Sleep on it

I’ve been very cranky the past 2 days mainly coz the better-half has not been sleeping well. He keeps awaking up at odd times, walking in & out of the room, opening and closing the bedroom door which makes me wake up with a start after which I find it very difficult to get back to sleep.

He’s got some major project at his workplace which is going ALIVE or some such thing and I’m guessing this is what is making him toss and turn. And when I complain about his restlessness he has the cheek to tell me that my snoring is keeping him awake. Giving him a haughty look I bite my tongue and stalk out of the room.

Yeah well coming back to what I was cribbing about….lack of sleep always has brought out the worst in me. It immediately reflects on my day-to-day activities and dealings with everybody but the thing is I can’t get myself to take a nap during the day to make up for the previous night.

The only times I take naps are:

# When I’m frog-marched along with the kids to the bedroom on Friday afternoons for the compulsory ‘family nap’ [incase you are wondering, we live in the middle-east, your Sundays are our fridays] which usually boomerangs on the better-half coz I get up in a stinking mood ready to snap at anybody who even looks at me. Since I don’t drink and don’t know what a hangover feels like I privately think this is a non-drinkers version of it.

# If I’m terribly horribly sick…..like the time I had typhoid when I was doing my pre-degree; I slept like I was drugged for 2 whole days. But otherwise…..like even after my delivery when all the aunties with good intentions told me to rest while the baby was sleeping I used to be found pacing up and down the corridor with no particular goal in mind.

# And not the least when I’m pretending to nap to trick lull the kids into taking one….and in the process doze off lightly.

But at nights if all goes well I’m out like a light within 2-3 minutes after hitting the bed and have to be prodded, coaxed out of bed at 6.15am by the better-half who gets up earlier to fix the kids school bags.

I rarely recall the dreams I have though once or twice I remember snatches of a nightmare dream that a gang of bloggers recognized the kids in the supermarket but didn’t find me coz I was hiding under a trolley[I was looking my worst, u see]. And ofcourse the Dhoni dream which I would have forgotten long back had I not posted it here.

Coming back to subject, did you know Sleep and the lack of it has many side-effects to it and most all of them bad. On a rare night when I lie awake on the bed my thoughts almost always take me to my father who suffers from severe lack of sleep. From as far as I can remember he could never get to sleep before 2am.
When I was a teenager I used to have very little patience with his problem coz it meant that I could never read late or call a friend and have long conversations into the night. But now I feel so dreadfully sorry for his plight. I mean it’s so unnatural to be wide awake when the rest of the family is sleeping. The weirdest of thoughts come into the mind and refuse to go. All fears are magnified 10fold. Depression and self-pity takes over the system…..atleast that’s how it goes for me.

Well, atleast when my father finally slept he would sleep atleast for 7-8 hrs straight. But there are so many people who are not able to get a good night’s sleep for a number of reasons like working 2-3 jobs to maintain a life-style or suffer from sleep-disorders.
But there are some, who stay up late to read, watch tv, chat on the internet or are out partying hard. And after snatching a few hours of troubled sleep they go back to work the next day as usual.

An article elucidating the effects of sleep-deprivation caught my eye recently, I read it with growing horror and immediately thought of sharing the jist of it with u. Please do go through it carefully. We need to be aware of the extent of damage we unknowingly submit our body to.

Sleep deprivation is a commonplace occurrence in modern culture. Every day there seems to be twice as much work and half as much time to complete it in. This results in either extended periods of wakefulness or a decrease in sleep over an extended period of time. While some people may like to believe that they can train their bodies to not require as much sleep as they once did this belief is false. Sleep is needed to regenerate certain parts of the body, especially the brain, so that it may continue to function optimally.

Recent studies indicate that failing to get enough sleep or sleeping at odd hours heightens the risk for a variety of illnesses…..

> Lower resistance to colds and viruses
> High Blood pressure
> Cancer
> Increased risk of Heart Attacks & Strokes[esp amg young ppl]
> Diabetes
> Obesity
> Early ageing

"Lack of sleep disrupts every physiologic function in the body," said Eve Van Cauter of the University of Chicago. "We have nothing in our biology that allows us to adapt to this behavior."

The amount of necessary sleep varies from person to person, but most people apparently need between about 7-9 hours, with studies indicating that an increased risk for disease starts to kick in when people get less than 6 or 7.

Scientists have long known that sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea, narcolepsy and chronic insomnia, can lead to serious health problems, and that difficulty sleeping may be a red flag for a serious illness. But recent epidemiological studies found that people who slept the least appeared to be significantly more likely to die.

Recently I got an email about Ranjan Das[42yrs] CEO of SAP-Indian Subcontinent, the youngest CEO of an MNC in India who succumbed to a heart attack. Supposed to be an avid fitness freak and a marathon runner his early demise had shocked the Corporate world. It is believed that one of the reasons for his early demise could have been lack of sleep. He slept for just 4-5 hrs every night.
Which also reminded me of a post Swaram had written last month about her husband’s friend who was in his thirties and a fitness enthusiast who succumbed to heart-attack and nobody knew why.

