SEASON'S GREETINGS

Here's wishing that Christmas brings peace, good health, warmth and much joy to all of you.
Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year !

Of pigs n men

I recently chanced upon these rather interesting Trojan condom ads that made me sit up and I felt I just had to share with those of you who havn't seen them as yet.

They feature a bunch of attractive women unhappily surrounded by a group of pigs. Literally..... Sipping drinks and staring at the wall, the women try their best to ignore the pigs’ pick-up lines, until one of the porkers heads over and buys a condom. Like the classic frog-to-prince transformation, the promise of safe sex turns Mr. Piggy into Mr. Hottie. When he returns to the bar, a fetching blond who had been indifferent, now smiles at him invitingly and he gets the girl.
The commercials are a part of a new ad campaign by Trojan called "evolve.” The message: "Evolve. Use a condom every time."
Some opinions on this-
1. All men are pigs.
2. Men who don't want to use condoms during sex are pigs.
3. If a man goes into a bar looking to get a girl drunk and have "protected" sex
with her, he is a pig, protected or not.
4. These are anti-men ads.
5. These are pro-smart-men ads.

I'd love to hear your take on it...light the spark and fire away!

Santas in Boot Camps!

Santa in a Boot Camp? Whoever heard of that one before? Well that's exactly what is happening. In some countries, Santa Claus has been accused of being a bad role model for children as child obesity rate rises and has been asked to set a good example for children this Christmas by losing weight. He has come under pressure to get rid of the wobbly under his red suit and has been told to attend a month long boot camp with vigorous exercises before he is deemed fit enough to greet children. Poor St. Nicholas would turn in his grave if he ever got to know this.

Kids really don't care that Santa is hugely obese. They, in fact, adore a roly poly Santa even more because his lap is so comfortable to sit on and his hug even warmer!
For centuries kids have identified Santa as a red-suited and jolly, rotund old man who comes all the way from the North Pole in his sleigh bearing wonderful gifts for them. Why deprive them of their dreams and break their illusions?

I, for one, would love innocent children to remember Santa as a chubby grandfather like figure whose belly wiggles like jelly and who spreads the Christmas cheer around with his characteristic 'ho! ho! ho!' What about you?

ETip gloves for iPod lovers

Guess what I bought…special gloves for iPod freaks made by Northface!! It will be a great stocking stuffer for my music crazy son this Christmas. He’s going to be really thrilled. Now with winter in full swing, it is virtually impossible for him to use the click wheel with his gloves on. Called ETip gloves, these which will provide relief to those iPod obsessed fingers from freezing. These black and grey gloves have special tips on the thumb and fore finger that allow static electricity to transmit through the material so that one can control the iPod’s click wheel without exposing one’s hands to the cold. These thin wind resistant gloves’ silicone palms would also offer great grip for opening water bottles or holding a camera. They can be worn on their own on mild winter days or under some warm mitts during a cold snap.

Isn’t that awesome? Great way to have your cake and eat it too.

Baubles for an effort well deserved

Just thought I'd share something quaint that I read in the newspaper today. I'm sure all moms of new borns would love to get 'push- baubles' and 'Caesar-baubles'. Nice concept to market, eh? Why didn't anyone ever think of this when my babies were born?? Guess because mine were priceless gifts which no bauble could match!!

A bundle of joy isn’t enough? A ‘mama gift’ comes with it
by Thomas Vinciguerra

When Jena Slosberg of Bedford, New Hampshire, gave birth in March, she endured a labor that lasted 17 hours. But her discomfort was ultimately worth it, quite apart from the arrival of her daughter, Marin. In the recovery room, her husband, Paul, presented her with a pair of diamond earrings.
“I was on cloud nine,” Slosberg said. “It was the perfect present to make a frazzled, sleep-deprived, first-time mommy feel absolutely glamorous.” She added, “I wonder what 17 hours of labor will get me next time?”
In a more innocent age, new mothers generally considered their babies to be the greatest gift imaginable. Today, they are likely to want some sort of tangible bonus as well. This bonus goes by various names. Some call it the “baby mama gift.” Others refer to it as the “baby bauble.” But it’s most popularly known as the “push present.” That’s “push” as in, “I the mother, having been through the wringer and pushed out this blessed event, hereby claim my reward.” Or “push” as in, “I’ve delivered something special and now I’m pushing you, my husband/boyfriend, to follow suit.”
“It’s more and more an expectation of moms these days that they deserve something for bearing the burden for nine months, getting sick, ruining their body,” said Linda Murray, executive editor of BabyCenter.com. “The guilt really gets piled on.”
A recent survey of more than 30,000 respondents by BabyCenter.com found that 38% of new mothers received a gift from their mate in connection with their child. Among pregnant mothers, 55% wanted one. About 40% of both groups said the baby was ample reward. Sandra Miller of Arlington, is not among the 40%. “Women can and do expect a thoughtful token of appreciation,” she said. “It’s a way to honor a mother giving her emotions, body and hormones over to a baby for nine months, culminating in an experience which, when done naturally, redefines the meaning of pain. And when not done naturally, it’s still an act of sacrifice.”
Push presents seem to have taken off within the last decade, particularly in the last couple of years. In 2005 the Southeast-based jewellry chain Mayors marketed diamond earrings with the tag line, “She delivered your first born; now give her twins.” Fortunoff, the jewellry and gift chain with a Fifth Avenue flagship, established a push present registry six months ago. But the push present — unlike the 15-year anniversary ring — is apparently not the invention of the jewellry industry looking for another opportunity to sell goods.
(courtesy NYT NEWS SERVICE)

My daughter turns twenty today

Today is my lovely daughter's twentieth birthday.

I remember the day she was born, like it was only yesterday. My life changed magically the very moment she came into this world. I became the proud mother of my ‘first-born’. She gave me a new life as I brought her to one. When I think about that day, what I remember most vividly is how she looked and what she did during her first moments of life. She was so healthy looking; chubby pink cheeks, a round head of soft brown hair, dark jewel-like eyes and fingers already grasping for a hold. She opened her eyes and looked straight into mine. I have no idea if she could focus yet, but I prefer to think that I was her first image on earth. She was the most beautiful baby in the whole universe and as my equally wondrous husband gently placed her in my arms, I remember myself crooning and whispering the words ‘my little princess’ softly into her little shell-like ear.

The rigours of adolescence and the pressures that all teens go through have not changed her one bit. She is the most beautiful, calm, God-fearing, talented, gentle and compassionate girl I have ever known. Her independent spirit, her eagerness to take challenges, her work ethics, and her willingness to accept people for who they are makes me, on this day especially, an exceptionally proud mother.

Now as she crosses the threshold into womanhood, I know that in a few years time she will get married and leave us to start a new home of her own; till then, I will continue to savour our special mother-daughter bonding, enjoy our shopping sprees, our cooking sessions, watch her pirouetting in her new outfits like a fashion model, willingly be subjected to her motherly fussing when I’m ill, catch a movie together or the times we would just loll around chatting and gossiping about all and sundry. When she was much younger, she used to refer to these as ‘girl-girl things’ as opposed to the 'boy-boy' activities that her father and brother indulged in. These priceless moments were our 'special quality times' together which I will hold close to my heart all my life.

Dearest daughter….I want you to know that I’ll always cherish the wonder and joy of watching you grow into a beautiful young lady. I am and shall always be proud to announce to the world “This is my lovely daughter”. Thank you for bringing joy to our lives in so many different ways.

Happy birthday sweetheart. Make the most of your twenties for these are the most beautiful years in a woman’s life.
God bless you.