Say Yes to New Beginnings !!!

The first time is always special and is etched forever in one's memory. Be it that first best friend, boy friend/girl friend, or even that first job, there are always special feelings attached to the first time one tried sometime new. And buying that first house is something that elicits that uber special emotion in each one of us.

Right from the first year of our marriage, me and my husband have lived in a number of rented accommodations. Each house felt a little strange at first but then we started getting used to it. However, before we could develop that sense of belonging, we had to change the flat for some reason or the other. Every time it was a new set of neighbours, and I really missed the old ones. The feeling is something akin to changing schools and getting a new set of friends each year. It hardly allows any time for making a lasting relationship. But as we planned our first baby, we knew that we should do something about it and that our child deserved a place that he/she could call his/her own.

We needed a place that was near to my office ( my husband agreed to do the travelling part ) and also had good schools nearby. Plus a supermarket, a hospital and a park too. Another important requirement was a gym (both of us being health freaks) and a play area within the premises. But there was the concern of being able to pay the EMIs and managing the family finances as well. I assured my husband that we would manage with careful planning and cutting down on needless expenses.

It took us time to narrow down the options available to us but finally we were able to zero in one a property that was hardly a 10 mins walk from my office. Though small, it was something that I had always desired. Open on three sides, it offered very good ventilation. It had those large windows facing the east which flooded the house with sunlight and a small balcony which I could transform into my herb garden. Every tiny detail was well planned and it was every bit the kid friendly house that we had envisioned. I set my heart on it the very first time I saw it. 

But it was barely furnished and that looked like a problem. We had been living in furnished houses and this one seemed rather inconvenient. After managing the initial down payment, we did not have that much spare money to do it up. However things sorted out once we had a proper chat with our parents. With a kid on the way, they advised us to postpone buying stuff that was anything but essential. They assured us that kids enjoy open spaces more than furniture that bars their free movement. This argument seemed convincing and within a month we moved into the new house.

I revived my old hobby and turned the balcony into a kitchen garden of sorts. And both of us got up early in the morning to tend to it before doing a few rounds on the jogging track that surrounded the apartment. With no fridge at our disposal, we start cooking fresh meals everyday. Though it was tiresome, it felt good and we could spend some special moments together. Slowly we saved some money and bought the household goods over a span of three years. In the meanwhile our kid was born and I used the maternity leave period to strike up a special friendship with some of our neighbours. And today when we look at our young one surrounded by his friends, we are proud of our decision.

This post is written for Housing.com.

The Messiah in White !!

I am not a religious person or at least I do not believe in rituals. But I bow my head to the superpower that makes things work in precision and allows life to move ahead smoothly in a world that is driven by madness. And this is one such story about my encounter with 'HIM' which made me believe that nothing is impossible if we have the desire to grab it with both hands.

Even during since my school days, I had the dream to be a part of the workforce of a certain Indian IT major. One of the founders of this organization has always been my idol and I always lapped up his interviews in whichever media they appeared. But my entrance rank was not enough to secure a seat in NIT/REC and I had to take admission in a college that did not feature on my wish list. Though it made me sad as I thought it to be a setback which diminished my chances, I never gave up hope. My resolve grew stronger and I started working consciously on my soft skills along with bettering my programming abilities. Plus I practiced a lot of Shakuntala Devi's puzzles which are a regular feature in the written tests of that particular organization.

To get an edge during the interviews, I started attending GD and PI classes. Our faculty, an retired Air force man who always wore white, was a great source of inspiration. He helped us master the finer aspects of a personal interview and gave us generous tips on cracking every kind of interview. Though it was a short program which ended in two months time, I continued my association with the institute and started taking part time classes along with my college studies and programming classes. It provided a boost to my confidence and improved my communication skills as I had to deal with folks who were much older than me and some of them were already working. As I was making a decent money, it also reinforced my belief that not being able to crack the entrance did not mean the end of the world and I could take up teaching which I really enjoyed.

During my final semester, I got a call for campus interview twice from my dream organization but could not attend the same as my seventh semester results were not yet out. Still, I was hopeful of bagging my dream job. Finally, I finished my B Tech and moved to Hyderabad . After a month, I received the third call and made it through the written tests. But I had butterflies in my stomach before the interview and I decided to offer a prayer at a Gurudwara near my hostel. Now, even though I have been raised a Hindu, there was no hesitation in me as I walked the steps of the Gurudwara. I offered a white sheet and some flowers and promised to come back if I cracked the interview.

After offering my prayers, I boarded a bus and reached the interview venue. Though it went quite well and I was able to crack most of the questions, the seasoned HR guys did not let out any hint to whether I had made it or not. And the next week was full of agony as I kept checking my inbox twice every day for any mails from the HR. Finally I gave up hope and did not check my mail for the next couple of days. Then I had a dream early one morning and a guy dressed in white kept asking me to check my mail. I was stunned but it seemed like some kind of divine intervention. I quickly logged into my system but could not see any email from the HR. I was about to dismiss it as a dream but then I thought of checking older mails. And it was there in my mailbox. I had received the offer letter five days back but I had not logged in to check my mails. My joining date was just three days ahead and I would have missed it had it not been for the strange dream and the messiah in white. Till date I remain thankful to 'HIM' and believe that he is there to help me at every step in my life.

This post is written for Housing.com.