Mother's Love: 55 Fiction

This post has been published by me as a team member of Indiana Legends for the SUPER 6 round of Bloggers Premier League (BPL) – The first ever unique, elite team blogging event of blog world. To catch the BPL action and also be part of future editions and other contests, visit and register at Cafe GingerChai

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She showered all her love and attention on her newborn. She couldn’t understand her husband’s jealousy. Or his weird stares. Or sad face. But she didn’t care; her son needed her.

He finally couldn’t take it and showed her their son’s grave. He had been still born. 2 years ago.

Love can do strange things.

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Catch the posts of the rest of the Indiana Legends here: Avada, Moulee, Pawan, PNA, Rumya, Sanchit, Tikuli


Until next time,

Cheers!!!

Weekend update

Ding dong, 

The flatmate's gone

The house is all for me

No unwanted guests, 

No boyfriend pests,

I'm loving the serenity! 

Yes, she left. Yesterday. And I'm loving it. Having the house all to myself is so wonderful. I am yet to clean the house and clean up all her mess. But I plan to do that next weekend. I have already advertised for another flatmate only because I know it can take a while. Until then, I'm going to enjoy my solitude!

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I watched 'Up in the Air' last night. Loved the movie. It made me laugh and cry and was just great. A simple movie but with so much depth. Loved George Clooney in it. I highly recommend the movie!

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In other news, I won Lazy Pineapple's You think you're funny 3.0 caption contest. This was the picture:

And this was my winning caption: "I'm just going to pretend he did it...everyone thinks he's an idiot anyway!"

And LP has awarded me the coveted trophy:

Hope you have all had a great weekend! 

Until next time,

Cheers!!!

Travellin' around...

I haven't travelled extensively but in my 5 years in Australia, I have had the opportunity to visit a few places in New South Wales. As a result, I do have some lovely memories in the form of photographs. This post is my entry for the Blogadda Travel Photos Competition where we post 5 of our favourite travel photos.

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Katoomba Cascades in the Blue Mountains. This was back in July 2005. My first trip in Australia ever with 2 friends. It was bitterly cold but wonderfully amazing to see cascades up close...

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The view from a bushwalk through the Royal National Park at Bundeena. It is by far one of my favourite bushwalking trails because at the end of it, this is the brilliant view. I have walked 8 kilometres and yet, at the end, you feel satisfied and almost like you have been transported to an unimaginable fantastical place. Bundeena is my definition of bliss. 

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Sunset at Bundeena. Yes, same place, different side. Again, hopefully, this picture explains why it is bliss. The other thing is not many people apart from locals know of this trail so it's not teeming with people. You will pass the occasional bushwalkers but that's about it. Peace and quiet. 

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Ah the Koala! I did see this one up close. This was taken at Blackbutt Reserve in Newcastle where we could feed the koalas for about $3.00. Best thing ever. It was so cute feeding it milk from a syringe-like equipment. Absolutely love the koalas.

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Forster NSW in 2008. Forster is absolutely beautiful. It had the most amazing beaches and lovely white sand and a laid back atmosphere. The picture doesn't do it justice as there were sections where the waters were bluish-green. I would love to go back there...

This contest was supported by

Until next time,

Cheers!!!

Wordless Wednesday - 3

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Time to say Goodbye...

...to my flatmate.

Did I make you guys think I was saying good bye to the blogosphere??? =)

Anyway, I finally gave the flatmate notice. You know about some of the behaviours I had complained about? The not cleaning up when spilling things, not helping out with the cleaning of the house and having the boyfriend over often? Well, I had spoken to her about it as you all know. And while things changed for a while, I noticed she would start re-engaging in those behaviours again.

For instance, after talking about sharing the vaccuuming (each doing it once a month) she did it once. And that was it. And there was still tea or pasta sauce I would find dried up on the kitchen bench. And her starting to talk a lot more about religion and about how god made our cells. And then the last couple of weeks, the boyfriend started coming over more than just the couple of times agreed upon.

And I lost it.

Something snapped in my brain. What with work stress and all. And not much change in 7 months. I bit the bullet and on Friday I gave her notice and told her that a friend was going to move in. [Because I am still a bit chicken] I gave her three weeks' notice, apologised for springing it on her and said I could help out.