Try this test out: Its called The Epworth Sleepiness Scale; ESS is a scale intended to measure daytime drowsiness that is measured by use of a very short questionnaire. It is a useful test to help diagnose sleeping problems. Click here to do it.

In short, most healthy adults are built for 16 hours of wakefulness and need an average of 8 hours of sleep a night. And, contrary to common myth, the need for sleep doesn't decline with age but the ability to sleep for 6 to 8 hrs at one time may be reduced. (Van Dongen & Dinges, Principles & Practice of Sleep Medicine, 2000)

What is your sleep pattern like???????

For Links: Click here, here and here[matter highlighted in blue taken from here]

Butt of all jokes

Scenario No.1: I could be cutting veggies in the kitchen with my back turned towards the kitchen door.

Scenario No.2: I could be bending down & taking the clothes out from the washing machine.

Scenario No 3: I could be standing 3 inches away from the television and closely following the climax of a movie.

It could be anyone of the above scenes……..but the end remains the same.

My daughters[either 1 of them] would come from behind & give my butt a gentle thwack and giggle in glee.

“Don’t do that” I’d say impatiently.

“Sauwrieee” they’d laugh & dodge out of the way…..until the next time. And I would keep thinking that something has to be done before they get out of hand. Just imagine if they started doing it in front of other people.

Both Nikita & Naina have their own ways in which they conduct this time-pass activity. Nikita who knows very well that I don’t like it often just gently patted it….it was almost as if she couldn’t help it. But Naina, she approached it more matter of factly…...those tiny fists would have a go at the highlighted area like a boxer & the mouth would chant in rhythm “Dishoom, dishoom, dishoom”. I’d then pretend to reach for the stick and she’d vanish from there like an elf who smelt trouble.

And they do it to my tummy too. I actually find the whole thing funny but am always careful to hide the fact. I certainly don’t want them thinking that my body parts were made for their entertainment. Just a hint of a smile & they’ll be all over me……and so I generally do the headmistress act.

Oh and the questions I get…..

“Why is your tummy so….so big Mama????” is usually ignored the 1st time it is asked. But even after 2 minutes the child is standing there expectantly waiting for an answer I sigh & tell her “My tummy was very flat in the beginning…..just like urs. But as you grew inside, my tummy had to grow to make space for u”

“Ooooohhhhh, so that’s why, but..... after I came out why didn’t your tummy go back to being flat???”

“I have no clue baby….it is the many mysteries of nature of which I have no control over” I mutter as I avoid her eyes.

I then change the topic & she lets it be. But one day when she patted my tummy affectionately and poked one finger hard into the middle just the way I do after I knead chapatti atta into a smooth ball. I knew the time had come for a serious talk.

“When I was around your age I used to do the same to my mama” I began.

“Do what Mama????” asks Nikita all bewildered.

“I too used to always make fun of my mama’s stomach, always patting it & irritating her, just like how you and Naina do to me,” I said carefully.

“And then???” asks Nikita interestedly.

“Then my mama used to tell me that if I did not stop making fun of her, one day I would get a bigger stomach than hers but I never listened” I said dolefully.

“And” prompts Nikita fascinated.

“And………..what she said came true” I said mournfully.

I let the silence stretch & watched while the implications of making fun of me sunk in.

“But I’m not fat like u” ventures Nikita hesitantly.

“When I was your age I was thinner than u” said I, drawing a stick-figure on the wall with my finger to emphasize the fact.

My sweet little girl got so jacked that after that day she has never mentioned or disrespected my butt or tummy again. And I patted myself on the back.


Naina[6 yrs] who was not around when the above conversation took place continued to exercise her rights. Since she is a good 2 & a 1/2 years old younger than her sister I used to let it go with a warning. But she was getting more adventurous by the day that I was forced to enact the above drama once again for her benefit.

As soon as I concluded she went into a fit of giggles. Obviously the drama & its dangerous implications did not have the same impact on her. Then when I put on this sad smiley expression she quickly straightens her face and exclaims “Mama I was trying to help you”.

“I was actually helping you push it back in” Naina looks carefully into my face to see whether I swallowed her story. She then gives me 2 quick pats as proof of her dedication and darts out of the room almost as if she expected the level of conversation to deteriorate if she stood there a minute longer. I laughed so much that day.

Hmmm……yeh tho apni ma ki ma ki ma nikhli…...kuch aur sochna padega*


* Hmmm....she turned out to be her mother's grandmother......have to come up with something else

No, its not a proper post

I recently came across this "Art of Living" advertisement which said they were conducting a 6 day program & asking people to register. The best part is that it's being conducted pretty close to where I'm located but the bad news is that the kids are having exams around the same week.

I'm interested but full of doubts. I checked the net for information & got the general jist of their programs.

But I want more details...like a personal account or review. Have any of u done this course or do u know anybody who's done it??? Tell me whatever u know!!!!

Was not at all planning to post today...

