Postcards From J

Gifted

2012-01-11T00:03:00.001+05:30

With the Feast of the Epiphany last Sunday, the Christmas season is over. The Feast marks the visit of the Magi (also referred to as the Three Wise Men or Three Kings) who brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh for Baby Jesus. Speaking of gifts, I've never grown up with the concept of "gifts" for Christmas. Except for having a new dress stitched for the festival, we pretty much didn't really receive any presents. Guess it was always a western thing. Much like having a (plastic) Christmas tree.

However, in the last few years, my brother and I have bought presents for the children in the family. Mostly for younger cousins during Christmas. While it's fun to give and receive them, we always make sure they aren't extravagant. And that we remember it's the thought that counts. Cliched, I know. But very relevant. Personally, I prefer buying books and educational toys for children. I never buy clothes for anyone else. This time around, I was very surprised to receive a few gifts myself... so just wanted to share a photo of them. Click on the images for a better view.

So, here's what I received...

And then, thanks to the #MumbaiSecretSanta Project, my Secret Santa sent me this fun cushion...

Sweet, no? [Psst, must write about this Mumbai Secret Santa Project soon. It was bloody awesome.]

A big THANK YOU to all of you who got me these gifts. The fact that you had me in your thoughts means more to me. And I truly appreciate them all.

Thursday Reading

2012-01-05T18:25:00.000+05:30

What the world wide web threw up today:

Creative use of Facebook Timeline:
https://www.facebook.com/Antidrugstimeline

This one is for social media enthusiasts and for anyone looking to design an innovative campaign for a cause.

7 Things Highly Productive People Do (Inc.com):
http://blog.deskaway.com/7-things-highly-productive-people-do-inccom

Nothing really radical in this one. But I like the way it's drafted. All of the 7 things mentioned are doable.

20 New Year’s Resolutions For 20-Somethings:
http://thoughtcatalog.com/2012/20-new-years-resolutions-for-20-somethings/

Even if you're not 20-something, these are resolutions most of us could use. And of course, the bigger picture is just screaming to tell us to spend more time on people and things that matter, and less time on being 'connected' via Facebook etc.

Just thought of sharing what I managed to read today. Hope you find them interesting.

Happy News Year!

2012-01-02T12:53:00.000+05:30

No, that's not a typo in the title.

Last year was not the best by any stretch of the imagination. Except for the Indian cricket team winning the World Cup (which didn't really excite me), most of the time we were plagued by rising inflation, rude rickshaw drivers, and an apathetic government. On the personal front, I've had a tough year too - coming to terms with a new role, taking on a crazy project, learning and unlearning so much, an injured ankle (which bothers me even now), still dealing with questions of age and marriage while everyone around is getting hitched and making babies. (But I'm more grateful for the tough times. Those are the experiences that enrich me.)

Sadly, we also lost many notable legends who made immense contributions in their respective fields. The names that spring to mind: MF Hussain, Shammi Kapoor, Jagjit Singh, Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, Dev Anand, Jehangir Sabavala, Bhupen Hazarika, Mario Miranda, and internationally, Peter Roebuck, Steve Jobs, Amy Winehouse, Elizabeth Taylor. Our world will be poorer with their loss.

So, I sincerely hope that 2012 is a Happy 'News' Year. For Mumbai, India and our planet. For you and me.

Etc.

I never make resolutions, but I promise to keep this blog going. Thanks to our August Blogging Challenge, I find posting here therapeutic. (Thanks to Lo for partnering with me on it.)

CLICKED IN JUNE 2011 A FEW HOURS BEFORE I SLIPPED AND INJURED MY RIGHT ANKLE ON THIS VERY GROUND. :(

The other promise I'm making is to read more and tweet less. The latter has already taken shape with tweeting only in bursts and early in the morning/late at night and only if I'm seeking help. The "read more" goal is going to be the real challenge.

And finally, kickstart a few healthy habits. Drink more water, eat less junk, get enough sleep, walk as much as possible. These seem easy, but trust me, when those 6pm hunger pangs strike, a piping hot samosa becomes irresistible. (And I'm not even a samosa fan!) This also means I must leave office everyday at 6 unless absolutely necessary for me to stay back. Which in turn means getting to office on time, and that in turn means, getting enough sleep. See, it's a cycle. So, fingers crossed.

What are some of your resolutions? Let me know.

Christmas Blessings...

