Book Review: The Last Lecture

A recco by ma hubbs dear! Again not usually ma cup of tea thnx to his inclination towards non-fiction, philosophy which usually flies way above ma head! So picked this up with mixed feelings n the cover page story didnt seem v encouraging too..... A last lecture by a man on his dead bed! But as I gradually flipped the pages this is what was unraveled.....

The story wasnt just about a man on his dead bed... it was about a man in his forties, a acclaimed academician but more importantly a much loved husband- son, a father of 3 (all under 5) for whom cancer is come calling and is on verge of his death! This book is a chronicle of the 'last lecture' he delivers to his students but most importantly a memoir for his children when they grow up. Sounds heart wrenching... doesnt it?

But here I guess is the clear-cut difference between a female n male species! If a similar book were to be written by a lady (I hope no one ever has to) am sure it would be dripping with emotions having all the readers wet each page with tears rolling down! But but not the dear male species... The prospect of 'death' looms in the book... but its treated almost as yet another facet of life(except in last few pages)... nothing more nothing less..... Instead what we are treated to is a crisp, concise 'lessons learnt' from authors life driven down nicely into our mind n heart!

Here are a few 'pearls of wisdom' tht I thot I would record here for posterity sakes:

• When you see yourself doing something badly and nobody's bothering to tell you anymore, that's a bad place to be. You may not want to hear it, but your critics are often the ones telling you they still love you and care about you, and want to make you better. So  v true isnt it?
• The words he tells his wife when they first hear that he just has few more months to live and are awaiting a dreadful scan result -  "I just want you to know that it feels gr8 to be alive and to be here today, alive with you. So today right now, well this is a wonderful day. And I want you to know how much I'm enjoying it"
• Remember the phase in your life when you thot you were THE ONE! When you thot the world revolved around you - well ask the people around you and you'd be surprised that the terms used to describe you would range from "Arrogant", "Proud", "Jerk", "Egoistic"!
• The art of saying "Thank You", "Sorry"
• Parents! How many of were bought up in homes where they thot that clothes, TV were things a child could do without while growing up(my mom did!) n books(my daddy) n dreams are much more important investments! Yea yea Even I did grudge them for it... But well the book made me re-think... they were possibly not that very wrong either!

Trust me when I say that I know I hv done a v bad job at reviewing this book... plz pick this up f u get a chance... trust me its not a sad 'Gyan-giving' kinda one!

N b4 I end ma review, here is a heartfelt hug to the writer's wife n children!

B4 signing offf... Plz plz plz plz wish me luck... I need loads of it both at personal n work front! Pleeeaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee :(

Me too went to Hard Rock Cafe!

Wht u said to the title...... 'big deal'! Not done I say... Its a big deal atleast to hubbs dear it is!

So wht did I like abt the place.. well as usual the 'ambience'... I loved the building which hosts it... huge, grand stone structure... has a royal feel abt it! N the interiors is definitely a first for me(atleast in this part of the world)..... Move over all interios.... we hv the original stuff here! Lemme give u a decko of what me trying to say... The walls are almost covered end to end with collectibles... N what collectibles man! We talking of original stuff here... The actual jackets, guitars, pipes, drums used by the musicians in the world..... A sight to catch!

Now U got wht I said?

A closer look at the wall - I

A closer look at the wall - II

Now Now have u ever read a book tht makes u waana curl up with a beer :-D (yeah yeah thts a first... signs of bevidiness?)... well am reading one which so very makes me waana just do tht.... Yea yea a book in ma current series of no-brains romantic novels...... but this one I say takes the cake... Hills, mountains, lakes, flowers, magic, fairies, Ireland, pubs, beers is wht the book is centered on....... N as against ma usual break-neck speed of reaching the last page this is one am savouring at a sloowww pace... one page at a time :)

"Jewels Of sun" by Nora Roberts

An Guest Post......

