Tag: family

Thank You 2013

Happy 2014

Somehow I feel I owe a thank you to all the wonderful people I have met this year, created new bonds whilst staying in the country or travelling. Got to know some good old friends better than before Annnnndddd.. Lost track of some old ones too…

It’s always towards the end of the year, I look back and see what I have achieved, things I have learnt, experiences that make me stronger, people that have made me mad.. people who adore me (like I said old friendships / new friendships), my adorable son – how time is flying and he seems to be getting bigger, smarter and cheekier with his remarks.., Places I visited, places I have yet to see.. Things I have yet to learn and stuff I would like to do.. (Skydiving being one of many on my Bucket List).. Let’s not even talk about losing weight (that I religiously start on the 1st of every month and I am done by the 2nd I guess). Anyways.. I digress…moving on..

All in all  so far, it’s been a year that has gone by too quickly… So a few things I am thankful for and that might prompt you to do the same too..

Firstly thank you God for what I am and who I am

For my Parents, without whom I would not be a part of this world

For my entire family and extended family for always being there for me, even though I can be a bit of pain sometimes.

For my friends, they are my companions in life

For my not so close friends – I am doing fine thank you !

For our good health – so far no complains– can’t ask for more

For a sane mind which is able to function, think , store memories and hopefully look for solutions

Of course – For the Apple of my eyes – MY one and Only – My son.. Gives me a reason never to give up !!

For sometimes crying – to express my emotions / to value people more / to know what is right and what is wrong

For failures – so I can keep trying harder for the things that matter most to me

For Sadness so I can appreciate Happiness and thank you for Happiness so I can grow stronger from my fears.

For a new day – new morning – every day – to breath – to see the bright sun (although we never stop complaining about the heat here however I am thankful for that too)

For the skies, the clouds, the stars and the Moon that give me a reason to get out there enjoy a cup of coffee, go for a walk, drive, enjoy the breeze (depending on which time of the year) not to miss the BBQ’s.

And let us be thankful (which I am sure we all will agree) for our mobiles phones , the laptops, ipads, kindles, tablets and all that we can do on the Internet, the social networking places like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.. It’s just amazing the kind of things we take for granted..

The never ending list can go on from Technology to Entertainment to  books and Blogs to Fashion and Thank God for my source of living which gives me all these wonderful things that I can call mine: home, family, love laughter, heartbreaks, challenges…

Thank you everyone for touching my life in one way or the other, and I thank you for reading this post, and letting me touch your life in a way or two.

Here’s wishing each and every one of you a Very Happy New Year – May the next year bring you more happiness and prosperity.

ITV India Slumkid Reporters

Sometimes you watch a documentary because you find the subject matter close to your heart and end up thinking of other things that tend to make you realize the hopelessness of the situation. I was watching ITV’s documentary India Slumkid Reporters that shows an extraordinary group of children in Delhi who run their own newspaper talking about the problems faced by street children.Watching the documentary broke my heart – you get to hear both sides of the story, from a 15 year old boy who explains that he works 13 hours a day cutting chicken and that he can’t sleep at night because of the type of work he does, to the other side of on how would the under 18’s be able to support their families if the new child labour laws are introduced.

For me I guess the turning point where I felt it explained the apathy in India was when a police inspector first talks about how policemen in India don’t take a bribe and then when the reporter asks about the rumors of street children being beaten, says “In India the police do not commit atrocities against children, there is not a single province where children are treated badly”. The sheer ignorance and combined BS of that statement just showed me how things are not going to change until the people in charge actually believe that there is a problem in todays society.

We all have time for our own things in life, take just 25 minutes out from your schedule and watch about the street kids in India who seem to be invisible to us all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIXj9gBwxBw

 

A New Start, Happy Diwali to all

Well a whole month has gone by and I know I have been far too occupied with everything from my son’s exams, my never-ending birthday celebrations followed by Eid indulgences and partying and the pre Diwali merriments.

