Maid bina chain kahan re... !!!

So finally , again time has come when i can relax,  use my laptop, surf the online shopping sites , and order for a cup of hot coffee.. :) .. Thanks to my new maid n chhotu, who are like a knight in shining armour!!

Life has become so dependent on the full time helps these days. They are actually in a way your support systems. Since the last two months, there was no full time helper with us and believe me, me and my Mother-in-law had gone beserk. Its about your habits you see, I mean half of the population in India, might not be even keeping a part -timer (thank god I am lucky enough) ,but I feel when you can afford it, why not? Plus life is not just meant for household chores and jhaadu-katka, you need time for yourself even!! And in today's lifestyle, more of physical activity doesnt support your body and health. If you talk about outside India even, they dont need a helper as the life style there is totally different. Imagine a week without cleaning and dusting in a city like Delhi, as compared to  cities abroad.  Its not that we are not capable physically to do household work but it all affects mentally. I'l tell you how, for eg. A day when there is no maid or helper. Scene 1. the maid doesnt turn up. 2. you got to do the work (physical pain) 3. your mood gets spoiled, you get irritated easily (mental pain)  4. Husband comes home and orders for things in his regular way,but you are tired and not in a mood to cook or clean the messed up home and eventually end up fighting. 5. Husband complaints of your bad mood becoming permanent .6. husband consoles you and asks you to order food from outside. (Now imagine, the entire thing happens for the next few days) 7. Either member of the family becomes sick, you go insane due to physical and mental stress, food expenses go up and so do the fights!! So in short, a maid is even more important and awaited for than your husband!! ;)

At  times when i look at the maids of smaller age groups, I feel are'nt we in a way exploiting them. I mean when they should be enjoying their childhood or going to school, what they are doing is washing utensils and clothes. But giving a second thought, they are not bound to do all this work.Plus there is so much poverty , do these people even get two meals a day, or shelter to sleep and proper clothes to wear? Atleast we are ensuring all this.If they want to study, they can do it side -by- side and  If not, ateast they wont beg on the streets. They are working hard and earning quite well. They are SELF- DEPENDENT!!

So, life in a Metro, without a Maid becomes very tough!! If you want to keep people around you happy, better keep your maid happy so that she happily does the work and help you remain healthy and happy everafter!!

Maatr - Pitr Hriday Asti!!!

I was so confused about the topic of the blog this time and the phone rang.. It was mom!! (how does she always know when do i need her!!)  As they say, God cannot be everywhere so he created PARENTS.. This one's for you MOM & DAD!!

When I was a kid , I thought a Mother's only job is to take care of the house and a Father has to go to the office in the morning and come back at night. What's the big deal?? But now since i am a parent myself, I actually realize that bringing up a child is one of the toughest jobs in this world!! And we are four of us!! Hats off to you mom and dad!! Where could you get all this patience from!! ;)

MOM's love is Unconditional,Unintentional, Unexpected!! She is the incarnation of GOD. The moment a child is nborn, a mother is also born. She was a woman before but the mother never existed..Her love is simply matchless. No matter how much she scolds or pesters you, there is love behind it. She is the MOST beautiful woman on this earth!! I could always relate myself to that Pears soap advertisement - "jab main badi hungi,,MUMMY jaisi sundar hungi!! ". :) .  Coming from a typical Marwari background family, my Mother isn't that educated but she has taught me the lessons of living a good life. I can never forget the efforts which she has taken to convince other family members for my higher studies, the moments of strength when i was totally nervous or upset before or after exams, the everyday cooking classes or the saree draping sessions before marriage!! Thank you MOM for everything,not just giving birth, but for actually making me a human being. I may not have considered it important and never told you, but I am no one without you!!

DAD - A Friend, Motivator, Philosopher, Guide, Teacher, Hero , Role Model and what not!! A father is someone who hold you when you cry,scolds when you break the rules,shines with pride when you succeed and has faith in you even when you fail!! To be very honest, my dad wasnt very happy when I was born as he was expecting a boy after two girls. But as he lifted me in his arms, and saw the twinkle in my eyes, he just couldn't stop making me his favourite one!! ;) ..Papa always wanted us to be perfect in all aspects.Generally, a mother takes responsibilities related to education and other stuff, but in our case, it was always Dad. He has stood by me through all thick and thins. He has given us the basic lessons of life which is like the building on which you lay the foundation. No matter how old i become, no matter how far i move away with my husband,no matter how many children i have, no matter how many grandchildren i will have...daddy, i will still be ur little gurl!!

