@The_Ingenious_Delhiite: U4E

A special note to readers: This piece took shape in 8 weeks and takes approx. 18** minutes to read. Thank you for reading!

***O***

“When are you getting married Ky?!” These days, Anu texts him with her question. And her prank-playing boy was never far behind with a retort.. “It’s tomorrow mamma, didn’t you get my Evite?!“

This time, the reply was puzzling. “Mom, I am moving to New Delhi at the end of the month. I will call you to catch you up with everything tonight. I promise! At work now, love ya“

Anu Gopichund was at work as a Manager at WellPoint in Buckhead, a suburb of Atlanta. Kyle was 800 miles away in Austin, TX. And, to imagine him move away 8000 miles for an unknown period of time..? She was a nervous wreck until the phone rang at 9pm.

“Monu! What’s going on..?? Is this one of your I-will-right-everything-that-is-wrong-with-the-world campaigns?? Are you permanently moving to New Delhi?! You know dad and I have never lived in India and we can only give you superficies about anything on the lifestyle of what you are about to adapt! I will talk to a few of my friends who live in Janakpuri, West Delhi and set you up!”

“Mom, are we going to be talking in hyperbole here?! Let me layout my plan and then you can spell your objections all over it! Sounds fair?!”

He waited a few moments in the silence, “Guys, my company is now 40 employees strong including me.. And I have some great news to share! The standalone piece of software that I wrote to help writers to publish their works on the internet is now being tested at major News publishing houses for its performance to be plugged into their internet engines.. If this works out, I will be able to renegotiate a deal with WNN (World News Network) on a potential buy out of my company.. Their original offer 18 months ago was for 3 million dollars.”

“They have asked their newly acquired division at India to be beta-tested for 6 months. And we took them up on their offer, because if it passes this life-cycle, they are planning to launch it in 193 countries where they slowly acquiring offices. And depending on how it fares, we might have a winner!”

“Mom, it is a great professional opportunity not to mention a chance for me to explore India at leisure! ….. Mom?!”

Vikas sounded cheerful as he assured his son, “You know her, she is all teared up now.. And the minute I put down the phone, she will tell me how she has been proud of you since the day you were born. And to hear you now, we are just overwhelmed at the moment beta, that’s all.“ (Translation “beta” – son)

Ky wished his parents a good night and ended the call.. As he did, he heard a faint, “God bless you honey!” at the other end..

Colorful Street, Delhi, India

***O***

The moment Ky landed at the Indira Gandhi International airport, he was taken! For all the news about the dusty roads, the often collapsing flyovers, and the last-minute face-saving tactics of the Indian Government that successfully launched the 2010 Commonwealth Games a few months ago, he was only seeing gorgeous marble floors and stunning female airport attendants all along his walk to the waiting taxi..

“Mr. Kyle for WNN”, the placard read, held by a seemingly lefty person. When Kyle introduced himself, the man smiled and said, “Namaste Sir, welcome to India! I am Ramesh and I will take care of you.” Kyle ushered his team mates into the waiting car – the three others he had extended the offer to come along with him to pursue this high-profile deal. Along the way, they got out of the car, danced and even took pictures of the boisterous procession of people surrounding a local politician and his entourage.

The juxtaposition of modern Delhi and the harmonious blend of rickshaw drivers in it was a sight to be beheld. At 2:30am, the city was mobile as if it was just about 10pm. As Ramesh summed it up, Delhi was capable of living up to anyone’s expectations.. A secure day life, innumerable job opportunities, a vigilant crime task force, a thriving tourist interest, the proximity to the Taj Mahal, and the night life for people looking for it in the right places!

An hour later, driving into the high-rise apartment complex at Gurgaon, Richie, short for Richard Clark asked Ramesh, which of the 30 national languages he spoke at home. “Telugu, Mr. Richie”

Ky smiled to himself as if a connection that was 1000’s of miles long was made. His mother would be happy to know he was in familiar company, as she would put, her “own” people?! An observation from her that almost always brought a chuckle to him and his father.

“Kyle Saab Ji, Katrina Kaif ji ki ghar dikti hn yahaa se, jab unka Sallu bhai ke saath chakkar chal raha tha“.. Ramesh was in high spirits as he showed around the place.

“Kya bol rahe ho, futte marte ho kya tum?!” Ruchita Sinha pointed out jokingly to Ramesh.

“What is he saying Ruchita, you don’t have to crack code, your job is to translate everything that people say around here.. Ha ha” Josh Ellar, the guy with the Midas touch when it came to acquiring contracts, was now eager to learn Hindi in 24 hours.

“Aaram se bolo bhaiyya, samajh nahi paate hn itni Hindi ek saath” Ky said as he explained to his comrades how a sizzling Bollywood actress lived just blocks away from their apartment.

Seeking the Taj! - Taj Mahal, Agra, India

***O***

On Monday, they got to the office at 8:30 am. A well-dressed, polite gentleman provided them with their access badges and escorted them to a 9^th floor lobby where they were quickly stripped off of all their bags, because it was company policy to leave everything personal in pre-assigned lockers before entering their offices. Ruchita managed to sneak in a breakfast bar, while the idea disturbed Richie profoundly. In spite of being amused at their peers’ bewilderment, Kyle and Josh had to bring in the quorum to think of their immediate task at hand.

A multitude of handshakes later, the day turned out to be a great productive one! As they wrapped up, a senior member from the office suggested that they should explore a local bar/lounge for the happy hour. Happy hour at 9pm, they wondered, but they were eager to check out the night life too.

***O***

The Atrium Lounge they walked up to, two blocks from their office looked promising. This place is mentioned in the night life section of the Lonely Planet’s Delhi: A Capital City, Josh mentioned as he walked in.

The place was dimly lit, with lights synchronously turning on and off with the music. As Kyle turned away from the bar for a brief second, he met face to face to with her.

“Kyle, meet Shruti Singh, she was recently dubbed as South East Asia TV’s sexiest news anchor. And we at WNN say that she is more capable in her area of expertise than many of the Entertainment gurus twice her age are.” Rajendra Pandey, the client manager spoke.

“Hi Shruti! Call me Ky, please”

“Oh come on Raj, thanks! Hello Ky, it’s a pleasure to meet you in person!”

As he stood there talking to her, he asked her if she would care for a drink.

“One Virgin Margarita on the rocks for me. Tonight, I am my own Designated Driver Ky, so I have no choice.”

“And also, you have to get home earlier because you have to reply to your Twitter fans, right?! Kyle, do you know that Shruti has more twitter fans than Bipasha Basu.. She is not only hot in person, but hot in the Social Media circles..!”, commented someone.

Her dark hair and brown eyes in the misty club lights, made her ethereal. Her well-pleated trousers with a tucked vertical striped white shirt, sleeves folded to the elbow, seemed to be the only thing that made her real. It was riveting to see a great looker with brains to match them. And true to her persona, she seemed to bring vivacity into the conversation. And as with every night on TV where she spoke and everyone else listened, tonight she spoke and Kyle listened.

A Delhi Night

***O***

As days went by, the office at Gurgaon received great reviews for the launch of Kyle’s software on WNN’s India network. The sound quality, the high-definition resolution of media within the articles, the fonts, the crisp editing, the feedback mechanism that seem to engage a lot of the young readers and attracting a whole new demographic of Indians interested in social and day-to-day issues was revealing and encouraging.

