YEs its the International Women's Day...actually it was yesterday but given my busy schedule at office these days i hardly find time to finish my postings regularly!! As i wrote in my earlier pos...there are so many things i wanna do in my day that i just dont find time enough for everything...i want to finish reading so many books...i want to learn so many new things bla bla etc..etc.. Yesterday being the International Women's Day did not make much difference to me...but i was happy that there are a few things like this to commemorate the greatness of women!! They definitely are a special creation of the almighty and a day dedicated to celebrate women and their umpteen great things...that feels good.. :)
I usually dont consider any of these days as anything special...except for Mothers and Father's Day...though i had always wanted 2 celebrate Valentine's day as specially as i could...but unfortunately i never had a valentine on valentines.. :) and this year when i had someone special...well i was still not able to do that...given the continents and oceans between us...we did send each other gifts...but gifts will never really replace a person's presence!! Anyways let me not deviate from what i am trying to post here...so i never considered Women's day as anything special...though i used to wish my colleagues at work and some of my friends thru mail etc etc...but i never really took time to celebrate it as such!
8th March'2010...It was a hard monday at work...mondays usually are the hardest days of the week...was a hectic day with no time to think about anything...and though i usually always want to leave for home by 4:50....most of the days i end up staying till after 5:30...I finished the work for the day...and started preparing myself to leave office...i was putting on my coat when i realised...i did put my left arm inside the coat first...actually long back one of my friends had read this somewhere that women usually always use their left arm first whenever wearing a dress or blouse or sweater or coat etc while men always use their right...and jus then the thought crossed my mind...its actually Women's Day today!! whew...i dint even realise that it was Women's Day...usually in india i would hav gotten mails from my colleagues at work wishing me a Happy Women's Day etc...but here i hardly get any forwards from my friends in India...Anyways...does it even make a difference? I put on my walking shoes...Checked my desk...picked up my id card and my train tickets which i keep in a plastic case...i rechecked my desk to make sure i dint leave anything important...and i started walking towards the lift...i checked the time in the small tv display inside the lift and felt it was late for me...it was 5:27 pm...i just thought to myself i should start rushing towards the path station...only then i will be able to catch the earliest possible path train to Newark Penn and then atleast catch the 6:02 or the 6:12 NJTransit train from Newark Penn Station...if i miss the 6:12 train...then i hav 2 wait nearly 30 mins for the next one...and i definitely dint want 2 do that after such a tiring day at work. I put my earphones on and started listening to the usual songs on my mobile...the song on the list was dil tho bacha hai ji...one of my faves...i knew i was hurrying up to the WTC path Station and while walking towards the station...all i could think of was...man i need 2 reach there soon...i don wanna miss the last express train to Edison...i was approaching the Vessey street junction where i take a turn everyday to reach the path station...and just then something struck me...its WOMEN's Day...let me go and do something good for myself...i've worked hard and achieved much in life and i should give myself a break...give myself a pat on the back...i should do something for myself also...something that will make me happy...i have forgotten shopping for myself since ages i guess...i did shop in NYC very often...but it was more for others...ya i did SHOP for a wedding dress in the whole of NY/NJ...that was crazzzzy...but that was a necessity...not actually the joy of "SHOPPING" :)
With all the winter clearance Sales going on thru out NYC, i thought i should just go and grab something for myself that will make me happy...though i never did find anything at all in my size in the whole of all places i visited in US till now...and that too in a clearance sale!! Well the chances were less than faint...but i jus wanted to do something that will make me happy...i was still walking to the junction...finally i dint take the turn...i was not thinking anything just listening to the song on my mobile and i found myself not even looking at my watch to check the time...i was heading towards church street...and i knew i will jus go and have a good time for myself...something i totally deserve...atleast on Women's Day!!
