Like Good Wine

There are so many things we learn to do(better) with age and experience. We might actually lose spontaneity, but we are certainly not as brash as we might have been. I can definitely vouch for this.

A few years ago, I would not have been able to deal with the various kinds of people I come across - I would either act snobbish or just shut up(or shut down). If someone was not like me or likeable by me(!) - I couldn't deal with them. I'm sorry I was that way, I'm glad I'm not like that anymore. Nowadays I find myself dealing with all kinds - the likeable ones, the tolerable ones, different ones, weird ones and the unlikable ones. And by 'dealing' I mean being sociable and not labeling someone because they are different.

Another skill I've picked up along the way is to be diplomatic - don't know if that's the right word actually - what I really mean is being able to put things nicely.....even when it isn't the best news to convey or the most pleasant subject. And who better to learn from than Mr.Gandhi(the original!) - here is a line from a letter he wrote to Hitler trying to dissuade him from causing The War.

"It is quite clear that you are today the one person in the world who can prevent a war which may reduce humanity to the savage state. Must you pay that price for an object, however worthy it may appear to you to be?"

Hitler went against all that Gandhi stood for. He must have despised him - or maybe he was really tolerable to the extent that he did not despise anyone - though that's really hard to believe. In spite of all this, he comes across really calm and collected. He might not have actually stopped the war, but personally, I would be far more convinced by someone who spoke to me like this. But then again - everyone is different!

Go Shorty, It's your Birthday!!

I turned 26 on Sunday and it gave us a reason to celebrate and party. We went out to Zaras which is always a special place because that's where Mart and myself first met outside of work. Loads of my friends showed up from work, school, college and otherwise. It was good fun. The next day we went out for the brunch to The Park which is also a favourite of mine - we had our wedding reception here as we love the food here! In the evening a few of my friends had organsied for us to go to this orphanage that I have been meaning to go to. This was very special. The kids were really well behaved and I was really touched to see their happy faces wishing me Happy Birthday at the end of their meal. On Monday my team at work also had a surprise for me - we had a bit of celebration at work as well. So it was a good weekend on the whole and I got some good presents to top it all off.
So here are some special moments in particular:
1. My brother hugging me(he never hugs anyone!) and giving me a card in which he had said 'Thanks for everything and that I was the best'! We never say things like that in our family - we are not very expressive - so it made it really special.
2. Mart's gift which he went to great trouble getting(thanks Renie)! He really puts thought into his gifts and cards. The card had a cup of coffee on the front. This is the first thing I ask for when I wake up and I will bother Mart till it is made - yes, he makes the filter coffee at home!
3. Everyone showing up at Zaras - esp Anju(not because she reads the blog - but 'cause I don't see her as often).
4. Having Zac back in the country - yay! Well this is not only on my birthday, but otherwise as well!
4. The message on the cake from my team - it didn't say just Happy Birthday - it also said: 'You make a difference to the team' - that was very special.
5. Finally the kids in the orphanage and the smiles on their faces. In spite of their misfortune, those were some of the happiest smiles I've seen in awhile. They also insisted on feeding me biriyani!

10 things about me

Anju...see what you had me do today.....
I had forgotten my Blogger login for sometime now, that's why there hasn't been an entry in a while....you have to credit me for the excuses I come up with! But honestly, everytime I had something to say, I would try logging in and fail and give up. But Anju 'tagged' me ...you learn something new everyday. This led me to click on the'I forgot my password' button, which had me login to my hotmail account that I haven't checked in ages, and yes I have about 240 unread emails. This is how lazy or busy I have got over the last couple of months!
Moving onto 10 things about me - it is too vast a topic, if it were 10 things I hate about myself or 10 things I am proud of, it would have been a lot easier. But I'll give it a go - these are things that come to me immediately.

1. I am generally very straight forward and honest, which has got me in trouble in the past. I don't really believe in keeping too many secrets.

2. I love to exercise and one of my goals in life is to run a marathon someday.

3. I am proud of my Indian Heritage and would like to be a Gandhian.

4. The only hitch to being a Gandhian is my love for clothes and other materialistic things like perfume, shoes and wine!!!

5. If you are with me there has got to be 'a plan' even if it means lazing around or watching TV, I like to know what I'm doing next.

6. I love good conversation over food, wine or coffee - you pick and I'll adapt!!

7. This is for Munna - yes, I used to be crazy about MJ; for Mart- yes, I used to be a bit of a rock chick, for everyone else - yes, I used to be a wild child! But things change......

8. I'm terrible scared of dogs. But don't mind creepy crawlies.

9. With each passing year I see myself becoming more and more like my parents and it's scary, but it's nice to feel connected to them in this way.

10. I am married and life has never been this good. I enjoy work and have a great set of friends. But I'm such a pessimist, I am always fearing for the worst to happen as everything is going well.