My Broken Mirror

Not a day passed without a drop of tear in my eyes, not a day without  thinking about you, without mourning your loss. On this birthday of mine, I  ask myself who were  you to me Amma? my best friend, my companion, my punching bag, my role model/inspiration, my guru, my advisor, my benchmark for everything, or  simply my God? You were donning all these roles Amma, and was my Mirror!  The mirror that always gave me the confidence,  the mirror that always motivated me when I was down, the mirror who made me correct  my mistakes, the mirror who always wanted the best for me and the mirror who understood me better than I did myself !

There was one and only one magical mirror for me and that was you !

My mirror is broken,am shattered! Nothing can fix it, nothing can replace it! 

But hey mirror, someday and one day I promise you that I will try to be the mirror that you were to me for my little ones- a truly magical one!

The Midas touch!

Ever heard of Midas touch? The golden touch, when everything and anything that Midas touched turned into gold! The bed time stories for my kids these days are my best stress busters! As I completed telling this story and my kids fell asleep,I started thinking about the Midas touch in the present day context.

There are quite a few people that I have come across who have this Midas touch. They are quite successful in life. No, this is nothing to do with their talent, their leadership skills, their family background etc. This is simple golden touch. Anything that they do, comes out perfect, and yes they do not work extra hard nor they are more dedicated. It is simply because they were at the " Right place at the right time!"

I always wondered how people with the so called Midas touch can make things happen the way they wanted all the time! Call it luck, their ability to convince others, or simply it happens to them! When there are hundreds of candidates waiting in mile long queue to submit their resumes, the person standing last in the queue gets the first call for interview! Why - resume was collected -the first in last out way!

While I was a student, I had this habit of completing record notes first in the class. There were few who would always complete it after all warnings and the last submission date. Since I submit the record note on first date, the teachers would always either ask others to follow the same pattern or suggest changes. Either way, my pages would be worn out! The ones who complete last using mine or other friends records will have fresh pages and would get one point more in the exams!

From childhood, generally we are taught to be at the front all the time; to be the first to complete work, first in studies, first in getting job, and everything that matters! When it comes to facing the real world after all studies it becomes difficult and very challenging. The world has so many "first and best" people. Being smart enough to identify the situation and handle it appropriately is what needs to be taught even as a kid.


In company, in personal life I am sure many of us would have come across many cases where the not so hardworking person reap all the benefits, while the truly deserving person would be a step behind him/her. It doesn't matter if they really did work hard or not, finally all that matters is the credit. Like the saying goes ," Luck favors the brave", some are probably more brave in taking decision or make decisions really quick according to situations.The one who does ends up being a winner and the world finally remembers only the winners!

Product Review -Electric sharpener

Synonym to pencil usage is the sharpener usage ! The new US electric sharpener works on battery(4 AA ) or  USB power cable.


 I have so far used only the USB cable. It is pretty simple and easy to use. Connect the USB cable , insert pencil , and the blade starts rotating immediately. You can use it with regular graphite pencils or the colored art pencil.

This sharpener is easy to use, quiet, compact, portable and durable.
 The package includes replacement blade.

One thing I noticed is that during the sharpening of pencil, the graphite remains there and doesn't move making it difficult each time to take the pencil out and check if it is sharp enough.

Rest all is fine. It is a good add -on to the stationery items at home or office!

You can find the product here!

Celebrations at home

The aroma of ghee had spread so far and wide that even before I entered home from school, I knew my mom had made something delicious that I couldn't resist asking!

"Amma, what did you make today?", I asked with an eager smile on my face. My mom was expecting the question. 

"I made something that you like, but first wash your hands and feet." Not ready to wait anymore, I quickly washed my hands, face, feet and came to the dining area. 

"Amma, now tell me, what did you make today?" Just then, my atha got me some tea and amma brought me a plate with yummy stuff. 

"Molu (as I am fondly called at home), atha made murukku. Mom always talks about what others did first. "I made ribbon pakoda, badhusha and mysore pak." She sounded little tired but very happy and satisfied. I sensed she must have had a real long day.

