Friday, February 25, 2011

talking about what i do

its friday and i am not going TGIF. In my case, monday, friday or sunday are all the same size and mold. you see whatever work i do which is little and far between, i mostly work from home... in my nightclothes till i decide to go bathe myself... so big fat difference the day of the week makes to me. in the past, i looked forward to the weekend, because that meant time with the significant other. Since he got entrenched (yes thats the apt word) in an assignment that has given him a challenge, a healthy paycheck and an associate he spends all his waking hours with, either in person or on the phone) he works all days of the week including so called weekends. so in a sense, i now have completely lost track of what day or date it is. it really doesnt affect me one bit.

so what do i do? i am a training consultant. this means that a couple of times a month, i don corporate garb and talk and train people to be better versions of themselves, or how they can get more work done out of themselves or others and how they can be whiny without appearing to be so.....its fun for the most part, which explains why i still do it.

for the rest of the time, i bum around. really. i didnt want to be 60 before i retired. so i quit the rat race much before i turned 30. i cant seem to be able to come up with a valid reason as to why i quit....dont get me wrong...it was a decision i made being fully aware of what i was doing, but my reasons usually meet with an "are you nuts?" kind of expression from who ever i am talking to...

even my mother, i thought would strangle me when i said i was quitting work. she must have had a mild heart attack that all that expensive education she struggled to put me through had gone to waste.

i love my time alone. i read, write this blog and two others, i sleep, watch day time tv and yes i work when i need to. i make decent money, i own a house and car and am debt free....so i really see no point in being tied to a job or a desk or anything of that sort. i mean,  i have no issues with people who love it...and some really do... but that's not for me. and i dont whine about not having a fancy designation or a company paid for trip. because this is what i chose of free will. ofcourse i am not superwoman although i may have come across like that if you have met me in real life... i have my days in the dumps when i want to stick a stake through you because you are earning more than what i am...but i smile or take a nap or do something else which will distract me from killing you.

if there is one thing that ticks me off more than anything else is that people cant get why i quit working to be a "housewife" i mean, even tho generally staying home is considered uncool, being a sahm is way cooler than being a housewife.... so what business had i to do this when i didnt even have the excuse of children? but its ok. i have ticked such people off my list of people to kill and ignore the questions now.

so what do i do? i spend a lot of time online. the significant other thinks it is addiction. it may be. i am a voyeur and i love whats going on in other people's lives and i like that i dont have to be productive about it all the time. so i browse, read blogs and read inane conversations about travel and movies on twitter. and the internet has made it so easy to follow the goings on in other people's lives minute by minute...and mostly they want you to know what they've been upto so they make all the information easy to access anyway.

i read a lot online.... interiors, decor, photography theres such a wealth of information on happenings and techniques that is available for free online. also foreign newspapers and publications.... and it gives me a kick to use information i picked up online in conversations... like telling someone that damask was very in right now as a decorating trend.... or that owl motifs are hot accessories.... or that nothing can take away from linen in a tropical country...or that some obscure herb from south america can actually be sourced in hyderabad now in a secret little shop. some of this information is useful. some isnt. but its all there.

i have two balconies teeming with assorted plants, some vegetables and other stuff...i potter around and tend to them. i keep a super neat and efficient house. but this was true even when i was working fulltime. if you come home unannounced, i will not be scampering to neaten up or sending out for food. that's a promise.

i also am 'learning' photography. so you will find inane objects and sometimes people being subjected to my shooting! which also translates into a lot of time spent reading and practicing.

i used to use cooking and baking as therapy. but when the k man decided he had imposed a blanket ban on carbs after a certain time (and look what it did to him! lost him 44 kgs!) i kindof have lost interest in that too. i  leave the mundane everyday cooking to Renuka. she'll never be in the same vicinity as i am as a cook, but she puts edible and familiar stuff on the table and we're ok with that. but when we have guests, or my mother comes to visit, or i am feeling particularly happy, i don the apron to show off a bit.... (what? i never claimed modesty as one of my virtues)

i cant imagine what i will do when i really get older... i am talking 50's and 60's if i live to see the day. because i have gotten used to my free time...and my bumming around.... i have been spoiled to go back to the desk and the grind. i always said i dreamt of being a beach bum.... well...i think i am living my dream ... minus the beach, but i will get there.

5 comments:

Swati Sapna said...

ok, you already know what i'm going to say :) This is you speaking my mind!! really! :D of course, i'm still relatively new to the 'housewife' tag so I keep giving people the impression that I might just go back to working full time... but I know deep inside its not going to happen.
I almost feel apologetic that i hv given up my career after all the hardwork i put into it and my education... my mom still keeps passing snide remarks about how this generation just does not have the patience and has it easy since she has been working tirelessly for the last 2 and a half decades. And i cry over her disappointment :(
and i am seriously considering other stuff i can do/take up that can give me money when i need. like writing or corporate training, or doing a course in psychology and counselling. (hey, tell me more abt corporate training! can i do a course someplace?)
what do i do? surf the net, blog, download every single firang tv series obsessively and of course, cook and bake :) nothing 'worthwhile' according to a lot of ppl, but...i'm loving it!
so u go girl!

Unknown said...

:) let's buy some land in goa?

Rupa said...

you stuck to your convictions...thats amazing...dont bother about the rest of the world...i am waiting to pay off my loans and take it easy too....I respect your choice and life.....

arundati said...

thanks for all the kind words girls.... i am in no hurry to prove a point or make a statement... no way! we each do what we have to...and goodluck with everything that you are trying...its liberating to be out of control sometimes!

Adelina said...

I thought that being a housewife was a good thing in India?