Welcome to parenthood!

It is a magical feeling!  I was watching a sitcom the other day and what one of the characters says made amazing sense to me - 'everything in life becomes very clear when you hold the hand of a baby and look at its face'. True, even the worst of situations seems passable when you look into your baby's eyes and see him beam back at you. So, here are some of the things I realised after becoming a parent.

- sleep is not a necessity, it is a luxury you can have when your baby has it.
- you can be a complete loser to some people but to your baby you are the hero
- you know the complete meaning of responsibility only when you are a parent. Not because you have to keep them from doing bad things but because you have to be able to live upto the image your baby will have of you
- trust doesn't need words to express. You can see it in the tiniest gestures of your baby. One thing that always moves me is how my baby lights up when he sees me.
- it is OK to make mistakes. No matter how you screw up, your baby rewards you with a magical smile
- it is incorrect when people say you get to be a kid only once. I have seen my parents proving it wrong when they play with my son
- there is wonder in everything in the world, we take a lot for granted. Look at the world from a baby's eyes, you'll see
- contrary to the popular belief, you notice things about your partner more when you become a parent because you try to associate them with your child
- planning is fun
- it becomes easier to pose for photos because the love for your child becomes apparent
- you think of things you probably thought were obvious. Like for example how does a goat sound?  :)
- respect for your parents increases by leaps and bounds
- you find something to laugh about even in the most inane things like poo in your hand
- your observation power increases immensely
- essentially your point of view changes because you have to look everything from how your baby might be perceiving it. For a stubborn person like me, it is a novel thing but well learnt.

I haven't numbered the above list because I am only a four month old parent.. Looking forward to a life long roller coaster ride with our little one!!

Aamchi Mumbai!

Mumbai - the city where dreams come true! I have lived in this happening city, breathed in the air of nonchalance, took in the scent of hardwork, experienced the camarederie of the local folk for a couple of years. I never thought I would love a city as much as Hyderabad but Mumbai comes a close second.
It is the spirit of the city that draws you in. You feel it in everything you do. There is some nonchalance to your lifestyle in a foreign city anyway. But Mumbai draws out hitherto unexplored interests in you. There are so many things to explore that you can hardly stay put on a weekend. Couple that with wonderful company (I met one of my besties in Mumbai) and your sense of adventure, well you have a deadly combination there.
The city is a house to a melange of cultures and it celebrates them with a lot of pomp and gaeity. The city flaunts temples, cultural centres celebrating dying arts, concrete wonder malls, clubs celebrating the spirit of sport and the list goes on.  
You never run out of options when it comes to food because restaurants are open till wee hours of the morning something that I miss after coming back to Hyderabad.
Mumbai is by far the safest city I have stayed in judging by the fact that I used to go for midnight rides/walks with my friends without a second thought. You almost wish it was like that everywhere.
For a city that has its people thinking of an alternative lifestyle during the rainy season, it is unusually perky. The spirit which I speak of is bare-naked in the monsoon - no one stops. In such a compelling environment, the last trace of laziness is wiped out. You are ALWAYS on the move.
No wonder the Mumbaikers are such an active lot. For those of you who haven't been on a Mumbai metro, whats written in books about it being a second home to a lot of Mumbaikers is not an exaggeration. You HAVE to ride the Mumbai metro to know what it is like to live a lifetime in a ride of forty minutes.

The city that never sleeps; a land of opportunity; a place where dreams come true...Aamchi Mumbai indeed.