For every function at home, Mom always takes a day off prior to it and ensures that all arrangements are done properly. And to top it, she prepares the sweets and savories all by herself. And they were always delicious...slurrrp :) 

I always wondered as to why she spent so much of her time and energy in preparing all these snacks when we can buy it at the shop. What was the reason that in-spite of her busy schedule, she always tries to ensure that festivals are celebrated in full spirit! It took me few more years in life to understand the real reason behind it! 

The festivals that we celebrate at home are for family bonding and thanksgiving. It is also a time to remember and appreciate our inherited culture and values. Festivals bring in lot of joy and happiness. The preparations for any festival  starts much in advance and right from kids to adults everyone look forward to it. Every activity related to the preparations and our involvement in the same, brings in much more happiness which cannot be obtained by the act of purchasing from shop and eating at home. When cooking at home the entire family contributes to it, waits to taste the outcome, and give feedback. The mysore pak at the shop might be tastier than the one made at home, but the latter has all the love and care that someone puts in for you and it brings everyone together! 

Likewise when we do some pooja(prayers) at home, even the kids are excited to be part of it. Fasting until pooja teaches us many things, how to restrain ourselves from temptations, how to be self controlled, most importantly brings in lot of patience. It is not without any reason that our forefathers brought in many traditions and customs. The liberal intellectuals might find fault with many or even all of it. But finally all that matters is what brings happiness! In following the traditions, we also show our next generation the customs and rituals that we are associated with. 

When I took a bite of the sweet that my mom gave me, hmm...  delicious, it was hard on the outside, but yummy inside!! The perfect taste, the taste that I would never ever forget, for it was the hard work and love of my beloved mother.

Years passed by and now for this year's Krishna Jayanthi festival, as I am busy emulating my mom in preparing the food and pooja the way she does,  I hear a voice at the background, I turn and look. 

"Amma, what are you making today", my daughter asked me. My role has changed from a daughter to a mom and it is now my turn to give her what my mom had given me all these years!

Take it easy!

Take it easy! A simple but  powerful phrase.  How many times have we heard this or said this to someone ? Taking it easy is not something that all can do! I have seen many parents complain that their kids take things very easy, doesn't stress at all! These days I hear that more from friends who say the same about their spouse :)

Growing up in a joint family is a blessing in disguise; for you see different personalities even before you step out of home! Having seen different shades of people in the family and outside, I can vouch that there are very few whom I know have the true Take it easy attitude.

Each phase of life, we all have targets in life. Even when we were kids, we have had targets aka-milestones. Few weeks late in reaching any milestone, how many of us were not subjected to tests?
Start schooling, complete education, get married, have kids, take loan, buy a home and work for another 30 years to repay the amount; Right from birth to death, these targets in life make  us run all the time! The target never seems to end though!

If a target is missed, what next ? The answer lies somewhere, where nobody looks for! What if someone reaches the target before me? what will the society think of me that I missed the target? What if I can never come up in life since I missed the target? What if's similar to these are the ones that mess up our lives forever!

I am not saying that targets are unnecessary. For many achievers targets helped them achieve things that otherwise would have been impossible. But setting up a target should be something that comes out of own interest rather than being something imposed on. Getting a rank in 10th or 12th standard exams was always a target set upon students. The love and passion makes it easy to achieve targets. Imagine if a person is forced to play a game for some marks,would the person ever have the same passion for it? I doubt. Education, sports or anything for that matter done out of compulsion will take us nowhere.

There are few whom I admire for the very fact that they just live their life each moment;not worrying about anything in the future. Like cricketers playing for each session in a test match, taking things one at a time will bring lot of inner peace within us. Running around all the time, make money, pay EMI, get another one, run, run run , when do we live?

Post retirement, I have seen many elders saying that they have spent their entire lives for children; really? Was it the children who forced you to live a stressful life? Providing children with basic comforts is what is required. Teach them the lessons of life, make them realize the value of money. Show them how to love others. Your life should be an example for them to emulate.They need your support more than the savings that you make. Be available to them when they need you the most. Your present day will be a memory for them tomorrow, make it a cherishing one. Take things easy, worry only for things that you cannot change; not about the things that you can if you change your targets!


 Live life today like there is no tomorrow, your life will be beautiful!!