Showing posts with label Write tribe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Write tribe. Show all posts

Monday, 3 March 2014

What Makes Our Home?

What makes our home...ours?
Our house, the furniture,
The new cutlery or the picture frame
The matching curtain or the uncanny rug
What makes our home..ours?

The games, the fights,
Rock, paper, scissor OR hide and seek
The pile of clothes and the showing of teeth
The laughs the tears
The stories the fears
The collectibles, the memories,
What makes our home...ours?

The handprints on the wall
Or the imprints on our heart
The nicely stacked book case
Or the storybook hiding behind the vase

The tip toe of tiny feet in the afternoon
The shoo the shaa of little voices
Hiding behind the cabinet
Lost in wonderland
Refusing to sleep

The stories, the tickles
The tantrums and the giggles
What makes our home...ours?

Our hands held below the table
The footsie or the remote fight
The stolen hug, the caress,
Goodbyes and welcomes
The late night drives
Or our impromptu  jives
The cold of the night
Or the warmth of the heart
What makes our home...ours



It is you, it is me,
It is us
We are our home
We are our world
Our home is ours because we are together
Seasons will change
Regions will change
Colors will fade
Black will become grey
Grey will become invisible
But hearts bonded for life
Destinies linked for life
This all will remain our miracle
We will remain us

We will make our home..ours forever

(C) Juztamom 2014

I am taking part in the Write tribe Festival of Words and  Day 3 is Free Write Day. To participate or to know more about it please visit here

Sunday, 2 March 2014

Musings Of A Not So Confused Gal

What if you have a place which is full of all your favorite things in life?
What if in one plate you could find every food you like? Every taste you love?
What if before consuming it you had no idea how good it could be and then you get addicted?
What if a routine day turns into something extraordinary just by a few lines?
What if a few lines written by someone else becomes your expressions?
What if you could feel the pain of a stranger only by a peep in her world?
What if you could laugh with someone only by a glance at her joy?
What if someone opens a new world to you just by writing a few lines?

All this and many more is what I have found in the blog that I am sharing with you today. The blogger is a good friend, I love her work and I couldn’t think of any other blog to talk about but her’s.
Here’s introducing the musings of a not so confused gal “Pankti Mehta and her blog

Pankti has a way with words. Words in her world flow magically. You never know when you leave your world and become a part of hers. You don’t feel the journey, you just see the destination. You live her stories.

Mind you some of her stories would break your heart in a thousand pieces. I have cried with her characters. There is a dark side to her as a writer that appeals to me the most. She is a brilliant story teller. Her stories are full of charisma, allure, love, pain and hope.

Let me tell you about the story that I like the most from her work. It is story from a different land “Industrious Land”. Story of Lali a girl from Industrious land and Himank a prince of snooze land. This story will transport you into a different time. I felt a part of it though it is strangely impossible to relate to it, yet the emotions are weaved in such that you won’t notice the strangeness of things. That is what the writer does. She convinces you of something that you could never imagine or dream of.
You can read the full story here.

 Next I would like to share something else that I love from her work. From the story of a strange land to the story of Simmi and Arpit which she is presenting as a series. It is called "For you". I have read few parts of the story and I loved the simplicity of it. Again I ended being a part of the story and could feel Simmi’s confusion and pain. When she was attracted to Arpit, I felt the attraction. When her heart broke, so did mine. I am hoping Simmi finds her solace in the story.
You can read it here.

I earlier spoke about connecting with the dark side of her. Let me share with you few words from a beautiful poem written by her. This is a poem I absolutely love. So much that I remember it by heart.

I am broken but alive,
Living and breathing,
Not cold and dead.
I may be beaten, but still I will fight,
I may yield but still I will stand straight,

I may get hurt but still I will hold my head high.
To defeat me, you will have to kill me,
Until then, I am broken but alive.
Living and breathing.

I leave you munching on these lines and I hope, rather I am sure there is something in her writing that will connect with you. And I am sure you will love her work as much as I do.

And last but not least I am really proud to share with you that Pankti is going to be a published author soon. Her most celebrated work will be soon available in the form of a novella. Something that I am looking forward to quite eagerly.


I am taking part in the Write tribe Festival of Words and this post is linked to Day 2 Blog Love. To participate or to know more about it please visit here

Saturday, 1 March 2014

Shadow

I grab my car keys and at a frantic pace run and come out of the main door only to realise that my car is not where I parked it and that shadow is still following me. Suddenly I start feeling very cold and realise that I have no clothes on, that I am completely naked but inspite of that I continue to run towards the main road with a hope that somebody will see me, hear me and hopefully save me from him. As I reach the main road I realise there is a huge commotion on the side, everyone is standing and looking at something familiar. I run towards it and see that it is my car rammed against the tree covered in blood. I try to cover myself with my hands and start screaming, start asking what is happening, who is in my car but no one is looking at me, it’s like they can’t hear me, like I am invisible. 

