Why don't you drink Oh Man?

Why dont you drink oh Man?

Aren't you sad, mad, frustrated, irritated, annoyed, upset or simply tired in your life? Or have you risen above these 'petty' emotions of Thy Human Heart and your smile and virtues have outshined 'em all? Has your hair greyed, buoyed with wisdom earned from the journey of your experiences? Has your soul learnt to endure pain and your mind has mastered supreme control?

Why don't you drink oh Man?

Has the craziness of your youth left you? Doesn't intoxication attract you? Don't you like to dance to the tunes of fun? Doesn't the giggle of the 'buzz' tickle your bone any more?  Doesn't the 'high' of the head make you jump?

Why don't you drink oh Man?

Are you afraid to lose control? Are you afraid of the demons that hide in your head that might just pop out for a bit? Or do the people scare you? Or their opinions of you?

Why don't you drink oh Man?

Is the mundane more bright than the eccentricity? Is the middle road more wide, than the beauty on the sides?

Why don't you drink oh Man? Why don't you?

Disclaimer: I don't work for an alcohol company neither is my intention to promote drinking.

I write this in the middle of the darkness, when my mind is like an octopus with its thoughts-like tentacles tugging and pulling me in varied directions that I am unable to rest in this stillness of night. The only thing that occurs to me is to drown this creature in alcohol letting him swim in it while i close my eyes and sleep.

Paintball - Guns agog!

A chest armor in place, a neck collar in tow, a heavy gun in hand, and a mask crowned upon your face - there you are! Ready to 'fight' on the count of 3. Barrel covers off....Safety off.....'GO', and you go running to your first barricade. You make it. Take a breath as shots are being fired and you feel the heat. Slowly, you creep out your head to see what's going on, gun going first. You see people ducking and shooting. You fire a couple of shots. On the left. Then on the right. You are supposed to run up to the next barricade and slowly advance. Well, sorry, I think I am good here. Those shots are scary. The opposite team is unbelievably intense.

Your barricade shakes as it consumes the 'paint-bullets'. This is war. This is a battle. I don't want to play. I have an Idea!!! Let me surrender. I see people with their hands raised trying to walk to the dead-zone but they are still pelted with bullets that those hulks are firing away. I better stay put. Anyways, the game will be over in a minute or two, why get into the way of firing. My inflatable barricade will protect me.

Finally, the game's over. I dart out and declare, 'I don't want to play this'. A bunch of first-timers playing against these mighty Giants. No way!!! We were ambushed and demolished in less than 2 mins. Some of my friends were hit. The bullets hurt. This was certainly not my idea or even the definition of fun. Upon utter defeat, with our egos now 'deflated', we pounce on our 'Game co-ordinators' and ask for a logic that paired first-timers with the bandana-clad machos. Arguments ensue. Apologies flow. We get the air-field all to ourselves. We 12 will play amongst ourselves, with no interference from anyone else. This quietens the frightened demons in my head and I decide to go for it again.

This time is much better. It's just us. All novices. Trying to fire paint bullets from an air-gun.

For some, this can be thrilling. This is a good mock war-zone. If those video games consisting of battlefields, and soldiers, and enemy-fighting, and gun-shooting has fascinated you, then this can be a good sport for you. But for someone like me, who has only played cookie-chomping baby monsters or coin-collecting ninjas, this is so not for me.

My Recommendation:

1. Go with a large group so that you can play amongst yourselves. It's more fun shooting at friends than strangers....(wink, wink). Remember, 'har ek friend, kamina hota hai'.

2. Bullets hurt. Get your gloves. Wear full-sleeved thick hoodies. Cover your head with a cap or something. Make sure no part of your body is uncovered. I am not discouraging you. But precaution is safer and it will let you enjoy this game.

3. Go in the Fall or Spring. Since you are going to be so covered up, you need the weather to be cooler.

But I have to say, I have a new-found respect for our soldiers. Country doesn't matter. But to be clad in bullet-proof attires, carrying heavy guns, and shooting actual bullets, is worthy of worship. If a small paint bullet can hurt and swell up a finger, the actual bullet will just take your life away. Hats off to all the army-people of the world!!!!

