Am I nosy?

Have you ever found the nose to be the center of attraction during a conversation? It happens to me quite often though not as much as it used to when I was a kid.

Amidst a nice interesting conversation suddenly I get deviated towards the nose - how it looks, how it flares with the emotions, what the conversation really does to ones nose, face minus the nose, face with the nose, bigger, smaller, what-ifs,  and other funny thoughts tickle me...

As I said this habit is very much on the decline now and I thought it necessary to capture it before I lose the 'art' completely; hence this post.

Not sure when or how it all started but I notice the person's nose, next to their fingers. Just like fingers can never lie about one's personality, nose can never lie about one's emotions. People say all those nice things about the eyes, but in fact it is the nose that makes the eyes look pretty as it kind of balances both eyes, so the credit should go to the nose. Imagine if we had not the nose, where else we would hoist the glasses?

Mom's nose turns red when she cries or gets angry. Rachel's nose has droplets of sweat since she was a baby and we guessed she would be short tempered; hasn't been true! Joshua's nose definitely smiles with his eyes, Sharon's nose is turned up when she is mad at mommy and mommy's nose is neutral except when she gets upset, then it flares up with her voice... (happened to catch myself on the mirror once or twice when this happened); Daddy's nose up close makes you wonder why it is so huge!

It feels so uneasy if something is on someones nose when you are talking to them. You very much want to tell him/her, but can't quite, and finally you do, and they excuse themselves and there aren't many awkward moments like that. We won't really feel the same if something was on their ear or lip or chin; why is that have you wondered?

Some when they laugh their nose too rolls with them - making a funny sound which only ignites more laughter, have you noticed? And some when they blow their nose it sounds like air horn of some kind startling sleeping babies and their pets alike, have you seen that? And those that try hard to sneeze and it goes so mild and weak and they try again with hands raised, rooms cleared only to get a faint feeble sneeze, then there are some like my Grandma who mostly kiss with their nose sniffing at you... Some noses can sing too, have you heard? How about the snoring noses that hiss or hush or thunder like motor bikes?

Do you think I am being 'nosy'? Is there anyone out there who shares in the same curiosity on noses as me?!

Investment Tips for Guys

Thought it is only fair to follow up my previous post on Investment tips for Girls with some tips for guys. Please feel free to add more.

1. 1. Be a good friend - Does your wife consider you as her good friend? If not, you need to definitely work in this area. It is vital for her. Friendship takes time, efforts, involvement, affection
2. 2. Do not demand - No, it is not your birth right to be served always.
3. 3. Consider her input - I can't stress enough on the importance of respecting her opinion. You both have equal role to play in your marriage, in building your family, no one is superior than the other, so it is important to consider her likes and dislikes before deciding on a major financial commitment.
4. Play - with the kids I mean. This conveys to her that you are committed to the children she so painstakingly bore for you.
5. Let her sleep in late - At least once every week allow her to wake up on her own. She definitely needs the extra hour or so to fully charge herself for the week ahead.
6. Domestic help - The slightest help you do such as picking up the dirty socks and tossing it in the laundry basket, makes a big difference in house keeping. Help her out as much as you can.
7. Give her space - Let her gain access to her own table or a closet or something of her own - which she can set up according to her taste, where she can relax with a book or write her letters or even read her blogs.
8. Never ignore her tears - No, she does not use it as a weapon to get her ways. She is a human being and her emotions are expressed differently than yours. Never ever make light of her tears, it makes permanent scars that can not be easily repaired.
9. Allow her to pay back her parents - Think about it, she was raised pretty much the same way as you were, her parents toiled hard to give her the best education they could afford, she was raised on their sweat and blood. It gives her a huge satisfaction to gift them occasionally if not regularly. Do not force her to do otherwise. It is not fair.
10. Be the best friend she could ever have. Remember best friend would never put one down - in front of others - be it your own family. You take the blame to save her face, not the other way. Believe you were made for each other and make it a happy home!

Investment Tips for Girls

Back in time I had written about Love Bank & Direct Deposit. 

