We have had a Film, couple of books,dozens of jokes and hundreds of Men ruminating over the Question “What Women “Want” “?
While I agree that it is a million dollar question but has anyone ever wondered what women “need”?
I guess I found the answer to this one...Read on to know…:-)
Ok, so here is the flash back…
Last year around this time I was attending a 5 hour class on defensive driving, a mandate for obtaining drivers license in the state of NY.
There was a break of 20 minutes in between the class.
It was frigid outside and I didn’t have company so I decided to stay back in the class.But the teacher wouldn’t allow anyone to remain in the classroom during the break.
So I walked up to the supermarket in the next block to idle away my time browsing stuff.As I entered the store I saw a man smiling at me.
“American culture- You smile at strangers” I thought and returned the smile.
I went to the Indian grocery aisle and was looking at some stuff…when that “smiling” Man came over and asked-“Anything I can help you with, Mam”
I replied “NO thanks” and continued looking at the items on the shelf.
He then asked “Are you married?”… Now I was dazed.
I gave him a stern look and said “Sorry?”
He went ahead and remarked “You are beautiful”
What followed was a gush of adrenaline…I flee from that scene. Yes, it was the “flight hormone”. But the man kept repeating “excuse me- tell me are you married”
I immediately called husband and told him to come over to this place ASAP.
Later when I reached home I was contemplating over what had happened.
I always though I was independent and self sufficient.
But that day I felt like I wasn’t and my immediate response to the situation calling for husband proved that I was so much dependent.
It wasn’t that something like this never happened to me before,
(For that matter almost every women faces this kind of situation at some point in time, intensity varies)
So what was different this time….it was the first time in USA and also after a long time which got me all flustered.
When I discussed this with Pamela, my friend from college- she told me that it has happened to her in the USA many a times. She also added that reason it had happened to me the first time was because probably it was the first time I was alone, without husband near by. And I realized it was so true.
So what was preventing me from being completely independent, I pondered?
what was it that was lacking ?
It was then I found the answer to the Question “What women need”
“A karate course and pepper spray” !!
Monday, January 4, 2010
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Life is short....Live, Love, Be Happy!
I was all excited about the long weekend (Labor day)-had reservations for Lasvegas,I had been researching and planning meticulously for one week for "the trip" -Had an hour by hour itenary to visit "the vegas strip" ...but as fate would have it it turned to be a heartbreaking weekend.
I got the news on friday that my uncle(father's first cousion) expired.He was 43, survived by his wife (38) and 3 sons ,the youngest is only in the 8th grade.
Apparently he was all well and after having dinner had gone to bed,at night, at around 11 he complained of chest pain and got all sweaty,he was taken to the hospital immediately and he passed away while he was talkin at around 11:20...jus 20 minutes...and he was no more.
I couldnt believe my ears when i heard the dreadful news,I asked again to reconfirm and yes that was a reality-mannu uncle(as we fondly called him) was no more:((
He was such a lovely person, always cheerful, spreading his infectious smile, even his employees were in tears when they heard the news and told that he always treated them with respect and care.
Every morning when I wake up I so much wish that it be a bad dream...but it just not is. :((
The one question which keeps haunting me....
why has life got to be so unpredictable?!...when he would have risen on that fateful day he wouldnt have known that it was going to be his last!
Someone has truly said,begin each day as it is goin to be your last,One day you are going to be so darn right!!
So go ahead... say I love you more often to your spouse,care enough for your children,make your parents feel special,patch up with your relative who hasnt been good to you,call up an old friend and most importantly smile more often and laugh really hard...because ,"kya pata,kal ho na ho"
Life is short and I guess we shouldnt waste it frowing and getting troubled over petty things. Instead we should do enough good and spread enough cheer so that when we are no more people remember us fondly!
By unkown...
"When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. Live your life so that when you die, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying."
I got the news on friday that my uncle(father's first cousion) expired.He was 43, survived by his wife (38) and 3 sons ,the youngest is only in the 8th grade.
Apparently he was all well and after having dinner had gone to bed,at night, at around 11 he complained of chest pain and got all sweaty,he was taken to the hospital immediately and he passed away while he was talkin at around 11:20...jus 20 minutes...and he was no more.
I couldnt believe my ears when i heard the dreadful news,I asked again to reconfirm and yes that was a reality-mannu uncle(as we fondly called him) was no more:((
He was such a lovely person, always cheerful, spreading his infectious smile, even his employees were in tears when they heard the news and told that he always treated them with respect and care.
Every morning when I wake up I so much wish that it be a bad dream...but it just not is. :((
The one question which keeps haunting me....
why has life got to be so unpredictable?!...when he would have risen on that fateful day he wouldnt have known that it was going to be his last!
