Me a sinner!!

‘My Sins against Gender-Stereotypes’ - the tag started by IHM, has spread like wildfire, and everyone I know has been more than excited to share their story!! Going by the posts done on the very same day

I have been tagged by Uma to do this awesome tag Thanks Uma! The tag needs me to list 10 things that I have done which was opposed to my gender stereotype!! I know I have not been the typical girly types but I never gave a thought to this coz I didnt know for quite a long time about gender stereotypes, conditioning and the like. Loved what Pinoo says… ‘I never knew for a long time that girls and boys had separate lives, separate lifestyles, separate games, separate minds…’

In fact, I used to be shocked to hear things like… ‘Boys should not touch the broom sweep the house… it will bring bad luck’, ‘A girl should not walk on the same road many times in a day. It gives a bad impression’.

So, here are some things that I did… and some that I do even now

1) I laugh heartily!!

2) I have a mind of my own and my decisions won’t consider ‘what will other’s think?’ ‘what will others say?’ Also, I have walked on the same road many times in a day, never bothering about what someone will think

3) Rode the bicycle with both my hands in the air!!!

4) I was neither afraid of the dark nor of the creepy/slimy creatures!

5) Was the first girl to wear jeans to the college. That too in the 1st year itself; no awkwardness at being a junior! Our college was a boys college until a couple of years before I joined… a government one at that! The other girls in my batch waited till they got to the 3rd year to wear jeans to the college!!

6) I manage my money, understand tax planning and even file my IT returns online. All this I’ve learnt by myself

7) I have changed fused bulbs and attended to all problems electrical. Not that I have been able to fix everything… but I would attempt to.

8 ) I dont use make up. Didn’t go to a parlor or got make up done by professionals even for my wedding!!

9) I look at people in the eye while talking.

10) I dont have too many clothes or bags or shoes.

Well, there are a few more things. When I started out, I didnt think I would get all 10. Now 10 seems to be inadequate! So i will continue

11) Dislike jewellery in everyday life, just the minimum for me. Dont overdo it even on occassions.

12) Hate to talk the usual things that most ladies in the neighborhood do. About food, in laws, husbands, children…general gossip… you get the drift? Actually I avoid them for these reasons.

13) Played cricket, gilli danda, though for a short period. Climbed trees.

14) Like dogs; had a pet named guddu.

15) Love reading books more than embroidery.

16) Not very fond of shopping.

17) I dont display my emotions outside of my home. That is, I dont keep a sad face or cry in front of anyone other than my family members. Never try to create sympathy for myself, I hate that!

18) I even rode a scooter… the regular Hamara Bajaj! not a girls scooterette.

Thats quite a list I thoroughly enjoyed doing this one I tag Shruti, Swati, Titaxy, Trishna, Momo’s Ma, Shankari, Coffee Bean, Comfy, Smartassbride, Priya, Shilpa and Sunita. Hope you all will enjoy doing this too!

Woohoo… this is the first time I’ve been able to tag so many people. The tag always came to me last… when most friends had already done it. So once again, thanks Uma for tagging me

A lovely surprise!

One morning, I was pleasantly surprised to find this email ‘My award for your blog’ in my inbox! Coffee Bean of  Coffee Bean Musings has passed on the Versatile Blogger Award to me. Thanks for this honour, Coffee Bean!

Also, she has tagged me to do this questionnaire, which is quite longish and with some bizarre questions  Nevertheless, here i go…

