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A TO Z 2016 – Here I come!!

by Tina Basu March 20, 2016

written by Tina Basu

Hello Peeps… you all know how much I love to write. But there are times because of various reasons I am missing from the blogging sphere. I have been wanting to come back and write more often. But responsibilities, duties, parenthood has been keeping me away from my laptop. The little gets jealous of the laptop and the phone!

Now April is almost here, so I am thinking of taking up the April A to Z Challenge 2016. What say? Since I’ll be participating I’ll be focused and I’ll know I’ll be putting up at least 26 posts! You do know about the A to Z Challenge right?

If you don’t, and you are an avid blogger hop skip and jump to Blogging from A to Z Challenge April 2016 right away. If you are not to late you can sign up.

You are seriously thinking about the challenge??? I’ll tell you what you need to do.

1. Select a theme for your challenge

2. Write and Post everyday throughout April minus the Sundays – i.e. 26 posts

3. Everyday the topic should start with the Alphabet from A to Z, starting from April 1

e.g. April 1 – is for A, April 2 – B, April 3 – C and so on.

4. Share, Visit, Read, Comment and you are all set to become a celebrity – (in the Blogging sphere!)

5. On Sundays enjoy a holiday!!!

And oh yes – if you don’t post for 5 consecutive days then you’ll be disqualified.

So tomorrow’s the theme reveal and I am organizing my theme and posts so that I am prepared!!

Last time I participated in the challenge it was quite fun. I did that from two of my blogs. Sunny Side and my cook blog – Twinkling Tina Cooks. And believe me people, posting everyday from a cook blog is a mighty big challenging task. It involves, preparing, clicking photos, editing photos, writing posts, sharing and visiting other posts!! Phew!!

This time too I am being very brave and participating in the challenge from both of my blogs!!! So guys wish me best.

Check out my theme and posts from AtoZ 2014. 26 Short Fictions on emotions from The Sunny Side of Life and 26 Indulgent recipes from Twinkling Tina Cooks. You can see indulgent & exotic recipes from Pana cotta, to Tea cake, to a banoffee pie to even a pizza or a quiche!! So don’t miss it!

See ya tomorrow! Visit back for the theme reveal tomorrow. I promise it’s going to be exciting this time around too.

I am staking claim to A to Z Challenge along with Blogchatter community

March 20, 2016 4 comments

Micro Fiction – The Old Barn by the Country Road

by Tina Basu March 17, 2016

written by Tina Basu

So in a mood to write today and since hubby is taking care of the little one currently I have some time to sit down and write! If you are a new mom you will know what I am trying to say!

Anyways here’s a little story I want to write today.

***

The Old Barn by the Country Road

The long drive through the country roads came to an abrupt halt when the car stopped in the middle of nowhere. The sun was blazing on their head. Ray couldn’t sit inside anymore.

“Let’s see if we can get any help”.

Jen joined him in the heat halfheartedly. She rather walk under the sun than wait inside the hot oven.

The walk was long, tiring and sweaty through the vast corn fields.

They stopped near the old barn hoping for some help.

“Hello, anyone here?” Ray called out.

They were only greeted by a deathly silence.

Ray pushed the door the peep in.

The barn looked vacant. Old broken pots lay scattered.

“It’s stinking in there, let’s leave please”, she pleaded.

“Wait, there’s someone”… said Ray as he moved towards the corner of the heap of hay. “I think he’s sleeping”

Some dilapidated rags, animal droppings, dried leaves were all that Jen could see around. She couldn’t believe they were still searching for some help in this godforsaken place!

As he uncovered the rag he fell down in disgust.

Jen screamed in horror to see the partially decomposed body of a man still in his boots!

“I told you to leave…. I am not staying here one moment… Let’s go!” was all she could muster…

“Ray… Ray…. are you okay??”

“Can you hear me??”

“Somebody help…..”

It was getting hazy… things around started looking darker and darker. Ray laid lifeless on her lap. The stink was growing stronger… her head was getting lighter….

Before she could realize what was happening she melted in the darkness.

Three bodies lay in the old barn…. away from every one’s eyes…

The curse on the land prevailed!

Source

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This micro fiction is written for Three Words Wednesday on the word prompts Uncovered, Vacant & Abrupt.

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P.S. I have been trying to finish this post from last night but my little one is getting damn jealous of the laptop. I had to put it away to save it’s life!

March 17, 2016 14 comments

New Mom Life Parenting

When do you become a mom?

by Tina Basu February 4, 2016

written by Tina Basu

Source: Pinterest

When do you think a woman becomes a mom? When she gets the positive lines on the test kit? When she feels the first kicks of the baby? When she gives birth? Is it that moment when she sees the baby for the first time?

