The Hair and the Tortoise

Windy Weather! Should have used a scarf!

It took me several years to slowly and steadily realise the importance of good hair and hair care. 

As a kid, I used to have really nice, long and full hair. The only time I had No Hair during my childhood was when I had to become taklu for the mundan ceremony. The rest of the days included proper oiling (thanks to my mother and grandmother), use of Shikakai (since shampoos weren't that popular back then) and lovely hair styles courtesy my mother. What did they call it? Oh yes, Sadar Choti!

I grew from the flowerpot style pony to the lots-of-colourful-clips/bands style to the French bun to the multiple braids and what not! Hair fall was a term I did not understand. Of course, I must admit that while in school I  did have the lice trouble a couple of times but it was taken care of soon with a specific solution meant for the purpose. Dandruff? I learnt what it was only much after I started working.

I remember a Wow Moment! One fine day, two girls from my building came over to my place to seek my mother's permission for something - they wanted me to accompany them as they had joined a hairdressing class. Nah, they did not want me to join them in the training, they wanted me to be their model!!! For as per them, I had the best hair to help them try several styles! Since I was okay with it (actually overjoyed), my mother allowed me to go with them. Ah the praises I got from the girls there! I was flying in the air and I was just in my early teens!

Now, as I reflect back, I think I started taking my hair too casually. Then came college life which I thought was busy. Then came work life which made me think college life was easier. And then came married life which made me think... sorry, which left me with little time to even think ;)

After experiencing dandruff a couple of times and hairfall that is strangely more during rainfall, I decided to get serious about my hair. That one wow moment of my teenage years made me remember how really good my hair used to be. And what have I done (or not done) with it with years of busy life and stress.

Would you rather use a wig?

Now, like some New Year resolutions, I was not quite able to keep the self-promise to take good care of my hair. The better days were when there were some functions, meets, festivals, interviews, my marriage preparations, parties, etc. The rest 300+ days, my hair care regime took rest!

Now with my bad health and strong medications since over an year now, I know my hair's losing its sheen faster. And I have seriously started taking care of it for two reasons:

1. I know when I take good care of my hair, they make me look good. And I feel happier which is good for my health.
2. If I won't, who will?

There are several rules I follow to ensure I treat my hair well. Following is the list of 12 little things you too must do to take care of hair (I suggest you try these too and don't delay / go as slowly as the tortoise):

1. Oil your hair. It can be boring but it does help.
2. Treat yourself to a hair spa once in a while. Your hair deserves it. After all, it adds meaning to your face!
3. Shampoo at least 2 times a week. Use a good shampoo followed by a good conditioner.
4. Apply the right kind and amount of serum. You can use it daily too, but choose a good brand.
5. Intense damage treatment hair mask (I have tried Dove) is a bliss! 
6. Use a scarf / dupatta while travelling in open air / when you have to be in the Sun for long. Use an umbrella to keep your head and hair cool when the heat is scorching.
7. Do not use too much of hair spray. Avoid it as much as possible. It ruined my hair on my wedding day!
8. Avoid using too many chemicals (especially alcohol based) on your hair. You are not a chemistry lab platform, are you?
9. If your are planning to take a dip in the pool, wet your hair first. 
10. Do not use hair dryer frequently, towel / natural drying is the best. If you have to use, go for the cool mode.
11. Eat healthy. Yes, good food nourishes hair too! Fruits, green veggies, cucumbers, onions... Google it and you'll be surprised!
12. Sleep well.

I am sure, you too have your set of tips to enhance those tresses. Do feel free to add to the list and let's all flaunt gorgeous hair.

Rules can be boring, but more often then not, they are meant for something good.
So, baal ki khaal mat nikalo, baal ka khayaal rakho aur baal baal bacho! 
Love is a two-way street: Love your hair and it will love you back!

Liked this post? Do vote for it here if you feel it deserves a vote. Or "Like"  it on the Facebook link out there. Didn't like the post, I am open to positive criticism!
Submitting this post as an entry to the Indiblogger - Dove contest.

 
Thanking the readers, IndiBlogger Team and Dove Team for making this a winning entry!

Colours of Nine Days of Navrati

Ever got out of your house during Navrati festival and noticed most of the people are wearing the same colour? Well, it's a custom or rather a trend to wear clothes of a particular colour on a particular day of Navrati, especially in Maharashtra and Gujarat.

Now, the nine colours are known to represent the nine avatars of Goddess Durga. And a colour is fixed in advance for each day of the festival.

The Colours of Nine Days of Navrati 2011 are as follows:

Colour for Pratipada on September 28: Blue 

Colour for Dvitiya & Tritiya on September 29: Yellow
Colour for Chaturthi on September 30: Green
Colour for Panchami on October 1: Grey
Colour for Shashti on October 2: Orange
Colour for Saptami on October 3: White
Colour for Asthami on October 4: Red
Colour for Navami on October 5: Purple

Colour for Vijayadashami on October 6: Pink

And Google enters its teenage years!