Oh my goodness, did u know about this site called http://www.backtype.com/. Somebody just came into my page thru there & I ofcourse dutifully followed the link back and what do I find......a neat list of all the comments I post on the various blogs I visit.

Sheesh it gives me the heebie-jeebies to think that not just my posts but even my comments are been followed. I had no clue something like this existed. Till today I went about posting comments rather merrily....now suddenly I feel sooo stooopid reading my own nonsense back.

Inane stuff like...

Nice post........[sheesh NICE....so pansy]

Awww sho shweeet....[puke, puke]

Really, I had no clue....[dumb idiot]

Heeeee........[add haw & I'd sound like a donkey]

Oh my goodness.......[pppffffffffbbbbtttttt....just take a stick & beat me, will u]

....

....

I cant bear to go on. I'm in total shock....feel like digging a deep hole just enough for me to crawl in, sitting inside, covering the top of the hole with some leaves & wallowing in my insignificance[for want of a better word].

Please dont be taken aback by the comments u may receive henceforth......I suggest u arm urself with a thesaurus & a few reference books. I could be quoting anything from Keats to the Achimedes Principle to make my comments look important and relevant.

And oh yeah, dont panic if u dont see me around for a few days. I'll be busy at the British Library researching my new post.

p.s: Did U know about this site?????

p.p.s: Ummm....If u want to disagree with me abt the comments I post.......go ahead, I wont create a scene, Honest!!!!!!

She needs ur Help!!!!

Location: Living room

Characters: Lord & Master, Weary wife & 2 children

Time: After supper

The Lord & Master of the house is watching TV, the kid are occupied with some craft & the wife just finished up with all the work in the kitchen. After switching off the lights, she walks wearily to the living room & sinks into the nearest couch in undisguised relief.

She glances at the newspaper lying on the table & realizes she has not had the time to read it the whole day. She just about started reading the headlines when the Lord &Master asks her to switch off the main lights in the room.

Looking up at him in mild irritation, she gets up, switches them off & gets back to the newspaper.
As she turns the page to read the local news the L&M asks for a glass of water.
She stares at him in amazement. Then looks at the jug of water which is on the dining table in the same room & measures the distance between the table & where he is sitting. It was approximately the same distance from where she was sitting.

If it were the kids she would have said "Its on the table. Help yourself"

But the Master's request could not be dealt with so casually. When it becomes clear that he is not reading any of her pointed expressions she gets up wearily to fetch it for the L & M of the house. After all, never let it be said that she would not even fetch a glass of water for Him.

Again just when she turns to the 3rd page, the Master decides that the children could not possibly do their art & craft in the dim lights & asks her to switch the main lights back on again.

She looks daggers at the L&M. But it's a wasted emotion as he is concentrating on the program he is watching on Tv. With a resigned sigh, she gets up & switches the lights on again.

....

....

This has been going on for a long time now!!! She needs your Help!!!!!! How can she tell the L&M in the politest way ofcourse, to do it himself??????

P.s: Single people & newly-weds, dont judge her too harshly. U may have to eat ur words a few years down the lane.


Disclaimer: All characters and events in this post are imaginary. Any resemblance to actual persons or predators; living, dead or reincarnated is purely coincidental.

Cop it sweet

Anjali & I used to work in the same office. She was related to the big boss from the HO & was brought in to assist the accountant. A bold & smart woman, around 24 yrs old, who was not afraid speak out.

Within a week or so I found out that she was there to keep watch on the Project lead’s nefarious activities. She did her job so well that the Project lead was thrown out within a month’s time because of his own short comings.

She stayed on after that & continued to assist the accountant with the work. We were not great friends but got along well. She sort of adopted me as her sounding board & would tell me all what was happening in her life. Sometimes I ponder what is it about me that convinces people into spilling their secrets, and that too in the first meeting itself. Anyways can’t blame them fully coz I too ask a lot of questions.

Anjali was very fond of my kids & would once in a while bring packets of different types of chocolate bars for them. She would brush aside my hesitation & remind me that her husband worked as a supervisor in a chocolate factory. When I would comically express my envy at his working in my dream job she would tell me how it was not all it seemed to be. They were not satisfied with his job coz there was no scope for growth in the line he was working. Though he would merit a measly salary hike every year there were no such things as promotions since his qualifications did not merit a post higher than what he was holding. And plus it was a night shift job which was getting too tiring & threw their entire lifestyle out of gear.

But it was not like they were just sitting & doing nothing about it. They were saving up for a diploma course he wanted to attend, which could get him better jobs in another field as he thought the present field held no benefits. He & Anjali believed that he was in this predicament as his father had made his career choice even though he was not at all that keen.

Soon Anjali got a good offer from another company & she left us to take that up. Even after she left she would call us at the office atleast once in a month & keep us posted with what was happening in her life. Now that she was earning well, her husband was able to join his dream course earlier than expected. Soon she told us he cleared his course & left the present job to get into another company in another emirate[around 2-3 hrs away]. She told me later that the salary was just the same as the previous company but they weren’t quibbling about it as he was just a beginner. They were very excited at these new developments in their life.