Someone has truly said,begin each day as it is goin to be your last,One day you are going to be so darn right!!
So go ahead... say I love you more often to your spouse,care enough for your children,make your parents feel special,patch up with your relative who hasnt been good to you,call up an old friend and most importantly smile more often and laugh really hard...because ,"kya pata,kal ho na ho"
Life is short and I guess we shouldnt waste it frowing and getting troubled over petty things. Instead we should do enough good and spread enough cheer so that when we are no more people remember us fondly!
By unkown...
"When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. Live your life so that when you die, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying."
Friday, August 28, 2009
Recession-Job loss- Furloughs
All of us have been reading about millions of job cuts across the globe, and the word “financial meltdown” is sure become a cliché . We feel awful about the recession and its repercussions when we read and hear about it, but we don’t feel the heat of it unless we have a close encounter with the downturn ourselves.
Yup u guessed it right…Vishal’s office announced that all its employees take a 5 day unpaid leave. (Did I hear the word leave-Hurrah!!Yes, I am so worked up by his long work hours-thanks to the blackberry and a 2 bedroom apt one of which is his "home office" as he calls it...and I say "home office" that's not even a word...oh yes,its an oxymoron i'd say)
Being an optimistic that Vishal is, he says that the furlough is something that the company needs to impose in order to survive and that he needs a break himself.
Even the salary hike wasn’t great this year in spite of him being a star performer.
On confrontation, the management told that they had two options
1. To terminate low performing employees or
2. To give a low to moderate hike to everyone in the organization.
And everyone vouched for the second option, Vishal and I vouch for it too, at this hour of distress we need to be sensitive and empathize with all those we can.
Yup u guessed it right…Vishal’s office announced that all its employees take a 5 day unpaid leave. (Did I hear the word leave-Hurrah!!Yes, I am so worked up by his long work hours-thanks to the blackberry and a 2 bedroom apt one of which is his "home office" as he calls it...and I say "home office" that's not even a word...oh yes,its an oxymoron i'd say)
Being an optimistic that Vishal is, he says that the furlough is something that the company needs to impose in order to survive and that he needs a break himself.
Even the salary hike wasn’t great this year in spite of him being a star performer.
On confrontation, the management told that they had two options
1. To terminate low performing employees or
2. To give a low to moderate hike to everyone in the organization.
And everyone vouched for the second option, Vishal and I vouch for it too, at this hour of distress we need to be sensitive and empathize with all those we can.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
MindSet
I recd this a few weeks ago as a forward with the subject "Mindset"...
before continuing to read ,Click on the picture above to view it clearly!!
(Click the back browser button to return to this screen)
I was more amazed at the mindset of the trainers (than the elephants) who think that the elephants would never try to break free from the rope??Just to give an interestig twist to the story...
What if one day an elephant out of the blue(or may be after reading this story;-) LOL) breaks open and runs causing a chaos?? Then what would the moral of this story be?? Never take the opposite party lightly :P or any other suggestions??;)
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Old age-Are we prepared?
USA has many remarkable facilities; one among them is its public libraries.Members can borrow Books, DVDs, CDs, browse the internet- all free of cost ...yes not a penny (no membership fee either).As long as you don’t loose the items borrowed.
Lately, if some thing goes missing I immediately call out for Aditya (my 2 yr old son).When he understands what I am asking for, he brings it from somewhere (am yet to find where his hiding place is) and hands it to me. Otherwise simply gazes at me. As luck would have it he decided to hide one of his favorite DVDs “Baby’s busy day” and was refusing to give it back.
So I went to the library and told the librarian- an old lady, that I don’t seem to find the DVD at my home ,so she told me I would have to pay the fine to which I agreed.She then started looking up on her system for that DVD record, scanned my library card and then I thought she would ask me for money, and the job is finished.(yes I have been through this process a couple of times earlier too)
Instead she kept doing something with her system for about 10 minutes. I began loosing my patience .As I was waiting there looking at her face – I discovered she was having difficulty reading the screen. She also kept murmuring “I don’t know if I am doing this right”. After about another 10 minutes she decided to get help from her colleague. She called “Sophie can you help me...”
So Sophie peeped into her system and remarked…”Anne you have deleted the record and it cannot be recovered”
Sophie left her with a “you-do-this-every time” kinda look.
Poor Anne didn’t know what was to be done. So she started scrolling the screen up and down. I was feeling sorry for her. I started imagining my grandmother in her place. My grandma is so protected that she wouldn’t leave the home without anybody with her and this old lady here was all alone in this situation to earn a living.
Finally Anne mustered up her courage and asked for another colleague Jane.
Jane also looked very disappointed but at least she tried explaining to Anne what the alternative way could be.
