A peep into a Women's Heart: I am this AND....... (Things that Define Me)

 Dear Readers,

Being an Indian daughter , an Indian Wife and most recently a Mom , who knows it better than me, the number of ORs we are given in our lived from the tender age...with most of us settling for less with a heavy heart...But is the situation getting better today...Yes of course, there's a ray of hope at-least...With education and westernization, people's thoughts are becoming Liberal...

And I am Glad to be a part of the dawn of true liberalization in India...For I love to Dream AND than Materialize my Dreams.That's me , My dreams may be umpteen, but I have the will and the determination to hold them all in my Kitty , taking up one or more of them at a time...

Things that define me cannot just be one...While I am a Professional Automobile Engineer,a product designer more precisely by education, the same creativity forays into every aspect of my life...I am a passionate bharatnatyam dancer AND a leisure painter but what satiates my soul the most is writing, expressing Straight from the Heart anything and everything, so am a ALLROUND BLOGGER too....Anyways this is definitely not the end of the roads for me...My interests keep trolling here and there, and I love to explore  all options though I may not excel at all and that makes me a Jack of all Trades...

Life is undoubtedly beautiful and my principle is keep weaving lovely memories each moment , each day of this beautiful journey...I love to be associated with different labels and love the diversity and spice in life which advents at it's different stages...For e.g. being married to a man with exceptional culinary skills made me discover innovative cookery AND becoming a mom, made me half pediatrician :) .....

On the lighter side, I am an agony aunt to my friends and colleagues and thanks to them sometimes to strangers...Thirteen years of hostel-life before and 10 years of Corporate life of Tata Motors, Honda Cars and Ikea of Sweden (trolling all over the globe), have ensured I have bags full of Acquaintances...Still I love if I can be of any help to them....

Now comes the thing that defines me the most, that's the label that completes me, that of a MOM...there is nothing more beautiful to me than the cuddles and kisses of my little boy..Love him beyond all eternity...I am me with him, we dance together, weave stories, read fairy tales and even go shopping ...He brings the child alive in me....Together we laugh our heart out ...And my passion of being a jack of all traits is quite visible in my little sonny too, who at a tender age of 5 displays diverse talents.....I love his inundating Zeal to learn.

Most earnestly, from the bottom of my heart, Words fail me to express, how significant is the label of MOM to me....And I feel I am Miss Universe when my Little boy gives me the title of being World's Best mom <3

My evenings are dedicated to the Mother Teresa's Child Care Homes ever since I was in class 5....I owe a lot to these homes..they have helped to groom the compassionate soul in me(the values I have loved to imbibe in my little boy too)....Spending time with the under-privileged kids and few words of love and some unconditional hugs are much more than any other gift to them...and gives me immense satisfaction beyond compare.

So Folks!! this is me, uninhibited !! I am an ordinary woman but an extraordinary spirit...This lovely Blogadda Activity, had actually made me enumerate things that define me, and  after a long of speculation and self-introspection I chose to express my heart out...

Yet I feel this is just a humble commencement, as the woman in me still wants to fathom achievable heights...Definitely Many more ANDs are yet to come my way.....For I believe in Myself, today n always.

Words fail me to express my extreme Gratitude to the Almighty, the Supreme Power,
To give to me the will to #useyourAnd and don't abondon myself to the ORs!

To give me the confidence to pursue my dreams,
And not bury my ambitions deep within!

I am so proud of myself today, for I left no stone unturned,
To become an Automobile Engineer, par excellence,
And a Painter, AND a Writer AND a Blogger,
who dances Bharatnatyam!

I swim AND skate with my little son,
And cherish the title given by him, of being World's best Mom!

Most Truly, My ANDs Complete me Today, 
And so I urge to all Women round the globe, Come what may,
Let no BUTs , IFs  and ORs make you Sway!

