The Road now taken

 It's been quite a long time, I hit my blogspot. Well, I hardly had any reasons to do so.

After donning the role of a house wife and a mom of three gems, I never had any purpose in life other than taking care of things around.

But did this allow me to be in peace, Nah, as  many of you know me, I am not the one who rests in peace😜 . I used to get nightmares of being a failure, me getting lost amidst nowhere, something was eating me inside, probably the guilt of not doing justice to myself.

One day it did struck me hard and I started searching my way out. 

And now I am etching second innings as a coach or a counselor , Surprised 🙀??? Yes, you should be, but nevertheless I always wanted to talk to people and help them out in anyway I could, so I took up the job of a Career Coach to help out young students and individuals who are confused about the next path ahead. Hence there would not be anymore reason for a " The Road not taken " to be written again by anyone.

So all geared up for new venture. And you now know whom to ping for all your queries regarding your career. All the best to you and to me 😍

Ciao for now, got to hurry up for my next session .

The Last Day of the World

 Are we nearing the end ???

Is the judgement day really close ? With almost news of earthquakes and floods everyday, isn't it time to be prepared. ???

How are we preparing ourselves for the Yawm al Qiyama. How would you deal with , when a tragedy struck you.

Yes, it's time we start taking drills , our internal drills to get prepared for the Day. It is said that however you respond to a tragedy is the way you will respond on your Day of judgement too.

Just sit back and think what did you do last when a big disaster hit you ? How did you respond ? Our response actually bring out the believer in us or the hypocrite in us.

So let's prepare for the Day. Let's start internalising ourselves to face the Day of Judgement and make our resurrection in the best way.

May Allah grant us all the Husnal Katmah. Ameen ya rabbul alameen ..

Inspired by the Khutbah by Imam Omar Suleiman

My journey of Hajj and Sabr

 

Just about a month ago, with a heart filled of emotions, a mind full of commotions and a brain full of uncertainty, Me and my better half had embarked the journey of our lifetime- The Hajj.

Hajj being one the five pillars of Islam, surrendering to the very thought of it makes us grateful to the Almighty.

Leaving behind the families, wealth and home and almost all the connections with world was not an easy task but the sole purpose behind it, the very intention of pleasing our Lord, Allah SWT made it quite easy. With several thoughts behind, there was one strong feeling with in, If Allah has decided it for me and thats it, it will happen, Kun FayaKun !!

Donned in the humble Ehrams we had set for the travel as a servant of the Lord.

Alhamdulillah we had a smooth flight and reached the land of blessings, Makkah Mukarama for the biggest achievement of life. Throughout the journey we had several stops and formalities which took hours more than the entire flight time to reach our rooms.

Tired and torn apart with almost 2 days of travel from my hometown of Kangeyam, with a qalb full of restrictions and limitations, with tongues moist with dhikr of Allah and answering to the call of Ibrahim A.S, we proceed with, as our souls wouldn't rest without seeing the house of Allah , the Kabathula uttering Labbayka Allahumma labbayk (Here I am, O Allah, here I am) with complete submission to Allah, we complete our first Umrah of our Hajj Tamatu.

With only a couple of days left behind for the most beautiful and enriching experience of life, we get all prepared and set mentally and physically.

On the 7th of Dhul Hijjah we leave to the tent city of Mina dressed in Ehrams as humble as we can with our bare necessities in a small bag for a trip of almost 6 days, We are then taken over by the Government as guests of " Al Bait", wearing the tags around as proclaiming ourselves as the guests of Allah to his house, this-this very feel would make us give all that we have in us to our Lord, Almighty .

The days in Mina are an important factor for making us prepared with lots of prayers and some rest for the coming tough days. Our Mina days were truly blessed in every single way we could even imagine, We had the best of the stay and food, and not to forget to mention the best of the mates we could get in the Hajj, which we hope would stay forever. Mina days were totally enjoyable in the most halal way.

