Babblewell.com

25
Oct
2021

Trisha’s life – Part 02

categories: Trisha's Life - Weekly Column, Uncategorized

Trisha shook her head and turned her laptop on. While sipping on her coffee she went through her to do list. She had some interviews and a meeting scheduled for today, just after lunch.

“Trisha, I really like your work ethic, but don’t forget to have your lunch. How else will you make me money? One can’t survive on an empty stomach, at least I can’t.” Andy rubbed his stomach and looked disgusted at the bottle with the green substance on his desk.

“Thank you for reminding me, Andy”, as she took a bite from her cheese sandwich and started a video on YouTube from ‘Ted X’.

Since her divorce, two years ago, Trisha had been immersing herself into her work. As a single woman she did as she pleased and she happened to like her job as a job consultant.

“Don’t you have this meeting with ‘Sid Data’ in an hour?” Andy looked up from his laptop, his eyes on Trisha’s cheese sandwich.

Trisha nodded her head. “Don’t stare at my sandwich like that. You will give me a stomach ache.”

“Stomach ache?”

“It is an Indian superstitious thing. My mother used to tell me that when you are eating and someone is looking at you that you will get a stomach ache.”

“Aah ok, it is like I am sending you some bad energy towards the food you are eating?”

“You could put it that way. Can I offer you a piece of my sandwich. I won’t tell the Mrs…. It will be our little secret.”

“No, thank you. I better obey to the Mrs.” He rolled his eyes. “Imagine if she ever found out.”

Trisha grinned. “You pour soul. My sandwich is yum, yum. I must say I really enjoy every bite of it. But I do admire your perseverance, I couldn’t do it.”

“Yep, even I am proud of my own perseverance.” Andy said with a grin holding his bottle in one hand looking at the poisonous green liquid.

“You should be proud of yourself, Andy. Come on now, it is time to take a sip from the bottle. You don’t want to disappoint the Mrs. do you?

Trisha walked into the lobby. She welcomed the cool air, as it was a hot and humid day. The girl at the reception desk stared at her which made Trisha feel uncomfortable.

“What can I do for you? And by the way, sorry for staring at you, but your shoes are so beautiful. I wish I could walk on heels like you do, so comfortable, like it is nothing.” She watched Trisha while leaning her head on her hand.

“Thank you. You know what they say practice makes perfect.”

“How may I help you? I assume you have an appointment with someone? Why else would you be here right?”

Trisha pressed her lips trying not to laugh. “I Am Trisha Gandhi. I am here to…”

The girls’ eyes widened. “Is Gandhi your grandfather?”

“No, he is not. We’re not related. It is just a common surname.”

The girl looked disappointed at Trisha. “Anyways your appointment is with whom?” Her eyes were giving away that Trisha was no longer a subject of interest to her.

“Mr. Bal.”

“Ooooh, Mr. Bal.” She stared at Trisha. “Lucky you” she murmured softly. “You know it’s my second day here. So I need to find my way around. The lady who usually does this job has broken her leg. So, well, yeah… let me call Mr. Bal. Please take a seat.”

18
Oct
2021

Part 01: “Trisha”

categories: Trisha's Life - Weekly Column

Trisha grabbed a bright red apple from the fruit basket on the kitchen counter, the crisp crunch echoing in the morning silence. “This should have to do as my breakfast,” she murmured, savoring the sweet tang as she hurriedly pulled on her coat. Passing the hallway mirror, she halted, her reflection beckoning her attention. With a soft smile, she whispered, “You’ve got this,” and threw herself an exaggerated kiss.

Fumbling through her purse, she juggled the apple between her teeth, determined to multitask. Finally, her fingers closed around her lipstick, and she deftly applied it with the precision of a seasoned pro. The bronze hue of the lipstick complemented her milk chocolate skin, accentuating her features with a subtle glow. A quick glance over her shoulder reassured her that everything was in place; there would be no embarrassing wardrobe malfunctions today. She shuddered, recalling the nightmare of walking out the door with her skirt tucked into her red panties.

Trisha, a petite woman with a plus-size hourglass figure, compensated for her stature with the confidence of a runway model. Her love affair with heels was evident in the colors that adorned her shoe rack—more than thirty pairs, each a testament to her unwavering commitment to style.

Breathless and slightly disheveled, Trisha stormed into the office, her heels clicking rhythmically against the tiled floor. Her usual grace was dampened by the unexpected obstacle of a cancelled metro stop, leaving her feeling more frazzled than fashionable.