#UseYourAnd and prove to the World YOU CAN <3
                                                                                    

“This post is a part of a beautiful and With a Purpose #UseYourAnd activity at BlogAdda in association with Gillette Venus ", a topic I really felt so close to my heart and loved to give MyVoice to, Straight from the Heart :) ....TrulyYoursRoma


© [Roma Gupta Sinha][Straight From The Heart][2014]Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.

A TRUE TALE OF "AND" SUCCEEDING ON "OR" : DESTINY'S CHOSEN CHILD

Hey Folks!!

Thanks a ton for giving my Blog a Piece of your Heart!!

To be able to carve out a small niche in your heart through my writings is extremely satiating for me!!

In this blog post, I have chosen to speak about the true story of a strong woman of substance, who has USED HER "AND" at every difficult "OR" stage of her life, over-powering her extreme Dilemmas.....She was not meant to always choose from this thing OR that...she was born to break the stereotype and become Successful AND undoubtedly lots more.....She is truly worth an expression Straight From the Heart.....

So here goes the true tale of the Tiny Damsel, ANNA....and you would know in a while why I Choose to call her Destiny's Child.....

Though born to a thoughtful Banker Dad and a prudent Mom, my tiny damsel, was chosen to be tested right from her birth..A thought that I am even hurt to write was so pro for her Grand-mom...His dad being the eldest of 10 siblings ANNA was this generation's first child to be born in the family, but alas her Grand-mom was so Grief - struck to see her. She hated a Girl Child.....was being a mom of 6 daughters the reason???

And I fail to understand, how can a girl herself, also a mom of 6 lovely girls, despise another girl, that too her granddaughter to the extend that she told her son to dump her on a Dustbin  and remarry???

But Destiny wanted ANNA to survive....This is the first time she USED HER AND....she wanted to live AND not only live, but live happily....so what if she was a  girl child, does that steal her right to survive and choose to live OR Die.....her admirable dad thought alike ..he loved his daughter beyond eternity, picking her up in his arms, he challenged his mother,that one day he will make his daughter what none of the son's of his family had ever become...That very moment my Anna's dad n mom left her parental house forever with their tiny angel, who meant their world now...

Oblivious of the fact that how hard his parents worked in the initial years, my Princess bloomed in the most secure arms of her lovely mom, though not for very long indeed..

DESTINY has struck again...Anna's Dad had big plans for her right from the formative years..n he stressed it upon her, by relating to her inspirational stories of some really great man n women...But the first step to everything was good education, n so she was sent off to her maternal Grandparent's home, as the village in which her banker dad was posted lacked even the primary education.

Though very little, she really felt deep, the pain of being snipped off her Mother's lap, to be on her own, at a v tender age..No doubt her maternal aunts nurtured her quite well n this is where her right  foundation to always look ahead in life, was laid...Though her heart often longed for her mom, she has decided in her innocence that there was no looking back...She started finding solace in her studies n books became her biggest companion....She USED HER AND and made his parents' love her strength, to fulfil hers AND her parents' dreams by excelling in studies AND in many co-curricular activities...

In some time, her little brother was born.She felt ecstatic but was not allowed to go near him as she was down with viral fever...She wanted to play with her tiny sibling but kept quiet(though she was by now quite a Happy go lucky girl) for she has now began to understand the circumstances....With the birth of her little bro, the number of visits of her parents to see her, diminished.This was natural, but not to her as a 5 year old..Her fears worsened when she visited her home in vacations the next year but her little brother declined to recognize her or let her sit on mamma's lap....This incident broke my tiny darling's heart...She started to shun the idea of going home n gradually her interest in studies all other activities, an innate champion she always was, also begin to diminish...She started building a web around her which isolated her from the rest of the world...She felt her mom only loved her little brother n she is not her dad's princess anymore... This was too much for a 6 year old....my little Anna was tormented,tormented beyond compare.... n she found herself lonely, v v lonely in a huge crowd...My tiny darling didn't give up..she opened her heart out to her dad and told how much she needed their love AND the love of his younger brother......