Shruti Singh’s home page and her blog were the most popular. She was the kind of New Media anchor that held her viewers captive.. She made them think, for themselves, but for most of the times for others, for the society as a single entity.

***O***

One evening Shruti took everyone to the handicrafts expo at The Delhi Haat, a place where everything for sale was exclusively and delicately hand-made by the thousands of craftsmen from all over India. Kyle and Shruti stayed over after dinner and shopping to finish some unfinished business as Kyle put it to the others who were leaving.

“I am 30, and per my mother I don’t have a lot of time left to settle down! I am sure you know what I mean. If not, let me get to the point right away. Are you seeing anyone, Shruti?”

Shruti stared back at Kyle, “Technically I am your boss in the office scene, but outside of work, I am a 33 year old single woman who is a 100% self-made. My father is a Tiffin Wallah in Mumbai and my mother is the most loving woman on the planet. They are the only two people I have.”

“Shruti, I want a relationship with a woman like you who is strong and can hold her own. I want my abilities to be challenged when I am with her. And I am not known to settle for the mediocre.”

The Delhi Haat - Handicrafts Exhibition

***O***

“If you are risk taker, I want you to be onboard with an idea that I have. I have had a few months to think through it. And I need you by my side, because I think I might have met my match in you. And in you, I found a man, who will let me dream and accomplish what I long to..”

The plan was going down tonight. She was talking to some movers and shakers in Delhi and around and it was unfolding this Saturday night.

Two weeks after he proposed to her with not so many words at the Haat expo, Shruti was letting him know how she was genuinely interested in him. Her apartment was chic, the colors solid, mostly a mix of blue and brown cushions, rectangular light fixtures and tables complemented the subtle orange walls. In the middle, they had cleared the furniture and sat themselves down on the contemporary rug close to the large open window overlooking the beautiful Delhi street lights.

“You look great with a beard, Ky. It does not go well with your personality, but it sure does with your glasses..!”

“Where does my cell phone figure in the middle of this proposal? Your condition for me to come over tonight was to come with ‘my mobile device’. Are you always this intriguing, Shruti?!”

“Ha, good one..You will know very soon!”

In the high-rise condominium, one by one, her friends and colleagues gathered. They laughed and listened to Mukesh Kumar on LPs. As they treated themselves to the music, the food and the drinks, everyone seemed to have one thing on their mind. Why the “mobile device”??

Shruti moved deliberately from one guest to another, making them feel special and welcome. At one moment in the party, when a majority of them were gathered in the middle of the living room, on the rug, she slowly walked over to the LP player and turned it off.

The birds flock - Jantar Mantar, Jaipur, India

“Hello guys, thanks for coming at such a short notice! Because of the way media work, impromptu plans work the best. And every one of us is a celebrity in India in our own right. So, I had to be stealthy. We have never managed to get a single autograph from Raveena Kapoor, until today! So, tonight since we have ambushed her here at my apartment, let us attack her and get a picture autographed from her?!”

A stunned Raveena looked as Shruti laughed, “Guys, I was just joking!” The crowd seemed to roar and thrive in the word play Shruti was always known to engage in.

“OK, this time it is for real, I need to tweet right now! And then I want you to speak your mind!”

She reached for her mobile and tweeted,

The_Ingenious_Delhiite WNNDesk_Shruti: 

Will you pay a ‘convenience’ or ‘administration’ fee to get work done in a govt. or a private undertaking? Will you help me LEGALIZE bribes?

Shruti placed the phone on the coffee table next to her after the exact 140 word tweet and continued talking to everyone like she did not miss a beat.

“Middle class in India is now a force that cannot be ignored. If we can move their wheels, they can make anything happen. Forbes says, ‘In 2001-’02 just 13.8 million households had incomes in excess of $4,000 per year, by 2009-’10, the number–at constant prices–has risen to 46.7 million, representing a population of about 200 million individuals.’ And if every one of us, would just go that extra step to pay a fee on top of the nominal fees that we are to pay: to finalize a land deed or register a teenage son for a driver’s license test, I feel strongly that the problem of corruption can be eliminated.”

“Recently I received an email from a frustrated Assistant commissioner of Police of a big city in India. I keep his identity a secret per his request. He noted his helplessness in the world of corruption, and how he is guilty as charged. He lives on a meagre salary of 11000 Rs per month not including the vehicle and grocery allowance he gets. If he was to feed his family of 5 and send his kids to school and expensive colleges, he had to rely on the extra income that came in the form of bribes and other shady deals he overlooked for the bigwigs of his city.”

“Think about it guys, write about it and let us do something for him and countless others who are forced to involve in corruption and bribery to keep their families afloat!”

That was an electrifying, thrilling, magnificently brilliant night for the urban cityscape of Delhi. The one that would rewrite the history of India and how the Indian government and its people agreed on one common goal, the system of bribes was too archaic to still hold its ground in modern India.

As Raveena and countless other celebrities in the room and across India tweeted and re-tweeted her message as a show of solidarity and support to her agenda, Shruti added another million to her twitter fan base in the next 24 hours.

Dilli - I love you!

And the next day, on her nightly show, Shruti tooks calls from everyone who called in with their take on the matter. The phone lines were on fire inside the WNN office. People were willing to contribute with ideas, they would discuss how much they were willing to pay, 10 or 20% depending on the type of job, some even called with their own stories of frustrations, under paid – over worked; forced to take bribes to feed hungry mouths at home; but everyone seemed to agree on one thing, all of them were eager to help people who came to them for help. Some even had tips for the government to solve the corruption crisis. It felt like opening a huge container of dormant energy that was waiting to erupt at the slightest provocation!

Over the next 6 months, the states of Gujarat, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Sikkim ordered sweeping reforms to their administrative and institutional systems. Schools, Banks, Hospitals, Private companies brought transparent changes to their fee structures, ensured employee engagement by hiking salaries on commissioned based performances. The nation was in unison, the sentiments were strong and one, like the millions of candles that lit the ONE sky over Mumbai after the terror attacks in 2008.

Encouraged by the success in the few states that brought about the changes following the great uproar, a public petition E-signed by millions reached the Parliament and countless politicians took notice and supported it crossing party lines and the ball finally rolled. A day that India had long dreamt of was arriving..

***O***

Almost a year to date since she last saw her son, while on a lunch meeting out with her team, Anu saw a blinking light on her cell phone indicating a voice mail. “Mom, it is me, Kyle! I was checking to see if you will be free to help me plan my wedding. Talk to you soon, I love you Ma!“

The Indian Meal - Thali

***O***

As he called Anu and stepped into his return flight to Atlanta after signing his contract with WNN-IN, Kyle tweeted,

Wannabe_Polymath Kyle Gopichund

@The_Ingenious_Delhiite: U4E*

* The synonym dictionary says, U4E stands for YOURS FOREVER

***O***

** Sample size: 2 readers; at the rate of 210 words per minute.

Tags: Anti-Corruption, Bribery, Bribes, Bureaucracy, Corruption, Government of India, India, New Delhi, Taj Mahal

Kim Jong Il: The Nuclear Family Paradox

Alfred Lord Tennyson (Ulysses)

Tho’ much is taken, much abides; and tho’
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.

