Foot in the mouth disease

A guy asks me "Have you lost weight?"

I reply: "The weight scale doesn't say so but my husband thinks I've."

I wanted to hide somewhere after I realised what I had said.

The "Just Married, Please Excuse" Contest

It has always been very amusing to read Y's blog. She is darn too funny and when I met her I expected the same vivaciousness but she seemed to be a little shy and quiet kind of a person. And I was taken for a surprise when I heard she had a book out. But now I wonder why? After reading her blogs for so many years, I shouldn't have been. She is a wonderful writer.

I'm still to read her book for a reason you may all laugh at. I made a promise to myself that I will not read any fiction till I can find time to read the course material for a certification that I've been planning to do. It was a self-imposed exile on reading any books besides that course material. But after finally accepting that this exile might run into years the way things are going currently, I gave in and ordered her book this week.

And now here I'm with the wish to participate in the contest on her blog.

Mine was an arranged marriage. With the usual scanning of matrimonial section of the newspaper for the "Looking for a bride for our tall handsome son earning well...." and responding to these matrimonial. This incident is just 2 days post our wedding.

Since I had been working till 3 days before the wedding I had spent very little time on organising the trousseau. So much so that the suits and the blouses were picked the night before we were to leave town to the city where the wedding was to be held. And this resulted in packing some suits unstitched and some sarees without the fall.

So coming back to the day when this incident happened, being the new bride I had to wear the fancy silks and had to be decked up all the time. So when everyone took afternoon siesta, and I would also retire to my room, I would immediately change into something comfortable with throwing off the saree and the jewels. It had been barely 30 min that there was a doorbell and soon after a knock on our door as some unexpected guests had arrived to "see" me.

With the lack of my saree wearing skills, I needed good 20 min to wear the saree properly. But at that moment I knew I didn't have more than 10 min to come out of the room. And to top it the saree I was wearing didn't have a fall stitched to it and I was totally confused which was the side that was to be worn outside and which was for inside. I know most sarees you can make out but the weave of the one I was wearing was such that I just couldn't. When I looked helplessly at hubby he just shrugged as he couldn't figure out either.

With time running faster than usual, I decided to go by instinct and wear it the way I thought was the right side. Hoping badly that in case it wasn't the right side no one would notice. But how naive I was not knowing how sharp and scrutinizing can be the eyes. An the moment I stepped out of my room, my MIL scanned me from head to toe to ensure that she can 'showcase' her "new bahu' to the guests and that there is nothing awry. And then she dropped the words that sounded like a bomb to me - "You have worn your saree inside out." Gawd! I was so embarrassed. I offered to go inside and wear it again. But I guess she already knew the amount of time I would take to wear the saree so she told me to go and meet the guests like this only. And to my relief, either the guests didn't notice or were nice enough not to say it on my face :P

Another incident that still makes me squirm is a month or two post the marriage when we were visiting the in-laws. Hubby used to wear crisp white kurta pyajama at home those days and so did the FIL. So I was working in the kitchen and from the corner of the eye I saw hubby coming in. (At least I thought it was hubby and it was only later that I realised it was not him but the FIL.) So I started talking to him while my eyes still on the task in hand and only when I heard the sound of throat being cleared and FIL walking away that I realised my folly and was so embarrassed that I kept avoiding being anywhere near the FIL that day.

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Update: I won! I won! I won!! Yippee yay!! I managed to go to Y's blog only yesterday and saw my name in the list of winners :) This is probably only the second contest online that I've won and it makes me super happy. Although I must admit I had started feeling that chances of me winning are very bleak after reading such hilarious stories of others. But am I glad?? :D

Void

You feel a void when a member of the family doesn't stay with you any longer.

Even though the interaction was not much. Even though you needed to be careful on how to speak and behave in front of that person. Even though the wavelengths didn't match much. Even though there would be conflicts. Still there is a void that can be felt.

I'm talking about my FIL who had been staying with us since the past 5 months after we had Nishka. He was staying with us so that I can join back work and Nishka can stay at home till the time she was about 10 months and ready to go to daycare. Since we started Nishka's daycare from mid of August, he went back this weekend.

It was a daily routine for me to go to his room after coming back from work and spend about 30-40 min there talking to him. Dinner time would mean setting 4 plates and conversations on the dining table. And now when I have to set 3 plates I feel the void. Something feels amiss.

There was a constant sound of TV that we could hear in the house. And now suddenly the house is quiet. Too quiet.

Nishka had also developed such a bond with him. She would look at him every time she would do something as if to see if he was watching or not and to get his commendations. She would leap towards him and give out such big smiles. Pulls his specs, jump on him and want him to pick her up now and then. And he would also indulge her in so many ways. Am sure she doesn't realise now but soon she will miss him him too when she realises that he has gone back.

Papa - You are being missed.

What do you do when...

...someone looks at your 10 month baby in a frock, hairband, sandals with ears pierced asks you "Why have you dressed the baby as a girl?" I was stumped, confused and thought I hadn't heard the question right so asked him to repeat.

And then I responded "Because she is a girl!" leaving that person say "Ohh!"

Still..

This is my second stint with sending my baby to daycare. Anirudh also started going to daycare when he was 9 months and Nishka has started since today after she turned 10 months. But it still wrenched my heart leaving her there. I cried. I felt guilty. I was unhappy. I felt such a tug at heart.

Yes, its second time around and but still I did not feel stronger at heart. I had thought that I will be more composed at handling myself and my emotions but I didn't.

Overheard

"Me and my wife are very tech savy. We work on computers whole day."

Huh? *rolling my eyes*

Go for it!!

A friend has written a book for kids and is holding a book reading session in Chennai and Bangalore.

If you are in either of the city, do take your kids there. It sure will be loads of fun!!