The drawers in the house

For some reason or the other, we have a lot of drawers in our house and they collect junk or so I believe, much to the chagrin of the ladies in the household (read wife and two daughters) I would prefer none. No drawers attached anywhere. Then who is to explain this complex issue to the furniture designers of the world. For me, drawers are a pain For example - the showcase in the hall room has two humungous drawers, which are filled to the brim. The cabinet with my collection of beer mugs has two more , which have additional beer mugs in them as well. Then there is the bedside table, which also has two small ones - the dressing table with two long drawers - the draws in the little table in the bedroom, which in itself is of no use. I could go on. Now that is only two rooms that I have mentioned but I am sure you get the drift. Somehow, the two drawers that came with the showcase have been attached to my life and me and if you ask anyone what there is in them, the answer is “dads stuff”. So dad- (that is me) peered into them a few days before Christmas in an attempt to lighten them up, lest they collapse under the weight of the “dad’s stuff” in them. I must say, at this juncture that I was shocked at what I saw within. Now you may attribute the stuff within, to me, in some way or the other but technically, it was NOT MY STUFF. Let me explain. The items in the drawer were all “man items” if I may be permitted to coin a phrase. You would usually find them in man caves, in basements, in garages etc. However as we do not have any of those fancy rooms, they items are in the drawers. Now I had definitely seen these items, had probably put them there as well but that is where the story ends. Let me tell you what I found and I am going to list the same for ease of reference. 1. Any number of phone chargers – all colours, shapes, sizes and models. Never in my wildest dream could I imagine that over the years we had used so many phones. Of course, we could have lost chargers and bought new ones as well but there were seventeen in number. 2. Plugs, adapters and connecting wires. There were about twenty separate adapters and plugs plus different lengths of wire with plugs at the end. Some were male and some female – Yes I know the difference lest you are smirking at my ignorance! 3. These adapters were in all shapes and had probably been used in the different countries we had visited. Some also belonged to various appliances around the house. Others were still wrapped in plastic and had never been opened. They belonged to hair dryers, mixers, washing machines, grinders, blenders, television sets, computers, printers, irons, fridges, music systems, Karaoke sets, telephones, lamps and the like. 4. Tools – there were different types of tools , nails , screws, small pieces of plastic ( something to do with the electric connections ) all stuff I never use. 5. Bulbs – No clue but there are a large number of bulbs. Some for the various rooms but others, which seem to fit nowhere – probably bought for lamps long discarded or else they belonged to an old chandelier in the previous house. 6. Batteries – batteries always confuse me. There are the normal A, AA and AAA. Then there are others, which once again leave me befuzzled due to their size, and shape- just can never fathom out what they were for. 7. Books and cards – Encyclopedias and dictionaries which had not been used since Google came into the house , story books belonging to my kids ( now adults) which they read thirty years ago, recipe books , school magazines from various schools over the years , books on decoration , and old cards ( birthday, anniversary, Christmas, Easter, New year , ‘Eid, Diwali, Teachers’ day . While on the topic of books , let me add in the fact that the drawer was also choked with instruction books – for appliances , various apparatus & for the cars I have had over the years in the UAE– some in English, Hindi and even Arabic . Most of these have never been read Now except for some of the books, the rest of the stuff was not mine. Then the fight began! I am not a repairperson, I know nothing of tools and I never use them. As for the appliances – if there is a wire and plug and the same has to be plugged into the socket on the wall – fine – I can do it. If it requires something to be joined to something else, if there are red, green and blue connectors or wires and I have to decide which is which, if a connection has to be made or a fuse repaired – I opt out – simple and straightforward. Finally, I just chucked most of the stuff out and lightened the drawer – made me feel better. In addition, no – Marie Kondo has not influenced me

