And the Winner is...

My blog completed 4 years this June and i decided to have a giveaway this year as penance for ignoring my blog for long periods of time. A very big thank you for all those who took part, and all those who have encouraging words to say on everything I write. This blog has been my 'go-to place' for the last 4 years and I couldn't be more thankful.

I have met amazing people, read some beautiful things and learnt and grown I believe as a person first and as someone who writes later. 

A very BIG THANK YOU if you are reading this. It is a lie, if someone says they write for themselves, because else it wouldn't be up on the internet. So I write for connections I make through it, for the pleasure of being able to express and share and sometimes that word of praise that can keep me glowing for days!

The winners of the giveaway are:

Congratulations Guys! Please check your email and send me your address! :D

Chance Meetings

Like most of my grandeur time commitment promises my blog everyday month is already running out of creative juices. So here I am, being technically correct. You know, technically. But not absolutely. So here is a story I had written a long time ago, but it was never posted here, though it was shared on Darlings of Venus. So here it is technically for the first time! Yay? Okay I'm horrible I will try harder. But atleast it has fewer grammatical errors this time? Yay? Nay? 

As penance I wish to offer some goodies at my 4 Year Blogoversary Giveaway. Heehee.

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Leaving all the unhappiness behind she was going to New York, to get some perception. To fall in love the Carrie Bradshaw way, to find a way back to her happier bubbly self again. She was early for her flight like always, always so organised, always so in control. She was never late for anything
*Flight no 8547 to New York leaving at 14:00 hours has been delayed by 2 hours, the inconvenience caused is regretted*
As the announcement echoed around the airport, Sia let out a deep sigh and cursed her OCD for bringing her so early to the airport. She had 3 hours to kill now before the check-in would start. She called her mother to let her know of the delay .

"Amma the flight is going to be late"

"I don't know why Amma."

"How can I come back home, what do you mean why do I want to go anyway "

"Seri seri, Bye Amma. I'll miss you too "
Sia looked around for a book shop to engage her time, what she spotted instead was a cafe, she decided settle there and exploit the free Wi-Fi while she waited. Just as she was about to sip her coffee and open Cosmo Online on her laptop, a lady came upto her and asked if she could sit with her, as there was no place in the cafe. Sia gave her a warm smile and asked her to have a seat. Sia never let go the chance for a conversation.

"So you're going to New York too?" Sia enquired.

"No, London. My flight is in an hour, these delays." the lady said with an annoyed expression.

"Oh great! I'm Sia and you?"

"Krishna Pai." the lady replied already troubled with Sia's questions.

Sia went back to her reading and suddenly she had tears rolling down her eyes. Krishna was taken aback when she saw Sia crying." 

What's wrong ? " Krishna asked more out of politeness than interest.

"Well I just read a story online and it made me miss my ex -boyfriend. We broke up last month." Sia said still sobbing.
"Oh." Krishna said with complete lack of interest now.

"How are you so insensitive, the least you can say is, it'll be okay?" Sia said a little hurt.

"No, it won't be okay because you have chosen to cry over it and not move on. You hurt yourself, no one else is or can be the reason for your pain."

"Err." Sia had now stopped crying and was amazed at how rude strangers can be.

"I'm sorry, see I have seen a lot of  pain in my life so when I see teenagers crying over silly breakups and unimportant fights it angers me." Krishna said a little calmly now.

"Like what?" the ever curious Sia pestered.

"My 2 year old son has EB. It is a skin disease which occurs in 50 out of one million, even less most of the time. My child cannot go out and play like normal kids. He cannot hug or cuddle with me without feeling immense pain, he cannot enjoy a shower without crying his eyes out. But yet he smiles when I call out to him, he laughs when we fool around in front of him and he tries to accept his pain everyday. He is my hero, he smiles though all he feels is immense pain. There is no cure for this disease, but I'm hoping there will be one, pretty soon. My husband left me because he couldn't handle all my attention being devoted to our child and he couldn't afford all the hospital bills. He didn't want to be responsible for something his sperm created. So here I am, I have quit my job and now am putting all my time into getting my baby out of his misery."
"I'm so sorry." Sia said

"Why are you being sorry? Don't sympathize with me, I wouldn't want to have it any other way. I love my baby and he is the best child any mother could have asked for. No matter what and he's an angel." said Krishna with a motherly smile.

"I'm sure he is, so is he in London?" Sia asked not knowing what to say next. When in doubt, ask questions was her motto.

"No, he's here in India with my mother for some days. I'm going to meet a few doctors about his case, maybe his condition can be controlled." Krishna explained.