Sky Diving!

I still can't believe I fell from 10,000 feet. The plane shutter opened, got pushed to the edge, and voila!!! Gone. Gone in a second.Gone with the wind!

My friends, who are fascinated with this sport, but haven't summed up the guts to do it, asked me to blog down my experience. I'll give it a shot.

Earlier, when we would talk about sky-diving, I was one of the most enthusiasts who would 'jump' at the topic. But, when it came to actually buying the deal, I had my heart in my mouth. But before I could express my 'slight' fear-tipped hesitation, the deal was bought.7 of us were now on the 'Sky-divers' group on Whatsapp. We were the dare-devilers.

I didn't think much and talked vrery little about this until the day before. The night was daunting. Watched some videos, read some diver's blogs, looked at my kids sleeping besides me, made a will in my mind, etc etc. Anushka had been 'jumpy' since she heard about this. In the morning, while still in bed, I showed her the videos and asked her to stay calm and positive. Obviously, she had no idea how 'calm' and how 'positive' I had been the night before. Thank God for my excellent pretence!

The drive to the center was 1.5 hours long. The 7 of us sat, all edgy, joking about wills and last wishes, etc. But now, we just wanted to get done with it. Too much anticipation and anxiety is not good for your heart. The distance was disturbing.

Disclaimers and waivers signed. We handed over our lives to them. And they still held no responsibility for any damages or ill-comings that might just happen. We are now at the mercy of our instructors, the harness and the parachutes. I kept asking the instructors,

Me: 'What if I come lose of you?'

He said: 'Well, in that case, I get suspended for a week.'

Me: 'What about me?'

'You are a goner,' he said. So comforting, ya???

Anyways, I had decided to take the plunge and I will. Determination is the mother of all courage. (I just made that up).

Getting into the plane. My instructor makes me sit right next to the shutter of the plane. I am screaming, 'Oh my God, I am going first.'. Ya, like God asked me to jump from the sky. The wheels start to roll. The instructor briefly shuts the door for take-off but then opens it up. The view is amazing. Actually, more than the view, the wind feels good. We are going high. Pretty pretty high. The instructor tightens my harness to his. Gives me my googles. Hint, hint: Time to jump.

Pushes me to the edge. Tells me, 'Safety position', which I duly comply (hands in the front holding the straps), and in less than 2 seconds, I am out. I am in a shock for a couple of seconds. Then I start to scream, scream the screams I can't hear. Then, I close my mouth to take a breath. I want to scream again, but I just can't open my mouth. Not out of shock, but simply because I couldn't. The wind is far more superior in strength than my jawline. I am a fish. Literally, a fish. My lips purse in and out in my attempts to open my mouth. But I just can't. I don't feel like I am falling. I feel like I am suspended in mid-air. I see wisps of cloud below me. I am floating. People say the view is amazing. But I have seen such views from airplanes and Burj-Khalifa (lol). It wasn't about the view for me. I have floated in water but this was my first time in air. It was feeling that wind coz technically, I was falling at the speed of 120 miles/hour. In less than 60 seconds, I dropped from 10,000 feet to 5,000 feet. Statistics make it even grander. Numbers make it supersonic.

Parachute deployed. I can open my mouth. But I am still not calm. As my instructor kept twirling and twirling and twirling. I started to feel dizzy. It got a little stable then. You are supposed to be enjoying the views again here. But as I said, it wasn't about the views for me. The perfect rectangular-shaped fields speaks volumes of the Almighty Architect, but it is not impressing me today. I think I

 was tired. And hungry. I just wanted to get to the ground.

Landing was very smooth. I am done. I did it. I jumped. I had challenged the otherwise protective nature of man. I had cheated death with a safety harness and a parachute. I had flown in the air. I had experienced falling from the sky. September 6th went down in history.

Would I recommend it? Definitely. To be very honest, it is not difficult. The actual diving is not difficult. In fact, it's easier than the roller-coasters since you don't feel you are falling. The most challenging element of this sport is the thought of jumping from the plane. Once you gather the courage to do so, to trust your life in the hands of fate, and faith, it will be the most memorable experience of your lifetime.