2011-12-25T18:13:00.002+05:30

... are wished for you and your loved ones. Thank you for being a part of my blog and for sharing my journey, dear readers. Happy Christmas!


Our li'l Christmas tree

Rick-rolled! 7

2011-12-16T17:35:00.000+05:30

While this is *not* my current state of mind, there have been some things over the past few months that have bothered me a great deal.

To those irritants - people, events, circumstances - the clear and graphic message on the rickshaw above is dedicated to you. Cheers!

Time to get creative!

2011-12-07T15:42:00.001+05:30

There was a time when I took the trouble to 'make' stuff like simple greeting cards and bookmarks or recycle things. Like the one time I made a funky pen stand out of half a coconut shell. Or little boxes out of old greeting cards (really easy to make). Over time, being busy or lazy stopped the creative juices from flowing.

So, I've been thinking of reviving the arty-crafty side of me. Over the past few days, I made little birthday greetings on plain paper inked with a black marker for colleagues. These could be pinned to the softboard, so they weren't made like typical cards. I can't draw to save my life, so stick figures work for me. Also, I'm quite fond of doing the block lettering. [Psst, it forgives uneven writing.] :-)

Today, I made the following greeting for a colleague from a small sheet of paper, a black marker and colour pencils.

The basic sketch done in pencil first, then outlined with a fine tip marker.

Final look created using regular colour pencils.

Will try and post some ideas often. As always, feedback is welcome.

I know.

2011-11-16T00:27:00.001+05:30

And I wish you both the very best.

...

Did you write the book of love,
And do you have faith in God above,
If the Bible tells you so?
Do you believe in rock 'n roll,
Can music save your mortal soul,
And can you teach me how to dance real slow?

Well, I know that you're in love with him
'cause I saw you dancin' in the gym.
You both kicked off your shoes.
Man, I dig those rhythm and blues.

I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck
With a pink carnation and a pickup truck,
But I knew I was out of luck
The day the music died.

Lyrics courtesy: Don McLean, American Pie

On my mind...

2011-11-15T19:31:00.001+05:30

So many things:

Desperately need to hire talent. ~~Good~~ Great talent. People who can write... Write well. Without silly mistakes. Grammatically correct sentences. No typos. Relevant punctuation.

Find my life's calling. Or have I found it already?

Travel. A bit of a distant dream at the moment, but need to plan and figure this out for 2012.

Write. Nay, attempt serious writing. About experiences, work, business, social media, my observations. Too unsure about this.

Travel *and* write?

Get going. Make the time. Take a leap of faith.

Get rid of the exhaustion.

Meet more people. Learn from them. Look for alternatives. Turn those crazy ideas into actual concrete plans.

Words swimming in my head. And these words need to become actions. Strong actions.

No apology. No regrets.

Rick-rolled! 6

2011-11-10T15:34:00.000+05:30

Rick-rolled returns after a little over two months. And this one seems like a continuation from the previous Rick-rolled post.

This one also says, "Shararat Mat Karna" and that bare leg was quite a tease against the copy. What do you think?

From Mondy's to Monday

2011-10-31T02:36:00.000+05:30

Here's a little postcard from Cafe Mondegar's, or Mondy's as we lovingly call it.

I was there on Friday evening with a great bunch of folks, and guess what? I drank a full mug of beer for the first time ever. Not bad considering I'm not a beer guzzler at all.

The artwork on the walls capture the world of celebrated cartoonist Mario Miranda. Absolutely love those drawings.

This past week has been excellent. Just three working days, but some great insights are being worked upon. The Diwali holidays helped in relaxing the mind, and meeting a bunch of lovely people at a house party, over coffee/kebabs, over double peppermint chocolate, over beer (!), and at the warm Le Pain Quotidien (photos coming soon)... Ah! So much conversation and laughter with excellent company.

Have a great week, everyone.

~j~

Shoe stopper!

2011-10-30T02:05:00.000+05:30

My no-shopping vow has taken a terrible beating the past few months, especially because of the ease and convenience of online shopping. Sample this: a watch, books, a pendant, more books, shoes, silver earrings, a bath towel (don't look surprised; it was from the Wimbledon tennis range), some more books and now... just look at these beauties that I picked up at the Aldo sale:

Even after discount, they cost me quite a bit. But, but, but... look at them. Sexy, no? Now I have to find the perfect outfit to wear them with. Sigh. Don't remind me of my credit card statement now. Please?