And then this evening, she left me a message saying things worked out easily for her and she can move out the coming Saturday. So I might have the place to myself for a while until I find someone new.

This time around, I am going to have to be more careful and set ground rules right from the beginning! At least I have learnt something from that.

And now to just hope I don't end up with a psycho! =P

Until next time,

Cheers!!!

Control Freaks

What is a control freak? According to the Free Dictionary:

One who has an obsessive need to exert control over people and situations.

I do refer to myself as a Control Freak. But I realise based on the definition I am not really one. It's mainly situations I want to control not necessarily people. I am flexible to a certain extent when it comes to people and whilst I would prefer they did things my way, I understand that not everyone is perfect ;)

Anyway, I am not writing this post solely about whether or not I am a control freak.

As most of you know,  I started a new job earlier this year. Parts of the job are great, parts not so much. The part that is not so great, involves a great deal of scrutiny from peers. Yep. Not managers but colleagues. And I am not liking that too much. And while it may have been fine, there are some people that are total and complete control freaks. They fit the definition to a t. And that just makes my role harder. The role I have undertaken involves something they did for years which has now been handed over to me. Thus, while the workload for these individuals has reduced, it also means a loss of control over the kind of clients they get to see, the time they are referred and the information they receive initially.

And the control freaks are so not coping well. They are complaining about every single thing. And you can tell it's them not me because most of the others are fine with giving up that control and haven't complained one bit! The change in the system is hard for them to take. They call for the silliest of things. And then don't call for the important ones. They seem to be a confused bunch wanting that control and yet not wanting the extra work. Whilst I have no problem being told (in a nice way) what needs to be done, I am not particularly fond of being ordered around by colleagues. Managers would be different. I have had to do things with control freaks before. Like group work. And now I remember again how much I hated that!

I guess on the bright side, the control freaks are the minority at work. But they don't make life easy for others.

So how about the rest of you? 

Any of you control freaks? 

Anyone had any interesting stories or encounters with control freaks?

Do share

Being a bit of one myself, I am not sure how long I will last in this position if I want to keep my sanity.

Until next time,

Cheers!!!

Wordless Wednesday - 2

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Bad Bad Bad

Everyone knows by now how much I love books. And in order to stop myself from buying books, I have reduced the time I spend in book stores. I have literally only been visiting them once every couple of months. Unfortunately, I discovered something a few months ago which is not helping.


Borders Online. 

I am not big on internet shopping because I think it's a rort with the shipping charges. Hence I rarely get sucked into spending big online.

But Borders Online is different. They have free delivery! And in the past week I have bought 3 books online. 2 for the book club (because they weren't available at my local library...checked out) and 1 because I found it interesting. And I find myself browsing through the website and looking at the books on discount and almost clicking "add to cart"

This is bad, bad, bad. And now that I know my credit card details off the top of my head, I don't even have to go all the way into my bedroom to dig out my wallet for it. So even laziness doesn't work.

I need a firewall to block the page for a while I reckon.

Sigh.

Until next time,

Cheers!!!

That's the way we say it...

I'm not sure but I have probably mentioned this before...over the past few years, everytime I have met new people, they have generally assumed  I was born and brought up in Australia (except during my first year here). Why? Because I have the Aussie accent. In fact, my close friends sometimes forget I have been here just for 5 years and they will talk about some big event that happened years ago and look at me with a How-can-you-not-know-that look and I have to remind them that I have just been here since 2005.

Anyway, I digress.

The reason I am writing this post is because I found out I have the ability to pick up accents.

As those of you who follow my blog probably know, I have been learning the Italian language. I have done about 18 hours so far. I am enjoying it and it's great...except when I shut the book and then I cannot remember anything. But yesterday during class, the teacher (who is Italian) said I have picked up the accent and pronounciation perfectly (albeit while reading with the book open!) 

So turns out I have the Aussie accent 99 percent of the time, Italian accent in the language class and the Indian accent when I talk to mum and dad (I think).

