Woman of your life

She smiles when in pain to relieve you of the angst;
She cries out of joy and happiness,
She is your strength despite being weak herself;
She is the force behind everything you face.
She is the woman, the woman of your life...



As mother, she taught you the essence of life;
She fed you her dream and desire,
She stayed awake for nights, so that you could sleep well
She protected you from the harsh, glaring fire,
She is the woman, the woman of your life...



Your little sister, grew big and understood your worries;
She fought with the world for your right,
She is filled with pride for every achievement of yours;
No matter what, she'll always be there at your sight.
She is the woman, the woman of your life...



Your sweetheart dreams big for you, and reaches out to the stars;
Matching her steps with every step you take,
You get busy to make it big, and she waits patiently;
Letting everything of hers go, for your sake.
She is the woman, the woman of your life...



She comforts you in distress, and soothes you when you're upset;
She provides you with her confidence, when you are low,
She keeps quiet and looks bright, even when she is down;
So that you dont get a nasty blow,
She is the woman, the woman of your life...

She led her life as mother, sister, daughter and wife;
And you rewarded her with a Woman's Day, once a year,
But did you ever ask her when was the last time;
She lived like a woman, without any fear,
She is the woman, the woman of your life...

Love her everyday, let her know that you're there;
Dont take her for granted for her unconditional love,
Make her feel special every moment, and just not once a year;
Because, you are all that she will ever have,
She is the woman, the woman of your life...

Parents have a right to know!

"Tell me what exactly your job is. Go slowly, I have to write it down."

Declared my mom, on my recent visit to her place last weekend.

I hadn't switched employers or secured a promotion; I've been doing essentially the same work for five years. So why the sudden curiosity? Because my mom recently attended a wedding packed with inquisitive relatives. Relatives who appeared to be more interested in my career than they were in the bride and groom!

"Rontu/Rana/Pinky is doing great. He/she is a COO/PHD/VPP," they proudly declared. "So, how is Munai (my nick name)?. What did you say she does?", asked my mom's aunt's brother-in-law's neice at the wedding!

"Something with the computers," my mom answered at first stammering at every possible word and the gaps as well. "And HR, I think"

"That sounds nice," was a chorus, "but what exactly does she do?"

"Well, I am not too sure, but I know it is very important, she keeps travelling a lot due to her work. So, doesn't Shelly make a lovely bride?", said my mom hoping desperately that her conscious change of topic would go unnoticed.

"How could you not know what your own daughter does for a living?" they prodded, refusing to be distracted by something as inconsequential as the bride's appearance. "What is she -- some kind of spy -- that even her mother doesn't know what she is upto?"

... so, as a result of this conversation at the wedding where I was thankfully missing, I got confronted with the following on my visit to her...

"Everyone thinks you're with the CBI," my mom complained the moment I entered her place. "They kept me so busy with their questions, I almost missed my dessert (now, that is simply not done...how can they keep my 110kg mom away from dessert???). The only way I got to the hot gulab jamuns, was to promise to write and explain precisely what you do. So what do you do?"

For the next one hour I tried to describe my job and my mom grew more and more confused. Do other people have this problem, I wondered. So I decided to ask some friends.
"I just tell my folks I work with numbers," an econometrics expert told me. "It doesn't really satisfy them, but it's the best I can do."

"All my parents know is I work with lab rats," said a scientist friend whose job even I can't begin to describe.

"I do junk bond work," replied a securities attorney. "How would you like to explain that to your parents?"

The solution to this job generation gap came to me as I listened to the tenth description of an indescribable job. From now on, at least once a year, we should take our parents to work with us. After all, there's already an annual Take Our Kids To Work Day. But, shockingly, nobody has protested the exclusion of parents. Such blatant discrimination goes to the very essence of parenting -- parents' inalienable right to brag about their kids. And this I can vouch for. My mom also does a little, I accept, but only a little though. I have seen such brat parents in my lifetime (please excuse my slang for seniors, but I couldn't help it) who would just go on and on about how well their kids performed right from nursery to board meetings! irrespective of whether you lend them your ears or just snore away to glory. But nevertheless, I think, our parents deserve a day at our office, to find out what exactly we do. Its much better for us kids to give them demo rather than spend a futile hour trying to explain what the hell you really do! IBM, the company where i work for, has the concept of "Take Your Parents to Work" day, and very cleverly I had avoided pariticipating in such event every year. But this year I solemnly promise to take my mom so that she can explain, in her own words, to her ever inquisitive clan of relatives, what exactly do I do!