Weekday rambling

2011-10-24T23:55:00.000+05:30

All I really want to do tonight is write a long rambling pointless post. Just like that.

But I must share... I had such a fun Saturday night - which technically lasted just two hours and the rest of the nine hours were actually part of Sunday (pointless information, I know). There was a house party at a friend's since her folks were off on holiday. And what a partayyyyy it turned out to be! You had to BYOB (bring your own booze). And there was tons of food. Everything was super! But the entertainment that happened thanks to the boys doing a song-and-dance was just hilarious. My jaws were really hurting with all the laughing that ensued. Imagine watching three grown up fellows doing crazy steps to Quit Playing Games by the Backstreet Boys! Yes, exactly my reaction. *grin*

Oh, and I made a little experimental chocolate fudge and took it to the party. Most people who had it said it was nice. :) So, I'll try and blog the process in another post and maybe you could try making some at home. It's quite simple actually.

And today, Monday, wasn't that bad. Plus, I got to meet two of my favourite people over Barista coffee and seekh kebabs/baida roti from Nice Fast Food Corner. If you've never been to this place, shame on you! It opens in the evenings (probably after 7), and shuts at 11.30pm, but I would advise going there before 9pm, so you don't have to go back without food. Do try the seekh kebab, baida roti (chicken and mutton) and the mutton boti. Wash it all down with a mini bottle of Thums Up. *burp*

Time to crash. Someone, please ~~figure out~~ fix my sleep cycle. :-/

Good night.

PS: This Diwali week is going to kill my productivity. Monday-Tuesday are working, followed by a holiday on Wednesday, again work on Thursday, and then an extended weekend with a holiday on Friday. Hate it!

Bucket List revisited

2011-10-24T17:32:00.005+05:30

"~~Kolkata~~ ~~for Durga Pujo~~. Shantiniketan. ~~Eden Gardens. Mother Teresa. Puchkas and roshogullas.~~"

Just striking off one teeny tiny thing off my very brief bucket list. I would have really liked to actually go inside the Eden but... next time, maybe.

This post will be revised. Watch out.

Turn out the lights

2011-10-20T11:40:00.000+05:30

"Go for hurried baths, and then forget all about hurrying. Take midnight showers. Turn off the light and stand in the water."

These words by Natasha Badhwar in one of her parenting columns keep turning up in my head every now and then. Even though I'm not a parent, I love the way she writes and I can still relate to most things she writes about.

Coming back to the quote above, I generally end up taking midnight showers because I get home quite late and I quite like feeling clean before I can nod off to sleep. But tonight was only the second time I switched off the lights while taking a shower. The first time, it felt great, peaceful and relaxing. And last night as well. Except that I had an A-HA moment too where I learnt...

1. The darkness reduced the noise which all that artificial lighting brings. The only light I had was the hazy streetlight outside diffused by the frosted glass strips on the bathroom window.

2. I felt more aware of where things were, how to control the temperature of the water...

3. It was almost like meditation.

4. Finally, the most significant learning: no information processing. With the lights off, I wouldn't have to look at the labels around me for damage-therapy shampoo or blemish-fighting apricot scrub or thermal massage shower gel. I didn't read the labels, so I don't get reminded of how old and tired I've become. I didn't read the labels, so my mind did no info crunching. And I didn't look in the mirror and go "WTF!" and "Damn! I need to get my eyebrows done."

Total peace. Even if for just 15 minutes.

I slept for just 5 hours, but that peace made those 5 hours restful. Thanks, Natasha. More power to your pen.

To read her column which inspired this post, click here: Be inefficient, take midnight showers.

Sent from my iPod Touch

Kol-katha: South Park Street Cemetery

2011-10-04T20:12:00.000+05:30

A visit to South Park Street Cemetery, Kolkata (estd. 1767) turned out to be a super lesson in history and a serene experience. The pictures below are of actual memorials/graves built as far back as 1768.

Postcard from Kolkata

2011-10-04T19:31:00.000+05:30

Nomoshkar from Kolkata... I really wanted to blog a few highlights of my trip so far, but it has been a bit tiring and hectic. Two days and lots seen/eaten/experienced. I have to run now for another round of pandal-hopping. So, here's a little picture postcard for you. Happy Ashtami, people!

Anyone can say Nope!

2011-09-26T19:21:00.001+05:30

A few weeks ago, I learnt a new term thanks to @mehulved: "TIL", which was basically an abbreviation for "Today I Learnt" (shouldn't it be "Today, I learnt"? Sorry, I'm just being a Punctuation Prude with that comma! :P).