So i landed at Century 21...one of the most famous Fashion Stores in NYC...and started checking stuff for myself...i knew i will finally come out all sad that there was nothing in my size...and whatever scarce was there...of course i couldn't like...i was jus thinking when suddenly i figured out where the petite section was...i was kind of happy thinking that i will finally find something here which i mite like...and good Gracious!! i found something that looks like its gonna fit me!! It was an aqua coloured shirt...i liked the cut and the shape...i wasnt very impressed with the colour though... but i was too happy to know that i found something i liked in my size!! i picked it immediately and started walking to the fitting area...on the way i picked up a couple of things that i liked which i was not sure will fit me like i wanted...finally i was waiting in the queue for fitting room...and when i tried the shirt i was happy with the way it fitted me!! i tried the other things that i had picked up from the petite section...and finally had brains enough to check the price on each of them.. :) the shirt that i had liked so much..costed 30 Dollars!! it was pretty expensive for a shirt...but i guess i was too happy to have found something that fitted me...and i dint mind the cost...i just dropped everything else that i had picked up thinking that its better to pick one expensive piece that fits you well than to pick 5 cheap pieces that dont fit you so well!! anyways...being happy with my decision i started walking towards the billing area hoping to find something more that will fit me...and i found something again in my size which was more expensive than the shirt i just chose...but was something i wanted for a long long time!! i dont really know what was gotten into me!! if it was the normal me...i would have dropped both the things and would have walked off...but then today i was in some different spirits...i had made up my mind to spend for MYSELF...so i picked the second peice also...and finally got it billed...the bill was a whooping 75 Dollars for a shirt and a sweater...but i felt it was worth it...i definitely did deserve this!!
I walked back to the WTC Station being a happy ME...i was happy and not even bothered what time i was gonna get the next train to Edison from Newark Penn...i was jus happy! I usually dont read the AM NewYork newpaper these days...but that day i picked it up from the WTC Station and started reading it...and just as i used to do before...i hunted to find the zodiac section...was excited to read what was in store for me that day!! This usually happens to me...i suddenly become very happy when i buy something that i like...everything starts looking good and i am in high spirits...anywyas...being in high spirits i started reading out the Virgo: Your Day Today column...and i was surprised to see what i read...it said " Today circumstances will allow you to direct your passions into growing your beauty"...I dont believe in daily horoscopes but still read them whenever i get a chance...and i had to agree that it was a good day and i did do something good for myself on that day.
So this Women's day embarks a start of new celebrations for me...the start of celebrating my womanhood...celebrating Myself. We as women need to realise that though women have been created to be more patient, more submissive, more enduring...though they are by nature are more generous and have a tendancy to think for others before themselves...it is good to treat ourselves better atleast on some special days! When the whole world unites to commemorate a day meant just for women...we should take full advantage of such an occasion and do things just for us...just for making us happy!! I am not saying that everyone should indulge in reckless shopping like me...but it can be anything just anything that makes you happy! Its a great thing to be a Woman and giving yourself a gift for Womanhood on your special day is definitely totally worth it.. :)
17th February '2010...Lent starts today and for me Lent is something that has always carried more value in my spiritual life than Christmas or any other Christian festival. I have observed lent since i was a child i guess, may be when i did not even know the real meaning of Lent. I would thank my parents for having infused so much importance for such religious beliefs. Since last 6 years, I have observed lent as a more serious aspect for enhancing my spirituality, my closeness to the Almighty.
This year is my first lent in US and i am not very excited about it. I am in the US and that means i would be breaking the lent without family. That is something that doesnt really make me very excited as i believe partaking with family makes it more spiritual and complete. But i guess experiencing difficult situations is also a route to being close to GOD. Being in a country like US, i was not expecting to see much religiousness around me. But i was surprised to see people talking about Ash Wednesday, about going to church, about Lent. When i first landed in US, i did get a culture shock! But since my brother has been staying here for about 7 years now and i keep hearing stories about different things here, i was still doing ok after the culture shock. I had been to a couple of American churches here and after seeing the spiritual life here, i could clearly say how different it is from India. After meeting so many people who by birth are christians but by practice are atheist, I was not expecting people to be giving any kind of importance to observing Lent or anything related to Lent. But by the end of the day i did happen to see a few people having ash on their foreheads, and a few people talking about going to church for the evening service, meeting up for the ash wednesday mass etc etc. Its sad to see that after how much this country has been blessed by GOD in terms of so many wonderful things, people have become so comfortably unbothered of their creator. But at the start of the holy lenting days, i am happy to see that there still are a few of them who do respect HIM.
