Mandatory Stat Counter Post

1. To that person who wanted an Ad Analysis of Pond's Dreamflower Talc- You are in the right place. Please mail me. I forgot to magnify and check where you are from and stat counter has swallowed it up now.

2. To that person who wanted to purchase chakla bela (belan)- I could help you out too. My mom specializes in buying chakla belan of various materials and sizes.

3. To that person who thinks Tejas is a weird name- I beg to disagree, it is a beautiful name very close to my heart. All the Tejas of the world please protest.

4. To that person who is trying to find out why couples fight over cleaning- do come back, we could have a heart to heart talk and exchange of rants.

5. To the person who wants to know what to write in a baby book- well this blog is all about that. It is a complete baby book with an advantage- it is ongoing rather than ending after the babyhood is passed. For me, they are going to be babis right through so every milestone is important enough to be proclaimed to the world, not to stay in the hallowed pages of a baby book- hidden and tucked away in the book shelf.

6. There is someone who almost on a daily basis searches for "how to write a kissing scene" and lands up on my page- factual fiction- kissing scene. By now I am sure you would have realized that I do not specialize in these scenes.

On another note, the Kathipara flyover (that will make that Kathipara searcher land back on my page yet again) is open from yesterday- the Ashok Nagar- Airport Arm. Last evening I witnessed the sparkling serial lights on the flyover as I zipped under it. Last Sunday I had to go past the dreaded T Nagar and had a great surprise- a flyover coming up bang on the road between Pothys & 100 Nalli. Daring! Doing the construction among the teeming millions of shoppers. Wonder if the pavement shops will go to make way now. Another reason not to go shopping in T Nagar crowd now.

This morning I sort of passed on the years of oppression and punishment doled out by the sisters of my convent school. I got into a bylane and I saw a "sister" about to cross the road suddenly and honked and slowed down. She saw me and I assumed she would stop because I was very near to her and simultaneously I looked in the side mirrors to ensure no one was trying to overtake me from the sides while I took the right turn. In a matter of a second my eyes were back on the road and I was shocked to see the sister bang in front of the car blissfully crossing the road. Thankfully I stopped inches before her. Rolled down my window and gave her a piece of my mind- very politely though, the convent school baggage didn't allow me to be a shrew to her. I told her that had I hit you, I would have been in trouble inspite of the loud honking and warning I gave you. She replied with a smile, I thought you should have slowed down. Whaaaat! slow down when I am inches before the spot which you haven't even started crossing? I think it was too late for me to slow down.

Anyway, the encouter brought back some unpleasant memories -

1. I was pinched in my ear till I bled for not doing homework and went home and applied boroline. To this date I hate the smell of boroline- yes, yes, it is supposed to be a perfumed antiseptic cream but I prefer calling it smell as it does not conjure pleasant memories.

2. The same sister had remarked-"how people cut their hair" when we had my long hair chopped of into steps. Arre, what was her problem? Why did she have to comment in front of the big crowd and when I was at that age when such small insults leave a deep imprint in our childish minds.

3. The same one had told a group of us not to stand in the balcony and "try to attract boys" when a bunch of guys had come to our school once for goodness knows what.

4. The sisters had called us for a stay at school seminar in class 10 and it was actually sex education among other things without us or our parents being aware of it. We were not informed what to expect and it really confused and disturbed most of us at that point of time. I still feel while it was necessary, it could have been handled in a better and more sensitive and sensible way. (It was done right before the board exams).

I have infact good memories of school and most of the teachers. They used to be strict yet kind and we could talk to them openly. But the sisters were a specific breed and most of them in my time had their special brand of cruelty and a lower threshhold of patience. There was one who was a music teacher and she was a tyrant. I would expect a music teacher to be really soft and fun.

My favourite "sister" was the principal when I was in the junior section and she had a reputation of being strict but very kindly and very friendly with the students. When I was in KG, I used to always walking into the other section because that class-teacher was my neighbour. So she got me transferred to that teacher's section. I remember in an activity class I was asked to pour water from a bucket to another mug or something like that and I was too shy to do it. So that neighbour teacher punished me and sent me back to the other section. This sister noticed this on her rounds and promptly sent me back to the neighbour teacher's class. That to my childish brain was a very sweet thing to do and still is!
Anyway, my intention is not to be rude but just to highlight the impressions I had at that age. Now off course they seem to be inconsequential in comparison to what we deal with today. Infact when my kids cry for silly things, I lose patience. Yesterday I just told myself that these little things are their world at this point of time- that small rubberband or specific colour, the piece broken from the car, the particular color of toy, their books (this at any age is important and not to be ignored)..etc things that seem of no great consequence to me. But since it is so important to them, I ought to give each issue special attention and deal with them with empathy. Amen!(pun intended- contextual to the post contents)