The Newcomer!

Fighting, yelling at each other, kicking and scratching! These are the "lovely" memories I've shared with my "loving" sister since as long as I can remember! :D As the eldest daughter to my parents, it was a teeny weeny bit difficult for me to share all that limelight and attention that I had enjoyed for the four whole years of my sibling free life, which had led me on the track of becoming a spoiled princess! All of a sudden, there was this new baby (not as cute as me of course! Dad had asked me to hold her as soon as mom came home with her and she was all little and pink and either crying or sleeping all the time!) that everyone was crooning at and new toys were brought, new powders and shampoos and little clothes being gifted for that new comer by all my uncles and aunts who used to buy me chocolates and toys and any and everything that I asked for, till now! All of a sudden, I felt completely ignored and left out. Even mom had started to carry the new girl around all the time with her, except for while she slept. Not MOM too! MY mom! Dad was away at office while I was away at school (I was in Upper Kindergarten) and when I got back, either it was dad or mom who was holding her all the time. Till now, I was always restricted from watching TV for more than an hour by mom, but now that she was so busy and tired all the time, she couldn't always keep her watchful eye on what I did. Even Tom & Jerry were not making me giggle anymore.

I decided I was not going to talk to anyone at all. They could talk to "her" all they wanted. I decided I would run away from home, and that was when they would realize how much they would miss the best little girl they had! I had it all planned out - even though they would beg me, plead me, and give me all the chocolates in the world, I wouldn't come back. I was going to be an Indian in the forest (I had recently seen them on Cartoon Network - all their faces painted and hooting and dancing around a fire all the time - that did seem fun! And the forest was the garden in front of our home that had grown wild) and cook by myself and not give it to anyone. Finally when they would not leave me, then I would agree to come back if they gave back the new girl from wherever she came from. And also demand the new Barbie doll that my friend had recently got - I was not going to let them get off the hook so easily, oh NO!

It was around three in the noon when I was watching TV and all these bright ideas were springing up in my head, and  I decided to put my plan in action at once.I took up my teddy bear bag that I saved for special occasions like picnics, and ran to the kitchen to fill up my water bottle and also decided to pack in all the biscuit and snack packets that were there for me to take at school to munch on during recess. I definitely was not going to let grandma and grandpa give them to her as lovingly as they gave me. So it was done, my bag all packed and I was ready to leave. I decided not to tell bye to anyone either. I could be mean as they were! I felt like crying a bit, but then, it had to be done, and so I did.

I moved out silently and ran behind the farthest mango tree, making sure nobody had spotted me. I put the bag down and opened it and started eating the biscuits. The two packets that I had got over quite easily and it was a little late by the time I realized that. So I decided I would save the Lays packet for dinner. I was thirsty now and sipped water from the bottle. Now that I was quite full, I started getting bored hiding and siting behind the tree. I observed I would be too easy to spot, so I started gathering leaves to cover myself up.Unfortunately, after endless hours of struggle of trying to cover myself, the leaves always ended up in a pile on my lap. Also, I found an ant on one, and after a painful bite from it, I left the idea of the leaves. It was almost getting dark now and I could hear my mom calling out for me. Hah! My plan had started working. Now the calls were tinged with an edge of anger and I felt sad that she was not missing me. Now, no way was I going back even though I was starting to feel lonely. This time I heard dad. I loved him a lot, and we shared everything together, but this time I could not. Even he was spending a lot of time with the new baby. Voices grew louder now and I heard papa asking my neighbors if I was at their place. I silently smiled at myself and thought that it served them right, and I was hoping that they would find me soon - I was starting to get a little scared now - I hated being alone in the dark. I heard footsteps coming closer and I thanked God!

