Some days I can write two or three blogs in a span of two hours and be happy with my performance and then there are days when I know what I want to write about, have the blogger open and not write a word for six hours straight...stare at the tab, switch over to gossip mongering news on celebs and then switch back and think, "nah! not today I don't want to write today!"
Today is one such day...I kept flipping back and forth between tabs and never once writing...last night I knew tonns of things to blog about...of course among things I liked, there were things I liked to complain about and bitch and moan...but today I am blank...like a white board...ya...
But here is something that will keep you laughing...for those who stop by and politely comment and those rude intruders who spend time reading but not writing feedback...
Anyways...here is the story...a story I wrote when I was in my third grade. I only remember this because I was so proud of it then...Let me give you a brief background...this was way back when mosquitoes used to hound me (now it hounds G and I almost always bite free) and I used to hate them with a passion. My school had a story writing competition and I enrolled in it. I was so sure that I could come up with something original in two days...I discussed various stories with my dad and almost everyone of them had something to do with some story I had heard before, and the competition screamed ORIGINAL in bold letters. So dad told me to write something out of my personal experience...and this is what I wrote...a gist ok...from what I remember of it...
Once upon a time there lived a family of mosquitoes that lived on drinking sweet blood from people. The mosquito kept attacking a little girl called Anu everynight because she had the sweetest blood in town. Now, Anu ate a lot of sweets and so her blood was sweet and so the mosquitoes could smell it from far away. Anu was very angry and one night she decided to deceive the mosquitoes by eating no sweets and only spicy potato fry and mango pickles. That night when Anu went to sleep the mosquitoes came to bite her but then were revolted to find that the blood was no longer sweet but spicy and left her alone. Anu followed the same diet for two days and after trying hard for two days the mosquitoes decided to leave Anu alone. Anu was now bite free and she continued to eat sweets and her blood continued to be sweet thereafter...
Yay! Happy ending. I am the heroine, the smart one with brains! yay!
So embarrassing now when I look back at it. But it was ORIGINAL alright. I was in third grade so give me some benefit of doubt and I could really write stories then. And no, I was not on crack!!! There is only one thing I hope that really my story telling ways have changed since then, and hopefully more creativity has seeped into me.
Hope my story was entertaining...
Love
ART
PS: Happy Deepavali and Diwali to everyone!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
One comes and goes...
As I told you...I jinxed Babs health again...what is it about her and blogs? I don't get it...but then I am afraid...very afraid to write anything about her...ya she is a year old...and I want to write something just so if this blog is alive when she is 5 or 6 she can read these and feel what her mom felt like when she was small...
I originally wanted to spend the whole day with her and G did not care about it either way...but what actually happened??? I got to work till 2 that day then by the time I picked my parents and got home it was almost 4. Then I was busy cooking and cleaning that I hardly got time to spend with S. We later went to the mall and did some photos before heading to an Indian Restaurant called Maharaja (on Coit and Springcreek, which I will absolutely avoid henceforth). Then I dropped my parents at the hotel they were spending the night at and came home on time to put Babs to bed...ya...about two or three hours is what I got to spend with her...on the other hand G got to work from home and got to spend the entire day with her...IRONY!!!
But the next day was fun...MIL and I cooked...and cleaned till the very minute the guests came...and then also we did a bunch of stuff...here I have to mention that without my MIL there would have been no party...taking care of a one year old who can walk, make cute faces and ask you to lift her up all the time can really hurt your cooking and cleaning schedule...but MIL and I swapped responsibilities of taking care of Babs with her doing most of the taking care of...while I worked...and then when G's bro and SIL came in...it was even better...now we operated as a family...it was awesome...a well oiled family we were knowing what we were good at and doing precisely that...
I never had a big family...it was just the five of us growing up because we were always away from home base which was in Chennai...so in my house we did our own things our way...but G always had a big family and his family worked completely opposite to ours...I should say that I enjoy being with his as they are fun in their own way and I can blend in easily...the way we did the cooking cleaning and cleaning thereafter just proved that we could be efficient if we worked together and my MIL rocks...
