My 2nd Inner Happiness

Life is what you make it : My Review

For those who haven’t read this book yet.

Its a story of an attractive, smart intellectual, simple girl Ankita who tried hard to live with her parent's conservative beliefs. Who also love to be loved and taken care of her feelings.  She had the fortitude and set her goals in life to reach the zenith of corporate world. In pursuit of her dreams she passes the MBA entrance exam and ensures her selection in the the best business schools in India. This story contains the truth about how life can turn in to a scariest nightmare in a day, when your mind starts playing the games. Same happened with Ankita who very soon found herself struggling in the Mental Hospital room. Her life journey teaches the lesson of internal happiness and values of Love and Friendship.

                                                                                                          

I liked the book very much, well written expressions, simple language and one can easily brush-up his/her vocabulary. I personally like the art of indulging humor in a writing form and Preeti Shenoy…the author is quite good at that. Metaphors she used are another thing which I like while reading the book……like

“If guilt was a stone tied to my ankles, I would have sunk easily to the bottom of the sea. But I wore it easily on my sleeve”.

She further added some light sentences which finely reflects the Indian values…like

“Year of schooling in the system which drilled Indian values in you, like respect for the elderly, was hard to do away with”.

One can easily get introduced to some tradition, customs and also some words of local language of Kerala by reading the first half of the story.

like…..

“Kerala custom, that there should be welcoming lamp at the doorway, to usher the Goddess of wealth and good fortune in”.

Local language words like……

Molle, Appacha, Thatu Kada….etc

Overall this book indeed make a good read, you can complete the book in one sitting also…..though for me it took three days…which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Happy reading!!!!

Sketchbook Update

I tried to make it jokey and it turned out to be hilarious...but I loved it! So thought to post it here... ;-)

My 1st inner happiness

I'm again on a mission. Mission to bring out color art within me...Everyday new art this is how I celebrate my inner happiness.Today is the first day and here is my 1st inner happiness!!!!

Colors give letters to Life

What's with Indian Ghosts!!!

Heard of fairytales…ok, heard of Panchtantra stories…ok, heard of Ghost stories….alright! And what about Indian ghost stories? You might be thinking what wonder push me to put this discrimination of Ghost here. What’s with Indian Ghost! Well they got matchless style…particularly a female ghost. Every woman in India love to wear anklets and this zeal remains after the death also. They give us the feel of their presence in such a melodic way.  All over the haunted places in India, most of them are preoccupied by female ghosts and native people are very sure about their existence as they hear the sound of anklet while they walk down the place.

Anklet sound!…sounds really interesting. This sound arose the level of curiosity in Ghost interested people that they intentionally go for a night stay. With all that skeptic heart they pull themselves from the fear and bravely try to spend whole night in such places to have an experience of that anklet’s jingling. They might hear the jingling or may encounter the reason behind those jingling. Everything is strange but I’m not. Yes I have no courage to put myself knowingly in such situations…I have got many anklets and I love their jingling, I’m satisfied and not interested in how other’s anklet sounds and how old their design is.

Two month ago I have shifted to a small city of West Bengal. This is surrounded by all kind of greeneries and lots of water (it rains heavily here) and my sweet little house also surrounded by such greenery. I find empty snail’s shell every other day in my backyard. Sometimes yellow colored printed small snakes come to swim in the backyard water well. Night and the rainy season give you the piece of music by frogs (well I came from the metro city so these things bother Me.) you can find almost all kind of musical insects here. One evening I was cooking in the kitchen and I herd some digital sound. The sound was very much similar to the sound comes from our cell phone keypad.  It was insect's sound so I named it as the digital insect. I told my husband about my new discovery, he heard the sound and told me ya kind of digital but it is much similar to the anklet’s jingling. His words swirl my sound system and that digital sound appeared no more digital to me. Honestly! It changed to anklet jingling. Yes I was scared because I grew up hearing all those haunted stories of female ghost with their anklet jingling. Then my husband explained me the sound story….some insects produce such kind of sound…so relaxed it’s an insect sound only. Then I searched on net  about those insect and I found all the Cricket family bears such kind of sound and I also got one audio of insect’s sound effect so that you can also listen to it.Click here

Today also psychologically that digital sound is still the anklet‘s jingling to me. But whenever I hear it I say to my husband, “here she comes”. Now I know all the haunted places are also a habitat of such insects too. So people give it a second thought if you have encountered such sounds.

Happy Discovering! 

Folk Inspiration

Traditional Puppets of Rajasthan got a new look.......I bought this pair from Dilli-Haat (New-Delhi). 

And some Heart Inspirations

Homemaker: Not working for salary women

After marrying your prince charming, if you have decided to take the charge and appoint yourself for this full-time-not-paying job. Then the homemaker is the exact word for you.Ya it sounds like and also gives you the feeling of superwoman! No no no please don’t confuse it with the word Housewife. Believe me though the meaning is same but there is dissimilarity between the two words.