Together Forever! :)

Dad found me out and I started crying on seeing him. He shouted to everyone that he had found me and to stop worrying and he would bring me home in a couple of minutes. He sat beside me and asked me why I was here and had not responded to their calls. An emotional outburst came out from me and I shouted that I hated the new girl and they had to give her back. He smiled and told me that it was not possible, she was here to stay. I told him firmly that I wouldn't come back till she left. He placed me on his lap and held me close and told that it was going to be nice that I had a little sister, I could teach her many things, I could share things with her - which I instantly refused of course. He explained that now I would have someone to play with, when I felt lonely, and that I would have company to go to school as well. He told me that I could have all her gifts as well, as she was a bit small now to use them. I was happy with that, and a little content. I agreed that as long as everyone was always with me and not with her, I would come back (actually I was more worried about the thought of sleeping alone outside there and I was hoping that he would agree to my plea!). Dad agreed and said that when one of them was with her, everyone else would be with me. I immediately agreed to that and he lifted me on his shoulders and took me home. Back home, he told everyone that it was a little hide and seek that we had started earlier and he had forgotten that it was his turn to seek and now that he had found me, things were alright now! That was when I remembered the Barbie! Oh no! I had completely forgotten her!! I softly called papa aside and asked him that I wanted a Barbie and he agreed to it, thankfully.

So that was the end of my little adventure and over the years, both - my sister and I have grown fighting and playing and watching TV together and she has ended up learning quite a lot, thanks to me! (Even though, her fashion sense is something that I have emulated her later.) That talk with my dad that day, had changed my attitude towards my sister - he taught me that sharing was fun, that having a sister of my own to play with, to teach new things, to show her how fun different things were was something not everyone had or could enjoy. Although the fighting still tops the charts, there is also a lot of love and concern for my little Disli (That's what I call her). Thanks Daddy, for teaching me the most important lesson of my life - to adjust, to share, and to learn to be happy in whatever new situation that comes up in life! :)

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It's a NEW Life, a NEW Beginning

You have always had that one dream of owning your own house - something that is all YOURS! A little nest of your own - to cook your choicest food at any hour, to throw parties, invite friends for staying over, dance, play loud music and of course the singing in the shower at the top of your voice! So did I! I was moving away from my own home - moving away from the warmth, love and care of my family, as I had landed a job in another city. I was on my own from now on! It was a scary thought, VERY scary! A new city, new people, new environment! Everything NEW!! Yikes! Luckily for me, I was not totally alone, my friends from college had got jobs in the same city in the same IT Park - 6 girls and 8 guys. At least somethings were old in a good way! :D

Even though leaving our respective families and moving to a new city was very difficult, we didn't have a choice and thus we started off to Chennai - The land of the scorching sun! It was a place with new language, English communication was slightly difficult, also if you did not know Tamil, it definitely was quite a problem! Luckily for me, what are friends for?! ;) We decided to stay together in a paying guest facility, and we checked out one which we found good enough and started staying there. It was all nice and and new for the first couple of days, but then started the complains! The food was not good - either too spicy that you actually would breath out fire or too oily, and we all know how girls are with oil in the food! :D We started eating from outside regularly - extra expense, and not so great for health! Another problem was, we are a set of wildlings, playing loud music and randomly shaking a leg at any song is a ritual - and singing out aloud to it! A late realization that it was not possible with your peace and quite loving neighbors who complained to the PG owner who gave us a lecture on the DO's and DONT's really started to get on our nerves. The final blow came when 2 of my friends found their laptops missing after we got back from work. That was it! We decided to move out of there and find an apartment of our own - where we could eat what we liked, at any time we wanted, sing and dance to our hearts content and at mainly - not have our valuables stolen!