Andy, her boss, glanced up from his computer screen, his brows furrowing in concern. Despite his less-than-imposing stature and protruding belly, his demeanor exuded authority. “Good Morning, Trish!” he chirped, attempting to inject some cheer into the morning chaos.

“Morning, Andy,” Trisha replied, depositing her bag on her desk and powering up her laptop. “Just a typical Monday morning scramble,” she quipped, flashing a wry smile as she kicked off her heels, momentarily relieving the pressure on her aching feet.

“You look flustered,” Andy observed, his gaze lingering on her discarded footwear. “Perhaps sneakers would be more practical for your commute?”

Trisha chuckled, shaking her head. “I’ll stick to heels, thank you. A girl’s gotta have her standards,” she retorted, a playful twinkle in her eye.

With her coat hung in the cloakroom and a steaming cup of coffee in hand, Trisha settled into her routine, ready to face whatever challenges the day might bring.

06
Oct
2021

Snippet of my book “Chai and Marigolds”

categories: My babbles, Uncategorized

Hello readers,

In my previous post I was telling you about the book I wrote, “Chai and Marigolds”. I would like to share a snippet of my book. Happy reading!

The Past – Thirteen years ago

It was a rainy Sunday afternoon when Rani was sipping tea with her parents in the living room. Her father read the newspaper; Rani and her mother were watching TV.

“You know Rani,” said her mother. “When I was your age, I was already married.”

Rani laughed. She looked at her mother and replied, “Yes mummy. I know.” She took another sip from her cup of tea. “You have told me many times.”

Her mother looked up at the ceiling and then referred to her husband, “Hai Bhagwan (Ooh God), what will happen to this girl?”

Rani was glad when the phone’s ring interrupted as she hoped it would distract her mother. Rani’s mother got up to answer the phone. “Everything in this house, I have to do. What will happen when I die one day?” she said dramatically. Rani and her father looked at each other and burst out in laughter. When her mother picked up the phone, Rani heard a voice shouting on the other line. Rani giggled. Shouting was a habit many Indians had when calling from abroad. “It is for you,” said Rani’s mother to her husband. “It is Ram from London.”

Ram was her father’s old school friend. Once in a while, he called, but whenever he was in India, he always visited. He would also call in advance requesting Rani’s mother to make gulab jamuns (Indian donuts) because according to him, they were the best gulab jamuns.

“Namaste Ram,” Rani’s father saluted. “How have you been? I was going to call you one of these days. What a coincidence,” he teased.

“I am doing fine, Sandeep,” said Ram. “We are all busy with everyday life that sometimes we just don’t seem to be able to pick up the phone. Don’t you agree?”

“Yes, you are right. Now we have grown old with more responsibilities,” reminisced Rani’s father. “Those times of running around in the fields are gone. Can you remember?” For a moment, Rani’s father saw himself running with Ram through the mustard fields as the yellow flowers waved at the sun.

“You know what Sandeep? The next time I am in India, we should do it. Run through the fields like two young men!” Ram laughed. “Can you imagine?” He paused for a few seconds. “Sandeep,” Ram said with a serious tone. “This is not a social call.”

“Is everything ok?” replied Rani’s father alerted.

“Yes, yes,” Ram responded quickly. He paused again before saying, “My nephew is studying to be a cardiologist and my sister is looking for a suitable wife.”

“Hmm,” said Rani’s father. “What are you trying to say?”

“Well,” Ram continued. “I think your Rani will be perfect for him. They are a match made in heaven. Both are two good-looking people. What a nice couple they would make.”

Author: Mila Kumari

Order your copy of “Chai and Marigolds” at your #digital bookstore now for € 2,99 only!

https://payhip.com/b/nXgWU

14
Sep
2021

Hello readers… I am back

categories: Uncategorized

Hope you are doing well.

As I am writing this, we are in the middle of a pandemic! Who would have thought, that all of us would end up playing a role in a very bad movie. And we didn´t even had to audition for it.

I have been away for a while. I was amongst others things, working on my very first novel “Chai and Marigolds.”

“Chai and Marigolds” is about Rani who is a yoga teacher. She lives with her husband Neal and their two children in their beautiful house in Rosebury. Rani has everything her heart desires. Except for love and affection from her husband… for which she yearns.

Then by accident Rani meets her true love from her past. A man, who loved her from the first day they met. Is this destiny or is it meant to be that she meets him after so many years?