So, in that spirit, I'm going to tag all posts related to random web surfing finds as TIL. I had done a few posts like that before. Remember? One was about a brilliant video on The Girl Effect, and then another on a text word art creator Wordle, and more recently about Picnik.com's photo editing features.

And... TIL about this fun NO-chart you can make and it's brought to you by the good people at GOOD. Just 3 clicks are needed:

1. Upload a photograph

2. Write your own question

3. Save and share the result

<--- See what I made.

You also have the option to share your work with a public gallery or keep it only for your own reference (a link is generated). Try it out yourself by visiting Good Labs' Make Your Own No-Chart page now.

Jesus, take the wheel...

2011-09-25T04:23:00.002+05:30

Growing up as a child and as a teenager, I always had a strong sense of my religious obligations. I was an active participant in church services, attended Catechism class with much enthusiasm, took initiative with organizing programmes for others, and in general, was considered a "good girl". While I didn't exactly turn out to be "bad" in any way, my spiritual connection with the Almighty has been on a massive decline since a few years now.

Make no mistake though. I still believe in God. Or rather in the idea of "God" - someone out there who's all-knowing, all-seeing, all-powerful and who we can turn to in life's joyous and sorrowful moments. What I've experienced in the last few years though is a sense of discontent, a disconnect from that omniscient force. And it's only because I started questioning what happened/happens around me; why we blindly follow certain rituals, why we are so concerned with getting others converted to our beliefs, why we go about these obligations without much thought, why is it so male-centric/dominated... and so on. Why do we have to make "faith" into this series of tasks? Why not adapt to the changing times? Such doubts and questions only fuelled my stubbornness in refusing to go to Sunday Mass or to events like the neighbourhood Rosary in May or October. There'd be months at a stretch where I wouldn't bother attending Mass, only visiting the church when I felt like it or if there was a funeral or someone's nuptials (either of which had to be of close friends or relatives for me to make the effort). My parents, after the initial nagging, finally gave up and stopped telling me to go to church. I didn't see anything wrong with my lifestyle, with my skipping of prayer-time, with my I-don't-care attitude. But tonight, something made me want to write this post.

I've been upset about something. In the larger context of the world's many problems, mine is an insignificant issue. Yet, it bothers me and so much time was spent in moping. While chatting with a friend about it, I realized how I never prayed or at least tried to pray to see if I could achieve some peace within. Not for the said problem alone, but in general.

Father RT, a priest who's also a friend, had sent me this text a few days ago: "Prayer is the place where BURDENS change SHOULDERS. Never underestimate the power of prayer today and always!" And somewhere at the back of mind, the words kept playing on and on. Add to it, I listened to Carrie Underwood's Jesus, Take The Wheel continuously on loop yesterday, and it has left me thinking hard again. I felt the character in the song was me who was...

"running low
On faith and gasoline."

And it made me want to "throw my hands up in the air" and just surrender myself to this higher power that I have no real knowledge of.

"... And for the first time in a long time
She bowed her head to pray
She said I'm sorry for the way
I've been living my life

I know I've got to change
So from now on tonight

Jesus, take the wheel
Take it from my hands
'Cause I can't do this on my own
I'm letting go
So give me one more chance
To save me from this road I'm on
Jesus, take the wheel."

As I go to bed tonight, I want to believe there is a force out there that looks after me. Or at least one that wants me to look after myself. I've been believing my doubts on many fronts, and they are just making matters worse when it comes to tackling issues everyday. Maybe by letting go in complete surrender, I can try to find that balance my life needs. But praying doesn't mean sitting idle and letting things spiral away. I've always believed in service being a form of prayer. Karma really comes back to bless or haunt you, no? Another one of Father RT's texts said: "Faith can move mountains, but don't be surprised if God hands you a shovel at times!"

I'm off to look for *that* shovel.

PS: Do read Henna Achhpal's thoughts on her Vipassana experience here. This is one thing I want to encounter myself in my own spiritual quest. Ten days away from people, phones, email? Tough, tough, tough!

PPS: This is a personal post, and does not endorse or promote any religion whatsoever. The photo above was taken a long time ago and was posted here originally.