As Google turns 13, will we be subjected to more experimentation as teenagers want to try something new every time? So what can we expect? Google x1, Google Fizz, Google Capsule, Google Remix, Google Roads... Let's see! For now, Google's greatest fan wishes it a very Happy Birthday!

My latest puns

Someone somewhere is maid for you!
- Dedicated to my househelp without whom I can't imagine a day

I forgot I had poor memory!

Why we should be Happy about Teachers' Day

My language proficiency helps me earn my livelihood. Thanks to Meera Kamath and Mohana teacher (English), Krishnan sir (English), Bajaj teacher (Hindi), Rukmini teacher (Hindi) and Shubhangi teacher and Rekha Patil (Marathi).

My Maths helps me count my earnings. Thanks to Selvin sir and Lata madam.

My discipline helps me stay focused thanks to Lata madam (Principal).

I realise I can be more fit thanks to Pishal sir (PT).

I understand colours and forms thanks to D'Mello teacher (Drawing).

I know much about the food I eat, the plants I grow, the electronics I use, the medicines I take, the air I breathe... thanks to my Science teachers - Somali Ghosh teacher, Sudha teacher and Yadav sir.

I know about my rights and duties thanks to Meera Kamath teacher (Civics).

From the smallest things in our life to our biggest decisions, what our teachers taught us has a major contribution.

When we count the notes correctly before handing them over to a cabwallah, when we fight against corruption / negligence / potholes / wrongdoers, when we pay our taxes, when we earn a promotion, when we help somebody, when we spend hours on Facebook / Gaming and then realise we have wasted a lot of time, when we do engineergiri to make our remote / mobile handset / laptop work, when we say "I have" and "He has" (and not "I has" and "He have") in our daily bakbak, when we manage to be polite with someone even when we don't want to be... we are using the knowledge our teachers have imparted us during the foundation years of our life.

We might have done masti during some lectures, we might have poked fun at some teachers, we might have been scared of some teachers... but in some hidden corner of our heart we know how much these teachers meant to us. We all should be grateful that they were there when we didn't even know that we need them. We all should be happy about Teachers' Day!

I love you Mummy!

I am because you are

I am what I am because you are what you are

I never give up hope because you believe in me

I am proud of all I do because you are proud of me

I have accomplished a lot because you sacrificed a lot

I can stand every test of time because you are sure I can

I can never feel helpless because you are always there for me

I love you Mummy!

Happy Birthday!

"Oh, so you are a housewife!"

It’s a shame that someone actually has to write on the subject to prove that being a housewife is actually a tough managerial task. Ever since I started working as a freelancer and took up a part-time job, I heard the term ‘housewife’ in a way I never expected to.

I realised that many people think that the job profile of a housewife is the simplest in the world. For some strange reason, they assume that a housewife is always free, lazy and all she does throughout the day is sleep and watch the television. And when you are a housewife who is highly educated and has been ‘working’ earlier... God bless you!

A housewife has too many chores to be a kaamchor!

You might say ignore such people. But seriously, these people need to be told that they work much lesser than any Indian housewife... if work is what should define a person’s importance in the world!
When a married woman starts working from home, the actual work she ends up doing multiplies like how! It’s not just restricted to cooking, cleaning and picking groceries. It’s not just restricted to working on paid-projects from home, going for meetings and following up with the clients to receive the payments. If one sits down to elaborate all the tasks she takes up, you’ll end up reading a super long list. I must mention at this point that I don’t have kids yet and hence I am not accounting the mammoth amount of work that a mother of young kids has to take care of.

I presume that people who use the term housewife in a rather undignified way can only understand certain tasks when we categorise them as per the typical work departments. So here you go:

HR and Admin: Ever realised how the plate you have your food served on is so clean? How the clothes you wear to work are neat, ironed and available to wear at any given point? The housewife has recruited the best possible house-help and dhobi after negotiating the payment terms. Trust me it’s a tough task!

You never run out of toothpaste, soap, shaving gel, etc. There’s always drinking water in the bottles, food in the refrigerator, cereal, biscuits, veggies... everything is sufficiently stocked up to ensure that there’s no shortage and no wastage.

Accounts and Finance: So when was the last time you heard a work-from-home housewife saying that there’s no money for the last three days of the month? She manages the budget effectively to minimise expenses and maximise savings. The much-hyped shopping during SALE is her attempt to spend the least on the necessities. How many times have you noticed a woman picking up something at a mall, looking at the price tag and keeping it back? How many times have you seen men looking at price tags?

She does refuse to go on an expensive trip, purchase of a new car or a bigger house her husband might suggest occasionally. She tries her best to serve homemade food so that money is not spent at expensive restaurants. She doesn’t get extra time / appreciation for managing the finance of the house, she does it coz she knows she must. At the same time she struggles to add to the household income by taking up more projects.

A work-from-home woman is also a work-at-home housewife.

Cafeteria or Kitchen + Dining Table: Your office might start at 9 am but she reaches her kitchen before you start brushing your teeth in the morning. Preparing tea might look like a task that doesn’t even deserve a mention but boiling milk, managing breakfast and tiffin in time so that her husband and family members don’t get late for ‘work’ is a great task. In the midst of all the morning chores while the ‘working’ men finish their breakfast, who asks if her tea went cold? Did she have her breakfast? Did you notice she keeps the softest rotis in your dabba while the improper ones for herself? That when the quantity of food turns our lesser after cooking, she manages with bread and butter for her lunch?