And it made me wonder: What is it that makes some people pick up accents faster than others? I mean, personally, I have always loved the Aussie accent and made an effort to pick it up because I wanted the kids and teenagers I worked with to understand me. There is an Indian lady at my workplace who is probably my mum's age...I thought she had come to Aus after marriage because she has a pretty thick Indian accent...but I was surprised to find out that she actually came here when she was a child! On the other hand, I have an Asian friend who came here when she was a child and who has the Aussie accent.

One of my colleagues asked me whether I had musical ability because apparently he has read research that suggests people with high musical ability are able to pick up accents easily.

I don't think I have high musical ability. At least, not that I know of.

But I am curious as to what makes one person pick up an accent with ease and another to not change their accents throughout their lives.

What about the rest of you? If you are in a different country from where you grew up, which accent do you have? If you have parents who speak with a different accent but you have grown up in a country with another accents, which one do  you have?

And do you know why we pick up accents if we do?

Do share!

Until next time,

Cheers!!!

Wordless Wednesday - 1

A bit of indulgence...

So...I've been really good for months now. Not really spending money frivolously. Yes I do cave when it comes to books but I have stopped myself from buying clothes or shoes or technological or stationery stuff I don't really need.

Until last week.

Now mind you, it was not an impulse buy. I wanted it on the 30th of April as I was shopping for a birthday gift for a friend. But then I decided to go home and think about it. And then finally, last Tuesday I made up my mind that I was going to get it. After all, I had been thinking about this since the end of last year. So Wednesday morning since I started work late (and finished late), I went to the shop and got myself this:

My New Camera: Picture from DSE catalogue

Yes, that's exactly the camera I bought myself.  It's red in colour!

No more actual batteries required. No more camera dying on me every couple of days.

So I now have an excuse to take pictures!! =)

Until next time,

Cheers!!!

Tired

I am so tired.

I have had a full week. Been busy from Tuesday to Saturday. Doing something every night (community college classes - 2 nights, socialising - 2 nights, running a group at work - 1 night). Plus I have been going for a walk at 6 am on four mornings.

And today, my body gave way. I couldn't wake up till 10 and my body ached. I still managed to clean my house (because it just had to be cleaned) and was happy to have the place to myself.

At 6:30 pm, I'm still tired. I think I could go to bed by 8 at this rate.


Where do others get the energy from?

Sadly, another similar week lies ahead. Except I won't be socialising (I think!)

How was your week and your weekend?

Until next time,

Cheers!!!

To be a kid again...

It's been a while since I did a BlogThis challenge. But it's time for one now! This week's challenge is to

Name something that makes you want to be a kid again. Is it a food? A toy? Maybe your credit card bill? Seriously though, take us back to something that makes you wish you were a kid again, and why...

What makes me want to be a kid again?

Well, as I've said before, I live in a unit block. And in this block of units, there are a few children as well. And listening to these kids play some evenings or weekends makes me long to be a kid again...reliving my own childhood days.

It started when I moved here last August. Their football and then later their cricket ball landed in my balcony (I live on the first floor) and that reminded me of the number of times my friends and I had lost our cricket balls in the bushes or hit the balls into someone's balcony. Hearing the kids in my building play cricket and tennis and football (soccer) almost makes me want to join in on the fun...the innocence...the laughter.  Hearing them scream at one another to "catch it" is eerily similar to my own childhood.

They make life look so simple.

I wish I could go back to being a kid just to relive those days of enjoying football and cricket. And playing like there was no tomorrow.

With no other worries...

Just pure bliss...

So what about you? Is there anything that makes you want to be a kid again?

Until next time,

Cheers!!!

You Prick!

Would you ever call a police officer a "prick" to his or her face? And if you did, would you expect to get away with it?

Well, a 22 year old bloke had his charges of foul language dismissed despite calling a police officer just that in an argument. I was listening to the radio on the way to work the other day when they were discussing this. A couple of the radio presenters thought going to court was ridiculous and cops need to be able to deal with people calling them names given the field they are in. Only one of the presenters thought this was ridiculous. The opinion among the callers was mixed as well.