I guess in everyone's life, there must  have been a lot of rebellious teenage sessions, no-one-loves-needs-me , my-parents-do-not-understand-me , why-do- they-don't-mind-their-own-business type of feelings. But its just a phase and they all fade away. There is a time when we feel parents are always wrong, I agree at times they are but afterall we are also a part of them. Why would they want us to go through anything wrong or bad!!  I myself was the same during my college days but now as I have grown up,become a MOM,staying away from them, I do realize their importance in real terms. Actually I know how irritating MOM i would be when my daughter grows up, so unka thoda to chalta hai!! ;)

 At times Ifeel how would i ever payback their love, support and kindness. You feel so helpless as you are staying far away and cant be there when needed or whenever you feel like!! But then giving a second thought,this is what parents wanted as your life to be!! The most beautiful thing in this world is to see ur parents smiling and the second most is to know that you are the reason behind it!!

Okay,,, so enough of emotional stuff.. Mom-Dad pls wipe your tears now.. ;) .. I know you guys love me a lot. Please be the same always. And I'll continue being the same stupid, spoiled, pampered, emotional, naughty, pretty ,darling daughter!! LOVE YA LOADS!!!!

Most memorable Shopping Experience!!

This post is a part of the contest at <a title="BlogAdda.com" href="http://www.blogadda.com" target="_blank">BlogAdda.com </a>in association with <a title="Snapdeal.com" href="http://www.snapdeal.com" target="_blank">Snapdeal.com</a>

The other day i was teaching my child alphabets and I said S for Shopping!! Believe me it was absolutely impromptu!! But now i know why people call me a Shopaholic!! I can shop anything  anywhere anytime!! Initially I used to hunt in shopping malls and also roadside shops for satisfying my hunger and greed for clothes or accessories. But ever since online shopping has gained momentum, I leave no stone unturned!! ;) ..There is a plethora of products over the online shopping sites and all of them are so tempting!! Whenever you open your facebook or any other page, there are so many advertisements of online shopping sites that you just cant control and you tend to click on them!!

It was my Mother-in-law's birthday and we were so confused about the gift.We decided to gift her with a mobile phone. After looking at all the possible options in the market, we finally decided to hunt online. The best deal that we got was on snapdeal.com for sony ericsson mobile. And the delivery was very quick too, within 3-4 days the phone got delivered and that too free shipping. She absolutely loved the surprise and the gift!! It was the most memorable moment of my online shopping till date!!

Online shopping is a boon in today's hectic life. It is so convenient in terms of 24 hours time, "n" number of options and great discounts throughout the year. I hope I can have all the more memorable times with online shopping and make myself as well as people around me happy!! 

As it is rightly said, "who ever said money cant buy happiness, didn't know where to shop!!!" Well i know it now, its snapdeal.com!!! 

This Post is a part of the contest at Blogadda.com in association with Snapdeal.com

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Har ek FRIEND zaroori hota hai!!

Friend- a person you know well and regard with affection. Well this was the dictionary meaning but for me, a friend is a person with whom you can open your heart out, who knows all your stories and has lived with them!! He / She can tell you things which you dont want to tell yourself!! Friendship is like wetting your pants, everyone can see it but only u can feel the warmth!!

We make many friends, Some become dearest, Some become special, Some we fall in love with, Some go abroad, Some change their cities, Some leave us, We leave some, Some are in contact, Some are not in contact, and some dont contact because of their ego. Wherever they are, However they are, We still remember, Love, Miss and care about them because of the part they have played in our lives!! Happy Friendship's day to all my friends!!

There comes a point in your life when you realize who really matters, who never did , and who always will!! People say that good friends are hard to find.. you know why?? coz the "BEST" are already mine!! And so I dedicate this blog to all the special friends who have made my life all the more beautiful and worth living!!

Nidhi - my first friend..v r together since kindergarten and i doubt there must be hardly any thing which we must not have shared.. from silly stuff like sticking fevicol on a girls' hair to bunking classes for dance practice, from discussing our crushes in every class to biching about husbands now.. from sharing lunch boxes to sharing clothes..from non - veg stuff to serious problems,, v have done it all.. and I am sure whenever i need you, you'll be right there with your arms wide open!! I hope we will continue sharing the same bonding till death do us apart!!!

Dhara - We met for the first time in class 9th as neighbours, didnt know that we will actually stay so close to each others hearts also!! We have grown up together in our teens and i still remember what all stupid masti we used to do, our endless talks over the fones, minute to minute reporting, heartbreaks and patch ups!! Thank god we both have daughters, so that our talks are never gonna end!! Hope they turn out to be bestest buddies too!! so herez to the crap we used to talk, the guys we stalked, the way we shopped,laughs we couldnt stop,the gossips we used to spill, the looks dat could kill, hope we could stay together, coz we are best frenz forever!!! I just wanna say that  though miles lie between us,we are never far apart, for friendship doesnt count miles, it is measured by the heart!!

