic as well as western clothes.Not all precious stones/pearls/Crystals need to be kept in the locker- so you can flaunt them every time you feel like! I so want to splurge some day into stones. Pearls I have got many and Crystals ..

Well, Mr.ISB already gifted me a set of Swarovski Crystals before leaving for Denmark.

Or I just made him gift that to me :D

PS: Next birthday may be stones? Did I mention I love Jaipur stones and pearl studs europeans wear?

I for Inertia

By Definition Inertia is the tendency of the matter to remain unchanged. Isn't it a realty in us- human being? Resistance to change. Resistance to go out of the comfort zone or even resistance to feel?

I have a lot of it unlike people's idea of my super human flexibility I generally show at work? You know what, that is also nothing but the inertia of changing my assertive image at work which is actually nothing but only a sort of fear. People close to me know or have observed that I have inertia for super weird stuff apart from resistance to move out of comfort that cozy comfort zone.

The Inertia in me stops me from doing something really new which already has some bias in my mind. Once I fear/believe something, it is rarest of the rare event that I try it. Swimming or driving.

Then there is this inertia to feel something. Negative or positive. People seldom know this kind of inertia I posses. Generally too expressive about even the temperature change of one degree,I do get cold feet when over whelmed. Let me explain. I'm certainly too expressive and sensitive even when I try to show my stronger/rude face at work. I wait for good things to happen like nobody's business with excitement and it's share of nervousness too if the situation demands.But when the wait is over or the same good luck appears out of no where in front of me all I can feel and express is a deadly combination of numbness and inertia. I do get judged for being a snob many a times but I fail to over come the effect (rather no effect) of inertia.I just behave as if nothing happened.

This weekend was The-Fight-That-Inertia weekend. I was waiting for Mr.ISB's call since eternity and the feeling was getting intense due to it being the Sunday-not doing-anything-day. I wanted to talk about hundred things to him but when he called- I was speechless. I had nothing to talk. This generally does not happen with my talkative nature but it happened and it used to happen before many a times.

We also received a call from my favorite aunt with whom I talk like there is no tomorrow albeit via e-mails. I was super excited to talk to her as generally we are in office when my MIL and she call each other, but when I picked the receiver up to talk, I did not know what to converse with the same favorite aunt or even the uncle. I just replied as if the inertia is not there but there was a lot of it. I was smitten by my overwhelmed self. I was caught by that Inertia fellow.

Okay, I should also mention instances where I got out of inertia.Yes, Baking had taken the last bench in my life and I wanted to revive it since months. I guess,last time I baked something was in last May? Mumbai and Baking both were toying around with my mood to bake even a cake. That was inertia of getting out of my schedule, put up that baking equipment in front of me, find an exciting recipe, buy required ingredients and just bake. Anyway, this weekend I made a move out and baked a super healthy cake with some Indian flavors.





I have many more inertia(S) to over come. The list includes swimming and driving but there are smaller but important ones as well.

Like expressing when it is really needed. For my special people.

A big sorry to all of them whom I really care about but fail to express the eagerness to be with them.

H for Hyperactive

That is what describes me unless I am reading an interesting book, watching some really Suits or sleeping. Wait, the last one is really doubtful as when I get up majority of the times I felt as if I have been thinking deep while I was sleeping but still feel healthy.

I am hyperactive. To the extent of hurting myself. 

- I can not sit after getting ready for something. Be it some work or going out. It is just impossible for me to sit and watching clock to tick. 

- I can not sit at home for more than half a day. My mind starts planning something even when it would be a much needed break for me!

-I can not lie down just like that.I can not think NOTHING!

-I can not see mess around me for more than half and hour. It is more of an OCD and less of the hyper activeness.

-Even if I am dead tired, usually I do not sleep if some work is pending. Like reaching home at 12 in the night and not unpacking. It happened last month when I came back from my home town after being with my mom in the hospital for a week,drained out physically and emotionally.

-I can not let others work in my kitchen. I need to multitask and if something goes slow it spoils my plan. 

-My mind keeps on weaving plan once I decide to do something. Rarely I visit a place without any plans. 

-Dance liberates me. May be this shows my hyper activeness. Sitting and watching someone dancing without even tapping my feet is a punishment.

It is useful most of the times as I generally do not keep work pending (Well,most of them!) but it does hurt me a lot as I seldom take rest when required.It creates disturbances in my sleep schedule. A bit of calmness becomes rarity in life. 

While even at the ripe age of 27 I am learning to manage this trait of mine, any suggestions?

No.Meditation is something which was tried thousand times without success. 

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