Here are some sure-fire investment tips for girls:

1. 1. Treat your husband as your King. Yes, you heard me right - as king! He should be your first and foremost priority. Just because you cooked doesn't mean he has to clean. This is to do with our attitude; equality of gender doesn't have to do anything with this.
2. Arise and Shine. Wake up a little early to a good start. Do not fail to join him for breakfast if not make it for him. When he makes it, appreciate it.
3. Enough with the blame game. Think about it, does it make anyone feel better? Then why play?
4. Serve a Happy Meal. Find out one thing he likes to eat and make it cheerfully for him often.
5. Give him room - To breath, to meet his friends, to enjoy his favorite TV shows, to take a weekend nap, you name it...
6. Surprise him by doing one of his errands - be it putting out the trash or cleaning the fish tank or washing the toilet or why not even mowing the lawn. No work is strictly his; no harm in trying it out.
7. Send love notes - Trust me, a simple 'I love you so much' in a sticky note in his lunch bag can make his day; he might not say it but it does.
8. Do not compare - With any one including your father. He is the best.
9. Never threaten to leave - Believe you are made for each other and no one is better than him. Always work towards mending the hearts rather than tearing it apart further. Even when it is not your fault be the first to make up.
10. Appreciate - Everything he has done for you, doing for you and all his efforts to make you happy. Try a 'Thank you for marrying me' and see if it melts him or not.

Please feel free to add your tips to the list... Stay tuned for Investment Tips for Guys...

Not so 'easy' E-ZPass!

We were among the first lot to jump in and get an E-Zpass when it was first introduced in the New Jersey tolls years ago and we loved it!

We loved the fact that we could breeze through the toll booth while others were hurriedly counting changes for exact cash after pulling up to the toll window only to realize they were few pennies short, others were waiting in looo..ng lines to pay cash.

For a while it was fun - until the authorized credit card expired! We started noticing that the red light would stay red and won't turn green and when we paused to try again we got honked at from behind. So we swept by only to receive toll violation notices with our vehicle's picture as proof. For a 35 cent toll we were fined $25, a couple of times :(

Online system wouldn't let us in as it required a pin which we forgot. When we request the pin online it would only be sent by mail - no not email, but by regular mail. It would be few days to receive it and when we received it we didn't immediately use it; so it was voided.

Our numerous calls to E-Zpass customer service only went to repeated mechanical answering service and finally when we got to talk to someone human, it was me calling but the account was on Israel's name and they wanted him to be calling. There it goes... Till date we haven't had the opportunity to get our records straight. After few years of trying their "helpful" customer service, we decided to return the E-ZPass and go back to manual ways.

Hoping for a better service this time called them up again recently only to find out that we have a 'locked account' because of our previous set up and can't move ahead without clearing it up. After days of follow ups and more mechanical voices, we have concluded that there is nothing easy about the E-ZPass!

I must add, these days we drive around paying toll with cash and truly love the laid back experience. But then it is not every day we pay toll...

Mark my books

I love book marks. Unique tags from clothes, greeting card cut outs, interesting piece of paper or fabric or even a ribbon or why not even some string or thread can all turn out to be great book marks. Thought I will share some with you as part of my Around the house post.

Be My Guest!

How is everybody doing? Looks like the winter has us frozen. I don't see many posting these days from fellow bloggers and even my rare ideas keep escaping me. Thought of a little something to wake us up from the prevailing hibernation. Hence introducing Be My Guest! 

I am accepting guest posts from anyone who wants to participate. Your guest post will be posted on NRIGirl blog with links to your blogs. This way readers can benefit from a variety of bloggers and bloggers can benefit from new readers. How's that?

Few topics suggestion:

* A word with you
* Ready or not hear I come
* Around the house

If you wish to write in all three topics, by all means go for it; if you are not comfortable in these lines, please feel free to pick your own. It could be an essay, short story, poem, photograph, interview, painting, or anything you can dream it up to be.

Please email me your submissions at nrigirl at hotmail dot com. It will be posted on a first come first served basis. The post with the maximum number of comments will be awarded; haven't figured out what, but something simple and cherishable.

So, let's get started. Please Be My Guest!

12 years ago today!

Twelve years ago today - January 23rd of 1998 is a memorable day in my life, the reason being it was the day we arrived in my dream country - United States of America!

