The Recent Blessing

This post is long due. Because the last two months have been pure marital bliss for more reasons that one.
With Marriage comes a lot of reluctance to let go of your life before, and the people associated with it. But when you have no reluctance to deal with, it's absolutely brilliant.

I'd say marriage is a blessing for me. Not because V can cook, and how!! (He insists he cooks during weekends, all meals..and forces me to rest!)
V does everything he can to make me happy and keep me that way. He puts up with my craziness, times when I go absolutely quiet, my over-the-top happy times, and just the general me. I've always thought myself to be very low maintenance, but intrinsically, I don't think so. And V somehow manages to keep up with all of my insanity.

He's super observant and catches every mood change. He somehow knows what you're thinking, and just steals the words from your head/mouth before you say it. Sigh -- its true when they say you do find the right person eventually. I hope he understands that in all my craziness, I would do anything under the sun for him because our relationship is the 'truly, madly, deeply' kinds. The kinda ones 'forever' is made of. Because I feel this incessant need to impress him, do nice things for him, cook for him, do everything in my power to take all the badness away from our world. (Yeah, I know you're thinking love-sick puppy, etc. :P but it does get to you...remember that Enrique song - you can run you can hide but you can't escape my love. Something like that!)

Anyhoo..for all those single people out there..who're weary of taking the big leap of faith, I say, TAKE IT AND GO!! It's worth all the weariness, apprehension, tension, stress, nervousness, etc..The goodness comes to you in the smallest, most trivial ways possible -- but more importantly, in the most meaningful way ever!

Go on! Ready, steady "Leap!"

2

Two months of being married today. The month that was:

2. Finding a house.
2. Buying Furniture
2. Setting up the house
2. Making it a home

It was less hectic as compared to the first, but we were out on our own this time, doing couply things, living a domesticated life. What fun!! :)

1

One month of holy matrimony!! We made it!

One month went by real fast. The wedding, the several receptions after, Goa!, and back to work...this is what the first month was packed with! But it was brilliant! :)

Of Roads, Detours, Dams and Friends: Road Trip #1 - 2012

I was in Delhi for Xmas-New Year when Navneeth gave me a call saying we had to do something together - the Euro Trip Travel Companions! I was thrilled. The trip to France and Italy in 2011 was the single-most wonderful experience ever! And to do it again with my favorite people - I was super kicked!

So we did go - Nagarjuna Sagar Dam, around 180 kms from Hyderabad. This trip was memorable on many counts - Mustang's first road trip, the holy trinity's second trip together, a lot of deep thinking, contemplation and discussion about life matters.

We started in the morning, the drive was beautiful! Endless highway road, brilliant music that Nav made sure we have in place the previous night. Ash and I put our shades on..this was going to be one helluva road trip. We let the music take over, speed was second nature, the surroundings were beautiful - everyone was at bliss. Note about the music: it was 'International Love' that ruled the weekend! Yayy!

At one point, we were mislead and took a detour of around 60kms - we didn't mind, but the roads were terrible, pothole after pothole! Anyway, we reached Nagarjuna Sagar and crashed for a couple of hours after lunch. We slept like babies. We then had our evening Chai with Onion Pakodas and French Fries. It was absolute bliss. We started talking life matters during this time..was the best time ever: Chai, Friends, and our life ahead of us.

Epipottala Falls was beautiful. It was well lit up and the sound of water gushing down rocks was brilliant. The three of us just sat there, absorbing what was around us. This is another place when we continued to talk about life, things ahead of us, the past, etc. All in all, super fun. Funny thing was this place was infested with monkeys, much like Matheran, where we once went on a team trip. I have this weird connection with monkeys. But that story I'll save for later. :)

We got back to our room after dinner. We pretty much let the evening take over as we drank, told stories, made fun of each other, imagined what life would be in a couple of months, years,. We made some confessions, revealed some secrets, understood more about what we think about each other, and generally had a fun time being with each other.