***O***

This is the story of North Korea, that is the darkest in the world at night and equally disturbing during the day.. Of its 30 million people and one Choe Yong Taek who dreamt of freedom and food for all..

North Korea at Night: Contrast to the illuminated South Korea

**O*-*O*-*O**

“Let us cross the border tonight.. This is our last chance, everyone has left, what do we have here..?! Can you imagine the life we will have just 15 kilometers across the border..? Come on friend, let’s do it, let’s swim the Amnok tonight..” Jang Song-rim pleaded with his friend as night fell in the border city of Sinuiju. The vivacious and brightly lit city of Dandong was just across the border in China, a safe haven and popular spot for defectors and refugees from North Korea.

“The river is going to be ice cold.. We will wear out in less than 3 hours, what will you do then Tongmoo* Song-rim..? Besides, our mission is coming to a great reality in a month, there should be no looking back now!” Yong-taek said, his filthy face faintly illuminated in the 10 watt bulb, flickering at the distance..

“There are missionaries who keep boats and canoes in the bushes, waiting for people like us who are trying to flee the country.. There are options, Beijing, eventually to Seoul, if you can’t survive there we will go to Laos or Bangkok.. ! Or even further away.., anywhere in the world.. ! Think of a new life where you dont have to worry about food every day! “.. Song-rim was infuriated, by this time he was desolate and desperate.. “You are going to bring us all down with you! I say, you are acting selfishly! We are going to meet the same fate as Ang, and she was only 23!“

Yong-taek, 27, took his eyes off the mortar and pestle in his hands and stared at Song Rim.. “Ang did not listen to us, she died like our parents trying to cross the border.. She was severely underweight and the cold weather got the best of her!“

Kim Bong-cha was mixing the herbs that they picked up in the farm that afternoon.. She was going to make wild grass soup for the entire family. The delicate twigs, the ground up corn, the herbs made a flavorful daily delicacy.. It was their only choice of breakfast, lunch and dinner.. It also helped to keep one busy when both the boys in the house started screaming at each other..

**O*-*O*-*O**

The OmniPresent Duo - Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-il

Ang, Yong-taek’s sister and Song-rim’s girlfriend, had talked to her brother about selling herself up for sex in Dandong, China to make enough money to help them all cross the border into a world of Freedom, in this case, China . Women currently account for 80 percent of North Korean refugees fleeing through China.. A typical boat ride, a subsequent taxi route avoiding border checkposts, a shelter in the Govt. subsidized apartment and a refugee stamp as part of an asylum program in another country – everything would cost them about 5000$ including fees and bribes. And if one wished to seek refuge in the United States, it would cost twice as much..

The trade embargoes and the economic sanctions to the country meant no imports to the country.. The row of dilapidated apartments in the border town of Sinuiju were secretly home to bags of rice stolen from the Kim’s various warehouses.. But for now, they will have to live on rationed food.. The desire for a warm dish delicacy of toenjang seemed elusive.. Atleast that was the case now.. !

History always repeats itself.. And History says 220,000 people perished during the 1995-98 great famine.. Studies from South Korea suggest that more than 2 million North Koreans died during The Great famine: A direct result of the completion of the enormous West Sea Dam in 1986; immediately followed by a countrywide famine due to the government having used the entire nation’s resources on its construction.

As May approached, the lean season for crops and agriculture had begun and the soil dried up and the land turned barren.. Song Rim helped smuggle the bags of rice and dry beans with the help of soldiers into the dirty empty village houses in Sinuiju.. They were to be kept there until the time was right for their distribution.. And that time might be right around the corner!!

**O*-*O*-*O**

Kim Il Sung at 65 feet tall and in bronze atop the Mansu Hill

Yong Taek was a rebel since he was born.. His friends remembered him from the days when he was punished severely for mocking Kim Il Sung’s pose in front of his iconic 65 feet bronze statue on a a field trip day at school.. He had a penchant for freedom, a thrill for the forbidden or so it seemed.. He would gather a few of his friends having clandestine meetings with them, asking them why they did not have aspirations to take down the leader and create a free country for themselves.. Why run away from the country they were born?? Why listen to a dictator in this 21st century..?? How cool were all those action movies that they saw, the language English that they did not speak but understood the difference between a Hero and an ordinary man..

He despised the monotonous ceremonies celebrating the greatness of the Leadership, the ritualistic songs of praise written by his highness Kim Il-sung himself.. A country that did have nothing to envy about..?? And if that was the case, why did people having fleeing on their minds?? Their society was made up of mindless color coordinated flag-wavers..!!

He was not interested in gathering a crowd for spraying graffiti on buildings or distributing anti-government pamphlets.. These show of small discomforts and dissent — were the kind of discussions that would only stay within the four walls of homes and among family and friends.. Prison camps, torture cells would await anyone caught protesting publicly; so the operation was top secret.. The idea was to step up the game and be discreet about it..

**O*-*O*-*O**

Children Pixels make Giant Pictures © Eric Lafforgue

As days broke one after another, Minsuh Son, a farmer woke up one Sunday feeling different.. As he struggled to gather his thoughts and find out what was, he realised that the loud speakers which played patriotic music in the city streets each morning was replaced by a Public Service announcement.. The people of Pyongyang were to gather around the Kumsusan Memorial of the late Kim Il-sung in an hour. He wondered if there was going to be a Nuclear attack and if they had to go underground or hide for the impending doom..

As the young and the old gathered together, the minister for National Security, Kim Yong-kyu addressed the crowd and answered why the urgent assembly had been called for. As newsmen from the Korean Central News Agency questioned him and clicked pictures, the wider rural public of North Korea tuned into through broken radio sets and old television boxes..

Yong-kyu read aloud from a paper in front of him..

“His highness, Kim Jong Il’s palace came under siege last night. The palace complex went completely dark for 4 hours. The measures were assumed to be part of the significant efforts by the Presidential Energy committee to conserve electricity and save the natural resources of North Korea. So, there was no sense of panic until the lights came back up after 4 hours. By that time, significant changes have taken place. Kim Jong-il is officially missing and we are not able to locate him as of now. Until things are resolved and we can trace him, the interim governance has ordered a ‘State of Freedom’ to the entire country of North Korea. The rules and restrictions of the current presidency are temporary suspended until further notice.”

“On an unrelated incident, North Korea’s twitter account was hacked sometime last night and we are looking into it. No damage to National Pride and Honor has been done and there is no cause for alarm.”

**O*-*O*-*O**

The Kumsusan Memorial Palace - Pyongyang

There is however a detail that was missing out of the government statement. And that was something Kim Bong-cha guessed, because as she stood there staring at the vast sky above her head, she squeezed Yong Taek’s palm in disbelief and overwhelming happiness.. And what Minsuh Son did not know now, he might not know forever..

The soldiers that formed the security detail to the dictator formed the largest unbreakable chain of 250 soldiers that night.. They worked with a couple of hundred palace personnel and workers in the dark to restore their own Human Rights that night. What they did and how they did it, the details remain as varied as the various versions of a popular folklore now.. And Choe Yong Taek is a North Korean National folk hero!

