A Typical Study Time

The coming 2 weeks are exam time for my elder girl and I am having a hard time breaking my jaw. The excuses to sit in one place and study are numerous. It takes time for her to take the right book to write. When I give a pencil ,it has to be sharpened. When i give it sharpened ,she wants an eraser. By the time we find an eraser(there are around 20 erasers scattered all over the house), her book falls down. She picks it up slowly and then starts to write. Suddenly she feels thirsty and asks me if she can have some water. I try to advice her to write some more and then take a break, but she's adamant. I don't want to spend time arguing with her( as we do it all the time),so I tell her to go have it.

In between she goes to chk on her yunger sister if she got anything special from dad while she was sitting to study. If she has got something new then its time to fight for her rights. SHe comes back and writes again, then we find the eraser has gone missing again. It would have fallen down. Again all of us have to search for it. Dad would be watching TV. She would want to hear that song which is being played and so she needs to go to the toilet so that she can have a peep at the TV . Again I have to excuse her. She comes back again and to her annoyance, she sees her yunger sister sitting on her study table. Thats it! A fight happens..then its all weeping, screaming or shouting from ebody and then it takes time to settle and some soaping to make them stop crying. If there is a gap in between all these, another one of her excuses would be that she is hungry.
By then the day would almost be over. All these, requires me to use my mouth and voice and most of the time it aches. My nap in the afternoon and the Energy drink I have everyday to teach her is all used to its optimum.

Investment in Equity

If you believe in the growth story of India, you should seriously look at stocks. It’s a business with least bureaucracy. No red tape, babus and tax treatment is absolutely simple (at least for now). Through equities you can do any business. IF you believe in the future of airlines, invest in the Vijay Mallya’s company UB Holdings which owns King Fisher. And later if you think high inflations will hurt the industry and oil might be a good idea, join business with Mukesh Ambani. All you have to do is sell your UB and buy Reliance. You’ve changed your entire business with a few mouse clicks. Its so simple !!!! Is’nt it? ;-). Next I’ll tell you why tax treatment in equities is an icing in the cake.

Probably My Imagination!

It was a year after the 9/11 Blasts in the US and that was the main coz of my worry throut this following situation . WE would hear of terrorists here,terrorists there etc and then this event happened once.
We were returning from the US and on the way to BOmbay,our transit was in Paris Airport. We had to spend a few hours in Paris. When we reached there, the time was after Midnight. There were only a few people waiting for the nxt flight, otherwise the place was almost deserted. My hubby had gone to the restroom to freshen up and I was waiting there with my elder girl (who was One year old then).
One fellow who was sitting nearby was getting friendly with my elder girl. He was in his early thirties not knowing fluent English. My girl and that stranger were having fun making faces at each other. After some time ,this fellow asks me if I know Arabic...I said that I didn't. We then shifted to another place as I felt something fishy bout him .Also I had a feeling that he was following us. I was still waiting for My husband who was taking longer than Usual. Again this fellow comes and tries to be friendly. He had a shoulder bag in his hand. He suddenly says something and then leaves his bag right next to me and hurries off. I was dumbstruck.
I didn't know what to do...there were a zillion things running thru my MInd but the greatest worry was "WAS IT A BOMB?" the next thing on my mind was to flee the place....the problem was that I had to gather 3 carry bags and a child ....i somehow grabbed all the bags and my girl and rushed towards the my Husbands restroom...i thot my heart which was beating hard would come out of my mouth and burst ....luckily my husband had just came out and I explained ething to him . He told me to calm down as he thought I was imagining stuff.
We went walking back eying the bag at the same time. A few seconds later that fellow came running, took his bag and left. O MY! what a releif. I can't think of going thru a similiar situation again.

Cartoons

Kids love watching Cartoons. They have even more fun when their loved ones watch it with them. 2 weeks back we watched Mr. Bean's Holiday on HBO with our kids. It was a goofy movie, with all his well known routine comedy scenes . They had extra fun watching it together with their mom and dad. This movie didn't have much dialogues,it was more of comedy(sometimes Dull) action. Kids have some attraction towards MR.Bean I guess, even thot he's not all that goodlooking( a big pointed nose ,big eyes,flaring nostrils and not to forget,his characteristic mole). I make sure to know all cartoons they watch and ask them about the characters just to let them know that I am interested in their interests. They get excited just explaining about the characters and what they did etc .

