Vein in Vanity

It’s quite impossible to explain the impact some incidents in life have on you. Suddenly, the things that seemed the most important till today become insignificant and man begins to appreciate and reconsider his stand. So unaware a being has Providence made Man that he lives every day without having the slightest hunch of what might happen the very next minute. That makes him adept at complaining, fighting and hating another. Be it on a larger level- terrorism or at a more identifiable level- being jealous of a friend. We know how it is all going to end and baffling enough don’t know when. Then why do we put ourselves (me included) through all this drama of love, hate, sorrow, anger? Why is it that we crave for appreciation? Why is it that we want to have it all when we very well realize it’s not for keeps? Why is it that we always feel that we deserve more? Why is it that even when a friend or a relative is going through a bad patch it’s still ‘I’ that matters? Why is that the...

It was in 2009 that I experienced snow for the first time. To us, born and raised in a tropical climate, having winters with snow has always been a dream. So was it for me! Unfortunately last year there was very little snow.  However the city seemed to have sensed my disappointment and this year Vienna is living a white Christmas! It’s amazing how different the city looks in every season. Nonetheless it never seems to lose its class or charm! The grand architecture of the Staatsoper(Opera House), expansive parks, the central church with its statuesque dome, live on with the same if not more grandeur.  The much talked about Viennese Coffee culture comes to one’s notice a lot more during cold winters. People journeying through snow-covered streets holding piping hot coffee from Aida (one of the famous coffee houses here) is a common spectacle. Also, all resentment for that cup of green tea seems to evaporate as you sit cuddled in blankets sipping some boiling tea. No San...

I wasn’t really the favorite child and rightly so because I wasn’t docile or obedient. I’d like to believe I was unconventional, for various reasons. And it was in such troubled times that I found a confidant within my family. I cannot say how or why she had so much faith in me. She was always much forward of her times and so stood by me through thick and thin. Mom never thought I was being unreasonable or demanding. I am sure many of us consider our mothers as very special people who are a very important part of our lives. But it is a whole other thing to establish trust. I would say my mother had me trapped. She believed me so much that I could not dream of letting her down.  Before I made any decisions I would first thing think about how she would react to it. So while making me independent she made me responsible too. After having my sis, when Mom was in the family way after 8 years she badly wanted a boy. Maybe that’s why I am a little tomboyish. It could be because ...

For about a year now things have been on and off!! But the take away has been a lot more than what can be packed into a years’ time!! It began with getting married. The next one was coming to live in this country where hardly anyone spoke the language I did and neither could I speak theirs. So it’s easy to deduce that finding a job was a far cry. For a person fresh from having done her Masters, so eager to work (guess to my own regret later on..)  And finally make some money of her own, it was a big letdown. It is in such confused times that one begins to think about dreams unfulfilled. So that’s how we hit upon the idea of learning German. Moreover that would be the logical step 1 to doing anything here. That was the start button. Once that was on, my life was full again. Meeting people from many different countries (like Slovenia, Slovakia don’t we leave them with our Geography lessons??) and learning their Culture brought a massive change to my outlook.  It does feel...

To hell with what they think!! I simply admire people who base their life on this principle. But easier said than done. Yes, I belong to the unfortunate other half who are not so brave. It’s a routine that sort of grows on you. An uncontrollable need to please people as Monica (of F.R.I.E.N.D.S fame) says. I have noticed how this chivalrous segment sails through life even in troubled waters without taking life too seriously. I understand that that is the secret- Don’t take life too seriously. It’s only when everything has to be perfect and you want to get noticed and appreciated, that things get ditzy.  After all, the world is not a perfect place. Being self-conscious and crunched up all the time is another common trait. That’s when everything wrong about you come into focus and the soldier that’s confidence takes a big blow.  When so much is going on, what me and my fellow miserables don’t realize is that the people who point fingers are in no way better than you are. If...