***O***

The North Korea Nukes Barter Ideology

About the country North Korea: The archaic, stubborn state of North Korea stunned the world by testing an atomic bomb for the first time in October 2006. Kim, the dictator, is genuinely interested in feeding his people, the proof of which is in the picture above.

The Strong and Prosperous Nation agenda was announced by Kim Jong Il in 1998 after a long mourning period following his father’s death where he urged his country men that, “every intellectual must open the doors to the era of a strong and prosperous country” by the 100th anniversary of the birth of the nation’s founder, Kim Il Sung. There are media reports that in order to put up a great show of celebrations and prosperity, the food that is being produced is being hoarded away into storage units until the 2012 celebrations while millions and millions are starving to death..

Excerpts from an NPR radio broadcast from Apr 12th, 2011:
In North Korea, the price of rice has increased 100 times since a year ago.. For her daily meals, a 3 year old child ingests alternatively food, a combination of ground corn, wild grass and twigs; her stomach cannot process the food and she will ultimately starve to death..” Listen to the full podcast HERE.

***O***

Sources: The Telegraph, Wikipedia.org, The NPR, National Geographic

Translation for Tongmoo*: Comrade

Tags: Alfred Lord Tennyson, Communist State, Famine, Iron Curtain, Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-il, Korean Central News Agency, Kumsusan Memorial Palace, National Defence Commission of North Korea, North Korea, North Korea Famine, North Korea Food Shortage, Nothing to envy, Pyongyang, Sinuiju, South Korea, Ulysses, UN Security Council

The Furtively Intrepid Mexican

As I tell you the story of Miranda, 27, the protagonist, I believe she deserves a decent introduction and a few special moments under the spotlight.. There is a reason and you will know why… Soon!

“Hi, sorry I am not able to take your call now. This is Miranda, the maid of honor..! If you need help housekeeping, I am here for you! Call me at —.—.—-. Gracias, Have a good day!”

Miranda was no Ximena Navarrete, the 2010 Miss Universe and all those refried beans, fried chicken and white rice dinners had made her voluptuous around the waist, the girth of her breasts practically disappearing in sight from a side profile angle.. And as the message in her voice-mail suggests, she was bubbly and cheerful almost any time of the day.. At this time in her life, she felt like the days of hard labor, cleaning and other odd physically strenuous jobs were behind her.. And she was ready to settle down..!

***O***

Mexico

Amador Guzman, 38, his 5 foot, stocky stature is further dwarfed by the thought of the lineage he belongs to – A macho male Latin American society, known for its unmatched reliability, harrowing drug wars and indisputably strong family ties.. Mexico, a country with a strong history of non-interventionism, even isolationism, mixed with what many Mexicans like to think of as a tradition of pacifism, especially in foreign affairs ***.. And he was much like his own Country in matters of ethics: Adapted a strict sense of non-interventionism, in the personal business of friends.. But if you needed help and asked for it so, he would do anything to help you!

Together they lived in a Colonias* in Chamblee, a suburb of Georgia where the population is 48%** Hispanic. A dilapidated house – rented out for 200$ from its owner – it was much more than a home that met the neighbors’ eyes.. It was a combination of homes – for Miranda, for her boyfriend Amador, her two children, his three kids from a wife who was now in Mexico, and two dogs, Diego and Chiquita..

One evening, Amador revved up his truck into the front lawn before bringing it to a stop.. He sat there for a few minutes while he counted cash that he made for the day, jumped out of the vehicle and made a quick dash into the house.. As Manuella and her younger sister painted each other’s nails, Javier looked over from their shoulders onto a small TV at the corner of the room.. Rafael rushed to his father and grabbed the cellphone out of his hands..

The Guzman Family - One evening in the Colonias

Nothing seemed to stop Amador, who headed for the back room of the two room house.. “Come inside and close the door!“.. Amador said as he seated himself at the edge of the bed, surfing his shirt pockets.. Tonight he seemed to be distracted, or he would have picked up on his usual taunting to keep up her appearance.. A day laborer like him expected to come to a beautiful wife, and not a tired, disheveled mother of his kids, he would often tell her.. As her heart wondered, her eyes fell on the perfume bottle that sat next to him on the rocky bed.. of course, it is payday this Friday she smiled to herself!

Amador unbuttoned his dirty white shirt and playfully began to sing, “Let’s get down, baby, let’s get down!“

“¿Qué estás cantando”.. “Ha ha” (Translation:  “What are you singing?”.. “Ha ha”)

“Justin’s car stereo had this song playing all day and as I was driving with him around the city, this song stuck on my head“

Miranda was confused at Amador’s this often unpredictable behavior.. As a ruthless boss to his employees and as a tyrant to his children, she often found herself settling disputes among the different men that worked for him or pacifying his children to behave. But at nights, she was always made to feel like a queen, he would empty his pockets in front of her, he would encourage her to go to the department store to buy some nice fitting clothes for herself and so on.. And he seemed to all but forget about his wife in Mexico when he was with her.. And he never minced words when he told how much he loved her for taking care of him and their (his and his wife’s) 3 kids..

The Guzman Family - Crammed quarters

Whatever the kind of physical and psychological abuse she endured during the day from his domineering nature, she was quickly made to forget them in the bedroom.. And, for a modern day girl with ambitions, Miranda had come a long way in making her unique family situation work for her. When her boyfriend was murdered for his cash in his apartment and she was on the road penniless, Amador had taken her into his home and took care of her. Because of the standing he had in their Latin community in the city, she was noticed and respected!

And something about Amador’s personality made her stay.. While others would drink up their pay day earnings in cheap bars and motels, he always held a steady job, sometimes even two or three to support his family and sent his kids to school.. While others lamented how their fat ass bosses made them mow their lawns and clean up after them, he would keep reminding him that the house that he now lived in was still surprisingly more spacious than the over crowded, but scenic city of Puerto Vallarta where he had made a living running a tourist taxi, before he illegally crossed the border to make a better life for himself.

Heck, she thought, he was a 1000 times better than Jeandro next door, who after his wife got a job to work at the local Farmer’s market quit his job and stayed home all day doing drugs. He never respected Isabella and she would often hear her screams across the make shift wall that separated their two homes..

Amador worked for Justin, who had one day picked him up at the local Home Depot for helping him with some odd jobs for a day or two. That turned out to be a great partnership, and Amador soon found himself helping out Justin to do work around his father’s business of installing ATM machines around Atlanta. A once starving Amador who would explore the city on his two feet in search of work to feed his family for that day was now hiring and putting to work 10′s of men and women like him..

The Guzman Family - Food

Even while he was making a lot of cash and creating employment for several others, he was making enemies with a few other competing day contractors.. He knew the risks and perks of being a leader in a community that was often targeted for its stereotypical cliches, so he never lost touch with ground reality. He told himself, he was not going to be known for petty quarrels or hot chillis, but felt like he was one of those 50 different kinds of Tequila flavors that he found at Justin’s father’s home – You know, the kind that went for the long haul..

A few months later, one night, Marsico walked inside her home with his head hung low. Miranda shrieked and yelled at the sight of him getting out of Amador’s rusty pickup truck..

“Donde se Amador? Donde se??!” (Translation:  “Where is Amador? Where is he??!“)

Marsico, did not talk, he simply walked her to the back of the truck.. In the back were 3 heavy bags and at the bottom of the truck was a small mattress – what seemed like a baby mattress. He then told her, that evening Amador had called him and had requested him to pick up his truck that he had to abandon off of Route 10. He was now in the county jail as he had been taken into custody for suspicion of violating Federal laws by employing illegal immigrants.