Following the Mina was the day of Arafa, on 9th Dhul Hijjah, we were put up in huge tents with the best accommodation among people from different parts of world, different ethnicities and cultures but only one Intention, pleasing our Lord, Allah SWT, the entire day was filled with lots of supplications and prayers helping us getting connected to our dear Lord in the most special way, our tears were almost dry after all its outpour the entire day, humbling and simplifying us, the most. This day is a reminder of the Day of resurrection where the entire Ummah would stand in front of our Lord, humble and naive. Masha Allah, blissful in every single moment

Around the sunset, we had to leave to lands of Muzdalifah, a distance of 6-7 kms but the formalities and waiting took almost 7 long hours, without food and toilet facilities, quite a challenge for the elderly, but Allah made it easy.

The skies of Muzdalifah had all the warmth we could ask for, soon after combined prayers, we picked up our pebbles for the pelting of the devil and took some rest, Surely, that was the best sleep, one can imagine on bare ground and bare skies beyond us.

Around Sunrise, was our humble march back to Mina, a distance of 7 kms, but it was quite a breeze as our hearts were filled with joy of The Eid day, It was the long day, 10 th of Dhul Hijjah, rituals of pelting stones, animal sacrifices and haircut and coming out of partial Ehram kept us totally busy, the following days had the rituals of stone pelting and Tawaaf Ziyarah after which we can give up our Ehram completely and be called as Hajis, Alhamdulillah .

The Baitullah stood there all elegant and majestic with almost witnessing the humbling of 3 million souls. Subhanallah, no where on earth , one could experience this sight of joy and submission.

Other rituals of Hajj were completed in full enthusiasm and energy we had in store.

The days of Medina rather the days of tranquility marked the end of our journey, Nevertheless we were treated as the elite guests of Allah throughout the journey. Alhamdulillah.

The entire journey emphasized and imbibed several instances which taught us compassion of fellow beings, patience and humility in every way .

Reaching back to our home without our baggage ( as they were still stuck in Medina due to some formalities) was another test for Sabr and we are enduring it with patience and hoping and praying that it reaches us safely, so that we can gift our loved ones, our memoirs of the blessed land. Insha Allah.

Out hearts are still yearning just like how it all started with only one dua, May Allah accept our greatest amal and make our Hajj Maqbool and accept it from us. This is all we ask for, Ya Rehmaan, Ya Raheem.

Recession - How hard is it hitting you ??

Its been more than 15 long years that I am blogging again.... yes I blog everytime only with a reason :-)

I almost forgot that I had a blogspot.

Recession, the very word makes us feel bored and detested.. after all how many times would anyone like to hear the word in a day...Everyone around you, starts with your humble watchman and does not end even with your maid. 

The very recession took my job ( that's a fair way of telling that I quit my job ) and it looks like this same recession will give my job back.

After the corona, now everything on earth seems okay. If we have dealt and adapted ourselves during the corona period, we can very much face anything in life.

So for now only kaam no bakwaas, just pick up your bag and get going.

And now I am all geared for my second innings as a Counselor and a Coach, Ahan, yup, it has always been my wish to talk to people and help them, so now I chose to become a Career Coach. 

Now, you know whom to ping for all your career queries.

Ciao for now, I have a session soon 🔜.

Gen X Kids

Just summing up some elderly quotes from some small kids which I heard over a last few days..
The first one comes from my hubby's niece (a 6 yr old) when a kid brother was born to her..
"Good that I have a thambi papa(baby brother)..now I can use all the jewellery which Mama has and I would not have to share with any, Thank God "
Here comes another from my niece(11 yr old) seeing a pregnant relative of hers
"I am sure , she must be feeling the baby kicking in the stomach , now that she is 5 months pregnant "
The topper..a 10 yr old kid talking to his friend in the bus in tamil while crossing over an office of a political party..
" Dai, arasayil le matum dhan da, nalla kaasu sambadhika mudiyum..nama nalla irukanumna, yaara venalum poatu thallulaam da "
Translation - Man, Politics is the only thing where in you can earns lots...in order to make our lives good, we can definitely stab on others "

This is just a sneak peak of our GEN X....would love to hear such quotes from you guys as well

Take your daughters and son to work

Stop wondering about the meaning of this title...It is just an event celebrated at my workplace where in the parents could bring in the sons and daughters to work..naa not to work along with them but to get them know what their mom or dad does in his office for all day long...I could not participate in the event as I am not yet a mom and hence I chose to be the co ordinator of this event and had loads of fun meanwhile...

