Monday, October 29, 2007

One Hundred Posts of Non-Solitude


100 posts.

Wow.

I started this blog at just about this time, last year. I was generally bored, frustrated and sick at the beginning of my pregnancy. I just wanted to get my mind of things, at that point. That's what this blog was for. It was completely unrelated to the most significant part of my life - the pregnancy and the baby that was to come.

But then of course, I realized that there were parts of the pregnancy that were pretty special and memorable too (and I needed to vent and complain somewhere!), and so I thought I would start another blog, which I have subsequently discontinued after Peanut was born. At that point, it was only for family and friends to read, but if you want to read a pregnant lady's rants any time, knock yourself out.

Anyway, this blog has really evolved since it started - and so have I. And I guess we're both still evolving. For example, it's pretty telling that before Peanut was born, I could actually maintain two separate blogs - one on the pregnancy and one about other things in life - but now, it's all very much, to quote Poppins 'About my Life...my Baby...Wait, aren't they the same?'.

I'm also told that the tone of the blog has changed a lot. Well, how much of your original irritable and sarcastic self can you retain when you're writing about tiny little Peanut? The frequency of my posts have increased since I'm on maternity leave and obviously the content of the posts revolves mostly around her right now. I'm fairly sure motherhood is bringing out a most caring, unselfish side of me - although my hackles still rise when I get all that frickin' unwanted advice from people around me.

Which brings me to another point. I've never really been a person to reach out to strangers. I have very few friends who are very close to me. I mentioned earlier that I usually come off as someone with too much attitude. But as I interact with more and more people while blogging, I feel that there are actual relationships that are being forged here - and somehow it seems to me that there are so many people out there who are so interesting, who may be going through or have gone through the same things that I am right now, and in general, are just so much fun to get to know through their writing - and the comments they leave behind here. So while I get annoyed with the unsolicited motherhood advice I get all the time from those around me in the offline world (I hate that phrase but it's useful), I absolutely lap up the experiences of other young blogging Moms - the most important difference I find being empathy.

The bloggy Moms are largely non-judgemental and have been through similar emotions and experiences in the recent past. This is important to me to know, because I'm literally the first in my circle of friends to have a child - and the older generation of our family seems to have completely utopian views on how to raise kids, and their cloudy memories suggest that they raised their own children in an atmosphere of blissful perfection 'My children never cried this way...' (Yeah, right).

Look, I may not be a great Mom, but I'm learning, hey? But I'm pretty much figuring the only way to deal with this is to plaster a fake smile on my face and move on, and to accept that the advice will keep coming - and most of it, if not all - is as well-meant as it is irritating. And the thing is - I can always come and bitch about it here.

What else, what else? The bitching part reminds me of the anonymity bit. Sure, this isn't an anonymous blog and I never really wanted it to be. I've been warned by a friend or two on a couple of occasions about revealing too much, and sure, there are freaks out there -but to be honest - I don't see how I'm revealing more here than most people reveal on Orkut or Facebook! Sure, there are times when I need to regulate what I write because a lot of people who know me read this blog, but for the most part, I share whatever I want to share and keep it mostly light-hearted. Unlike some others, I don't treat this blog as an online diary - it's just some thoughts that I put out there, a way to record some memories and increasingly, a way to interact with other people.

And that's another bit of evolution here - my writing was very one-sided when it started, largely because I knew I was only being read by a few of my friends and family. It's different now and I find myself starting to pose more and more questions to those who read this blog - and this stems out of a genuine sense of curiosity about what you think about a particular issue.

Another thing that is changing is that earlier I only wrote when I had something funny to say - but lately, I just write whatever I feel like writing about -such as this post- and it is really far more liberating. This is a good thing - especially considering that you lot who come here for the laughs don't really PAY me for it, hey? Also, I don't want or plan on having those Google Ads here, either. Am sure I will miss the 75 paise that I would have made thanks annually to my wide readership, but I'll somehow scrape through, I think.

Which brings me to my final point then. I know there are a few people who drop by occasionally, because of the comments they leave behind...I can think of Svety, Quirky Quill, Nandita, Stuti, Mona, Timepass, Still Searching, Unpredictable, Rayshma, Chandni, Sameera, Suki, Poppins, Aqua, Argee, Rohini, Moppet’s Mom, Parul, Dipali, Sue, Nm, Squiggle’s Mom, Cee Kay...a lovely, sporting, supportive bunch in general.

