Evry new day dawns....with new surprises...sometimes they are shocks that jolt you back to stark reality!

On the way to work today, I saw an uncle on the pillion - holding on to dear life, sitting awkwardly in an uncomfortable position and holding on to all the bars on the bike...It was so familiar, that's exactly how my Appa used to be in chennai ( my bachelorette days), when he rode wiith me on the bike.. :)

I count my blessings everyday...

My fellow bloggers seem to be thinking on the same lines as I do...its freaky, plain coincidience ( I am such a drama queen!)! Raaga's recent post about parents struck a chord! Lovely post, raaga!

Recently, I have been wanting to go home so badly to see Amma and Appa. I do talk to them everyday and we were discussing my childhood days...Amma sometimes says " Its nice to see you happily married, but you were gone so early...the house feels empty". I just laugh it off when she says that but I really miss her. I miss her patiently listening to my 'evening account of the day's happenings', though I do the same with S now. I miss her constant interviews about the right method to make "Molagu rasam", she still does it through the phone!! Every little thing or major happening, I have to tell them, with complete details....and I talk to her about everything that I am happy about or anything that bothers me, with abandon!! She is indeed, my confidante to whom I can talk to, without being judged. I always feel she is my mother, who knows me and loves me more than anyone else? ( Funny part is, I used to hate her as a teenager and thought she was extremely interfering. I am grown up now, and I know how to get my way, nicely now!)

Appa is someone, everyone is afraid of, except me! I can monkey around with him without any fear. Appa is not the most demonstrative types, but I know for a fact that he loves me with all his heart and I can proudly say he is a wonderful father...from preparing me for my Social Studies exams in 2 days ( I had fun in my cousin's wedding before the exam and when I panicked, he calmly sat down and taught me everything....I got 83%) to our long chats about life, marraige, S, and even his candid opinions about my spending patterns! He never misses an opportunity to say how proud he is of his little daughter ( at one point, i WAS little, you know?)

Anna is the bestest brother in the whole wide world. We dont talk as often as I do with my parents, considering he is perenially busy at work....but we can just start off anytime, anywhere like good old friends. In my school days, he was such a loving and protective brother, I used to get so irritated with him....and he has always been there for me, and I am there for him as well. I am very proud of his achievements recently and my heart swells with pride to see him recieve accolades and awards periodically. A very friendly and pragmatic guy, very balanced in his views , can be pig-headed too!! He is my one and only sibling, I dont think anyone can match up to him.... S gets jealous when he sees the way I adore him ( S says the first time we met, I didnt stop talking about my brother! :D...did I???)....

I have put a pic of amma holding me as a baby on my orkut profile....here it is...


The pride and the expression on her face is priceless!! I count my blessings everyday for them.....I am such a lucky woman for the people I love and I always feel so loved too!!

'Lipstick's recent post stirred up memories in me....memories of my childhood, years as a teenager, in college....when I think about it, I have come a long way....emotionally, I have changed radically, would like to think for good....As I read her post, I realised that a sense of calm has settled over me! I am not as hyper as I used to be...if I may say, I am far more balanced now and it does feel good.

I have begun to watch people and listen to their views merely as a spectator, neither acknowledging nor supporting or arguing about it. I have realized that there is no point in wasting time explaining things to people. They have to learn it by experience, to understand the impact of their words, comments or criticism on another. Of course, there are poeple who pretend that they are immature and childish...what can you say to such people? My policy is to just ignore and eliminate such negative vibes from my life. PERIOD. I try to cheer up another person, in a small way whenever I can...which gives ME immense satisfaction. There have been so many instances where I have seen arrogant fools pick on a meek and docile person or snigger meaningly about some sad joke on another....I would love to strangle them to death for hurting someone's feelings like that!!

One day, they will learn from their mistakes...just like I did!!!

What's with me??

I am very angry with myself….for a lot of reasons….for wallowing in self-pity, for not pushing myself enough, for feeling this discontentment, for being dependent on someone for happiness, for being ms.sunshine and ms.gloomy alternately, for crying, for sadness, for anger, for giving up often, for being undiplomatic, for longing, for dreaming, for being lazy, for feeling saturated, for my temper, for being impulsive…looks like this list will never end… the bottomline is I am not in the best of moods intermittently....No! I am not moody!!

I proudly proclaim myself as someone who is self-motivated in my resume, which is true when it comes to my professional life. I don't need someone to goad me to do anything, for that matter. But, personally its a different story. Everything starts with sudden spurts of enthusiasm and then fades away...I made a post long back that I want to learn dance with so much spirit in me...but I never did anything about it. WHY?? what is stopping me?? There are so many other things like that I have wanted to...and for some reason, don't! Why do I need someone to goad me or motivate me? Why don't I have the inclination, spirit or the 'fire' in me? I am bored easily, as well...my attention span is very short, and I am restless...

I am hoping I have at least started acknowledging it. I hope to do something about 'ME' soon...

Touching!

Why?? I love the look on the dad's face!!! and of course, the baby's innocence...they look like angels especially when they are asleep...

uh..Customer....Who??

I am sure most of you will nod in agreement as you read this post. Most people in the service industry have no clue about what customer service is..forget servicing, they don't even dignify or acknowledge even the most courteous of customers!!! It is sad, but true that it is a torment to register a complaint with a customer care center via phone or in person.

Recently, I lost all my money, cards, mobile and my little world to a smart thief!( he snatched my bag, under the pretext of asking for directions, fact that I am such a loser when it comes to directions or topography is a different story altogether!) Bottomline: I lost everything. Since then, I have been trying to get my life back into order....and in the rigamarole of blocking, unblocking, editing, requesting, calling, registering...basically trying everything I can to get back to routine....

Last weekend, I went to an Airtel Customer Center, (and in the background, I could hear another customer badgering the executive to provide better service! ) with S and we waited patiently for our turn. In the mean while, another elderly 'gentleman' calls me and enquires about my complaint. I give him full details earnestly and wait for him to utter the magical solution. Instead, he says "Please go to "May I help you?" Counter...( Yeah, right dude...I CAN read...Just tell me, why the hell did you call me??)

The counter has two (why two?) girls with bored expressions and nonchalant attitude. Forget pleasing manners or polite conversation, they refuse to even acknowledge your presence!!! After a couple of hours, we finally managed to revive the account.

Apart from my daily chores, I have additional duties now - I call the banks, courier guys, all and sundry every day and follow-up like a marketing executive!!! Once when my broadband stopped working, I called atleast 30 times( am not exaggerating) in 7 days to revive my connection and they promise to get back to you in 24 hours. I made a grave mistake of subscribing to "Good Housekeeping" and have not got the issues in the same month...once! I call them every month as well, to enquire about my issue...as a result, they have lost one customer for life!!! I will NEVER ever take subscriptions!!!

ICICI bank takes the cake... all the executives who work in the bank, have such a sullen expression on their faces and show so much attitude that you feel like you are stealing someone's money and are being punished!!! We were there for 3 hours once, to get a draft and the lady on the counter was so mean, i wanted to slap her right there!!! Thanks to S, there was no violence there..

Sigh...wish people were more empathetic and atleast SMILE!!!!