Her dad sensed her agony, n he was shattered to see his daughter in so much pain..He immediately sent a Request letter to his Head Office seeking a Transfer to a City which had sound Education for his children, no matter how far off it was.In few months, he was transferred, to a city far down South...It took 4 days by train to reach there from Anna's maternal Grandfather's Place...Everyone felt it was too far off, but not my little darling, she was on Cloud 9... Her lost Zeal came back and she became the same vibrant girl she always was...She was so so elated to be reunited with her parents that she had tears of happiness rolling all over her face n a beautiful smile in her lips..

My Angel soon soared to the top not only academically but also otherwise...She was v sincere, v dedicated n always stood out of the rest..Her Focus towards her goals was impeccable and by now

she has learnt to take many difficult situations in her stride..Her dad was transferred frequently ( probably because he always said no to bribes) and this made her v v adaptable n also multilingual...Life was almost a bed of Roses...She learnt whatever the best each place offered...She was the class topper AND a Bharatnatyam Dancer AND a District level Basketball Player ...

Time Flied..She was now in Standard tenth and was the apple of eyes of all her teachers who unanimously thought she was set to break all academic records in the Board exams...She worked hard n really hard..Her dad by now have been promoted to Senior Manager and has been allotted a 4 room mansion but she preferred to study in the Storeroom because it had pin-drop silence..Her concentration was beyond comparison always...Once it so happened that the mattress on which she was sitting began to burn due to the falling of burning incense sticks on it, right below her, but she didn't realize the same...only to be shaken up by her mom ....this amazing girl has gone crazy seeking her aim to get admission in the best school in the national capital, based on her merit...

But again, this was not what was Destined to be...She was Destiny's Chosen child to be tested every time...All excited she went to get her board results..her exams undoubtedly went v well...Taking her mark-sheet in her hands, she fainted............Alas! She had secured only 46 marks in her Social Science exam, n thus secured only 86% marks overall in her board examinations...Her soul was traumatized, she felt it was all over n here fate was sealed..She locked herself in her room n wept n wept...She should now either marry a boy her granny chose for her OR settle for some mediocre educational institution for further studies...No she Decided firmly...She USED HER AND and decided not to give up AND fight it out till her last breath ..She along with her dad applied for scrutiny n filed a case in the High Court...It took a whooping 6 long months but the reevaluation brought forth the fact that it was a typing error on her mark-sheet n she has secured 96 marks in Social Science in reality...Her overall percentage now soar to 96% and now no school could deny her admission, which she truly deserved...It was on account of her strong will not to giveup to any ORs in life  and USE HER AND...She has now become the second topper of the state in CBSE Exams n took great pride in herself .....Her happiness was short lived though as it was mid-session by than and she could not join her dream school...But eventually she did manage to enter one of best Schools in India at Pilani on Scholarship, due to her Academic Excellence and was to go to her first hostel ever.

My Tiny darling has now grown up to a beautiful 15 years old young girl, ready to fly on her own..She bid adieu to her parents n her sweet little brother, to venture into her world of dreams...This institute opened her up to a new Universe..It had everything from Dance, Drama, Speech, Band and Academics,with the priorities being exactly in that order...My lovely sweetheart, shaped her overall personality here..She took her time to gel with with the kids out there mostly very rich n elite, but soon carved out her niche in their hearts...AND was loved by everyone out their alike.

During this period, her relationship with her small brother strengthened too,and  they constantly wrote their hearts out to each other in letters, n longed to spend time with each other during vacations...She also now felt so much closer to her parents, as she began to understand their extreme sacrifices for her..All this kept her FIRE alive to become SOMETHING AND SOMEONE IN LIFE AND NOT DIE UNNOTICED...Her Goals were so clear to her always AND she always worked most diligently to achieve them...She soon came out with flying colours in her 12th exams as well... being the first topper of her school..she automatically became eligible for higher studies in Pilani which she denied..and rather chose to appear in different competitive examinations...By this time her dad was once again transferred to a small town in a Northern state.

