To do...one day

One day-

May be I will dance in a competition,

Winning or losing does not complete my vision.

May be I will take that trip to Venice and Florence,

A gondola ride, a walk through those streets, taking in those scenes,

May be I will wear those bright graduating robes with that hat having a tail,

A degree in a foreign university ...a long lost dream waiting to come true,

May be I will gather the guts to get that tattoo on my back,

Cant wait to see my dad - a picture of shock,

May be I will finally shed those extra pounds,

Worthy of that pretty dress that I sigh at on my window shopping rounds,

May be I will get into the swimming pool and feel the thrill,

When I learn to swim up and break the water ...hmmm...how will it feel?

May be I will someday get to buy my first car with my own money,

Even one on the brink of a junkyard will be worth a million or more for me,

May be I will make my son proud of me,

No matter what I do, to love me just as me?

May be I will make him worthy of himself first,

And sit back gracefully when the world thinks he is the best,

May be I wont get to do much of these....

But I hope I never ever hurt anyone who would matter far more than my dreams.

Photo finish..ed!

On the verge of the decadal of our marriage, you could say my expectations of from important romantic events like anniversaries, birthdays and valentines' days are not very dramatic. But this year my husband decided to break the charm and planned a very interesting trip for Valentine's. We planned to go to the much-talked about Hotel de Glace or Quebec's pride - The Ice Hotel. Since Valentine's day was the last day for the winter carnival in Quebec, we decided to cover that too. We also invited a friend and her family into the convoy.

Over the years I have learned to stay away from decisions with respect to the trip plans and concentrate on prayers to show me empty parking lots and the child not asking for too many wash room breaks or anything else that can any way hamper the "perfect" planning of my husband. But no one says I am not allowed to get carried away with little whims once in a while and ask for little pleasures!! Well today was the day for continual requests for pictures of those vast country side grounds filled with beautiful, clean, white and shimmering snow!

After a couple of times, my friend's husband decided that it would be a good idea that I dint keep repeating myself and called for a break. Little did he know that where he was halting was having a lot of fresh snow and the car actually went off the road into the soft snow. When I thought I could get into trouble for asking this, I agreed not to stop and continue the journey. But when he tried to get the car back on the road he realized that the more he would try to get the car out,the more it was going under the snow.

Then I saw what could have easily made into those candid camera moments, where they deliberately create a situation to check out people's attention. About half a dozen cars pulled up all around us, trying to help us move the car onto the road. A family with kids, a lady and her friend, a couple of gentlemen .....Some of them helped with ideas, others tried to push the car, some others shoveled the snow. My friend and I were overwhelmed with the determination with which these strangers offered support. One lady got so exited, she wasn't taking it easy on those cars that wouldn't stop!

After more than half hour of super human effort finally we decided that we might require professional help from a tow truck. Then again one of the guys quickly called in for help! These guys were amazing. After we profusely thanked them, they all went their way. The husbands decided not to give up and kept trying all the engineering and math logic that they could think of. Right then a cop came up to check what was the problem and after being convinced that it was not an accident but a simple picture taking attempt that went "off the road", he called for help.

We, the women decided to keep the good sense to keep out of their way and not give even genuinely bright ideas, lest the axe might find its way to our necks. Though it was getting past lunch time I dint want to mention it but only jumped at the idea as soon as it came from the boys.

Just when we were having lunch, the police officer went away and the tow truck arrived and what happened in the next 15 secs were the most relieving, irritating and expensive road parking that happened. After checking the situation for like under 5 secs, the driver decided what was to be the plan of action. He got a hook out and tugged the car and with like the ring finger of his left hand and an effort equaling that would be required to operate a coffee machine he moved the car out of the 2 feet ditch!! These are times when you truly thank the Lord for the help and kick yourself that your one hour of extreme physical labor could not do what seventy dollors and a little button could!.

I was feeling so grounded that I dint dare take out the camera to do what we stopped for in the first place. But since everyone else suggested, I gathered courage to take a couple of keepsakes so that it will help me remember the "snowed-in tale". If you dint call this a "photo finish" ...wonder what would! ...And so we went out back on our way....