My opinion: I think it's a sad state of affairs when a person can get away without even a fine or a warning for being disrespectful to someone in authority. Now, I am not saying I love cops or that all cops are angels. But I am not going to call a copper a "wank" or a "prick" to his face even if I think it in my head. Why? Well, for starters, I wouldn't want someone to call me that. And secondly, it's just plain disrespectful.

I'm not a prude. I have no problem with people swearing and I do it myself. However, I do have a problem when people swear at someone. Calling someone "you dickhead" or "you fucking whatever" to their face is disrespectful. [I do call bad drivers on the road these names, mind you...but they can't actually hear me!]

I think the problem with the charges being dismissed in a way undermines the authority of the police. It also sets up others to think they can continue to get away with it (which they probably could). Moreover, if 'prick' is not foul language, does this mean someone can call their boss a prick to his face and then sue for unfair dismissal? Can a student call his or her teacher a prick or an idiot and then cry foul over getting a demerit or being suspended? Can a child call their parent a prick and then get angry at being grounded? Just because the word 'prick' is now part of everyday language? So is the f-word. But again, does that mean students can start using the f-word at schools (I know they use it already but if it's within a teacher's earshot, they get into trouble for doing so) and expect to not have consequences for it?

Where do we draw the line?

And are we going to see a nation of disrespectful individuals who only care about their own needs and wants without heed to another person's feelings? Or without respect for someone's position?

Only time will tell...

Until next time,

Cheers!!!

Wearing Skinny Jeans?

If so, you cannot be raped. Or sexually assaulted.

Apparently, skinny jeans are so tight that they cannot be taken off without one's consent. And it was on this basis that 23 year old Sydney man Nicholas Gonzalez was acquitted of the sexual assault of a 24 year old woman he knew. The defendant argued that the sex was consensual. The woman claimed she was raped. Medical examination found evidence of trauma around the victim's genital region.

In 2008, men were acquitted in separate incidents of raping a couple of women in Korea and in Italy because the women were wearing skinny jeans.

While I am not here to say whether this Sydney incident was or was not rape, I think basing the outcome on a pair of skinny jeans is nothing short of a farce. Who said the jeans need to be pulled off completely in order for a woman to be raped? Skinny jeans are not that hard to be pulled down to the knees...even without the woman's help. Skinny jeans are tight, sure. But they are not that tight that they cannot be pulled off. Particularly in this Sydney case where the woman was a size 6 and weighed on 42 kgs.

Once again the judicial system shows how to blame a woman for what has happened.

What next?

A man getting acquitted for raping a woman wearing a short tight mini skirt because there was no way he could force her to spread her legs without her actually wanting to?

Because with this kind of verdict, I fear that's where we are headed. It sets a precedent for every other case.

Until next time,

Cheers!!!

The Perfect Client

You attend every session regularly. Despite it being free.

You comply with all of what the therapist says.

You ask questions if you don't understand.

You do your homework conscientiously. And remember to bring it back to the next session.

You tend to be Axis 1. And not a hassle at all.

You want to change.

You have clear goals for therapy.

You are able to identify your automatic thoughts. And challenge them.

You are willing to put in the effort required for therapy. In and out of session.

You do some things even before we decide to engage in them.

You are the type we read about as examples in books by other psychologists.

It's a shame that in reality, you are few and far between.

But to that one perfect client I get among every 500 or so imperfect ones...you remind me of why I chose this line of work.

You help me see that change is possible when there aren't other extraneous factors or personality factors hindering it.

You help me see that cognitive-behaviour therapy is in fact evidence-based. And with the right type of client such as you, it is a breeze.

I just wish there were more of you!

But I guess if that were the case, I wouldn't value you as much as I do. 

Until next time,

Cheers!!!

Escape

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 10; the tenth edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.

She looked around her house. All was perfect. Just the way she wanted.

Her husband slumped dead over his dinner.

She knew she would get acquitted. Battered-woman syndrome. Her ticket to freedom. Her ticket to escape his clutches.

With money.

It didn’t matter if it wasn’t true.

She wasn’t an award-winning actress for no reason.   

The fellow Blog-a-Tonics who took part in this Blog-a-Ton and links to their respective posts can be checked here. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.

Until next time,

Cheers!!!