Pratik - We met in our MBA college and within a few days, we became best buddies!! Ours was not the very sweet kind of relationship as in we used to scold each other whenever wrong, never left any chance of leg-pulling and taunting!!Gosh we have so much fun memories like studying together, dancing at the college parties, discussing our family problems, and yeah me doing all projects and searching GFs for u!! (always i had to do the tough part.. LOL) People used to think all crap like something is going on between us n stuff but we never bothered!! He wasnt my boyfriend at any point, but i loved his hugs,his smile, his advice, his kindness,and the times we used to laugh,shed a tear together.. i guess i fell in love with our friendship!! But you should be lucky coz u will never find such a super friend who has both beauty and brains!! :P ..  And now you are again getting luckier as you are getting married soon!! Hope you dont torcher her as well.. wish you all the love n luck in life!!

Mukesh - We met in ICICI Bank Training Programme in Mumbai i.e the first days of our placement!! And till date we have met just 5 times in 6 years!! Ours is a very strange kind of friendship which people might not understand!! He was in Mumbai and me in Ahmedabad. Our only communication initially was the Messenger service of the bank and gradually it lead to texts and calls and to an awesome Friendship!! I guess if me and my advices werent there,you'd have never got married!! LOL.. All i can say is you r stupid,you are wierd, you are not perfect. but thats okay, i am like that too. We laugh at the randomest things. you know my ugliest side, even though we disagree sometimes, we hardly fight. When i am sad, you are always there to make sure i m ok. thanks for being there for me!! Be the same always!!

The Wifey's Club - Tanvi , Geetika, Neha , Monika - This is my current set of friends(in Delhi)!! As the name suggests, they all are my hubby's friends' wives!!Post marriage, it really becomes tough to make new friends especially in a new city, but thank god, i have been lucky in this matter!!  We have so much in common to share and talk like husband and in-laws' bitching, gossips, shopping and what not!! Our talks can never end for sure!! Though the association is not very old but quite strong for sure (touch wood) and i hope we continue doing the same!!! Waiting for new members to join the club!!

Nikhil - My friend, philosopher, Guide!! I know it may sound funny, but yes for me , you are my closest friend!! (though i know u dont treat me the same!! ;) ) I share all my stuff with you, trust you and confide in you!! You are my best friend as well as my lover, and I do not know which side of you I enjoy the most. I treasure each side, just as I have treasured our life together.

So here I am with my arms wide open wishing all my friends again a very HAPPY FRIENDSHIP'S DAY!! Hope people whose names i have not mentioned here don't feel left out as you all know you guys are special too in your own ways!!

Koi saath rahe to kar de sab kuch alright, Koi effortless, koi forced hota hai...
Lekin HAR EK FRIEND ZAROORI HOTA HAI!!!!!!

Purrrfectttly Imperfect!!

Perfect weather, soft romantic music, long  drive, candle light dinner, a bottle of champagne - ideal date right?? but how many of us have gone through such ideal situations in life all the time? I am sure not even 80% of our lives has such ideal scenarios,but still we crave for them all the time and feel bad for not having such perfect,classy moments .. Of course who doesnt like picture perfect things, but at the same time we also have to live with the imperfections around us and enjoy them. Gold cannot be 100% pure and people cannot be perfect!!

I think all of us, from childhood have been taught to be perfect in all aspects. Be it getting A+ grades in studies, extra curricular activities, table manners, dressing sense etc. A girl is always taught to be a perfect bahu and she ought to develop all the characteristics in herself even. we are so mentally forced to believe that in order to keep people around us happy and contended, we have to be perfect.  Post marriage, there is so much pressure on every girl to make that 'ideal bahu' impression in everyone's minds. I mean we ourselves want to be in good books of everyone. But at times i feel who are you to judge my life??, I know I am not perfect an I dont live to be, but before you start pointing fingers,,make sure your hands are clean!! Even the best needles are not sharp at both ends.