The drawers in the house

For some reason or the other, we have a lot of drawers in our house and they collect junk or so I believe, much to the chagrin of the ladies in the household (read wife and two daughters) I would prefer none. No drawers attached anywhere. Then who is to explain this complex issue to the furniture designers of the world. For me, drawers are a pain For example - the showcase in the hall room has two humungous drawers, which are filled to the brim. The cabinet with my collection of beer mugs has two more , which have additional beer mugs in them as well. Then there is the bedside table, which also has two small ones - the dressing table with two long drawers - the draws in the little table in the bedroom, which in itself is of no use. I could go on. Now that is only two rooms that I have mentioned but I am sure you get the drift. Somehow, the two drawers that came with the showcase have been attached to my life and me and if you ask anyone what there is in them, the answer is “dads stuff”. So dad- (that is me) peered into them a few days before Christmas in an attempt to lighten them up, lest they collapse under the weight of the “dad’s stuff” in them. I must say, at this juncture that I was shocked at what I saw within. Now you may attribute the stuff within, to me, in some way or the other but technically, it was NOT MY STUFF. Let me explain. The items in the drawer were all “man items” if I may be permitted to coin a phrase. You would usually find them in man caves, in basements, in garages etc. However as we do not have any of those fancy rooms, they items are in the drawers. Now I had definitely seen these items, had probably put them there as well but that is where the story ends. Let me tell you what I found and I am going to list the same for ease of reference. 1. Any number of phone chargers – all colours, shapes, sizes and models. Never in my wildest dream could I imagine that over the years we had used so many phones. Of course, we could have lost chargers and bought new ones as well but there were seventeen in number. 2. Plugs, adapters and connecting wires. There were about twenty separate adapters and plugs plus different lengths of wire with plugs at the end. Some were male and some female – Yes I know the difference lest you are smirking at my ignorance! 3. These adapters were in all shapes and had probably been used in the different countries we had visited. Some also belonged to various appliances around the house. Others were still wrapped in plastic and had never been opened. They belonged to hair dryers, mixers, washing machines, grinders, blenders, television sets, computers, printers, irons, fridges, music systems, Karaoke sets, telephones, lamps and the like. 4. Tools – there were different types of tools , nails , screws, small pieces of plastic ( something to do with the electric connections ) all stuff I never use. 5. Bulbs – No clue but there are a large number of bulbs. Some for the various rooms but others, which seem to fit nowhere – probably bought for lamps long discarded or else they belonged to an old chandelier in the previous house. 6. Batteries – batteries always confuse me. There are the normal A, AA and AAA. Then there are others, which once again leave me befuzzled due to their size, and shape- just can never fathom out what they were for. 7. Books and cards – Encyclopedias and dictionaries which had not been used since Google came into the house , story books belonging to my kids ( now adults) which they read thirty years ago, recipe books , school magazines from various schools over the years , books on decoration , and old cards ( birthday, anniversary, Christmas, Easter, New year , ‘Eid, Diwali, Teachers’ day . While on the topic of books , let me add in the fact that the drawer was also choked with instruction books – for appliances , various apparatus & for the cars I have had over the years in the UAE– some in English, Hindi and even Arabic . Most of these have never been read Now except for some of the books, the rest of the stuff was not mine. Then the fight began! I am not a repairperson, I know nothing of tools and I never use them. As for the appliances – if there is a wire and plug and the same has to be plugged into the socket on the wall – fine – I can do it. If it requires something to be joined to something else, if there are red, green and blue connectors or wires and I have to decide which is which, if a connection has to be made or a fuse repaired – I opt out – simple and straightforward. Finally, I just chucked most of the stuff out and lightened the drawer – made me feel better. In addition, no – Marie Kondo has not influenced me

Confusion condemned

This is the time for the Indian media owners and not just journalists to stand up and say "Count me in " It's time for the common man to say "enough is enough". It's time for all Indian's to forget caste, religion and language and protest peacefully against what they feel is wrong . That is the essence of democracy . If and when politicians strive to divide , the commoners must unite . Violence is not the answer - common sense is. Let's stop talking about alleged enemies across the boarder planning to attack the country. That is a convenient distraction which pops up every now and then. India is attacking itself. The country is imploding . All the TV channels, news papers and tens of thousands of citizens can't be wrong . Our beloved motherland is on fire and the poor and the marginalised will suffer once again. Will better sense prevail or will mob violence be the order of the day ? This is a democracy and silent peaceful protestors are being beaten , Lathi charged , tear gassed and arrested . Undesirable elements are causing more confusion . This always happens and genuine protestors get a bad name . Section 144 has been imposed in many areas. There is an internet blackout, essential commodities are in short supply and prices are rising. I pray that people identify the perpetrators of this nonsense . I pray that peace reigns. We can surely do without this mayhem and madness.