As a first time mommy-to-be I was, till a very long time, (throughout the pregnancy) not quite overwhelmed with the fact that I was having a baby. I was doing loads of things together. Working from home, looking after myself, shifting temporarily to my hometown and god knows what all had kept my mind busy. I did talk to my unborn baby, thought whether I should chose a boy’s name or a girl’s name. It was not even after my dad told me that the operation was over and I have a son that I got that mom kind of feeling inside me. [BTW, my dad’s a surgeon and he was in the OT while I had my c-sec].

Am I weird? Was I going to be a bad mom? Why wasn’t I still overwhelmed with the fact that I had a baby, a healthy bonny son with a wonderful birth weight and head full of long black hair? Am I not normal? Wasn’t the chubby cheeks enough to melt me?

I was asked this question by a lot of people (family and friends) once I was back from the hospital, how is it to be a mom now? My answer used to be a small smile. Because I didn’t know what to say! Yes I was happy inside… but isn’t it quite normal to have a baby once you have decided to plan a family?

There was something working inside me since day three of Bluey’s birth. (That’s what I call my bub). Since I had my C-Sec under general anesthesia my body couldn’t produce breast milk for 72 hours! Yeah that’s a long time. And I myself was too worked up with the pain and couldn’t think much. I had little relief in my head that there’s a nursery where trained nurses are looking after my baby and feeding him top feed whenever he’s hungry.

When I was back home with my baby the biggest challenge I felt was how to feed him. He wouldn’t latch nor would he try to feed. He cried, he howled, he was hungry. Everyone was up on their toes in boiling water, mixing formula doing whatever they could do to pacify him. But the only thing in my mind was – my baby is HUNGRY!

This is the most brutal pain, a pain that I cannot explain. This is the moment when I became a mother. Troubles of pregnancy, pain of C-Sec, post operative pain all seemed quite easy. But to see your baby cry because of hunger is the hardest. These are desperate times when you don’t know what you will do and you are willing to do everything in your hands to satisfy the hunger of the little baby.

Day after day I tried to feed my baby. But he wouldn’t take in any feed. I sent desperate messages to friends, cousins with young kids for help. I prayed, took medicines myself, I did everything but I could hardly make the situation different. There were days when I had meltdowns, I cried along with the baby. A majority of friends and family discouraged formula feed but I couldn’t let my baby cry of hunger. I was dying in guilt every time I prepared a bottle of formula. I cursed myself, I thought I was failing as a mother. The only big support I got was in my dad. He said just one thing – feed without a guilt, at least he’ll not sleep hungry.

Yes, it’s not easy being a mother. You are the ultimate care provider and have myriad emotions and thoughts. Mothers tell me when did you feel you have become a mom?

What-I-Never-Knew-About-Being-a-Mom-Until-I-Became-One-640x426

Source: www.simplyrealmoms.com

February 4, 2016 4 comments

Book Review Reviews

Book Review: Without You by Preethi Venugopala

by Tina Basu November 27, 2015

written by Tina Basu

This book review has been pending for a long time but with my crazy schedule couldn’t post it earlier. The book has been a welcome break from all the new mommy hiatus whenever I read it (while my little kiddo decided to sleep). Right now all I can think is baby and baby related stuff, but a romance novel was a good break I guess.

Sometimes simple stories are really refreshing and Preethi has given us such a nice warm story over here. Story of two lovers separated by fate.

What’s the story?

Ananya visits her grandmother in her native village – the beautiful Sreepuram. She falls in love with the charming Arjun, her cousin’s friend and a practicing doctor at the hospital. Grandma plays cupid in bringing the two together who until then were not aware of each other’s feelings. But life is not smooth all the time and misunderstandings, family politics keep the lovers at bay pushing Ananya in depression. Her family and friends help her through these trying times.

She accepts a job offer in Dubai to keep Arjun’s thoughts away and be far from the limelite. But can love stay alive even when you are not together? Will Ananya get back her love? Will Love win over everything else?

Without You gives all these answers and in a very picturesque warm way.

What I liked?

I like how simple people get entwined in complexities yet they come out victorious. The characters in the story are simple people yet they are multifaceted. I quite hated Arjun’s mother for her behavior. The granny is smart and modern in her thoughts though she’s not the regular modern city grandma.

Emotions are expressed so well and I applaud Preethi for that.