And then there are my family and friends, including Vani, Abhi, Richa, Shilpa, Garima, Nimisha, Ganju, Shome, Mahogany, Vijay, Mash, Gitanjali and her pals Gaurav and Saurabh, Ma, Mini...

But while I'm really just a small-time blogger, I do sometimes wonder...who are the rest of you? And why do you mostly read me on Mondays and Wednesdays? (Dumbass question with an obvious answer!) Incidentally, Monday also sees a disproportionately high number of page reloads - that bored in office, eh? Wink, wink. I know how you feel!

I don't have dem fancy-shmancy trackback thingies installed on my low-tech little blog. Anyway, if you've come back here on more than a couple of occasions, this may be a good time for you to de-lurk. After all, you do want to wish me a happy 100th post, don't you?

It would be nice to get to know you - but even if you choose to remain silent for some reason, well, that's okay too.

In any case, you should know that I really do appreciate you all dropping by. We must do this again sometime.

Maybe at the 200th post, hey? Let's do lunch.

47 comments:

  1. HAPPYYY 100TH POST TO YOUUUUUU
    YOU LIVE IN A ZOOOOOO
    YOU LOOK LIKE A MONKEYYYYY
    AND YOU SMELL LIKE ONE TOOOOOO

    well young y, i'm afraid i am not one of the many lurkers de-lurking despite the fact that you might have wished that i was a lurker :) anyway - just to say (since we're all being a little serious here - or at least as serious as one can be when i've just called you a monkey) that it's been great fun watching your blog develop from the rant-site to this mommy blog. we all anxiously await phase 3: the second child :)

    keep it up, wombat!

    PS: my only grouse is that your responses have dried up. respond to my oh pint-sized dynamite!

    PPS: on a frighteningly unrelated note, i also reallllyyy like the word 'leviathan'. i have just bought a book just because it is called leviathan.

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  2. Coming back to your blog after some time...and looks like I made it at a good time. Happy 100th .
    n er...ok if I hang around for some time??? the lunch at your 200th post sounds good[:P]
    ok ok...Happy blogging

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  3. I should be ashamed... after almost two years of blogging, I have been able to scrape together a measly 94 posts...

    Happy 100th!

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  4. Must tell you that yours is probably the only blog I read as regularly that I can....maybe because I have always liked you (top 10 in my list of "best of IIMB ") and also because I can so relate to what's happening in your life!
    Am sure you always knew this...but you write extremely well....take care...
    Shilpi

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  5. Woo Hoo What timing !! And now you have ANOTHER older blog too that I can read through on this boring Wednesday at work ;)

    I've been reading you for a while now but only started leaving comments recently.. so do I qualify as a lurker? :)

    Congratulations, and isn't it funny the way blogs evolve? I agree about your Facebook/Orkut thing too.. Hmm you certainly got me thinking, after my recent Sangeetha fiasco, wondering if I should be outed ;)

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  6. Congrats on your 100th post. As for me, whenever you have an update I read it, as I have you in my Google reader. but I was surprised that I didn't come to know of this post earlier..even Google reader has started cheating me..
    Anyway congrats again on your 100th. And I really like the hidden sense of humour and the way of writing in your posts. I really love peanut updates. Sometimes I am really amazed seeing the bonding between you three and start feeling guilty too, that may be we aren't spending a lot of time with kiddo. May be we just don't realise it. I don't know...
    So...present ma'm :)

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  7. Happy 100th, Y!!

    Wow - this is amazing. I saw the link to your pregnancy blog and of course I immediately toodled over and I so wished I had read it when I was expecting Adi. I used to have a pregnancy journal too...full of rants about how big I was, how much bigger I was, and how TERRIBLY HUGE I was....anyway..

    So, you know already that I absolutely love your blog and I check it at least once everyday to see if you've posted. Of course it would be simpler to have a blog list, but I am yet to do that...

    ALL YOU LURKERS - tell Y you love her!!!

    And yes, lunch sounds like a great idea but let's not wait till the 200th post.

