Main = Moti

Its a bright sunny day in the winter. I got up happy, had happy breakfast, got ready for office wearing happy clothes - my Jean and T-Shirt. I stand straight and look down straight to the floor. Oh, where are they? I cant see them...my feet!!!!
Oh!! That bulge...its my belly :(
Not only cant i see my feet, i also cannot see the floor 100s of meters away from my feet :(
Suddenly the happy day does not look to be happy anymore, and that happy breakfast!!! OMG, why did I even touch the Breakfast???  :(
Looking deeper into the mirror, i see those big ladoo sized ...wat? Are they MY cheeks? :( :(
I used to look thinner than this even during pregnancy!!

It has been ages now that I have started thinking about exercising regularly and remain fit.
My New Year resolution last year was to exercise atleast for 15 mins daily morning. Yeah sure, Resolutions are made so that they can be broken. Obviously I broke this one too, but guess when? Smarty you, yes correct - the very next day - on 2nd Jan :D


No no, I am not saying I am proud of it.

 It's just that I find food so sinfull!! Oh...the Paani Pooris and the chaats, the Tandoori Mushrooms, that lasagnea, those Mexican wraps, and and and...do you know Dominas has resumed the double Cheese crust after 5 years? Yeah...that double Cheese crust is what my body is made up of!


No no no no Garima. You are eating too hard to 'vaporize' yourself. Do something about it.
But what?
And at that very moment, I caught attention of one of the Yellow pamphlets which are genarally circulated with newspaper and blindly put aside for the bin.
It read 'YOGA'.
Yoga? What time? Well...5:45 am to 6:45 am. Hmm...can I?
I stopped exercising because I don't have time in the morning amid all that cooking, and cleaning, and feeding blah blah. (You think it's just an excuse, right??? Well, I don't blame you, because I think so too. huh? !!!)

I can't really say I am busy at this time doing this and that to make all of us ready for the day. Maybe I will have to give up on some of my precious 'Dreams' (They say morning dreams come true dont they? O ya they do, so why don't i just DREAM about shedding ponds right in the morning instead of going for Yoga? argh...let go your thoughts Garima, You are too good at excuses.)
So, the only thing I will miss upon is Dreaming. (And yes, sleeping, but thats the only thing I can cut my time on if ever I think of doing anything apart from routine. So I think that's fine.)

Ok, so decided. Yoga to start on 4th Jan 2016...when everybody else is sleeping.
Lets see how it works :P...rather...'how long' should I say?? :P

What do you do to stay fit?
Except 'abandon eating', please share whatever ideas you got. Would love to read them.

Happy Birthday to ME!

Never thought, and I don’t believe I am doing this. 32^nd Birthday!!!

From a tiny toddler, to a young carefree girl, to an independent lady, to a wife, to a mom, to a working mom…whatever state I have been in, I have always been super-excited about my birthdays. Who else would write card to themselves, and wrap gifts just for the sake of pleasure of opening gifts wrapped beautifully :D

Mom and dad had always been there to make it a special day for me, but if I felt that the pampering I am getting is not good enough for me, I had all my ways to pamper myself. Well, since past 8 years, I have never felt the need of additional pampering (Ya! Its when I met Ravi).

But due to some events yesterday, we were not in the best of our selves and hence Ravi had no intentions to pamper me -It was decided not to take a day off. 

In all these (so many) years, I dont remember when I went to office on my Bday…I think never. And true it is that I did not want a day which started with cooking breakfast, to cooking lunch, and after lunch take a nap, and then whatever time is there spend it in chit-chat …not about ourselves or our plans/dreams or anything that’s related to us, but about others and their lives …ya…my in-laws are here :D

Anyways, got Chia ready, sent her off to school, Ravi also left for offce, and I was on my way to Office…Driving riding. Riding is a good time. This is the only time I get to spend with myself. What I do in this time? Well…think about things, dreams, visualize Chia eating her food and milk :P (that’s my most desired fantasy BTW), think about Ravi caring about what I love, think about ma-pa & wish mumma to come here and spend time with me, sometimes even solution to the current business requirement I am working on J, and if I am in not in a thinking mood, simply hum songs or sing them loud (Ofcourse helmets are sound-proof, aren’t they? ) 

So, I was riding…and I had this sudden urge to listen to my heart - which said - "Garima! I still beat for YOU. Please don't forget the person I beat for." 

I wanted a break. A break from everything and everybody!!! And more-more-much-more than that, I was craving for pampering.

So lady!!! If you know what you want, then why dont you go and get it? Why don’t you become that carefree girl again who did not depend on anybody for getting some pampering??? Fighting this idea with myself, I found myself stopping by a toy shop. Taking my phone out, I messaged my boss “Not coming today. Thnx for your wishes :D”
Also, decided not to tell anybody at home that I escaped for my self. 