Shadow of the Colossus - epic by OldaccountYAMISHIN

Suddenly I feel a tap on my shoulder and turn around and see that shadow, a man with no face, a man with only a dark stature and no features. He holds my hand and tells me, this is you inside the car, you are dead. I am your shadow, your karma, everything you owned is gone, everyone you loved is left behind, from this moment on you have only me. He engulfs me and says I am as fair as your actions were and as black as thoughts were which means from this moment on You Are Me.

Image credit here. I am taking part in the Write tribe Festival of Words and the first prompt is 9-Sentence Fiction. To participate or to know more about it please visit here

Friday, 6 September 2013

7 Things My Better Half Taught Me

Being in a relationship [Married or not married] is a lot of hard work? Yes and No.
I initially thought I would not write a post about my better half, too personal..too private..too many emotions and may be words may not be enough to describe what I feel about him, what I have learned from him but if I don’t write about it I would miss writing on one of the biggest lessons of my growing up, of my life, of who I am. Hence I am going to give it a try, though I will try and not make it too emotional or sappy.

Before I write about him, let me share a few details about him and how we met. We have been together for almost 12 years now. We met through some common friends and as they say sparks flew [May be sparks didn’t fly...I just like to say that J ]

I think I literally grew up with him because the most have changed, I have adopted, I have grown up, I have progressed, I have seen the world..is in last 12 years. When we met I was in my early 20s and he was in his late 20s [Okay Okay may be not..he is 3 years older..so he was bang in the middle of 20ss you can say] but we were as naive as school children. Never been out of the house, never lived on our own. We came out of our shells together, we learned together; in process we taught each other a lot.

I am glad where we are today. He is a good friend, may be not my best friend because I don’t want him to be. I like not sharing everything with him and vice versa.

I have tried to summarise a few things I believe being with him has taught me:

1) Love thy neighbour: No not literally but he is very sociable , talks a lot, mingles a lot so as his better half I also have to. Though I am more sociable now but I was very moody initially and would talk when I would want to talk but since he talks always....with everyone, I have learnt to atleast be polite, smile, nod and sometimes be a more vocal part of the discussions.

2) Patience: He is the epitome of patience and I am opposite. He is one of those guys who would never honk when stuck in a traffic jam even though the passenger seat lady is fuming and verbally cursing everyone in their wayJ. But it rubs off and I am glad I picked up patience from him before he could pick up being impatient from me.

3) Smile: We are a smiley family and he and my son lead it. He smiles a lot, laughs a lot and I accept I frown a lot rather I use to. But more or less I have become like them. We always smile..ear to ear..big flashy smiles

4) Dirty is not uncool: I still can’t say dirty is cool because in all fairness it is not cool but I have learnt from him that sometimes just sitting and having chai is also okay, even when you can see a huge mess around you. You can ignore unclean sometimes and that is cool [But unclean is not cool!! Period!!]

5) Say no: He doesn’t say no to anything, to anyone. And because he doesn’t I have learnt to do it. And now I am not even hesitant to say it...I say no when I can’t do it. Simple.

6) Earn respect: Well he doesn’t respect anyone basis their age, caste, creed, gender, color etc etc. This use to annoy me initially because we are taught to always always give respect to elders, certain gender, certain animals etc even when the other person or animal doesn’t behave in a civilized way but my better half has a simple logic, you got to earn respect. Don’t do anything disrespectful I will not disrespect you. This simple logic has really simplified my thinking and my life

7) Cricket: I hate cricket..hate it. Infact hate is a very small word. If I could I would kill cricket. Like any other Indian I use to like it a lot before I met my husband. He is fascinated by the game..we have watched every cricket game possibly played on earth. From college to county, national to international, blind cricket, women’s world cup...we have watched everything and he still watches everything. I don’t. I just can’t. In our home love and hate for cricket co-exist happily.


These were some of the things I learnt from my better half. What about you? Anything you would like to share with me about your someone special?