Also, it was the day I saw the first snow fall. Yes, it was snowing at Boston's Logan International Airport when we landed. It felt like a dream in itself. Believe it or not I wanted to kiss the earth but refrained from actually doing it for fear of embarrassing Israel.

As we walked out of the airport Israel taught me how to taste the snow directly, I was delighted! I loved the fresh cold air as I had felt suffocated in the long plane journey. I was thirsty I remember, thirsty for good tasting water, the water from home, but alas that was one thing I missed for a very long time - may be even years before my taste buds got accustomed to local water...

Israel went and bought the bus tickets for our ride to Framingham. It was night so I couldn't see much, however I was astonished at the heaps and heaps of snow by the road side and how tall the bus was from the road and how all our luggage could easily fit in the compartments by the wheels.

When we arrived at the terminal Israel made me wait with the luggage while he went to get his car. I was waiting and waiting and waiting and dosed off waiting... Not sure how long before Israel came back - seemed like hours. Startled to his patting on my shoulder woke up in bewilderment - back to my dream again looking at the gently falling snow flakes through the car window. It was a brand new silver Honda Accord and smelled so good.

It felt a little strange to be alone with Israel - all alone - without any known or familiar faces around. How long it would be before I saw any of my family again?! How is it going to be all alone?! Did I ask for too much when I longed for America? May be I should have accepted the UGC posting or the PhD admission and got married closer to home... Will I even survive here? - were many thoughts that were rushing through my mind... bringing fresh new tears.

Israel was concentrating on the driving. Remember it was night and snowing and he had a new bride to take care of. So I don't blame him for not noticing my tears. But I was strangely worried if he would have cared if he had actually noticed it. I saw the small key chain teddy bear I had hand made and sent to Israel before our marriage was hanging at the rear view mirror. Suddenly everything changed; I knew right away if Israel cared for the teddy bear that much surely he will care for me too. I smiled at that and felt at home! I had arrived!!

Speaks a thousand words...

I am sure these speak a thousand words; but if I were to sum it up in one word, it would be: Today!

Let it snow! let it snow! let it snow!

We have had a few snow days this year already and mostly we wasted them indoors, under the covers, in front of the TV or snuggled at the window seat.

Recalling the best snow day activity only makes me regret the lost opportunities and just can't wait for the next snow showers, which is expected over the weekend. Here's sharing some snow day 'must do' activities.  

1. When it is still snowing get out to the backyard and lie down on the ground, face up, legs straight kept together, hands spreaded out making a 'T'
2. For a minute or two just lie there looking up at the sky, at the gentle snow flurries, looking at the flakes up close.
3. Taste some, wince some, blow some, cherish some and be prepared for those that tickle your nose; once you have had enough of it move on to the next step.
4. Bring your hands close to the body and at the same time spread your legs apart, repeat it several times to enjoy it the best.
5. Slowly stand up and viola you have made the best Snow Angel in the whole wide world!
6. Make a few more snow angels all over the yard. The more the merrier you see!
7. Now just roll over all over in the snow, bring back the child in you, bring out your young ones at home, drag out your partner too. Tell him/her enough with the hot chocolate all wrapped up in their snuggies. He/she needs some snow - real snow! Pets too why not. It will be fun laughing and rolling together.
8. By now definitely the whole yard is a mess. This is a perfect time for making snow balls throwing at each other and clicking some pictures.
9. When you have had a fair share of snow balls, let's build a snow man. I know you won't have enough snow nearby as you have trampled on them all. So, go gather some from far and near, roll them up and put them together.
10. Finally when fun is full and energy is drained and you are all wet, get back home for a change of clothes and warm cup of hot cocoa or some roasted chestnuts.
11. Don't forget to save at least one perfect snowball in your freezer as a memento.
12. Don't you worry about the messy back yard, in no time it will be smoothed again with fresh snow.

Trust me you will be glad it was a snow day and you didn't waste it. Looking back you will cherish the memories made this day. Let it snow! let it snow! let it snow!

Wavering Wavelength

Have you noticed some people we will connect at once and some never. Some we just meet and it seems like we have known them for years and some we actually know for years but can't really connect?! We often call it as our frequencies or wavelength.