I am just hoping that this lent moulds me to become more of a person that GOD wants me to be and i get closer to fulfill HIS purpose for me, cuz without HIM i am nothing but Ash.
Wishing everyone a very happy Valentine's Day...ya i know am a day late in wishing...but i jus hope all had a good one...a really memorable one.. :)
No i am not really gonna share my Valentine's Day secrets with you...cuz being away from my sweet hubby doesnt really make any celebration worthwhile for me...but that doesnt mean i am gonna let go of this greatest celebration of Love pass by without even writing or talking about it... :)
I am so sure so many of us would have mused about the existence of a whole day to celebrate Love... and many of us would have actually delved into google and wiki to know the history of Valentines...where and how did anyone ever start to celebrate such a thing. Even i did my research aboout it and while i read thru different links on google and wiki...all i could end up with is...its just a Day for celebrating LOVE!! The greatest emotion of all... :)
I guess there are more tales about the origin of Valentines or Valentines day that there are arrows in cupid's quiver.. :) One Legend talks about a Saint named Valentine who used to perform secret marriages when the Roman Emperor Claudius II had established a rule that soldiers should remain single during their service tenure...Many more legends talk about some Saint or Priest who was executed or martyred on Feb 14th...some talk about Feb 14th as a starting date when birds come to find their mates...while others state that Valentine was a Christian who was imprisoned for his faith and while he was in sentence he fell in love with the jailors daughter...was execuuted on Feb 14th 269 A.D...and before he was executed had sent a letter to the jailor's daughter stating "From your Valentine"
The first Valentine Card is believed to have been sent by Charles, Duke of Orleans to his Wife in 1415, when he was a prisoner in the Tower of London. Its still on display at the British museum...By 1450 Valentine was the name of one's Sweetheart...By 1530 it was a folded piece of paper...In 1610 "Valentines" were gifts given to sweethearts...In the 1800's it again meant messages exchanged by couples...With so many definitions and legends for "Valentines", the next time someone asks you to be their Valentine...you might want to be sure they dont want you to be their martyr.. :)
But for sentimentals in love...even becoming a martyr for their love...just means an expression of Love...no wonder so many people were slayed/executed/burried/martyred for their Love...be it the love for their faith or for their sweetheart...We are blessed to have been born in an era where we do not have to often give up our lives to express our love...there are far more impoverished and interesting ways of doing it.. :)
When you read about Valentines day celebrations throughout the world...you can very well qoute different ways in which people around the world commemorate this great celebration of love...in some countries the lovers gift each other flowers...while in some countries they send out cakes made out of chocolate...while some countries they send out heart and cupid shaped gifts and confectionaries...while in some countries like korea...the guy gifts chocolates to their sweethearts while the girl in return gifts non chocolate candies to the man...the whole world has different ways of celebrating this great commemoration of love...but the bottomline still remains the same...celebrate LOVE...
Sadly when we read about Valentine's day celebrations in the past few years in countries like India, Pakistan etc...we can only qoute of different religious groups opposing this celebration by giving hollow reasons like its a way of contamintaing their divine culture...or spreading Christianity in a non christian dominant nation...or even things like its an unnecessary attempt of westerners to impose their culture on us etc etc...when the whole world is uniting in one simple celebration of Love...some protectors of religion/culture cant protect/support celebration of the greatest emotion in all religions...LOVE...thats irony!!!
Just hoping that this Valentine's no one has to take the martyr way to prove/express their love...cuz atleast in my view...dying to express how much u love a person is just not the done thing...one can just express their stupidity by doing so...cuz if u really love a person u will want 2 LIVE for them...to show them how beautiful their life can be with all the love u give them... :)