Confused

2011-09-24T02:25:00.001+05:30

I don't know what I'm doing here by trying to write. This week has been mixed. More 'down' than 'up'. And tonight just killed the little excitement I had for my upcoming travel plans. No, I don't want to talk about what really happened. Because, frankly, I do not know what it actually is, and how it came to be. In the space of a few minutes, opinion has swayed, known people became strangers, loyalty is being mistaken as rudeness. And all this is just not making sense. I've always strived to put others in the foreground. I hate the spotlight. Yet, some accusations were made which have left me terribly upset.

So, I'll try to sleep it off. The television's on, but there's nothing worth watching. Maybe I need to remind myself about the sun... it sets in the evening to rise the next day without fail. With vigour, with hope, with peace. Good night.

Dravid

2011-09-18T03:47:00.000+05:30

~~Beware, this post is a bit of a ramble. Not sure where it's headed.~~

So, 16th September 2011 will be remembered as the day Rahul Dravid, one of India's best batsmen, bowed out of the limited overs version(s) of the game. Paeans were written before and after the 5th ODI versus England at Cardiff. Unfortunately, the Indian team couldn't seal a victory capping off an extremely tough and a winless tour. Dravid, along with Virat Kohli, managed to get an excellent partnership going and their efforts helped the team go past the 300+ run mark. Captain MS Dhoni also scored a quick knock but England has had the upper hand throughout this tour and emerged victors in a rain-marred game.

Anyway, I wanted to blog about Dravid. Hopefully soon. For today, presenting just the image above. There never will be another one like you, Rahul Dravid. Thank you for the wonderful memories.

PS: Please excuse any typos and weird sentences. I'm way too sleepy. 'Night!

Tired...

2011-09-14T12:41:00.001+05:30

... of being brave.
... of having to tackle so many different things AND being expected to succeed at all of them.
... of expectation.
... of no expectation.
... of being the go-to girl.

... of the potholes in Aarey that make my back ache.
... of noise, pollution, filth, humans.

... of not being able to run for a train like I used to since three and a half months.
... of feeling too scared to walk quickly, leave alone run.

... of being taken for granted. Every effing time.
... of playing too safe.
... of making travel plans in my head.
... of dreaming too small.
... of giving. And forgiving.

... of well-meaning "advice" (go to the ortho; get your thyroid checked; lose weight; stop eating junk; don't work so many hours; don't socialise so much; save money; get married).

... of life. Soon.

Sent from my iPod Touch

Going on a Picnik...

2011-09-06T16:20:00.000+05:30

I've been trying some online resources for photo editing, especially since I'm Photoshop-challenged.

One of my favourite sites is Big Huge Labs.Their tagline is simple: "Helping you do cool stuff with your digital photos since 2005. :-) Have fun with your photos!". You should try it sometime.

Another one is Picnik. I had checked it out ages ago and was very annoyed with how slow the site was. But then, I rediscovered it recently, and while there are quite a few of their features for premium users, I still think it's a good bet to do something fun with your photos. Earlier in the blog, I did try the Polaroid (in Frames) feature with a photo. This time, I tried the Sticker (speech bubble) and Text (Eat me!) features. The result? Quite nice, I thought. See:

I went to Frames and chose the simplest one after selecting the colours for the two borders.

The downside? You need to sign up for an account and as a 'free' user, you can upload just 5 photos at a time. And you need to pay for premium features. But those reasons aside, the time taken for photos to upload is a bit much.

Have you tried Picnik.com? What's your experience like? Are there other online resources like this and BHL that cater to photo-fun?

PS: I really love Picnik's pre-loader. It's simple but so creative. The copy, that is:

Blooming blossoms | Warming breeze | Growing grass | Buttering sandwiches... and so on. Puts a smile on your face while you wait for the site to load. :)

Bucket list

2011-09-05T16:45:00.000+05:30

Just realised I've never really had a bucket list. But then again, I'm not the kind to go about making and ultimately sticking to resolutions. (Horrible, I know!) It probably stems from my lack of serious ambition.

So, I thought of listing down all that I must do, experience, see, eat, drink, make, travel to before I, errr, kick the bucket...

1. Learn to code. Nothing elaborate, just one line of something. Any language. I never liked studying 'computers'; neither did I ever take up programming at any point in school or college. The only reason I did opt for the subject in school was because it was a choice between that and needlework (ugh!). Maybe I should ask Dan to help me with this. She's the smartest coder I know.

2. Travel the world. More realistically, India. Some places to explore in the immediate future include:

Old Delhi for its history. And the food.