It was decided that he would go first, settle down in his job, find a good apartment & only then take Anjali & their child. They were in no hurry to make drastic changes immediately since she was also working under a contract & couldn’t leave her job just like that.

In the meantime I too had left my job & both of us didn’t speak to each other for a few months. I don’t know how but I just don’t find the time to call anybody sometimes. I seriously am in awe of all the people who manage their home, go to work, find time to blog, facebook, orkut & twitter. Anyways, we did call each other once or twice but each time we tried to speak the other would be busy & months just passed by like that. Then one day she calls out of the blue & we idly spoke for a few minutes when she burst out that she quit her job the previous week. It seemed like the people in the company were not good, their workings very shady, they were taking advantage of her inexperience, etc, etc, etc.

I was like “Look at the bright side, now you can join your husband” but she said that was not possible immediately as her husband hadn’t found a good apartment yet….the rents there were quite steep & all these places were very far from where he worked which made it all the more difficult.

Now that she was at home she called me more regularly & slowly she began revealing her frustrations. She was going crazy managing her child alone the whole week. Her husband who came on weekends, spent most of the time sleeping off his tiredness as he was being overworked in the company. The pay rise they promised him after a few months did not materialize. The job was nothing great, job satisfaction was nil & to top it the boss was hard to please. Expenses were more as they were living separately and whatever little extra which remained, went towards Taxi expenses[between Sharjah & Fujairah] which amounted to more than 1000 dirhams per month. There seemed to be no way out of this vicious circle as recession had set in by then & jobs came by so sparsely. It was obvious that they were bearing the burden of the biggest mistake they made in their lives.

Anjali was so fed up with the life she was leading that she went back to India for a break. For almost 3 months there was no news of her & then suddenly she calls me last week. After the usual pleasantries she told me excitedly that her husband left the job in Fujairah as he was taken back by his old company the chocolate factory. He had called them in desperation & they took him back, just like that.

The same job which they thought gave no scope for improvement in their lives was now a blessing in their eyes. The pay was the same but their savings were more. So what if it was night-shift, atleast the company provided transportation to & fro & he was able come back home at the end of the day.

Anjali was laughing, telling me how her husband vowed fervently that he was never going to leave this company, ever but underneath I could hear the relief in her voice. In her own words, those eight months taught them a lesson which was not going to be forgotten in a hurry.

So many times, we don’t realize the value of what we have until we lose it. And there's no second chance. Anjali, I thought, was extremely fortunate.

Cop it sweet: An Australian saying which means....to get lucky in a way that you did not expect

Received this in my mail and loved it.....thought I'll share it with U

I was shocked, confused, bewildered
As I entered Heaven's door,
Not by the beauty of it all,
Nor the lights or its decor.

But it was the folks in Heaven
Who made me sputter and gasp--
The thieves, the liars, the sinners,
The alcoholics and the trash.

There stood the kid from seventh grade
Who swiped my lunch money twice.
Next to him was my old neighbor
Who never said anything nice.

Herb, who I always thought
Was rotting away in hell,
Was sitting pretty on cloud nine,
Looking incredibly well.

I nudged Jesus, 'What's the deal?
I would love to hear Your take.
How'd all these sinners get up here?
God must've made a mistake.

'And why's everyone so quiet,
So sombre - give me a clue.'
'Hush, child,' He said, 'they're all in shock.
No one thought they'd be seeing you.'

JUDGE NOT.

Remember...Just going to Church/Temple/Mosque doesn't make you a Christian/Hindu/Muslim any more than standing in your garage makes you a car .

Every saint has a PAST....
Every sinner has a FUTURE!!!!!

Halt!!! Who goes there?????

Scrutinizing the links which show thru the feedjit counter and spamming in other bloggers' comment boxes has become a recent and very important part of my daily routine…..yeah well since I’m not posting all that much I have to channelise all that pent-up energy somewhere, right.

Between today and last Tuesday I got some 400+ hits[553 including me] on my last post but just around 50 beautiful, lovely, wonderful, super bloggers have very kindly commented on it.

Dear persons who read the posts here but don’t comment, don’t you feel bad like as if you’ve accepted candy from a sweet little cherubic child & gone away without saying a word or a smile???? Just think for a moment how bewildered, how shattered, how heart-broken that adorable angelic little girl must have felt.

Yeah yeah I know I’m going overboard taking the sentimental route but the whole idea is to make you feel terrible……..the question here is, how lousy are you feeling about it?????

After reading just 3 or 4 posts on this page one doesn’t need Einstein’s brain to arrive at the conclusion that I have an IQ of an Iguana or maybe even lower than that.
Come on, I don’t talk about nuclear missiles or the Ringamore wastelands** here…..though I did talk about Rocket-science in 1 post……but that was just once……and I was actually displaying my ignorance on the subject, really. I write about everyday things or incidents which I’m sure most of you identify with. And I’m quite sure you would not keep coming back to a page to which you couldn’t relate at all.

How hard is it to pen a harmless one liner letting me know you were here…..u know it would make me feel so good.