 Big deal if one day our house is not neat as it should be, if once the curry is little less spicy, if you are looking less pretty than usual, if the score was 97 instead of 99. By striving to be perfect, we are raising our expectations. Everytime then we will want the same results and if not, we will be disappointed. Why do we have this Perfection ka "keeda" ??? I know i am sounding like a hypocrite now. I myself will want everything to be perfect around me coz i am brought up in such a way. But if for once things are not the way i wanted them to be or little less than perfect, i don't get hyper. Its okay, God also needs rest some times!! ;)

There are two kinds of perfect: The one you can never achieve, and the other, by just being yourself. Like if I talk about me n my husband, in the journey of life, We are being driven by a universal force to the same destination. And along our journey, we sometimes bump into each other, we cross paths, we become altered...  But at all times we too are 100% perfectly imperfect. At every given moment we are absolutely perfect for what is required for our journey.May be in some aspects, I’m not perfect for you and you’re not perfect for me.But at the end of the day, We’re heading to the same place, though taking different routes, we’re both exactly perfect the way we are. No matter how much we crib and complain,both of us have accepted our imperfectly perfect nature!!   How strong our all relationships would be if we could see and respect that we are all perfectly imperfect for our journey called LIFE!!

So next time if your desert is little less sweet, don't worry, just add your sweet smile to it and it will melt in your - in- laws mouth!! I Hope after reading this Mr. Hubby does not start taking me for granted and develop his "Chalta hai" attitude.. coz I am quite PERFECT in getting furios and the repercussions later on!! ;) 

I read these beautiful lines somewhere-
"Ring the bells that still can ring, forget the perfect offering,
there is a crack in everything, thats how the light gets in!!! "

Fake it Baby!!!

Recently i went in a wedding and believe me it was quite a boring one.. ;) ..  i hardly knew people there and had to go just for the sake of . i was so tired giving those fake smiles and socialising.. Being from a marwari background, (sorry no offence to anyone) i should excel in it.  But somehow , i cant pretend..I cant communicate very well with the people whom i dont know much or with whom my view points dont match. (i know i need to improve on this) . You go in any social gathering, the ladies would be staring at your outfit and jewellery on one hand and talking to you on the other.. as in kahin pe nigahen, kahin pe nishana!!..full body scanning from tip to toe. ;)..  Its so irritating, i mean do you mind looking at my face or into my eyes and talk to me?? I mean i dont know how can people have something in their heart and head and something else on the face. I know i have landed myself into problems also due to this but its not my cup of tea. I am quite bad at it. Yes i agree, i have learnt it somewhat after my marriage because its quite obvious you cant be whatever you want to.. You have to agree to so many things which you dont believe. You have to nod your head even on things that you dislike and yes you must keep that smile always on your face otherwise you are termed as a SNOB...I must say,, Pretending is an art in itself!!

But then giving a second thought, i feel that pretence is important in today's world. If you are too straightforward, u might make things lil difficult for yourself. Of course there has to be some honesty and integrity within a person. I mean untill you are good at heart and not hurt anyone , acting smart or pretending is not bad. But yea, u have to be careful what you pretend to be because u are what you pretend to be..

Inspite of so much of pretence in our lives and so many fake relations, i was just wondering the other day that half of our time ( especially the gurlz), goes in worrying about others, about taking tensions for no reason. At times we feel guilty about not doing something, then guilty for doing it, we feel guilty for eating, for spending, for not being punctual, for thinking of ourselves first, for having fun, for loving, for hating, for indulging. We feel guilty for being guilty!! for heaven's sake!! And so at times i really feel that i am really not answerable to anyone but to myself.. If i know what i am doing or saying is right and does not harm anyone, why should anyone be allowed to make me guilty?? i know its easier said than done, but i guess all of us should try n live without guilt!! I am sure people who are very good in pretending, know how to impress everyone, get their work done and bid goodbye!! They hardly bother about anything and about the guilt pangs?? - no chance!! But whatever it may take, neither i can ever be shrewd and selfish nor i would want people around me to be such!!

But all said and done, as long as it keeps people around you happy and doesnt harm anyone, fake it baby!!! No matter where or what, there are makers, takers and fakers.. And Me, in the coming years, hopefully should learn this skill  so that it helps me communicate better and get my work done!! (hope mummyji is not reading this!! ;-) )

As i read somewhere - "Life's like a movie, write your own ending. Keep believing, Keep Pretending!! ;-)

Happy Valentine's Year!!

Okay, so its valentines day and me again this year with yet another hope, with fluttering eyes asked my hubby the same question- "will you be my valentine??" and as usual he made a sidey face and didn't even bother to react!!  Anyways guys, Happy Valentines Day!! 

