I come back to my blog after nearly a month to see... 198 page views?? For a mere 3 blog posts? I feel really bad, and a little bit embarrassed.... I mean, I informed so many people about this, making it seem like I'm this super-intellectual supermom who has time for everything (just saying, I really do NOT claim to be either of these 2 titles), but in reality, I'm just :
*too tired,
*too lazy, or
*too packed for time.
Or all three.
Honestly, it is NOT easy trying to juggle a baby, a household, a job, family, a social life.... but you gotta what you gotta do! I see all these other women around me who seem to be managing everything so beautifully, and set that as a standard for myself... but any mom will tell you, it's a farce. It's just the reality we want to show the world, or maybe we are just trying to fool ourselves into thinking that we can do everything.
And in the process, we burn ourselves out and stay unhappy.
Okay so now I've suddenly realised, what is this post about?! I have no idea!!! Oops sorry! It's just that I wanted to badly for this blog to be somewhat of a personal success, something that I would work hard at to make me feel good about myself and improve it over time, but things don't always work out the way we want to, do they?!
That being said.... Life's great! Alhumdulillah (Allah be praised). All these things that keep me busy... what if they weren't there? Life isn't complete without trials and tribulations, good things and bad, and challenges.... it's what keeps us going, and if we have something to look forward to, well why else would we not move ahead?
Again, I will constantly hope and try to be active at this space.... maybe coming back after so long, (and seeing all those pageviews!) will be motivation enough for me to take out a half hour once every few days to update this space.... Or maybe my dear, dear followers can inspire me :)
Well it's back to work for now... yes I'm at 'work', in office, but to my defense, I don't have anything to do right now :) Well up until now, anyway.... it's time to get back, finish up my remaining work, and head home to my darling little angel... who, by the way, is now 13 months old, MashaAllah!!!
I hope to be back sooner than I think :)
Monday 10 December 2012
Sunday 21 October 2012
Life's Blessings, Little and Not-So-Little
Last week, Umar feel ill... Alhumdulillah nothing major... a little cold, followed by a mild ear infection and a little congestion. As I said, nothing major, but enough to turn my FTM (first-time-mom) forces into overdrive! (Does this FTM craziness last until the next one comes along?!). I really went crazy... stressing over work, getting teary-eyed at every sneeze, following doctor's orders to the T about monitoring his temperature every 4 hours... Oh it was a crazy 2-3 days (I guess you could give me the benefit of doubt, considering I had 3 sleepless nights followed by the craziest schedule at work yet).
We get so caught up in the little issues that we face, that we forget to look at the bigger picture and realise that these teeny tiny little problems can barely be categorised as trials and tribulations. A few weeks ago, the story of a little boy Zealen was very much the hot topic on my birth board. (A birth board is an online community forum where mothers who have babies the same month get together). During her pregnancy, Zealen's mother was told that the baby would be born with some heart defects, and that he would need surgery in a few years. While he grew achieving milestones at a normal pace in spite of being born premature, his health deteriorated and he needed to have surgery much earlier, around when he was 9 months or so old. He was put on what is known as a 'Berlin Heart'- an artificial device to replace the heart. The pictures I saw were painful. His parents set up a Facebook page and would put up not just daily but very regular updates- including when the little angel passed away, his funeral information, etc. Reading all those posts and updates put me at a loss for words, as to how these parents (also First-Time-parents, I must add) got the strength and patience to accept such major trials that their tiny little angel went through. I cannot even begin to fathom what they must have been going through, and may Allah protect our families that we shouldn't go through such a trying time.
As humans, we are born ungrateful. When we have a piece of paper, we yearn for a book. When we have a book, we look at the ones who have a collection. When we have a collection, we envy those who own a library. We never look back; we are always looking ahead to see what we are missing now, not what we missed earlier. Our biggest dissatisfaction stems from such little and not-so-little desires and wants. In such moments, we need to sit back, clear our minds, and get some perspective. Don't have an electronic tablet? Think of the children who use blackboard slates in their so-called 'schools'. Craving for the new iPhone 5? How about the boy down the street who has never even held a basic telephone in his life? Drooling after the new collection of bags Chanel is showcasing? The price tag one bag carries could dress up an entire slum.
Of course, we cannot be saints (and I don't claim to be even close to one... I've been dreaming about a Louis Vuitton a little too much lately!). But at times of depression, or when we see someone who's just got something we really wanted, we should look at our own selves and our lives, and see how much our God has blessed us with, and that if we begin to give thanks, our days would not be enough.