Imagine the educational benefit of parents sitting with their children at the conference table/laboratory/computer room. Witnessing their daughters' demos and their sons' presentations. Watching their offspring interact with bosses, clients, co-workers (both enemies and friends). Gazing as their progeny dodge phone calls, pound keyboards, glare at computer screens, and curse the invention of the fax machine.

There are risks, of course. Dad may cross-examine the boss about health insurance and the company's retirement plan. Mom may whip out a tape measure and compare office footage on her hands and knees. Both will conclude you're smarter than your boss and make sure to let him know it. And you can be sure that one of them will demand to know when you're getting a promotion.


But despite the risks, we owe it to our parents to expose them to our work environments. Besides, a discreetly whispered warning is usually all it takes to get parents to behave. The warning? ... well, here it goes...

"Mom, behave yourself in my office, because if you get me fired, I'll move back home."

Men will be men...

I accept I have led a very sheltered and protected existance. I accpet that I have never heard of the phrase "five second rule" until most men I know started using it as an excuse to eat any crumb, portion of edible treat that just dropped on the floor. Apparently most men, almost 99.99% of them believe that if you drop food on the floor and pick it up really really fast, then its absolutely safe to eat! They assume that the germs politely wait for five seconds, before they attach themselves to the goodies scattered on the floor. In fact, the belief is so widespread amongst them, that some scientists, who apparently didnt have anything better to do with their time, actually studied the issue. And yes, by the way, they concluded that the rule IS NOT valid.

By the way...did you really need me or those scientists to tell you that?! And I keep wondering how the scientists figured out this most difficult thing? I mean did they live on morsel off the ground for years as their experiment? Well, I dont know and neither am I interested to find that out. But I hope and pray, that all men I know and dont may stop eating food from the ground someday... but then, when will that day come?

Another great characteristic feature of men is that they are so very predictable in their roles as "HUSBAND". A man and a woman can agree almost on everything, but marry one of them, and the HUSBAND in him starts objecting everything that you do!...and that you dont! From temperature setting in AC to the remote control of the TV, they want to control it all. Irrespective of whether they have ever hold a cricket bat in their hand, or kicked a football in their life, they have to watch each and every match on the TV, more so when you have your serial coming up! Whats more, come weekend, and all they can think of is sprawling in front of that giant sports-spewing screen, devouring couch potato chips. Some of the sports he watches, I never knew they existed and wonder whether the satellite has caught some alien channels from some distant planet!

Another thing I just love in them is their jokes which are so very predictable, that you almost know from the beginning when to laugh! And they love to joke about women driving. As if its some rare skill that only men are capable of doing. Like I have heard of this "woman" umpteen number of times from many men...she is the WOMAN who drives her car while SHE is doing her make up, and looking at herself in the rear mirror, holding a conversation over the phone, and sometimes even muching on an apple while driving! Multitasking at its best, HER only agenda in life is to hit the car before her. 99.99% of men have a dent on their cars caused by this mysterious WOMAN and she has been observed driving this recklessly in all the cities in India atleast. I heard people complaining and joking about her in Kolkata, in Delhi, in Bangalore and where not! For the greater interest of the entire human race, I think this WOMAN needs to be caught and her driving license should get cancelled at once. Whats more she should be given a lifetime ban on appliying make up and having apple.

And till the time we can nail her down, can we sincerely request our male friends to come up with some different jokes on the driving skill of women please?

Nightmare

I had a nightmare last night, and am scared and lonesome to face it,
It seemed so true and gave me creeps...
I was alone fighting the devils, was lacking courage and grit
Was amongst corpses and demons, my morale was losing grips

I looked for help, and I offered to God my prayers
Help there was none, and God was firm
"This is what happens when you hurt others"
He said, "Now pay for all the wrongs you have done"

I looked for you, incase you were there, my heart said you would save me
I looked around and found you atlast
You were amongst the corpse, I was shocked to see
You were lying still as dead, I was aghast!