So next time take time and watch a cartoon with ur kid and show them that u too r interested.

Tip for the Day

Start your investments early in life.
As a youngster, you have more cash at your disposal. Start your investments early. Planning a house as soon as you are settled in your first job is a good idea. Anytime is good for investing in a house to live in. Think twice in these days of inflation/high interest rates etc when you look for a second house. Investing in a plot in the city where you plan to retire might be a good idea. Invest in other asset classes like stocks/gold/silver even if it is in a small way. Avoid Fixed deposit as far as possible, as it gives pathetic returns and also the returns are taxed heavily. If you haven’t done so start looking at stocks where the tax treatment is very amicable. Even if you make loads of profit from stocks you can get exemption from paying tax , through legal means. We’ll discuss this in coming days.

Tip for the Day

First and foremost, live within ones means.
Ask the question like “Do I really need it ?”, “Is there an alternate option ?”, “Can I afford it ?”, before every purchase, especially for big ticket purchases like a home or a car. Banks might be lining up for providing loans. But should you really go for that huge three bed room apartment or that luxury sedan? Ask questions to yourself on affordability, maintenance etc. For eg: one may have to shell out more on property tax, registration, wood work (and higher charge even for the maid who cleans the house !) when it comes to a bigger residential unit. And in the case of a Sedan think of the insurance , fuel efficiency etc. Don’t just go for such purchases just to show off. Do your math!!

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Monster Mom

Being a full time or working mom isn't easy. People may say that Mothers are born to be mothers. But kids who grow up seeing their mothers work, would want to follow the same example. I feel a mother becomes a mother by trial and Error method. Atleast thats the way for me. Every new day keeps me on my toes. WE have to learn from our mistakes on child rearing and managing a household.

A mom has to keep juggling plenty of things at a time. A typical day for a Mom starts with preparing food for the whole family early mornings, waking up her kids,packing their food and bags. If the kids are small she need to follow their timetable, sending them to school. Doing laundery. Ironing clothes,making the bed,keeping the house spic and span (altho maids do it these days)...whatever happens in her house has to be under her supervision. She has to do the provision shopping for her home and the lists she has to make for everybody is endless. Ensuring that the kids teeth r brushed, potty traning,teaching and inculcating in them good habits all come under a mothers resposibility.

Whats moms miss themselves most is their personal space. For me, after the the birth of my 1st kid, what i missed the most, was my sleep. I used to sleep a lot and would feel disppointed that my sleep cycle was not regular after my delivery. After they grew a little, the next thing i missed was, some time for myself. I would finish all my work, with the thought that being in the restroom atleast would give me some time for myself. But the moment i entered it , my girl would come asking: "Mama where r u? what r u doing inside ?" That really used to spoil my mood. Initially I would keep quiet(to control myself), but then they would keep repeating so much to my annoyance, that I would end up shouting at them.

Again I used to think that once they grow, that I would be more free. But then its back to square one, our studies begin with them entering school. We have to learn first to teach them. Teaching them to write and ensuring that they keep their books clean. FEw kids are born with such good habits but for kids like mine i have to keep repeating stuff. Sometimes my mouth aches with repeating things( I basically was a quiet person). Bringing discipline to my kids would take a lifetime I feel. By then I think i would become a Monster Mom. And then I wonder what I would do once my kids leave me. Its a saddening thought.

Finding time for onself is a skill that we moms have to develop over time. To sum it all up "Having kids and raising them up is the most challenging work on this earth". :)

Stress Free?

Many of us have forgotten to Smile !
Stress and worries in life have made us look rude. Life is too precious to be spent worrying. If one has a will, living a stress -free life is not that difficult. Have we ever asked ourselves what we are looking for in life ? What could be the answer? All Questions lead to this answer, 'Peace of Mind'. Where can you find it ? Look within yourself !! I agree, its a broader subject altogether.