I also have to mention that some people get an MIL when they get married...but I got another mother...I am not writing here to maska marofy anyone...my MIL or G don't read my blog...but this is how I genuinely feel about her...I am not going to lie to you that she never gets on my nerves...but all that is ok and negligible when I look at the amount of support both moral as well as physical she has been to me in the last couple of years...even on days when I am PMSing she is understanding...when I am all acting pissy and stuff she still talks to me as if I am being nice which makes me feel worse about myself after the PMS moment has passed...
Ya I owe and Babs also owes her first birthday party to my MIL (her grandma)...
And I have to thank the 13 selected friends whom we had invited and all but one came and made the occassion very special for us...Babs slept through most of it...poor her she was tired from lack of sleep the previous two days. With us cooking and all that Babs could not get herself to sleep and so she was awake till at least 12 for two continuous nights and did not compensate it with day time naps either...but then we had to wake her up so we could cut G's small cake that I had ordered for his Bday that fell on Sunday...It was a fun party...nothing major...but very simple...two other beautiful kids...very family like party...but I enjoyed it...
Thanks everyone :)
PS: See how smart I am...I digressed from Babs in the post here and there in an attempt to avoid the jinx...lets see if this works!!
I originally wanted to spend the whole day with her and G did not care about it either way...but what actually happened??? I got to work till 2 that day then by the time I picked my parents and got home it was almost 4. Then I was busy cooking and cleaning that I hardly got time to spend with S. We later went to the mall and did some photos before heading to an Indian Restaurant called Maharaja (on Coit and Springcreek, which I will absolutely avoid henceforth). Then I dropped my parents at the hotel they were spending the night at and came home on time to put Babs to bed...ya...about two or three hours is what I got to spend with her...on the other hand G got to work from home and got to spend the entire day with her...IRONY!!!
But the next day was fun...MIL and I cooked...and cleaned till the very minute the guests came...and then also we did a bunch of stuff...here I have to mention that without my MIL there would have been no party...taking care of a one year old who can walk, make cute faces and ask you to lift her up all the time can really hurt your cooking and cleaning schedule...but MIL and I swapped responsibilities of taking care of Babs with her doing most of the taking care of...while I worked...and then when G's bro and SIL came in...it was even better...now we operated as a family...it was awesome...a well oiled family we were knowing what we were good at and doing precisely that...
I never had a big family...it was just the five of us growing up because we were always away from home base which was in Chennai...so in my house we did our own things our way...but G always had a big family and his family worked completely opposite to ours...I should say that I enjoy being with his as they are fun in their own way and I can blend in easily...the way we did the cooking cleaning and cleaning thereafter just proved that we could be efficient if we worked together and my MIL rocks...
I also have to mention that some people get an MIL when they get married...but I got another mother...I am not writing here to maska marofy anyone...my MIL or G don't read my blog...but this is how I genuinely feel about her...I am not going to lie to you that she never gets on my nerves...but all that is ok and negligible when I look at the amount of support both moral as well as physical she has been to me in the last couple of years...even on days when I am PMSing she is understanding...when I am all acting pissy and stuff she still talks to me as if I am being nice which makes me feel worse about myself after the PMS moment has passed...
Ya I owe and Babs also owes her first birthday party to my MIL (her grandma)...
And I have to thank the 13 selected friends whom we had invited and all but one came and made the occassion very special for us...Babs slept through most of it...poor her she was tired from lack of sleep the previous two days. With us cooking and all that Babs could not get herself to sleep and so she was awake till at least 12 for two continuous nights and did not compensate it with day time naps either...but then we had to wake her up so we could cut G's small cake that I had ordered for his Bday that fell on Sunday...It was a fun party...nothing major...but very simple...two other beautiful kids...very family like party...but I enjoyed it...
Thanks everyone :)
PS: See how smart I am...I digressed from Babs in the post here and there in an attempt to avoid the jinx...lets see if this works!!
Once again the syringe attacked me!
If you have been reading my posts for a while you would have known how much I hate needles from my Penicillin episode...but in case you haven't read that here is what happened this week...
We took Babs for her one year check up at her pediatrician and the doc advised that all three of us get the flu shot. Given how much we suffered this last winter G was prompt and had the shot taken a couple of weeks ago. I firmly stood ground saying that I would rather fight with the flu than with the pain of the shot. G was shocked at my attitude and said that I was putting Babs health at risk by my stupid fear of pain...
