On Deaf Ears

I don't know why we should have Employee Surveys. Nobody publishes any sort of statistics based on them and nothing seems to change. And since nothing changes, why should the employee feel enthused about giving an honest feedback? It's very silly when all your leadership wants is to make sure they have 100% compliance and nothing else.

Anu has become the latest in the family to keep an alarm and not wake up to it. P is the only exception now.

And before I forget, we flew ths time from Bangalore to Hyderabad, the first flight experience for Anu. She's always been upset that her brother had flown numerous times by her age. If I tell her that he hardly remembers any of it, she says, "That's not the point, I would've remembered! ". So yeah, she enjoyed the hour long flight very much.

Raincoated

Society doesn't take kindly to a woman wearing a raincoat. The one not riding a two-wheeler, I mean. Never mind. The fact is that I love the feeling of  raindrops pattering against my raincoat. Next best thing to getting wet in the rain. 

Tongue-twisting

Spanish, Italian, French, Dutch, Russian, Irish... So many languages juggling in my head and struggling for space... 

I hate the word 'track record', even when I use it.

Reliving the Past

Back from my in-laws' place and I guess it was a success as far as P was concerned. Of course he's still unhappy, but they were able to discuss it without making noise.

I feel as if I've returned to my childhood whenever I'm there. Not in a good way, though. I'm forced to relive some of those embarrassing memories and small fears which I had thought were behind me.

The primary and secondary education in that place has been pathetic for some time and kids study almost entirely through tuition classes, starting right from class I. It's sad to see them mired in school books till they sleep but I don't know if that'll change anytime soon. In our family there are four school-going girls now, aged between 7 and 10, two each of my younger brothers-in-law. For long now, there have been subtle suggestions that we bring the youngest one to Bangalore and raise her here. The kid already lives away from her parents for schooling so they don't see the separation as an issue. But I really don't know if I'll be able to raise another child, unless I leave my job. And P thinks it's unfair to bring only one brother's child and not other's and having four children, we won't be able to do justice to them. The years are just running this way, kids are growing up and I'll surely end up feeling guilty on this one.

The untimely rains are causing all sorts of troubles with the harvest. I was hoping that P would give up on his claims on the land after seeing how hard his brothers have to work for what they earn. But he only said the situation was far better now with all the machinery involved. 

Reeling

One of the most shocking things in life is to see worms inside a tomato. I mean, the sheer impossibility of it! And the fact that for at least some months you cannot afford to close your eyes and cut them! It's terrible!

Sent Packing

We are going to my in-laws' place next week and I'm doing all the running around. Listing, ordering, shopping, packing, giving pep talk on behavior to children...Nothing new but just that I got only about a week's notice this time. Before that P was quite clear we weren't seeing his folks this time. He's been miffed with them since our last visit and has hardly spoken to them decently. Then last weekend my sister-in-law gave us a surprise visit. It wasn't to be a surprise but she had no choice because P wasn't picking up her calls anyway. Her agenda was clear; to make P show himself back home. They argued the whole of afternoon but by the end of it she got what she wanted. But how it'll all turn out once we go there is anybody's guess. Rishi and I are keeping our fingers crossed.