    Keep posting, you have a great thing going! You make me laugh so hard :D

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  8. happy 100th! whoaaaa...and it's a wednesday today!!! :)

    and in response to one of yr earlier posts, i find the word 'desultorily' fascinating. i've never used it but just like the word :)

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  9. Hey Y! First time here (through Poppins). Congrats on your 100th post and this made a great read :)
    I liked what you say about Orkut and the other social networks where we put in so much info/pictures but keep a blog anon - maybe taking a tip from you and Poppins, I will go all out :)

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  10. Heya Y! :) I stumbled upon this blog through Mahogany's blog through a reference to Vijay you and him at the shack .. i rbbr ROTFLING at the post (one of the Vani classics) and adding you to my links that VERY day and recommending you to people around .. later Dush (good frnd and batchmate fm B) he knew u from work and the rest is history ... ur writing makes me laugh even on my worstesssst days and who wouldn't come by for that again eh? :)

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  11. Dammit! Forgot to congratulate you on ur 100th post! Watta brilliant feeling it must be no? :) SO much cheer and joy spread around :) May the Peanut inherit her parents' innate sense of (!) humor :)

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  12. Hi Y,
    Congratulations on your 100th post. I really really like your blog and the sarcastic humor. I also love Vijay and peanut updates.

    There's something about you and your writing that makes me wish you update your blog each time I come by. Btw, I think I discovered you through Sue's blog, which I discovered through Great Bong.

    Anyways, who I am!! I'm a Hyderabadi blogger, who earlier used to blog a lot and am now going through the biggest blogger block in history :(.

    And hey Ganju!!!, I like reading what you say to Y too.. hehe..

    I know no one really INVITED me here or any such thing, but there's a certain comfort level that I already feel with you.

    Anyways, good luck and please keep up the entertainment. Really love your sense of humor.

    P.S - I love Peanut's cheeks too... hehe.

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  13. Happy centennial celebrations Y!

    Have seen your posts morph from unashamed tongue-in-cheek to more tolerant, warm ones (only SLIGHTLY more though :p) occasionally peppered with your trademark sarcasm ... and loved every moment of it.

    And as Parul egged on earlier, WE LOVE YOU Y! Rock on!

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  14. and err... yes... guilty as charged on the Monday viewing bit... i guess i speak for all office-goers!

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  15. Happinezz time only :) Cheers to the 100 and the 10,000 more to come (im counting on you to live long-sarcastic people usually outlive the jolly jokers).
    Are u still in Delhi or moved to Mumbai-I do plan to take up on that lunch offer :D we'll just pretend its the 200th or somethin.

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  16. oh well ..... v all leave our guards down sometime.
    on this 100th post, i must admit (grudgingly), that this is the best blog in the blogosphere.
    may the force be with you!

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  17. happy hundredth post to you
    stick your head in the loo
    if you taste is then don't waste it
    because its all only for...youuuuuu

    :)
    in honour of the potty on the shorts

    and to say thank you for being so funny and not terrifying me with the prospect of eventual marriage and motherhood :)

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  18. As one of Alastair MacLean's many Scottish bosuns (what the f^%^ is a bosun anyway) might have said, Bluidy 'Ell!

    Good on you for post number 100, but I am still reeling at the shock of discovering you had a secret doppelblog all these months. Had I but known I might have been less accidental in my discovery that you were pregnant...

    Oh well, water under the bridge. Well done, you! And since we're celebrating your 100th, thanks! You know what for... don't you?

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  19. HAPPY CENTURY!!!
    Love your blog...You ROCK!!!!!

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  20. happy 100th Y. This post is so beautifully written. You are right about finding empathy here...We are all in the same boat.

    Looking forward to more posts.

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  21. Hi. :)

    I am a first timer here. Poppins linked to you in her post today and I jumped from there. Wanted to wish you a happy 100. You sound like someone I'd like to read henceforth. So, I am going to put you on my reader and blogroll.

    A short intro...I am a fellow blogger too, with two boys...lone a 4 yr old the other all of 9 months. Life is busy, funny, happy and challenging with them. Life IS about them right now, as you said about your peanut. :)

    Cheers...and hope to enjoy your next 100!