"How can I help you, for you have killed me with your venom", you said
"Day in and day out, hurting me and crushing me too"
"I dont feel any pain for you, for now I am dead"
"Am free from all the pain and misery, caused by you"

Thats when I realized what I have done, to satisfy my fake ego
Never ever appreciating all the little things you did
In pursuit of my false pride, I let you go
Am now reaping the sour fruits of my deed

I want to apologize, my love for all the things that I have done
I want to tell you now I know for sure
What happens when all you look for, is love but get none
And get pushed away by all to a land obscure

All you wanted was a little comfort, a hand to hold you firm
And tell you, "Dont worry, I'm there"
"Fail if you may, its ok by me, there is no harm"
"Together we shall succeed for sure, even if its late and meagre"

I want to tell you how I overlooked all the small steps you took
For I was thinking big and fair
Overlooking your success, measured in your units
Pushing you hard towards despair

You must have cried, but I didnt see your tears
You did plead, but none I heard
You must have been scared, but I overlooked your fears
In order to fulfil my principles, I had your dreams all scattered.

I salute you for your courage today, though I always called you coward
For someone to bear all these and more,
You faced all condenmation and yet always showered
Your unconditional love to me galore

I woke up from my sleep and the nightmare did end
But it gave me a new start
The wrongs I did, I have to mend
Only that will purify my heart

You are gone, and I dont blame you for going away
I cant undo what has been done
Sorry is a word that we often dont get to say
To people who have left us and gone

The "sorry" stays with me like a promise to the Father
Never to hurt anyone again
We shall meet for sure, either in this world or the other
Its so long, till then....

Twin Flame

Deep in the heart of every human being, lies the knowledge of his/her twin flame or soul mate, perhaps covered by the dust accumulated for years due to the disappointments of Earthly relationship experiences. Whether or not we agree, the awareness of this twin flame relationship becomes of primary importance to every human being. It is one of the major keys to our awakening to the heart at the micro level and to the transformation of Earth at the macro level. In the human spiritual “genome” is a code of Love, activated by opening to the soul mate that will help us to embody Love on Earth and change our world to a peaceful, loving place. Would there be strife if each one of us were truly in Love? Think about it. In today’s life, Love has more been associated with GETTING rather than GIVING. The spiritual path to Love, on the contrary, is all about selfless giving. It’s need of the time now to change our view of relationship and to begin exploring Love from giving, from the heart.

I read somewhere that we human beings are all cells in the heart of God. And each of these cells has two parts – one masculine and one feminine. This two-part cell is the original “Adam and Eve” of creation – the manifested form of God’s love. This is not about gender on Earth, but about charges of the electricity of love. As the embodiment of God's Love, as pieces of God's heart, we are not only made in the image of God and living within God's heart but we are actively creative as is God. Our thoughts are active and are creating our life at every moment. However, we can only create at our level of understanding that is formed in our MIND. The difference between living from the mind (limited) and living from the heart (unlimited) is precisely the difference between EGO (getting) and SPIRIT (giving). Thoughts in mind are always formed and accompanied by fear, lack, greed and aggression. In contrast, as we learn to shift to the level of true feeling in the heart, we begin to manifest “heart love”. We begin to experience life through the heart’s intelligence rather than through the more limited MIND or EGO. “Maya” or “Illusion” is what our mind perceives. The Real World, the God’s world can only be experienced by letting go of our ego and raising ourselves by opening our hearts. It’s only then that we will understand the concept of Twin Flame or Soul Mate.

