Depression

I have been meaning to write this post for a while but the time was never right, now I'm just going to do because things need to be said.

“I start to feel like I can’t maintain the facade any longer, that I may just start to show through. And I wish I knew what was wrong. Maybe something about how stupid my whole life is. I don’t know. Why does the rest of the world put up with the hypocrisy, the need to put a happy face on sorrow, the need to keep on keeping on?... I don’t know the answer, I know only that I can’t. I don't want any more vicissitudes, I don't want any more of this try, try again stuff. I just want out. I’ve had it. I am so tired. I am twenty and I am already exhausted." - Elizabeth Wurzel

I have suffered with depression for over 10 years, there are good days and bad days and I don't want to get out of bed days. the last five years I have had many more good days than bad but still it doesn't feel like enough.  

Depression can be triggered by so many things but a common one is loss. We have all lost someone we love but for some people losing that person is like the world ending, it's physical and emotional pain.

For some the trigger can be stress or a traumatic event and you question yourself and ask why me for so long that you accept blame for something that is blameless.

There are 18.8 million people in the US with diagnosed depression and countless who are not.

Now to my point... 

I am fed up of people telling me that I'm supposed to be happy all the time, If you want to be happy and you have stuff to be happy about, great! But please don't expect me to be because it doesn't fucking work like that.

This whole "have a nice day" and shitting rainbows and glitter isn't me... I can't do it. I'm happy when i feel like not when you tell me to be.

I have been through a lot in my life and sometimes it's hard to deal with, please don't judge me because you have not lived my life. 

No doubt you have had your own hardships and they are no less valid than mine but we are not one person, we feel different emotions at different times.

“If you judge people, you have no time to love them.”- Mother Teresa 

If you love me you will stop being judgmental, stop expecting me to feel OK and let me be me. You all have your family around you and you all have some way to get away from the world. I prefer to feel my way through it and not numb myself.

“Few are those who see with their own eyes and feel with their own hearts.” - Albert Einstein

Things have gotten out of hand and now the family that i have come to call my own are turning their backs against my husband and I.  

I am upset and disappointed that you feel this way, but until you start talking to me without the judgmental attitude I will just stay away, In fact we all will. you cant just pick and choose parts of us to love.

We come as a package. Love one, Love all.

I love you guys and I always will.

Ten Years On….

Ten years ago the world as New York and America knew it was changed forever. On 9/11/2001 Terrorists took control of 4 planes intent on shaking America to its very core, They succeeded.

Flight AA11 hit world trade center 1,
Flight UA175 hit tower 2.
Flight AA77 was flown into the the pentagon
and Flight UA93 crashed in a field in Pennsylvania.
Flight 93 was brought down by the passengers on board, who realized that there was no other choice. Intelligence suggests this plane was heading for the white house.

2977 people were killed, and 19 Terrorists committed what I consider suicide.

I think everyone remembers where they were that day, how they watched it unfold. I went to a friends straight after work and we were hanging out watching TV, Her boyfriend burst through the door and told us to put the news on... after that we were pretty much glued to the TV.
I think back and remember thinking it was a movie until I saw the first tower collapse like a house of cards. after that it was just a feeling utter helplessness and horror.

The images still haunt me....I will never forget the images of people leaping from windows, and i will never forget the images of the firefighters trying to dig people out.

I cant imagine what it must have been like to be in new york that day. I will never know the pain of having lost someone in the attacks and yet I cried and i cried hard.

10 years later and we are still fighting to get the New York Emergency Services the help that they need to function after dealing with this horrific event. They came out and gave their all.
343 New York City Fire Department firefighters, 23 New York City Police Department officers, and 37 Port Authority Police Department officers, 15 EMTs and 3 Court Officers, Gave their lives.
The US is strong and will rebuild the trade center and put in a memorial for those who perished and no one will ever forget them.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg asks that we stop using the term “Ground Zero” and I agree, to quote him
"We will never forget the devastation of the area that came to be known as 'Ground Zero.' Never, But the time has come to call those 16 acres what they are: The World Trade Center and the National September 11th Memorial and Museum." 

It is time.

I beam from North Tower

Fire Fighters Tribute

Steel Girder

The United 93 Memorial Fountain

Granite Ball with all victims names on

Pictures Taken at the 9/11 memorial at Cal Expo, Sacramento.

5 Questions

This is post 1 of 3 (or 4) this week depending on how well I feel the rest of the week.