Anne was so nervous that she was struggling to sort the coins and give back the change, didn’t remember what the date was; she even forgot the spelling of the word busy. She was not able to follow the instructions of Jane and was fumbling for words while talking. After she completed all the formalities, I looked into her eyes and told her thanks and to take care with a smile. I could see a sense of relief on her face.
It is an undeniable fact that faculties get weaker with age. So what’s the way out I thought- personally when I get old I don’t want to be in Anne’s situation.
And that evening I saw Baba Ramdev’s yoga on TV and there was this sense of enlightenment. He preaches that if we practice prananyam 30 minutes a day then we can live up to a 100 with all our senses intact.
30 minutes a day - definitely worth - to avoid the embarrassment, feeling of helplessness in the later days...what say??
And yes, not to forget the other important aspect to survive in older days-Financial planning! Good luck with that too :)
Lately, if some thing goes missing I immediately call out for Aditya (my 2 yr old son).When he understands what I am asking for, he brings it from somewhere (am yet to find where his hiding place is) and hands it to me. Otherwise simply gazes at me. As luck would have it he decided to hide one of his favorite DVDs “Baby’s busy day” and was refusing to give it back.
So I went to the library and told the librarian- an old lady, that I don’t seem to find the DVD at my home ,so she told me I would have to pay the fine to which I agreed.She then started looking up on her system for that DVD record, scanned my library card and then I thought she would ask me for money, and the job is finished.(yes I have been through this process a couple of times earlier too)
Instead she kept doing something with her system for about 10 minutes. I began loosing my patience .As I was waiting there looking at her face – I discovered she was having difficulty reading the screen. She also kept murmuring “I don’t know if I am doing this right”. After about another 10 minutes she decided to get help from her colleague. She called “Sophie can you help me...”
So Sophie peeped into her system and remarked…”Anne you have deleted the record and it cannot be recovered”
Sophie left her with a “you-do-this-every time” kinda look.
Poor Anne didn’t know what was to be done. So she started scrolling the screen up and down. I was feeling sorry for her. I started imagining my grandmother in her place. My grandma is so protected that she wouldn’t leave the home without anybody with her and this old lady here was all alone in this situation to earn a living.
Finally Anne mustered up her courage and asked for another colleague Jane.
Jane also looked very disappointed but at least she tried explaining to Anne what the alternative way could be.
Anne was so nervous that she was struggling to sort the coins and give back the change, didn’t remember what the date was; she even forgot the spelling of the word busy. She was not able to follow the instructions of Jane and was fumbling for words while talking. After she completed all the formalities, I looked into her eyes and told her thanks and to take care with a smile. I could see a sense of relief on her face.
It is an undeniable fact that faculties get weaker with age. So what’s the way out I thought- personally when I get old I don’t want to be in Anne’s situation.
And that evening I saw Baba Ramdev’s yoga on TV and there was this sense of enlightenment. He preaches that if we practice prananyam 30 minutes a day then we can live up to a 100 with all our senses intact.
30 minutes a day - definitely worth - to avoid the embarrassment, feeling of helplessness in the later days...what say??
And yes, not to forget the other important aspect to survive in older days-Financial planning! Good luck with that too :)
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Mystery Solved!!
One fine morning of November 2007, when I woke up-the clock was ticking 9:00 Am (Sunday sure does bring some respite ;-)) Vishal was still asleep, so i thought why not surprise him with bed tea. I gathered myself up and proceeded towards the kitchen.As i was passing through the hall I discovered something strange, the timepiece of the set top box (verizon) showed 8 Am. Just when I began to wonder the inconsistent time display between the room clock and the set top box , I realized my brain was in no mood to take any load...all It needed was hot morning Tea,so I entered the kitchen and boooom another mishap there-the clock of my microwave showed 9:00Am.
Ah! How strange is that ...i began to wonder???
Did someone sneak into the house last night just to change the time of my clocks to stump me, (as everything else was intact, the way I had left it the night before)
I couldn’t help thinking what was going on while I was making Tea.
And just then I remembered I had to go online to chat with my mom in India.
As I switched on my laptop, I couldn’t believe what my eyes were seeing, the time on my system showed 8:00 Am .I was perplexed.
Were the clocks malfunctioning due to normal wear and tear or were they possessed by some evil spirit or were it just some bad coincidences. How could two watches show 8:00 Am and the other two 9:00 Am? So I checked my most loyal wrist watch and it showed 9:00 Am, the next moment my phone showed 8:00Am. Now I was befuddled to the extent that I started scratching my head. How on earth was I supposed to know what the actual time was? I couldn’t take the mystery anymore. I rushed to wake up Vishal and told him about the ambiguous timings the various devices displayed. In half closed eyes he told me “it’s called Daylight saving”!
