Three Wishes

Yesterday's story was 'Three Wishes'.

There was this old man and his wife sitting around the fire one cold evening talking about how life was tough and how they wished a fairy would appear and grant them some wishes. And lo, there appeared a fairy and told them, "Well, I'll grant you three wishes and not one more nor one less. Be careful what you wish for, for you won't get it back again. The story goes on as usual about how they wasted the wishes on something silly etc. etc.

After the session is over,

"Georgie, if you had three wishes what would you wish for?"

Pat came the reply, "Money" (omg, have we created a monster? ok, leave it for now, will come back to it later)

"The second one?"

"I want to be a Power Ranger"

"Third?"

"I want to be Aaron Stone*"

Thank God, he is still a 7 year old boy at heart.

Now back to the first question, "Why would you wish for money, don't you want to study well?"

"If I have money, can't I study well?"

"It does not work out that way. If you have money and not educated and wise(he is too young to know that the two need not necessarily go hand in hand. anyway..), money will be of no use. See, your achachan and amma studied well and that's how we got good jobs and we have money now."

"But whenever I ask for certain things, you say we don't have money for that. That's why I wished for money"

Uh Oh!!

(*for those of you who don't have kids, Aaron Stone is an action series aired on Jetix. It is about a teenaged boy who takes up the role of his favorite video game character to protect his family)

Friends and Friendships

Preethi's post about friends set me thinking again about friends and friendships. She has mentioned about different kinds - ones you can't live without, ones you can live without and the ones whom you should live without.

What happens when a friend whom you thought is for life, one day turns out to be someone you should avoid?

I have noticed that as you grow old, you just don't feel like taking that extra effort to make and maintain friendships. If you find someone whom you like, good for you. If you find someone who is on the same wavelength, better still. And if you find someone as crazy or even crazier than you, it is nothing short of a lottery.

She was someone like that. We gauged each other intially, made some small talk for days. Both of us do not remember when we actually started hitting it off. She could find a joke in anything or anyone. I was like the sister she never had, or so she claimed. For me she was a gift straight from God in a new place and through some of the most difficult times in my life. Even after moving to another place, we called each other to talk about the silliest of and the most serious of things. I have discussed things in my life with her which I've never told anyone before or after.

One day, I get to know just by chance, that behind my back, she is someone else. And she betrayed my faith in the cruelest of ways.

It's been more than two years now, I have not been able to talk about it with anyone and I still cannot. While going through the contact list on my phone, I have thought about deleting her name many times, but always decided against. Probably because the good times we have spent with each other were too many. Did it yesterday, finally.

The most beautiful feeling in the world!

Father and son normally bonds over 'Autocar' every night. Yesterday it was an Audi Q7. The fact there was one of these chasing us last week on our way back from Kochi added more interest to it. I pretended to be asleep listening to their conversation.
"Achacha, can we buy an Audi Q7 next?"
"It's very expensive, mone. Only people like film stars and big businessmen can afford it."
Son, after thinking for a while,"You are not good looking, so you cannot be a film star. Amma is beautiful, we can ask her to act in movies and get her to buy one!"
I shot up from the bed and hugged my son tight. Who else but a 7 year old can think that his fat old mother is beautiful enough to be a film star?
Got him an extra 'Kinderjoy' today :-)

After an year and a city away

A Christmas and an Easter have gone by since I posted my last blog. Life has gone through so many twists and turns and a very painful loss over this period. And here I am in Bangalore, after four years.

My friends back in Kochi keeps asking 'How is Bangalore?" What do I say, "Ok", "Good", "Crowded", "Colourful"? I guess, it is a mixture of everything. The one thing I love absolutely about the city - its trees. They are so divine. In Cubbon Park, you can't see the sun, they form a benevolent canopy over you. In Lal Bagh, you see them all shapes and sizes, the trunk of one is almost as big as our apartment. And the ones that line the roads, they are such a pleasure. I particularly love the ones in Jaya Nagar. In the busier parts of the city, there is a stretch on the old airport road where you are suddenly transported into a surreal world you almost don't hear the incessant honking from the drivers behind you.

Then there is the shopping (can you see that excited and wicked gleam in my eyes?). I am a compulsive shopper and ardent mall-o-maniac. Every road you take, there is a mall and there is some sale or other going on. The little bit of bank balance that I have dwindles day by day, but who cares!

The best part about the city - the people. Don't raise your eyebrows. No one cares what you do and how you look. Absolute "bindaas" is the way to be here. Walk around in your pajamas right out of your bed, no one bothers. Maybe the only thing that might get a second look might be a two-piece bikini. Sometimes I wonder about that too.

Yes, the weather too. Extremely hot during day, you feel as if you are roasted alive, dry. The slight breeze that comes in every evening is heavenly, especially after the sultry Kochi evenings.

Not everything is picture perfect and hunky dory, but today I am in a mood for good things only. And I promise myself to blog more often.