The event started dot on the schedule..at 9 a.m..thanks to the punctual parent who was on time with the special guest.Ashwath..a 6 year old toddler who was all amused and greeted by a lovely mickey right from Disney world..Soon Ashwath was joined along with few more amused, bewildered and naughty friends of almost his age group and the reception hall was filled with all entertainment now.

After a while they were taken to a conference room where they could have a meeting among themselves by introducing themselves and letting each other know their likes, dislikes and the heroes they admire... I was surprised when a couple of smarties...told the heroes they admire were none but ' their own selves'.... I could know the amount of zeal they had within them...

After the intro session and a swift gifts galore session...the bubbly ones were let free and asked to play any game they like and they chose to play ' Hide and Seek'... man...can you imagine a conference room of a software company getting turned into a playground... what a scene it was...I could see them squeaking everywhere..down under the huge meeting tables , behind the LCD monitors and the waste bins...not a thing or place was left untouched...

Once they were all drained out with energy..they were let to relax and we played them a slideshow on world widlife and global warming...the tiny heads were all glued up and could name the rarest of the birds and animals even which I could not recollect...Infact they had more points to discuss about the global warming than the slideshow itself...

The slideshow followed a video about my workplace...the work we do.. the clients we serve..the products we make...the fun we have and all the details worth mentioning and then I could see some bright and proud faces lit up in the room...of course they were all proud to know that their
Daddy Strongest or their Mommy Smartest works in this super duper place..

Lunch with lip smacking icecreams filled their bellys and hearts and they were all charged up to rock on the show again...and what they wanted to do now was..." Sing, Dance and amuse"...and yes we let them do that too...One of them was a sweet girl who is a dancer of Bharathanatiyam..(a South Indian Classical dance) and she wanted to show her moves as well... and then a little mister offered to sing for her dance...the event was all set and this mister starts off with a ' POP- Rock song' for a classical dance.. the poor girl was embarrased and shocked and she changed her idea about the dance ...Boys are always boys...no matter how old they are...!!!!

As the day came to an end..Finally, just before bidding them bye... I wanted to ask them what were their ambitions and what they wanted to grow up as...and I was left nothing less than fascinated...all of them had different ambitions...the youngest Ashwath..wanted to be a scientist , he wanted to launch rockets and he was tired of using the same stuffs everyday and wanted to create new ones being a scientist...another one wanted to be a NASA astronaut as he believed in making the entire world a small well connected place with all the satelites..the dancer girl wanted to grow up as a doctor as she wanted to serve the poor very much... another wanted to be a painter as he wanted a rather colorful life for himself..last but not the least.. the one which really hit me was...one of them wanted to be an archaeologist...(hope I got atleast the spelling right)...becuse he wanted to know more about the fossils and the historic era of mankind...hearing them all... I was left pondering once again over the words by Willaim wordsworth which says "The child is the father of the man"

I am delighted and proud of my workplace and the organisers ( which includes me as well ) for having such a different and wonderful event which was not only a learning for the little guests but to the co- ordinators as well.

Everyday ADventures

When someone asks me what kind of person am I.. I say outrightly, I am an adventurer.. thanks to my everyday adventures in commuting to office..Ever since I started working, I have been commuting through public mode of transport... do not ask me why so, as I would be rather embarrased to give you the reply (secret, I do not know to ride a two-wheeler and cant afford a four wheeler ) and that makes a solid 5 years of everyday travel in a bus, auto rickshaw , share autos , train, cab or by walk (walking in public, isnt it public transport as well ???)
Now I can say I have travelled a lot (giggles)......

All this 5 years have been all funny, crazy, wild and irritating... on the whole..BP raising..

