Extended break and traffic woes

Okay...so I was away for a while there...hmm a long while actually. But I'm back. I need a place to rant and my Facebook status just doesn't accommodate that many words!! There are some thoughts that need to be expressed in more than 200 characters.
The update is that I have a new Mac so that makes typing easier. Easier on the eyes too with the super clear screen! Thanks to Mangesh, who surprises me on rare occasions.
I am also now officially a scooter riding Mama! Bought one over the summer for riding to swimming lessons and such. Rickshaws are a highly unreliable source of transport, you never know when you will be refused a ride on one just because the travel distance is too short, or because the driver simply is not traveling to that part of town. My "Hero Honda Pleasure" now takes me short distances (with Mira) and longer without her. "Why should boys have all the fun?" indeed!
The down side is facing the Pune traffic. Pune people drive like there is no tomorrow! Rules are meant to be broken seems to be their motto, whether young or old. Even 65 year olds drive like they just got their permit yesterday! Not to forget the pedestrians. I am one myself, but always make sure to follow the rules. Even if I tend to deviate I have my little disciplinarian with me. "Immy we have to cross the road at the zebra-crossing only" she says oh so seriously. I'll walk across and cross the road back just to make peace with her!! I'm glad she is aware of the rules at such a young age and make it a point to follow them. If only I could say the same for a lot other people. Not only do they put their lives in danger but also those of the children they tag along. These are not the uneducated lot, mind you. Individuals who would otherwise seem educated and "cultured" seem to lack any knowledge about road safety and traffic regulations.
I read an article in the newspaper today about the PMC (Pune Municipal Corporation) organising a competition for schools about traffic sense. http://epaper.dnaindia.com/epapermain.aspx?queryed=40&username=&useremailid=&parenteditioncode=40&eddate=8%2f23%2f2010
There should be more such initiatives taken by the schools and the parents on a regular basis. WE need to remember that schools are the pillars of education, but the foundation is laid by the parents themselves. How can you raise a responsible citizen without being one yourself?

A Mother's Fight

They charged towards her with full force. She held her child tight, fearing for their life. They came at her with a vengeance. Who was she to defy them? They had all the power. But she was a mother determined to fight them for the sake of her only daughter. She gathered all her strength, prayed to the Mother Goddess, pressed her child close to her heart, and ran……across the road. Yes, she had done it; she had crossed F.C. Road to get to Vaishali restaurant. “Ma, hope we get a seat soon, I just can’t wait to have some Idli Sambar.” She rolled her eyes upwards, another day in the life of a mom.

A Tattoo tale

This year my husband gifted me a tattoo on my birthday! Rather, I told him that I'd like nothing else but a tattoo as a birthday gift. 

I've wanted to get tattooed for the longest time. As a child, I was fascinated by the maid with the tattoos. Of course for her it was nothing but a design she got done at the village fair, but to me it was just beautiful. Even at the Chaturshringi annual fair, I'd watch with awe, the tattoo artist who wrote on people's arms with his buzzing machine. That machine kind of reminded me of the one usually seen at a "Steel Bhandar". You know the one with which mothers or grandmothers got their names written on every steel item they purchased! 

Coming back to my tattoo story. I hadn't been able to zero in on a good design. There are so many things and people who mean a lot to me. How do I sum it all up in 3 to 4 inches?  

As for the placement, I definitely am not a mysterious person, whatever I do its out in the open, so that was an easy decision for me. I want a tattoo on my forearm, where the world can see it. Exhibitionist, maybe, but hey, that's how I'm wired. If you've got it, flaunt it. 

Since I was getting tattooed the for the very first time in my life I didn't want a big complicated design. I had heard various stories about the "pain", it ranged from a mild sting of a needle to scream your hair out. So I decided to play safe and get a small-sized one. 

The design means a lot to me. The "trishul" or trident symbolises the  number 3. This number carries a lot of significance in my life. It is also my birth number. The trishul also symbolises "Shakti", the all powerful goddess. I am a Pahadi, meaning "of the hills", an Uttaranchali. My ancestors are from the Kumaon Region. One of the most vivid memories I have of my native place is the Trident shaped mountain, also called Mount Trishul. It is a surreal glimpse of the Himalayas from a place called Kausani. Covered white with snow, the mountain shines a bright crimson at sunrise and sunset. On full moon nights, the moonlight reflects off the snow, that gives the Trishul a flourescent almost eerie glow. It is breath-taking! When I remember my native place, this is the most prominent view that comes in my mind's eye. What better way to remember my roots than to have it tattooed on my arm!?

The blue wave on the staff of the Trishul, stands for my zodiac sign, Aquarius. It represents "the water bearer". Now those who know me since childhood know very well my love of the water. I was a competitive swimmer in school. Completely mad about swimming, you can say. I still enjoy it just as much, and look forward to summer every year. I'm glad my daughter shares the same excitement with me now. I love watching water move just as much, especially the sea. I can sit for hours together, at the beach, just watching the movement of the waves. The sound is hypnotic, that's meditation and inner peace for me. What better place to enjoy this than GOA! Yes, I just had to mention it!! The design also looks like two "M"s, which is also a very important letter to me. My DH's and DD's names both start with the letter M. 

I'm glad I got it from an excellent artist. It took not more than ten minutes. And no it doesn't hurt all that much. 

Yes...someday I'm going back for another one.

Well, started my 33rd year and finally decided to get down and start writing. Not that it has been my passion, or that I discovered a writer hidden in me somewhere..none of those cliches. Just for the fun of it. I've always written my thoughts better than I've spoken them. So, I thought what the heck...anybody and everybody seems to be blogging these days anyway.

Though for those reading this blog, (I hope somebody other than me reads it)!! just a small disclaimer:

Please don't expect any publishing material kinds of writings from me. This blog will be a written version of my experiences as a stay at home mom, wife and a general observation of things happening around the world. My opinions on the movies I see, books I read, newspaper headlines, current affairs(yes even the filmi kind), quirky things done or said by my DH and DD, and of course my weird take on simple things!

So here's wishing us both luck in this journey together.