My Lady of the Lantern

I just want to say Sorry to the Show and Tellers....I have not been returning any comments lately....I am busy. But I promise to get back to you...not just as an obligation, but more for the fact that I love Show and Tell. Yes, I am still ticking! ^WiseGuy^

Really? Who is going to blink first? Me or God? And whoever blinks, who will be crying? ^WiseGuy^

Dear God, Please spare me the torture. I would prefer it to be early than 'late'. Yours truthfully, ^WiseGuy^

Enroute to my workplace, it is this beautiful black equestrian statue of Rani Laxmi Bai that I pass everyday. So today, I want to share a picture of that statue with you and a small snapshot of her life. She walked this earth in the 19th Century and was the queen of Jhansi. At that point of time, India was under British control. Active then was the Doctrine of Lapse that Lord Dalhousie had put into place. That doctrine stated that if a princely state remained without a direct heir, the British had the right to annex the estate. The doctrine deprived the royal family of its inheritance and left the remaining heirs to a meager pension from the British. The Rani of Jhansi had a son, but the baby died in a few months of its birth. Not soon after the Queen and the King adopted a baby boy – Damodar Rao. But tragedy was not far away. The Queen became a widow soon after the adoption. The British refused to consider Damodar Rao as the legal heir, because he was adopted and instituted proceeding...

Yeah, this could be something smashing awesome or friggin' awful! Still waiting for AF... ^WiseGuy^

On my way home, I stopped at a place to pick up something to present S, my niece, as a gift for her first birthday. I was highly taken by a really cute cuddly elephant...so that got picked and gift wrapped. I also bought a really sweet pink bunny - for my baby . This is the very first time I have bought something for the baby. I say 'the' baby, as if it really exists. It does not. This is huge for me. I am not sure how much time will it be, before I can lay it next to my baby. Second, in my culture, nothing is bought for the baby before it is born because it is considered bad luck. Well, I am not sure how more bad can my luck get. So, what the heck, if I like it, I will buy it. Just bring me my baby. BTW, it is Tick Tick 2! ^WiseGuy^

Still Waiting for AF. ^WiseGuy^ Image Source: http://comps.fotosearch.com/comp/ART/ART123/woman-hamster-wheel_~BSR023.jpg