So when the pediatrician advised me...I reluctantly said I will take it...the doc then said, "your daughter is going to get five shots (vaccines) and you are afraid to get one?" So now I was challenged and had to do it...
Two nurses walked in to get Babs ready for her shot...one of them said ok lets get ready to give me the shot first...I was like what? No way...I saw the syringe and freaked out...I screamed...ran around the room...until one of the nurses pinned me down to the chair and the other grabbed my arm and I screamed and wailed (my voice was heard over that of other kids around) and when it was over I was like "What the??? Is it already done? I thought it was going to pain..." And G was standing with Babs at the corner of the room looking at me in utter disgust and embarrassment. He wanted to escape and vanish into thin air.
Ya...that is how ridiculously childish I am!!! I hate myself for that...but I hate syringes...I have a needle phobia (trypanophobia)...such a thing actually exists and my dad is needle-phobic...so there...it is not something I do just because I feel like it...
Even when I was in the delivery room getting prepped for a C-section that never happened...a nurse walked up and poked me with something on my left arm...that was the only time I came close to cussing...but if she had given me a warning I probably would have created another scene wasting their time...
But it is not as if I enjoying doing it...I have a phobia and people with phobia's should be treated with love and not anger (G you are going to get it from me solid tonight!)
Anyways with loads of trypanophobia...I bid thee adieu...
We took Babs for her one year check up at her pediatrician and the doc advised that all three of us get the flu shot. Given how much we suffered this last winter G was prompt and had the shot taken a couple of weeks ago. I firmly stood ground saying that I would rather fight with the flu than with the pain of the shot. G was shocked at my attitude and said that I was putting Babs health at risk by my stupid fear of pain...
So when the pediatrician advised me...I reluctantly said I will take it...the doc then said, "your daughter is going to get five shots (vaccines) and you are afraid to get one?" So now I was challenged and had to do it...
Two nurses walked in to get Babs ready for her shot...one of them said ok lets get ready to give me the shot first...I was like what? No way...I saw the syringe and freaked out...I screamed...ran around the room...until one of the nurses pinned me down to the chair and the other grabbed my arm and I screamed and wailed (my voice was heard over that of other kids around) and when it was over I was like "What the??? Is it already done? I thought it was going to pain..." And G was standing with Babs at the corner of the room looking at me in utter disgust and embarrassment. He wanted to escape and vanish into thin air.
Ya...that is how ridiculously childish I am!!! I hate myself for that...but I hate syringes...I have a needle phobia (trypanophobia)...such a thing actually exists and my dad is needle-phobic...so there...it is not something I do just because I feel like it...
Even when I was in the delivery room getting prepped for a C-section that never happened...a nurse walked up and poked me with something on my left arm...that was the only time I came close to cussing...but if she had given me a warning I probably would have created another scene wasting their time...
But it is not as if I enjoying doing it...I have a phobia and people with phobia's should be treated with love and not anger (G you are going to get it from me solid tonight!)
Anyways with loads of trypanophobia...I bid thee adieu...
Friday, October 17, 2008
It's a YEAR!!!!!
Baboo is ONE YEAR Today!!!
I can still clearly remember almost every bit of detail (as much as my sedated mind can recollect) even today...Giri and I started tracking back time since last evening. I had blogged about it long back but had decided not to publish it...but now WTH!!!! She is one...
I had to know...yes...the gender of the baby...that was my first question to the doctor and when she said it was a girl, I could not believe my ears...very quickly the NICU people came and took the child away for inspection while I was lying there getting all stitched up and cleaned...Girish was on the phone and I heard Girish tell one of the NICU physicians that the name of the baby was going to be Sanjana...at that time I knew that there was no changing and that is what she was going to be called for ever...
Once she was cleaned up and all Girish held her in his arms for the longest time and then I was allowed to hold her for sometime. I tried to feed her but she was not in a mood and was cranky...then the nurse from the nursery took Sanjana away for further inspection and bathing.
I was given some fluids to drink and some rest while Tracy cleaned me up more and packed all my things. She brought in a wheel chair and a trolley. Girish loaded our bags onto the trolley and me onto the wheelchair and off we went to our post-delivery room.