Now she struggles between her mind and her heart. Will she stay with her husband and adhere to her cultural traditions? Or does her heart has a mind of its own?

What do you think Rani will do? Please leave your comment, I would love to hear from you.

You can Order your copy of “Chai and Marigolds” at your #digital bookstore. (You are just one click away 😊.)

https://www.kobo.com/nl/nl/ebook/chai-and-marigolds

If you are interested in reading some snippets of “Chai and Marigolds” please visit my Facebook page, “Chai and Marigolds.”

Currently I am working on my second novel. I “only” need to write about 75 pages more. My second novel is about Ruhi, a widow who lives with her twin daughters and evil stepmother in rural North India. The time period for this novel is around 1900 when indentured labourers left India to work on plantations.

If you would like to read little snippets of this book, let me know. I am more than happy to post them on my Facebook page. This novel is totally fictional and not based on historical facts.

Don´t forget to subscribe to my blog and Facebook pages. I will be back with a new post, next week.

Mila

07
Feb
2017

Fast Fashion

categories: My babbles, Uncategorized

Fast fashion is the latest trend (actually has been the latest trend for a few years).

What is Fast Fashion? IMO Fast fashion is cheap fashionable apparel bought for one season (or less) only. It is highly popular among youngsters and parents with little children (my own survey). Youngsters (well most of them) like to shop and now with the Fast Fashion trend they can shop for new fashionable clothing weekly. But everything comes with a price. How come fast fashion is so affordable? The companies who bring Fast Fashion on the market are always on top locations, meaning high rent and still they manage to survive. So Fast Fashion is “big business”. This is a win- win situation for the shopper and the retailer, right?

But there is a downside to Fast Fashion. Are we aware of the fact that affordable fashion (read: cheap fashion) can only be affordable because everything in order to produce cheap fashion has to cost next to nothing? The farmer who grew the cotton doesn’t get a fair price for his crop. The people who make the clothing for Fast Fashion do not get fair wages or in some cases not even a safe workplace environment (http://www.globallabourrights.org/campaigns/factory-collapse-in-bangladesh). So are the people at the very beginning of the chain being treated unfair? Who makes the profit? In any case, not these people.

Not only people are affected but also our environment is affected by the Fast Fashion trend. After a few washes the clothes don’t look nice and appealing (hmm, why is that?), so we throw them out (Tip: why not use them to mop floors?) they have done their work. Did you know that producing a single t-shirt can take about 2700 litres of water*! That is a lot of water for a t-shirt we only wear a few times after which we then chuck it in the bin! Hmmm, Hundreds of millions of people do not have access to water. The minimum amount of water people need is 20 litres** per day, so 135 people per day could live on the water of one single t-shirt.

We humans are not taking care of Mother Earth by our actions. Fast Fashion is just one of many actions. A large group of humans have been created who only want to consume. This group is un-aware (a lot of them really are) of the fact what effect their consumption has. Shouldn’t we inform our youngsters about these facts? Can we teach our youngster not to buy 5 cheap t-shirts but to buy 2 quality t shirts instead which they can wear longer, or will they choose quantity over quality? Can we change the mindset of our youngsters?

If we the consumers change the way we shop aren’t the retailers forced to change their business policy? In the end it will also be beneficial for those at the beginning of the chain.

The question is, are we consumers willing to change, are we?

*http://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/the-impact-of-a-cotton-t-shirt

** http://everylittledrop.com.au/knowledge-center/how-much-water-does-a-person-need/

30
Nov
2016

Leave your guns at the door!

categories: Mr. Babblewell's babbles, Uncategorized

Should we leave our guns at the door? What? Are we back in the Wild West? No, your gun is just a metaphor for your smart phone. Why? Apparently we are unable to have a normal and genuine conversation with each other anymore. Nowadays social gatherings with family and friends are being dominated by social devices (iPads and smart phones). Children are rather online instead of playing and having fun with each other. At the dinner table we check our social networks instead of having a conversation. We rather send congratulations messages or happy birthday wishes via Whatsapp instead of just calling the birthday boy or girl.

Have you ever heard of the word phubbing? I didn’t. According to a study at the Baylor University (James Roberts, Ph.D.) phubbing can even undermine our relationship with our romantic partner! Phubbing is to ignore a person or one’s surrounding in favour of your mobile phone. Do you think phubbing is rude or disrespectful? Apparently when you ignore your partner in favour of your mobile phone it leads to a lower level of relationship satisfaction. According to Roberts “These lower level of relationship satisfaction, in turn, lead to lower level of life satisfaction and, ultimately, higher level of depression.” Surprised? Well I am. Do you recognize any of the above examples? Are we disconnected? Do we rather interact with our smart phones than with real people? What do you think? Please do share your opinion?