N Guess who is the guest writer... My 6 year old niece :-D! This is a story straight from horse's mouth (The typos are courtesy her mom :-P)

Title: The Younger Sister

Once up on a time little girl lived in Hyderabad.Her name is Meenu and Meena.Her house name is Happy Home Appartments.Her sister is Manju,mother name is Nalini and father's name is Chandrasekhar.Meena is working IBM.her husband name is Pravin.He is working in IBM.They live in Banglore .Pravin's father is Venugopal and mother Anuprabha.Meena's elder sister's name is Beena and daughter is APARNA.She is studying in class 1 A Roll number 13.Her school is St Francis School.Meena's manju's and Beena's brother name is Ramdas and his wife is Jayanthi.Aparna's grandfather is K.Ramachandran and grandmother is M.Indira.Aparna's grandfather is President and grandmother is housewife.

A review of the post: Well than a story this is ma family tree.....  N points to be noted - My home is still ma house in hyd... my current home in bangalore is just a plce where I love n ma home is till hyd (At least as per her!). Not to miss the Mr.President in post her grandfather... yeah rt :-D! Anybody there who could link up the title n story... ma guess is I am her mom's sister n so the tile?? Lemme ask her highness tommo......

Edited To Add: This story is the second of the series of stories tht her highness is decided to publish... the first was abt herself... Havent yet caught hold of tht! The second is me..... Not bad he... lemme take a bow for the credits :-D

Love u sweetheart!

A woman doesnt want to be told she looks nice...

.... She wants to be told she's beautiful, sexy. That she looks outrageous.

It deosnt Matter if its not true. Because for the moment , when the words are said and the words are heard, it's the perfect truth.

Arent the above lines pearls of wisdom... Possibly should fwd it too all men! N b4 u hug me for these words of Wise, lemme be modest n pass the credit to the current book me browsing!

But loved the lines n had to store them away for eternity!

The fortnight of September....

A quick checklist of the month September is been until now..... A month to remember for ages :)

Good times started here..... N this has been the highlight of possibly not just this fortnight but also of the month, of the year n possibly a 'Turning Point' of life ~~ a 'landmark' I will never ever forget :) The prospect of a given-up-hope getting a new leash of life can be indeed life-changing... Thank U :) Hmm the same cryptic tones... well plz bear till I get the 'green' signal n then I swear am gonna paint the town or err the blog red :-D

Lots of reading or rarther An overdose of 'romantic' novels ~~ of Nora Roberts, Danielle Steel! They do make u fell giddy-with-Love!

A new-found relationship with ma hubbs... Well actually nothing new neither was anything wrong till now... But for whatever reasons the relationship had reached a stage of 'monotony'... a slow but sure 'staleness' was creeping in.. n then as if by magic(is it magic of what happened in point 1 that unleashed it? or is it the love infused in point 2??) the good-old times are back :-D N me loving it!! N u dirty brains me not talking of anything 'physical' here! Lemm not jinx it by going blah-blah-blah here...... wish me luck!

Hmm well everything cant be bright n beautiful can it be... there gotta be a element of 'confusion', 'frustration', 'sorrow' too involved.......

Have kinda reached a point of 'comfort Zone' in ma current role @ work or rather more truthfully the person who could make ma lazy ass work has moved on, n also the project is moving over... so it means I gotta move over too! Now this calls for a change n while am a person who embraces it with fairly good amount of sanity.... There is this stage of confusion b4 the decision is made...... Am I moving over in the correct direction? Will there be a personal vs work space challenge here? WIll I compromise on ma personal time? N the biggest of all...... I donno for good or bad I hv learnt the the "My motivation to work is never the 'Work'....Its the person for whom I do the work! " ..... frightening ! Wish me luck n hope that I end up making the right decision.....

N the 'frustrating' element... Ooph! A big one... suffice to say I neeed loads of ur prayers to get over this one!

The Modak Story....