After seeing my pics on FB, my brother commented, 'Very cool. But don't try it again.'. Ai Ai brother. I won't.

Gloom!

What a gloomy day!!!! Little balls of ice keep falling from the sky. No sight of the sun. The trees are stooping down with the weight of the lifeless branches. The grass is jaundiced, more yellowish than green. Depression fills the air. 

I sit and stare at my screen, wondering what next to do,

 I am sure there is plenty I could, but i just have no clue.

Such is the effect you have on me O Sun, Such is your power,

Such is me without you O Life, you make me so sour! 

I apologize. Poetry bit my nerve today. But the gloom of the day caused me to glance at my blog that has been hibernating for so long. I was shocked to see how it trembled when I signed into it. It had been abandoned and forsaken by it's very own creator. It had to be sulking dismally with despair. 

Well, I will take some 'Disaster recovery' steps and infuse some life to it. I have missed writing. I have missed you my blog. I have missed penning and 'pinning' down my 'inner voice' that so inadvertently vibrates full-on in my little mind. 

My blog, brimming with the metaphorically 'speakings', a documentary of an Indian women in the American world and a mother of a princess and a brat, is coming back with renewed resources. Watch out for me!!!

P.S. So much for my big 'promises'. We'll see how long I last ;)

Storm!

I step out of the house to drop Anushka to her bus stop. The sky is clear, the day blue. We walk with lazy steps letting a super mom with a stroller and her dog stride by swiftly, obviously out for her daily 'stay-fit' regimen. A couple of minutes pass by and I look at the trees at the horizon. My horizon isn't too far, just a couple of hundred feet away, limited by these very trees. And there I see, the storm brewing up and making it's way toward us at a furious pace. By the time, I talk with other parents about the looming storm, the wind starts blowing, rustling the leaves impatiently and the light grows dimmer. Within a minute of me noticing the storm, the day has changed it's hues and is growing darker. The super mom has turned and is coming back leaving her jog midway. Big drops of rain drizzle from up above. The bus comes at the nick of time and the kids are safely tucked inside, all bubbling with excitement about a possible tornado or a big storm with hard-hitting hail. I kiss her goodbye and run my way to home not wanting to get drenched. The storm has arrived. 

Many parallels have been drawn, metaphorically implying the 'weathery' storm to imitate our lives and our problems. It is true, that some storms hit you completely by surprise, with no fault of our own, and some, not as sudden. The not-so-sudden ones could be a result of our mistakes, or rather, missteps we took in our lives.  Reasons can be plenty. Age is not the prime factor. Sometimes our eyes are blinded by some superficial sheen, an ulterior attitude, a prideful persona, or simply immaturity. Immaturity to prioritize our needs, our wants, our desires and ultimately, our life. Mistakes occur out of ignorance, ignorance of the above cosmetics we care to wear, to stay fashionably appropriate. 

But after every storm, comes the calm. And this Calm, brings with itself, a second chance. A second chance to re-sort ourselves, to re-prioritize and to re-shape our future. The storm probably tore your house down and left you dazed and hurting immensely. But if pain can kill one's will, pain, can also nourish courage. What course of action you choose, the tamer or the bolder, depends on your personality and the yearning of your desires. But what you have in front of you, is this ornately beautiful 'Second Chance'. Take it or kick it. After all, a mistake, cannot be a mistake, if repeated. 

All I can say is 'We can't go back in time and make a brand new start. But we can start now and have a brand new End'. 

What's WhatsAPP?

So, why would you name your texting app, whatsApp??? Because, wassup wasn’t available? And it would be cool to put a pun on it and rename it WhatsApp making it well ‘jargoned’ technically?

Anyways, doesn’t matter. WhatsApp is the latest thingamabob YOU MUST HAVE on your smart phones. If you are not a Whatsapper, you don’t belong to this world and only God can save you???? You don’t have to be a purveyor of the latest gizmos and/or apps, but this is something you can’t NOT HAVE.