What topped the end of the trip was Navneeth acquiring his first pair of Aviators! (Yayy Navneeth!) Girls, you're about to see the coolest, snazziest, most awesome looking fella walking your way tomorrow. (Note to Navneeth: Do Not notice these girls..remember 'your' International Love!)

So it was an awesome Road Trip! My favorite people, in the comfort of Mustang Maharaj, great music, great food, wonderful talk time, picturesque water bodies - this trip was much needed, and time well spent!

As we ended the trip, we promised that we'd make this an annual affair, without breaking tradition. Every January, we do a trip somewhere, anywhere together. Just the three of us. The three musketeers, the holy trinity - L, D, L! ;)

Champs Elysees!

P.S - Bindu, we missed you loads and talked about you so much! You crazy person!! :)

Hakuna MaTattoo!

So, I've decided!! This is what my tattoo is going to look like when I get it!

For those who don't know - it's the symbol for Hakuna Matata!

AI: Get the Tattoo!! Pronto!

In the Zone

Ever felt completely blah for some reason? Where your mind is thinking random things, that you really can't understand why you're thinking them? And you end up looking like a zoned out maniac during this time. On the one hand, you know there's no reason behind feeling the way you're feeling. And on the other, you're deep in random thought (random thought that sometimes brings the depressing side in you). Anyway, while I'm feeling this way - sitting at work, whiling away time. I really don't have work, but I'm sitting here because I don't want to go to home..and I don't know why. I keep thinking unnecessary thoughts, some negative, some positive, some so neutral, they shouldn't be on my mind.

Anyhoo..random shit on a random day. I can't do much about it. Only consolation is that the day is almost over. And when the clock strikes twelve, this too shall pass.

Note to Self

One must always write down what they want to when they think they should. Of you keep it for later, you're not going to remember. Like right now, I have at least 3 things to write about that I've been structuring in my mind for the last 2 days, but now I just can't get into words, worse still - I can't remember!
Dammit!

So the next time you're thinking, "I should write this down later." Hit yourself and write it down then! Not later, cos you won't remember! And you're not growing any younger!

Kthanx!

P.S. - Note to SELF.

Our Disconnected World

Seriously! I actually know of couples that talk to each other on various social networking sites. And they even 'like,' 'comment' on, +1, etc., their spouse's messages to them. Like seriously people!! Just talk to each other, will you!

Pleasant Things on a Chilly Winter Morning

So I'm sitting at home, working! Yes, I'm back home in Delhi for ten days, working though. I see a ping from my dear friend. She tells me she got a job, right near where the old office was and that we needed to meet soon. She was telling me about the new job, and all through it, the only thing that I felt inside me was relief and happiness for her. And also, a wave of realization - you keep the faith and it all comes to you the way you want it. I think she'll be brilliant at her new job! Of course she will be! She's my Superstar!

And just when the chilly morning was becoming pleasant, another dear friend pinged me with a link to her blog (the viewable one ;)). It just brought a smile to my face even before I opened the link. I knew she's an exceptional writer and a great story-teller. I knew whatever she wrote would be great! And then I read her list of highlights of 2011..made me smile, made me feel sad, made me laugh, made me reminisce. I said a silent prayer for 2012 to be great, on all counts - to make the good, better. To make the bad, good. And to make the ugly, beautiful! Champs Elysees! :D

Hyd is where the Home is..

So it's official...(this post comes way too delayed)..I've moved base to Hyderabad.
A move in teams at work meant a move to this place from Dilli, my home. Hyderabad is a nice place, always liked it. Now, I'm about a month old in the city..and it still feels like I'm on a business trip. I miss home terribly, Gran, my sis, (Ma and Pa too as always). I miss home food, thayir saadam, filter coffee..and everything else that is home. When I wished I'd have the boarding school kinda life (cos I never did), I never knew the emo bit would come with it. I thought I was never one to get all 'I miss home, home food, people at home...etc.' But anyhoo, I'm in Hyd now. And while I write this, I'm simultaneously planning my trip back home to Delhi in a couple of weeks. But we'll let that be for now.