Many of u are not aware of it but I blog under great pressure. I have a better-half who thinks I could have lost atleast 15kgs of weight in all this time I've spent blogging, a maid who threatens to quit coz she’s allergic to the sight of me tapping away at the laptop, children who pull me from both sides as soon as they see me login into blogger, parents who have no clue what blogging is all about, a sister who about once in 6 months casually asks me whether I’m still blogging and unsuspecting neighbours from whom I hide my blog since I write about them from time to time.
So you see, my only relief is the comments I get from u……I lap them all up and begin to believe in my own worth. You & I know it’s another world out here…..very few non-bloggers understand the ‘nasha’* of receiving comments from beautiful people across the big wide world.

I do understand the difficulty you face to write that first comment. I know for a fact that commentophobia is a natural tendency among both new & seasoned bloggers…….I too used to hesitate so much in the initial days and sometimes even now.

But you must, atleast just this once, delurk & let me know u've been here:-))

So to make it easy for you I have, after much deliberation, put together 3 simple phrases to help you get over the initial hesitation ….

Sample 1: Thank U Nancy for making it so easy for me to de-lurk.

Sample 2: Me thinks your posts are full of &%$%#@&.

Sample 3: I have better things to do in life than comment here.

Now all you have to do is just copy-paste one of the above into the comment box and click submit. Has anybody else made it easier than this?????

Ofcourse anonymous & troll comments for the 2nd point will be closely monitored. And if you feel all of the above is inadequate you are welcome to write about how wonderful a person blogger you think I am. But I just didn’t want to appear too eager or rush you in these initial stages. So we’ll take it step by step, what say?????

Now after all this, if you are going to pretend that everything I’ve said above went over your head, I’ll make it short and snappy….

Just delurk dammit!!!!!!!!


* Nasha = addiction

**Ringamore wastelands = they dont exist, I made it up

p.s: Pssssttttt I’ll be putting up the awards sooooon [[‘wink, wink’]].

The Driving Force

“You mean to say you’ve been here in Dubai for almost 10 years & don’t have a car????” asks acquaintance incredulously.

“Yep” I reply, very amused at her reaction.

“But why???? How????” She asks & I can see the her eyes darting around the house wondering “Gosh have I put my foot in it, don’t tell me they can’t afford one”

“Simple, we both don’t have a driving license” I grin.

“Sheeeesh, how do you guys manage?????”

We get this reaction from most people we know. Actually when I really think about it I don’t blame them one bit for reacting the way they do. Sometimes when I wake up in the middle of the night I can’t believe it either.

I take you back to 1999 when I came to Dubai. I enthusiastically signed up for driving classes & infact remember clearing Parking, Garage, Hill & Signal in one single day[they are actually 4 different tests]. It was only when I started training for the Road test did I feel a bit of diffidence.

After 8 years of misusing the clutch & the brake & ignoring all the traffic rules in India, driving according to rules in Dubai came as a rude shock….to top it after driving on the left side of the road for so many years it took quite sometime to get used to driving on the right. The lane system was something I didn’t at all believe in…I never understood why I had to accerelate when I had to change lanes, why couldn’t I just slow down & then change??? To top it, when I saw a vehicle coming at top speed from the side lanes I just couldn’t believe that the car was not going to bang into mine & so I automatically…you could say unconsciously would swerve in the opposite direction & the instructor would grab the steering wheel, apply the brakes & tear his hair all at once in frustration.
I gave just 2 road tests but knew for a fact that even if I gave 20 of them I was never going to pass. After driving at 30-40km per hour for 8 yrs it was just not possible to let go off inhibitions & do 80 and 100kms/hr.

Then I left to India for almost 6 months & when I came back, just didn’t try again…yeah, yeah I know it’s the dumbest thing you’ve ever heard.
And the better-half, to give him his due, had gone for classes & persevered but his job schedule 10 yrs back was hectic & it was required of him to frequently fly out of the country which inturn often clashed with his test dates & he gradually gave it up.

Actually there was no shortage of cars in the house then. My father-in-law had one & my brother-in-law also did. We never had problems going out anywhere. And the better-half had his company vehicle which picked & dropped him back. So we never felt the lack of a vehicle or a need for our own.

It was only when my father-in-law went back to India 2 years back & BIL around the same time left to the States to study further that the realization set in.

In the beginning it was almost like being stranded. For people who wonder whats the big deal anyway please note that Dubai for all its infrastructure is a desert which radiates an average temperature of 41 degrees & humidity which saps the life out of even the toughest lot. Within 2 minutes of being outside sweat is pouring down your body and your best shirt is ruined for ever. Everybody…simply everybody has a car….infact 2 or 3 cars in a middle-class family is not unheard of or anything. Purchasing a car is no big deal either, it is attaining the DL which is so prized.