So come chaturthi this time, I or rather we were all geared up to dish out modaks! .Was reading up a few blogs here n there looking up for recipes(I know mommy is a call away... n well tht is what I would still end up doing but me a blogger na... so gotta do some justice to it too)......n the general feedback on kozkattai making seemed to be 'Tricky', 'can-go-wrong'.........Was surp when I read tht cause hv seen ma mommy making it with no fuss..... But well guess tht is why they are mommies hey!!

So with gr8 enthusiasm all raw materials were gathered n within no time do i get filling ready(Ok ok coconut scrapped by hubbs dear himself) n the outer covering too but tht ended up a little sticky (Blame it on ma hubbs thou not me).... n then with ubber confidence tried spreading it out n well there ends ma story... too soggy, wouldn't spread out, sticky... blah blah blah.....

N there comes ma saviour... ma hubbs dearest.....  N with all his airs manages to dish out the purrrrfect kozkattai... they were yum I swear! Lemme take a little more credit here... The steaming part... getting the idli cooker ready, loading it up all me did.... But again the green signal to take them out was given by him!!!

Now this ma friends is the story of each cooking episode at home... until its some roti-n-dal... welll hv been making it for soooo many times now tht it atleast is edible if not mouthwatering .... for everything else the story is the same.... me does the donkey work but the subtle difference in taste would need ma hubbs involvement... I tell ya this man's true calling in life must be cooking! Runs in his family I think.... the dishes ma MIL N her mother dishes out are truly yum yum :)! Yea Yea I know I am smart in choosing ma life partner.... oooooo!!!

All happy-dory? Now I hv a q? Does this mean tht my child(to be read as singular, masculine n future-tense) will clamour for 'papa-ka-haatha-ka-kaana' instead of 'maa-ki-haath-ka-kaana'... na na me not complaining... was just wondering aloud :-D

Chanda Hai Tu.......

Na na me no old music lover... actually I hv no ear for music at all ~~ It may be just post marriage that I hv even been listening to a regular dosage of songs!
Thou am ashamed to admit the truth is, the firts time I heard this song was just a few weeks back on FM while on the way back to office after picking up a farewell gift... The time was around 7:00 or 7:30 in the eve.... A cool breeze was flowing in(Thnx to AC :-D) N I hear this song... N even a brick-eared person like me fell in love with it.... Possibly more for the lyrics...

N I was magically transferred to a hill station(dont ask me why a hilly station ~~ Imagination isnt governed by rules u c) n there is this beautiful image (atleast in am mind) of a young, innocent mother singing this lullably n feeding her little infant ......

The image bought a smile to ma face n a longing in ma heart(yikes!).... I know wholeaheartedly am v happy being this working - city bred lady... But but in the bargain will I out on these simple pleasures of life... I hope not!

Ha this blog marks the first time ever a 'song' appears on ma blog... tht in itslef calls for a round of appalause :-D

The story of the Grandfather Clock...

Yea Yea I know I promised it in the last post n here I am publishing it so soon... so unlike me! Now now after reading the story... dont u dare whimper n say its no story at allll!!!!

Now me no antique collector nor do I pride myself to be a person with taste in home-decor n all(Yea rt!).... But but ont thing I realized over 3 years (well its only post marriage tht I realized of even the very existence of 'furniture'\'home-decor' so to say... Until then they were just not my botheration) tht I do hv a definite favouritism for solid wood! Possibly ....v v v possible tht its linked to the lazy person I am.... wood generally is low maintenance u c as compared to glass n stuff!

So onto our clock story.....  A love affair with the clocks started on a vist to ma sis-in-law's place where I saw her  Cuckoo clock bought right from the black forests on her visit to Germany.... its exclusivity n origin kinda stuck a chord somewhere! But well a 'cuckoo' is an expensive affair so decided to settle down for a old pendulum clock... Have good old memories associated with it! Memories of summer vacations spent in ma grandma's place in Gvr.... where the tick-tick-tick of the pendulam was a a part - n - parcel of daily live... a sound I thus still associate with ma goood old home in kerala!