...Hotel de Glace...here we come...

Umbrella Tales

How someone's care and devotion for your parents can make you take a tour of the part of city that you never ventured before is amazing!

I was all excited and ready to fly home for a wedding and hence carried a lot of those shimmering and gaudy looking clothes which in no right mind can you imagine wearing anywhere else. My friend calls and informs me that she has a gift for my parents and that I should take it with me. It was a long triangular looking gift wrap and I couldn't imagine what could be in that shape. When I opened it there was this beautiful wooden umbrella which had Paris depicted all over it, very beautiful. But then the length of the umbrella wouldn't go into any of my cases. I decided to carry it in hand and since my husband was coming to drop me, hand it back to him, if the authorities would stop me from taking it.

Montreal airport was a sail through and I carried it with me as cabin luggage. I made a sound mental note that I should not at any cost let go of it and made sure that I had it with me when I got off the craft at London to change flights. I had two precious pieces of luggage with me and do not mistake me for the gold or any other documentation that was carrying. One was my son and the other was the umbrella.

In London however the airport authorities decided that umbrella wasn't much use in-flight and after profusely promising me that they would take good care of it, slipped it off my hand and dropped it for check-in luggage. Since the feeling of missing something in my hand kept reminding me continually that there has to be an umbrella there, I was able to wait for an extra half hour and reclaim it in-spite of it being the early hours of a Chennai morning and my son deeply in need of some rest. It is not an exaggeration that I was clutching the umbrella in one hand and my son in the other till I reached home.

On the day I had to leave for Hyderabad to visit my parents, my son took it upon himself to remind me several times lest I forgot the umbrella in its last leg of journey!!. At the Hyderabad airport I watched the baggage of the entire craft before the fragile items were brought out and I had to go specially claim it, which took an extra 45 minutes of my life but I was glad that I finally got it to where it was intended to be sent!

This momentary relief lapsed my judgment and to oblige to my son's request of allowing myself to be his pillow during the hour and half journey home, I made the terrible mistake of leaving the umbrella in the boot of the car with the rest of the luggage. By the time I reached home, my son was deep asleep and I was holding him while the driver unloaded my luggage. And then I went upstairs, surprised my mother, all greetings and hellos and huggies and the bags opening for gifts and then.....................! Shock, Anger, Irritation ................on myself...How could I do this???????

I FORGOT THE UMBRELLA !!

Not that I am popular for my memory but this one took "the umbrella"!! Then started the frantic calls to the cab company and lucky for me I went in for some registered and expensive cab and dint haggle my way through some "Diamond car service" . Then I realized that apart from the time that I hired the cab, I pretty much dint know anything else, not the driver's name, nor the number on the cab!! But within a few minutes I got a call back and they had managed to trace the driver and get a confirmation that he did indeed have the umbrella.

With my sis-in-law's suggestion, I started yet another long journey to seek it back. Since the cab company's office was conveniently situated at the outskirts of the city we made a long journey viewing the changed city, appreciating it as well as recounting to myself the "good old days". A typical Hyderabadi can never lead to your destination without a couple of " just idhar se right" and "saamneich hai" ...so...after several wrong turns and calls back....finally I broke the code and found the building. As I entered the office, my story seemed to have preceded me and greeted me with a mixed look of amusement and amazement around there. They probably were peeking from behind their tinted doors to see the great samaritan, who had such concern for a missing umbrella......I mean...who does that kinda thing!!

The whole evening I dint let go of the umbrella till I reached home and handed it into my mother's hand with best compliments from my Montreal friend!! :) .. Mission Accomplished!

After hearing through my story my dear friend even offered to pay for all the anxious journeys I made for getting the umbrella back and apologized for being the cause of it, but I wouldn't hear of that because the adventure was - Priceless!!

Moral of the story....NEVER....EVER.... forget to take the cab driver's name and number....unless you particularly enjoy wild goose chases involving Paris pictured umbrellas !! :)