Sand in my shoes

At 16, the thought of leaving home was all that consumed me,

Oh, to be free and fly off the nest,

Earn a few bucks, live in a boho home

Wander around and watch the sunsets 

With home just being an address book entry,

I walk around with sand in my shoes

Lo and behold, two decades have flown past

It feels an eternity and yet a minute sometimes

The nest is built but oh the wings are now pinned

The bucks have been earned but the heart still yearns

Of long lost dreams and far away lands

Of lazy sunset watching and soulful conversations 

But now the shoes lie untouched

And  sands brushed away

Musings of a twin mom

 There is double the joy....

And then there is twice the trouble

Two to hold and two to soothe

Two of them to snuggle and two's struggle

As I lay awake night after night, I wonder why do they say a super-power is bestowed on me?

Just when the eyes start drooping, a tiny coo demands attention

And just when the arms stop swaying, a loud wailing jerks me into full throttle swinging!

Oh dear Lord, what did I sign up on?

They say that with each year, the troubles become lesser

Yes I say they do!

From wailing, its now shouting

From crying, its now argumentative

From snuggling, its side hugs 

From endless chatter, its become "in a bit"

Somedays mommy role is reduced to being an umpire and referee 

And other days its woman-friday cum personal minion

For a fleeting second, I ask myself - how would it be if there was only one?

Nah! I'd rather have my arms, laundry, sink and more importantly my heart fuller!

All in a days work

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda. We give out a creative writing theme each weekend for Indian bloggers.

 

As she stepped onto the cobbled roads of the East Village, Sheryl couldn’t help feeling blessed. A very loving set of gentle parents, a not so well paying but meaningful job and an amazing best friend. Now if only she could catch hold of a nice boyfriend her life would be set. And hopefully, if all goes well she could check the last item off her check list at the party she would be attending this weekend.

 

 

Working as an executive in London’s best advertising firms gives Sheryl the chance to attend one of the glitziest parties. The only downside was the expensive dresses that she needed to own. But with Prince Charming waiting for her on the other side of the week, she didn’t wait to leave any stone unturned for achieving her ‘look’. Never mind the overdrafts on her bank account, the spilling credit card bills and the innumerable loans from her friends.

And off she goes into one of London’s most expensive exclusive boutiques for her makeover. Four hours late, she emerges out armed with a classic Swarovski studded olive green off-shoulder dress, matching stilettos, beautiful neckpiece and several other accessories. Several thousand pounds poorer but with a million dollar smile, Sheryl is finally satisfied with her purchases. A mental calculation of her purchases leaves her slightly perturbed but she quietly stashes the thoughts away. Ignorance indeed is bliss, she thought to herself. And anyway it’s all investment for the future, she thinks. After all, a top executive’s future girlfriend would be expected to dress properly.

With most of her shopping done, Sheryl strolls along on the high street pleased with her shopping, humming tunelessly. A shop window distracts her and jolts her out to her reverie. Hung around the mannequins’ delicate shoulders was an exquisite red cashmere jacket.

In a trance, she walks into the shop and before she knows she is admiring the feel of the fabric against her skin. The price tag of nearly 1000 pounds rattles her a bit.

‘But even if I wear it for a year, that’s just about 2 pounds a day. That’s a small price to pay for keeping myself warm and it’s a necessity than a luxury’ she thinks justifying her purchase.

“I’l take it”, she tells the sales girl who has been annoyingly lingering around. Oh, but how do I pay for this, she thinks to herself.

“Can I use multiple credit cards?” she asks the cashier. Upon an affirmative, comes out four different cards, two cash cards and 25 quid notes.

Wee bit unnerved, Sheryl calms her down with the thoughts of her glamorous new outfits. Oh dear, but I need make-up too, comes a niggling thought.

As if by magic, a MAC store comes into the view and she saunters in. Few hours later, an exquisitely made-up Sheryl walks out armed with several packages of tubes, lotions & potions. Feeling all set for the party, she feels like indulging herself with a little pampering session.

As she sits in the manicure chair, Sheryl contemplates to herself about her extravagances.

All for the future, she thinks. Ignorance indeed is bliss, she thinks to herself.

Walls that speak

So the past few months, we had been going crazy with new house related stuff. Expect the real work was being done by my better half while all I literally did was sit happily and day dream. Hours and hours I spent imagining how the house would look, which colours would look amazing in which rooms, how we would colour coordinate the furniture with the decor etc. etc. I would gaze lovingly at home decor websites, gape with my mouth open like a child whenever we would pass a decor shop. Never ever would I have imagined that buying lights, fans, fittings would have been so appealing!

So all said and done, the house was painted, the walls were squeaky clean and the floor gleamed like an obedient school boys newly polished shoes. And my excitement was building up. It was finally that time to put life into the walls. In many senses it felt like pre examination result phase where you know you prepared well but the outcome could only be the true testiment to your efforts.