Thursday, 5 September 2013

7 Things My Friends Taught Me

Like anyone else I have a long list of friends, some real, some virtual, some I rarely talk to and to some I bare all when I talk to. There are some I have lost touch with through time but I really loved them, there are some who are in touch but are annoying. And then there are some....who are still there...after everything I did....after everything I didn’t do. They are still there and I am sure they will always be there for me. Ofcourse this happens rare and I have few such friends. But I am lucky enough to have them. This post is dedicated to all such friends...and a special mention of someone very special..my bestest friend. [You know I am talking about you and I hope you read this]

A list of few things that my closest friends taught me:

1) Stay positive: I think a lot and have been through difficult times in past. And I have a habit of living in those moments but I am thankful to those special people in my life who are there to infuse positivity in my life. Who again and again remind me of all the things that are beautiful and all the things that are right.

2) Give and take: Yes...I tend to get selfless, have a blind spot for people I truly love and ignore my own life. There have been a lot who have used this trait in me and have never come back but there are few who taught me to ask, demand, and grab love for myself. Nothing wrong in that. Nothing wrong in being selfish sometimes. With time I have learnt that the most satisfying and content relationship would always be based on give and take.

3) Slow down/Take a break: My sabbatical is partly courtesy of a close friend who inspite of no social/family responsibility took a break from her job. She had guts and she went after something that she wanted from her life. When I was taking the plunge her life stood in front of me and gave me courage to do it

4) Get out: I am a frog in a well. I like being in a pajama and not going out. Really I do. But I do get out and I do that religiously. Again this is courtesy of a special friend who pushed me out of my slumber and who still does it when she sees me lazing around.

5) Take it easy: I have learnt to not overthink and worry about everything. Worrying is inbuilt in me, I am one of those people who always worry, always think and are always prepared for worst but thanks to a lot of friends I have learnt to let go, take it easy...worry a little less [May be still worry a lot but know how to curb it down]

6) Answer my phone: I don’t like doing that still in all fairness. I don’t like being reachable all the time but I know now there are people who would also worry for me and not everything or every phone call is about me. So I try and answer calls as many times as I can [Though I still don’t do it everytime but I have improved a lot]

7) Chat: Last but not the least. I am thankful to all those who taught me to chat on internet. I am glad I explored it though I initially hated it. Hence a special thanks to a special friend. She pushed me into internet world and I am yet to come out of it.


These were a few things my friends taught me. What about you? Who is your best friend? What have you learned from him/her?



Wednesday, 4 September 2013

7 Things That My Job Taught Me

I worked as a consumer researcher for 8 years before retiring 2 years back. These 8 years taught me a lot of things. I will shamelessly confess that they liberated me and my thought process a lot; may be more because I had never seen any other female work in my family before. I learned a lot from my job and from my professional life.  Following are my eight years encapsulated in few points:

1) Planning: I am a big big planner. I plan everything in advance and mostly this trait comes in handy even in my daily life [There are times when it harasses people around me also] . The credit for imbibing this in me goes to my profession. As a researcher there are atleast 1000 things at any point of time on your plate and you have to juggle all of them. There is a strict time schedule, so if you don’t plan, you can’t finish in time. I will always be thankful to research for all the excel sheets I have at home dedicated to planning different activities.

2) Punctuality: I was always punctual though I never paid too much importance to it. But soon after I started working I realised ; a lot of people’s schedule would depend on my schedule and hence it became a very important that I am on time and vice versa. I still follow it personally [Though my other half is not very happy with this trait J ]

3) Streamlining my thought process: I tend to get vague even now. I have a free mind and it keeps wondering and going off track quite a lot. But when you are working for others; you can’t afford that; so I learned to concentrate better. My mind still wanders a lot and I can somewhat afford to do it now however my concentration and focus is much better as compared to before.

4) Microsoft: I was scared of computers and its programs. Only thing I knew well was to play games. Now I am an expert in excel and power point, you name it, I know it. Even now I use them extensively and I am thankful to my job for it. [I was and I am still wary of MS Word. I just don’t get it]

5) Delegation: I was and I am a keen worker. You can even call me a labourer. I like working and I would rather work myself than spend time explaining others to do it. But again I learnt we cannot do everything on our own, delegating was an important part of my job and it is helping me even now. Else I would have ended up doing everything on my own.

6) Analytics: Analysis is a very important part of being a consumer researcher. It sharpened my analytical bent of mind and I still tend to analyse things more than others.

7) Negotiation skills: Again a very important part of my job and now I am not ashamed to say that I look at every price with a doubt and question it.This saves a lot of chillar for me 

These were a few things that my job taught me. What about you? Where do you work? What did you learn from your job?


