Timepass

The clock talked loud. I threw it away, it scared me what it talked.

On Aug 15th, 2009 it had been six months since i got married.. A good date to remember and assure myself how independent i am in life.. I have all the freedom in this world to do all those things that i was complaining i couldn't do due to "lack of time".. or rather due to poor time-management.. And whenever i talk to anyone, be it from India or from here in Austin, they are interested in asking only one question everytime.. never mind if they're not talking to me for the first time.. they still keep asking the same.. "How do you pass time ya?" And my blood pressure will shoot up!! Why should i pass time?? Time doesn't wait for anyone.. It is already passing!! Somehow people all around the world have developed this attitude towards non-working women.. A homemaker has to do something to "pass" time.. Ok get me a job! I wanted one too.. I'm not an IT person, not interested in becoming one too.. I have last been a Team Lead in HP and a German language specialist for 5 Yrs and i can play good music on the Guitar.. This is my profile!! The consultants may ask, "A German.... what??.. u must be joking!" and thats it!! But it is a tradition here to ask, "Oh is your wife working?? Oh if not, then how does she "pass" time ya?" - Goodness gracious, someone explain to them what it takes to be a homemaker and to "pass" that time.. Patience, patience and a lot more of patience!!

Well i get up in the morning everyday.. sometimes early for a morning walk, or sometimes on time just to brush my teeth and prepare breakfast for him.. But the point here is, I get up in the morning.. everyday!! Atleast before 8, i'd have got up and be ready to watch the Airtel Super Singer Junior Season 2 on the Star Vijay TV. Hail to the Vijay TV!! Breakfast is usually dosa if i made the flour ready for the week, or a sandwich.. And if i miss my morning walk, i'll compensate it with a half hour work-out at the apartment gym. And then i cook lunch for him.. no hard and fast rules unless it is some festive occasion. A simple 45 mins to one hour cooking.. If there's food carried over from yesterday, then it is only half hour's job. All that he likes about food is, it has to be served hot!! Microwave ki Jai Ho!! By the way, after gym and before cooking lunch is when i make my morning dutiful calls to India.. to my folks and his folks on alternative days. If i miss it one day, i'll immediately get a call from my mom and she will curse me for having set up the stupid voicemail cos they end up paying for talking to a voicemail.. Thanks to Tata Docomo for their new plan with rates based on seconds instead of minutes.. Yet they don't know how important setting up a voicemail is here.. People here rely more on machines than on human specimens!! They are pretty old now to do a voicechat with us and even if they come online their internet lines will keep breaking our calls every 5 or 10 mins. And after that lunchtime will approach.. he comes home everyday mostly by 12.30 to have proper home-cooked healthy south indian food. And he leaves in max one hour. We are growing some beautiful small plants in our patio like Tulasi, Vrutchi, Curry-leaf, Vinca, Jasmine.. Once he leaves i water them so that they can withstand the sun which starts scorching by 3pm here.. God it is too hot outside to open the patio doors between 3pm and 7pm. Sun sets pretty late by 8.30pm here!

Well it isn't so tough to do something for a timepass during the afternoon.. Especially when there is a laptop, some divine household chores like washing clothes weekly twice, folding the clothes neatly and arrange it in his untidy closet !! and washing vessels twice a day, watching a movie on KTv or UTv Hindi movies once or twice a week, reading a novel online, learning to play one good Tamil or Hindi song on Guitar a week, one or two new Tamil/Hindi classical/devotional/Bhajan songs per week, learning some western country and rock-n-roll from a Guitar instructor every Monday and Thursday for an hour and half, practicing them atleast twice a week.. hold on, i need to breathe inbetween!! Ok.. and there are also these neighbours who keep complaining that i don't visit them "at all" if they dont see me for a week!!! Oh God, i sometimes wonder how there are so many indian families living in my Apartment community.. There are nearly 13 + families that i know here within the complex.. But it is still nice to have so many of them who have formed a Mandali of housewives here.. Most of them are Andhraites.. One Kannadiga is there and one Tamilian. The one Tamilian has gone to India now to celebrate the birth of her baby boy. Anyways i've started understanding Telugu in bits and pieces. This Mandali keeps meeting at somebody's place once a week or two over an evening snack with a new recipe.. So i am part of this Mandali too ;-) Long live the housewives club!! By the time i find that i have nothing to do, it would be already time for him to be back from office!! And did i forget to mention that i don't have the good or bad habit of sleeping in the afternoon?? I hardly find time ya.. who is it here now asking me how i "pass" time??

But what minutes! Count them by sensation, and not by calendars, and each moment is a day.