10 years ago it was not very difficult to get a license in UAE but nowadays its practically impossible to pass a test. Except for the odd guy who passes in his first or 2nd attempt the rest of the 95% can fill a book or two with their horror stories with the Traffic Dept.
We all know paperwork & classes are mandatory everywhere but in UAE it’s a bit over the top. And worse, they fail you for the silliest of reasons. I’ve heard horror stories where people have spent upto 8000dhs[atleast 1 lakh in Indian ruppees] & failed 14-15 times before they got their DL in their hand.
My friend told me how her boss who had held a DL from USA, UK, France, Egypt, was failed numerous times by the RTA & it became a matter of frustration & shame to him.

And worse, the municipality have all these weird rules for certain circumstances… or should I say they have no rules for certain criteria of people. Now even if we want to try for a license we can’t since the better-half now holds an independent visa from the Freezone of another emirate…..its too complicated to explain but the long & short of it is that we are not able to take driving tests in Dubai even if we want to. And that leaves us without a medium to commute.

The irony of it is that both of us got our driving license for both 2 wheeler & 4 wheelers in India before we were 20 years old. Infact I got my DL after 8 hours of classes & donated the remaining two hours to my mom who was learning alongside me. I drove my fathers car in & around Bangalore for more than 8 yrs. Sometimes I think its precisely because of my road experiences in India that I found it so hard to adjust to life in the fast lane here.

So we take taxis. We take a bus. Whichever comes first. And then ofcourse we walk. Luckily unlike before, the taxis’ have become more available now & the buses more frequent than before. And now ofcourse the metro is here making all parts of Dubai more accessible.

Both of us have nothing to say in our defence……in hindsight now I feel if only I had persevered I’m sure I would have made it after a few tries. Oh well…..when we had the chance we didn’t bother & now there is no point thinking about the ‘if onlys’.

The better-half sometimes explains the benefits to the children when they complain “Maybe we don’t have a car like the others but just look at how much we are saving; we don’t have any loans against us for buying a car, we don’t have to spend on petrol, we save on registrations and insurance. We don’t spend hours looking for parking space, we don’t have to pay parking fines….and…and all the other innumerable traffic fines…..and .... salik…we don’t have pay salik[road toll].
And nobody[as in guests] wants to stay with us” He adds wickedly.

While I shake my head at him amusedly in the background I realize I’m not exactly railing at my fate……I in a 'reverse psychology' way am glad my kids get a chance to travel in buses like how I used to and also enjoy the illuminating conversations we have with the kids as we walk hand in hand to the nearest supermarkets or restaurants after the sun goes down.

Ofcourse I realize that if we had a car I may not be talking so wisely but human beings that we are, always make the best of any situation we’re in.

Just yesterday we were walking past this vehicle which had a mukhalifa* pinned on its windshield, we automatically looked at each other and exclaimed “Thank Goodness, we don’t have a car” and burst out laughing.

*mukhalifa: traffic fine

Edited to add: Tara says "your post and this subject made me churn out a whole post myself.. ". I am pleased to present to you another perspective on the same topic:-))!!!!!!

Give this a miss really...its just a TAG

What does one do when…..

…one doesn’t have any topic in hand to blog about?????
….one’s fingers are typing furiously but its utter gibberish.
…..one has a dream nightmares that there is never going to be another new post ever again.

Wallowing in self-pity, I visit Blunt edges, read about "His first time" & have a good laugh. Feeling much better, I catch sight of a tag & decide that it was going to be my next post…..ermm I already have atleast 10 tags pending against me but for some reason this whimsical tag called out to me. I demanded to be tagged too & the gentleman that he is, ‘surprised’ me with it the very next day.

And so here goes….

1. Grab the book nearest to you, turn on page 18 and find line 4?
– Ohmigosh, this is so surreal it says…..
“Dear child, don’t lose hope, you are going to win the next Dubai Duty Free Draw for 5 million dollars”
Ok ok just kidding, it is…
“He didn’t want to sleep in the mud at the bottom of the pond” Mr. Meddle’s Bicycle, Enid Blyton.

2. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can & touch air?
- I touched the childrens book rack. Its right next to where I’m sitting.

3. What is the last thing you watched on TV?
– A movie called "Rat Race" is running in the background on Sony Pix…so I guess thts the most recent thing I’m watching on Tv. Ooops just realised that the tag wants me to tell about the last thing….ummmm lemme think….it was the inaugural ceremony of the 1984 Asiad which I watched on our black & white Beltek. Oh but that was the first thing I watched on Tv….heck now I even get confused by tag questions;-/

4. Without looking, guess what time it is?
–Around 11.30 am I guess

5. Now look at the clock, what is the actual time?
– Wow the clock shows exactly 11.30 am but you know what, its just 11.20…all the clocks in my house are 10 minutes fast.

6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?
– I can hear the tv, the air-conditioner and the pigeons fighting it out on the balcony and …..hark, I even hear a plane flying overhead[infact if we dont hear a plane roaring past every 3 minutes we get worried;-D].

7. When did you last step outside? What were you doing?
– I rushed to drop the kids off at the bus stop this morning. Another 10 secs and the bus would have gone....guess thats what happens if we try to take photocopies, cut them decoratively and stick 'em pictures in the Arabic notebook...all 1/2 an half before leaving for school.