Tuesday, 3 September 2013

7 Things Mumbai taught me

When I stepped in this magical and glamorous city called Mumbai I was a naive small town girl chasing after her dreams of a bright future. I landed here with my bags and dreams. Like many other I struggled through a lot of things, more than that I was scandalized with the change in culture, I would literally stand on road wide eyed and gape at people. But thankfully professionally my struggle ended quite quickly and gradually I learned to look beyond the veils of lights and glamour. Almost 10 years here and I can proudly say I am a Mumbaikar by heart now. This is my home and I owe it a lot. It did change me but I would like to believe, it changed me for better and taught me things that I still carry with me.

Below is a list of few things that I learnt in Mumbai. Some are quite obvious and some are quite unique, part of an experience that only Mumbai can give you.

1) Spirit of Mumbai: I am a part of this spirit. I walk, work and progress. I have learnt to never break down, never give up even in the face of the most difficult situation always carry on. Always move forward, always progress. I swam through floods, have hung on local trains, have traveled through riots and shoot outs and have survived, worked and progressed. It was not easy, there were times when I was ready to give up like after the bomb blasts [I was trapped in a riot and I survived by begging with folded hands to let me go] I saw people going back to work the next day and I really felt that they were heartless running after their careers and money. When I shared this sentiment with some of them, they told me that if you stay at home, you are giving more power to terrorists; you are telling them we are hurt and unable to move on. Ofcourse we are hurt but each hurt, each attack, each dent gives us more strength, makes us more powerful, makes us realise the value of life and how much we love the city. Isn’t it true? Yes it is. If we continue to live in the moment of our sorrow, we give more power to the person who has hurt us. Giving up and breaking down is more easy but moving on is more difficult and I learnt to do the more difficult thing.

2) No personal space: If you live here you know what I am talking about. Everyone is at everyone’s face. There is no personal space; every free space is free for everyone. Like a true Mumbaikar I have picked up the trait inspite of being claustrophobic I don't mind sitting within centimeters of a complete stranger.

3) Privacy: There is no personal space but there is enough privacy. Even if you are sharing the same sq.meter space; the other person gives a dam about your personal life. You can easily go on about your personal life, fight, cry, laugh...no one will interfere.

4) Lend a hand: If you ask, everyone is willing to lend a hand. They may not have the warmest face but they do have their hearts at the correct place. But you need to ask.

5) Never say no: Really no one says no here. If you ask for help especially directions people will always help, even if they don’t know. They will never say no. And neither do I but I try and not lead them to incorrect information.

6) Measure distance in time and not in Kms: We talk time and we walk time. Distance is never measured in kilometres. It is always measured in how much time you will take to reach a place. So Thane to VT is not 60-70 kms, it is about hour and a half.

7) Walk: We walk a lot. Most of us do and we walk fast. Walking is like second nature. Anyone who uses public transport here would easily walk around 4-5 kms daily and would walk fast. Sometimes it does get to me and I really feel if just for few minutes all of them could stop, and breath.


These were some of the things that Mumbai taught me. What about you..where do you live? What has your city taught you?

Monday, 2 September 2013

7 Things My Parents Taught Me

Growing up like any other child I was taught a lot of things, some were taught forcibly and some I picked up consciously and unconsciously. A lot of these things are a part of who I am today. These lessons shaped me, made be better, made me wiser and may be miser but I am grateful to each and everything that they taught me. So many lessons from so many chapters of my childhood, each different but each paved a new way for me. I have tried to summarize a few that I think are the most important things my parents have taught me.

1) Independence: Since as long as I can remember, I remember being independent. I don’t remember anyone telling us to be independent, we were independent. Even during my early childhood I remember doing all my chores on my own. There were times when I hated doing it but for some reason I never thought there was anyone else who would do it for me. And not only physical or financial independence, my parents taught me to be emotionally free. To not be dependent on anyone for any kind of support even in my toughest days. I will confess that I am not as independent emotionally as I was earlier; I tend to depend a lot on my better half but that is only because I can.

2) Hard work: There was never a short cut for hard work for me growing up. Any short cuts were noticed and we were made to do things again. So I learned hard work and I soon enough realised I was the type who needed hard work.  However I do think now that hard work has to be clubbed with smart work but every time I take a short cut even now I could sense my mom looking at me with a not so happy look.

3) Fun: We were a house full of non sense. In our daily life there was so much fun and drama that we never needed television. There were numerous hours of fun and games. No restrictions and no forced timetable.