1. Asked someone to marry you? Innocent.
2. Ever kissed someone of the same sex? Guilty.
3. Danced on a table in a bar? Innocent.
4. Ever told a lie? Guilty.
5. Kissed a picture? Guilty.
6. Slept in until 5 PM? Innocent.
7. Fallen asleep at work/school? Innocent. But scribbling away while battling the drooping eyelids … does that count?
8. Held a snake? Innocent.  Wouldnt dare to!!!
9. Been suspended from school? Innocent. Too dumb for that
10. Worked at a fast food restaurant? Innocent. Never occurred to me even when i was jobless!
11. Stolen from a store? Guilty. One tiny avla supari packet that was peeping from a broken jar tempted me to do that
12. Been fired from a job? Innocent. Not sure if being laid off counts here?
13. Done something you regret? Guilty. Well, regretted it… but have moved on and so.. no regrets now
14. Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? Cant recollect is this an option?
15. Caught a snowflake on your tongue? Innocent. Never seen snowflakes
16. Kissed in the rain? Guilty
17. Sat on a roof top? Innocent. The houses had flat terraces… no sloping roofs to experiment with!
18. Kissed someone you shouldn’t?
19. Sang in the shower? Guilty.
20. Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on? Innocent.
21. Shaved your head? Innocent .
22. Had a boxing membership? Innocent. Now, dont think that i never hit anyone!! My sis knows better
23. Made a girlfriend cry? Dunno! is this an option? But of course I made my sis cry… many times
24. Been in a band? Innocent.
25. Shot a gun? Innocent. I have tries my hands on rifle, though!
26. Donated Blood? Innocent.
27. Eaten alligator meat? Innocent. Never knew it was eaten by people!
28. Eaten cheesecake? Innocent.
29. Still love someone you shouldn’t? Innocent. In fact, never loved someone i shouldnt! Morally speaking
30. Have/had a tattoo? Innocent.
31. Liked someone, but will never tell who? Innocent.
32. Been too honest? Guilty.
33. Ruined a surprise? Innocent.
34. Ate in a restaurant and got really bloated that you couldn’t walk afterward? Guilty.
35. Erased someone in your friends list? Innocent.
36. Dressed in a woman’s clothes (if you’re a guy) or man’s clothes (if you’re a girl)?Guilty. Wearing a boy’s shirt counts?
37. Joined a pageant? Innocent.
38. Been told that you’re handsome or beautiful by someone who totally meant what they said? Guilty.
39. Had communication with your ex? Guilty.
40. Got totally drunk on the night before exam? Innocent.
41. Got totally angry that you cried so hard? Guilty.Have always lacked the ability to control the lachrymal glands

Done! Seemed pointless though. Got to be some kind of personality assessment me thinks. And the number of questions struck me as odd!! But of course odd number it is

Now, the more interesting part. Passing on this award to each one on my Blog buddy list on the right. You guys truly deserve this

Also, remember you are tagged! You’re excused only if you’ve done this one already

Congrats to all of you… Njaiii!!

Tag: If I were…

Took up this tag from Titaxy’s…  must say, it was fun and insightful at the same time!

* If I were a time of day, I’d be tea time.. cheering weary spirits

* If I were a day of the week, I’d be a Holiday … that everyone looks forward to

* If I were a month, I’d be Ashwin [September-October]… loving the festivities in the air

* If I were a season, I’d be Spring… springing forth new life everywhere

* If I were a planet, I’d be Saturn… with the mesmerizing rings around

* If I were a direction, I’d be the Right direction … leading people to their destinations

* If I were a piece of furniture, I’d be the Cradle … rocking cutie pies

* If I were a liquid, I’d be Water… the life force of all beings

* If I were a tree, I’d be the Rain tree … spreading wide and giving cool shade to passers by

* If I were a tool, I’d be a Pen/pencil/paint brush … being a partner in creative endeavors!!

* If I were a flower, I’d be Jasmine … lovely and fragrant in a pooja room or adorning a dainty lady’s hair!

* If I were an element, I’d be Carbon … the chemical basis of all known life

* If I were a gemstone, I’d be Diamond … shining forth after years of penance

* If I were a kind of weather, I’d be Cool … willing people to go for a stroll

* If I were a musical instrument, I’d be Flute … transforming wind to soulful melody

* If I were a color, I’d be White … radiating peaceful vibes

* If I were an emotion, I’d be Happiness … reaching out to one and all

* If I were a fruit, I’d be a Mango … sweet smelling and delectable, heavenly

* If I were a sound, I’d be Laughter … joyous and carefree

* If I were a car, I’d be a Hybrid … doing my bit for Mother Earth

* If I were a material, I’d be Cotton … offering cool comfort

* If I were a food, I’d be Ice cream … yummmm!

* If I were a taste, I’d be Tangy … tingling the senses

* If I were a scent, I’d be the Floral … mild and refreshing

* If I were an object, I’d be a Black/White Board … witnessing creative minds in action

* If I were a song, I’d be a timeless melody … lifting spirits always

* If I were a body part, I’d be Eyes … bright and expressive

* If I were a place, I’d be the Beach …

* If I were a facial expression, I’d be Smile … lighting up hearts

* If I were a pair of shoes, I’d be the Hawai chappal … comfortable companion to one and all

More things about me :)

I have been tagged by Swati to write 7 more things about myself  thanks Swati!…

Why 7.. how and where it started.. no clue! but here i go……

1. i have an open mind.. am open to ideas, views, concerns and i care to hear people out and while at it i try to keep out any prejudice or bias.

2. i keep counting my blessings.. and am grateful that i can feel the  joy in simple things these days.. my kids’ laughter, their cute dialogues, their innocent doings, their thoughtfulness .. everything fills me with joy!!  .. inspite of the many exasperating moments!!!