Confusion condemned

This is the time for the Indian media owners and not just journalists to stand up and say "Count me in " It's time for the common man to say "enough is enough". It's time for all Indian's to forget caste, religion and language and protest peacefully against what they feel is wrong . That is the essence of democracy . If and when politicians strive to divide , the commoners must unite . Violence is not the answer - common sense is. Let's stop talking about alleged enemies across the boarder planning to attack the country. That is a convenient distraction which pops up every now and then. India is attacking itself. The country is imploding . All the TV channels, news papers and tens of thousands of citizens can't be wrong . Our beloved motherland is on fire and the poor and the marginalised will suffer once again. Will better sense prevail or will mob violence be the order of the day ? This is a democracy and silent peaceful protestors are being beaten , Lathi charged , tear gassed and arrested . Undesirable elements are causing more confusion . This always happens and genuine protestors get a bad name . Section 144 has been imposed in many areas. There is an internet blackout, essential commodities are in short supply and prices are rising. I pray that people identify the perpetrators of this nonsense . I pray that peace reigns. We can surely do without this mayhem and madness.

Christmas

Christmas will come and go in the blink of an eye. One minute you are putting up the tree, doing last minute shopping, getting a makeover in an attempt to look younger, decorating the house and planning your parties and the next you are putting away the dirty dishes, throwing away the accumulated garbage, labelling the packed decoration boxes and wondering why you feel bloated and exhausted. Then there is the X’ Mas post mortem – how so and so’s cake tasted, the ill-fitting dress worn by a friend , the boring party , the small talk (read gossip), the boring sermon by an ill prepared priest , the overcrowded malls – the list goes on . Santa goes back to wherever he is supposed to have come from, the reindeers are put out to pasture and sanity is restored once again. Oh yes you also have gifts which you will probably recycle! OMG where did the year go – the months really flew by ! And then everyone starts contemplating the New Year – fingers and toes crossed – hoping for good tidings. Yippee it’s New Year’s resolution time. Research has shown that about half of all adults make New Year’s resolutions. However, fewer than 10% manage to keep them for more than a few months and that too is stretching it a bit! The origin of New Year’s resolutions is quite interesting. The ancient Babylonians made promises to their Gods at the start of each year that they would return borrowed objects and pay their debts on time. The Romans began each year by making promises to the God Janus, for whom the month of January is named. Thereafter bedlam has reigned with the whole world jumping on the bandwagon and continuing, what has now become a craze New Year’s resolutions are quite a pain but “What’s your New year’s resolution”? is a question on so many minds in January every year so everyone starts thinking in advance so as not to feel out of sync during upcoming conversations? We all know how easily people can fall into bad habits and why on trying to give up those habits it is easy to relapse. New Year’s Resolutions usually come in the form of lifestyle changes and changing behaviour that has become routine and habitual can be hard to do. Google the term ‘NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS’ and there are umpteen pages on the same. The most common resolutions made every year around the world are: losing weight, doing more exercise, quitting smoking and saving money. All undoubtedly look good and meaningful. Who doesn’t want to fit into clothes better , drop a size or two, be able to run a mile without panting , feel healthier and have some sort of a healthy bank balance . The main reason that people don’t stick to their resolutions is that they set too many or they’re unrealistic to achieve. They may also be victims of the “false hope syndrome”. False hope syndrome characterized by a person’s unrealistic expectations about the likely speed, amount, ease and consequences of changing their behaviour. So here is my new year’s resolution- to try and be a better person than I was in 2018 – for myself and those around me. Not a SMART target but ok for someone who can do without the jargon. So what’s yours?