She cried all night that night, but she soon realized that she had to gather all her strength.. With 6 mouths to feed, not including the one that was growing inside her, there was no time to reflect..

A Latin American child's room

Later that week, she approached a Latino Public Defender and was able to finally reach Amador via phone. The evening he was arrested, he was bringing home a few old clothes and toys of Justin and Jessica’s children for their soon-to-be newborn.. He was elated to show off his loot to her because he knew how happy she would be to see so many baby toys and clothes.. He wanted to take her to movies that night, asking his eldest daughter Manuella, 11, to take care of the kids at home..

But as he headed home with a few of his workers along side, he was overtaken by a speeding truck from the right lane. Inside it was Miguel Ramirez, his long time nemesis with a smirk on his face staring at him as he passed by.. Moments after, a cop had pulled him to the side of the road and within minutes it was all over.. Miranda wept silently as she heard Amador speak at the other end, his voice bewildered and fearful at the thought of the horrifying prospects of deportation to Mexico..

Miranda was in the habit of losing.. First she lost her boyfriend to violence, now she lost her Amador to deceit.. But the next day, she got up, got dressed and asked Manuella to stay home as she had to go in search of employment.. That rainy day, she walked towards the same tree that she had come to known as the Árbol del Dinero, a term for the proverbial Money Tree as that is where all the day contractors grouped at 6 in the morning..

Women in Mexico military: Putting up a tough face

As she approached the Santa Fe Laundermat area, she could see the tree in the distance.. In a short distance, she spotted Miguel working his rounds as the sole contractor for all the day laborers and putting them to work one after the other.. On spotting her, someone shouted,

“Ella es ahora su novia, ¿no? Ha ha” (Translation: “She is now your girlfriend, right?! Ha ha“)

Miranda felt a sense of shame overcome her.. She had to be left with some self respect, didn’t she?! It was obvious Miguel set up the plan to get Amador arrested.. And now was the test of whether she was stronger than she perceived herself to be?! She stood motionless for a few minutes and started the trek back home.. She switched on Amador’s cell phone and recorded this personalized voice mail and got right to work..

“Hi, sorry I am not able to take your call now. This is Miranda, the maid of honor..! If you need help housekeeping, I am BACK and I am here for you! Call me at —.—.—-. Gracias, Have a good day!”

Moral of the story: The power of one’s inner strength is unknown until it stands tested.. Well, I just know.. Surprise yourself!!!

The Cinco De Mayo Feast: Photo Credit: Epicurious.com

Disclaimer: The above story does not aim at expressing any point of views one way or another about the life, culture and sentiments of the Latin American people.. Also, it is not written to offend anyone from any other culture in any part of the world.. It is simply the story of a woman rediscovering her identity in the face of all odds.. !

Dedication: This one is for Lisa.. You have to read her to love her!

Thank you,
Heart ™

***O***

* Colonias: A section of American suburbs – that pop up in unincorporated areas around cities and towns and are defined by an absence of paved streets, numbered stree addresses, sidewalks, storm driainage , sewers, electricity, potable water, or telephone services..

** 48%: Not factual

*** Mexico, a country with a strong history of non-interventionism, even isolationism, mixed with what many Mexicans like to think of as a tradition of pacifism, especially in foreign affairs: Reference picked up from: http://www.economist.com/node/1608395

***O***

Picture courtesy: Life Magazine where watermark present; “America at Home” by Rick Smolan and Jennifer Erwitt

~~ Technorati Tag: claim token W8R4Y5V7MJMW

Tags: Amigos, Árbol del Dinero, Colonias, Hispanic, Illegal Immigrants, Mexican drug wars, Mexico, Money Tree, Pesos, Poverty

The One Salty Laughter Tear

This one is special, because I have already written about everyone – father, sister, husband, children.. So, when it was time to show my love for the child bearer, I figured what better way than to ask her to scribble a few lines for my humble blog.. The outcome? A mixture of excerpts taken from what my mother wrote for me.. To sound every bit like a seasoned writer, I have to mention I have her verbal permission to use her material in the below SEMI-fictional.. :)

***O***

Karina - Once upon a time ago

“Mommie.. mommie.. Hot!! Hot!!..” 2 year old Kyle was running behind Karina while screaming at the top of his lungs at 7:15am in the morning..

“Gosh darn it, it is just 7 in the morning Kyle, why don’t you sleep a little longer?? I am sure Maria put you to sleep very early and washed off her hands! I am sorry Chaz, but I guess no more date nights for us.. I cannot give up my lazy late mornings on the weekends for anything!”

“Ut-oh Kyle, yes mommie is hot, but this morning she is hot with temper!” Let’s get out of bed and go to your room while she sleeps a little longer”, Chaz grabbed the hot coffee that Kyle was referring to from her and stepped out of the bedroom closing the door behind him, still smiling.. Karina stayed in bed and dialed her momma who was 10,000 miles away in Bangladesh probably getting ready for dinner..

“Oh mom, what can I tell you, I have started hating weekends now! Kyle cannot seem to sleep past 6:30am and it is a pain my rear end! Mom, we were super excited about our date night yesterday, and felt that it was one that we had truly earned..! We had dinner and a few minutes of quiet time for ourselves! Heavenly! But, we crashed into the real world of baby so hard that I can’t seem to remember how great I was feeling just 12 hours ago!”

“Come on, give yourself a break, thinking of those moments might cheer you up! Also, Kyle might be hungry..”

“Talking to you is a waste of time momma, you will end up taking Kyle’s side anyway.. You will not understand how demanding my life is! Remember mom you were completely smitten by the idea of motherhood at 19, so you did not see any life outside of your two girls and your husband..”

The line goes mute..

“Yeah, yeah, sorry, I meant your two girls, and DADDY! Oh, let me go now, bye!”

Karina was relentless about how relentless she perceived her mother to be.. So, she picked up the conversation on Sunday, when she knew her dad will be an earshot from the phone while she was talking to her mother.. She had to be respectful.. very respectful.. She started off politely this time..

“Mom, you are just 50 mommie, do you know in America, especially in Florida, I hear 87 year old folks driving cars..!! If that is not eye popping news what else is?”

“Have you wondered why you had to hear that on the news? If it was business as usual, I suspect they would not be on TV! Also, have you received any paper greetings this year..? Do you remember you would cut the flowers and quotes out of the post cards and greetings that your father would receive on New Year’s day and make posters out of them?? All that might seem silly to you now, but that was great fun for you and your sister! Maybe Kyle will not disturb you if you can give him some small scissors and a few of those postcards!”

“Oh mom, you should start writing funnies, hand written post cards?!! Ha ha.. Oh, do you remember Alicia, Joey’s mom, she rear ended someone on her way back home yesterday evening..! I am not surprised, she is ALWAYS on the phone with someone or the other, never paying attention to Joey while picking up or dropping off that poor guy at school.. Ha, how is the timing so perfect I ask? What kind of a mom is she?! Sheeeesh!!!”