Just like every girl, even i would love if my husband takes me out on a romantic candle light dinner or takes me for a ride in a hot air balloon just to see what it feels like being on cloud nine, or spend quality time relaxing in some spa!!  I have seen people doing all kinds of crazy, lovey - dovey things for their partners and how i wish if even i was amongst those lucky ones!! Since even i am not a die- hard romantic person myself,  i cant expect that my husband would be even 1% of it. But I will have to admit this time that this is one of the very few things in which me and my husband agree. Even i feel that you don't need a special day to express your feelings. Its just gained hype due to commercial reasons. Its not that on this particular day you feel more loved or you love the other person more. Love should be in the air throughout the year, throughout your life!! As they say, Each Day u love the person more, today more than yesterday and less than tomorrow!! 

Actually rose tinted happily-ever- after images in fairy-tales and romantic fiction spoil us for the real thing. Pre-conceived notions and expectations ensure disappointment even with the best. We are so sharply focused on the expectations that we sometimes fail to evaluate or appreciate reality.  We all have good or bad facets and there can be no one person who is perfect in all respects. When i look at our parents or grand parents , even after decades of their marriage, they are so much in love with each other. Moms have this habit of looking adoringly at their husbands even after some petty fights and Dads are in a constant state of adoration for their wives in spite of all the differences. I refuse to believe that in such long period they haven't had problems or haven't seen the worst of each other. But they have chosen to focus on what they love and try to change on what they don't like about each other. Hope even we can follow their footsteps!! 

I read somewhere- Love doesn't make the world go round, Love is what makes the ride worthwhile.  So I hope the journey of my life as well as my loved ones is also full of love and each day of the year becomes Valentine's day!! 

But as of now, since Myra is here, both me n hubby-chubby would love to celebrate a full day of good sleep rather than valentines day!! ;-)  . You guys carry on with your celebration of LOVE!!

Confessions of a shopaholic!!!

"Whoever said money cant buy happiness,, simply didn't know where to go shopping!!!"

So the shopping season is on and so am I.. I love shopping, there is a little bit of magic found in something new. It is like instant gratification, a quick fix!!  My husband is so fed up of my shopping habits that he has already given me the tag 'shopaholic' .. But i guess its not just me , but every girl in this world has this bug inside her.. its just that u need to discover it!! lol..

It is said that the quickest way to know a woman is to go shopping with her. Shopping gives me time to think.  ;-) . This week me n my friends went shopping and believe me we did it for 5 straight hours without any food or even a glass of water. Alas,, we could have done more but our babies got bored.. ( they are too young to understand it yet.. lol) . What i am trying to say that it keeps us so engrossed that we tend to forget all our tensions and pains.That is why it is rightly said that Shopping acts like a healing therapy for depressed people. Buying something on sale gives me a special feeling, in fact the less that i pay for something, the more it is close to my heart. And its not that i just binge on expensive brands , its the mediocre ones. of course i not a millionaire or something,, i am not even earning these days but yeah the feeling that u get when u buy something that you love is just awesome. I love street shopping too, it enhances your bargaining skills,, plus its cheap too,, if you get bored of something, you can get rid of it easily ;-) .

 Shopping in any form is the best pastime for any girl on this earth... except for grocery shopping,,, i feel that is the most irritating job in this world. But when u ask your mums about it, dunno y they are so very fond of it... I mean agreed its a necessity but whats so happening about it?? Especially when you can do with the weekly rounds. My mom would be so happy if i take her out everyday for buying fresh vegetables and even if she has stocked it at home, she would still want to buy that half a kilo extra subzi !!

As they say, when the purse is emptied, the heart is filled. (well, this is not in the case of husbands i think) . But yes in my case, it does pep up my mood. As compared to others, i am quite a moderate buyer, its not that i go shopping every day or week but yeah i am very fond of it and don't leave any chance when i get one. At times i find it strange that a pair of really nice shoes makes us feel good in the heads- at the extreme opposite end of our bodies!!

But the problem is we usually love what we buy, but hate two thirds of what hangs in our cupboards!!! I agree that over the top shopping leads to a lot of wastage. It should not become a habit.  I have seen people taking debts for shopping and showing off the brands which they cant even afford. You should really know when to press the stop button. As Warren Buffet rightly says on spending - "DO NOT BUY THINGS THAT YOU DON'T NEED OR YOU WILL HAVE TO SELL THINGS THAT YOU NEED!! "

On one hand i feel, shopping is dependable than your partner : You can do it alone, if you lose your heart to something that is wrong for you, you can return it. something you buy, may last well for years and of course if you are not satisfied after shopping, you may exchange for something you really like!! ;-)

So all my dear GURLZ,, what are you waiting for?? Get up and SHOP till you DROP!!