The journey : Milestones and Upgrades

A milestone!
A-junior graduated from college. 

Yippeeeee......and I am the proud mother of a graduate son.

💃

(He said that I am more excited than he is - to which I gave a smart-and-cool-mom reply. "You will not understand now,  you need to become a parent first". 

I could almost hear my mom saying, 'Ma hole bujhbe' 😀)

These milestones are reflection points of this journey called Life. They allow us to stop, look back, and most importantly, appreciate the journey we have covered. 

As a mother, I feel proud. I am also extremely grateful that we had love and friendship around us in this journey. 

For his forward journey, I wish him 'success' that is shaped by curiosity, compassion and humility....

An upgrade!!

Have you ever experienced the thrill of getting an upgrade?

Not software packages or gym memberships ...

...but the REAL stuff! 

A flight upgrade!😀

Life throws curveballs, mostly. 

But once in a while, it gives some upgrades as well. 

(statement loaded with philosophy, read twice. You may need a glass of Italian read wine with it...)

Two of my upgrade experiences are very memorable.

I was returning from India with A-junior. He was 12. While waiting for our flight from Dubai to Amsterdam, the Emirates staff member called my name and asked me to report to the counter. She smiled, took the boarding pass, and informed me that we have been upgraded to Business class. 

I was thrilled. 

(uff what a feeling - as she literally ripped our economy class boarding cards and threw them in the bin)

I kept my emotions in control, walked up to A-junior with a straight face and handed him his new boarding pass. He took it from me, looked at it, took a few seconds to register the information, and said "MOM, BUSINESS CLASS!!!" 

I am sure he meant to whisper, but the trying-to-supress-excitement-voice ended up quite a few decibels higher, informing half of Dubai airport about our upgrade.

From then on, it was pure bliss. 

The little boy freaked out while the mom pretended to be more reserved in her excitement. As an added bonus, we found that Sourav Ganguly (the famous Indian cricket captain) was seated two rows behind us. 

A-junior was overjoyed. He went up to him and politely asked if he could take a photo.

The mom pretended to be cool about this fact, but later during the flight went for that selfie too. :-)

After a very comfortable journey, as we waited for our luggage to arrive on the conveyor, my super-thrilled boy looked at me and said very seriously,

"Mom, decided! From next time, only business class!"

Recently, I was travelling for work.

She looked up from her computer as I gave her my passport.

"Ms Roy, you have been upgraded to First Class!"

I am sure my eyes shone exactly like those of the 12-year-old A-junior years back.

What? First class? Emirates A380 ? Are you kidding me?

 I felt really excited. My looks must have given it away. A lovely lady with a beautiful smile escorted me to my seat.  The space was as big as one of the office cubicles. Of course, more fancy with a table lamp, a flower vase with an orchid, a mirror, a notebook, and box of nuts with Thai spice, a box of chocolates from Cuba, .....

Too much. 

I sat down, took a deep breath, took out my phone, and shamelessly took photos.
The lady came back and asked, Would you like to get your pyjamas and slippers now?
Still in my dazed state, I said, "No".
She came back in a few minutes and asked, "Would you want to take a shower?"
I took a few seconds before replying, "No"
Then she came back asking for drinks.
The options were Pineapple infused mandarin juice OR Pistachio flavoured cranberry cool OR Guava and Rosemary punch? 

How on earth can one make a choice?

Food was delicious. There was the proper tablemat, the fancy cutlery, the super cute salt and pepper, the tiny olive oil, the bread basket...I can go on and on and on....

Caviar - Presented with a traditional selection of finely chopped chives, grated egg, sour cream and lemon, served with melba toast and blinis??

 Kofta sweet and sour - Fried tapioca-soy dumplings in a tangy sauce, served with steamed rice, pak choi and lotus root??

In my excitement, I could not sleep. 
😳

The journey!!

Milestones are beautiful. Upgrades are fun. 

Staying grounded amidst all this is very important. 

Enjoy every bit of the journey............

😀

Sunday Cuppa - Lifetime in a minute

Do you remember the unforgettable scene from the movie "Scent of a Woman"?

 ...the one where Al Pacino invites a young woman to Tango with him?

She is waiting for her fiancé....hesitant....and says,  "I am expecting somebody...any minute now.."

He says,  "Any minute? Some people live a lifetime in a minute.

What are you doing right now?"

😍

What a powerful dialogue! - It took me a lifetime to start appreciating it.

(Beware, nothing to do with my grey hair and the decades spent on this planet)

😀

"Right now" is the moment of our lives. 

It is up to us to decide what we want to do with our 'right now' moment.

image credit:interest

Sunday morning.