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  22. oo la la! 21 comments in 10 hours. that's 60 comments a day, or 2.5 comments an hour, or a comment every 24 minutes.... i can go on, but i can almost hear you commadning me to stop, so i shall.

    did i say oo la la?

    sameera: hello :) am glad someone appreciates my comments since y IGNORESSSS them all .. deep sigh. if you're sufficiently unemployed, do check my blog ... each post is just one long comment.

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  23. Congratulations! I know what this number means! I recently reached this number on my son's blog and I felt such exhilaration when I saw that number.

    I can truly understand your bonding with the other fellow bloggers. I feel the same way. So virtual yet so real!

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  24. Congratulations, Y! I have been regularly visiting this blog for a few months now (and not just Mondays and Wednesdays). Needless to say, I am hooked on to the adventures of Y, V, Peanut and their friends and family.

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  25. Hey Y, Congrats on your 100th post.
    I am hoping to get my life back in shape after I finally stop dreaming of airport conveyor belts and underground tunnels.
    You know moi- the almost fifty-two year old dinosaur with loads of kids who are all away, and my old parents who are sometimes more of a challenge than all four kids put together!
    My husband calls our blogs our trips to the 'panghat', where women managed to sneak in some chit chat while allegedly going about their work...I guess he's right.
    Love you, your blog, and your family, especially the musically inclined Peanut!( Loved Potteshwari, saw it yesterday and did comment.)
    Hope to meet you guys sometime- till then, we relish your blog:)
    And Ganju's comments too!

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  26. Happu 100th Y! and best wishes for many many more.

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  27. Sigh! I guess I better de-lurk after this. Have been upto that on some other blogs too and yours is one that gives me immense pleasure ever since I stumbled on it via Sunny Days. So phunny, so very phunny, you are.
    Am also known to have attitude-shatitude, always did, even way back in nursery school. Big pain to various people in my 32 years on planet earth but now duly get it back from feisty, big-time-attitude-wallah 3 1/2 year old son!So wait till Peanut gets her hustle on. You'll see stars:-)

    And mondays and wednesdays? Nah! I check your site every single day which probably means am completely bekaar no?

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  28. Well,let me put down the comment on the 100th post at least,There are a few mommy blogs which i religiously read, don't know how i ended up here but peanut and you hooked me to be back and yes,not only on Wednesdays or Mondays but i come here almost daily except for a Sunday because i know you must be busy with your hubby and kid and weaving a new blog post for Monday:)Keep writing.Happy blogging.

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  29. happy 100th!

    I last "de-lurked" when you threatened to ban your hubbys versions of songs with alternate lyrics I think :)

    mostly - thank you for being a really funny, regular and talkative blogger :) It's such a good feeling to read about you and Peanut and she really is adorable :)

    I'll disappear again now and wait till the 200th ;) and yes lunch sounds good too :D

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  30. Hey, thats pretty cool that your 100th post and my 100th post came on the same day! Oct 29th... and what makes it even better is that 29th was my birthday! So 3 reasons to cheer! I've been reading you right from the beginning I think.. a friend of mine sent me your blog url and said "read this, this is too bloody funny"! And I was hooked! :)) And of late, though I have absolutely nothing useful to say about raising Peanut, I do love to read your posts and thnk the pics and esp the captions are really witty! Hope we're celebrating together on the 200th post too!

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  31. Btw, if you've ever read my blog, this would be a good time to comment on it for the first time! Lol! :))

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  32. Hello Yashodhara...

    Congratulations on your 100th post!

    I am one of the lurkers at your blog, and I thoroughly enjoy reading it. It provides a happy place for me to escape to from my own life. Am going through a very rough phase in my life (under-statement of the year!) where my marriage is falling apart and I am also under a lot of financial burden.

    I like to read your blog, and Parul and Mad Momma's as well, because you all seem to lead the kind of life I had always envisioned myself as having when I was younger; and also because I can identify with the the thoughts and opinions expressed.

    Mostly, I love the free expression and flow of ideas I find in the blogs I read, because it articulates and expresses everything I feel, but cannot say. And even though I don't blog, I feel like I'm a part of this group who support and understand each other. Wish I could be like one of you strong, accomplished ladies!