I was tired as hell but could not sleep because people were coming in and out of the room but there was no sign of Sanjana. Then Girish told me that there was some oxygen problem and they were going to keep her in the nursery for longer. I took a mini-nap and then Girish took me in the wheel chair to see her in the nursery for about five minutes. Then we were back in the room...
First Rajeev and Vardhini came, then Sammy came and then Charlie came...Girish took all of them to the nursery. Ali, Fatema and Mustu came. They saw Sanjana getting her bath and all of them left without seeing her up close.
Megha and G came, and just as I was getting ready to go to the nursery the baby came in! I was so happy!!!! Then Girish got mummy and pappa, and RJ, Sameer, Sonika, and RJ's mom came. The place was full and everyone was happy to see the baby...The last to come was Shahid and it was already late and I was getting groggy. The nursery people took the baby away and I slept for two hours before being woken up for feeding...
Thus started Sanjana's journey into this life...
So there it is all out...I did not want to gross anyone out and neither did I want to forget it...but now she is one...all big and grown up...I am scared to write more here...everytime I write something about Baboo I have jinxed it and she has always fallen sick following it...it is one of the reason why I have stopped even mentioning about her here...Let me see how this goes and then maybe I will start writing about her...
Anyways y'all take care...I have tons to prepare for the big day! Already baked and decorated her cake...but major food cooking, picking up my parents and all that are happening...till I write back...
Toodles.
ART
I can still clearly remember almost every bit of detail (as much as my sedated mind can recollect) even today...Giri and I started tracking back time since last evening. I had blogged about it long back but had decided not to publish it...but now WTH!!!! She is one...
I wanted to blog about Sanjana's arrival before I forget most of the important details...not that any of it is easy to forget but time has a way with memory...
As most of you know Sanjana was due on October 8, 2007 and was scheduled for an induction on October 10, 2007 should she miss the due date...but then the smart Alec me decided to postpone the induction date to October 17, 2007 buying both myself and Sanjana a week to try and make it out the natural way...and Sanjana decided that she would indeed stay inside me till she was forcibly induced...guess she loved being inside me so much that she did not make any attempts at coming outside whatsoever.
Actually my water broke on October 5, 2007 night (early Oct 6th) when I was alone. I did talk to my doctor about it on my October 10th appointment and she told me to confirm the same through a sonogram on October 11th. The sonogram said that there was nothing to worry about and I got back home feeling better and happy that I had postponed my induction date to the 17th.
I also went to work on the 15th of October after initial doubts and then decided that I would take off the 16th and spend some ME time before heading out that night for the induction. I cleaned the house, I cooked and slept a little before the evening came. I was still hoping that I would at least be dialted one centimeter by the evening if I did all the work...Girish came home from work and the two of us along with Girish's parents headed out for a walk at Addisson Park and got back home for dinner. Giri took a quick shower and the two of us headed towards the hospital at 9.30pm from our house...we stopped by at the Quick Trip gas station on Plano Parkway and Girish picked up a Blazing Hot Cheetos packet for snacking through the night and we headed to the hospital. I was a bundle of nerves and was crying on and off through the short trip.
We walked into the labor and delivery unit in Medical Center of Plano at precisely 10.00pm and got myself admitted. I was shown into LDR Room No.23, changed into hospital garb and was ready for nurse Sara to come and walk me through the procedure of getting induced. First there was a bunch questions...and then there was the preparation for IV...it was not that bad and it was one of the things I was freaking out about. Then she told me to relax while she prepped to soften the cervix...She got me ready at 11.20pm and at 12.20am I started getting my first real contractions and boy did they hurt...at first not so bad but as the night progressed it just got worse...Around 3.00am I was hurting and around 4.30 I was screaming every few minutes...but the good news was that I was dilating and heading in the right direction...
Around 6.30am Tracy took over Sara and she gave me the option of taking IV Nubain a mood altering drug to keep me cool in between the contractions and I gladly agreed to try it out...and it really did not help me much other than putting me to sleep in between my contractions. The pain was still there...
At 8.00am the doctor came for a visit and decided that after using the internal monitor my baby's heart rate was not looking very stable during contractions and that I have to be cut to deliver as the baby might not take the pressure of making it out naturally...in a few minutes I was getting a fresh batch of shots and this guy walked in with a trolley and got to work on my back while I was writhing in pain through contractions...he was getting me prepped for epidural and in two minutes he was done and gone and I was in cloud nine not feeling any pain any more...I did not feel anything in my lower body as well...