I remember my first days of travel in Bangalore in my office cab, where I have not missed even a single day to remind the driver to pick me up for work... else he would not remember me at all.. afterall I am not one of those who could be forgotten too easily too... but stil he managed too.

Then followed my lovely days in Hyderabad and travelling in shared autos...where in atleast ten adults were flooded all over in a three wheeled vehicle.. along with loud music from the driver's cabin and of course with all the gimmicks arising from there using the rear view mirror.. which may fail to give a clear view of the vehicles behind but not the girls sitting behind..seeing all this, I can never stop myself admiring the poise and the beauty of the auto and the Auto Man [ well, i call the driver of the auto as Auto Man :) ]
You may ask what do the cops do when these autos ply around the city, but they really could not do anything as the public is very much supportive of this cheap, fast and efficient mode of commuting..With late comers like me, these autos are definitely a boon.

Then followed my better days when I could afford for a single auto all for myself , banking on my bargaining skills to make sure I do not pay any extra.. I travelled with ease and thats when I got to know the 'friendliness' of these auto mans..who had all the ears in the world to know about you, your family, your friends, your friend's family, your neighbours and your neighbours family too and they would not get daunted by any number of questions they would have to ask.. they just go on and on and on..until you get down and render the exact change for the fare...and if you did not have the change, then forget the rest of money or wait for an hour or two until he could bring in the balance..as these guys are known for not having any money with them at all..One really wonders what do they do with their entire earnings of the day...

My experiences do include my adventures in other part of the world too.. spain in precise... taking a metro to work... wow,what fun it was!
With trains coming in every five minutes there was no need for me to hurry up but naa, how could I ever let a train going away missing me...hence it was running and catching up almost all the time.. a.k.a DDLJ style (remember the shahrukh stunt).
Inside the train, it was a merry, with different people around.. right from couples getting cozy to beggars asking for alms with their traditional trait of playing music... and yes, a few teens bashing up for some silly reasons... nevertheless it was a treat to travel in these metros..and to hear the announcement for the approaching station which goes on in spanish like " la siguiente estación es ...... "
and thus making my days fun filled adventures...

For all who want to know how I commute these days... I take a bus to work.. the very famous Pallavan now called MTC ( Metropilitan Transport Corporation )....ask me whyI travel by bus now... and I would say, I still cant afford the single auto all for myself and the route to office does not have shared autos too... hence I am left with MTC... which is definitely not a sore anymore... with atlesat 6-7 types of bus services and relevant rate fares... its on a rocking way!

What is your priority, Career or family ?

Having asked this question myself several times, I am now wanting a discussion to know what comes before, your career or your family? especially if you are a woman...
My career was doing great exactly at the juncture when I got married, my long leaves and other familial responsibilities, soon robbed the flying colors of my career cap from me. I was put into a workpool and just when I was about to get myself a lift, I discovered that my hubby wanted to pursue his dream of being an entrepreneur all the more and due to some physical and monetarial constraints, his business had to be pursued from his native small town alone which meant I would have to give up my job in this metro city of mine and I do not want to live a marital life with the pillars of marriage living miles apart, so I will have to relocate...
Anyways, I was not ready to buy this idea of giving up my job at all, not only me but my entire family along with a few from his family were aghast to know this and were ready to support me, I tried hard to convince my hubby in many ways, but his soul and heart was so immersed in his dream, that he would not let it go away and slowly when I started listening to his words, I felt confident about his dream too though skeptical a bit and yet to decide what should I do and when..
Just a few hours ago one of my best work buddies was telling her tale too, she was getting married later this month and had to settle in a foreign city where my company did not have a office to work and she will soon have to quit her job and it was just last week when her boss asked her if she could replace his post as he was getting engaged with some other work... what a timing ??? She had dreamt of such a role through out her life and just before it was getting true, she had break it into pieces with her own hands...as she had to prioritise her family and marital life ahead of her career...
I wonder why it happens in almost every woman's life...I wonder how easily can someone throw up a career for someone else... no matter how close the relation is??

Can someone help me on this one?