New Year Resolutions - To-do or not-to-do

New Year Resolutions? Me? No! Definitely not! I have never resolved to do anything for any year, and this year continues to be the same! As far as I’m concerned, if I have been lazy enough not to do something for the past 365 days, I’m probably going to be the same for the next 365 days as well. So, why add to the guilt factor, by taking some resolutions, which I anyway know that I am not going to follow?

For example, if I had wanted to clean that clutter in my PC desktop, I should have done that when I changed my desktop background to my kids’ photos, and not waited until the new year. Had I cleaned my desktop, everytime the desktop background was changed, it would have looked cleaner than my house. (Not that my house looks clean all the time, but still, I needed something for the comparison!)

Had I taken a resolution to reduce my addiction to Dragon Balm, I should have taken it every single day. Or at least minimized the usage, when there was no head-ache as such. But I was only doing a social service – yes, whenever I use it, no one in the vicinity would get head-ache for ages. Moreover, why bring the company to a loss, to which I have been a major contributor so far?

Oh, but yes, there was this one resolution where I had decided that I would stop screaming at my kids for no reason, whatsoever! And implementing this has been the easiest. I follow it atleast a dozen times every day. Obviously, I have to stop screaming at some point, when my throat becomes sore, right! How much ever we scream and fight, none of us can sleep without the end-of-day hugs in bed. They know that their mom loves them, come what may, and to them I’m always the best, and to me they are the best!

So, what is the point of trying to be better at something, when I am already the best? ;-) 

Image source: Internet

This is the second post written for the January Blogathon!

Welcome 2014!

Hello new year,

Most welcome. As always, we sincerely hope that you will bring us the best of the best in all areas, else, as always, we are ready to judge you being good, better, best or bad, worse and worst, when you leave. Yeah, that’s our birth right – always judging others, and you are no exception. So, if you really want to get into the good looks of our blogs, you don’t have any other option, do you?

As and when you come, it has become a ritual to keep some resolutions handy. So, here I have made them ready for you, and I hope that you would break the custom by fulfilling every one of those. Otherwise, you remember, that there will be an end-of-year blog from me, right? (That’s definitely not a threat, my dear new year! What power have I to threaten you, other than a blog with minimal readers?)

First things first – my health! I have been good enough not to mention in my previous blog, the ill-effects you brought on my health last year – keeping me in bed rest for more than 2 weeks. Well, no such tricks this time! I may not be so forgiving this time in my farewell blog to you. So, keep me in good health, as long as you are here to stay, and each time you come to visit me!

Wealth? Umm….you have been good enough to me all this time, and please continue to do so. But a little extra hike in the appraisal wouldn’t hurt much. Does it? So, there you are!

Patience! Well, why don’t you just leave all the cartloads of patience you have brought with me. I can never have enough of patience, how much ever you give me. What? Me? Impatient? How dare you accuse me of impatience? Try dealing with my daughters, no, just the younger one would do - Try dealing with her for one whole day, just 24 hours, without losing your patience, and I’m all ears to accept your accusations.

And I promise to give you all my anger in exchange for your patience!

I understand that there will be some shortfalls and not-so-happy moments, but all we ask for is that the happy moments far out-run the not-so-happy moments.

So, enjoy your stay, and make it positively memorable for each and every one of us!

Yours expectantly,

Kg3.

PS: Hope you like my welcome invitation!!!

Rewind 2013!

God knows how good my memory is, to be rewinding an entire year in a single blog! Every year, as I try to write a farewell blog for the almost-ending year, all I can recollect is the happenings in December, and at the most from November, and nothing more. But this time, sitting on the end of this year, I try my best to rack my brains, and list all that I can remember of 2013 – month wise J

January – Started to write three blogs for the new year 2013, one on why the world did not end in 2012, one farewell blog to 2012 and one welcome blog to 2013. Obviously, none of them ever saw daylight.

February – My elder one’s b’day month, and I was busy with my project schedule in office, and reached home at 10 in the night on her b’day. Shamelessly! Somehow, managed to blog her b’day letter!

March – Sorry, nothing memorable that I can think of, except that hubby yet again, forgot one of our courtship milestones.

April – Tried to decide the dream destination for vacation – Maldives, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Andaman, Leh-Ladakh, Goa and what not?

May – Finally had to settle down to Ooty for the vacation this year L Everything in Ooty made me compare my previous vacation in Kulu-Manali, and the disappointment only increased. Luckily, we had another unexpected trip to Yercaud, which saved the summer holidays from becoming a flop. And yes, the resort in Yercaud, needs a special mention in my blog post. It made the resort in Ooty seem like heaven. At the peak of the vacation season, when we couldn’t get bookings in any of the other resorts, and when this hotel offered us rooms for the weekend, we should have realized atleast then, that we were one of the selected few, who approached this resort, (let alone book) but did we? No, the vacation craze shielded our minds, and by the time we faced the drastic reality, it was too late. It was either the roadside or these rooms. Apart from the rooms, (which we stayed away from as much as possible during the day), the Yercaud trip was a hit J And oh, it was Swathi’s b’day month as well, and even more shamelessly, I couldn’t manage a blog post for her b’day. But, my darling is still too young to mind it anyways.

June – Came back to revive my blog with some couple of posts and absconded again.

July, August – Part-time memory loss J Oh yes, it was Independence day in August and we celebrated it in front of the idiot-box. (Indhiya tholai kaatchi varalaatril mudhal muraiyaaga….)

September – Anniversary month. Month of celebration for me, and god knows month-of-what for hubby. If not for the sports day in kids’ school, we would have managed yet another outing for the wedding day. But as luck would have it, we spent the day in town with a movie and dinner date.