Hyderabad for biryani.

Kolkata for Durga Pujo. Shantiniketan. Eden Gardens. Mother Teresa. Puchkas and roshogullas.

Madras. For the Chennai Open (tennis) and hopefully, watch Leander Paes-Mahesh Bhupathi win.

Wai. And Jejuri to re-live Arun Kolatkar's poetry.

Dalhousie, Darjeeling. Dharamsala to teach as a volunteer.

North East India. For Cherrapunji, Kaziranga, Shillong Chamber Choir.

Pondicherry. To feel French.

Goa. To give it another chance. For its churches and sausage-pao. (Maybe Lo and I can go here together)
Internationally: Bhutan, Turkey, Cambodia

3. Cook a proper meal. Not just a dish, but the works. Actually, signing up for cooking classes seems more doable at this stage. And maybe learn to bake a cake or something. Sheesh, I'm indecisive about this.

4. Learn to cycle and swim. Hmmm... a tad difficult as I'm too self-conscious.

Man... this is tough... I can't think beyond. I'm appalled. :(

September...

2011-09-01T13:12:00.001+05:30

It's curtains for our August Blogging Challenge or ABC (Isn't there a Bieber song called ABC?). The idea was to get going on the blogging front on a regular basis, and I'd like to believe that having a challenge helped to a large extent. I'm quite sure I will be posting regularly even after this challenge has ended. And even more confident that Lo will not disappear from the blogosphere. She totally aced the challenge, no?

To the tiny number of my blog readers, first of all... SORRY for the sometimes random posts when I was bereft of ideas. I tried to cheat a little by posting photos, YouTube videos, writing about my frustrations, and just about anything that caught my fancy.

Second, if you're still reading my blog, THANK YOU. Your encouragement and support mean a lot. Special thanks to DeeSeelicious who enquired one morning on Twitter about any new posts. It didn't really hit me till then that there were actually a few people (other than myself) reading my stuff. Also, @DanielDmello who silently 'liked' some posts in his Google Reader. In case you still want to go through my 31 posts, click here. Feedback will still be appreciated.

What's next? Well, I hope to do as much "writing" as possible. Will definitely aim at doing atleast a hundred words per post with more meaningful content.

I'm definitely going to continue my Rick-rolled series. So many rikshaws and their awesomeness still waiting to be discovered :).

Work has kept me busy and will continue to be that way for a while, but I know I can make time for a blog post once in a while. Some of the blog ideas came from what started as tweets. I stopped before hitting 'send' and gave the thought a better chance of finding expression. I mean, look at the post on the Mohammad Ali Road feast. A few tweets about that would've been lost in the vast black hole called the Internet. Here, I wrote a little about the experience, ensured the photos went with it, and now I can relive those moments anytime I want. Also, I'm tweeting less which has really helped in some ways.

To cut a long story short, I'm happy with my ABC experience. And hope to make this blog better as we go along. Here's some pointless trivia: The year 2005, when I started blogging, saw 21 posts in all - 10 less than the number of posts in August 2011 alone. :)

Cheers!

PS: Di, I hope you find the inspiration soon to get on track with your blog.

Insecurities

2011-08-31T23:55:00.010+05:30

So I gallivanted from Borivali to Bandra today. I had an off because of Eid, and besides a family engagement in the morning, I had pretty much nothing to do. Spending a couple of hours at HyperCity was a good idea while I waited for a friend to confirm if we were to meet.

Armed with a bagful of home essentials, I headed to Bandra. Much traffic later, the rikshaw dropped me off at the friend's place. The idea was to drop my stuff there and then grab a cup of coffee and those fast-disappearing jelly squares at Candies. And we did end up going there.

Which is when the floodgates opened.

The friend is married with a child. And felt her husband was adding to her own insecurities. "I'm fat" kept getting thrown at me when I was trying to explain to her that she isn't fat. Was desperately trying to tell her that just a little belief was required in her case. She refused to accept any view or advice. Her severe body image issues got me thinking. Is it really *that* bad in the world? What legacy are we leaving our children? It's pretty scary to just see how a friend who has been the epitome of self-confidence can also fail miserably. Another thing that bothered me is her marriage. What kind of foundation is this? Your husband feeds into your securities and you blindly just allow that to happen??? I was unable to do much except offer a listening ear.

Should I be glad I'm not married?

#ABC POSTCARD 31/31 :)

Sent from my iPod Touch