    Today I decided to come forward and extend my best wishes and be a part of your celebration, because I've had enough of the unhappiness. I hate to be one of the anon commenters, but I don't want to leave my name (after all I've written above!) as you know me, although it was a long time ago :)

    Warm and sincere wishes to you, Vijay and the adorable Peanut. She looks just like you! :)

    WOW! This turned to be a short story rather than a "comment"... sorry about that...

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  33. Congratulations on your 100th!!

    Well, I must confess that I am rather a regular on your blog, but just have been too lazy to leave comments till now ....rather till your "Anyway, if you've come back here on more than a couple of occasions, this may be a good time for you to de-lurk. After all, you do want to wish me a happy 100th post, don't you?" comment!!

    Not sure, coming from you whether it was a sugar coated sarcasm, or a genuine "say Hello"!

    In any case, your blog is awesome and almost a stress-reliever. Keep Writing

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  34. Trupti: now are you the Trupti from IIM-B? Do tell, do tell.

    And for once, it was a genuine 'Say hello'. So 'Hello'!

    (My sarcasm is sugar-coated? Wow, cool! Always thought it was sort of bile-dripping. I am definitely mellowing in my old age!)

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  35. yes the same one, Y...

    ...and my shins are sore from the kicks they get everytime I read your new post, for not knowing you better at B.

    Oh well, i'm getting to know you HERE! :)

    (Sugar coated, bile dripping or just a plain stripped-down venom-spewing version... whatever, bring it on !!)

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  36. happy 100th!
    i read through your pregnancy blog too :)
    much fun! reminded me of my own frustration toward the end!
    i realized that i probably don't have my baby blog link up on my blogger profile so you've probably never visited my page.
    i'm a dumbass!
    i'm at www.babystory.wordpress.com if you want to get to know me even better than my long storybook-like comments tell you.
    ;)

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  37. Hi Y..happy 100th..
    waiting for the 200th one now..:)

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  38. Hi Y, started reading your blog a couple of months ago. I love your writing. I don't blog, but love reading them. I am a SAHM to two boys(almost 8 and 3). I guess I do read your blog when I am bored at "work". Congratulations on the 100th post. sorry for not commenting earlier.
    Another Y
    Yadu

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  39. Mona darling (ewww...bad one): Thanks, and will definitely come by and learn more about you and Hana :-)

    TN: Thank you, see you again at 200 :-)

    Yadu 'Another Y': Two boys huh? Wow! Am sure you're a very busy woman - so no 'sorry' for not commenting earlier, please - but thanks for delurking anyway!

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  40. At the risk of keeping it all within the family, you're awarded!

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  41. heyy, happy 100th! :) and happy b'day to thy blog!
    umm.. in case u're still wondering how & y i kp dropping by... well..
    a. i like ur writing style.
    b. i've blog-rolled u. so i can actly find ur blog now!
    c. i have no job.
    so u see, i'm quite vella... and keep surfing all day! :D
    do keep writing.. ur blog serves a general purpose of keeping ppl like me or unlike me occupied! my hubby wud sure thank u for it!

    u'll hv to come to the US for d coffee... no job, no monies to get to india! :(

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  42. Wow, congratulations!
    Sleepy now, yet noticed that you mentioned me. soo sweet of you!
    nice good-night present for me. :D

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  43. I'm one of the lurkers on your blog, and didn't delurk before because... well, I guess I was just too lazy? Apologies for that.

    Anyways, this is to tell you that I thoroughly enjoy your blog, and think the Peanut is an adorable darling, and you're an even more adorable mom! Pliss to keep writing and never to be stopping.

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  44. Hey I know it's kind of late to comment since this post was written in 2007 and m commenting in 2015.. whoa.. but I am kind of glued to this blog after reading all ur books yashodhara... and I really look forward to complete reading the archives..

    Would love to read another blog that u had started. .If u don't mind..

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  45. Hey I know it's kind of late to comment since this post was written in 2007 and m commenting in 2015.. whoa.. but I am kind of glued to this blog after reading all ur books yashodhara... and I really look forward to complete reading the archives..

    Would love to read another blog that u had started. .If u don't mind..

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Hi there. Go on, say it. Well? WELL?