So tried doing some watch-hunting but well it went no-where... so just whimpered n settled down for a run-of-the-mill clock! But well the whim never died down.... so somewhere in aug when TOI published a article on a shop dealing with these we were more than excited n decided to get one rt for our anniversary!

But we being we dint save the paper nor did we remember the shops name... except tht its comm street! Ha but thank god for friends... Sab as usual turned out to be our saviour n b4 we knew both of u landed at the shop n man did I fall in love... Clocks of all sizes, shapes n most importantly ages.... from anniversary clock, cukoo clock, pendulam clocks made from good old Inida to Germany to UK... .......Love at first sight! Ofcourse these loves come with a  big cost to the pocket!!!

But wht the heck... anniv was round the corner n when u hv a hubbs who as usual is ready to be your partner-in-crime ~~ U splurge N here is what we ended up with ...... A good 75 year old German Made Grandpa-Clock :)

N now it proudly adorns the wall in living room... man do I love it! I love its looks n  the tack-tack-tack ring every 30 mins!

Edited To Add: Here is hoping n wishing tht this clock is a testimony to our life ahead! A life (long on hopefully!) .....one tht never stops ticking... one tht still keeps ticking after every ebb...... One tht is regal n royal(yea yea me a dreamer) like this One :-P

Cozy corners @ Ma home

Now Now all tht ma house has is 'Cosy' corners.... we tooo lazy to make the effort n buy proper co-ordinated furniture... N this just suits us fine :-P after all in variety lies spice of life.....

So below is the space tht sees us lazy mongers spending most of the time... na na not most but atleast our morn cup of tea is invariably had here .... So while this is a decent tidy pic,  in reality on most days tht nice table there is peppered with half empty tea cups, coasters n ofcourse laptops... its a sight I tell ya! No no no... no shaking ur head!

But I like the way this cute 'baitak' came over...  One fine eve we were expecting a few guests n then at nth moment we realize all tht we hv is a diwan in which 3 or say 4 can squeeze in... n then the rest??? So the 'smart' hubbs(yea! yea!) of mine decided to fold up a 'queen' size bed , spread a 'Fab India' sheet over it ,transfer the bolsters from diwan to here n zappp came the baitak!! Now now this is common sense u say! Hmpf!!

Hmmm now tht u dont seem to be finding this so v interesting Can I try n lure u with a few interesting accessories in this room.........

Right on top of baitak like a 'domiscius sword' hangs ma fav grandfather - clock.... isnt it regal :) Promise to publish its story sooon!

N on the two corners of the roof hangs the typically kerala thook vilakku...dont hv a decent pic now.... so adjust maadi with this! N yea beside it is a Udaipur - Keep sake from sabs-bins!

N right below it sits our shoe case...stuffed n stuffed with ma hubbs shoes :-D Na na am not treating u to tht sight.... here is instead wht sits on top of it! The odd shaped looking thingy there is actually a eagle-shaped sword.... Remember I said my Peter Pan is mad abt swords... this was his bday gift from his mommy!

Well well some treat to eyes... cmon be nice n agree :) Right below is possibly the most fav piece of furniture @ home where we are plonked the max time.... a futon right in our TV room... the first piece of furniture which ma hubbs bought even b4 marriage which thou his father thinks is the most useless piece of furniture ever made..... well truth is once u sink into it gets so cushiony n comfy tht dragging urself out can be a task :-P

So how did u like this corner of ma home? This is my entry for Cozy corners @ Color Deckor

Fall On Ma Lotus Feet :-P

Now no doing a ROFL post reading this post.... Its my space so I can write of any damn thing tht catches my fancy or is spl to me!