Her Hard-work paid off n this wonderful gal came out with flying colors with a All India rank of 328 in the Engineering Entrance Exam....She was mesmerized n basked in her glory... She now waited for the counselling for allotment of the colleges to happen...But Somehow Destiny always chooses to play hide n seek with her...She had to face the bare truth when her cousin, who has appeared for the same exam, called up to inquire why did not come for Counselling..She has missed the newspaper where it was announced...Heaven fell on her...She traveled overnight to reach the counselling Venue only to figure out that the waiting list seats were getting filled now..............

All in tears she looked up n said, " OH LORD! WHY ALWAYS ME " ...I have never ever seen her buried so much under despair...But she yearned to fight out and not abandon herself to her fate....why should all her hard-work, always go in vain....Why is she always denied the success she has always deserved....these questions kept pricking her conscience as she ran from pillar and post in the counselling hall seeking advice from the different Engineering Colleges Representative Professors seated there in...But they were all tight-lipped as seats in most of the colleges have been allotted by than...n so they could not help her much......It was always 2 a.m. in the night by then n everyone was splitting ....Ironically, his time even her dad succumbed to the pressures of relatives and society and told her that probably God doesn't want her to succeed, so she tests her so often, he gave the same two options in life ,which her granny gave some years back....She should either marry a boy her granny chose for her OR settle for some mediocre educational institution for further studies...No, this was not my ANNA, she was the best AND she knew how to fight for it .....Firmly she got up,USED HER AND and grabbed a mike kept in the room to question aloud all the Professors, What was her fault in not being able to know about the counselling dates AND was it Reason enough to end her dreams...

Suddenly than a Professor walked up to her in the huge counselling room..He has exercised his special veto power to grant her admission in his esteemed institute which was ranked 3 pan India, on account of her merit...he was indeed no less than an Angel for her...The branch she was force to choose was automobile engineering n she became the first ever girl to be enrolled in a mechanical subject in her college...My tiny Darling was happy though with a Streak of Pain in her Heart...

No matter what adverse circumstances arise, this lovely girl, has never learnt to look back in life...She was soon in the serine environment of her great educational institution, v near to Nainital and enjoyed the nature's touch immensely...This is when her love for writing flourished the most..In her late teens, she loved to express herself..Her writings were often a part of College Magazines and Boards and she was always very elated with all the acclaim she got for it ...So she was now also an Automobile Engineer AND a WRITER...

Her excellence in academics continued as she keep setting new targets for herself, year after year, stretching herself beyond her own capacities..She was self-motivated..but yes, she feared Destiny a lot , the fear to loose whatever she achieves in life, has sank deep in her forever..There was a change though, now she has decided to face the Destiny HEAD-ON and defeat her by her hard-work n dedication.

Time Flew,she was now in the Final Year of her Engineering ...This one was a v important day when the First Company Tata Motors has arrived in her college for Campus Placements...But my tiny damsel was feeling low as she has been informed that a core technical company would safely not recruit a female candidate...You know her by now dear readers, do you think this would stop her..She dressed herself up smartly and reached the Pre-Placement Talk venue...She listened to the team who arrived most ardently and chose to raise her voice when the forum was left open to raise queries...With due respect,she asked them to clarify if a female automobile engineer is as eligible to bag the posts as a male one..The jury than informed to her that their answer certainly is yes and this whole incident made their eyes fall on my most deserving ANNA.

After Qualifying the written AND the Group Discussion rounds, she has a rigorous two hours of interview  with the panel from 12 a.m. to 2 a.m.......Contented with her first attempt, but sure that Destiny will choose to ditch her and God may test her once again....She gradually skid into her world of dreams, fast asleep....