Then, got inside the shop, bought few things Chia would so love to have (Including story books :D), got it gift-wrapped beautifully. I love to imagine that she also loves the gift wraps as much as I do :P

Ok Garima…what next? Maybe…get some gifts for myself? Hmm…I like that idea.
Took the road to shopping mall, spent some good amount of time seeing each and everything in the display (ladies with indifferent shopping partners would understand what a joy this is :P). Then picked up things which I don’t essentially need, more importantly I know m never gonna use them. Things which can ONLY be gifted. 

Then went to the cafe there and ordered my favo frappe and aaram se settled in the couch thinking of something which I love doing but I rarely get time to do it. Click!! Writing.

Yes yes, I will write, may be a letter? My be some home ideas that are ringing in my head since long? Or, may be just a diary page? Ya, I dont remember when I made an entry in my diary last. Diary Page it is. 

Ok Laptop buddy, I need you. Alas, they think people are thiefs and thus find it so necessary to lock the laptop bag, grrr…where do I write then?
And then I caught attention of the office family day invitation card which was still there in my purse. (Also the reason for our fight).  And then the coffee got served with some tissue papers too ;)
Yippie…just the thing that I need.

So here I am writing all this which I think may become a post for my dormant blog, if so, then that will be THE gift for myself.

3 hours of ME time seems to be the best gift for my bday. I so clearly remember now what I am, rather than what people around want me to be.

And now…having this ample ME time, Ravi…I have started missing you now.
Love fighting with you…it brings out the best in me ;) 

Finding Ninnu

I am writing this post just because I had to.
Why? Purpose?
Well...Nothing :) Just some random thoughts.

Long time, did not post anything.
So, what should I talk about?
Lets talk about Passion today. I feel happy when people do things out of their way to pursue their passion.
What? What did I just say???
I feel Happy, when others pursue their passion? Wondering why I just wrote it (though going deep into this thought, I realize it is so much true)
I had so many passions in life. If I think back, there was a time that I loved reading. Hehe...don't know whether I mentioned this story anytime earlier, but have to tell you this.
I was in my college and the exam time was approaching soon. I used to get up early to study. My parents obviously aware of this. Once, there was a power cut @ 5 in the morning and I was studying in candle light. My dad passed by my room gave me a smile and very affectionately asked me to stop studying in dim light. I did not pay much attention, gave him a smile and continued studying.
In no time he was at my desk and and and!!!! His facial expressions are unforgettable. He found me reading a thick book, but it was a "Sydney Sheldon" :P
And guess what! It was not the first time. During school days(And again during exam times), my mom caught me reading "Gone with The Wind" which I was hiding behind a syllabus book. Funny, I don't remember the subject which I was pretending to study, but I remember all books with which these incidents have happened.
Oh yes!! I was passionate about reading.

Then there was a time, I was so passionate about sketching. Every week I had to do one, else I used to become restless. Obviously, I don't do it anymore, and hence few of them have become my priced possessions.

And how can I forget the time when I used to write poems during 12th standard. I wrote 26 of them including Hindi and English.
Why I never shared?
Well, I am trying to search for this diary since 7 years now, but it's lost somewhere :( :'( :'(
It really hurts thinking about that.
O, I did publish one. Hahaha, reading this one after ages now, and it looks so funny now :P
But I was in my teens, and that's a stupid age. So please don't laugh :D

What else?
Shopping, Haircuts, Movies - infact, my movie collection, My First Desktop, those photoshop collages, My Play-lists,  hand-written letters, hand-made cards, travelling, gossiping...
Hmmm!!!
Forget  about passion, I have to balance time amongst essentials now. So, If I wish to exercise in the morning, I have to skip reading News Paper.
Hooo!!! This topic is making me sick now.

Change maadi!!!

Lets talk about something happy. (As if passion is not, but...ok :) )
Happiness?? Why Not!
Yeah, happiness.
So, how would you define happiness? For me, I feel happy when people around me are happy. And I feel happiest, when people around me are happy because of me.
And, if there is something that would make me happy, but would not be ok with Ravi and Chia, I wouldn't feel happy doing it.
What??? So, to sum it up, Happiness for me is now, not to be unhappy???

I don't understand myself now.
I HAVE a happy life, a happy family, an "almost perfect" husband, a wonderful and sweet baby. Ravi supports me in almost everything (Till the time it does not come to car driving :P all of you know it now), shares my responsibility, takes care of Chia better than me. He is simply wonderful. Infact, as they say, my Monday fasts have paid me well ;)

Still, I am not able to change this philosophy of happiness I mentioned above.
Being selfless, you can just be happy about not being unhappy?
Does being happy means being selfish?
Hooo!!! M completely sick now.