Our Twin Flame has always been with us but until we reach a certain openness of heart, we cannot perceive him/her. When we ask God's help to open our hearts to our Soul Mate, the molecules which make up our ever moving energy field go into motion and the reflection on Earth of the Twin Flame with whom we were created actively moves toward us. We do not have to go anywhere or do anything special. As we become Love, that love will show itself in us and we will literally call and draw our Twin Flame towards us. Look with the eyes of your heart; you will recognize your soul mate. As we grow on the Soul Mate path, we understand that the person in front of us will always reflect to us perfectly the state of our Love, the state of our heart. The Law of Resonance is the most basic law of spiritual attraction -- "like attracts like." In our relationship, then, we are able to see immediately if we are living from the heart or from the ego because our partner will reflect this back to us. I have experienced this in my life. When I gave more importance to ego, I got back the same from my partner. Next time when you complain about your relationship and/or partner, close your eyes and think twice. Do you do the similar things that you are complaining about? I can assure you if you are honest to yourself, the answer will be positive. If you want more Love, what is the practical (and spiritual) thing to do? Give more Love. God asks us to look within ourselves deeply and honestly. Are we truly open to Love? It takes a strong person with a great desire for Love to admit feeling closed to Love.

As a couple in a relationship makes the decision to choose Love, to open their hearts, their relationship will transform. The decision to live from the heart, to put the other person first, must be made again and again and again, on a daily basis. As Love becomes the priority, the couple's lives will shift dramatically. Then the Soul Mate relationship is realized and Love becomes a living reality. This turns on that genetic Twin Flame code within which awakens us into our true state – the Love that brings us Home. It does not matter if someone “looks within” or “looks outside” themselves. It only matters that they are opening their heart to Love. And if they are, their Twin Flame would be there. The Soul Mate is the Heart -- The heart of Love -- The heart of life. For the Soul Mate is the truth of you, the truth of your own great heart. Twin Flames of Love creating the portal, the vessel, the Holy Grail of Love through which all things are nourished.

The first and foremost key in the awakening of humanity is the realization of Soul Mate. Do you know how you say that two people fit together like lock and key? The turning of that key in that lock becomes the opening, the cracking of the seed... It becomes the moment when what you are gives way to what you will become. I cannot tell you how profound this is, but your heart will tell you. There truly are no words for this miracle of Love. The miracle for which all of your journeys have prepared you -- all of your lives, all of your lessons, all of the things you have built and stored over the centuries in the special treasure chest of your Highest Self, awaiting the moment when all is ready. The moment when you are ready, when your Soul Mate is ready, and when humanity is ready. The longing for Love that is within most of us is not a weakness. Our longing for Love is placed in our hearts by God. It is our divine call. It is the spiritual desire for our true home, for our right and real relationship with Him and with our true Love. It’s only a matter of time that we realize this universal fact and accept it with an open heart. Sooner or later, this is the path every human being has to take. Love makes everything right in our world, not because it is a fantasy, but because it brings us back in touch with Almighty.

When you fall in Love you can see these connections. You are able to feel the life in everything. You find compassion for others because your heart is open. Love is not a fantasy. Love is what is real. Everything else is the fantasy, and not only a fantasy, it is a lie. It is a lie of the ego that leads you to believe you can live better without Love. The result is the world you see. The denial of Love in all its forms is what creates sickness and pain, despair and abuse. The more Love is denied, the "sicker" the society. Do everything in your power to contradict the lies. Do everything you can to acclaim the truth of Love. Hold on to your belief in Love, NO MATTER WHAT.

The Sound Of Music

No, I am not to write a review on one of the Classics of Hollywood movies ever. No, I am not to tell you here that it is my most all time favorite movie ever. This post is about me; about my likes, my beliefs, my principles, in nutshell, my way of living life.

The first time I saw this movie was when I was 10 years old. Today, my daughter is 10 years old, so it’s indeed been a long, long time. And this movie still holds the most prestigious position of “My Most favorite movie of all time” in my life. And today, as I sit alone in my hotel room in Shenzhen, watching the movie for the n-th time, I still feel the same emotions that I felt years before, and everytime I watch this movie – that of Love. This movie manifests Love in all its form and Maria has always been my ideal, she being the epitome of Love. I can’t claim to be like Maria, but I did have one commonality with her, that I loved and appreciated all good things life had to offer. And probably I also shared her innocence at some point of time in my life.