.....To be woken up by the loud CONGRATULATORY Shouts of her Hostel inmates...YES, Her DREAM has come true, She has become the first Automobile Engineer to be campus-placed from her college that year that too with a whooping huge Annual Package....She was undoubtedly surprised for My darling ANNA has ditched her Destiny for the First Time , THNX TO HER ASSERTIVE ANDS, and has eventually turned out victorious over her ill-fate...For she has soared over the ORs of life and USED HER ANDs....She pinched herself, looked up to thank Almighty for ending her Tests and ran to call up her Admirable parents.....She was truly Destiny's Chosen Child...
My damsel was so so happy AND she was in Seventh heaven..

Her Dad's eyes were filled with tears, words failed him to express his gratitude to the Almighty....His love for his Daughter knew no bounds..he traveled overnight to meet her daughter and lifted her up in his still strong arms...And her little brother was so ecstatic to hear about her sister, that he spent all his pocket money to distribute sweets among his friends...

My Little ANNA eventually materialized all her dreams thanks to her taking the difficult path of USING HER ANDs and Shooing away ORs...Her Focus, Hardwork n dedication to sail thru' the toughest times, became her stepping stones to success...She was happy, v happy and sailed ahead ,successfully thru' her life keeping her basic principles always in place, thus making Destiny her slave by her strong tools of Sincere Hard-work and Determination...She is undoubtedly "DESTINY'S CHOSEN CHILD" <3 ...Her career flourished AND she soon married the Man of her Dreams...By now she has learnt the power of her ANDs and when they decided to go the baby way, she again cornered herself from all ORs n chose to be a doting mom AND a hardworking Professional...The satisfaction she derives from one helps her excel in the other AND viceversa....Today her lil baby is 5 year old but my ANNA keeps to explore more ANDs that complete her and never moves the compromise Way...

If you are wondering how so closely I know ANNA, dear readers, that's because ANNA is me ....trulyyoursRoma....This is my story, word by word, uninterrupted with no tinge of fiction........I am so so proud , I have achieved many ANDS (but my thirst for ANDs has not quenched yet) and have not succumbed to ORs so far....Trust you related to my JOURNEY FROM ORs TO  ANDs ....Would really love to hear from you on the same and so share your experiences too ....Thnx a ton..CYAA!!

“This post is a part of a beautiful and With a Purpose #UseYourAnd activity at BlogAdda in association with Gillette Venus ", a topic I really felt so close to my heart and loved to give MyVoice to :)

© [Roma Gupta Sinha][Straight From The Heart]2014]Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.

Search of a Waterless Fish for a Pure Habitat: My Story from Painful Pimples to a Spotless Glow

Heya All you Lovelies out there!!

Thankyou for the buckets of love you always shower on my blog "Straight from the Heart"...I promise to always give you my best and the most genuine...

Who knows it better than you all, how much each one of us madly loves a spotless glowing look no matter at what hour of the day...We love all the attention , isn't it? And I bet we have to work our heart out to keep it that way..more so in big cities where the pollution and stress takes the toll on our skins...Yeah, sweeties I am undoubtedly one of them....Being an multitasking working mom, my stress often takes a toll on my oily skin.

For years this stress has shown up in the form of pimples sometimes quite painful, on my face....Though outwardly I always shove my friends off, who noticed them, as "Pimples of Admiration" but inside I despised them profusely....

 Yes , my pimples traumatized me, and it would be no exaggeration to say they were both a cause of physical as well as mental agony to me...

Physically they ruined my looks and caused me immense pain, every time a new one popped up my heart sank....Cluttered all over my face ,they always made me look dull and clumsy....I never ate my heart out at a wedding, thinking the oily food would pamper my pimples to multiply more....but earnestly I could never figure out the real reason...the pus in the pimples had made me run to the dermatologist at many a occasions..