For me, Hyderabad means FUN! It means friends becoming family, late night movies, fancy and not-so-fancy dinners, impromptu crazy plans, night-outs, drunken nights, hungover days, loads of friends, food and fun! It's just what I need before I take the plunge. Before I misguide you into thinking I'm scared that my life will completely change after marriage..hold on. I just think its 'fair' that I get to do whatever I want, whenever I want, before I take the plunge into getting 'responsible,' 'accountable,' and 'answerable.'

Like right now..as I was typing 'answerable,' we all decided to go out for dinner. See? This is what I'm talking about!! Never a dull moment in Hyd!

Peace out!

There's People...

Everything happens, all at once..good, bad, ugly..all at once.

There's my perpetual state of "fear of the unknown" that comes along with the matrimonial blah. There's a lot that needs to be done and I haven't even got started yet..but I'm not the only one with the happening life!

There's nice people at work leaving. And when you ask them where, they say: Somewhere. Anywhere. Everywhere. For now - I don't care!
There's marital secrets - who goes and gets married without telling anyone?! :O
There's people on crazy diets - but they're happy and I see effects of the diet ;) (Must.Draw.Inspiration)
There's people going back home for a week or is it Fi days? (I wish I was them!!)
There's people getting awards for great performance and contribution at work! Woohoo! (I believe in the hope of/from the East)
There's people figuring relationships out and having a rough time. (Downplaying the 'rough time' for sanity sake)
There's people sending Thanksgiving gifts from across the seas. (Thank God for small miracles!)
There's people who've come back to work today after an exxxxxtended weekend. (Good times ahead!)
There's people rehearsing dance to put up the best show ever in two weeks. (Hopefully, no forgetting steps this time)
There's people going to Las Vegas and living the dream. (And vowing to DRINK!)
There's people who have 30+ days of vacation, and they want to take it all now! (Pinky swear!)
There's people who bring back memories..fun memories, and force you to believe that nothing has changed. (Mad Dog Rules!)
There's people who make plans every night, multiple plans; pre-dinner, post-dinner, in-between-dinner ;) (I want to be in their brain for one day!)
There's people who're looking for a better job and I know they'll find one. They don't think so. (Keep the faith)
There's people getting bored and restless, living away from family. (I know what they feel like)
There's people who're neck deep in wedding preps (while I'm comfortably numb).
There's people looking to get their daughters married...and with that comes a lot of push-back, frustration and irritation..not to mention FEAR! (Been there, done that...still kinda there)
There's people who relentlessly keep in touch, and make you look bad just because you're not relentless. (I was once, so I hope to change it at some point)

Anyhoo...what I'm trying to say is there's a lot of people dodging the big fat balls life throws at them. They dodge, they catch, they throw back at times. It's not about how far you throw, how well you catch, how well you dodge. In the end - you dodge, catch, throw back. That's it. Nothing else matters.

So while I'm walking a verrrry tight rope with faith in my hands, I'd think what Aamir Khan said: ALL IS WELL.. or All 'will be' well. Sooner. Or later.

Little Things

Isn't it quite strange that the smallest things in life, make us smile, make our hearts skip a beat, make our hearts race twice as fast, make us react in the weirdest of ways?!

For a complex race such as ours, we're quite menial when it comes to the happiness quotient. And in this complex race, if you're a woman - menial just gets even more menial. Check this:

Get up to an overcast-cool breeze blowing-day, I'm happy! I smile, I'm greeting everyone, I'm just thinking happy thoughts.

A girl buys a new pair of shoes, she's happy! She walks around with a confident strut and an even more confident smile.
Get to eat your favorite flavored ice-cream? Are you wearing the perfume you love today? Did you wake up to wonderfully brewed coffee and an even more wonderful breakfast?