Tracy then decided to do something different and took me off the internal monitor and hooked me back up on the external monitor only to show that the baby was not doing badly during contractions. So she called the doctor and passed on the information and the doctor came by to check it out and agreed that I did not need a C-Section and that she will try natural delivery instead.
Around 1.15pm on October 17, 2007 things started moving real fast. Tracy had the room loaded with trolleys carrying different things and then she and Girish together helped me learn to push the baby out...the pushing was so difficult considering I have no idea where to put the pressure considering my lower half of the body was completely asleep...and it took me about 6 to 7 turns before I got to push the baby's head out only slightly before which the doctor was called in and the NICU people were also summoned for...a few more pushes and then the baby's head was vacuumed out ...and in a couple of seconds the doctor threw the baby on my tummy...I could not believe it...
I had to know...yes...the gender of the baby...that was my first question to the doctor and when she said it was a girl, I could not believe my ears...very quickly the NICU people came and took the child away for inspection while I was lying there getting all stitched up and cleaned...Girish was on the phone and I heard Girish tell one of the NICU physicians that the name of the baby was going to be Sanjana...at that time I knew that there was no changing and that is what she was going to be called for ever...
Once she was cleaned up and all Girish held her in his arms for the longest time and then I was allowed to hold her for sometime. I tried to feed her but she was not in a mood and was cranky...then the nurse from the nursery took Sanjana away for further inspection and bathing.
I was given some fluids to drink and some rest while Tracy cleaned me up more and packed all my things. She brought in a wheel chair and a trolley. Girish loaded our bags onto the trolley and me onto the wheelchair and off we went to our post-delivery room.
I was tired as hell but could not sleep because people were coming in and out of the room but there was no sign of Sanjana. Then Girish told me that there was some oxygen problem and they were going to keep her in the nursery for longer. I took a mini-nap and then Girish took me in the wheel chair to see her in the nursery for about five minutes. Then we were back in the room...
First Rajeev and Vardhini came, then Sammy came and then Charlie came...Girish took all of them to the nursery. Ali, Fatema and Mustu came. They saw Sanjana getting her bath and all of them left without seeing her up close.
Megha and G came, and just as I was getting ready to go to the nursery the baby came in! I was so happy!!!! Then Girish got mummy and pappa, and RJ, Sameer, Sonika, and RJ's mom came. The place was full and everyone was happy to see the baby...The last to come was Shahid and it was already late and I was getting groggy. The nursery people took the baby away and I slept for two hours before being woken up for feeding...
Thus started Sanjana's journey into this life...
So there it is all out...I did not want to gross anyone out and neither did I want to forget it...but now she is one...all big and grown up...I am scared to write more here...everytime I write something about Baboo I have jinxed it and she has always fallen sick following it...it is one of the reason why I have stopped even mentioning about her here...Let me see how this goes and then maybe I will start writing about her...
Anyways y'all take care...I have tons to prepare for the big day! Already baked and decorated her cake...but major food cooking, picking up my parents and all that are happening...till I write back...
Toodles.
ART
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Enough with it already!
Everyone knows about what happened to Lehman Brothers, AIG, Wachovia. Even if you are not an economy buff you would have heard it or read about it somewhere. Since things started going downhill I started subscribing to some nice financial blogs to learn and understand how the system works. In the last few weeks I have even bugged my friends with some interesting post on this and on that which I keep forwarding every time I read something I think might be useful for them as well.
What I find funny is that most of these website try to instill on one thing. Do not panic.
Well if they don't want us to panic then why the hell is the entire blog world telling us exactly that but only a hundered times over??? Well if you don't want me to panic then you should'nt probably be giving me news to panic with right???
I am now afraid even to buy an organic water bottle (saving earth and global warming and those those fun stuff) because I am now thinking (panicking) what if I dont NEED it and only WANT it??? Well this is what happens when you get into the financial crunch mode...I now think (panic) that most of the things I do including Babs birthday cake is excessive. Gosh! It is driving me nuts. I was not programmed to think like this.