So now, apart from the regular school/building/train/bus/college/cousins groups, we now have a brand new line of groups:

Galli/Nukka group
Pan/Gutka group
Friends-who-drink group
Friends-who-don’t-drink group
Pinky’s dance class group
Chintu’s art class group
Kitty Party Group
Garba Group
TeenPatti Group…:)
Jain Pav Bhaji 'tasting' Group.....(you know what I mean ;))

And so on and so forth…. You can only be as creative as the endless labyrinths of your mind.

And we say that we have no time in the world, ya? So profound this gets. You can be busy only as busy can be. Priorities speak the truth!

 Talking about time, I wonder who makes up all these thousands of jokes that make their way through these ziggity-zaggety network of groups, exchanging screen by screen in less than a second (copy + paste at it’s best) and reaching you no matter where you are? The Santa Banta jokes, the gujju jokes, the sindhi jokes, and the ‘non-veg’ jokes. I can’t believe we still call it ‘non-veg’. Couldn’t it be just called ‘adult’ jokes? We Indians have some way to baptizing generic terminology, don’t we? And imagine the number of ‘lol’s’ that follow. INFINITE (my little boy’s favorite number). But I have to say, a lot of them are very funny and they can bring that incy vincy smile on your face in the middle of the most dreary day.

WhatsApp also inspires discussions, some good, some not-so-good, and also fights, some good and not-so-good :). And while it certainly shrinks our world (and we thought FACEBOOK did it, duh), it also makes us lazy.  

People!!!! A ‘whatsapp’ birthday message can never replace a phone call, as WORDS can never replace the VOICE. Let’s not do away with that one ‘primitive’, although ‘personal’ touch that can touch the chords of the heart and fill it with the ‘feel-goodness’.

Oh, well, the two sides of a coin. So, though I need to ‘mute’ my phone in the night for my over-enthusiastic ‘cousins’ (wink wink), I love it and it’s here to stay. So let’s keep whatsapping and be a ‘tap’ away from our ginormous circle of family and friends.

Stay connected!

Low on Patience!!!

Before I start this, I remember what Anushka told me last week when she was going all hyper for something and I said, 'Anushka, patience please'. She tells me: Mom, I am not a doctor. I don't have 'patients'. lollll. Anyways, to the topic.

I suffer from a rather quirky deficiency. Patience. Have always run very low on it. And I have yet to come across any 'multi-vitamin' that would help me with getting my levels up to the generically 'acceptable' ones.

They say 'good things come to those who wait'. But wait, I can’t. Agreed, that there are times when one does need to practice self-control with his actions as well as the verbal outbursts, especially in trying circumstances. Hurting someone else does not justify your impulsiveness. But how do I teach this self-control to this crazy brain and an absolute jerk of a heart?

They say 'Time is the best healer'. I would add, 'Time is also the best killer'. As you let time crawl in and let it mess with your very own feelings and visions, it acts as a slow poison. It’s like leaving a window open in your heart that is bursting with enthusiasm and excitement with your new thoughts and aspirations. A cool draft will make its way through this window and eventually dampen your spirit and mood. There is a quote that says 'Strike when the iron is hot', right? Time makes you complacent. Time extinguishes your fiery rage. Time kills your true spirit. Time brings you back to your sane ways. Time brings back the logic in your life.

Ya, ya, being hasty could possibly lead to regrets. But by following your instincts, you invariably prepare yourself for the consequences too. Hence, no matter the result, you will stand by the decision you took. After all, you did what you thought was right at that point of time, correct?
Remember, 'Intuition is a suspension of logic, due to impatience'. For just one brief second, do something totally impulsive. Something you ideally would resist. Could be as simple as yelling your lungs out. The feeling you experience therafter will be etched in your memory for a lifetime and liberate you from your fears and inhibitions. Forget regrets, it will actually make you smile.

My intention here by no means is to encourage 'Impatience'. Blessed are the ones who are in possession of this great virtue. But I do not thrive on it. I thrive on my restlessness, annoyance, excitement and rage and I know no way to suppress it. My intention is purely to 'Inspire, and be inspired'. Mind you,

If patience supports the weak,
Impatience ruins your strength too!!!

Double-edged sword huh???? :)