Friends For Life

The guys were already settled in a rented 3-BHK in a lovely gated community - with a pool, a gym and a kid's play area and all! They suggested us to try finding a place in the locality - we went there and checked the place - quite safe a place for 6 girls to stay - with families nearby and not so near that they would complain of loud music! The cost was more affordable for 6 of us pooling in for all our expenses together and thus it was a dream come true!! We moved in immediately and it was the happiest moment of our care-free freedom filled life. All 14 of us - hanging out together practically all the time - at work and at home - Going to the movies for the night shows, walking on the way back home at 12 in the night - 6 girls at midnight walking on the streets - it was like we could actually bend the rules (of course when you have 8 guys with you, nothing seems impossible), celebrating all our birthdays together, having parties with music and food that we made and actually liked, hanging out in the kids' play area (sneaking up actually, for having a go at the swings when nobody was looking) - this was endless fun! It became a home away from home in all ways, a live party all the time! And thus it was #StartANewLife for all of us, with the happiest continuing (rather than ending).

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For those who love changes in a good way.

Someone to open the doors

It has been quite a few years now, since I have started staying away from home. It all began with college- a completely new world, new city, new people and new faces. I had to move away from my home city and practically start a new life filled with everything out of the blue. Hostel - a place where there is no mom to wake you up and say- "Hurry, get dressed fast, or you'll get late for school", no loving grandparents to let you have what ever you want that is restricted by your parents, and no siblings to randomly pick up a fight for the control over the TV! Heavens! There is hardly time to watch TV itself!! And of course, no little puppies barking and jumping madly as soon as they hear you arrive and dance around you and come to lick you all wet, there's no excuse remaining for not taking a shower then! The first few days in hostel were quite dull - what with your own homesickness, and to top it, other girls around you with the same mood and some even crying out!

The first few weeks went by getting to know different people (some of whom were to be friends for a life time, just I you never thought it would be them! :P), adjusting to the new environment and trying really hard to wake up by the ring of the alarm, dressing up real fast and getting just in time to have breakfast and in class so to occupy my seat so I wouldn't have to end up in the first benches!

Friends, fun, classes, studies, bunking, assignments, canteen, and the dreaded of all - EXAMS!! All these were the new routine, not that I didn't have them earlier, the difference here was, I was on my own! The little birdie had flown out of the nest finally! Night outs were most common during end-sem exam weeks and the euphoria at the end of each one was inexplicable! That just became one more subject you did not have to worry about, for life! (That is with conditions apply- Only if you were sure you wouldn't land any supplementary! :P) And at the end of the horrible exam path lay the lovely bed of roses - the holidays! Something everyone badly waited for! Just to rush back to the loving and caring warmth of home, the place were food means actual proper food - "THE" happy place now.

It was the end of the first semester and I had my tickets all booked in advance, bags packed on the last day of the exams, and was all ready to leave, bidding my friends good byes and "see-you after the holidays" greets. It was a night journey on the train, so I would be home early next morning, not wanting to waste any part of the holiday staying in hostel. I stepped on to the platform with my bags and was filled with nostalgia - the smell, the noise, the din and the hurry - of the city I had practically spent my entire life till a few months back. Dad was waiting for me and we drove home - the ride filled with me narrating how the exams had gone by, how I hoped next sem I would not have the same teacher, how excited I was to eat simple mom-made food - and this was all at 4:00 AM in the morning!

I reached home and while dad was parking the scooter, I rushed to just get to the door! I was quite surprised to see my grandma (Dadima) was already standing at the door (She had gotten up early by an hour, just to greet me at the door!) She immediately hugged me and said "My little darling is back home!" It was simply bliss to be there at that moment. And of course Julie barking madly and starting her licking! (The little puppy that was featured a while back - the same! ;) ) That moment filled me with the warmth of love and care and of course puppy boogies (never mind that), be it a human or a puppy - all my loved ones just wanting me to be back home, to be re-united and to make the family complete again. It is times like these, when you feel that you are unconditionally loved and cared for - there are truly some things that money can't buy!

Semesters flew by, I graduated from college, got a job, moved to a new city, started again with a new life and luckily the best buddies I had in college, were with me in the same company and city and became my new flatmates now! Lots of things changed, but one thing that remains unchanged till date, is that the doors are always open with a smiling Dadima, waiting for me to be back home - a moment I eagerly look forward to - now and forever! :)

Home Sweet Home

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