"Oh, I hope it works out for him. God bless him." said Sia with a wry smile.
*Passengers of Flight no 96541 leaving for London at 15:00 hours are requested to enter the boarding area. Thank you*
"Ok thats me, bye dear. Take care." Krishna said as she put on her coat and and flung her handbag on her shoulder.

"You too." is all Sia could say.

Just as Sia was pondering on everything Krishna had said she noticed something on the floor that had probably fallen from Krishna's bag. It was a visiting card:

Krishna Pai

Lawyer

B.A LLB , PHD in Human Psychology 

Contact no : 32313456

Sia kept the card in her bag and for a moment smiled, maybe she would meet Krishna again someday.

Love Socially

That poem you shared the other day
On your blog
Did you have me in mind when you hit *publish*?
Tell me, is it true? I’m not trying to fish.

The Tweet you RTed at 9 o’clock last night;
about your hand in mine
Entwined like two beautiful trees trying to stay apart but failing.
Should I have taken that as a sign?

On Instagram
You said, “I make you happy”
Or is just the comments that followed
Or the publicity

On Facebook you said you loved me truly.
I was feeling ‘fly’.
Until that girl from next door said,
something about my mismatched hair-tie

On Snapchat you send me selfies,
of you and everyone around.
From when you left home for work,
to until you were in your night gown

But amidst all the social networks
I really wonder why?
Love needs to find expression in words and emoticons.
When all it really takes is for you
to stand beside me and look me in the eye.

This post is a part of my attempt to blog everyday for a month on the occasion of my blog completing 4 years :D Also there is a GIVEAWAY so do participate and win awesome things!

Privilege

Privilege

(noun)

;a special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group.

"education is a right, not a privilege" 

synonyms: advantage, right, benefit, prerogative, entitlement, birthright, due;

I come from a humble family, of generations of service goers. My mother gave me a book each time I was good or bad, she said it helped in any case.  A book for when I failed and a book for every successful milestone. A book for when I came first in class and a book for when I lied. She taught me even what she herself had never learnt. To be born not with a silver spoon in your mouth but with books in your blood and so much potential in your soul is a privilege indeed.  

I went to one of the best schools in the city of Mumbai, followed by a college that exposed me to people I admired and wanted to ape at the same time. The achievers, the intellects, the poets and the occasional genius. I was a graduate in accountancy by 2013 and before you put me off as someone who would be good only with numbers, let me tell you I count on my fingers. I was privileged to have a light to read by, a book that was not snatched away from me by force or circumstance and parents that pushed me to be my best.  

But there are children all around us, that are never able to see their true potential or ever hold a book. And it drives me, because I feel responsible. I feel the need to be involved and stop criticizing a system from the sidelines that I may not completely understand yet. I feel responsible as an educated adult, with so much to give back. As clique as it sounds, I wish to make a difference. I learnt at the age of 3 that a nuclear family is not one which is dis-joint but one which has learnt to love from a distance. And we've been ignoring our less privileged families for too long. The disparity in India scares me and makes me wonder how many people go to sleep hungry only because they were born into a different family than mine. Destined by birth to starve. I look at children and believe each of them is turning into a story worth telling, and if I can only be a facilitator in this journey. To change the life of someone who was never taught right from wrong is perhaps the biggest privilege.

I've just applied to mentor an underprivileged child you can too. Join the Green Batti Project.

This post is a part of my attempt to blog everyday for a month on the occasion of my blog completing 4 years :D Also there is a GIVEAWAY so do participate and win awesome things!

4 Year Anniversary Giveaway

Hello! *voice echoes in empty corridors of emptiness*

If anyone is still here, listening and reading my monologues and conversations with self, you are invited to a PARTY!!! My blog completes 4 glorious strictly ordinary years this June, and I'm going to have a WAIT FOR IT...giveaway!

Mario Miranda cartoons are the love of my life! So the prize for the giveaway was obvious!

4 Year Anniversary Giveaway

The Rules are simple.

- Visit the Definitely, Maybe* Facebook page

- Follow me on Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest

- Share the link to my blog for bonus points!

Each such entry earns you some points, based on which a very smart software will pick the winners at random

1st Winner gets a Mario Miranda Novelty Mug

2nd Winner gets 2 sets of Mario Miranda postcards, which are just beautiful. Let's get to letter writing again!

3rd Winner - This is really special. I am going to Bangkok next week, and the third winner will get a special gift which I will be getting from Bangkok! (So can't specify what exactly)

Tadaaaa! So take part right now. Contest closes on 30th June and winners will be announced on 3rd July.

PS: Since it's anniversary month, and my blog has been ignored for most part of last year. I am going to  try to blog everyday, starting today till 30th June, So join me, and take up the challenge?