....OK..I see that this is leading to a "only food makes you happy" post! :P Maybe it does..but I did mention shoes right? Yep..food and shoes! :)

Those are the little things that bring a 'yayyy' to my heart! :)

My Three Bs

I was whiling away time reading posts from the blogs that I follow and I was reading one of my favorites: Three Beautiful Things (http://threebeautifulthings.blogspot.com/), You guys have to check it out. It's nice how the writer records three things everyday that sum up their day! So I thought, let me do my three beautiful things..at the risk of plagiarizing of course! ;)

1. Sleep - It's a weekend and today I got the best ever snooze time ever! I feel fresh and alert as the energizer bunny!

2. Write - I've spent a good two hours on my lappy, updating my blog on my very amusing life and the turn of events..(be sure to read!)

3. Friends - Today is Friendship Day. Happy Friendship Day to you, my friends! Hoping I'm able to love and be loved by friends for all my life! And the Star Word Channel just made the weekend even more wonderful by playing 'Friends' all day. Yep, I watch as I type this. (For the curious..it's the episode where Chandler can't fire this cute girl at work despite the ugly looking WENUS, Joey wants to take Ursula out, Ross's monkey is going crazy..)

25 Random things about me

1. I love filter coffee and need my 2 cups everyday…I wouldn’t mind more than 2 :P
2. I love curd rice..it’s the ultimate meal..no meal of mine is complete without curd rice…even if I go out for pizza, I’d get back home and have some curd rice.
3. I love food…junk food
4. I hate working out, so I don’t.
5. I love music. Learned Carnatic music and learned a bit of Bharatnatyam as well. And with the little knowledge I have of these art forms, I always behave like the no.1 critic when it comes to analyzing the two.
6. I’m asthmatic and as a child I feared dying of an asthmatic attack.
7. I love adventure sports and one thing I can do again and again is white water rafting down the Zambezi River in Zambia
8. I grew up in Zambia, Africa and feel I’m an Indian with an African soul. – cos I feel like dancing and singing when I’m sad, happy, ecstatic, proud, and all of those extreme emotions…like a true African.
9. At one point, I had 32 dogs while growing up!!!!! Ironically, I don’t have even one now :(
10. I go for at least for 3 safaris when I’m in Zambia..I’m never tired of them..I love nature and wildlife.
11. I was once chased by a de-horned rhino on a safari – that’s why ur not supposed to get off the jeep.
12. Lion King is my fav animated movie
13. I deny being a romantic though I cry when I watch romantic movies. I’m a closet romantic I guess..
14. I believe in love and happy endings…..this is the closet romantic talking :P
15. I was so skinny as a child….dunno what happened along the way but I like myself this way :)
16. I have more male friends than female friends…I find guys more comfortable to be around. Sports interests me more than clothes and make up.
17. At one point in time (I still catch a peek every now and then) I was hooked onto the WWE
18. I love sports and played basketball in school. I can’t believe how bad I am at it now.
19. My friends and family are very important to me. I’ve never fought with a friend..at least never initiate a fight.
20. I hate fights and arguments and refrain from confrontation. If anyone yells, argues or fights with me, I immediately look at myself as the cause for the outburst and feel guilty of hurting or upsetting that person bad enough for them to lash out at me.
21. I’m a cleanliness freak and arrange and organize my belongings in a specific way that I don’t like re-arranged or messed with.
22. I’m very patient and tolerant with people.
23. I get stressed out very easily because I love order and preparation. So when things happen randomly or are uncalled for, which is most times, I have a mini panic attack.
24. I’ve lived away from my parents from the age of 11 and miss them a lot. My mum visits about twice a year and I miss her like crazy. Miss my dad terribly and get to see him only 6 weeks in a year.
25. My source of strength and sanity is my sister, who is a total brat if you ask me..but I love her beyond words and could not live without her.