Things to Love About Summers

I am writing this post more for myself, just to tell myself that summers can be good. They are fun if you have the right attitude and spirit. This time I seem to have no patience for summers. I terribly miss my bedroom at home (more importantly the Air Conditioner in it). The room I currently stay in is equipped with a fan with has been designed to produce more noise than air. Well, Bombay nights are cooler but the moment you dare to open the windows, a swarming army of mosquitoes will be ready to attack. I can’t begin to explain how I hate that buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz noise the mosquitoes make in your ear when you are dead asleep.

 So this whole summery thing has made me so very cranky that I decided that it’s the right time to sit back and make a list of all the bright things.  It will really help me cope up with summers for the next 3-4 months. So please feel free to add-on to the list below:

• One can enjoy all the cool fancy icy drinks like mojito's, ice tea's and frappe's. Agreed you can do it in other seasons as well but in summers it something else.

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•   Longer days mean you get to roam more. Yay for that.
•  Summers mean time to get out those strappy’s and with them your floaters, thongs and tie-ups!  Time for Mangos, Cherries and juicy watermelons. Now what can beat that?
•  Summer time means shorts, sleeveless tees, skirts and scarfs. I must say a really good time to flaunt your style!

•  I may never actually see them but summer mornings are kinda beautiful.
•            Time to flaunt those big framed colored glares.
•       Clothes dry in a jiffy! Now don’t go on to say that this point is stupid. Come to Mumbai in monsoons and you will know. I don’t want to go into the story of how last rainy season I got fungus on my clothes!

•  Summer time is a good excuse to eat more ice-cream.
• Summer time means tied up hair and tied up hair means colourful bands, clips and sexy headgears!

•   Coming to think of it, the bright sunshine is not necessarily bad to look at!
•   Also time to take vacations and chill!

Wow, 12 things to enjoy and look forward to! Not at all bad, wish you all  happy summers. Now I am gonna go grab an ice-cream.

The Transformation.

Whenever I go back in time, I always see myself as the girl who was the thinest of all. It was a usual thing for me to be an audience to the long lectures accompanied by tch tch of Auntyji's at any social gathering that I happpened to be a part of. Everyone related to me (and not related to me) was concerned about my weight. Not to mention I was also a butt of many a jokes amongst cousins and friends.

Needless to say I was never proud of my thin status. It made me painfully self conscious and extremely shy. During my growing years I tried everything I could to stay away from any kind of limelight. Which basically means that I did nothing of which I can tell my kids about. As I grew up and entered my teens, I got a lot of attention from the well, ahem opposite sex. I must say it had a little bit of good impact on me. It managed to increase my self confidence a teeny weeny bit. But it also brought about new troubles. The more I got attracted towards vanity, the madder I became selecting jeans that wouldn't sit on my waist. Tops that looked like hanging on a hanger. 

Over the years however I become very confident of the way I looked. In fact I liked how I looked a lot. The credit for that goes to my absolutely fabulous parents and friends, who never once made me feel like an alien. As I became sensible with time I realized that if people who matter expect and love me the way I am then I am fine the way I am. All through my growing years in school to college, I followed this range of weight which varied from 38 Kg to 42 Kgs. 

Soon after college I shifted to Mumbai and everyone including me thought that I would soon become invisible. First time away from home, new city, new atmosphere, no cooking experience, hectic lifestyle and busy schedule, all factors taken together would definitely take a toll on my slight 40 Kg frame. But surprise surprise, all these factors did something totally unexpected. I started putting on weight at an alarming speed. It's now almost a year that I am in Mumbai and I have put on a staggering, well, hold your breath 10 Kilos of Weight!!!!! Initially I was OK with it but not any more. Firstly, it is the unhealthy fat gained from my initial days food - Pizzas, Burgers, Maggies, Tandoori Rotis, Butter Naans and Lots of Chicken. Secondly, because it is at all the wrong places. 

Now I know that it's not good (neither to look at and nor for my health). But I fail to do anything about it, that motivation (to get up early in the morning or for any thing productive) is missing. I will not stop eating, that I know for sure. I have always been a big foodie, even when I was skinny. Somehow that time miraculously I did not put on any weight but now sigh, the story is quite different. So what I need is just a set up of routine, because I know that when that routine is set up, no one can break it! But sadly I am unable to create that routine. 

Till then I would have to hear exclamatory sentences like "Oh my God,You have put on weight". I mean, Hello, what's your problem? You did not like me thin, you don't let me be fat. What the hell is wrong with people? They can't be satisfied, I am telling you!

Sense and Sensibility

Sometimes what we fail to understand as adults, little children grasp that concept, feeling or gratitude with such an ease that it is really astonishing. Children are honest, true and pure in every respect. Hence you can expect an honest feedback from them; it can be a heartfelt compliment or an outright criticism. But sometimes their little things and deeds make such an impact on us adults that we are left wondering that even though we are the ones with experience and knowledge, it’s sometimes the children who are better judges when it comes to making decisions or saying the right things. I have had the pleasure of meeting such a little child full of sense, sensibility and tremendous amount of self respect.

I was on a major shopping spree with my friends in Bandra (Mumbai). And because I love flowers my friend surprised me by bringing a pretty bunch of colourful roses with her. Now after a heavy indulgence in shopping and food, we were heading towards the Bandra Station to catch a train back home. We were waiting at a signal, when a little boy same to our side selling roses. There was something really special about him; he was not like those annoying little children who keep poking you even when you have your face turned against them. So this little boy kept saying “Didi, le lo na fool” (Please buy these flowers). I showed him my own bunch of flowers and told him that I don’t need more. That far from disappointing him made him very excited. He got animated and started giving me tips on how to keep the flowers fresh for a long time (by trimming the stems and all).

 I and my friend found this little guy way too cute, we decided to give him some money just like that. I took out a Rs 10 note from my purse and gave it to the boy. He took it a little sadly, and said that he sells the flowers at Rs 30. We clarified that the money was not for the flowers but just for him. As soon as I uttered these words, he ran away with the money but not before he threw the bouquet of flowers inside the auto. We craned our necks out of the auto and saw him standing on the divider. He refused to take back the flowers and also our free favour money. Soon the signal cleared out and as the auto started to move ahead, he smiled and waved in our direction.

I have never been able to forget that incident or that boy. He was merely 6 or 7 years old but his self respect and principles were already so strong that they put us to shame. He refused to take any free favours from us. Hats off to the little boy.  I always end of comparing him with the beggars who instead of doing or even trying to find any work simply take the easy way out! I just wish him all the good luck and happiness, wherever he is!