Day 8- Theme based post- Blast from the past

This picture, brings out so many memories of our childhood ,of my sister Urmila , mom and me.. it was clicked on 12th of Feb- 1988 when  I was 2 years old  by dad, in Dubai
Meal times, especially dinners were like this. ( my mom would work,so dinner time was when we were together).
 I was a very very fussy eater and mom would have to tell me so many stories to pacify me.
When I look at this picture, it just reminds me how much I look like my mom ( who's 28) now in this picture.
Those were some good times :)

Babies and Beyond

I love babies! 

Most mornings I get up feeling a little low about not maybe having a little one by my side.It seems like so many people are getting pregnant out there, without even trying & that god is testing me so badly. 

Its like there is a void in my life , that I'm not able to fill.

When V and I attend parties or get togethers, it seems to be everybody's business to  ask us " arey 3 years up na? what about having children?" If only they knew, how much we crave to have children. 

What annoys me is how they think it is their business to ask us. Do they not think about what the situation is for the couple in question? 

And its beyond my comprehension as to how typically people respond when you tell them that you are         "trying", they will come out with the biggest list of gynecs  in the city and who's best and who's not. 

There was a point in my life 4 months back  when they only thing I was worried about was ovulation, periods and everything babies.. It took over my life and made me crazy, irritable and sad. 

But then after speaking to a friend it dawned on me that i need to relax and let go. I figured that the day i stop freaking out about having babies and start living my life is when i guess things will fall in place for me. 

I find that a lot of women are not able to conceive naturally anymore and are having to opt for IVF and IUI procedure and go through some major medical bashing in order to get pregnant. Thats why when i see girls/women ( in their late 20's) that are in their  " I'm-not-ready-to-get-married-and-have-children" phase, I tell them that they must not delay these things( while trying not risk sounding like a grandmother).

 There is a reason why our mothers and grandmothers had an abundance of healthy children naturally. There is a reason why they got married young. They were fertile and their bodies were biologically ready to have babies. Which is why today those mothers are in their 40's and 50's and are able to enjoy watching their little babies grow into young adults and enjoy their children's life, without feeling like they are too old. 

We are amidst way too many lifestyle related diseases. PCOD, cervical cancers, ovarian cancers, fibroids and so much more.Our want for a fast paced life, has only helped escalate the pace at which out bodies are dying.Younger women are smoking and drinking. Women do not have it in their system to smoke. We are child bearers, one can only imagine what smoking does to our system.

I only pray that this coming new year blesses you all with good health and good sense and well of-course  me with babies :) 

Day 6 - Finding myself.

See the World. Meet new people. Find yourself. Have a story worth Telling! How true is that!

When I landed into Bangalore as a new bride, I wondered what direction my life would take me.After a year of trials and tribulations , I decided to get back to my first love- Art and that's how Masala Popsicles started.

Thanks to getting back to my old love of art and crafting I've been able to meet so many new people, make some beautiful friendships and associations and in the process, I have slowly started to discover myself and my personality.
The Bangalore craft lovers group, has provided so many artists and crafters like me an amazing support system and platform to display and showcase our creative talents.
So now when someone asks me what I do, Its not that plain old answer " housewife" anymore.. I'm an entrepreneur & artist.
 Doing what I do has given me immense amount of happiness and satisfaction. Its changed my perspective towards a lot of situations.
This process of finding myself will definitely be a continuous one.. and more importantly its the experiences along the way that I've started to cherish and use as an anchor that helps me go forward in life.

Of Arranged Marriages and Coming to Age.

They said, " Arranged Marriage".. and I said ok :)
 I was 23 and he was 31. When you're woozy  with the thought of being with someone you have started to love, age is just a number right?
 So we got married, Nov 8th 2009... And what a journey it has been. Full of ups and downs, sometimes more of the downs, than the ups, lots of tears, lots of laughter, scary thoughts.

Marriage is not easy. If anyone every told you that it was they are so wrong. If anyone ever told you that being married is easy breezy, they have never had a " happy" marriage.
The first one year is SO tough! nothing anybody tells you can give you a prelude to what lies ahead in the land of marital bliss.
At the ripe age of 23, I had to deal with in -laws, lots of expectations, cultural shock, age, adjustments and life, in general. My heart was bursting with the joy of being married.. but it also craved for freedom, independence and fun ( all which does not come with being "married" to an Indian joint household)

But we've Come to Age... Grown up maybe, Marriage and life threw tough obstacles in our way and we overcame them..

3 years down the lane and marriage seems , well blissful still. I won't deny that there were days when I cried wondering why I decided to marry so young or whether V was   the right choice but somewhere in my heart I also knew that , there was a reason i still stuck around, for love. He loves me.. And I guess we all have different ways of displaying our emotions or showing the ones we love , that we care.

3 years and my heart skips a beat when I see V, so thats a good sign :)
Here is a picture that reminds me everyday, why I decided to stay married to V.

Visiting Srilanka..

A holiday was so long due for both of us ( V & I)!

 After battling long work hours ( for him) and domestic chores , sundry duties ( for me) and just stressful situations that life was throwing at us, we decided that it was time to go on a holiday! And what better time than to celebrate our 3rd Wedding anniversary <3

"Where do we go" was the question. finally decided after much deliberation, that it would be Srilanka.. Made a few phone calls, made a travel plan and spoke to a few friends for recommendations and finally, the dates were fixed, we would leave Bangalore on December 5th.

The day finally arrived and wow! I was soo excited to be going on our long awaited and deserved vacation.

After a missed flight ( 4 hours to the airport from our house- choker- blocked traffic ) and a sad bus journey back home, We set out to the airport again the next day ( Nov 6th) to catch the flight ( again). But all that trouble was well worth it! We got free upgrades and Anniversary cakes ( brought my over enthusiastic waiters at 12 am) everywhere...! 

 What a lovely holiday it was! So relaxing and so theraputic... 

Here are some pictures. 

In Life...

Sometimes..In life you have to make some tough choices, hear stuff you don't want to hear, say stuff you wished you had never said,accept the opinions other people have about you,learn to love someone you hate,forgive & try to forget what can't be forgotten,have patience in your most stressful moment, cry when you're alone but hope somewhere someone hears you & then pray in your heart, that one day all this will 
prove to be worth it.

aha!

Finally, I'm back... a lot has happened, marriage, moving to Bangalore and finding my feet in this big big city...
I'm finally doing all the things i love, painting, blogging, experimenting with new dishes.. If your reading this, don't forget to check out our ( My sister and I) Food blog http://m-n-mcook.blogspot.com/
I've also started a new venture called " Masala Popsicles"..  http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_111377805619898
definitely check that out too..
Life is a lot more fun now! I hope your part of this fun too!
Welcome to a masala filled journey!