Psychologically too they impacted me miserably, for in my corporate world ,along with your talent, your looks are an integral part of your personality...so everytime my pimples multiplied, my confidence diminished, I started hiding myself, which was clearly evident in the board meetingsor all the public appearances...What an irony?? Words fail me to express how worse it felt, in such a scenario........I even used antibiotics sometimes to treat them....but that was a temporary relief, for the annoying bumps would soon present themselves back...

Now even my little one noticed and innocently questioned: "Mamma, I don't like these spots on your face, can you please remove them??" This time I decided to put my foot down and look for a way out,  for the umpteen number of home remedies too were not succeeding in giving me a permanent relief..I queried my friends and even researched on internet...There I read about the GARNIER PURE ACTIVE NEEM Facewash which is a soap free formula enriched with Real Neem Tree Extract and Tea Tree Oil which to purify our skin...

I was so overwhelmed by my again n again popping pimples that I definitely found this worth a try....I applied it twice a day , gently massaging it on my damp face (other than the ee contour area) exactly as per the instructions given in the hindsight of the pack......There was undoubtedly noticeable effect on my skin within a wee, my skin looked cleaner n the pimples lighter.... so I kept my regime unaltered and within a month was bowled over in sheer admiration by this dermatologically tested product...Its Triple Formula has worked wonders for me, and I can proudly flaunt my pimple-less adorable skin now...Yeah, my secret for my spotless skin n a perennial solution for the outbreak of pimples is GARNIER PURE ACTIVE NEEM Facewash....It's Triple action of :
1. Fighting Germs : to prevent them from infecting our skin
2. Fighting Pollution: which takes a toll on our skin in everyday life
3. Removes Oil : preventing the oil pores to swell which eventually transform into pimples
is truly praiseworthy and admirable!
You are thus left with a pure radiating skin and loads of beaming confidence......

Everyday back from a hectic schedule at office n fighting hard the traffic woes, I love to sprinkle my face with loads of water and apply my favorite GARNIER PURE ACTIVE NEEM Face-formula which gives me a clean , extremely cool feel (due to menthol as it's constituent) which I absolutely love...I really feel like my little fishy relaxing in it's cool water habitat on a hot afternoon :)

One more thing, this one forms the most integral part of my Travel-Kit too,  as my job takes to extremely hot n humid as well as dusty regions...My GARNIER PURE ACTIVE NEEM Facewash gives a protective layer in such harsh circumstances and helps in dampening the harmful effects on my skin...This one is highly recommended if you are travelling to similar regions.

I have been using this product for quite some time now n it's results are astonishingly good...My skin now radiates n everyone has noticed this including my peers and my not so expressive hubby n my expressive little sonny....Yippie, Mission Accomplished!! My skin feels as if a lifeless fishy in an oxygen starved arena has found a new pure habitat :)

Loving all the attention I am getting for my spotless looks ....Thankyou so so much GARNIER PURE ACTIVE NEEM Face-formula ...

Thanks to you, today,my heart is so elated,
For I am now rid of the tortures of painful pimples,

My confidence is so boosted n multiplied,
I feel like a fair damsel, so pretty n bright,

Only thanks to my Garnier Pure active Neem, My beauty secret, 
Gone are the days, rather years,of hiding n despair,

Today I want to shout out to the world and say,
And sing my story from pimply to a Spotless Radiant Face,

Words fail me to express my gratitude to you, 
My dearest Garnier Pure Active Neem, from the bottom of my heart, I thankyou :)


Without Doubt,  I rate it 9/10 , an absolute value-for-money at INR 90 for every 100 grams....Yes Lovelies, this is my secret story from Painful Pimples to a spotless Glow and now it's your secret too......!!

SSSSsssshhhhhhhhhhh........................TrulyYoursRoma :)

Head immediately to bit.ly/GarnierPureActiveNeemWebsite to order one for you online or purchase one from the nearby store...and weave your own story towards a perfect glow too <3

This Blog post is a part of  Indiblogger Activity related to Garnier Pure Active Neem

 © [Roma Gupta Sinha][Straight From The Heart]2014]Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.