About the Author

It is always nice to see a friend coming out with her own book. Preethi Venungopala is a dear friend and a versatile person. An ex-civil engineer and a language enthusiast Preethi is a well known blogger in the Indian blogging circle. From building Metro in Dubai to raising a cute little boy she does it all. This is her debut novel. Previously she has been published in

three other anthologies.

Wishing Preethi great success with her debut novel.

you can visit her blog http://tulipsandme.blogspot.in/

Verdict – Nice light read – 4/5

Title: Without You

Author: Preethi Venugopala

Publisher: Write India Publishers

ISBN: 978-93-84180-19-5

Number of Pages: 198

Price: 150 [INR]

Genre: Romance

Kindle edition is available too.

November 27, 2015 4 comments

Uncategorized

New Kid in the block #MondayMusings

by Tina Basu November 25, 2015

written by Tina Basu

Hello beautiful people. How are you all doing?? I know I know I have been missing from the action for long… three and a half months to be precise! Well, is that the longest that I have been missing from action in my blog… I don’t know that actually.

Well this time this slumber is not out of laziness. This time it’s because of a great happiness, a little dude who is super energetic has been keeping me away from the laptop all this while! We’ve been blessed with a little bundle of joy this July and that’s where all my time and energy (if anything is left in me anymore) is being channelized since July.

My little man doesn’t sleep throughout the day apart from some 5 min naps here and there (that’s when I manage to eat and finish my bath) but the best part is he sleeps through the night! That is such a blessing!! Well I should keep all these stories for a new mommy blog maybe. What I am trying to say is I am hardly left with anytime to write. I have been trying to write this post for long and believe me blogging from phone or ipad sucks.. big time.

Do you remember I had written a post ‘What’s in a Name?’ some time back? It was about dealing with the complexity of one’s name. And guess what I just went through it all over again this time. But since it is about my son I fought… fought against almost everyone for naming him. When you have a large family you can expect a barrage of ad vices from everyone. Similarly came the suggestions for names – did I say suggestions?? They were direct orders. And all I said to each name was yuck!!!

I mean who names a little baby Tomojit??? I would hate anyone calling me that if I were a boy!! And this was being suggested by my mom. Tina + Indrajit = Tomojit!!!! Yeah yuck yuck!!! However uncommon however Bengali it may sound I was not party to it. And rejecting mom’s suggestion is a huge task all together. I said no right away in the hospital bed when I was still going through the post-operative pain.

Then came other funny ones – Dhanush, Sharath, Subhojit etc etc I have lost count of them now. Indro had left all that to me, thankfully! I always wanted my baby to have a simple yet beautiful meaningful name which would be easy to pronounce. We searched a lot on contemporary names but all those resulted in things like Aadrik (by the time he reaches school he would become adrak for sure!! Adrak is Hindi for ginger, if you didn’t know) , Ansh, Arihant, Kinjal, Mayank, Ahaan, Ayan etc etc and I didn’t like any of them.

One evening when I was lying down in the hospital bed waiting for the painkiller to start working, I was thinking how special my tiny man was for both of us. We had wished for a healthy nice baby, a little part of us, our own flesh and blood. And he was right there in the nursery lying in his cozy cot with the tag 335 – S/O Tina Basu. That’s when I was sure I am going to name him Armaan. Indro was happy with it, which also meant my road is clear!

Now folks at home did oppose it telling – its not a Bengali name, someone said it’s an Islamic name etc etc. But me being me was quite adamant and had put my foot down for Armaan!!

And here he is all happy and healthy and enjoying his time with his mommy.

Well for me, being a new mommy is daunting, exhausting, and grueling at times – but it’s also very very cherishing.

P.S. I had started this post last night but could finish it only now. But I’ll try to post more often because even with so many things happening in life my hands itch to ~~write~~ type!!

November 25, 2015 17 comments

Uncategorized

100 Word Story – Journey is not Over

by Tina Basu July 10, 2015

written by Tina Basu

I am going back and forth with a lot of topics. Sometimes I want to a fiction and sometimes something else. Anyways when I checked my inbox today I saw a lot of prompts awaiting my attention. Thus I thought of combining all of it together and ~~pen down~~ type down something.

I’ll be combining three prompt’s today for a little 100 word story. Let’s get started with the story and I’ll reveal the prompts later.

Journey is not Over

He gave his whole life to the factory – working on holidays, afterhours and night shifts. But the management didn’t think twice before laying off people. How will they feed their family? Who will employ them at this age?

He sat aloof in a subway pass, worry smeared across his face. All he needed was a temporary job to pay his bills, to feed his family.

He had wished for a peaceful retirement but here he was looking for a job. Wise men had said – Life is a journey, not a destination. And his journey was far away from the destination.