The only way to feel grateful to all the people, that is my family and friends for all the thoughtfulness they have shown to me on my Birthday, before and after is to say a huge Thank You.

I would also like to thank everyone for the support and encouragement extended to me in my small endeavor this month.

Definitely if I go back and start reflecting on all the blessings I have been showered with, it will be a never ending tale…  So for now.. Would like to once again, count my blessings and move ahead on a positive note.

And finally Diwali arrives today (also known as Festival of Lights and Fireworks) and time for some more fun and revelry…

Diwali is about decorating your houses with earthen diyas (lamps), making “rangoli” (a traditional pattern made from coloured powders), new clothes, most important the firecrackers, visiting family and friends, exchanging gifts and not to forget the scrumptious sweets galore..

Diwali indicates the victory of good over evil, of virtue over treachery, of reality over falsehood, and of light over darkness.

The main aspect of this holiday and festival called Diwali is to celebrate light.. We light our homes with diyas or lanterns, we explode fireworks and sparklers but Diwali is more than that. The candle will eventually burn out, the fireworks are momentary experiences however we should celebrate more enlighting of the mind and the fireworks that fill our heart with love and compassion for our loved ones.

Diwali also marks a new year, a day of “starting fresh”.. In whatever you choose to.

So here’s Wishing everyone a new beginning and a very Happy and Prosperous Diwali filled with success and peace and social harmony.Happy Diwali

 

Life in a Moment

Times when you stop to think wonder what I am doing, where I am, and what I should be doing or where I should be – all those moments.. to love /to be loved /making the most of your moments together /having a good time… These feelings sometimes, you wish they would just go away however hard you try they stick to you like a dreadful worm even after you wish it wouldn’t…

Yes, sometimes we all feel that way..

But that’s what makes this life so precious, so beautiful and that’s why I call it “Life in a Moment”. We all have to lose something in order to gain something else, we choose to live in the moments that fill up our soul for just that moment and we can live forever just thinking or looking back at those moments (One of the reasons I take a lot of pictures..) This way I can store them and look back at them and recall those moments… of course it could be from anything silly, fun, family, friends and lots of crazy times…

A minor thing like when I was all set for the MDNA concert, my friends encouraged me here in Kuwait to go for the MDNA show and once I was there, I didn’t feel away from home for the same reason I had so many memorable moments with all my supportive friends and family there and a brilliant week after that too and then I have friends here who wondered when will I be back in the country (all thanks to FB and What’s app) and once I am back – I am happy to be here again..

All these moments without any doubt , show me that Life is as wonderful as you make it and : “You do not need for someone to give you permission to do what will make you live more fully and healthfully.”

Hope these days of summer, that are here, be filled be lots of sunshine, lots of love, lots of happiness, new adventures, new experiences, new bondings and lots of fun for your family.

Happy Holidays 🙂

Laugh Until You Cry

Life is shorter than it often seems. Sometimes we are only given a few minutes to be with the ones we love, and hundreds of hours to spend thinking of them. Cherish the moments you have with your friends and loved ones, because in one single second they can be taken away from you forever.

 

Warm Thoughts on a Cold Day

Hello People, as you can see I haven’t posted anything for a week now, just been under the weather trying to stay warm and chilling away the time.

Everyone seems to be talking about the climate change and updating they status to “what a beautiful weather it is” and not the kind we experience in this part of the world very often.

So I am ready to start off with my new day with my hot cuppa and I am thankful for this moment, this moment that should not be taken for granted, each day has its good start and bad start, but most of all it’s how you look at it and what you make of it.

The best thing about today is that it not Friday that is gone and it’s not Sunday which we don’t know what it will bring – Its Saturday!! We live for the moment. We cannot run behind what had already happened and we cannot stop from what will eventually happen that lies ahead of us.