At the start of the millennium one would have intuitively expected that the transformation from text messaging (pager) to smart phones would have led to an increase in voice communication. Clearly the relationship is inverse! But is social media ruining human interactions? I disagree. It is just another way to connect with our friends and relatives regardless of how far away they are living. Remember social media opens a door to the rest of the world. We are able to connect to people we would not have been able to meet otherwise! We should therefore embrace new technology especially if it enriches our lives. As long as we understand we only share our happy moments on social media (please read our previous blog: The grass is always greener on the other side?)

How can we improve the interaction amongst each other? The first step toward change is awareness the second step is taking action. You could agree with your partner to put the telephone out of sight when at home. Give your partner the attention she or he deserves. As a parent you could ask children to leave their guns in a box when invited to play. As a result they will have to play together. Another idea is to establish a smart phone free-zone in for instance the pub. And who-ever uses his phone first will have to pay the bill (a tip I received from a trainee). I guess a very effective way of socializing! It emphasizes that even the young generation understand the value of socializing i.e. having genuine contact and interest in each other without being disregarded for a mobile device! I can only encourage and support these kinds of practices. Do you have any tips and ideas? Please do share them with our readers.

Last but not least be the change that you wish to see in the world (Mahatma Gandhi).

Off line is the new LUXURY don’t you agree?

14
Nov
2016

The grass is always greener on the other side?

categories: family, My babbles, Uncategorized

The grass is always greener on the other side. In the era of social media we are being exposed to picture perfect pictures, making us wonder: why aren’t our life’s not that picture perfect, what are we doing wrong, why are our life’s dull? Picture perfect families, children, gardens, cakes, make up, bodies, perfect mother and daughter pictures, well I think you get the picture : ).

Is the grass on the other side really greener then the grass on your side?Most of our friends and family only share their happy moments on social media. There are very few who share their worries and sorrows. Why would they want to share these? (And even if they share their worries and sorrows chances are they will be the laughing stock or will get the tag: attention seeker. Yep this is how it works…) On their Facebook wall everything seems to be ok but have you ever thought of what happens behind that wall, what really happens in their life’s not the social media life. Remember, what we see is not always true.

There are very few people who would like to share with the world that they had a big fight with their spouse before the picture perfect picture was taken and posted on Facebook. Or that they had to take 15 pictures (or maybe even more) before they had the perfect family picture. The picture perfect garden is only picture perfect because lot of effort has been taken into maintaining the garden (reminds me of the quote: the grass is greener where you water it).

So next time you are on Facebook and see a picture perfect picture stop comparing it to your life. You have your own grass to deal with. Be truly happy that they have shared their pictures with you. Learn to appreciate what you have now and if you don’t like what you have now, change it. If you can’t change the situation, be content with what you have now, because looking for greener grass might lead to losing the people you love.

The grass is greener where you water it, do you agree?

26
Sep
2016

Time to dance in the rain

categories: Mr. Babblewell's babbles, Tips, Uncategorized

Nowadays lifetime employment and job security is hardly feasible due to a rapid changing economic environment. Take for example, the impact on jobs and professions due to the transformation from bricks to clicks. Furthermore our life expectancy is rising. We will be living longer than we all expected. As a result our pension, social and healthcare system will come under severe pressure. In order to keep our standard of living we need to be working longer. Our retirement date will most likely be a moving target or in the worst case scenario no retirement at all!

How many years do you still have to work until your retirement? And do you expect to be working for the same employer or in the same field untill your retirement? The above questions were to a certain degree an eye-opener. I realized I am just halfway i.e. I still have another halfway to go! A lot of questions popped up in my mind about my future journey as an employee. What should I do? Do I need to take actions? How to protect my position i.e. how to stay a valuable employee? Do I have other dreams I would like to pursue (please read my previous blog: https://babblewell.com/your-dream-is-not-for-sale/)? Well it’s time for a personal deep dive. Do you need to take action too?

Usually we start recalibrating our career roadmap when we are made redundant. Due to external circumstances you will be forced to look for other opportunities. What should you do to stay ahead of the game i.e. to be better prepared? First of all you should realize you cannot control external circumstances! What you should do is to act within your own power and circle of influence. Take control before it is too late! How? Take ownership and start developing your skills and competencies while you are still employed. Foremost, and not be underestimated, while you are still in your comfort-zone.