It is not me to feel like it even. I have been raised to spend. At least that is what my dad always told me. That I was born to spend his money which I am still doing consistently. Then there is the sudden fear of the financial crisis in the market (a market with which I did not even associate myself with 9 months ago) so I have to be frugal.
When people like me, who never knew how to balance books, do accounts, take care of their money and such are in this position, here is what we do - PENNY WISE AND POUND FOOLISH! ya! Because I do not know head or tail about managing my money. I think I am being wise when in reality I am just going from one blog to another and doing things that each of them are making me to. Well, that is not helping because the bank balance still stands at a BIG ZERO! If my being frugal had really helped then I must at least have a dollar in my savings right?!!!
So my point is. Everyone must do what everyone can. Reading all these blogs (that tell you not to panic) is pretty pointless. You should use your own sixth sense to decide what is good for you and your family and do it. Just because someone switched from using diapers to cloth diapers does not mean it will work for your lifestyle. Choose the areas where you want to be frugal and be wise. Market will be down and market will be up and it is going to affect all of us in someway or the other. Till it affects us let us hope to not let the slump dampen our spirits...because if we loose our spirit then what else have we got to keep us up?? It is the festival season so let us enjoy by not only being frugal but also having a little fun.
As always
Love
ART
PS-1: some of these blogs also tell us not to get financial advice from the TV pundits on CNN or something...well then whom do we trust? YOU the blogger??? What proof that you are not getting paid by some third party to write what you write?? Gosh this world has loads of holes!
PS-2: Blogs I read are:
Get Rich Slowly
Smart Spending Blog
The Simple dollar
Wise Bread
Art of the Coupon
PS-3: As much as I crib, I enjoy reading these blogs...they are good and probably when read by the right person it can be put to good use...like I mentioned above I am not good with money and therefore these things are as good as a hammer in the hands of a monkey (I am really not a monkey)...
What I find funny is that most of these website try to instill on one thing. Do not panic.
Well if they don't want us to panic then why the hell is the entire blog world telling us exactly that but only a hundered times over??? Well if you don't want me to panic then you should'nt probably be giving me news to panic with right???
I am now afraid even to buy an organic water bottle (saving earth and global warming and those those fun stuff) because I am now thinking (panicking) what if I dont NEED it and only WANT it??? Well this is what happens when you get into the financial crunch mode...I now think (panic) that most of the things I do including Babs birthday cake is excessive. Gosh! It is driving me nuts. I was not programmed to think like this.
It is not me to feel like it even. I have been raised to spend. At least that is what my dad always told me. That I was born to spend his money which I am still doing consistently. Then there is the sudden fear of the financial crisis in the market (a market with which I did not even associate myself with 9 months ago) so I have to be frugal.
When people like me, who never knew how to balance books, do accounts, take care of their money and such are in this position, here is what we do - PENNY WISE AND POUND FOOLISH! ya! Because I do not know head or tail about managing my money. I think I am being wise when in reality I am just going from one blog to another and doing things that each of them are making me to. Well, that is not helping because the bank balance still stands at a BIG ZERO! If my being frugal had really helped then I must at least have a dollar in my savings right?!!!
So my point is. Everyone must do what everyone can. Reading all these blogs (that tell you not to panic) is pretty pointless. You should use your own sixth sense to decide what is good for you and your family and do it. Just because someone switched from using diapers to cloth diapers does not mean it will work for your lifestyle. Choose the areas where you want to be frugal and be wise. Market will be down and market will be up and it is going to affect all of us in someway or the other. Till it affects us let us hope to not let the slump dampen our spirits...because if we loose our spirit then what else have we got to keep us up?? It is the festival season so let us enjoy by not only being frugal but also having a little fun.
As always
Love
ART
PS-1: some of these blogs also tell us not to get financial advice from the TV pundits on CNN or something...well then whom do we trust? YOU the blogger??? What proof that you are not getting paid by some third party to write what you write?? Gosh this world has loads of holes!
PS-2: Blogs I read are:
Get Rich Slowly
Smart Spending Blog
The Simple dollar
Wise Bread
Art of the Coupon
PS-3: As much as I crib, I enjoy reading these blogs...they are good and probably when read by the right person it can be put to good use...like I mentioned above I am not good with money and therefore these things are as good as a hammer in the hands of a monkey (I am really not a monkey)...
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