8. Before you started this Q&As, what did you look at?
–I looked at the time ;-D

9. What are you wearing?
–Military green trousers, white T-shirt and a smug grin.

10. When did you last laugh?
- There were showing this comedy scene on tv yesterday……A rich man was trying to get his daughter married & at the same time sell his elephant. In a comedy of errors the people who came to see the girl were shown the elephant and vice-versa. Stooopid I know but we laughed so much.

11. What is on the walls of the room you are in?
– A painting of the ‘Last supper’, a clock, a money plant, some photos and Naina's scribblings.

12. Seen anything weird lately?
– Yep, wondering why our landlord painted the building without the usual prompting from us.

13. What do you think of this quiz?
- A Hindi idiom comes to mind regarding this tag…….Doobthe ko thinke ki sahara* or something like that. Somebody please tell me the correct version.

14. What is the last film you saw?
– Rock on. I saw it last week for the first time…..nice movie but after some time I started getting irritated with Farhaan Akthar for sighing so loudly everytime he was going to say his dialogues;-/

15. If you became a multimillionaire overnight, what would you buy?
– A driving license…..I don’t have one & I know I’ll never get one by giving a test, not the way I drive, not in this country anyway……its a looong story. Hmmmm a germ of an idea for my next post.

16. Tell me something about you that I dunno!
- I bet you didnt know I had a dimple on my face but fat lot of use I’d say......its visible only when I frown;-/

17. If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do?
– Since everybody else who have done the tag would have mentioned all the basic neccesities & comforts for the betterment of mankind, I will proceed directly to luxuries and ensure that every single person on this planet would get to taste luscious red Strawberries dipped in dark & white chocolate…….mmmmm, it's just sublime . I had some, for the 1st time last weekend. [Info for people in Dubai, its available in Festival City, near the food court :-).]

18. Do you like to Dance?
– I’ve got 2 left feet & the best I can manage is that wild thud-thud variety which the kids & I indulge in when we are really bored.

19. Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her?
– I didn’t have to stress my brain too much here….I have been calling my first-born Nikita for the past 8 yrs:-)).

20. Imagine your first child is a boy, what do you call him?
– I dutifully close my eyes tight & try to imagine but Nikita’s grinning face keeps popping up….I guess my imagination doesn’t stretch that far anymore;-/

21. Would you ever consider living abroad?
– As a child I used to imagine living in America, Japan, Switzerland and even in Alaska[ I so badly wanted to live in an igloo at one time]. Dubai never featured anywhere but here I am....I've realised LIFE takes us many places which were never in our scheme of things.

22. What do you want GOD to say to you when you reach the pearly gates?
– Imagine the scenario....
God catches sight of me waiting to be let in thru pearly gates.....
"Nancy my dear child, why are you standing in this looong queue?????
Come, come on in, you know I used to really enjoy reading your posts!!!!!!"
As a token of my appreciation, do feel free to order strawberries dipped in dark & white chocolate anytime u feel like it....."

Feeling a lot better now, I tag…

Athivas

Elegant Chic

Hitch writer

Meira

Sakshi

Snow

Sunshine

Swaram

Wanderlust

Catawampus me!!

*A drowning man clutching at straws

The reasons are many.....

*The kids are at home……and making my life barely worth living. School opened a week back but we haven’t started sending them to school coz of the swine flu factor. I was all for sending them but my better-half is a regular party-pooper....oh well he may just have a point.

*My brother-in-law is back home[he was in the US studying] after 2 years….I'm sure u can imagine how it is when you have to make all the 3 meals ……and that too on time.

*Its Ramadaan now & the better-half comes home a whole 4 hrs early. For the sake of domestic harmony I stay off blogger.

*It was our 10th anniversary last week of august & I wasted 2 whole days trying to drum up a sweet-sweet post. Seems like I exhausted my quota with this one. We sure had a good day though.

*As I sat poised to write, I remembered I had to reply to all your mails & comments, so quickly go about it…… atleast none of you can complain I haven’t replied.

*It was Onam last week & this year somehow I was not too enthused about doing anything….I was still in that ‘I miss my mama’ mode. But Bins, Deeps & Solilo made me feel like a lazybum & I created a Onam lunch which had 21 dishes if you count the salt & ghee[don’t you dare laugh, if you had organised that many dishes for a single lunch you’d count them too]. I haven’t recovered from the shock yet.

*As I was idly watching a program on tv about Teacher's Day I wondered if Indyeah posted anything on it. I quickly go there but you know how Indyeah’s page is ……..it takes ages to load[with all those video’s & paraphernalia]. By the time I read the whole post[nope she hadnt but there were other posts which I hadn't read], saw all the video’s, read all the comments, posted my own comment & clicked submit, Internet Explorer shuts down in protest which I took as a divine sign & got up to attend to household matters.

*It was Nikita’s birthday yesterday & am still digesting the fact that she’s eight years old now. It seems like yesterday she was chasing bupafies and wanting to be as tall as a jidaffe. Now she is attempting the Spelling Bee competition and while I’m teaching her the words I’m having mini attacks at the thought of her standing in front of everybody & trying to say it right.

