Love me, love me not

"Love me or hate me, both are in my favour...If you love me, I will be in your heart..If you hate me, I will be in your mind."

-Shakespeare

Dear December

Is it me or is everyone around feeling the spirit of the season...Everywhere I turn, there are smiling faces. People just let you go in front of the car with a sweet hand gesture and a SMILE..! The staff at stores does not even need a holler, they greet you as soon as you enter....again with a wide SMILE..! Green and red everywhere makes it even more delightful.

The best thing about December, besides the cozy coats, knee-high boots, and the sometimes chilly breeze.....is the SMILES....

Oh dear December....come far more often than once every year and spread your cheer all over..!!

May everyone have a HAPPY and SMILEY DECEMBER...!!

Cliche

Am currently interviewing a British lady in mid-forties, who has survived breast cancer.

Now, I know this disease is becoming frequent over the years and not many gape at the sound of it anymore. Neither do I....usually. But even though, her answers were not very descriptive of her frail condition, I just for a second put myself in her shoes.

(Hate to admit, but I am teary-eyed......Try visualizing yourself too, in a similar situation...you'll know what I just mean.)

And now I am left mulling over the endless things, the importance of which, I cease to acknowledge on a regular basis. A superb mom, good health, great friends, a decent degree, food and a lot more things....! I understand this sounds

clichéd, but that is how great this thought is, that though over-used it still touches a soul or two when stated each time.

Smiling my way,

Through the day!

Marshal says

"You can't let fear steal your funk"

-Marshal, HIMYM

Simplicity, are you gone?

In my conversation with a 9 year old on this past Friday, she just oophed and said, "Oh I am attending yet another birthday party tonight, and that is at Burj Khalifa". All I could do was watch with a jaw reaching down my knee.

Quite a few things surprised me actually. Firstly, as per the new trends, 9-year olds no longer celebrate their birthdays in Mcds, they just do it in Burj Khalifa, or something of that standard.

And the second, she oh-ed about it as dressing up and attending parties was like a burden loaded on her little back.

I know I would probably come across as a 60-year old grandmom with my statements of 'In my times.......'. But seriously.... "In my times, it was waaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyy simpler." Birthdays were fun and jolly affairs. We bought the 20dhms pack of invitation cards with cinderella, goofy or a bear on them. We gifted simple stuff like perhaps a doll or a teddy or the evergreen book. We walked into such parties with a casual shorts or jeans and a t-shirt, sang happy birthday and ate home-made cake. And to top it all, most birthday parties I remember, were either at home or the nearest McDonalds or Pizza hut and never ventured further. They started at 5 and ended around 8 and we all headed home then with a fun day of games and laughter.

Guess it ain't the same anymore. They have parties in.....as mentioned...Burj Khalifa and maybe then even ballrooms of Burj Al Arab and Emirates Palace. Teddy bears raise an eyebrow or two if gifted and will probably even jeopardize the friendship. DJ or an orchestra replace the friendly though off-tune happy birthday song. Oh and nobody wears the same regular stuff on parties anymore. They are out making their wardrobe purchases at the news of an upcoming birthday. It's more of "Did you see her backless number?" and "Check out her shoes!" instead of some silly chatter.

It's less than five years since I existed my teens, but oh boy, times have really really changed.

List

Making a list, 'Things to do before I leave'.

Feels good!! *wide smile*

Just a thought.....

What is life about anyways....other than Love...

A recent realization.....letting go, though far more difficult than holding on....is worth for the tides of relief, peace and joy it brings along.

My eureka moment..!

And here I go

Another year just flew by, with few(read one or max two) accomplishments and ever increasing list of yet-to-be accomplished dreams. Nah, its not 31st December yet, I just got over with all the birthday fuzz yesterday. One day when the world treats you a king and (hopefully) wishes you their best. And the gifts galore, but let me not get started about this time.....I had an overly-fragrant birthday.

Anyways its not about how my day was, its about what I thought last night. Strange I am, but an year started to feel like a decade and I suddenly realized, what if I dont have many more like this......(in heart of hearts I know I will though)..... but its a valid thought. and I started counting the number of things I had promised myself to do , around last year this time, and how many of them did I check.... Ummm.....one or none.

Cooking - Nah, the kitchen gets me tempted

Photoshop and Indesign - But do you expect me to spend 3 and a half hours in front of a computer screen after a full day job (of doing precisely that)

Get fitter - Oh damn....I still havta right

Tennis - Boy, I have always wanted to but time factor

Hit-off career wise - Even with a good job, am I really hitting-off the way I reckoned

Philanthrophy- Yep, I wanted to change the world in an year..... guess I have only changed myself a tad bit (oh but I dont know positively or negatively)

Masters degree - Its okay, I aint that old to resume school again, or am I?

and Blogging - I need atleast one tick, so here I am.

I created the account last year, with an instructor right behind my back detailing about blogging and its advantages and it giving a boost to your creativity during a lecture in journalism class. Wasnt an inspiration for me though. However, I begin now a little because of my thoughts last night and for want of at least one accomplishment till my next birthday, just in case I fail with my other goals. And isnt this supposed to be a place where I can finally pen my thoughts, views, opinions and mundane happenings of life. With my boss (and the prior ones too) skeptical about me turning my musing into stories, I guess I finally have an inspiration to blog. And of course, G*Nice, the Friday mag columnist.....he has a share too....Will probably dedicate a blog to him, he is that good. Ohh and also a big Thank You to Miss. Boredom at Work. She has a great hand in pushing me to do this. Its not this way all the time....but the few days it is, I cant spend them on FB (fb hater that I am).

Sensing the sweet freedom of writing after going by style guides and story ideas carefully scrutinized by boss and each word checked on by fellow sub-editors, suddenly I feel free.