The writer's sword - Now Extinct

“I remember those days when you would wait eagerly on the steps outside the front door for me to come back from school.. You would finish eating your snack that I set out on the table that morning and feed your sister and take care of her till I came back! About that girl, maybe she works the phones! You, you still working 14 hours a day?! Kyle will miss you and your nurturing..”

“Mom, why does this have to be about me all the time?! How does working and maintaining a blog on the personal front have to be the same as not being responsible and taking care of my own child? You are sympathetic to a stranger, but I can’t carry on a decent conversation with you before you start giving me lectures about how to raise my child!”

The line goes mute..

“Mom, chores at home, deadlines at work, maintaining a social circle, setting up play groups, having a hobby – writing, and still having a few minutes of decent face time with the husband in the evening to chat up the day’s events.. All this takes effort and planning!”

“And to add to that, Chaz has been working hard at office for a presentation, so has zero contribution towards dish washing and laundry loads these days! The agreement for having a child at this point in our lives was with an understanding to share his responsibility equally and not one person being completely overwhelmed with raising them – in this case it is me!”

Karina did not wait for a goodbye and did not think of the conversation much afterward.. A two line email 15 minutes later from her mother brought guilt and sadness…

Honey, it read, I miss you both each day, every day! I do not want that to happen to you.. I want you to make enough memories with your little ones to last a lifetime.. Love you with all my heart, momma.

That night she did NOT beg Chaz with her usual bedtime sweet talk, “Honey, don’t stimulate his brain, with so much activity on the phone and TV, he will not sleep soon.. Take that damn Iphone away from him!!”

She called her mother, clutching Kyle close to her as he dozed off later, “Mom, I was thinking about what you said.. For Kyle, food and a warm hug seem to make his day! Thank you!”

Kyle - 2009

“We will start having dinner at the table again, just like the old days.. same table, same number of people.. each night! A great chunk of golden memories I made with my sister over food and school..”

Karina’s mother listened, and together they cried, they laughed.. She told her, how she had been a multi-tasker in her own right.. Taking care of her husband’s family of 10 people – the in-laws.. married at 17 with no “online” daughter-in-law help to refer to..

Soon Karina realized that she was a multitasker by virtue of self infliction.. the Meetups, the Facebooks, the blogs, the playgroups, the countless todo lists that I filled her day editing and copying from one to another.. they will have to wait.. Life was just as simple as that.. Kyle comes first.. The demands of her life seemed to evaporate in front of her mother’s genuine life-size situations that she maneuvered through her entire life..

As they talked, she confessed, how embarrassed she was when she opened the envelope that her grandfather gave her as a wedding gift – a cash bundle and a note which read, “All marital problems get resolved in the bedroom, this is the golden rule to bliss.” That day she had felt that she belonged to a family of freaks!! Ha ha..

“Sweetheart, do you know why you feel so connected with me today?! There are millions of cultures in the world, hundreds of countries with millions of mothers in them – but there is only one feeling like a labor pain and every tear that a mother sheds for laughter or sadness has one thing in common.. – they are ALL salty!”

That was Karina’s mother, even while she struggled with a great set of roller coaster emotions, Karina never found out if she had ever wondered what liposuction was, what the side effects of babies watching too much TV were, or obsessing about how to get rid of her co-sleeping kids from her bed into their own bedrooms – the list was long and exhausting.. The principle she would reveal was as simple as KISS – Keep it simple stupid..

Ha, who would have guessed, Karina had the capability of over-complicating the simplest of math problems in childhood..

What time is it?

Mom pointed out the positive aspects that were common.. A supportive husband who was trying to accommodate and fit in into their ambitious world of love, emotions, aspirations and children.. As the time and space gathered for them at the end of the day dwindled, men have been consistently adapting to women’s changing personalities and outlook and trying to keep up with their own understanding of fulfilling families needs everywhere..

The phone call ended, it was time to start over! Family comes first!

The next day at work, Monday afternoon, she pinged Chaz during one of those 2pm wake-me-up-I-am-so-sleepy-at-work-now chat sessions that they both would automatically tune into.. Something that her mother says she missed during her days, where she had to wait the whole day to keep her father up to date about her day and her thoughts contained for around dinner time and later.. Workplace internet was such a blessing she giggled to herself and enthusiastically started typing..

**O*-*O*-*O**

kacchao99: Chazzie, soooooooooo, how would you rate last night ;) ;)

a. Mind blowing, woah!!!
b. That was good, we should do this more often.. ;)
c. Nah, not up to the mark.. “

Chaz is idle..

kacchao99: Hello.. BUZZ.. :)

Chaz is now online.

Chaz: Let us talk about everything tonight.

Chaz: I am screen sharing on the projector here at the Headquarters building in downtown. Thanks for your patience.”

kacchao99 is now offline.

**O*-*O*-*O**

The multi-tasking diva that Karina was, she absentmindedly forgot about the important presentation that Chaz was presenting at the NET Builder 1.2 WebEx Conference, a meet that had attracted 8000 Information Technology professionals from outside of Atlanta.

Without blinking an eyelid, Karina then gathered enough courage to “tear up” her online check lists.. She had perceived them now to be more damaging that she thought they were!

***O***

A woman who believed in “Example is better than precept”… Without my mother, I would be lost.. And without my children my existence would have meant nothing.. Love to my mother who taught me that my boys don’t care where I play ball with them as long as I am there for them and play with them and laugh with them; it doesn’t matter if we are in the house, or in a park, or in a paid admission only play zone in the mall.. or EVEN on an island without food and water..
To you, I promise my love will be without distractions,
Rachana

And I also have on my mind.. all the wonderful, super, funny, smart, efficient, caring, persevering mothers in my life! With love,
Heart ™

***O***

Lord Chesterfield (1694-1773): We are, in truth, more than half what we are by imitation..

***O***

Watch the incredible spoken word poetess, Sarah Kay at TED 2011:

The things she would tell her daughter if she were to have one: If I should have a daughter …

have written about everyone – father, sister, husband, children.. So, when it was time to show my love for the child bearer, I figured what better way than to ask her to scribble a few lines for my humble blog..So, the outcome? The below is written as a mixture of excerpts taken from what my mother wrote for me at my request. To sound every bit like a seasoned writer, I have to mention I have her verbal permission to use her material in the below semi-fiction story.”Mommie.. mommie.. Hot!! Hot!!..” 2 year old Kyle was running while screaming at the top of his lungs at 7:15am in the morning..”Gosh darn it, it is just 7 in the morning Kyle, why don’t you sleep a little longer?? I am sure the baby sitter put you to sleep very early so she could get to doing what she enjoyed doing the most instead of taking care of you! I am sorry Chaz, but I guess no more date nights for us.. I cannot give up my late mornings on the weekends for anything!”"Ut-oh Kyle, what have you done..? Yes, yes mommie is hot, but this morning she is hot with temper!” Let’s get out of bed and go to your room while she sleeps a little longer”, Chaz grabbed the hot coffee that Kyle was referring to in my hands and stepped out of the bedroom closing the door behind him still smiling..

As day broke that Saturday morning, Karina was hardly in the mood to get up, so she lay in bed and dialed her momma who was 10000 miles away in Bangladesh probably getting ready for dinner..