But the Maria in me has grown up. This Maria went through many ups and downs in her life. But unlike Maria, she couldn’t retain her innocence, her spirit and conscience. Slowly but surely, many of her good attributes were gone. She gave up on her goodness and even started compromising on her principles. These changes were gradual, so gradual that by the time she realized, she had come a long way off. But the tragedy lies elsewhere. Even after she realized that she went wrong, even if late, she didn’t do anything about it. She just kept on going on that road of self destruction which was giving her temporary pleasure. Why I say its self destruction is that in every crossroads of life, you will get two roads. One of them would be difficult, full of roadblocks and hurdles, but that road goes towards the ultimate goal of life. This road less travelled, gives you the ultimate happiness. On the contrary, there would be another road, a short cut to all your problems and one that would give you enough temporary pleasure, and boost your ego, help you have "fun" and all that, but this road leads to your destruction. If you travel on this road, you will be destroyed for sure,sooner or later, and along with you your near and dear ones will also suffer. So out and out, it’s your loss. And this Maria has faced it. Though she realized it but she was too busy externalizing the reasons for her downfall and destruction and in doing so, instead of preventing it from happening any further, she went deep down towards destruction at an accelerated rate.

But thanks to some recent events of her life, and ofcourse, The Sound Of Music, this Maria has come out of her Satanic trance. “Goodness” always pays, even if it pays late. Life is not about doing good things and being good when the going is smooth. Our true identity is what we do and how we behave when the going gets tough. It is very easy to take the “wrong” road when the going gets tough. It is even easier to externalize everything and wash our hands off anything wrong that we have done blaming the external “tough” situations. But whether you accept or not, whether you externalize or internalize, it’s you and you alone that face the after effects.

So, as I watch this movie, the memory of who I am, and what I believe in, comes back to me. My “value” remains the same, even if I had fallen down and got dirty. A crumpled, dirty $100 is no less in value than a new note. I am in this world to learn from every success and failure of mine. I am in this world to retain my “inherent” qualities that God has given me and enhance my spirit and proceed towards Self Realization. I am in this world to love one and all. I am in this world to appreciate the goodness in everything and in everybody. This world is God’s creation, we all are God’s children then how can there be a flaw in anything or in any one of us? Temporarily I went blind to all these aspects but now when I look within me I realize it is my conscious and subconscious decision to lead my life. I am a product of my own thoughts, emotions and beliefs. I am who I want to be, and I consciously decide today that I want to be like my childhood inspiration, Maria. Maria is back with her “Favorite things” and one of her most favorite things is LOVE. Maria is back on the road of Love; Maria loves the concept of Love. And everything remotely related to Love is her Favorite Things.

No Matter What

No matter what they tell us; No matter what they do
No matter what they teach us; what we believe is true

No matter what they call us; however they attack
No matter where they take us; will find our own way back
I can't deny what I believe; I can't be what I am
I know our love is forever; I know no matter what

I always liked the phrase "no matter what" , and believed in it. Though very rarely, but there are a few things in my life that are "no matter what". Very few, I admit. I know that if there is 1 thing that I feel "no mater what" about, thats universal, or forever for me. Its about following one' heart under all tiring circumstances. If your heart beleives in something, follow it with all your conviction even if the whole world turns against you, laughs at you or tries to manipulate you. This is my principle as well. I stand for what I believe in, irrespective of whether others agree with me. A similar thing, to quote from Tagore,

"Jodi tor daak shune keu na ashe tobe ekla cholo re"

Of course, am no expert on Tagore, but this line echoes the same sentiments and spirit that don't expect the whole world to tune in with you in every venture of yours, but nevertheless, if you believe in something then don't wait for anybody to approve of it. Move ahead with utter conviction to follow your heart.

If only tears were laughter; if only night was day

If only prayers were answered; then we would hear God say

No matter where they tell you; no matter what they do

No matter what they teach you; what you believe is true

And I will keep you safe and strong; sheltered from the storm

No matter whre its barren; a dream is being born

This again echoes something I firmly believe in... in the line of Alchemist...if you believe in something and if you are committed to it, the Universe will conspire to make that happen for you. God is with you, if you are with yourself, just lik God helps those who help themselves.