*Enough is enough!!!! I make up my mind firmly & sit down with the intention of writing a post but my mouse has a will of its own & automatically clicks on Spider solitaire first. I keep playing & playing, convinced that the next game I’ll surely win. But all I do is waste time.

If I think harder I can think of more perfectly pedestrian reasons as to why I have not been posting. But the real truth is that I can’t think of a single subject to post about. The blog is always at the back of my mind but there is no particular subject appealing to my sense of wackiness.

Speaking of wackiness….. I thought Rakesh’s recent post was a brilliant take on a blogger's mindset………I guess every blogger at some point almost wishes something interesting would happen in his life just so that he can blog about it;-D.

So many of you called, emailed & commented asking if I’m okay, why I haven’t posted or haven’t been to your page. I’m really very sorry about that, it’s just that time is sort of flying. I’ve already started making amends. And with this post I hope to have broken the spell.

And Thank YOU for asking…..it really matters!!!!!!!!

In full flight

The flight to Bangalore is not something we are going to forget in a hurry …we had hours & hours[well ok I’m exaggerating a bit] of continuous turbulence & by the end of the 30th minute my better-half & I were half-resigned to the fact that we may be crashing into the Arabian sea. As the plane jerked & shuddered thru the black of the night, all my deepest fears magnified.

I fretfully wondered if they had enough life jackets if we had jump off into the ocean or was it going to be like the Titanic which carried just 20 lifeboats for 2,222 people. I even felt under my seat but there was nothing there. I thanked God for all his kindness & especially expressed my gratitude for the fact that we were kicking the bucket together…you know, as a family.
Thankfully the turbulence abated after 45 minutes & I fell asleep almost immediately, leaving my better-half to look at my peaceful posture in amazement. Yep, got up only when the pilot made his announcement to land & found him….. the husband, not the pilot, still shaking his head at my nonchalance.

In contrast, my flight back to Dubai was a piece of cake……..and that too, without the better half's moral support[he had left a week earlier].

The kids & I each had a tiny tv screen to ourselves & had some 55 channels to choose from…….aaaaah bliss. There was not a peek out of the kids except for when the pilot or airhostesses halted tv proceeding to say some irrelevant stuff ……I had to shush Naina quickly when she said loudly “ufff this pilot has no other wo…..”

Just once I had to take them to the loo. After Naina went back to the seat, Nikita came out of the loo with a white packet in her hand. I just about managed to glimpse ‘Sanitary Towel’ written on it before she skipped down the aisle. As I watched her go, the packet slipped out of her hand TWICE & both the times two good-looking fellas kindly picked it off the floor & gave it back to her with a quizzical look on their face & then automatically looked at me who was standing at the head of the aisle, transfixed. I had no intentions of going into the loo but the embarrassment was too much to bear. I dashed into the loo & stood there with both my hands on my head. Then curiousity got the better of me & I looked around that miniscule partition to see where in the heavens did Nikita get hold of that blasted thing in the less than a half-minutes time she was in.

I found it after a full minute right beside the commode[which explains how Nikita found it so easily] but try as I could I was not able to figure out how to open the panel. After some futile efforts I knew I had to stop hiding & get out of there. I got out, carefully placed my eyes on the aisle & walked directly to my seat. Just once I looked sideways & saw one of the ‘not so goodlooking anymore’ guy smirking. Idiot!!!!

I confiscated the packet from Nikita who luckily hadn’t opened it coz she was under the impression that it was one of those refreshing tissues. Then sat down to watch the remaining of “Billu Barber" to conclusion & compared it so wistfully with “Kadha Parayambol”, there was no comparison really. Sooner than I thought, the Tv screens froze to display landing announcements and I brightened up at the thought of going home but there were shouts of dismay from the kids who wanted the pilot to fly around for some more time so that they could finish the movie they were watching.

Finally as I got up to join the queue[all of you know what I’m talking about;-/] Nikita dives underneath the seat I presumed to gather her errant toys but she triumphantly places a white packet with LIFE JACKET written on it, on the seat. I was horrified & whisper fiercely to keep it back but she confidently refused to;
“That redlipstick lady on the tv said that we have to wear it when we leave the plane”.

“Yes she did, I heard it too” Naina stoutly supports.

"Yes I heard it too but only in the case of an emergency" whispering I look around hoping nobody saw what the kids did & find people behind me in the queue craning their heads to have a better look at the life-jacket.

I command Nikita to put it back where she found it & two out of the three of us exit the plane very mutinously.

As we walked down to passport control I couldn’t help grinning to myself…..atleast the doubt I had about whether they actually kept life-jacket under the seats was cleared, some comfort anyway”


p.s: Leaving you with a picture of Dubai taken from my seat which by the way was furtherest from the window[the kids wouldnt budge].

It took sometime to sink in that the giant band-aid-like thingie on the horizon was not some advertising gimmick but a sticker carefully stuck on the window by who-else. It had 'child-meal' printed on it;-/.