TICKLE ! You are being missed!

                      Tiny and Tickle!! Our two little darlings!!

  Probably as old as i am in the hubli house. My earliest friends here- and my first pets!!

 They were a couple of months old when we first brought them home. I remember we were so ecstatic about our two new entrants in the Joshi household. Tiny Joshi- the naughty lil beauty and Mr. Tickle Joshi- woo! the heartthrob!! ;))

It was soo much fun to watch these two play and jump and somersault in style! They'd eat and eat and yet behave as though they had been starving for days!!! Like me, the site of food made them happy :):)
As days passed, i got busier with studies and work. I spent less time with them, but loved them just as much. Watch them see you and spring out of the water  was the best part at the end of the day. Oh, they had their sun bathing sessions too!! With their master AJ... and the three would freak out!! :)
Yesterday morning something very unpleasant happened!! Tickle was not keeping too well past one week. He was down with cold and we suppose respiratory infection. We read all possible literature and browsed through the turtle care websites. He was being given warm water for comfort, antibiotics, vitamins and he was getting back to his active self :) Last morning i woke up pretty early and went to see how these two were doing in their tub... and what a terrible site it was!!! Tickle was lying upturned.... he was floating like a dead soul.... i couldn't believe what i saw.... rather i didn't want to!! Put him back on his four claws.. moved him, patted him, pinched him... but in vain.
Tickle was dead.
I dont know what happened that night... but tickle showed no signs of life. I was hoping it be a night-mare!! I soo badly was!! Such an adorable creature he was!! So full of fun... so harmless and so away from  the grey shades we all have. He showed me how to be content with whatever he had. Whether i played with him or not, whether i accompanied him for his wash hour or not.... when i was with him he loved me the same. Never expected. And never changed his way of reciprocating either!!
How awesome was he!!
We love you Tickle! And you are being terribly missed!!! RIP.
Cheers to every moment we spent with you!!

The (I)n Thing!

How important is it to be a part of the 'in' circle?? To use what the market/ media says is selling like hot cakes... to wear and show off what Page 3 claims to be 'the flavour' of the season... to do or not do something because 'its the trend these days' ......... a question that crossed my mind when a friend commented in public on my gold and old fashioned finger ring... "kya yaar anuja ... kaun pehenta hai aaj kal aisa?"... The smile on my face was just lost somewhere. Not because my friend didn't like what i was wearing but because 10 other people had a look at it after that and laughed!! I felt bad. I felt embarrassed. A couple of minutes later i quietly took off my ring and put it back in my purse.

I know appearance matters! I can't be wearing something obnoxious and then sulk that people make fun of me. But i do believe that i can't be doing a particular thing just because my social circuit demands i do it! Somewhere there is this 'personal choice and comfort' that should have an upper hand!

Something similar happened on Occasion 2, when a friend commented that i have really put on weight after marriage... yet again a public remark " tu bas aisehi phoolti jayegi??" Humiliating when people laughed and said " Anuja size zero ka zamana hai... aunty banane ka nahin"...I know i have!!! Am such a foodie!!! Yes i should be fitter but you can't kill me for it!!!

Am back to using the finger ring (which was actually gifted to me by my in-laws:)) I shouldn't have removed it then! :(... If i do something then its because it is important to me and i believe in it!! And i should not be ashamed of it!! Whether or not, its turning heads and fishing compliments, is secondary!!!

Lesson i learnt: Respect your own taste and choice! And more so, somebody elses!!

Its important to change with time. Its good to change with time.... but without losing that 'I' factor!

Its cool to be 'In'! But its too cool to be '(I)n' :)))

Cheers to everything that you do because YOU want to! :)

Salaam Boss!

My mother-in-law always says (with regard to cooking) "Jo bhi banate ho pyaar se banao. Phir woh bura ho hi nahi sakta!!" :) And knowing her skill and passion for cooking, shes totally flawless at it!
Its only in the past few years that i have made an attempt to convey my appreciation if i've really liked something! Till then probably i never thought it was so important to give a positive feedback as much as i was concerned about conveying the not so nice aspects!! And i see a couple of grey hair showing up from my 'winnie mandela' hairdo! Everyday is a BAD hair day!! Hahaha :-D......Jokes apart.... Probably thats what is called growing up!!!
Being a good host, a meal cooked with love, a well done and managed resort or any creative piece of work, i've realised that every little thing involves a lot of passion, precision, planning and time!! Its to put it simply, a talent!! And it need not always be a Hussain painting or a Rushdie book to be in news!! ;)
A review on Trip advisor about a place/ hotel i liked. A comment on blog that i enjoyed reading. A mail appreciating a very well organised national conference. A good feedback on the most funky calender i've seen! I've made it a point now to appreciate every talent!
Talent, to some, is money. Its the hardwork put in to achieve perfection! Someone's dream thats presented with hope! And it needs a 'thumbs up' to take it higher!! :)

Good audience always clap! :-) Am being one! Hope your in too!
Cheers!