I have a cup of tea in my hands. 

From one of the best tea gardens in India.

Warm, fragrant, a gift from a special friend.

I took a sip. 

I have to bring up the topic of 'innovation strategy' in tomorrow's team meeting.

I need to take the clothes out of the washing machine.

sip

Need to call Ma this evening and tell her about the new music.

The script needs to be drafted for the upcoming program, I have some nice ideas.

sip

Oh, I forgot to call my dentist yesterday.

What shall I cook for dinner today?

sip

My right now got hijacked totally.

By Innovation strategy, the washing machine, the dentist....and the rest.

I needed to consciously bring it back. 

(Recently finished a coaching module where we learned and practiced this skill ) 

So I went and made myself another cuppa and enjoyed the warmth, the fragrance, the love that came with it...by just being present in the moment, right now.

10 mins of being in the moment with my tea - delicious!

..and then the Universe did something spectacular.

It woke A-junior up at 11:00 AM -  Mind you.... on a Sunday!!

... and then the Universe went one step further.

It whispered something in his ears.

"Make waffles for brunch...."

"Ma, tumi khabe ?" (Mom, you want one?)

Usually I say no to waffles - too heavy, too sweet, and he makes it with some protein stuff that apparently gym-people eat.

(I have no interest in the gym, as you all know by now)

But, this time I said 'yes'!!

It was my right now moment.

A beautiful and tasty waffle was served - my Gift of Life.

I repeat,

"Right now" is the moment of our lives. 

It is up to us to decide what we want to do with our 'right now' moment.

😍

ps: "Scent of a Woman"- Tango moment

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p64QC00mqGs

Btw, Nothing to do with age.......

Until yesterday, I had not paid much attention to them.

They were there, doing the job they were supposed to do. 

No special appreciation or extra care - they kept me standing.....

My Knees.

Yesterday, my left knee was very painful. 

I sat on the couch trying to figure out the root cause.

The walk? work? the boots?

The walk to work in the boots?

The stairs? weather? lunch?

Or is it just because .......? 

Hmmmmm....

(Btw, I believe it has "nothing to do with age")

😀

Having said that, the other side of 50 has its realizations as well.....

1. Age is no longer 'just a number'.

It is actually a mix of many numbers.

130/95, 220, 4.6, 11, 18.5........ and don't even get me started on their units!

(they can be as complicated as millimole per liter!!)

Keeping track of all these numbers is becoming absolutely necessary- a fact.

😀

2. The decades bring cynicism (ahem! Some people call it wisdom). 

In most cases, one cannot avoid it.  Package deal. 

Perceptions change, our reactions change !

Arre yaar, 50 years is no joke!

People (above 50) worldwide reading this post, please raise your hand and give me that high five I deserve after making such a profound statement.

😀

3. We discuss meditation, yoga, pension plans, intermittent fasting, and the benefits of chia seeds in the same conversation. 

We offer examples like 

..' when my cousin's mother-in-law had that, she used to......' 

or suggestions like 

..'have you tried soaking turmeric with ginger and honey and..'

or advice like

..'have chia seeds- cholesterol will be taken care of.'

Experience of five decades plus add Mr.Google to that! 

Feels like there is nothing unknown anymore.

😀

All these realizations aside, let us also feel proud about the milestone....

Celebrate!!

Raise the bat, thank your supporters, smile at your fans, wink at the cheerleaders, be grateful for your team, ..and pat yourself on the back ...

Keep running.....

😀

....and what is now very important is...

Take good care of all the nuts and bolts that keep you together.

....Like the knees.

Yes, food habits need to change too. What a bummer for a foodie like me!  

I can talk food, I can walk food, I can think food 24/7 ......

(Remember Amitabh Bachchan's I can talk English,  I can walk English,...?)  

The good news is that going forward, it is not all gloom and doom and keto diet ...

An Apple a day can also keep the doctor away 😀

I tried baking a healthy Apple cake, which turned out to be almost as tasty as its unhealthy counterpart.

I replaced flour with semolina, sugar with jaggery and butter with olive oil.

And added an Apple to that...

Have a slice, promise that you will take care of your knees and continue celebrating life.

 

Listen (to your heart) and Biryani will happen

Listen.

Listen.

Listen.

Consciously listen. 

Not just 'hear', but 'listen'.

(This is not a post about developing listening skills - which many experts have already written about)

😀

If you are the parent of a teenager, you would know what 'not listening' means. 

Actually, leave the poor teenagers alone. We have all 'been there, done that'. 

Parents talk... children use the ear-to-ear tunnel to let the words pass by without stimulating any of the brain cells that are responsible for listening. 

