Scarlet Writes

I gave birth to this adorable little boy on 2 nd  May this year and needless to say, my life has changed completely. Well, that’s something every mother says that her life changed completely when she gave birth to her child. To be honest, I never understood the gravity of that statement. There was a phase in my life when I thought motherhood was over hyped (whatever that means). To understand what it means to say life has changed completely, you actually have to live it. You can read books, read blogs on the internet, talk to the mothers but nothing, literally nothing prepares you for motherhood. Disclaimer: I am not trying to frighten to-be-moms but just sharing my experience to open discussion on joys and pains of motherhood. Also, if you think you are one of those people who will end up saying “as if she is the only who has become a mother”, may be this blog isn’t for you. Let me start with the joys of motherhood. As I write this blog, my mother is giving oil massage ...

Being pregnant is a beautiful experience. 32 weeks into my pregnancy and I have understood that it is a unique experience for every individual. But what seem common are discomfort, anxiety and excitement. May be? I have been meaning to write a post on pregnancy for a very long time. Even my otherwise ignorant husband suggested that I should write one. As I am in the third trimester, I believe now is the best time to write the post that I would love to read in future. So here is how I would like to remember my pregnancy… a.        Everyone has an advice about food When I say everyone, I actually mean everyone: from a random stranger to your colleagues to your relatives. Everyone has a piece of advice. Ginger is not good. Too much honey shouldn’t be consumed. Don’t eat Papaya. Eat banana. Avoid chilies, baby will not like it. Eat ice cream. ‘Gundruk khana hunna’ ‘Tama khanu hunna’. 32 nd week and I still can’t figure out what to avoid and what no...

I started with my professional life in August 2008. In these ten years, I have worked in one education consultancy, three radio stations, two NGOs and one school. I have quit one organization on the second day of joining. I have quit working in one school after working in it for less than a week and quit as a social media promoter for an online store after three months of doing something I had no clue about. I have made decisions that have helped me progress in my career and I have made decisions that have made me feel stuck. Despite all the rights and wrongs, my decisions have helped me shape my career. Although I still feel like I am only starting with my career, I thought writing a blog is a good way to mark a decade of my professional life. So, here’s what these ten years have taught me as an employee. 1.  You are always working for yourself You might be associated with an organization but it is important to remember that at the end of the day, your work brings posit...

“You don’t love me, do you?” she asked. This was her favorite question. Although the answer never was what she expected, she loved to anticipate. “I don’t”, he replied. She went on doing the chores; folding clothes and stacking them in the cupboard, filling water in the bottle for the night, putting moisturizer on her hand and feet that had dried and roughened after a long Saturday at home cleaning the window nets, scrubbing the floor, washing the dishes and wiping the glass windows and mirrors sparkling clean. Before she turned the lights off, she decided to finish a chapter from the book she was reading ‘The Seduction of Silence’ written by Bem Le Hunte.   As she was pretending to read, her husband was lying with his face turned away from her. The silence weighed in and she could tell that he was playing a game on his phone, his favorite hobby. She curled up her legs up to her chest. Not once did he bother to peer out from the blanket to see what she was doi...

We marked a year of being married yesterday with a lot of good food and some nice conversation. And here I am today with my laptop, writing this blog reflecting on a year of being married. Being married is a beautiful thing. To have somebody you love, share the ups and downs of your life is very special. This past year has seen some highs and some lows. We have fought our own battle like every couple does but I am not writing this blog to talk about that. I am writing this blog to acknowledge and appreciate all the women in my life because being married has helped me see women from a completely new perspective. This is to acknowledge the efforts of women who wake up much before dawn and before she works for herself, she cleans the house, prepares meal for her family and still manages to reach work on time. Also, to those women who reach home much after dusk, tired and weary, but with a lot of energy to prepare dinner and tend to her families’ needs. I know a lot of women ...

Not because of all the lovely messages I receive on Teacher’s Day every year or for the chocolates children bring to share on their birthdays. I love being a teacher because my every day starts with so much energy and I don’t have a minute to spare during the day to think of what I am doing with my life. So here’s why I love what I do :) a. I am the savior Children have these weird problems that they need an instant solution of. Only last week, a first grader came to me and said that two of her friends wanted her to be their best friend and she was unable to decide whose best friend she wants to be. On an average, at least 5 among 250 children misplace their belongings in a day and they need to find it immediately. Once a boy lost one of the shoes he was wearing.  How is that humanly possible? To lose a shoe you are wearing on your foot? How! One of the recurring issues of children is ‘cutting the line’ and ‘overtaking’. I don’t know how uncommon this problem is but at l...

“Enjoy the little things in life because one day you’ll look back and realize they were the big things.” – Kurt Vonnegut As I sit here, sipping tea, watching whatever comes on television, listening to Hindi songs in the background, I realize how happiness and comfort come from the simplest of things in life. This moment is life. There is nothing I am waiting on or trying to achieve. I am simply living in this moment knowing the fact that tomorrow remains uncertain. So here I make an attempt to list down six top simplest joys of life I have experienced today J 1. Waking up early on a Saturday I woke up a bit too early for a Saturday morning being fooled by my husband into thinking that breakfast was ready and it just couldn’t wait. I had planned to remain in bed until at least the noon but waking up being fooled early morning wasn’t so bad either. Sooner you wake up, longer the day seems. Longer the weekend feels, happier the heart is.   2. Making fluffy, t...