One of the strangest post ever.

Tanu, I miss you. And yes, I had been thinking about writing this since we talked last time. (Also somehow I am wishing I shouldn't have got time to write this up and hence think more in this direction and get all confused about my feelings :P)
Wish both of us could have some extra time to chat/talk/whatsapp each other.
Tanu ofcourse means Tanupanti, but somehow this Tanupanti inspires me to LIVE :)
And yes Raji, as promised 2 years back when you were trying to inspire me to write something, mentioning you in my post as well ;)
You see, I am good at keeping promises :)

And guys!! If you are wondering what does this title means, well, as I had no nick-name, so my PG mates nick-named me Ninnu. And I think those Ninnu days were one of the best days of my life.

Finding a Role Model

How does it feel when you are able to see where you want to be say 20 years from now?

I met this awesome French lady "Lawrette" who had come to take one of the travel domain trainings in office. Though the training was for 4 days but because of work pressure, I could not attend after 1st day.
Feeling sad (and guilty for unnecesseralily occupying a seat) I went the next day to apologize.

Before I tell you what we talked about, I would like to tell you my first impression of Lawrette.
I enter the training room, one nice middle aged french lady is already sitting in the room.
Blue eye shades, dark grey mascara, very pretty haircut, to top it all a very smooth and glowy skin...i never could imagine she was 59 if i had never talked to her about personal life. She was old, yet so pretty. Weird combination? O, you should see her once to believe me.

So, I go ahead and apologise having to miss such an informative session where she was not only sharing knowledge on the given topic but also her experience in various travel related organisation and associations. One topic led into another and so on, I did not realize when we had actually started talking about home, kids, husband - LIFE.
And why instantly we connected is because when I told her I have a 20 month old baby, she also started telling me about her life experiences when both her kids were small. She loved raising them, teaching them good habits, teaching them about good behaviour and being polite, teaching them what is right what is wrong. The moment she told me this, I could so well recollect how momji insisted that we should leave Chia with her as I want to work, and how I explained to her How important it is for me to see Chia grow, teach her Sorry , please, thankyou, inculcate good habits and good language.

She liked it when she started working after her second baby. At home, there used to be no time, but at work, she could find some time to relax. She told with a naughty smile that sometimes she used to rush for work to get her space :P
And this reminded me of the first week when i started working after Chia :P

Lawrette before babies, indulged in too many adventure sports, excercise routine, reading etc; but after babies, she hardly used to get time for anything else. Sometimes even husband was forgotten for the sake of babies. People to whome I generally talk would have heard similar stories from me :)

Then I did tell her I do want to have another kid sometime in future but Ravi does not. For which she started talking about the relationship she shares with her brother. They talk a lot and discuss about almost anything and everything, so she also feels that having more than 1 kid certainly makes up for the company and kid is not rendered alone.
To this, I almost remember the statement that i always make to ravi "What fun could possible Garima have without Gaurav? And you would agree the same for Rinku without Shinu" :) :) I felt as if an older form of me was talking about my thoughts and ideology :P
She says "That phase when your kids are small and need all your attention, is like a tunnel. If you plan for a second one, you may think of the tunnel to become a little longer.
In your age, spending those 2-3 extra years would mean something, but you should take it like this: Say your baby is 3 years, and you talk about her 1 year, it's 1/3rd of a lifespan that you are talking about, so it's huge; but at my age, if i talk about 1 year, the % is much smaller and hence that 1 year is nothing to me. Investing those extra years makes so much sense to me now"
Wow! I never thought on these lines.

When her 2nd baby was 5 years, she decided she will start gymming again. When her baby was 9 years, she started playing Piano again which used to relieve her from all tension. She did start reading again, but only after 15 years.
I was little disturbed, rather scared to hear this. 15 years!!!! Man, will it happen to me too?
But then, she started explaining:
"It's just a phase of life. Although I love adventures, but when I look back the most adventurous things that I have done is raising kids. You do have to invest all yourself during the initial years, but then what you get in return, words are less to express those feelings.
It's so nice when your daughter comes to you and say "Mumma thankyou so much for whatever you have done for me."
 :) :) :) "
It definitely was a goose-worm moment for me.

At 60, she does have retirement plans and much more fun and adventure plans after retirement.
I cannot think of that long, but she has definitely inspired me to be even more attached to Chia, find out time for Ravi inspite of the busy schedule and yet have time for myself to indulge in activities I like.
Tough??? Ya! looks like, but it would be interesting trying to work that out.
And why not...this is a blog after 2 years or little less, let me consider it as a start ;)

Thnaks Lawrette for making my day a happy one and giving such an inspiration.