Now Now raise ur hands - the no. of people who remeber the first person who fell on ur feet to seek ur blessings! Yosh yosh exactly wht this post is abt..... Stop shaking ur head I say!!! N U, yea yea u... just cause nobody fell on ur feet as yet, u cant call me a "aunty" :-P... It just means tht nobody thinks u r as yet good enuf!

So back to our post, as u had rightly guess(ho! yeah)  this is to record the most solemn experience of somebody falling on ma feet or rather 'Our' feet to seek 'our' blessings.....

The occasion was ma  hubb's cousins marriage..... sweetheart, Here is wishing you a v happy, joyous married life ahead!!! God Bless!

Hmmm on ma wedding day I know I did more than my required shares of these bending downs... so much so tht I had a sore back n post some time it just became 'mechanical'! Thou I still believe that 'falling on feet' has a spl meaning especially when the person whose feet u falling on is somebody u respect n u truly seek their blessings...... N doing it just cause 'Tradition' demands it is 'Hogwash'!

As for people falling on-ma-feet... Na Na! I dont think I hv done anything to be respected for!!  A 'Jaadu-Ki-Jappi' hug is what am more happy giving n getting....N man do I love them!!!  They leave me feeling all warm-n-happy :)

Awesome!

Na na this sticker isnt the welcome sign on any brat's room but is instead the sticker bang on ma hubbs cars boot n his FB profile pic as well!

Now u know what I hv ma hands full with everyday!! Mr.Peter-Pan :)

6th Sep 2010....

... wasnt just ma sis's b'day... But a day I know I will remember for a lifetime :)

The day when I actually realized tht prayers are indeed answered, tht beautiful things do knock on lives of Good People... The day when I truly realized what it means to be hit by a pleasant shock... so pleasant tht I couldnt stop grinning :) Wow I dont remember being this happy n content for a long time now! Thank U

Here is wishing the person lots n lots of happiness....... N well I think I can guess who the other person too is :)

Sorry if u think its cryptic, but well I havent got the permission to announce it to the world as yet... so bear with me plllllz n join me in wishing the person lottts n lotts of good luck! She deserves it more than anybody else... I love u :)

Happy B'day Manu....

Happy B'day sweetheart! I hope this year... yea yea am gonna be v shameless here.... sees u getting married N settling down :-P!

Now Now no senti digs from me... But I will take this chance to record a few v pleasant memories of the 'chulbuli' gal u were as a child.... quite diff from the silent, sensible, calm gal u r now.....

One of the earliest memories I hv of u is the one odd day in creche... Now a FYI for rest of the world.... My mom was a working lady so we had our maternal grandma staying with us... But one odd week when she was away in kerala we would be packed off to the neighbouring creche which if am not wrong was run by this anglo-indian lady... well I was as paavam then as am now(ok ok... am not so-very-paavam now....but there was a time when I indeed was) n hardly a 5 year old while this brat of sis was like hardly 2.... so this madam decides shes not liking the caretaker there n wht does she do? Bites the lady when shes carrying her around... n bites so badly tht it leaves a mark in her shoulders :-D... well long n short my mom had to pay her extra so that the lady didnt throw both of us out :-D sounds staright from a 'dennis the menance' comic?

Ha school... well another story there! Madam from the day she started her nursery to till date thinks thts the worst possible place in the world n the only saving grace as per her... the 'chapar chapar chapar' she could do with her friends there... N man she never ran short of either(chapar-chapar or friends) so much so that my dad(funnily he was the one who would always turn up for PT meetings) would find a PTA meeting incomplete till he heard this 'compliment' abt his younger daughter... Ho yea for him both his princesses could just do nothing wrong :-D!

But well one complaint which had my parents scratching their head is when a note on her b'day form school said 'Inappropriate dressing'..... Now now it was her b'day n she was like a 2nd or 3rd grader n all she wore was a skirt - top! But on cross questioning came out the story, madam got inspired by some stupid school label(yea yea school label of all things) of a  rajasthani lady showing off her midriff with a choli(something like one shown in pic... courtesy google).... So this wisp of a girl decides to pin up her top n make a duppata the choli... ha my parents didnt know whether to laugh or scold.... LOL!