The 'Bold', the 'Beautiful' and the 'Ugly'!

The three adjectives precisely explaining the three events that either caught my attention, changed my mood or stressed my little brain in the fortnight that zipped by! Made me feel good, happy, sad and worried.
Its one of those days when your a little relaxed that its over but not really happy about it! Thats how the last two weeks have been!

I read about the Aamir Khan brave act! And i love him for that! In a society thats still to understand 'surrogate pregnancy' or 'test-tube babies' and is miles away from accepting these, hes sort of been a torch bearer! And i loved the way he handled and raised the whole story! For a celebrity of his calibre... to bring out an important portion of his private life..and put it up to the world so clearly, boldly and wonderfully is such a mature way of handling a sensitive issue!
I watched 'The Dirty Picture' last week. And what a 'pretty' picture it is!! Bold role again! Vidya Balan is A-Class in the film! Sensuous but not vulgar. When u actually spare a thought and try and analyse things and situations from Silk's point of view, u wonder if shes to be blamed or the society! And unfortunately the situation remains unchanged even today!
Unconventional is still unacceptable!! Whether right or wrong... nobody cares!

My best friend's wedding!! :-) Yes!! Coming up soon!! Got the news last night and i havent been so very happy lately! -)) The memories of my courtship... all the attention i gathered then... the late night gupshup... the crazy wedding planning and the experience of being through it put up a big broad smile on my face. And am soo soo excited about she going through it all!! :-)
Wow! Life has beautiful ways to make up for the not so beautiful things that it offers!

Temper tantrums!! The ugly part of u and me! They say mood swing is a prelude to excitement!! :) But guess there is a range of age when it can get far from exciting! :( One moment u see them smiling and with the blink of the eye they turn snappy! And u are left wondering if its something to do with 'split personality' or 'stupid mind'! And all i wished for was 'if i could just disappear by the click of a button!:-(

Bold, Beautiful and Ugly;
For Life is like this only!
Cheers for sailing through it! :)

*Seasons Greetings*

Love this part of the year! After the April-September 'No Holiday' season, its such a joyful moment to see the 'red dates' re-appear on the calender! :-)) Thank God for Sundays, else Life would have really been 'black' n 'blue'! ;-)

September saw me 'de-activate' my facebook account!! (Source of Inspiration: One of my good old friend:)) Am liking the whole feeling of not knowing whats going on in my social circuit. Since they cant help but give us a peek-a-boo of their personal life, i thought i will get a lil more sane instead! ;-) But on a serious note, i do sometimes miss logging onto my fb page (considering i was almost close to being addicted to it) But i thought i will do something more constructive when i have soo many things to do in the pipeline. And friends are never too far to keep in touch with. Don't need a 'wall' between us, what say?? ;-)
For better or for worse.... i don't know.... but am off it! :)

September also saw me suffer terribly. Had an embarassing 'manly' voice for a good two weeks, fever, bad pharyngitis and cough that gave me very few moments of peace. What it taught?? That i need to take serious measures to get back into shape, get fit and improve my sad physical state. Am triyng! May be i need some more motivation! Or probably some complimentary criticism to get me moving!!

The ages ago planned- long pending visit to abhijit's favourite place- Karad, happened in October. And it was a welcome break! :) Realised that 'childhood' beats all the phases in Life!! Saw how wonderful it was to re-connect.... with the 'old, spectacled teachers' .... with the 'grown up to be soo different classmates' .......with the 'uncle in that shop' where i used to eat this after class and buy that for birthdays.
Lifes Pretty! :-)

What goodies are in store??
Well, I will be off soon to celebrate Anu-Abhi Anniversary II ;-))))
EXCITED- HAPPY- WAITING
Diwali s almost here!!! 3 days in a row off!!! No College!!! Reason enough to celebrate!!! ;-)
Come December and the festive season, weekend get-a-ways, dinner dates with Mr. Hubby will continue :)

The fun part of my 3 seasons of the year ( Exam Season- Work Season- Holiday Season) is here!!! :-)
SEASONS GREETINGS TO ALL OF YOU!!! :-)))
Cheers to the days ahead!!! :)

What must it be..??