October – Yippee…it was Diwali time – shopping, shopping, shopping. Now, what can be a better stress-reliever than shopping? Didn't we have navaratri in October as well? So, more shopping there J

November – Diwali itself. The entire week-evenings and week-nights prior to Diwali was spent outdoors with the entire group of kids in the street enjoying the crackers. Never did I imagine that the kids would enjoy bursting crackers this much. There was no surprises there, but the level of excitement displayed by them was contagious. All of sudden, the little one would come running inside the house, ransack the cover of crackers, and run outside with yet another box of crackers. And no, no, who would burst the silly  bijilee vedis? Nothing less than Lakshmi vedi or atom bomb would do. The sara vedis were also ok, but definitely not bijilees.

December – Surprisingly, I became interested in Indian politics post the AAP success in Delhi, and continue to do so. And yes, that it was mine as well as hubby’s b’day month requires a small mention here. No gifts, no surprises, but heart-felt warm wishes everywhere J

So, that was 2013 for me, coming with its own share of ups and downs, but as much as I can recollect, this year has been more of a neutral year, if you can exclude the frequent fights, shouts and screams with kids, causing hubby to give an exasperated sigh of ‘Started again?’

And hey, do you know, I have been included in this ‘Blogathon’ for the month of January, which means I-am-supposed-to post atleast one blog every day, for the whole month which I hope to complete successfully. So, keep coming back here for more posts throughout the next month. So, until the next post….a happy farewell to 2013, and a warm welcome to 2014.

Margazhi Kolams!!!

There used to be a time before marriage, when I just could not wait to finish my dinner, and complete my part of the household chores, so that I can recede to my room to be alone with my mobile and the person who gifted it. I face a similar anxiety again, ever since margazhi started. I just cannot wait to get outside and start drawing the kolams. Ever since my childhood, I’ve always been fascinated by kolams and the interest has grown to almost an obsession now!

Moreover, now I have an extra factor to contribute to my interest – my lovely girls. More than me, they are the ones who are more excited by my kolams. Everything is best experienced when shared, and so my neighbours add to the fun, by joining us, and our respective kids play judges to decide the best kolam in the street, and no wonder, my kids always declare that mine is the best. If the kolam next door is an inch bigger than ours, then, they wouldn’t let me rest until I have expanded mine to be bigger than theirs. With an inspiration like this, who wouldn’t be interested? So, presenting you the pics of my kolams this margazhi so far!!! More to be published as and when I find time :)

Thiruvaadhirai special

Happy B’day to me!!!

Today as I’m entering my second year in the thirties, I re-collect all my previous birthdays. When in school, my birthday would almost always fall during the Christmas holidays, and so, no color dress to school, no chocolates distribution to friends and teachers. Oh, how I would envy my friends whose bdays fell on school days, and how they would show off their color dresses to friends on their b’days! Today, when my daughter demands the type of chocolates she wishes to give her friends on her b’day, I can relate with her only too well.

When in college, it was again during the semester holidays or if my luck would have it, it would be the semester exams itself. Though the chocolate distribution craze had worn out by that time, the gifts and cards were always there to be opened and cherished. Something to look forward to!

Join the corporate world, a b’day cake was cut for my birthday, as a team of course, but still that was my first cake ever. Somewhere down the line, the craze of gifts and sweets had slowly worn out, not that I’m not enjoying my life. I’m still happy and satisified with the way my life is going, but I guess that with age comes maturity and so all the childish desires slowly fade out of interest.

But today was different. Apart from the special wishes from friends and well-wishers, one of my team-member, came and gave me a chocolate! Chocolates always lift my mood, but the fact that this person thought of giving it as my b’day gift was what made it special. And then, there was another chocolate from yet another team-mate, and then, one another! Its been raining chocolates today! More than the gift, the thought that my team-members had of wanting to gift me, was what made me feel special.

Thanks to all my well-wishers! Each one of you truly made my day! 

Home-maker???

The six-year old is becoming difficult to manage these days. Not physically, but emotionally. (The four-year old is more than enough to drain you physically.)

Just like all parents, the dad one day popped the question to her "What do you want to become when you grow up?"

And out came the answer: "I will become a home-maker"

When the mommy was still in shock, the dad recovered quickly and to make matters worse, asked "What for? What will you do being a home-maker?"

"I will pick up my kids from school, teach their home-work, play with them, and be there with them all the time"

The only words which did not come out of her mouth were "Unlike my mother!"

Whoever taught her the term "home-maker"!

How I wish I could make my kids dreams come true!

8 years of togetherness!!!

Dear Mr.kg3,

I know you will not remember, but still, it was the day we returned from our honeymoon. Soon after entering the house, you threw the suit cases on the bed and shouted at me in mock anger - 'That's it! The 'honeymoon' period is over. Now be an obedient wife & don't you dare disagree with me...Or else..................' And so eight years have passed like this! I know how much you hope that I will be an 'obedient' wife at least this year. But somehow, I just cannot stop arguing with you or giving counter-statements for whatever you say. But, this has not stopped you from loving me for the past 8 years, and I know it will be the same for all the forth-coming years, no matter how much I continue to argue or fight with you. The realization that you are still there for me after each argument and each fight, and the sense of belonging that comes with it, is something very hard to describe in words. Being your wife is a wonderful feeling, and the best I could wish for! Wishing us many more years of togetherness!!

"Vaalibangal odum, vayathaaga koodum, aanalum anbu maaradhadhu...

Malai idum sondham mudi potta bandham, pirivennum solle ariyaadhadhu..."

-Endrum anbudan...