“Oh mom, what can I tell you, I have started hating weekends now! Kyle cannot seem to sleep past 6:30am and it is a pain my rear end! Mom, we were super excited about our date night yesterday, and felt that it was one that we had truly earned.. We were seriously overwhelmed by the whole diaper changing routines, dishwasher loads, laundry, cleaning, cooking … Uggh.. So, we were so looking forward to it!”

“Yes, yes, of course, we went out, just the two of us, had dinner, and drinks and had a few minutes of quite time for us! Heavenly! But, mom, we crash into reality so hard that I can’t seem to remember how great I was feeling just 12 hours ago!”

“OK, OK, I will try to see the positives.. Thanks, talking to you is a waste of time momma, you will end up taking Kyle’s side anyway.. Bye, I will speak to you later.. You will not understand how demanding my life is! It is just not your generation anymore! Remember mom you got married at 17, so you did not see any life outside of your two girls and your husband..”

“Yeah, yeah, sorry, I meant your two girls, and DADDY! Oh, let me go now, bye!”

“Mother, you are 50, do you know in America, especially in Florida, I hear 87 year old folks driving cars..!! If that is not eye popping news what else is?”

“Have you wondered why you had to hear them on the news? If it was business as usual, I suspect they would be on TV! Hey, I keep forgetting to ask you, have you received any paper greetings this year.. Do you remember you would cut them flowers and quotes out of the post cards and greetings that your father would receive on New Year’s day and make posters out of them?? All that might seem silly to you now, but they were fun days with you and your sister!”

“Oh mom, you should start writing funnies, you are getting better at pulling my leg under the pretense of cracking me up!”

“By the way, do you remember Alicia, Joey’s mom, she rear ended someone on her way back home yesterday evening..! Do you know something, she is ALWAYS on the phone with someone or the other, giggling, never paying attention to Joey while picking up or dropping off that poor guy at school.. Ha, I wonder how that boy gets treated at home?”

“I remember those days when you would wait for me eagerly on the steps outside the front door for me to come back from school.. You would finish eating your snack that I set out on the table that morning and feed your sister and take care of her till I came back!”

“Oh really, that is so sweet mom, but you never had a cell phone in those days when you would come back from school while we waited eagerly for you.. Maybe you would have used it to call and catch up right around the time you headed home.. He he..”

“That would not happen in a million years, you girls and your generation, your priorities are different.. You want to have it all!”

“Mom, BTW, this morning, I was listening to the news and they were talking about a mother who was not able to curb the appetite of a 2 year old Indonesian boy who smokes 40 cigarettes a day.. The media is spinning it in such a way that the mother is helpless and is unable to control the fricking child on her own and is seeking financial assistance to send him to some sort of addiction therapy.. What kind of a mom is she?!”

“Maybe she is trying her best, but what about you, you still working 14 hours a day?! That is not good for you or Kyle, he will miss you and your nurturing!”

“Mom, why does this have to be about me all the time?! How does working and maintaining a blog on the personal front have to be the same as not being responsible and taking care of my own child? You are sympathetic to a stranger who is in Indonesia, but you don’t have that sympathy factor for me..? I can’t carry on a decent conversation with you without you giving me a lecture about how to raise Kyle!”

“Please don’t slam the phone on me Rach, the fact of the matter is I don’t care about that stranger/Indonesian woman and her child as much as I care deeply about you and the wellbeing of my kin..”

“Mom, I know you made a lot of sacrifices for me, but do you know what it takes to be a career woman in this generation? Chores at home, deadlines at work, maintaining a social circle, setting up play groups, having a hobby – writing, and still having a few minutes of decent face time with the husband in the evening to chat up the day’s events.. All this takes effort and planning momma.. you will not get it! Our demands are different, it is not your generation!”

“Chaz has been working hard at office, but has zero contribution towards dishwashing and laundry loads these days! The agreement for having a child at this point in our lives was with an understanding to share his responsibility equally and not one person being completely overwhelmed with raising them – in this case it is me! Of course you don’t seem to care how much pressure I am under!”

That night I did not beg Chaz with my usual bedtime sweet talk, “Honey, don’t stimulate his brain, with so much activity on the phone and TV, he will not sleep soon.. Take that damn Iphone from him!!”

I called my mother, clutching Kyle close to me as he dozed off, “I told her, I will listen to everything she says.. – that I realise, a child does not have any expectations for playdates or movie nights.. food and sleep and one warm hug would make his day; I will not complain about the diapers.. one day he will be gone, it might be a year before I will make his favorite snack; the Facebook friends and the chatting will wait, friends know and understand, if they don’t, they were never friends to begin with!

I will bring everyone to the table for dinner again, just like the old days; we sat together at the same table at the same time with the same number of people every night for dinner – a great chunk of golden memories I made with my sister over food and school..

The next Saturday, I called in the middle of the night for mother.. She listened and we talked for 6 hours nonstop.. She cried, I cried.. She laughed, I laughed.. She told me, how she was multitasker in her own right.. Taking care of my dad’s family of 10 people – brothers, sisters, the inlaws.. at the young age of 17 with no “online” mother help to refer to.. I realised I was a multitasker by virtue of self infliction.. the meetups, the facebooks, the blogs, the playgroups, the countless todo lists that I fill out each day in three customized checklist engines – they will have to wait.. Life was just as simple as that.. Kyle comes first.. The demands of my life seemed to evaporate in front of her genuine lifesize situations that she manuered through her entire life..

It was the best conversations that I ever had with my mom.. And inevitably in the heat of the moment, if you will, she ended up making a few confessions along the way! She ended up telling her how she was embarrased beyond imagination when she opened the envelope that her grandfather gave her on the day she got married, the envelope had cash as a gift for her wedding and a handwritten note which read, “If you seem to be having problems with your future husband, it is not just a saying, but a proven fact that even the toughest of issues get resolved in the bedroom!” That day she had felt that she belonged to a family of freaks!!

Did you realise something, you just spoke like your own “mother” while talking about your Kyle and yourself? How did that happen, remember, every day you complain that I talk like a granny, which of course, I am one.. Ha ha..

Sweetheart, do you know why you feel so connected with me today?! There are millions of cultures, hundreds of countries with millions of mothers in them – but there is only one feeling like a labor pain and every tear that a mother sheds for laughter or sadness has one thing in common.. – they are salty!

That was Karina’s mother, even if she struggled with life and sets of roller coaster emotions, Karina never found out if she had ever wondered what liposuction was, what the side effects of babies watching too much TV were, or obsessing about how to get rid of her co-sleeping kids from her bed into their own bedrooms – what her next course of action was for the coming nights… the list was long and exhausting.. The principle she would reveal was as simple as KISS – Keep it simple stupid.. Ha, who would have guessed, Karina had the capability of overcomplicating the simplest of math problems in childhood..

As mom and she talked into the afternoon, she told her what they as women and mothers shared further in common.. A supportive husband who was trying to accommodate and fit in into our ambitious world of love, emotions, aspirations and children.. As the time and space gathered for them at the end of the day dwindled, men have been consistently adapting to women’s changing personalities and outlook and trying to keep up with their own understanding of fulfilling families needs everywhere..

The phone call ended, but mother gave Karina a renewed sense of purpose for life in general.. Everything would wait, but not precious time with family she made her realise..