So a series of wise words enter their system, gets converted to bla-bla and leave the system without any impact, whatsoever. 

The bed does not get made, the empty cola can stays on the floor, the books remain scattered, the reading table is a mess, the clothes do not reach the washing machine on time and so on  - you know what I mean.

- a classic, well-understood, generation-independent example of "not listening".

Well, we adults also do not listen much.

We talk.

...and because we have been around on this planet for a few decades, we think we know it all.

So we talk.

All we need is to 'hear' a few words...

That's it. Off we go.....

We talk. 

😀

Example of a conversation that I just observed, a few weeks back.

A: I am trying to sell my house but....

B: Good decision and good timing. I sold mine last year, and I could get a decent price.

C: Actually these days, it is best not to have property in your name. Too many hassles - best to have the money in the bank.

D: Which bank would you recommend?

B: Well... all of them are frauds, only working for personal benefit.

C: I have this personal accountant who is very good, helped me last time.....when I was trying to make some investments.

'A' became silent and we happily moved on to the topic of investments or something else....

We are all so keen to tell OUR OWN stories, that we do not LISTEN much. 

I have decided to 'listen' more this year - consciously.

Conscious listening is a beautiful experience. 

The more I practice, the better it gets.

Amen.😀

Ok, now returning to the topic of food (did I ever move away from it? :-))...

I ended 2024 by making Lamb Biryani.

For the first time.

I thought I had outsourced the responsibility for life, but life had other plans.

Years back, Nanda Boudi had introduced me to the best Biryani and A-senior made me fall in love with it by repeatedly recreating her recipe. 

Original Biryani post with recipe here.

I have been pondering over the idea of making it 'some day' - was just not happening.

I had the perfect rice but lacked confidence.

I had all the spices but did not dare to face the emotions.

I had the recipe but the memories blurred my vision every time.

...31st December 2024, I decided to cook it.

Gambatte kudasai!!!! 😀

I bought the meat.

I took out the handwritten recipe.

I prepared the spices.

 ..But I still hesitated.

Finally A-junior gave me the right push ...

"Ma ekdin jokhon banabei, why not TODAY?" 

(If you have decided to make it someday, why not today?)

So I listened to my heart (pun intended) and made Lamb Biryani.

I could make it - a blessing.

The taste was good, A-junior and friends confirmed - a blessing.

We had friends around us to eat it with - a blessing.

This is a tribute to Nanda boudi and A-senior for the biryani they cooked for us and all the good time we had eating together.💕💕

I hope A-junior carries on this legacy recipe in his kitchen!!

'When people we love leave this world, they don’t leave us empty—they leave us full. Full of memories, full of lessons, full of love. And that love, even in their absence, has the power to sustain us, to heal us, and to remind us that they are never truly gone. They live on in us, in every step we take and every breath we draw.'

Life is beautiful- listen to your heart and Biryani will happen.

December24 to January25 : The Hand-over drink

Please NOOOOOO! Not one of those New-year-resolution blog posts!

No worries. Calm down. No resolutions in this post.

😀

Some reflections are ok. Ever since the Egyptians (or the Romans?) gifted us with the calendar, we have been slaves to it.

12 months, 365 days....No escape. 

.. with the added burden of reflections at the end. Uffff...

[Scene: The hand-over drink]

December2024 (D24) and January2025 (J25) are out for a drink.

D24: Can I have a glass of Barberra d'Alba? just the right one to put me in a wise reflective hand-over mood....

J25: For me, a glass of Chardonnay please.......fresh, fruity, sparkling....ready to face the world..whatever...

Cheers!👍

D24: 

It has been a very nice year, with its share of highs and lows. Kind of... normal, I would say. 

I feel thankful that the highs still kept me grounded while the lows taught me how to appreciate the highs. 

J25:

Cool... I think the year was awesome! You did great!

D24:

Well, I could have done a few things better but .....

J25: 

Go easy on yourself Bro, you have done your best.

In hindsight, it is always easy to analyze a situation and think how it could have been better. But it was the moment of decision that was important.

I appreciate your effort and feel that you have given me a nice starting point......

D24:

Thanks buddy. Really appreciated.

So...I am just finishing this book. "Atomic Habits " by James Clear.

...and I was thinking......maybe.....next year...

J25: 

Stop stop stop ....have mercy on me. Please, no resolutions! 

I am the first month, a lot of pressure on me..literally! 

All the fat that you have collected with the excuse of Christmas is already weighing down on me..the Rum, the cake... not to forget the rum-soaked-raisin cake!!

I have to handle the gym subscriptions, the diet charts, the protein shakes, the running shoes..