So say an extra prayer of thanks to God tonight, and give your children an extra kiss tonight. You don't know how many people out there would give anything to trade places with you.
We get so caught up in the little issues that we face, that we forget to look at the bigger picture and realise that these teeny tiny little problems can barely be categorised as trials and tribulations. A few weeks ago, the story of a little boy Zealen was very much the hot topic on my birth board. (A birth board is an online community forum where mothers who have babies the same month get together). During her pregnancy, Zealen's mother was told that the baby would be born with some heart defects, and that he would need surgery in a few years. While he grew achieving milestones at a normal pace in spite of being born premature, his health deteriorated and he needed to have surgery much earlier, around when he was 9 months or so old. He was put on what is known as a 'Berlin Heart'- an artificial device to replace the heart. The pictures I saw were painful. His parents set up a Facebook page and would put up not just daily but very regular updates- including when the little angel passed away, his funeral information, etc. Reading all those posts and updates put me at a loss for words, as to how these parents (also First-Time-parents, I must add) got the strength and patience to accept such major trials that their tiny little angel went through. I cannot even begin to fathom what they must have been going through, and may Allah protect our families that we shouldn't go through such a trying time.
As humans, we are born ungrateful. When we have a piece of paper, we yearn for a book. When we have a book, we look at the ones who have a collection. When we have a collection, we envy those who own a library. We never look back; we are always looking ahead to see what we are missing now, not what we missed earlier. Our biggest dissatisfaction stems from such little and not-so-little desires and wants. In such moments, we need to sit back, clear our minds, and get some perspective. Don't have an electronic tablet? Think of the children who use blackboard slates in their so-called 'schools'. Craving for the new iPhone 5? How about the boy down the street who has never even held a basic telephone in his life? Drooling after the new collection of bags Chanel is showcasing? The price tag one bag carries could dress up an entire slum.
Of course, we cannot be saints (and I don't claim to be even close to one... I've been dreaming about a Louis Vuitton a little too much lately!). But at times of depression, or when we see someone who's just got something we really wanted, we should look at our own selves and our lives, and see how much our God has blessed us with, and that if we begin to give thanks, our days would not be enough.
So say an extra prayer of thanks to God tonight, and give your children an extra kiss tonight. You don't know how many people out there would give anything to trade places with you.
Sunday 7 October 2012
Cricket Mania!
This has been the highlight of my life lately, with the ICC T20 World Cup having been going on lately. Actually, ever since I married a cricket fanatic, which was nearly 5 years ago (wow! It's been that long?!), cricket has been an integral part of our lives. There used to be a time that I liked cricket, and I loved watching every match that India played, and followed the World Cup religiously when it showed up every 4 years. That was before I came face-to-face with the realisation that there's more to the sport that the occassional World Cups or Champions Trophies and the like. Our living room became host to every series being played out there, Indian related or not. West Indies, Australia, England, Pakistan, New Zealand, Test matches, ODIs, T20s, IPLs... our routines revolved around them.
That was until Unilever KSA realised that their company could not function without keeping Saad Mohsin glued to their office for an average of 10 hours a day, thereby making him miss all his beloved games. (note: this did cause me, at times, to feel bad for the poor guy!). Wait a minute, cricket did not leave our lives. Our living room television did continue playing host to all the afore-mentioned, now in the form of highlights. And oh yes, hogging the laptop to read ball-by-ball summary of the match being replayed on the tube.
Sigh. Cricket widow vent over. Well, not really, but that's not what this post is about. It was about the manic madness that surrounds the game. Coffee table discussions, instant messages, text messages, all revolve around the current matches, every man suddenly becomes a cricket expert/critic, spilling out advice to their favourite spinner as to how if he bowled a different way, their team WOULD have won. More evenings are wasted on one single channel (my finger is left to twitch on its own for lack of channel surfing).
And then it comes. The mother of all cricket mania. The dreaded India-Pakistan match, followed by all other matches that would affect the status of these two teams. Normal, mature, intelligent adults suddenly become mean, petty, hyper... offices turn into stadiums, the roads become devoid of public transportation (watching the match is more important to the taxi drivers than earning a livelihood), and actual family members turn foes, if they support the other team.
This is getting really old now. I'm 30 years old (well, actually 24, but my parents lost my birth certificate and had to get a fake one and the date on that reads 1982. But really, I'm still 24) and I've spent my life listening to the same people diss the other country, taunt them, call names, and be downright nasty. I do admit to falling into the trap to a limit, but maturity got the better of me. Facebook becomes entertaining to a limit, then boring, and then just plain annoying when the jokes just refuse to end and fuses keep blowing on and off again and again and again.... People just don't give up.