The next morning Karina pinged Chaz during one of those 2pm wake-me-up-I-am-so-sleepy-at-work-now sessions.. Something that her mother says she missed during her days, where she had to wait the whole day to keep her father up to date about her day and her thoughts contained for around dinner time and later..

She enthusiastically opened a Messenger window and started typing..

Chaz, soooooooooo, how would you rate last night ;) ;)

a. Mind blowing, woah

b. Thanks, this is good, we should do this more often..

c. Nah, not up to the mark

Hello.. BUZZ..:)

Let us talk about everything tonight, I am screen sharing at the NET Builder 1.2 WebEx Conference here at the Headquarters building in downtown this afternoon..

Thanks for your patience.

If you educate a man you educate a person, but if you educate a woman, you educate a family.

Without my mother, I would be lost.. Even now.. And without my children my existence would have meant nothing..
Love to my mother who taught me that my boys don’t care where I play ball with them as long as I touch them and play with them and laugh with them; it doesn’t matter if we in the house, or we are in a park, or we are on an island without food, or we are in paid admission play zone..

And a woman who believed in “Example is better than precept”.

To you, I promise my love will be without distractions,

And I write while having all the wonderful, super, funny, smart, efficient, caring, persevering mothers in my life on my mind!
Love,
Heart

Lord Chesterfield (1694-1773): We are, in truth, more than half what we are by imitation..

Tags: 21st century mother, Daughter, Foot in the mouth, Heart, Love, Mother, Motherhood, Multitasking, Parenting, Patience, Technology, Working mother

Little Mo and the Shooting Star

WRITTEN  BY: Heart

ILLUSTRATED BY: Shafali

***O***

This is the story of Mo. Mo is his name and it is short for Moksh. Mo is a happy little dude.

But lately he was worried. That night was Christmas eve. Staring into the sky, he sobbed silently. Next to him was his favorite stuffed turtle Coca.

Suddenly he saw something that he thought was a shooting star in the sky. He was 8 but he knew what it was, momma had told him, that when you see it and wish for something, you get what you want. So he closed his eyes and wished for a lot of things. He did not have enough time to think of just one must-have, so he prayed for everything.

Home during Christmas

The next morning, he did not remember most of what he asked for, but he thought he would wait and see. Santa was too busy and he had very little money for all the kids in the world momma said, but she had also told him that he was a very kind man and he always tried his best. Mo did not know what to make of it.

He crept under the Christmas tree and cleared the lighting to find his most favorite Transformer Bumble Bee standing there inside the yellow wrapping paper. He quickly finished breakfast and played with him all morning. Coca sat in the middle of the living room and watched as Mo thumped and jumped the car on him repeatedly.

The Transformers - Bumblebee

Mommy gave him his favorite foods to eat, she did not seem to insist on anything, just his regular best foods, fruit snack, chocolate milk, an oatmeal bar, and a cheese toast for lunch?! He was amused. No big, funny looking veggie kebabs or thick spicy chicken pieces. He seemed to like his day.

In the afternoon as he grew tired, he asked if he could go to the zoo instead of taking of the nap. No one ordered him to get under the sheets, they just picked  him up, Bumble Bee and Coca and rushed to the zoo. The giraffes, the elephant and the tiny grasshopper on his jacket were amazing enough to keep him occupied. The thought of getting dragged to a Botanical garden and long waits in lines did cross his mind, so this one seemed to be a special day! And the best part, there were no rules!

Later, Daddy suggested that they should eat out on Christmas, but what was to be open on such a holiday?! One quick check and he found that there was a Disney show at the local Arena with cheese pizza dinner for kids.

Disney on Ice - Toy Story 3

At the show, Mo asked, “Daddy, can I ask Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head to come home?! It will be so much fun!”

“Yes, of course honey, why don’t we go backstage after the show and invite them for a bed time story!”

Sure enough, they had to make space for Mr and Mrs. Potato Head in their car to drive them home.

Mo wondered if there was that one chore that he was supposed to do before bed time every night, waiting for him at home. Like yesterday, he had to bring the BIG hand soap bottle from the bathroom cupboard and set it up next to the sink for mommy to fill it up in her small bottle. He still remembered how heavy it was!

At home, there was no TV! He was feeling sad, when someone knocked on the door and started setting up some stuff of their own at the fire place! The magician was here and he told them great stories.. Later he gave them lots of colors and paper to paint with! His younger brother and he painted a lot and messed up their pajamas. Still nothing, every one seemed to be pleased with them!

The Magician and his puppets

The grandparents who were visiting were obviously pleased as always, but the daddy and the mommy seemed to enjoy the mess this time around.

Soon, it felt like it was time to go to bed. Mo offered to check into his room without much prodding.

Lioness M: Mo gets little brother's help to paint

“Did you have a great day Mo?!”

“Yes Daddy! Daddy, do you know what I can do?! I can say, One, two and three up to Ten in Spanish! UNO DOS TRES CUATRO CINCO SEIS SIETE OCHO NUEVE DIEZ .. “

In one breath! Ah!

“Great, that’s lovely Mo! Did Ms. Massey teach you that?!”

“No daddy, Hunter did! He is from Puerto Rico! Daddy, can we go to Puerto Rico?!”

Holidays in Puerto Rico

“Yes, of course, I will book a cruise tomorrow and we all can go!
Now, you go to sleep because the doctor called and now they have your favorite orange color cast ready (for your broken right arm). He told me they can put it on you tomorrow if you can be there early.”

And off he went, his small inflatable tent waiting for him in his room. It was going to be his makeshift home for that night, and the glow stars on its roof made for a perfect night! Mo soon went to sleep smiling.. Tucked in between his favorite Coca and his new best favorite Bumble Bee.

Now, do you all remember the shooting star that night?!
Santa was on his sledge flying from one home to another, delivering his packages and gifts to all the kids of the world. And when Mo saw him up in the sky he mistook him for a shooting star! Santa figured out what would be the best toy for him, so he got him one!

Do you know what Mo got?!
A dream catcher..!!

THE END!

***O***

Dream big and persevere.. And, you can be a Rock Star if you want to be!

Good night kiddos!

Sun rays and the Dreamcatcher

The story ends here, but the Dream catcher comes with an expiry date, the kids figure it out eventually as schools reopen and rules get enforced as usual – Home and school, there is no escape! :) However, they don’t stop dreaming, and this time, they just wish for their next dream holiday to come by sooner.. !!

Wikipedia says, “Luscious dreams pass through the center hole to the sleeping person. The bad dreams are trapped in the web, where they perish in the light of dawn.” The DREAM CATCHER has been recently made popular in populist culture by some New Age groups..

School and Grades

***O***

This story is submitted for the Blog Carnival for Bloggers, December 2010, Edition 7, hosted by Shafali, the Caricaturist! Thanks Shafali!

With love,
Heart ™

**O*-*O*-*O**

Description of the Puerto Rico pictures:
1. Scientists gather at The Arecibo Observatory: Home to the largest single-aperture telescope ever constructed;
2. El Yunque National Forest: Average rainfall yields 160 billion gallons (605 billion liters) annually;
3. FELICIDADES: Spanish Best Wishes

Tags: Animation, Bed time story, Bumble Bee, Caricaturist, Christmas, Disney on Ice, Dream Catcher, Holidays, Kids short story, Santa Claus