moving

I am back to blogging after a rather longish break.
I updated my status on one of these networking sites to say how exhausted I was and I quickly got comments and mails from people about how I don´t need a vacation... this coming from people who sit all day at their desks, surfing the net, nibbling junk food and gaining weight!
Well, not that I need to explain the term "busy" but looks like I should so that the above individuals understand what "work" actually means to the rest of us!

So, here´s my list of activities ( It´s far less tiring to read I promise!)

1. I was smelling paint, old garbage and trying not to think too much as I scrubbed away at that strange yellow stain on the kitchen wall...
2. Chasing giant spiders with the vacuum(landed up being chased instead)
3. Scrubbing out bird poop from the big wooden gate that is supposed to be used as the main gate!
4. Trying to go tip-toe across ant hills on the walk-way ( I got angry red attack points to prove how unsuccessful I was)!
5. Trying not to inhale pollen as I tried trimming wild bushes that seemed more keen to scratch me than get cut!
6. Cleaning radiators with a brush that was more interested in sitting in than getting out! When it did get out, it wasn´t a pretty site!
7. Waking up at 5 am to get a delivery which eventually landed up at 11 am!
8. Staying up for a delivery that was supposed to come at 4 pm but landed up coming at 8 pm!
9. Painting walls with a roller that was more keen on painting my knuckles than the walls.
10. Picking boxes that were 3 times more heavier than me.
11. Trying to rummage through the store room and make sense of the clothes that were never used.
12. Sorting books that should be donated to the library but for some strange reason still live with us ( 10 boxes full!)
13. Scrubbing tiles in the bathroom with anti bacterial liquid wipes and then scrubbing my hands with soap to make sure I wouldn´t get poisoned.
14. Packing all the cutlery we own into tissue, then into packaging material and then into boxes.
15. Unpacking the above, washing the above, drying the above, organizing and arranging the above.
16. Sorting the tissues and packaging material and packing them into boxes and carrying them into storage.
17. Surfing the internet till my eyelids shut just to find a good deal on a table. Chair. Sofa. Refrigerator. TV. Bed. Lights.
18. Trying innovative techniques to cover light fixture holes in the walls, ceilings and other places.
19. Folding, sorting and then packing clothes into boxes that seem too less.
20. Unpacking, sorting and arranging clothes into wardrobes that seem too tiny!
21. Scrubbing carpets that spew dust, hair and all sort of sneeze-inducing irritants.
22. Shampooing carpets then vacuuming them till they look as good as new.
23. Spending the weekends going to various stores to get deals on various things.
24. Getting back home with car full of things.
25. Unloading them and then driving half dead to the supermarket to get groceries.
26. Cooking with my eyes half shut.
27. Eating with my body half-asleep.
28. Making myself go back to the work site and assemble the furniture.
29. Trying to keep my eyes open and wondering why it doesn´t work like it should be working!
30. Realizing that I forgot to pick up two important fixtures.
31. Being too dead to curse myself.
32. Standing under the shower praying that the water will make the muscles stop aching and that the soap will magically slather itself over my tired body.
33. Realizing that the water won´t do any of the above but will definitely bill me a handsome amount at the end of the month for using so much of it!
34. Wiping all the furniture that has arrived and then trying to push it so as to arrange it in the room.
35. Realizing I have forgotten to pack a meal and that I have nothing to eat and no place in the vicinity to get food from.
36. Working through the protests from the tummy as the hours go by and the energy gets sapped.
37. Trying to be patient when people I don´t really know invite themselves to live with us on a date that we don´t know yet !
38. Having no place to sit when my legs protest so I settle on resting on a Bosch Grass trimmer box trying not to think of the damage it´s doing to my Victoria Beckham Jeans.
39. Trying to frame a painting but the glass breaks off and cuts my wrist.
40. Running through the kitchen with a bloody hand trying to find a clean cloth and trying to start the tap as the blood stains the floor I have just cleaned and polished.
41. Trying not to break down and start crying.
42. Trying to comfort myself with thoughts of a vacation.

So...when I NEED a vacation...I deserve it! If the above doesn´t say it to you...nothing else will.
I rest my case.

two years

Two years that have given me more happiness, more love, more understanding, more gifts, more compliments and more pampering than I am used to. Two years that have taught me that loving someone else is far more fulfilling than loving yourself. Two years that have changed me as a person.
Thank you god for these two years. They have been the best years of my life.

my best friend

You know who you are.
You have taught me to look up
though the road below has been non-existent.
Seen me cry when I fail.
And never mentioned it again.
You have been harsh and blunt when I needed it.
And kind when my heart was breaking.
You have been the happiest when I was successful.
And upset when I let go without a fight.
You made me a fighter.
And helped me weather more storms than I could on my own.
As I write this, I realize I have been fortunate.
Not everyone is this lucky.

women´s day

As I write this, I get the news that Kathryn Bigelow has won the award this year.
I can´t help but feel proud of this woman´s accomplishments though I don´t know her. It makes me feel like she has scored a point for all the women out there, just like Beyonce did a few months back at the Grammy Awards.
We are proud of you two just as we are proud of all the housewives, stay-at-home moms, working moms, grandmoms and career women in the world. You make a big difference to everyone´s lives even though you might not see the results on a day-to-day basis.
Thank you for changing my life in ways you can´t imagine.

time-pass

The last time I went visiting home, I ran into some not- so- immediate neighbours. The 50-something aunts who have never worked in an office their entire lives but who like to ask you what you do for a living.
I have worked 6 plus years in an industry that squeezed me to a size zero with endless days of work, meetings and stress. So, I decided to take a well-deserved break to do things I enjoy, look a bit healthy and just be at home to work at my own pace. So to be asked what I do for "time-pass" is something that amused me quite a bit.
Why does one needs to work in an office outside the house just to prove how busy and independent one really is?
Having visited and stayed on both sides of the fence, I feel this entire conversation is wasted. Atleast on me.
Most women work because they need the money. Some work because they love to network, or because they get pleasure from the kind of work they do - could be research-led or in design or something noble like healthcare.
Lots of women also work because they are talented and they want to showcase that talent.

Everyone can find a job at some place or the other, doing something or the other so how does it make anyone less talented or hopeless if they decide to stay at home??
And just for the record, whoever said staying at home meant a vacation?
In the Western World, you can also do office work from home. Along with the other jobs that are taken for granted elsewhere - yes, that includes doing dishes, gardening, washing, cleaning, cooking, shopping, entertaining...the list is endless but time as we all know is limited...so once again I ask, "TIME PASS??!?!"

Of course, the condescending attitude isn´t just from the 50s- something aunts. Sometimes I get it from people who belong to the same age group as me.
They like to term "house-work" as a brain-dead job. I let them live in their fantasy world. Fact is, the beds don´t clean themselves, the clothes don´t get washed and ironed magically, good food doesn´t prepare itself. There is work involved in every one of those chores. Hard work. Work that requires careful planning, execution and skill.
So here´s what:
If you want to stay at home and love staying at home, do just that. Do not let pessimistic people make you change your mind.
If you like to step out, make new friends and work outside the house to make some money, go ahead.
Remember each has its merits. So no need to compare the two.
Chairman isn´t a post just at the office. One can enjoy it at home as well.