So I was going to do a podcast but I got too nervous and embarrassed about how my voice sounds.

I asked my twitter folks to send me questions to answer on the podcast and since I didn’t do it vocally I’m going to do by text.

Q1 How did I meet my husband and Q2 how was the long distance relationship?

I met my husband playing online trivia on mIRC, in a chat room called #chataholics. We met in November 2006 got engaged in December 2006.

We had our son in December 2007 and we got Married in December 2008. I moved to the US in June 2010 after 2 years of immigration bullshit and spending the majority of the time apart. So the long distance was terribly painful being apart for so long, but we survived it.

the hardest part of any long distance relationship is the loneliness and doubt. you begin to doubt the other person still loves you and you feel isolated.

 

one of our first pictures

Q3 what are your favorite movies and books?

The Green Mile is one of my favorite books and movies, I love Stephen King He is a literary genius.

Also The Lovely Bones and from my childhood anything by Judy Blume.

other movies I liked include Independence day, Titanic, Event Horizon, Cars, Armageddon and Dirty Dancing.

Q What type of music do you listen to?

I like most music. I’m not a fan of rap but will tolerate most anything else.

A few of my faves are Bon Jovi, Pink, REO Speedwagon, Aerosmith and Savage Garden.

Us at REO Speedwagon concert!

and Finally

Q5 How long have you been on Twitter and does it Satisfy you?

I’ve been on twitter since 2007 but had to delete my first account due to crazy people harassing me. I love that twitter is so basic and not full of the same shit that Facebook is. its also more fun for me because I already know all my Facebook friends so getting to know new people on twitter is awesome so yes I guess it does lol.

 

I would like to thank @LoveJohnTyree & @mr_inkinsideme for their questions.

and I would also like to thank these people for making twitter so much fun for me.

@LoveJohnTyree @getoffmyplanet @mr_inkinsideme @babe_Chilla @G_bugg @Sandrinistrivia @jbenj219 @CbearsMamma @The Falconer

I Just Take Pictures

  "Which of my photographs is my favorite? The one I’m going to take tomorrow." –Imogen Cunningham


   Squeeeee.. Mrs. Kori M invited me to write a Guest Post for her, and “I Am excited” will be an understatement. My mission is to entertain y'all, and try to not make a fool of myself. Which I will, I have faith in my fool-ness, umm yeah .. never mind.

Internet is so awesome, I met Mrs. K on twitter and now we are friends. I have some best friends on Internet, and I wish they lived closer. (My friends in real life, don't hate me, I love you all too :) She is hilarious, beautiful, charming, has a beautiful family, cutest son and a talented Lady!
   Before we move on and talk about something, I want y'all to motivate and help Mrs. K to start her own podcast. She wants to, she even tried, but got nervous. :)

   So, We both have one thing in common, and that is our love for 'Photography'. While I am still an amateur photographer, still learning and loving it. Mrs. K here, is so good at it. I got the chance to see, some of her beautiful shots. I love the fact, that we capture images and not just click them. She is so good at capturing images. We must get to see more of her work (hint hint :D)

There is no beginning or end to photography, my inspiration is beauty. Photography helps me see beauty in everything. You know that feeling when you hold a camera and, then go crazy ? Yeah that! It's like happiness.. pure Bliss! 

The best lesson I have learned, is that being “Original” is the key to everything and anything you do!! We both talked and found out, that we both enjoy photography and have endless pictures on our computers. Like most of my drive is full of pictures. Some good, some average, some really really bad and embarrassing. But that's how we learn, right ?

If you are an iphone/ipod user or maybe not, you must have heard of the application “Instagram” ? No ? Okay, so it's basically an application that helps you use certain filters to edit your pictures (and make it look a lot better than the real picture ;D), and post it for your friends and others to see. And I really hope they come up with a website or an app for other devices too. It's pretty cool! So considering the fact that, I am a lunatic photographer (excuse my language!!), I thought of sharing some shots with y'all (edited using Instagram) -

Vintage Watch – a gift from grandmother

Vacation !

Yes I am 10, and I went on that ride “3 times”

   Myself !

"I hate cameras.  They are so much more sure than I am about everything."  ~John Steinbeck
So if any one of you share our love and craziness for photographs, comment and share your links/suggestions/words, so we can all share and enjoy! Have a fantabulous day! And send Mrs. K and I some love. :)
Love & Peace
Shruti

Appetite for Destruction

Ack Rioting, Ack Looting.....