When the frequencies match we become friends and when it doesn't we will never be quite friends. When the frequencies are in sync we finish each others sentences, we think alike, do things similar; when not we have tough time understanding their behavior, they find it hard to understand our tendencies. When it is among friends and associates it is easy to rub off and move along. However when it is among family members it makes it difficult to even communicate. It is not something we can walk away from without hurting ourself. It becomes vital to work on it to get us in tune with one another.

I have seen some of my friends avoiding one of their parents just because they don't fit in the same frequency. It is very sad when we think about it. How long our parents will linger on? Not forever. It is our responsibility to accept them as they are, just as they've accepted us as we are. It is never too late to rekindle our love for one another. It is also possible for frequencies once matched to become otherwise or for wavelengths that were once off to become more in tune.

I know a couple who are married for fifty years of which the last 36 years were spent in isolation. Though they lived under the same roof they had no mutual interests or common friends and their lives had nothing in common other than their grown children. All because Mrs.B chose her faith while Mr. B felt comfortable where he was and didn't find it necessary to change a bit. It took 36 years and suddenly as if overnight Stan decided to join her for a Sunday service and boom he turned around almost instantaneously.

A cousin of mine didn't want anything to do with her father for many many years. Anytime I brought up the subject she will quickly put it off saying she has absolutely no feeling for him. Guess what, recently her Dad passed away and when I went over the only consolation she had was that just a few days ago she had talked to him over the phone after all those years. She was heartbroken and distraught, but just imagine how it would have been if she hadn't had that last opportunity.

Life doesn't last forever. Not everyone can be up to par with our expectations. We need to change. Change so that we can get in tune with those whose frequencies do not compare very well. Even with all the static, communication serves best and stands the test of time. Right, I need to tune too. But honestly I have consciously got in touch with many who I thought could never be friends. I have come to understand that each of those individuals have only brought the best out of me...

Me the Lioness and My Water Bearer

If there was one book we girls pored over in hostel or college, it was not our regular Physics, Electronics or Mathematics. It was not even Jefferey Archer or Sidney Sheldon. It was Linda Goodman's book on Love Signs. There was a HUGE demand for the single copy that was rotating in the campus.

I had had it for a few days or was it just few hours I can't remember, but what I remember is that it was just too overwhelming. I had no clue where to start or where to end or what to look for. First of all I didn't really believe any of these sun signs and stuff. Secondly it was like an ocean in itself and unless you knew who your partner was it was not of much use. However we read... I pretended to read - mostly to fit in!

After all these years suddenly I remembered the book and wanted to go back and see what Linda would have to say about me the Lioness and my Water Bearer. It is pretty amazing how she predicts the signs with such accuracy. I truly enjoyed the reading and had to laugh out loud more than once. Just wanted to share some of the highlights.

WARNING: If you are neither a Lioness nor a Water Bearer this stuff will be boring to you. In that case, I would suggest you read the signs for YOU and the Love of your life, clicking here.

If you insist otherwise, here we go...

Laundry Loads

Gone rampant two weeks ago, I had decided to unload our closets to sort things out. Not quite sure what got into me that moment as I dumped mountains after mountains of clothes in our bed room floor from children's closets and mine.

Trust me, immediately I knew it was a HUGE mistake and it was going to take me weeks and months to put things back. All I should have done was (as I have always done in the past) walk into each closet and remove only the outdated/out sized  stuff. It would have been a mole compared to this mountain!

I wished there was a Control Z button which would undo the mess I had just created. Alas there is none... So I sat down to attack the pile piece by piece. It had taken me two full weeks of folding and putting away and still only about half the mountain was gone. To make matters worse the "just washed" started piling on top.

None of my pleas or offers of incentives or temper tantrums helped as every one wanted to leisurely enjoy the holidays. I just sat there for minutes at a stretch simply staring at the mountain, as if I can just make it vanish with my gaze. When I almost gave up on it Sharon showed some light. She sat down with me almost a whole day and helped me through sorting out the pile. Wow, she was so easy with her little hands and hurried feet that in no time the mountain became a mole - down to the pairing of socks!

Just when I sighed a huge relief, the holidays are all over, back in school we are fast accumulating dirty piles of laundry and the cycle begins allover again...