Without much ado, here's a picture of how one empty wall looked.

There is quite a bit of craziness behind choosing the colour of the wall. Now since time immemorial, I had been wanting at least one wall in our new house to have a different colour. I wanted a brick red colour primarily because what was to be put up on the wall was decided first! And so colours in the scheme of red where decided upon. Pamphlet after pamphlet and scores of leaflets were thumbed through to finalize the colour. Tomato red was too shocking and brick red too dark. I had neared to the point of frustration when we chanced upon a shade of orange-red 'Sunset'. And then we watched with bated breath on how the outcome would be!

I finally zeroed in on the one in the living room particularly since it gives quite a bit of space to put up something. That something was hunted coincidently at one handicraft exhibition in Bangalore. A set of four intricately sketched paintings of musical intruments in gold thread work soon found its way into our living work. And Oh we hunted so much for that perfect frame. From gold to maroon to black we dug out various colour combinations with the wall & the room decor to find the perfect match!

And lo and behold, this is what the final outcome looks like!

I have tried so much to capture the true colour of the wall but unfortunately at different times of the day it gives out varied hues. The one above is taken in sepia mode!

More pics of the other side of the living room & story of the lamps coming up shortly!!
 

Rhymed Confusion

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda
(Prompt: “She said ____. He mistook it to be ____.” The words used in the blanks have to rhyme and your post should revolve around the confusion thus created as a result of the miscommunication.

One bright sunny morning, Belinda woke up and decided to treat her husband with her cooking. With a hot cup of tea, she settles down in her easy chair on the patio and thumbs through the pages of her dog-eared recipe book. Her loyal companion for decades, the book had provided the tastiest recipes her family had ever eaten. Belinda finally zeroes in upon her delectable carrot pie recipe.

She neatly lays out her baking equipment, puts out all the ingredients required and puts on her apron. That’s when it strikes her what is missing. Carrot! Oh, what would she do now without the most crucial element. With a crumpled face, she decides to seek the help of the one she had planned the surprise for.

Adam, her husband of 50 years was the gentlest soul in the entire South England. He never ever quarreled with Belinda and didn’t even dare raise his voice on her. Her wish had always been his command.

Seeing her furrowed expressed, he asks “What is it that is troubling you my love?”

Belinda, so upset with the surprise being ruined says “I wanted to bake a pie for you darling. Alas, I don’t have the most important ingredient.”

“What do you want? I shall get it in a jiffy” he says.

She said carrot. He mistook it for parrot.

“And don’t forget to get the juiciest, red and ripe ones” she says as he puts on his coat and sets off.

What a strange pie this is going to be, he thinks as he walks to the local market. Years of experience have taught Adam not to question his wife.

And he walks past the local vegetable market into the pet store where the kind old Graham is his dear buddy.

“Graham, can you get me the most red and juiciest parrot in your shop?” Adam asks.

“Adam, most people ask for green ones. Why this strange request?” Graham inquires.

“You know I don’t question Belinda. This is what she asked for” says Adam.

Graham potters around his shop and produces an old, withered reddish green parrot.

“I am sorry this is all I have” says Graham handing over the animal to Adam.

Hopeful of pleasing his beloved wife, Adam saunters back home.

And Belinda’s expressions when she sees Adam’s purchase were priceless...

Bride Speak: North meets South

Linking my story on Ankita's blog thebangaloresnob.com

http://thebangaloresnob.com/2013/10/03/bride-speak-north-meets-south/comment-page-1/#comment-526

Do check out Ankita's blog for extremely creative ideas!

 

Drooling over home decor

The day you would rather spent 1000 bucks on buying home decor rather than a dress is when you are truely domesticated! Jokes apart, a home is always the owners pride & the neighbours envy.

Now when we bought our new home; my craziness for home decor touched newer heights. I spent hours (read days) on home decor website drooling over furniture, furnishing, home decor and what not. Funnily enough, I havent bought a single dime worth of stuff from any of these website but what they did teach me was ideas! Zillions and zillions of new thoughts came in my mind which never ever existed. I would save pictures of pretty little antiques, gorgeous coffee tables, delectable crockery that you could stare for hours and hours althogether. In other words, I had become a home decor maniac. Every now and then, I would open pages of these webistes stored chronologically in my favourites tab and enter a dreamland where my future house would look as if a page of a interior decor magazine had come alive.

Take a look at what got me drooling.......



In love with the olive green coffee table

 

 



Quirky Clocks

This unique wall ascent had be drooling for days

 For all the day dreaming that I have been doing is thanks to these awesome websites:

http://www.fabfurnish.com

http://www.urbanladder.com/

http://www.pepperfry.com/

Any other suggestions for my day dreaming activities???