Have a Brief look

House-wife: You might have seen your mother, mother-in-law,your aunties or any mid-aged women in your family and relatives .Who worked for 24x7 around the house. Their day starts early and ends late at night dedicatedly. One antique chabi-ka-guchha (key chain) is always dangling to their waist. You can easily get the idea by this list mentioned below.

    The chabi-ka-guchha (key chain) which includes all the keys around the house (store key, main gate key, room key, safe key etc etc.)

    Wake-up at 5’o clock in the morning.

    Take bath, dress up and then straightly in to the Pooja room (prayer room).

    Wake up the family and get them ready for the school, office etc…respectively.

    Prepare breakfast, clean-up the house.

    Get things ready for the lunch.

    Get involved in misc works around the house.

    Get things ready for the dinner.

    Have food only after everyone has downloaded their stomach.

Homemaker: After decay of the 19^th century (approx.) women got open up to the word “Homemaker” in India and they loved to be entitled as the homemaker rather than the house-wife. Homemaker who manages the home, directs the home, it also includes the taste of versatility, dynamic multi tasking skills. You might have seen that ‘Moov’ commercial, in which the lady keeps on saying “Expert kaun” while grabbing the task from her husband’s hand, this very well shows that women also want designation for this full-time-not-paying job .In this professional world….Yes! It’s also to do with the professionalism.

What makes Homemakers different from House-wives.

    They wake-up early, do all the morning chores and involve themselves in workout, yoga, meditation for the fit body.

    Breakfast on the table with everyone.

    Clean-up house, set entire things at right place….yes I’m hinting the things like sofa-cushions, pillows, kid’s toys, tea cups, clothes etc….by knowing the fact that these things will soon leave their right place.

    Will search a new recipe from internet, read lots of lifestyle magazines…how to keep good homes and gardens.

    Lunch on table with everyone.

    Go for some shopping, read books, dance-music, write a blog…do anything which keep themselves lively.

    Replace fresh flowers in the vase.

    Dinner on the table with everyone.                                   

        

Sometimes people asks me what you do? are you working?…and I reply no I'm not working,then they says oh! so you are a house-wife, again I reply no I'm a Homemaker.Yes I loved to be called as, coz I believe there is a life in this word, whereas house-wife give you the negative illustration of women. This gives you the strength to socialize equally with other paid-working women. You can proudly say…yes I’m the Homemaker and I can place cushion at the right place each time I find it on the floor. I can give my husband a fresh pair of socks on his hand every time he asks for it. I can also lure my broods to eat properly by preparing a new recipe everyday and in the last I can blog about my feelings my thoughts with everyone.I have the dynamic skill of multitasking.

This is what My Two Cents!

Akanksha Singh

Have you tried it?

My hubby's friend told me about the different types of Maggie noddles they get in a small eatery in their hostel….I wondered what kind of Maggie(s). Then he told me about the chips Maggie….That filled some excitement in me and forced me to give it a try.

And I prepared my own Lays Maggie noodles.....

How to make it:-

 Lays Chips                +          Maggie noddles

  

                          

Prepare Maggie in a usual style,serve it in a noodles bowl and add some roughly crushed lays chips over it ...that's it!

Enjoy!!!!

Faith and Belief

Is fasting a whole day for long life of the husband is a good practice ? Does a single day makes any difference?Then why not husbands do such practice too? What is your faith and belief? 


Yesterday was the Teej day! Hartalika Teej...yes a one more day in Indian calender.....for wives to show her love towards her beloved husbands and praying for his long and healthy life....in doing so she keeps herself on whole day fasting..no food no water....Praying continue until the next sunrise.

My marriage is now two and half years old and I have been keeping this fast since the first year of our marriage...It feels good that you are doing something for your loving husband...but sometimes I really feel to put this question open in air...does this one day makes any difference?...I'm not questioning the faith coz I have enough faith in God.But I really don't like the idea of keeping yourself on whole day fasting... struggling from headache, weakness...ya I understand that praying gives you the strength but It's really difficult to ignore body energy needs.

I have some other questions too. Which Every 21'st generation women have common questions...Why only wives keeps the fast and not husbands?  Husbands don't wish for the longer life of their wives and keep fast for that purpose? Why every system of belief, ritual, tradition, devotion should be followed by woman, wives,girl for their male partner, son..? 

Well If you ask me ..Honestly I don't believe in fasting for long life concept...whatever be the fact this one day makes any difference.Beside this I will love take a charge of loving my husband 24X7 , serve him with  a healthy food and taking a good care of him....creating a healthy lifestyle for him whole day whole night and also pray to God everyday to keep on giving us plenty of time to be-together.Isn't it enough to be a good wife...

Well different people different cerebration. But still love the spirit of fasting after-all this an another way to show your love.But my way is different.

Take care of yourself

Akanksha Singh

1st September 2011