..and I have 31 days only.

By the time Feb25 is here, half of the resolutions will be forgotten anyway. 

Mar25 will bring flowers and pollen allergy. 

Apr25 will be gone in resetting resolutions. 

May25 will have the exams, Jun25 will bring the rain........

... and in 365 days, D25 will be having a hand-over drink with J26!

So, let's be reasonable here.

All I can try is to learn from your experiences, build on them, be kind, think positive, work hard, and enjoy every moment......

Can we please agree on that?

D24: 

Well, sounds like a plan. 

But once this hand-over rush is gone, let us discuss the book.

At the end of the day, it is all about 'Atomic Habits'.

😀

ps: the book is good. will bore you with some of my thoughts next year.

photo credit: Facebook

Airport stories : Thank God, there is .....

Airports fascinate me. 

Every time I travel, the time spent at the airport is always interesting. I usually get a large cappuccino, open a book or a writing pad, and let my imagination fly free. 

Everyone around me is in transit - they have their own travel stories. I quietly observe them and let my mind wander into their journey of life......

This time when I traveled, these are some of the people who traveled with me and my imagination.

😀

8am.  
Eli is having a red wine and reading a book titled ‘Never let me go’ by Kazuo Ichiguro.

She is flying to Venice. 

Her son called her last week to ask if she could come over for a week to take care of their 5 yr old son. He and his wife were planning to go to their friend’s wedding in Paris. 

Lisa did not say a word but Eli knew she was beside him when he made the phone call. Eli loves her grandson and the Italian red wine but.... 

She does not like Venice - too many canals, too many tourists, too loud, too dirty....

…… but she cannot refuse her son. 

Eli knows it was Lisa's decision to move to Italy. Lisa should know how moms feel- she is a mom too.  

A few words from her on the phone would have made Eli feel better. 

 
Thank God, there is red wine!! 

8 am, so what?

*******************************************************************************
 

Tim is a naughty child... the nice naughty type.  He will be 3 this year.

He loves to play with a balloon, sometimes for hours.  This is such a blessing for Bert. Wherever they go Bert always carries a pack of balloons, ready to be blown up anytime anywhere. 

He knew he would need one at the airport today- 4 hours of transit in Amsterdam on their way to Venice would not be very easy with him.

Tim slept the entire time during the first part of the journey – Dubai to Amsterdam. He is awake and full of energy now- running around happily playing with his red balloon.

Being a single dad is not easy, Tim was only 15 months old when Martha left. 

Bert struggled a lot but very soon realized that all he needs is a pair of healthy lungs full of air to be blown into balloons.- rest is easy-peasy.

Bert met Valentina in Venice earlier this year and fell in love.  He wants to introduce her to Tim.

Thank God there are balloons..

Hmm....They don’t allow balloons inside the aircraft.
 
********************************************************************************
 

It was her dream to fly since she was 6.

Their house was in Hoofddorp, a small town close to the airport. She grew up with the sound of planes. She used to run outside and wave frantically at them.

Her father used to smile and say, 'You are going to fly in one of those when you grow up'.

Today Nina flies around the world, never ever tired of flying. Every flight is as exciting as her first one - a sense of freedom, liberation, and empowerment. 

New places, new people, new food, new cultures -she loves every aspect of her job.

The moment she enters the airport, she is in a different world. She still loves to wave, especially to small girls who look at her with dreamy eyes.

She wants to say , 'yes, dreams come true'!!

She feels like a princess once she puts on her blue dress.

Thank God , there is KLM...

*****************************************************************************

At 73, Disha has serious knee issues, especially the right one. 

Maybe it is time to get a plastic one now. She has been pushing it too long..... 

This trip to Venice is the last one, she promised herself. Once back in Amsterdam, she will go to the doctor the very next day. 

The airline assistance lady was waiting with the wheelchair. Kim, said her name tag. She pushed Disha carefully through the crowded waiting area and brought her close to the boarding gate. A few more minutes before boarding starts.

Disha was lost in her thoughts. Many years back when she first visited Venice she was overwhelmed by the city's beauty. The canals and gondolas stole her heart..she knew she would return.

Mio Amore – she is in love with Italy,  visiting the country every year since then. 

The knees have cooperated till now....travel keeps her alive.

Thank God, there is a travel bug......

*******************************************************************
 Good afternoon! This is the pre-boarding announcement for flight KL064 to Venice. We are now inviting passengers with small children, and any passengers requiring special assistance, to begin boarding at this time. Please have your boarding pass and identification ready. Regular boarding will begin in approximately ten minutes time. Thank you.
 
 
 I took the last sip of my coffee and proceeded towards the gate......