For My Hubby

Dear Hubby,

In less than a week, we'd be each other's, forever and ever. Does that thought scare you a little bit?

Honestly speaking, it freaks me out some times. You know why?

For years I've put on masks for the world. One for the family, one for friends, one for colleagues, one for my superiors and one for strangers. They've seen one version or the other of me.

For some, I have been a daughter, a sister, an aunt, a friend, a neighbor or just a random person walking past. But for you, I'll have to be me. Each and every version of me compressed into one big package of loud, moody, volatile, hot mess.

Some times I wonder, will you be able to handle me? Will you have enough patience? How long will you look past my mistakes? Would you ever lose interest in me? Would you ever stop caring? Would our love be enough?

But it has to be, isn't it? There's no way out now, is there? Ha! Scared yet?

A life partner is your equal. [S]he becomes one half of the whole. Everyone else comes and goes, but your partner is supposed to stick with you till the end.

I may put on an act to be perfect for everyone-a perfect daughter, a perfect daughter-in-law, a perfect sister, a perfect mother but for you, I'd never pretend to be a perfect wife.

I'd have my ups and downs. You'd see me at my lowest and my highest. I'd smile dashingly for the cameras and the family but for you, I won't fake a smile. I'd laugh like a donkey and barf like a monkey. I'd take my frustration out in the room. I'd wet your shirt crying countless times. I'd watch movies that might make you want to kill yourself. I'd sleep with my mouth open, wake up with groggy eyes. You'd see my unwaxed body and bear with my morning breath. There will be all this and more.

I won't ever be perfect because I can never be. I'd be entirely yours, for better or for worse. And you'll give me back the same if not more.

We're two cogs of the same machinery. “To be fully seen by somebody, then, and be loved anyhow - this is a human offering that can border on miraculous.” And this miracle is called a relationship.

Sweetheart, I'll quote Nicholas Sparks for he might do justice to what I've been trying to tell you all along.  “It's not gonna be easy. It's going to be really hard; we're gonna have to work at this everyday, but I want to do that because I want you. I want all of you, forever, everyday. You and me... everyday.”

I'd love everyone with all my heart. But for you, there'd always be more. You'd always get a bigger piece of cake. Possibly, even bigger than for our kids. Because you'd give me that family. You'd give me what's left. You'd stick with me till the end.

I'd devote myself to everyone but not you. I'd be your queen! I'll own you. Just like you'll own me. We'd be imperfect together. Share our strengths and weaknesses.

Dear hubby, fasten your seatbelt for the wildest ride of your life, yet!

Love forever! 3:D

One Crazy Night with my Best Friend

My best friend and I have had some really epic crazy days in our life. Days new age directors would love to make a movie out of.

However, of all the supremely crazy antics my best friend and I have thrown, this one takes the cake; for the total 'unbelievable' factor that it entails.

On December 25th 2010, my best friend, Sonakshi, along with my family and I made a trip to Jim Corbett National Park. The hotel that we reside there at is an eco-friendly hotel built at the border of the jungle where you can go for nature walks and other such adventure activities.

Being photography enthusiasts, after everyone fell asleep that night, we decided to shoot star-trails. Basically, long exposure night sky shot which results in long trails of the stars. It was out first attempt and we were more or less unprepared for what was to follow.

Around 1 o clock at night, the temperature suddenly dropped really low. It was about -2 degrees Celsius according to my cellphone. We were wearing single jackets since we hadn't contemplated this temperature drop which is normal for winter nights, nor were we aware that we'd have to spend at least an hour on a single image before seeing our results.

Since we didn't have an automatic trigger to stretch exposure time, we taped 2 pebbles on top of our click button to hold it down for exposure time.

It was jet black since the eco-friendly hotel believed in keeping things the way nature intended it. All of a sudden we hear strange gurgling noises. We freak out and jump up on our plastic chairs. What could it be?? We were too afraid to find out in case it was a ghost (bestie's suggestion). At this point, I was on the verge of fainting since I am not made for cold weathers and was miles beyond my comfort zone.
Suddenly we hear a loud cracking sound and Sonakshi made a low yelp swearing under her breath. We didn't know what to do and where to go and we were too afraid to move from our position. From behind us we hear whispers of a man, "what is happening here?" BY God ki Kasam we screamed better than what you hear in those B-grade horror movies. Sonakshi jumped out of the chair and began to run in the dark and when the dark figure caught her by the jacket and made her to halt.

The dark figure now lights up the torch and tells us hurriedly, "I am a watchman here. You girls are in grave danger, don't move a step!" We didn't know whether to sigh in relief or cry in horror. My best friend broke into a nervous laughter and was immediately shushed by the watchman.

He then points his torch on the ground about 8-10 feet away from us and we finally understand what he meant. There's a pack of about a dozen wild boars who've apparently broken the barricade built for wild animals surround the hotel perimeter. So That's where the gurgling sounds were coming from.
The watchman told us these wild boars are so ferocious, even the tigers stay away from them. They can kill a person like it's no one's business. All we want now is to crawl back into our bed and cry hoarse to sleep. MUMMMAAAAYYYYY!!! Where have we got stuck now???

The watchman tells us to keep sitting in our chair in the pitch dark so the boars can't spot us while he'll scare them away with a fire torch which he then went back to his office to fetch. All this while we chant Hanuman Chalisa, or the first 4 lines of it, which is all that we recalled.

We wanted adventure, and there it was, right in front of us, waiting to kill us merrily. Thankfully the watchman was agile and came back quickly with a fire torch. He then ran behind the boars, shooing them out of the hotel premises and banging his lathi heavily on the ground. This proved to be effective and within minutes all the boars had disappeared.

We took this as our cue to pack up & go back to our hotel room. Half way across the lawn where we had been sitting, we hear the banging noise return. We now make a quick run to our hotel but lo and behold! the entire pack of wild boars is running right towards us at the speed of a rolling banshee. We're done now, we think to ourselves. Crying and praying to Lord Almighty to save our ass desperately. Luckily for us, the pack leaders find a better route to run away from the watchman and pass us by by about 3 feet. PHEEEWWWWWW!!! We've been saved!!

We finally run to our hotel room quickly, open our rooms with shivering hands, jump into the bed, say quick grace to God and went to bed without further ado.

That day remains etched in my memory as one of the craziest life experiences I've had in my life. With bestie or otherwise. Oh, and it's decided now, come what may, wildlife photography is Not a career choice for us anymore. :P