Take the time to assess your current career (status quo) and your ambitions. If you need help you could hire a coach or obtain a mentor. They can guide you. Subsequently you should draft your individual development plan (IDP). Based on your IDP you should start planning the necessary courses. Yes, I know! I rather sit on my couch too (please read the previous blog: https://babblewell.com/an-idle-mind/). It’s not a surprise but employees hardly make use of the many courses available at work. Apparently we do love our couch! However it’s time to take control of your career again. So start using your employee development budget. Remember on the one hand it will help you to remain a valuable employee. On the one other hand you will be able to strengthen those skills and competencies needed for a career change. Bottom line lifelong learning is a necessity!

All in all don’t get used to your current situation. Be ahead of the game. Start improving your competencies while being in your comfort zone. Remember YOU should be in control and not the circumstances. The future belongs to those who are willing to learn to dance in the rain.

08
Sep
2016

An idle mind is the devil’s playground

categories: family, My babbles, My video recipes picks, Recipe, Tips, Uncategorized

An idle mind is the devil’s playground. Have you ever heard of this quote? What does this quote mean? Does it mean that we have to keep ourselves busy all day? Keep ourselves busy so that we won’t do any activities which we will regret? What do you think?

Most people when they have nothing to do (read bored) watch television. While watching television they think, well it is time for a snack. You get yourself a bag of potato chips and finish the whole bag. Instead of finishing a whole bag of potato chips you could have gone for a walk, enjoy the weather or done some small chores. Don’t get me wrong, watching television is not a sin; it can be very relaxing, especially after a hard day working. But at the same time it should not be the only activity (can we call watching television an activity?) we can think of when we are bored. Isn’t it important to trigger our minds once in a while? To learn something new, in order to protect ourselves from the “idle mind”.

Nowadays people are glued to their screens watching one show after another, their mind on zero, forgetting about what goes around them. And then we are complaining that we are too busy and too tired. If we are not watching our television screen we are watching the most popular screens of all, the telephone screen updating our statuses, posting pictures on social media, checking our email making us anti social creatures. Did you know that many people are afraid to call someone; they rather send a text message. (hmmm next blog topic?). Are screens our lifelines?

To prevent an idle mind we should keep learning, keep ourselves busy. And learning doesn’t mean that you have to join a master course. Learning can be done in many ways, by talking to people about various subjects, by watching a gardening tutorial (note: we are using the screen to learn), by reading about various subjects, by joining an art class course. And most important we should teach our kids what they can do when they are bored. Make a list together with your kids, write down what projects they want to do and let them pick one project when they are bored and all they want to do is watching television.

So how do you prevent and idle mind?

(Great way to prevent and idle mind watch cooking videos on YouTube for example https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDSav_gn_lQ&list=PLrw59gJ6sVyFzXXVQW8dZd6Q0_MTzdYjj&index=1)

17
May
2016

Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies

categories: Food, My video recipes picks, Recipe, Tips, Uncategorized

Do you ”know” your cookies? Have you ever read the food label of a box of chocolate chip cookies or any other food label for that matter? Did you recognize all the ingredients? There is a great chance that the answer is no. But you still bought the box of cookies? You probably bought it because it was convenient, right?

We buy store bought products because it is convenient. Most of us have the impression that making cookies takes a lot of time. Yes it does take time, but then again nothing tastes better then homemade food. Did you know that whipping up cookie batter is pretty easy, it’s not rocket sience. (the science begins once they are in the oven). We only need a few ingredients for a basic vanilla cookie: eggs, butter, flour, vanilla, baking soda and some vanilla extract. That’s it. Make your favorite cookie by adding some nuts, chocolate chip or dried fruits to the batter. Let them cool completely on a cooling tray and store them in a cookie jar or a cookie tin. They will keep up for up to a month. Need a great cookie recipe? You really should try this Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe:

You could even put a badge of the cookie dough into the freezer. Just scoop the cookie dough into a container and bake them when you are craving for some fresh homemade cookies. There is no need for you to buy store bought cookies anymore. If you want to, you can take it a step further; buy organic ingredients if your budget allows it, that is. If you don’t have a stand mixer, you could use a stand mixer. Or you could use a whisk or a wooden spoon to make the batter. They say for every problem there is a solution and it is a great workout for your arm :).

Happy Baking and please do share your favorite cookie recipe with us.