Yet Again...

30th Jan, early morning around 2:30 am, 2nd night after Chia was born!

I was totally bedridden, could not even get up without help.
Little Chia started crying. Till the time her Dadi n Nani woke up, Chia's papa was already up - beside our bed with bottle in his hand.
He was looking lovingly towards our daughter - bottle in a hand, napkin in another - feeding the baby with so much affection in his eyes. Right in that moment - I fell in love with him AGAIN :)

Hi Body and Soul

Personal Life these days:

Have you heard of Snapdeal, Dealivore, kooves etc? Yeah right…sites which you can use to get things for yourself without making your hubby’s temper loose on the amount you spend :P

There was a deal from Body and Soul offering Fish Pedicure…something I was longing for since a long time. I took the deal a week back and thought of taking an appointment this weekend.
I am a happy soul…a relaxing weekend including pampering oneself! What else could I ask for :)

Professional Life these days:

Working as Business Analyst for our business Partners based in Europe. Daily interactions with clients, some documentation, some testing and lots of complaints these days as things are not working they were suppose to.
And yes…I hate Lotus Notes. Outlook was so much better (An inspiration to write this blog)  :-/

Read on for the explaination---

One Fine day (Today):

I am in office jotting a mail to Nicolas:

Hi Nicolas

This is not working that is not working 

blah blah blah…
So I am blocked and cant work.

Thank you!
Garima

‘Send Mail’

Meanwhile, Ravi pings me on gtalk:(By the way, galk is the best thing I like in my office :))

RV: Did not get an appointment for this weekend

Me: body and soul?

But unfortunately, I saw my message was not displayed in the chat window…then where the hell did it go?

The Horror Show begins:

I realized immediately, that this stupid Lotus Notes was performing the Spell Check before sending the mail and it had highlighted the word “Nicolas” for me to correct. Ofcourse…dictionary could not have his name.

To add to the climax, my mail had no other spelling mistake…

Any guesses guys????

Yeah!!!

The mail which was sent to Nicolas was:

Hi body and soul?

This is not working that is not working 

blah blah blah…
So I am blocked and cant work.

Thank you!
Garima

:( :( :’(

Bu hu hu hu

Yeah ofcourse…it was marked to lots of people.

Subak subak :’(

Ok! What can I do next…

Ah! The recall feature and a big sigh of relief! :)

Nicolas being in a different time zone would login only after an hour.

Manager and TL both standing over my head wondering how could I do it???

AND...guess wat?? The Lotus Notes version we are using does not have Recall option!!!

Can you believe that?????

M dead meat!

And laughing stock for the entire team. 

NICE is Nice

Today I got reminded of the time in Noida when I used to go for movie, coffee and McD all alone :) Its not that my frenz never accompanied me...its just that they could not tolerate just every movie in theatre...and i was crazy to watcheach and every one. Nyways!

I m in Nice City (France) right now.

I got reminded of those bachelor singleton days because today there was nobody to accompany me on a city tour of Nice.
I was roaming all alone. Trying to find out routes with a map in hand and having such a sense of directions as i have (poor...very very poor) things simply became hilarious at a point.

I missed the bus at one spot and walked to another spot as next bus wd be after 45 minutes :P (Such a long walk that ravi will let me eat extra for this :P).
I was trying to talk to people and understand from where can I get the bus, or to know the exact location where I am in :P, best part is...all the people I talked to did not understand english, still I managed to converse with them for more than 5 minutes :P U see, bolne ke liye bhasha ki zaroorat nahi hoti...wat an idea sir ji :D, But honestly...i did not understand a single word of 'toi, phoi, kumpho, kumchu' they were uttering.
I asked some lady to click my pic, and got scared when she started talking to me :P

One guy asked time (in french) while i was walkimg. I told him time, showed my watch...god knows he was asking time or what...i cdnt understand the 'toi-phoi-kumphu-khumchu' he was blabbering. He left, i took a sigh of relief and dropped my bag on a chair where i thought of sitting for some time. But, as soon as i saw that guy turning back and coming towards me...i hurriedly picked my bag and started running :P. Can you imagine the scene??

I kept my eyes very strict and ran away from many people thinking they'll rob me :D

Bearing the cold, taking pics, entering an asian restraunt and trying to find out a dish which is fully veg :D...what not!!!!

Man, it was hilarious, it was fun!!!

I had almost forgotten what an idiot stupid kiddo I am without Ravi :P

Good nice day it has been, and now beneath a blanket with coffee in a hand, I am trying to upload some pics and write this blog to capture these memoroes for ever :)