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The ‘High On Oomph’ Story

With awesome set of parents and best elder brother anyone could ever have, my childhood was blissful!  I was naive, innocent, dumb, lost, all rolled into one.  But more than anything, I was a happy kid, full of dreams.  And by the time I turned 18, I had it all figured! I wanted to be either a Travel Show Host or a Travel Writer. I did everything just right to make it work.  Like, for Graduate studies, I picked Archaeology as my major subject (to hit the jackpot of knowledge in Arts, Culture, History, Monuments and much more) and Travel & Tour Management as Minor (for obvious reasons!). Worked part time as a TV Show Host for TNC channel’s game show called ‘D2V Funtime’ and used to anchor/MC events and stage shows during weekends!  I graduated with a kick-ass score and topped in my subjects too.  And timing was just perfect!  That was the exact same time when the FM boomed in my city. I applied and got selected as an RJ for Reliance radio station, Big 92.7 FM, Baroda!   I got so much love from my city; life was all set! I knew, few years down the line, I would be living my dream! Travelling & Talking!  But God certainly had different plans!

While all this was happening, at 17, I met this crazy, nerdy, honest, south Indian guy with a killer sense of humor and an immensely charming smile in an MSN Chatroom.  And we fell madly-deeply-crazily in love. (Still are!) He was studying in a University in Dayton, Ohio, 12.6 thousand kilometers away from me, so all our conversations were online and the only way we could see each other live was through webcams! Finally, after five years of knowing each other online and being crazy with and about each other, we met and life has been nearly perfect since then!

His moods captured on my webcam during our ‘online’ days!

After all the family drama and his gargantuan efforts to make it work, our parents agreed to give their blessings! And now that we had their blessings, he visited Baroda very often and that freaked the hell out of my mum!  She was worried that we would do “things we shouldn’t be doing” and so, she got us married within six months of being engaged.  It was just too soon for me but I was getting to be with him forever, which sounded like a great deal! The wedding was so dreamy, a perfect start to our fairy tale!

One year absolutely flew by, trying to master “things we shouldn’t be doing” or just cuddling up! And finally I decided to get back to work. I joined as a Creative Head for A TV, Hyderabad but God again had a different plan.  Within months of joining, I conceived and was advised bed rest.  So, I did what I thought was the best and in less than a year, I was holding the most perfect baby boy in my arms, we call him Riddh! 🙂

Motherhood brings a lot of changes in a woman’s life and body, one of them is the crazy weight gain!  And precisely that was pointed out when I applied for a job as a TV host in ETV Channel after a couple of years!  It was time to hit the Gym and slog it out.  I was all set to get back to work again but…err…funnily we messed up with “things we shouldn’t be doing” and it was time again to have another little monkey in our lives! (I can’t really complain because we so, SO badly wanted a baby girl)  And this time I literally cried when I held her!  She was just so precious!  (Still Is!) And that is how, Dhruvi, our little star was born!

Taking care of two young kids was a herculean task even with a helper and a cook!  I don’t really remember when they turned from ultra cute babies to crazy little blood sucking monsters!  My world had just turned upside down with the insane hair pulling – butt kicking fights in the house.  Thanks to Ram’s Super Ninja Father-Skills, I could keep my sanity!  Well, I have issues/obstacles just like anyone else but my life is pretty perfect with all it’s asymmetries. No complains or regrets whatsoever!

Now since they are growing up, needing me a lot lesser than they did, “Aaj Phir Jeeneki Tamanna Hai” happened!  So eight years into motherhood, I’ve finally started living for myself again!  Apart from taking care of my little dracs, I travel, eat out, hang out with my friends, go on treks and make the best of my time!  And this time around, thanks to changing times, I don’t have to wait for anyone to offer me my dream job!

I am a lot like a Duracell bunny, either extremely high on energy-enthusiasm-vigor OR on a serious ‘lazing around’ mode, not moving an inch from my bed or couch! There is no middle state, either On or Off.  And since, ‘Lazy Traveler’ doesn’t sound fun and exciting (because it is already taken 😛 ), the blog is called ‘High on Oomph’!  Plus, ‘Oomph’ sounds edgier, nai? 😉

Here, you would find write ups as useful as Package Tours VS Independent travel or as personal as The Tenth Anniversary Blog or as bizarre and frivolous as The Ant In My Paratha! I could literally blog all my life and absolutely get high on it! Timing is again, just perfect!  Perfect to listen to my inner calling.  And I would love for you to be a partner in my journey from here to there! (Then there is ‘there to there’, next level to the plan, but that’s another story for another day! Will keep you updated! ;))

Your turn, tell me your story. What is your inner calling?

P.S.: Withdrawal Technique doesn’t work 🙂