Ha n for the tall (5ft 7 is not wht I would call short) -thin girl she is now... until she was like 7 or 8 years madam was this short n plump girl who was dubious for getting lost! But but while it would hv everybody at home running helter-skleter v soon they realized she knows how to find her way home.... let this be in hyd or kerala! One incident which still keeps popping up in conversation is of the time she gets lost in guruvayoor temple(Now the temple can get quite crowded) .... Now now shs hardly 5 n not exactly flunet in malayalam! But but nobody needs to hv got worried... she walks upto a guard, tells him he is lost n gives him full details and gets him to announce in the temple mike! Confidence was one area she never lacked then!

N ofcourse the brat she was n the paavam I was(Now I cant possibly call myself 'dumb' or 'nerd'... so am happier with a nicer sounding 'Paavam') combo meant every other day we would blow hot-n-cold just as any other sisters! But well thts until my mom decides to step in n act as referee n tht very moment we would become one n gang up against her... ha Happiness :)



Ho I can go on n on abt her..But will stop it here...  sweetie pie from there to now u hv come a long way... Now u r the one who puts everybody else's needs n happiness b4 urs......Sweetie pie here is wishing u a life which makes u once again hug life the way u did as a child... with a super-brat confidence... That with the sweetheart u already are will be a damnest possible combo!

I lost ma mobile :(

Or rather was swindled by a smart ass! Here is the story a sad one tht happened yest....

Car parked at crowded signal ... Just as the light turns yellow a young man dashes against our car....  Well all tht we thot at tht moment as we turned to check on him is "Ha! Thank God nothing happened"... N then post the usual exchange of expletives we moved on.......  N we didnt even realize anything is amiss!!

Only after we crossed a few meters were we overtaken by a car at the back only to be told "U guys..... ur mobiles hv been flicked"..... while I for a  a moment didnt believe my ears a quick chk confirmed its true :( ! Supposedly while the young man in the above scene distracted our attention his accomplice used tht moment to flick off the mobile kept right on dashboard on ma side of the car.... sob sob sob!

While ma reactions ranged from sob-sob, sorrow, anger(n burnt of it was faced by ma poor hubbs) n back to a sad smiley face... hubbs of mine remained the cool cucumber he always is! Instead he almost waana go n pat those guys for pulling thru this fiasco so seamlessly........ Grrr! Now tell me who in their sane sense wont lose the temper...... N while I was fuming he starts humming "Aaj ki Raath, Hona He Kya... KONA he kya....."..... grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Now what hurt me the most or hit me the moment I realized I lost the mobile is a few SMS tht I had there....  from somebody whom I love n the relationship with whom is now almost in shambles..... Priceless is what I hv lost :(

Ha how mobiles turn warehouse of memories... I still hv ma first mobile (a sad Samsung) tucked away safely in some corner of the home cause tht has the pics n a video of ma daddy.... something v v v precious for me!

As I write this hubbs dearest is busy configuring his new touch-phone!! Ooph ! Men n gizmo ~~ Happiest possible combo ever.... grrrrr!!!!

The little book of kisses...

Picked this book from kids section at a second-hand book store....  N it was so damn sweet tht I couldnt resist picking it up.....

The little Book of Kisses

There is a bye-bye kiss for mommy on her way to work

There are Hot-Dog kisses after lunch with Uncle Tommy

Theres a wake up kiss for daddy on a sleepy sat morn

There are long smooches from grandma on your cheek, my dear.

And telephone kisses, hello! in your ear

What about scratchy kisses from Daddy's beard.....

Or the lipstick kisses from mommy's friend?

There are butterfly kisses - they tickle so funny!
And a kiss between friends warm and sunny.