No matter who they follow; no matter where they lead

No matter how they judge us; I'll be everyone you need

No matter if the sun don't shine; Or if the skies aren't blue

No matter what the ending; my life began with you

I cant deny what I believe; I cant be what am not

I know this love's forever; thats all that matters now

NO MATTER WHAT...

This part is my personal favorite, as I relate to it moe than anything. People complain that I give too much importance to Love, much more than it's due. I accpet the first part, yes, I give, but the latter part is debatable. Anyways, coming back to this song, this part speaks my heart. No matter what ever happens, no matter if I am condemned or appreciated, no matter what the whole world thinks about us, I know what we are to each other and I believe it with utmost sincerity. I dont know what the ending will be, but I know my life began with you, and I can't deny this univerdal truth...NO MATTER WHAT.

If you ever love someone, love him/her will all your heart till the very end... NO MATTER WHAT. Otherwise, if love is NO THAT IMPORTANT, like you claim, then what is the need for claiming to love somebody in the first place? Think about it...

Faith

Tough gets going when the going gets tough
Life is wonderful, when you are in Love.
Free the bird they say, for it will come back to you
His heart beckons, if your Love is true.

Nothing is forever, nothing is yours,
You’re His child for God is the source
It’s His wish that you’re in this mess
Glow in His love, nevertheless.

Don’t give up your dreams, no matter what
Love will make you the king, not the battles you fought
King of the heart, you rule the world
Joy that it brings is multifold.

Ups and downs are all life’s part
With every dawn there is a new start
He is there with you, when no one else is
Look within you and feel His bliss.

He gives you shelter when there is storm
In darkness He is light, more than your heart can fathom
He is your guide; He is your friend,
He is with you till the end.

Change your destiny, you have His support
He guides you to win over the delusion Fort
His blessing is true if you believe
Faith gets you there, what science can never retrieve.

Faith is all I have, that keeps me moving on.
Faith confirms your return, though now you are gone.
Faith keeps me firm that true love will prevail
Faith tells me “Don’t worry; All is well”

Chinese Life - Continued

Kunming Airport:

A domestic airport that has 60+ gates is worth mentioning. And Kunming Domestic airport is huge, much bigger than our pride, Bangalore and Hyderabad airports in India. Highly impressed I try looking for a place to sit myself for the next 4-5 hours which would be my waiting time before I board my next flight to Shenzhen. But that’s where I get my first blow. China believes in having 1 chair per 100 people, and I was definitely not that lucky 1 out of the 100! There were hardly any chairs left anywhere in that huge airport and it seemed to me every Chinese in the world was travelling that day. It was about 6 am in the morning and the airport was jam packed with similar looking Chinese all over. I was sleepy and tired, so I stationed my luggage trolley in front of a huge screen where flight details were coming up, and sat on it. This reminded me of my childhood vacations when in the railways station we would sit on our luggage while waiting for the train. I was happy doing what I love doing the most… observe people ie. Chinese are very colorful people indeed and I discovered their favorite color is PURPLE. I am not joking. Every 1 person out of 3 was either wearing a purple dress or carrying a purple suitcase. It has to be their hot favorite…and I was wondering it would be RED for all obvious reasons. Before I get onto my hurdles, let me tell you the commonalities between Chinese and Indians in behaviorist matters.

· Both the nations don’t much believe in keeping our public places clean. I saw Chinese spitting all over the airport (thankfully they don’t chew PAN PARAG, but spitting nevertheless!)
· Their kids don’t like the idea of peeing in the loo. They love doing it under the open sky! Just like ours.
· Chinese women love to deck up and how! At 6 AM their ladies toilets were full of women of all ages, applying lipstick and foundation. The loos were empty though! Some things are independent of national boundaries… and women definitely belong to that group of things!
· The toilets in the airport are worse than that in Kolkata airport – now that’s really something. When I “had to” visit the toilet in the Kolkata airport I certified it as the worst ever possible (worse than our school toilets) toilet I had ever been. But that changed when I entered the toilets in the Kunming airport, actually I didn’t enter. I preferred having pressure in the bladder as a better option than releasing it in their toilet!
· When 2 Chinese people fight, you cannot differentiate them from any 2 Indians fighting, apart from their physical differences. Ah yes, when 2 Chinese fight, others mind their own business unlike in India where every body else within 1 km diameter from the place of dispute, makes it their own business someway or the other.
· Their traffic, though much better than ours, reminds me of my country nevertheless.
· The balconies of the flats where people reside have clothes all over for drying. That reminds me of our country.
· Two Chinese in love, holding hands and walking together in the malls is no different from 2 people in love anywhere in the world, for that matter. Love, like women, has no boundaries!