3. ‘Faith and Fear cannot coexist’.. i truly believe in this saying. i believe in God as a driving force.. someone to have faith in and not be afraid of.   My prayers are simple and mostly in my mind.. rarely ritualistic. But of course i do love to decorate the pooja room whenever possible and especially during festivals. The whole ambience of the pooja room with flowers, arisina-kumkuma, incense sticks, diyas …  fills me with a kind of peace .. therapeutic in a way!!

4. Two things i  truly wish i could do… sing and swim. Learning music and swimming are on the cards since long.. actually never been a priority. But the recent trip made me sincerely regret for not having learnt to swim

5. i love to cook stuff for the kids which i think they’ll like .. nothing exotic but maybe something that would have asked for earlier.  But at times it so happens that they show no inclination to eat it and that upsets me .. i console myself saying kids are like that na ..

6. There is absolutely no connection between my educational background and my current work. i’m a post graduate in Botany, now working as a software tester!! how i landed here is a story in itself.. in fact .. even now my friends cannot comprehend how this came about!! That story was supposed to be my first blog post ever.. but never made it to the light of the day

7. Never been a ‘fan’ of anyone.. as in.. watching a movie just because a particular actor is starring in the movie, or any match just because of a particular player… and so on. Never had posters of movie stars or sporting stars adore my wall, cupboard or my desktop!!

There… done!!!

Image courtesy colouringpagesforkids

Awarded and tagged!!!

Yay! yippeeee!! Lovely Swaram has awarded me with this!!! Sooper excited as this my first award

Glad to know.. my honesty can be seen/felt by the people who read me

And this tag is a first as well!

The Rules:

1.I must thank the person who gave me the award and list their blog and link it
2.I must list 10 honest things about myself
3.I must put a copy of Honest Scrap logo on my blog
4.I must select at least 7 8 other worthy bloggers and list their links
5.I must notify the bloggers of the award and hopefully they will follow the above three requirements also.

Thanks Swaram… I needed to rake my brains..as i’m not good at writing or even speaking about myself but it has been a good exercise at taking stock of myself… So here I go..

1. I am an avid reader… not that i buy a lot of books..but i can read anything that catches my attention…it can even be a paper in which bhajjis/churmuri had been packed!

One of the activities in our summer vacations was to clean up the old trunk and the shelves [me and my sis had taken this upon ourselves... ]. We would always start it together..but invariably i would be left alone to complete the task! No..dont jump to conclusions yet.. my sis was never at fault. It was me who would start reading the news paper sheets spread at the bottom of the trunk ..and after waiting patiently for some time..she would quit out of sheer boredom!! Obviously, the same thing happened while cleaning the shelves.

2. I love to write down my thoughts…  I used to on cards, or even on scraps of paper ; though never in a diary. Somehow there was a break..and i didnt write anything for a long time..  Now..with the kids..its impossible not to write.. and so I blog [though not as much as i would have loved to ].
3. I am a cleanliness freak… I like my home to be spic and span..including the closets and cabinets. However, i do realize that trying to be perfect in these matters is no good.. its just a drain on your energy and time…
4. I hate lies and hypocrisy.
5. I always try to look for the good in anyone or anything..and try to see things from the other’s perspective.
6. I cannot hate anyone.. hate is too strong a word for me..and i believe that life is too short to hate and hold grudges. And ..cursing is a no-no for me; i even manage to convince my sisters/dad against cursing or talking ill of others…they sometimes hate me for this!
7. I have a creative bent of mind… and believe I would have done great if i had chosen the arts..fine arts or even the performing arts!! Right from school days..i have tried my hands at variety of arts/crafts.. always with good results
8. I’m not a planner. I just take things as they come.. so i rarely panic. I hate it when someone asks me what my five year goals are ..or for that matter even one year goals
9. I’m short tempered [only with my folks]; though i have tried to work through and around my temper… i still have a long way to go..
10. I believe friendship is the best type of relationship; when you infuse friendship in your relationships, you always have it going for you

After raking my brains for so long, i realized that the results of my attitude test on FB is quite close; I could have just done ctrl c and ctrl v. So..here it is

“you are the sort of person who likes to take life slowly… just one day at a time.. you usually know the difference between right and wrong. you believe in yourself. you put yourself in other peoples shoes and see how it feels to be them and then handle a situation accordingly.your attitude towards life is very positive…. you are liked by all and are a great friend.the flip side is that sometimes you care too much about other people and dont do what you really wanna do..”

I dont know anyone who has not already done this tag. So anyone interested can please take it up!

P.S: This was waiting for a nudge from Swaram