Christmas

Christmas will come and go in the blink of an eye. One minute you are putting up the tree, doing last minute shopping, getting a makeover in an attempt to look younger, decorating the house and planning your parties and the next you are putting away the dirty dishes, throwing away the accumulated garbage, labelling the packed decoration boxes and wondering why you feel bloated and exhausted. Then there is the X’ Mas post mortem – how so and so’s cake tasted, the ill-fitting dress worn by a friend , the boring party , the small talk (read gossip), the boring sermon by an ill prepared priest , the overcrowded malls – the list goes on . Santa goes back to wherever he is supposed to have come from, the reindeers are put out to pasture and sanity is restored once again. Oh yes you also have gifts which you will probably recycle! OMG where did the year go – the months really flew by ! And then everyone starts contemplating the New Year – fingers and toes crossed – hoping for good tidings. Yippee it’s New Year’s resolution time. Research has shown that about half of all adults make New Year’s resolutions. However, fewer than 10% manage to keep them for more than a few months and that too is stretching it a bit! The origin of New Year’s resolutions is quite interesting. The ancient Babylonians made promises to their Gods at the start of each year that they would return borrowed objects and pay their debts on time. The Romans began each year by making promises to the God Janus, for whom the month of January is named. Thereafter bedlam has reigned with the whole world jumping on the bandwagon and continuing, what has now become a craze New Year’s resolutions are quite a pain but “What’s your New year’s resolution”? is a question on so many minds in January every year so everyone starts thinking in advance so as not to feel out of sync during upcoming conversations? We all know how easily people can fall into bad habits and why on trying to give up those habits it is easy to relapse. New Year’s Resolutions usually come in the form of lifestyle changes and changing behaviour that has become routine and habitual can be hard to do. Google the term ‘NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS’ and there are umpteen pages on the same. The most common resolutions made every year around the world are: losing weight, doing more exercise, quitting smoking and saving money. All undoubtedly look good and meaningful. Who doesn’t want to fit into clothes better , drop a size or two, be able to run a mile without panting , feel healthier and have some sort of a healthy bank balance . The main reason that people don’t stick to their resolutions is that they set too many or they’re unrealistic to achieve. They may also be victims of the “false hope syndrome”. False hope syndrome characterized by a person’s unrealistic expectations about the likely speed, amount, ease and consequences of changing their behaviour. So here is my new year’s resolution- to try and be a better person than I was in 2018 – for myself and those around me. Not a SMART target but ok for someone who can do without the jargon. So what’s yours?

My spectacles and me

While many believe that Benjamin Franklin invented spectacles, actually it was Salvino D'Armati, a 13th century Italian from Florence. In reality, I do not care who invented them, as I am not very fond of them in the first place.

 Some believe that shades or dark glasses were worn even earlier than that to protect the eyes from the bright sun.

I started wearing spectacles in my 40’s and dark glasses about ten years before that.

This morning I woke at about five am, as I always do to read the newspapers and then spent around twenty minutes searching for my glasses. You can put this down to old age, amnesia, and the onset of dementia or whatever. You can call me careless, sleepy head or a forgetful old man- I DO NOT CARE!

I finally found them – they had slipped between the end of the sofa and the cushion.  Thrilled, I opened the door, picked up the newspapers and sat down to read them. Only then did I realize that these were my “distance glasses”. The “reading” glasses had been near my pillow throughout.

Now I know you are sniggering at me having different spectacles for reading and distance but that is me.

I did try the progressive ones a few years ago for a few days- three to be precise- got splitting migraines,  felt nauseous and put them aside for good.

So now, I carry two pairs around and that is the problem. Am usually wearing one and have the other in my pocket. Most of my shirts do not have pockets and if I am not wearing a coat, the second pair is usually deep in the trouser pocket.

This causes them to go out of shape and often become lopsided soon. I am quite careless with spectacles as well and often leave them lying around – on  office tables , on peg tables at home , beside me on the sofa , on the seat of the car , in the receptacle between the car seats etc  . When reading, the second pair is often on my lap and the obvious happens- I get up in a hurry and the glasses are on the floor. I have stamped them, kicked them and once smashed them as well.

I am constantly being advised on how to look after them – get lanyards, use a case, treat them with respect, don’t let them lie around- this advice goes in from one year and out of the other .

No, I am not proud of the way I treat my spectacles but I am so fed up with the two pairs.

As a young boy I remember hearing conversations of people having used their spectacles for years – they never broke, were damaged or lost!  How they managed with the same pair for years beats me.

In addition, I have not yet mentioned something else. Last week I suddenly put on my glasses (in the morning) and was definite I was losing my vision. Everything was a blur in the right eye. Thoughts of cataract and glaucoma raced through my mind as I rushed to the washroom and washed my eye and the glasses too.

Only then did I realize that the lens were badly scratched and my eyes were fine. Thankful for small mercies!

Therefore, off I went to the optician to have the lens changed. He recognized me and seemed rather pleased – do not think any of his customers go through four pairs of glasses in a year.

While I sit at my computer, keying in this article, I am wearing my old spectacles. I used the old distance ones while driving this morning. Once I get the newer pairs back, I will give these in for a similar lens change – you guessed it right – both these pairs are scratched as well.