Things were crystal clear now, I had heard about daylight savings, but never experienced them. :)
The time on the set top box and phone automatically updates itself through the cable network. And the laptop was set to incorporate the day light savings automatically as well. So now I had the task of adjusting my wrist watches and microwave clock manually.As I was adjusting my watch,I was thinking whoever said “No one can control time” :)
And then there were a spurt of questions running in my head, the most predominant being how does the travel industry make provision for this.
For example if a flight is scheduled for 12 Am .Now assume If the time change is scheduled to happen at 1 Am .This means after 12:59 it would be 12 Am again. So will the flight take off at the first 12 Am or the second one?? When i asked vishal this question he chuckled in his half closed eyes… I thought I had asked something stupid, but I breathed a sigh of relief when he said…my brain is no mood of taking this load right now:)
PS: Daylight savings is the practice of moving back your clock an hour in winters and advancing it an hour in summer so as to maximize the use of sunlight.
Ah! How strange is that ...i began to wonder???
Did someone sneak into the house last night just to change the time of my clocks to stump me, (as everything else was intact, the way I had left it the night before)
I couldn’t help thinking what was going on while I was making Tea.
And just then I remembered I had to go online to chat with my mom in India.
As I switched on my laptop, I couldn’t believe what my eyes were seeing, the time on my system showed 8:00 Am .I was perplexed.
Were the clocks malfunctioning due to normal wear and tear or were they possessed by some evil spirit or were it just some bad coincidences. How could two watches show 8:00 Am and the other two 9:00 Am? So I checked my most loyal wrist watch and it showed 9:00 Am, the next moment my phone showed 8:00Am. Now I was befuddled to the extent that I started scratching my head. How on earth was I supposed to know what the actual time was? I couldn’t take the mystery anymore. I rushed to wake up Vishal and told him about the ambiguous timings the various devices displayed. In half closed eyes he told me “it’s called Daylight saving”!
Things were crystal clear now, I had heard about daylight savings, but never experienced them. :)
The time on the set top box and phone automatically updates itself through the cable network. And the laptop was set to incorporate the day light savings automatically as well. So now I had the task of adjusting my wrist watches and microwave clock manually.As I was adjusting my watch,I was thinking whoever said “No one can control time” :)
And then there were a spurt of questions running in my head, the most predominant being how does the travel industry make provision for this.
For example if a flight is scheduled for 12 Am .Now assume If the time change is scheduled to happen at 1 Am .This means after 12:59 it would be 12 Am again. So will the flight take off at the first 12 Am or the second one?? When i asked vishal this question he chuckled in his half closed eyes… I thought I had asked something stupid, but I breathed a sigh of relief when he said…my brain is no mood of taking this load right now:)
PS: Daylight savings is the practice of moving back your clock an hour in winters and advancing it an hour in summer so as to maximize the use of sunlight.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Exam time Again!
Hello Friends,
Am Back again after a long long time…or so do I feel.:)
I cant believe I was missing blogging.Initially,I was so skeptical to take it up, thinking that I might not be able to do a good job, or I wouldn’t have anything to write about.Most of all I didn’t know if I would enjoy doing it.
Thanks to Vishal who suggested that I take up blogging and reassuring me that I would enjoy it. A special thanks to Kanu and Arun, as well who encouraged me by telling that my first blog was good, which motivated me to write more.
Ok now the reason that I was away...I was busy preparing for a Microstrategy certification.(a reporting BI tool),did a good job there...narrowly missed the centum mark and finished the 75 minutes test in 40 minutes flat! That evening I was treated to delicious Chinese food, at a restaurant.
Vishal like a very supportive husband helped around the house and with Ady.
So a million thanks to him, and this time I would want to take the privilige of changing the famous adage - "Behind a successful Woman is a Man" :)
Am Back again after a long long time…or so do I feel.:)
I cant believe I was missing blogging.Initially,I was so skeptical to take it up, thinking that I might not be able to do a good job, or I wouldn’t have anything to write about.Most of all I didn’t know if I would enjoy doing it.
Thanks to Vishal who suggested that I take up blogging and reassuring me that I would enjoy it. A special thanks to Kanu and Arun, as well who encouraged me by telling that my first blog was good, which motivated me to write more.
Ok now the reason that I was away...I was busy preparing for a Microstrategy certification.(a reporting BI tool),did a good job there...narrowly missed the centum mark and finished the 75 minutes test in 40 minutes flat! That evening I was treated to delicious Chinese food, at a restaurant.
Vishal like a very supportive husband helped around the house and with Ady.
So a million thanks to him, and this time I would want to take the privilige of changing the famous adage - "Behind a successful Woman is a Man" :)
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