I dream of a world where my children will watch the game just for the mere pleasure of it. My darling little Chintu will support India because he will grow up, InshaAllah, to be a proud Indian, but he will not go crazy because India lost. (well, unless it comes down to not even qualifying for the semi-finals after being World Champions in 2 formats of the game). He will show true sportsmanship and cheer the better team.
Uhh. Vent over. Time to wash the baby's milk bottles, soak almonds for DH (Dear Husband) and I, lay out work clothes for the morning, prepare a last feed of formula for the night, struggle through a last diaper change, and then settle down with a cup of green tea before hitting the sheets!
That was until Unilever KSA realised that their company could not function without keeping Saad Mohsin glued to their office for an average of 10 hours a day, thereby making him miss all his beloved games. (note: this did cause me, at times, to feel bad for the poor guy!). Wait a minute, cricket did not leave our lives. Our living room television did continue playing host to all the afore-mentioned, now in the form of highlights. And oh yes, hogging the laptop to read ball-by-ball summary of the match being replayed on the tube.
Sigh. Cricket widow vent over. Well, not really, but that's not what this post is about. It was about the manic madness that surrounds the game. Coffee table discussions, instant messages, text messages, all revolve around the current matches, every man suddenly becomes a cricket expert/critic, spilling out advice to their favourite spinner as to how if he bowled a different way, their team WOULD have won. More evenings are wasted on one single channel (my finger is left to twitch on its own for lack of channel surfing).
And then it comes. The mother of all cricket mania. The dreaded India-Pakistan match, followed by all other matches that would affect the status of these two teams. Normal, mature, intelligent adults suddenly become mean, petty, hyper... offices turn into stadiums, the roads become devoid of public transportation (watching the match is more important to the taxi drivers than earning a livelihood), and actual family members turn foes, if they support the other team.
This is getting really old now. I'm 30 years old (well, actually 24, but my parents lost my birth certificate and had to get a fake one and the date on that reads 1982. But really, I'm still 24) and I've spent my life listening to the same people diss the other country, taunt them, call names, and be downright nasty. I do admit to falling into the trap to a limit, but maturity got the better of me. Facebook becomes entertaining to a limit, then boring, and then just plain annoying when the jokes just refuse to end and fuses keep blowing on and off again and again and again.... People just don't give up.
I dream of a world where my children will watch the game just for the mere pleasure of it. My darling little Chintu will support India because he will grow up, InshaAllah, to be a proud Indian, but he will not go crazy because India lost. (well, unless it comes down to not even qualifying for the semi-finals after being World Champions in 2 formats of the game). He will show true sportsmanship and cheer the better team.
Uhh. Vent over. Time to wash the baby's milk bottles, soak almonds for DH (Dear Husband) and I, lay out work clothes for the morning, prepare a last feed of formula for the night, struggle through a last diaper change, and then settle down with a cup of green tea before hitting the sheets!
Saturday 29 September 2012
Hello there!
So my much, much contemplated blog has finally taken shape! I've wanted to do this for a long, long time, to satisfy my love for 'writing'... but I'm totally blanked-out for ideas! I mean, I have such an ordinary life... a normal person, with a normal (though Alhumdulillah amazing) family, a boring life, no special hobbies and interests... what do I write about?! I wouldn't even expect anyone to follow my blog... if you're reading this, I hope you've lasted this long! I would appreciate ideas and suggestions galore!!!
I'm guessing the focus of my blog would be my life in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, my family- my dearest husband and the center of our universe, our darling 11- month old son Umar, our extended families, and my day-t-day routine of going to work, coming back home lol.... (I think at this point a lot of you will rethink your decision to follow me!). It may be punctuated with some travel information (Saad & I love traveling), my experiences in Saudi Arabia, my experiences in my profession... I promise to try to keep this entertaining :) Comments and criticism are welcome!
So.... welcome to my little world :)
I'm guessing the focus of my blog would be my life in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, my family- my dearest husband and the center of our universe, our darling 11- month old son Umar, our extended families, and my day-t-day routine of going to work, coming back home lol.... (I think at this point a lot of you will rethink your decision to follow me!). It may be punctuated with some travel information (Saad & I love traveling), my experiences in Saudi Arabia, my experiences in my profession... I promise to try to keep this entertaining :) Comments and criticism are welcome!
So.... welcome to my little world :)
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