So here is the chance, to have warm coffee with old friends or make new friends. Cherish something old from the closet or refresh yourself with something new – go shopping. Decide on something that has been lingering on so far till 21st Jan… Its Saturday – plan a BBQ… snuggle and watch a movie with your kids, bake with your kids, (as for me have to teach my son – not so fun for him…) Live with this attitude and make the most of it with a crisp mind. And if you know someone you is not well, call them and ask them if they need anything or even better surprise them with a take away soup. It all counts at the end of the day and makes it worth it…

“Just one life, soon it will pass, only what’s done today will last”

Bandi Chhor Divas

Diwali also falls on the same day as Bandi Chhor Divas, a good explanation of this day can be found on :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandi_Chhor_Divas

It just seems like yesterday when my son and I were busy buying crackers and lighting up the house last year, time flies so quickly and its already Diwali again… Time to celebrate with family and friends. It is so deep rooted in our culture that no matter where you are in any part of the world, it is a must to light diyas (candles) make sure every corner in your house is lit, welcoming the New Year with lots of brightness.

With each year passing so quickly, I find myself lost in thought about the days gone by and those yet to dawn.. I am so glad that all these years I have had the opportunity to celebrate this festivity with my dear family and friends, the chance to share in their liveliness and energy. To see my son and his friends grow, to watch the excitement in they eyes, to perfect them at their community/ school functions, to see our parents performing the rituals every year with the same enthusiasm, is surely a blessing.

The best part of the day is watching the children play fireworks, the little ones of last year are now the brave ones of this year – begging to be the one to light a firecracker, with anxious mothers watching over them and over enthusiastic cousins and friends trying to create the biggest bang possible with the available fireworks. Their shrieks of laughter and the twinkle in their eyes while watching the fireworks always make me smile.

It is remarkable how, days like this that give us the phenomenal strength to actually wake and make thingshappen, whether that’s telling your help to clean the house or having to do it yourself (highly depends on the help’s mood and what Diwali gift she’s receiving – LOL) , or actually sitting down with your children to make colorful diyas or wrapping up gifts for family and friends or just being happy for yourself and for the lovely people who surround you.

Here’ s to a very Happy Diwali to ALL! I wish everyone lots of peace, health and prosperity.

Each Day is a Little Life

Mornings
They is so much we can say about mornings.. They can be a Good Morning and they can be a not a very Good Morning… Do you believe in the saying that it also depends on from which side of the bed you wake up from..

Well, not to forget they can be all sorts of Adjective mornings too.. like sunny / cold / gloomly / happy / sad / busy / exotic or peaceful (if you are on a holiday).. and if you happen to be Pregrant then it could start with Morning sickness and the list can go on forever..

But what if you woke up to a perfectly normal morning and thanks to your mom, dad, spouse, child, boss, boyfriend, girlfriend, colleague or even the guy parked next to you at a traffic light or someone tries to take you over on the road, just becox he/she thinks it will be the end of the world if they dont rush in the morning..

I guess what matters most, how you see it .. if you let it bug the daylights out of you, you are doomed for the whole day and also depending on who it is.. Is it someone that important to ruin a whole day of your precious life.. cox you only Live Once!! In the end it all depends in the order of the occurence and by who… you cant let some stranger mess up your day not realising what he/she did and here you are swearing / sulking and have already started to say ‘Oh, I am having a bad day!’ On the other hand, if its becox of work or a loved one, then I think you should let them have it… Cox its just not fair.. After all it could be a beautiful Morning !! But then thats my take on it… Also Did You Know?

The ability of a person to wake up effectively in the morning may be influenced by a gene called “Period 3” also known as the Clock Gene. The same gene dictates if someone is an “owl” or a “lark”. This gene comes in two forms, a “short” and a “long” variant. It seems to affect the person’s preference for mornings or evenings. People who carry the long variant were over-represented as morning people, while the ones carrying the short variant were evening preference people.

I would love to find out my type of variant.. so coming back to ‘Mornings’, if you want to have a Good Morning it is very essential to have a Good Night’s sleep hence avoiding any health problems or accidents while dreaming and driving!!

” When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive -to breathe, to think, to enjoy and to love, who YOU want to love and what YOU want to love.”