Toddler Teacher

There are striking similarities between life and a lecturer. Both teach us lot of stuff and make us sleep too. Both are partial to some, cruel to some and mundane to some. However, a lecturer fails to give us practical knowledge. On the other hand, life throws across lot of people at you who end up giving you basic values of life. They give you the crucial characteristics needed to win the rat race. However, the people who give you these vital aspects need not be the ones that are elder to you. They need not have Grey heads and wrinkled faces. They can also be small delicate creatures who don’t even know to control their excretory system.

Few days back, I was looking at my nephew who was yawning with full exasperation after a long day of hectic sleep. He was probably warming up for the day’s work which was about to start for him. Astonishingly, for his age (1 month old) he suddenly started trying a funny game (for him) for the first time in his life. He was trying to topple .We were wary of the fact that he was too young to do that. Anatomy of the human body does not work in my nephew’s favor. We can’t expect babies to do butterfly strokes at the age of 6 months. However, my nephew threw caution to the wind. He had only one thought in his mind for the next 15 minutes. It was focus and determination personified. With relentless grit and perseverance, he tried toppling giving his best to it. He was unaware of science, ignorant about logic, unafraid of defeat.

All that mattered to him was toppling and tasting his rubber sheet with his tongue. This is where life comes out teaching you things via people who you would have hardly imagined.
Tiny little human weighing 4 kg was teaching stuff from a bed which even best B – schools forget. The tonic of success lies in the basic fact of giving your best shot come what may. You might fail miserably, you might fall. But there is always a way out (you can crawl).

Channelizing positive energy with great determination and perseverance oblivious to the hurdles is something that the toddler had taught me that day.
I looked at him only to find him exhausted after a tough day’s work out and was sucking its finger mistaking it for something else.
The naive baby was not aware of the postulates it had taught the elders. His efforts were in vain but he would be up for the challenge the next day.
“Live today, topple tomorrow”. The toddler seemed to be telling me in baby language not understood by educated elders. I hope one day they will.

The Money that never reached my pocket

It is said that every morsel of rice has the name of the person who is going to consume it engraved on it. Similarly, I found out few days back that money not only has Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi‘s picture, but it also has the name of the person who is going to get it. It is clear that I was not destined to get the money that I deserved. The money that was earned with sincerity and commitment was denied to me.
About a month ago, I received a mail from a bloke called Orlando who was looking for committed writers .He was looking for writers who could write articles on any genre, and deliver it in the right time.

He also wanted to have a long lasting relationship with the writers (by relationship, I mean the professional one).to start off, he looked to be a very proactive person who hustled with his work. I got in contact with him through chat and I must say, we had a good conversation. He claimed that he received lot of applications for the post and he had a tough time scrutinizing it. His selection process was as simple as it can get, he gave 2 sample articles on any genre for checking the expertise of the writers. The criteria he was looking for was presentation and deliver time .the fee for each article was fixed for 5 $. An amount which would bring a grimace in the face of an American and delight on the face of the Indian. We Indians are very adept in multiplication and currency calculations are something we do instinctively. As expected, being in my Jurassic age of writing, I didn’t see it as a source of earning money. Deep down, I know that no one can become a J K Rowling overnight (maybe in her book, I can!).

I saw the opportunity of selling my work to a bigger audience. Hitherto, my work was read and reviewed my friends and loved ones. Whatever said, people that are close to you will not be able to give the exact feedback that they feel. At some point of time, relationship pressures will encapsulate their criticism of the work.
It is a universal truth that you get questions on a topic that you don’t know jack about. I opened the mailbox to find out that I had to write the 2 sample articles on Mortgages. I clearly had given up hope on writing. It was like asking laloo to solve a problem on Computational Fluid Dynamics. However, there is always light at the end of the tunnel, the light coming in the form of my friends. I must thank them for inspiring me and encouraging me (ordering as well) to give it a shot. I did write and I must say, I was satisfied with the article that I reproduced. The writer’s womb is not always original. He has to take ingredients from different sources to make the product a better one. I had to Google stuff and compile it in a way which would even be comprehensible to novices.

As promised, I did send the articles in time and also received the money as promised by Orlando. He told me that he would finalize the writers ASAP (which has no time limit) and let me know. Few days passed, I was anxious to know what happened. As I have mentioned in earlier writings of mine, the most difficult thing to do is sit and wait with bated breath. I mailed Orlando several times and also pinged him on chat. It was evident that he was avoiding me. This trait of certain people annoys me to the core. People should have the courage and courtesy to intimate even bad news to others. Talking to people only about recruitment or appreciating them is not communication skills. It is important to stand up and take the bull by its horns. It is surprising that he spoke about having a proper relationship with the writer. It was least expected from an American who are known to be courteous and professional.

I moved on, I am not the one who would be bogged down by specimens like Orlando. I had 9 $ 31 cents in my account and I decided to buy something for my new born nephew.

Online shopping is the most precarious thing possible on earth. The only rule of online shopping is that rules are subjected to change. I purchased a baby product that cost 8 $ and it clearly said that it included shipment charges as well.
Overjoyed, I paid it through PayPal only to find a mail in my mailbox saying that shipment charges were not included in it earlier. Taking into account that I have no money in my account (1$ 31 cents is close to nothing on this earth) I decided to call it quits. I will close the PayPal account today which would put my writing career to exile (for the time being). I hope one day I will get things that I deserve, that I desire.

As far as the 9 $ 31 cents are concerned, they did not have my name engraved on them. It would remain as the money which never reached my pocket.