I'm 8000 miles away from the looting and rioting in London and still it pains me to see people destroying the capital and surrounding areas.

And what for ? because a guy was fatally shot by Police. I understand this is not a subject to be taken lightly and i'm not saying what the police did was right, but how can these people think that this will help the family of said young man. 

as i said on twitter this is not the right way to honor a persons memory, no family wants their family members legacy to be "oh yea people started fires and trashed our neighbourhood for him/her"

this is an embarrassment to London, to the Family of Mark Duggan, and the police. 

by rioting and looting you are destroying things that people can't replace, small businesses and families can not afford to replace their belongings. And by destroying bigger chains you are only causing more work for our already overworked and underpaid Police, Nurses, Doctors, Firefighters etc.

what confuses me is how people can do this for one person. Believe me i don't want to be disrespectful but if you can do something for this one person, why cant you do something constructive like protest with this passion about things like police cuts, student tuition hikes, pay rates for nurses and soldiers. If you can burn London to a crisp imagine what you can do peacefully in numbers like this.

As i write this i am hearing reports that my beloved Liverpool is also now burning and Birmingham has also had problems, I implore you to stop what you are doing and think about the devastation you are causing.

i want to also quote some tweets from my timeline today...

RT @GWSFANY2211: @MissKellyO Kelly my aunty on 12 hour shift with police 999 calls. Tired and near crying, plz retweet so world can see police are trying xx

RT @stupidgirl45: Lots and lotof sirens heading up the high road into town. Hope all is okay

RT @stupidgirl45: Reporter on the BBC at Clapham Junction sounding incredibly distressed, apparently there is a fully burning building - that explains sirens

RT @yoursimplegirl: #Streatham Carphone Warehouse looted!

RT @EmmaK67: You're setting fire to the place your great grandparents put their lives on the line to defend. You little shits

twitvid.com/4JTZH

RT @DaveGorman: Pretty hard to enjoy Edinburgh knowing what's going on in London.  Scared for those I love.

RT @magicmadge17: please HELP my country has gone MAD  im in fear of my life please MY army help me HELP MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Violence is never the answer! please stop this now 

One Year and Counting

So 12 months ago, I left the UK for warmer shores,  a few things have happened nothing really exciting the first being I got a job, the second being I lost my job.

I have had my highs and lows and I've tried to deal with bouts of homesickness. on the whole I think I've done pretty well.

I know a few people who think I could be doing better but I say to you people let me take your family and friends away and see how you feel. I'm here and trying.

I can take criticism but when it’s not constructive, it hurts. for example tell me why I should be happy all the time…. explain to me how that is possible with the things I deal with on a daily basis ?

I don’t have a positive outlook on live, I never have but I’m getting better you may not see it now but you will… just give me time!

anyway on to other stuff..

its been a year ! Sam is growing up fast !! here’s a recent picture

(putting on his own pants !)

he is turning in to a real little devil but he is just adorable at the same time and he only has to look at me and I melt.

Sam started pre-school on Monday, I was sadder than he was.

we were totally unprepared for it and I can understand that this may be frustrating for people but we are first timers. we make mistakes but we learn from them.

I have been considering what to do because I am a failure as a mom but have not decided on anything yet. I continue to try my very best but its not good enough for this wonderful little boy.

I wish I was a better parent but I am who I am, and I try! 

anyone else ever feel that their best just isn’t enough? or am I really the worst mom in the world?

My Boy is Smart

So Sam and I spent our day in the usual way, playing with trains and watching DVD’s (Todays DVD de Jour was Timmy Time)

I was fiddling with my laptop trying to get it back to 75% normal, Sam was laughing hysterically at Timmy and munching on snacks so a pleasant afternoon.

fast forward to 6:30 we are over at Lisa and Rick’s (In Laws) to have dinner as we do every Tuesday and Thursday night.

Sam is routing through the hundreds of toys he has over there and we are in the kitchen prepping.

Meanwhile Sam has found something to amuse himself with 

And then I see him running through the dining room with it, like you would in a egg and spoon race. This really surprised me I thought WOW how clever is my boy learning a new trick and amusing himself.

what I didn’t realize until 3 hours later was he’d seen Timmy doing it all afternoon!

see here Timmy video

Skip to just before 3 minutes and you will see what I mean so I grabbed a few snap shots on my phone and thought I’d share with you guys just how clever my little dude is !

Now who’s half a pie short Daddy !