By the time people leave for work, it’s time for her to start the washing machine and her paid-work-projects.

Her entire day is spent managing time in and out of kitchen. Coz at around 6-8 pm when office goers complete their work for the day, it’s time for her to enter the kitchen and prepare dinner. Then when everyone at house is done with the dinner, she enters the kitchen again to clean and arrange stuff.

There’s a reason why the term is Housewife and not just Wife.

Field work: In addition to all the above mentioned tasks, she has to step out from home for several things. Grocery and vegetable shopping, client meetings, bill payments, bank visits... few make time for hitting the gym as well. Returning home tired after all the stuff does not mean the end of chores... she needs to get back to the kitchen and her computer as well.

The ‘work’ work: Oh the tasks that fit the traditional ‘work’ category! A client calls up when she is making rotis and asks her to check the file he just sent. Unlike the office goers, she can’t say she’s in a meeting (with the gas stove, pan and dough), she has to find a way out. Just after she’s started the washing machine after two days of heavy rains and collection of a huge pile of clothes that need washing, she gets a call for an urgent meeting! Oh or there is this huge project with tough deadline and the household chores need her attention and time too. She somehow manages and ends up with lack of sleep and stress. Weekends are never an off!

Additional work: Watering the plants, performing the daily puja, booking the cooking gas in time, doctor visits, drying the clothes and arranging the wardrobe, ensuring that the house-help is doing her job well, staying in touch with the relatives, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera!

One can never match the amount of work (unpaid) a housewife does, especially the one who also tries to earn some money by freelancing / working from home. I wonder why Housewife is not in the dropdown menu in Occupation category in forms!

The least you can do is the next time you call someone a housewife, you rather sound like, “Wow... you are a housewife!”

PS - I am glad my husband is supportive and helps me out a lot!

Real beauty is real peace

Real beauty is what brings a smile to your face before you know it. Something that makes your heart skip a beat or beat faster. And then you feel at peace.

Wondering where can real beauty be found? Well, just at two places:
1. Where we never expect to find it.
2. Where we know most definitely that it exists.

Wow... isn’t it just everywhere!

Expect the unexpected.
You travel back home after a long day’s work. Seated in a crowded train you just want the time to travel faster than light so that you reach home in no time. The wrinkles on your forehead are suddenly overpowered by a smile when you notice a little child in his mom’s arms smiling and wanting to play with you. You find beauty right there as the tiny hands reach out to touch your face!

That reminds me of yesterday’s dragonfly visit. It rained for a while and a dragonfly came fluttering into my house. At first, I was a bit shocked. But in no time it settled on the floor and happily posed for the camera. That half-a-centimetre face was so adorable, so beautiful... I wouldn’t have noticed it had I not captured the moment in a camera.

Truly beautiful
Real beauty also exists where we know for sure it does. Like the sunrise and the sunset. The first clouds that float in the sky and announce the arrival of monsoon.

The full moon in all its glory. The pretty girl or the handsome young man that walks past us. Real beauty exists when our beloved pops the question or says yes when we ask. It’s out there in the pages of an old photo album that for some reason look way beautiful than the images we have on our phones.


To me, real beauty in its truest sense is what it makes us feel like... at the sight or realisation of which we forget everything else - stress, deadlines, pain and sorrow. We don’t actually realise or admit it but those few moments of experiencing real beauty are those when we feel really peaceful!


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This is my entry for Yahoo! India and Dove's Real Beauty contest - What does real beauty mean to you?

Like my idea of real beauty? Do vote for me / FB like / Tweet via Indivine.

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Yahoo! Real Beauty.

Train takes Grant Road for granted

Next time you are late to work, instead of giving an excuse that the train was late, you can simply say that the train never came!!!
Grant Road taken for granted as train misses station! | Mumbai local train: A world of its own

May there be no more Osamas in the world

I switched on the television and was rather surprised to see the news flashing across all the channels - Osama is dead!

Why surprised? Well, after all in the recent past, I didn't come across any news regarding Osama Bin Laden. So waking up in the morning to hear this was something really unexpected right now.

Coming back to the news, US forces traced and killed Al-Qaeda founder and leader Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan. He was killed 200 km from Islamabad in a place called Abbottabad.

US President Barack Obama said that it was a historic day for the world, that Justice has been done.

True, justice is done. But one should not get carried away by this achievement. The real achievement would be when no more terror attacks happen in the world.... when 'terror attack' becomes something like an extinct phrase. All it requires is two things:

1. Human beings should be more humane.
2. We all should stay alert and have some presence of mind so that the inhuman-beings don't give us any more grief.

Here's hoping that there's no more terrorism and the entire world becomes a beautiful place to be!

Now what about Kasab? Why is Kasab still surviving 26/11???

You may also like to read 10 Ideas For Osama Bin Laden Movie Names