One of the many reasons for stress is worrying about things like “How will I repay my housing loan ?” , “ What if there is a lay off ?”, “ How will I find money for my next months vacation ?”. Isn’t it True ? Financial Worries lead to greater stress. Money isn’t everything, but not having enough of it for the basic necessities, causes so much stress one can't just imagine. Here are a few tips to attain ones Financial Nirvana. It might be useful in these days of higher inflation and living costs.

Most of the points won’t apply equally for all. However I’ve kept it generic and it’ll be a good beginning. Your comments and suggestions are welcome. So from tomorrow, there will be a simple tips under this link, for keeping your Home Finance straight and bringing a smile back to your face.
Welcome to a Stress Free Life !!

Shanghamugham Beach Episode

It was the final year of college. Me and a few friends(7 of us) ,were doing a project in Trivandrum for our final Engineering exams. We were planning a trip to Shanghamugham beach before we left TVM. It was getting postponed as we wanted all of us to go to the beach together. Finally ,one fine day we did all become free to go..we took 2 autos and finally reached the beach by almost evening.

We all were excited to play in the water. Few people were warning us as the waves were rising higher and higher. We had to move so much backwards each time the waves came back rising higher. One of my close freinds and me were holding hands with our back turned towards the sea and talking about something. Suddenly one big wave came and swept us off our feet before we could get back. Both of us got separated and were gushed away into the sea.

A lot of things were passing thru my mind as my nose and ears were getting filled with water. I thot that was the last of me. The thots of my parents and how they would react, thots about where I'll be going next etc etc. For some time I felt as if I were a baby being rocked in the cradle of the sea(hahahahaha....it became a trademark joke about me , when i spoke of this dialogue to my friends). Deep Inside of me I knew I had to come out of this situation. I struggled hard to get a grip of the sand below but that too was being washed away by the sea. My other friends were shouting out for help while all this was happening. Even the (so called )rescue guards declined to help.

I hadn't gone as far as I had anticiptated(which was later confirmed by my friends). A few seconds later, I was pulled out of the sea by a local hefty man. My other friend managed to return as she knew a little swimming even tho it was tuff for her to swim against the powerful tide. After I was pulled out,I cud stand on my own 2 feet. It was too embarassing coz a crowd had already gathered around us. People who weren't ready to help us out were there to point fingers at our carelessness. Water came out from my nose and ears. Once I was found to be OK, we decided to go thank the hefty man. He was standing a little faroff with another man. We all gathered and went to thank him.( all of us thanked him one by one and showed our gratitude). But The men were inviting us to go to their "Thattu Kada"(tea Shop which was a little far off) to have tea and change if we wanted. We said we were fine even tho Me and friend were drenched from top to bottom. The hefty man and his friend were drunk coz we were all getting the "drunk stink" and they kept repeating whatever they said.

After we realised this we ran for our lives as we didn't want people gathering around us there too. We took 2 autos back to our hostel and on the way we had some food at the Kalavara restaurant in TVM(donno if its still there). BY then our clothes were almost dry.
That day really shook all of us and we kept thanking GOd that he saved us. It didn't matter whether that hefty man was drunk or not, we were thankful to him too . I wudn't be sitting here and writing this if I weren't saved that day.

That God works in mysterious ways to save his children is what we learnt that day thought it was the hard way.

Attitude

Its been a month now that my yunger girl's going to school. She has not been feeling well for the past 2 days. Yd night she went to bed with cough and a blocked nose . Today morning she was not getting up. I thot let her sleep and take rest today, i was feeling paavam for her. Today she gets up saying she wants to go to school. I really felt happy to hear that. I wanted to give her medicine before she left. Other than Honey and turmeric( home remedy) ,i thot of giving her Chericof(cough syrup), so that she will get temporary releif from cough atleast during school hours. She didn't want it coz of its bitter taste. I tried telling her that she'll be better if she takes it, even tho its bitter. She said: "Its ok Mama, let there be cough". I just love that Attitude.

Curious

After explaining to both my girls from where they were born they r always curious about Mummies with a big tummy. Whenever they see a lady with a big Tummy(mostly when I am in conversation with them), my yunger girl asks me : "Mama, why is that Aunty's Tummy big? Is there a baby in there?"

I always end up telling this, that the aunty's tummy didn't get small after the baby came out. I feel releived when she askes me secretly instead of blurting it out loud.