4) Accountability: We were accountable for our own actions. I remember my mother checking my bag and asking me to do the homework but that’s about it. I do not remember her running after me for anything. We were responsible for our things. I do remember a lot of times not doing the homework  and then getting wacked in school but that taught me to be accountable for my own actions.

5) Speak your mind: Three of us [Me, My bro and My sis] were always asked to speak freely, ask questions. Questions were our best friend. We were never scared to speak our mind in front of anyone. This continues even now, I wear my heart on my sleeves and I am not scared to speak my mind. It does back fire sometimes but I can’t mince my words and I don’t see the need also.

6) Listen: As much as speaking your mind is important, it is also important to hear others. There are times when you do have to shut up and let others speak. I have a very patient ear and the credit goes to my parents. We were encouraged to debate a lot and one of the traits of a good debate is to listen to the other point of view; with an open ear and mind.

7) Budgeting: Like every child we also had pocket money; till we grew up.But along with that we were also exposed to prices of different things. I knew the price of everything I wanted and I would save and purchase. It not only gave me immense thrill and pleasure; it also taught me financing and value of money.

These are a few important things that my parents taught me and I hope I am able to pass them on to my children. What are the things that you were taught? Which one affected you most?


Sunday, 1 September 2013

7 Things My Kids Taught Me

First day of a new chapter in my blogging journey, a 7 day festival dedicated to writing. During these 7 days I will be sharing my learnings from 7 different roles that I play/have played in my life.
What better way to start than with my children? Being a parent has been a wonderful and blissful journey. It is one of the most difficult yet most easy roles I have ever played. I am learning each day as a parent. There are some things that circumstances have taught me, some things other parents have taught me but my biggest teachers have been my two little cuddle puddle, my kids.

1) Be a kid: One of the biggest lessons my children have taught me is to be a kid. Have fun, enjoy, live each moment, fight and makeup..Be a kid

2) Unconditional love: No amount of punishment, no threats, no mean looks could deter away the lovely kisses and hugs of my kids. It doesn’t matter if I am upset or they are upset. It doesn’t matter whether I did [read bought] what he asked for, at the end of the day, the day is never over without a big sloppy kiss and a big bear family hug.

3) Patience: Being a parent takes a lot from you. Specially traits like personal space and patience. I do lose patience quite a lot but I am also surprised how much I can ignore stained walls, toppled milk glasses, dirty clothes and illogical antics. I never thought I was made for this but here I am smiling and cleaning away to glory.

4) Be kind: My elder one is one of the kindest souls I have ever met. He has taught me this virtue. He doesn’t differentiate; he is kind towards me and towards the household help also. He loves hugging. He hugs everyone he meets, even our building’s sweeper [Not kidding]. Since sweeper knows this, he cleans himself and waits for my son when he goes to school. That one hug brightens his face like a big huge diwali lantern.

5) Smile more: Absence of smile in our house is always taken as a frown. It doesn’t matter if you were absently looking at the wall and thinking but if you don’t smile, it is assumed that you are upset. So we all smile...a lot. And it does brings in a lot of positive energy in our house. We are a loud loud house with lots of giggles and laughs.

6) Let go: I have learnt to forgive, forget and let go. This is a very simple virtue but something very common in all the children. It has simplified my life. I have learnt letting go is one of hardest things to do but once you learn to do it; it gives you wings.

7) Cooking: Last but not the least I have taken up cooking big time now because my elder son is a big foodie and I do not want him to eat out a lot. Hence I am learning almost everything under the sun for him and enjoying it also.

These were a few things that my kids have taught me. I will be glad if you can share with me the things your children have taught you [If you are a parent] and if you are not a parent, then things that you think you have learnt from kids around you.






Wednesday, 10 July 2013

Rains (haiku)


soaked and drenched
dancing in mud
a small toothy smile
--------------------------------------
hot corn fritters
melt in my mouth
I taste the rains
--------------------------------------

I walk barefoot
in the rain
healed within


Monday, 8 July 2013

Amma's tiffin

postcard of love
Glistened and glowing, with love and care
Wild and flowing, in grins and tears

Dipped in magic, dusted in flavor
Filled with love, layer on layer

Each cut, each burn
Each twist, each turn
Tidy untidy kitchen
Notes unspoken and written

Coins and pennies, notes and cards
Nothing when compared to hugs and hearts

Help of spices to tickle the taste buds
With each spoon and sprinkle, nostalgia rubs

Responsibility and growing up,
Falling and getting up
Memories and longing
All packed and pouring

Mark your calendar, set your alarm
Make room in your heart and your barn
A postcard of love is on the way
Amma's tiffin is on the way