Theres a Keep-you-safe kiss in the dark of the night..
And an owie kiss to make hurts all right
Here is a puppy Kiss, lick lick on your face....
and a warm tummy kiss with after-bath play

There is the make-up kiss after fight
and kisses to blow good-bye from the street
and the last kiss of all is...

The sweet-dreams kiss when you're tucked in tight,
Nestled in your own night-light

Ha! Sweet isnt it :) Hers wishing u weekend fille diwth all these kissies n well kisses of you-know-what-Kind :-P! Happy weekend :)

Where in the Hubbs is sent back home from office.....

.......for improper dressing......... ROFL!!! Haa there is at last justice in the world!!!!!

So this is the background... my hubs translates to what I call a "Brat" at office... somebody who boo boos at all the rules @ work but gets away with it cause well thou I hate to agree he is good at what he does..... Na na me not one of those wifes who thinks pati is the parameshwar......LOL at the very thot of it!So on a monday morn u will see him walking into office in  jeans n tee n walking with no qualms whatsoever...  N so was the case yest tooo!

Ha n there comes the twist in the tale.... as soon as steps in he's informed of a impromptu conference where all top-shots would be in attendance so my dearest hubbs had no option but to go home n change from his fav V-Neck tee  into a complete 3 piece suit..... ROFL!  The transition was a treat to ma eyes(complete with a evilish grin on ma lips) Ha! Yesterday I atlast had the last laugh.........

Book review: Red Lily

Now Now dont cringe when I say am happiest reading the mushy-mushy lovey dovey M&B kinda books.... Yea yea I know Life is anything but that (Ait I smart) but then dont these novels leave u feeling happy-happy n with joy in heart.... Ha isnt that a much wanted feeling in our lives! So I ask whats wrong in M&Bs?? No Mr. Hubbs I dont wnat u to answer it :)

N so in latest exploits of M&Bs I discovered Nora Roberts and so her book "Red Lily" is been whats on ma bed side table for last few days.... A review u say? Ha a quick happy breezy read with NO OVERDOSE of mushiness..... A good read for a rainy day!

Hmm as I was googling up the book for this post, I just realized that its a part of a trilogy.... so now U know whts gonna be my quota of M&B at least for next few weeks :)

Good News & Other Relationships...

No No, dont jump the gun... Me not pregnant! Just read on....

Last weekend was a wedding at ma hubbs place.... One reason that I was dreading to attend this is the inescapable q of "Good News".... It played up so much in ma mind that I almost dropped the plan of making it! But well nature schemed against me n there I was in Chennai attending the marriage... Lo n Behold it was as if some magic dawned... N in the complete 48 hrs that I was there not a single person asked me the "Good News"q!! I was zapped.... N Something for which I respect them wholeheartedly... esp considering that I know how much they waiting for a grandchild... The bane of marrying a only son!

So thts one smiley there for me :) and the first part of the post's heading taken care... Now onto the second part of "Other relationships"...

How many of us dont frown upon kids small or not so small calling us "Aunty"! But But I was pleasently surprised at ma reaction when the other day in the wedding one of Hubbs niece called me "amaayi" (translates to "Maami"\Mama's wife in Malayalam).... I so very liked being addressed so ... LOL! But truly doesnt addressing each relationship with its due title add so much of value to it than a lame "Aunty" or a "chechi"(translates to "elder sister")!

So ma dear Manu, get married soon n produce a child... I so waana be called "Veliamma" .... ROFL! I am now running off b4 she deicdes to blast me away!

N speaking of "Other" relationships.... There is this relation which seems to be slowly but surely fading off from ma life.... Ha how much I already miss it! As they say U relaize the worth of a person\relationship when it ceases to exist for u..... The solace to mind n heart that I had when the person was around, whe as  I know I could spit out the yukiest of my thots\fears...... Plz be back for me :(