#THANKFULTHURSDAY: WEEK #19

CELEBRATING MY 5 WOMANLY QUIRKS

I thank my lucky stars to be born as a woman. And I wouldn’t want it any other way. It’s fascinating to be a woman. We can doll ourselves in the best of attires, accessorised to the hilt and then we can be casual and cool as a cucumber, walking around in flip flops, tracks or shorts, no eyeliners, no blow dried hair. Instead, oiled hair, tightly pulled in a bun, yet manage to charm our way and rule the ground we walk on. Oh to be born a woman! And to be endowed with grace, poise and the delicious curves. I’m one hell of a quirky woman and I love to celebrate all my quirks and eccentricities. It makes me the person I am, weird, zany and bohemian to the core.

1. Different Shades of Eyeliners: I have a thing for eyeliners and I’m always armed with them even during a 2-day trip. I like wearing shades ranging from purple, blue, sea green and black. I got to match them with my clothing. And the former three are some of my most favourite colours. Once a little urchin on the street made a jab at my purple eyeliner,”Oh what’s that coloured thing on your eyelid, it looks outlandish.” She and her bunch of friends giggled and jeered at me, as I simply laughed at her sheer innocence and randomness.
2. Two Drawers full of Accessories: I love my varied collection of jewellery- junk, in silver, precious and semi-precious stones etc. And I have earrings and bangles to match almost each outfit along with neckpieces and a box full of chunky big rings. I thrive on all this stuff and pick them on my travels to different location. A lot of them are gifted too. I have way too many of these and most of it lies unused bawling in the boxes, saying, “Natz, Use me please, pretty please”  I also like the delicate pearl varieties with the more formal attires. I’m not a fan of traditional gold jewellery, only on very exclusive occasions and festivals when I’m wearing a saree, but that too with a certain amount of subtleness.
3. Control Freak: The DH calls me a control freak and I get into that mode more so when I’m PMSing. I keep telling people what to do and how it SHOULD be done. He reminds me you are on “instructional mode” these days. Sample this: “Shilpa (My help at home) Kaju ko Blue waley dabbey main kyo rakkha, red waley main rakhna tha na.” (Why did you put the cashews in the blue jar, you were supposed to put them in the red one) “Surf, top wash sirf 1/2 cap daltey hain pura nahi itney kam kapdon kay liye (You need to put just 1/2 cap of Surf top wash liquid, not 1 cap) The rest of the month I could be least bothered what she’s doing. Well, I love this quirk of mine. Yes, it makes me tad edgy, but ensure, my home runs smoothly and things are under check and don’t go unsupervised.
4. My Home needs to be in Order and be looking Perfect ALL the time: I love to have the dinner table/lunch table/breakfast table set well in advance along with the cutlery-forks, spoons, knives and the uniform set of the cutlery and crockery. No mix and matches please.  Formal yes, but that’s how it is. I also plan the next day’s menu the previous night. I insist on eating my dinner and lunch at the said time, and no missing out on meals. Even if that means overeating. 😛 I also insist on a spick and span home, no crooked cushions or empty glasses, and used plates lying here and there. No slippers and shoes randomly strewn here and there. They go right back into the shoe rack after they are taken off. Did I forget the squeaky clean, aesthetically organised, fresh and fragrant (yes you heard it right) bathrooms? The bathroom fresheners and exhaust are left on. No water on the floor. That’s a must. And yes, the house needs to smell good ALL the time. So we burn a lot of incenses, aroma oils and also use a camphor lamp most of the day. And I shall NOT call this OCD. This is the way a home should be! Call me quirky and I will raise a toast to that.
5. I’m Goofy, yes, Brave and Experimental too: I goof around a lot with my kids, especially the 8-year-old. I also act very goofy when I’m around my friends. Yes, they have called me Phoebe from FRIENDS but honestly, I don’t mind. That goofiness keeps me young, kicking and alive. A woman does not always have to be prim and proper. The more eccentric she is the more she lives life joyously, so what if tad recklessly. I love to watch horror movies. They are my favourites along with Romedy. I thrive on the fear. And yes, I’m not scared of any creepy crawlies. I have also eaten some. I’m very experimental with my food- Frogs, bamboo worms you name it and I’ve had them. So what if that makes me the oddball out there.

We all were made a certain unique way by the guy up there. So let’s laud these qualities that we possess and learn to revel in them. I’m a quirky woman and that’s what makes me who I am. Cheers to my quirks and to all those quirky, wacky women out there. We are one marvellous clan!

Linking this post to Mayuri, Tina, Deepa,  Amrita for #ThankfulThursday Week #19