SUNDAY!!!! One word that can brighten up faces! And one day that pumps you to put up through the week! It was a cloudy, lazy sunday morning. Me and abhi were off on a short drive to a near by tapri to start the day with some garam idli-vadas and dosas! The day was planned. The weather- awesome!
Chatting and giggling we passed by the known lanes. I saw a tiny tot in an over sized night suit, holding his father's hand. The two were probably out on a stroll. The kid looked adorable and a little confused. As the father walked cautiously watching his steps, the child looked up.... up in the dark clouds... unaware... happy and so very carefree!!
As we drove nearer, we caught a better glimpse of the two! And for a moment.... i had a lump in my throat. Its not very hard to recognise a child with Down's Syndrome.
What crossed my mind, to tell the truth, was whether to thank God for what he has done to me and my near and dear ones or may be try and know why Hes been so mean and heartless to some others!
What must it be to not look and be able to behave like the rest of the world? What must it be to looked on with sympathy? What must it be to have a world of only a handful of people around? What must it be to comprehend that we are loved by many but unwanted by many more!! What must it be to see tears in our mother's eyes and deep inside believe that we're to be blamed? What must it be to gradually realise that Lifes a lot more tough on our side?
AND what must it be, for the two lovely parents to see their child go through all this knowing that they were never at fault!!!

The Sunday just breezed off. But what is still lingering on is that little one's smile! Innocence probably is this!!!!
Its a different mind but it still is a mind! Very intelligent. Very calm. A heart more loving than you and i can understand. A smile that does not know to fade and go! The eyes are as glittering as any of us have. The dreams are just as awesome as the feeling of joy!
How i wish i could be as strong as you!!
For what must it be to walk with pride and hope and joy inspite of the all the worries walking by?? Courage surely is this!!!
Cheers!!!

In sync with 'Superman' !!! ;-)

Sometimes my ability of multitasking surprises me!!! And more often the ability of not doing anything other than 'mundane' overshadows it!!! ;-p
Some days are the 'superwoman' kinds and some others are the 'jobless, face-booking' kinds.
Last month and a half has given me NO time to spare! Journal club, seminar, scientific paper work, conference registrations... to mention the least! And i realised that 'its manageable!!' :-))
The harder i think, the tougher it gets! The less i ponder and faster it ends!!!
It began with the usual 'oh no monday again' attitude!! And my eyes popped out when i realised that i had my seminar the same week!!! The write up... well almost over!! The slides... about to start!! Many breakthroughs and theories i concluded that week, trying to understand how two micro-organisms could cause seroius 'g(h)um' problems!!! PUN Intended!!! Totally!!! ;-p
A few social commitments here and there... the seamingly never ending clinical work quota... and the conference registrations that were pouring in were enough to keep me busy for the rest of the days!!
Working for some big event like this National Conference definitely is an exposure of sorts. Trying to read and understand and then only guess what the member's name / email id possibly is, is a task in itself!!! Now i know why my teachers used to hate checking exam papers!!
My mind has this amazing capacity to do one thing, think something else, plan a third thing and then forget everything at the end of the day and sleep with the belief that everythings appropriately done!!
So there!! Suddenly i was all excited about going for a PG Convention coming up in sometime. But before that i need to finish my paper work that am planning to present there!! Oh Heaven!! Why did i suddenly don the role of an 'enthu cutlet' and decide to conduct my own new scientific study was what killed all the excitement!! :( And more so left me wondering how could such an idea crop up in my sane mind???? ;-)
So i began my rounds to Mr Statistician, pleading to finish my work sooon! And then get back to knowing the mechanism behind how one 'spirochete' manages to move around!!! :((
Sleepless nights in the literal sense!! Home- college- clinical work- conference- journal club that was a mini seminar in itself- and then the actual seminar!!! Not to forget my absolutely marvellous scientific study!!!!
Well, half s got the 'green tick' and the other is still in the pipeline!! But i've come to like being busy!! Am enjoying doing it all!! And no! Its not without quality!! Its decent at the end of the day!! Touchwood! :)
Its a conscious effort now to cut down browsing on social networking sites. What goes on in my life need not be an hourly update to the world!! :) Taking steps to get into my job completely!! Making an effort to manage time well between family-home and my academics!! Finding time as well, to do things i like doing-- like this!! ;-)
And i realise that its all 'manageable'!

If only i could fly...... then 'Superman' would have had some company!!!! ;-D
CHEERS!!