While I get carried away in my emotions, it will be worthwhile to mention here that Chinese people love to confuse others with their announcements. In any case, there is not much difference in their native language and the English they speak and I understand none. What makes it worse is that their flight numbers are very jumbled up. Whether it is intentional or otherwise is something that I don’t know. But what I do know is that my flight number was MU 5759 and at that very moment there were the following flights scheduled as well

MU7579
MU5957
MU5579
MU7759
MU5795
MU7559!
And against each one of them there were destinations mentioned in Chinese! I thank my lucky star that I somehow managed to board the right flight and reach my right destination.

More about Shenzhen, where I am staying right now, later. Like I said, I have come here to WORK.

Chinese Life

Legal Disclaimer: This post is NOT adapted from “Japanese Wife” and has no similarity with the latter except for the fact that both Chinese and Japanese look the same to me!

Well, I am not a traveler and indeed China is probably NOT a place travel out of fun! So was shocked to see a group of people (average age 60+) travelling with me to China, the day I boarded the flight, as vacation! Well I wish they have a good vacation but as for me, coming to China is only and ONLY because of the fact that I have bills and EMIs to pay at the end of every month for which I must and MUST work. And, coming to China is strictly WORK. Here is my account of China – my experience here and my personal view points. No offence meant!

Hmmm, from where do I begin? My tryst with China began with boarding the China Eastern Airlines flight. The aircraft was a little bigger than the toy plane your son or nephew has. They love India very much and they DO NOT think of us as “international” at all. So they send their domestic aircrafts to take us from Kolkata to a place called Kunming. The airhostesses are very Chinese…I mean I can’t really differentiate from one Chinese to another…they all look so similar! Am sure they were pretty but like every other Chinese girl. And yes, did I mention? They DO NOT believe in Welcome messages. When passengers board the flight, that’s the time for their very own private discussions – important things…I think they were either discussing their pets or in-laws when I entered the flight as they were very vivid and excited in whatever they were talking about. Anyways, as all of us managed to sit ourselves, the old couples already tired and exhausted before their “fun” trip even began, the crew started speaking…I mean machine was speaking and 1 TV per 60 people onboard was showing the safety measurements. Which we didn’t understand as they were announcing in Chinese, and by the time English version started, me and my co-passenger were both snoring!

Ok, enough of being satirical and all that. Few good things I really liked about them, and even if very, very temporary, I wished I was a Chinese, are as follows:

Their FOOD: Amazing is the word! No, am not talking about how the food tastes. It’s more about the after effects. So many positive sides to it. Food is so “uniformly” distasteful in China that there is no concept of good cook or a bad cook. So if I was a Chinese, my husband wouldn’t have complained my culinary abilities and compare it with fellow Chinese women!
Their figure (I am only referring to Ladies here): Such lovely figure they have, their waistline is something to die for! Unfortunately I cant shop for any kind of dresses here as they wont fit me. For my 10 year old daughter, I am surfing through the ladies section of the garments and picking up the XL ones! But, don’t even think that they don’t eat…they eat like big elephants but look like small mosquitoes! Amazing is the word.
Shoppers’ paradise: If you love shopping and don’t have much cash to blow…China is the place for you. Very economical but good quality. No wonder they are ruling the world economy! India has a long way to go till she comes somewhere close to China…till then I hope and pray my project sends me to China on and off for my quota of “economy” shopping!

So Long for today… will come with more updates on China later.

P.S: Blogspot.com is also banned in China! So cant post this as of now :)