Annual blog post

Since this is about the only time of year I seem to gravitate towards my blog, I figured may as well continue the tradition...

2012 in review

- It was the year of work, work, work, and then some. 

- It was a year of new beginnings, a new city a new home, a new life! 

- It was the year of fun, drinking, rediscovering a love for fine dine-ing and wine-ing :)

- It was the year of adventure, personal growth and plenty of learning.

Not as spectacular as it could have been/felt, but still good by every imaginable standard! 

2013 and stuff to come

Every year I say I will write more, blog more, learn more.

Well this year I'm not saying that.

Lets put it this way - This is the year of:

- Fitness: Not weight-loss or skinny-ness or 6-pack-abs (who am I kidding), but just fitness. Stay fit, be disciplined, live healthy type of intention. Bring on that gym schedule, and watch me kill it!
- Health: not just health food, but good old healthy-ness. Less eating out, more home cooked food, dabba lunches (!), less horrible snacking and LESS sugar.

- Cooking: As much as I may have denied it before,  It is an essential life skill, and about time I got jiggy with it.

- Looking good = feeling good. Looking fabulous = feeling freaking fabulous. I love dressing up so much, weird that I don't do it enough. 

- Travel: Forget that Prada bag, I'm spending my money travelling. I want to go spend time in at least 5 different countries this year, and see some of this big, beautiful world we live in. 

Enough for now, I'm thinking if I can keep to these, life will be gooood.
Over and out.

I like Big Books and I cannot lie...

I used to be that kid who read a lot. A whole lot. Forget the usual dance/music/drama classes - all I needed was a book or twenty to spend my whole summer holidays with. I started early, about 7 or 8 maybe,  on the leftovers and left-behind's of my older cousins' books; books that I was clearly not ready for, so much so that I had to underline words that I didn't understand, wait for my mom to come home in the evening, ask her the meaning of the words and then re-read all the pages from that day all over again! (Until I got old enough to use a dictionary. Man, I loved my big fat Oxford English dictionary)

A book could just hook me in the first 5 pages - I must've been the most gullible (or ideal?) kid to sell a story to! I'd happily read anything I could get my hands on. My favourite reading spot was the corner of the dining table. I always so stuck in the current book I was reading that I used to sit on the table, back to the wall, cross legged, head bent, ignoring all the warnings of "your eyes will deteriorate/you'll have glasses soon if you read like that!", and sit there reading for hours and hours. (still have perfect eyesight, btw.)

Fast Forward about 10 years. Done with college, been working for 6 years (!) now - and I almost can't believe that kid was me. I probably have read about 10 books in those 6 years - completely lost touch with that whole beautiful world. So many distractions, that so many years went by without being counted for!
Damn you Gossip Girl and ANTM and Grey's Anatomy, Damn you IPL and Damn you Facebook!!! Suddenly I'm left behind, I haven't read any of the books the world is talking about - maybe its in my head but I've become so "dumbed" out. Time to get back on track - nothing, nothing in the world can replace the experience of reading a book - laughing out loud (the non virtual kind!), unable to put it down coz you have to know what happens next, and then realising its 5am and you read all night just to find out :)

Thankfully its so easy to just get right back, find an interesting book and settle down with it. That dining table is long gone, but I'm glad that kid is still around!

Tribute to #203.

How easily a house becomes a home, no? We recently moved out of our apartment that we had lived in for the last year and a bit. Surprised I'm being so senti about it, but man, I loved that place :) It was the ideal combination of chilled-out yet party, door always open to family and yet our own little pocket of privacy, big and bright and airy and homey and comfortable, and basically it was perfect!

So many fun times were had in that house - can't wait to make a new house all homey again. And I have a feeling the next one's going to be WAY more exciting! :)

Touchy-Feely

Okay, this is really random.

So, I'm a very touchy-feely person when it comes to most things :P especially when it comes to shopping! As great and convenient and easy as online shopping is (Yay for asos.com), there's nothing like good old brick-and-mortar physical stores, whether its a clothing store or just the local supermarket.

With clothing stores - there's nothing like going to the store, trying on a top, being able to feel the fabric, and know how its gonna look/feel before you buy it! maybe there's something else that doesn't look all that fabulous, but hey its worth a try and then it turns out to be the comfiest of them all! (and you wear that top for the next year )
Even grocery stores - I mean, what's the fun in shopping online? for groceries?! I love going to the local grocery store/ gigantic supermarket with my list of absolutely essential items and then walking around picking up interesting stuff, trying out a new cheese, buying new spices and flavoring that I don't know how to use and then having some fun with it! Don't get me wrong; its great that Tesco will deliver your groceries within 4 hours of clicking on them, but come on man, how robotic!
[p.s: never getting one of these fridges that auto detect when you run out of milk and order it for you! ]

And don't even get me started about the therapeutic nature of just walking around and window shopping!

Boom!

9 days too late, but atleast I'm doing it!

2011, the year that was all about new beginnings...New home, new husband =), new job, new life, new families, loads of new friends, new car, new cities, new travel, new opportunities, new experiences, new learnings, new perspective, new everything! So. much. fun! It was the year of work work work, with loads of weddings, crazy new friendships, travel, food, and parties thrown in. It was the year that was so much fun that it just flew on by when we weren't watching. It was the year that was everything the previous one wasn't, and how!

Now that it's over and done with (still too fast, I say) its time for a whole new one to begin, time to stop, look back, say thank you, take a deep breath, and get ready to rock and roll!
Time for a whole new set of experiences, a fresh start, new perspective, a clean slate.

2012 - oooooh so much to say, so much potential, so much just waiting to happen, life is literally waiting to explode! and I cannot wait! :D
In the middle of all the madness, I want to take as much time out as I need to live it up, to read lots, to play more, to be my fittest yet, to travel, to meet people, to make new friends, and dream new dreams. 

Here's to a year filled with more new things, more fun, more love, life & laughter than ever! But I don't want to jinx anything, and I don't want to come in the way either - let the good times take over :)

Will you make frandships with me?

"A good friend is worth pursuing".
But why would they be running away in the first place?

There are friends & then are friends. There are the party friends, the serious friends, the crazy gang of doing-everything-together friends, the drinking buddies, the non-drinking buddies, The BFF's, the come-in-phases friends, the BFF's who dont quite stay BFFs, the friendship gone bad frineds. And then there are the forever firends. I've had a few of all types I think, most recent being the instant-hit-it-off, why-didnt-we-be-so-close-before, omg-how-similar-are-we, come-to-my-family functions BFF f.o.r.e.v.e.r friend. And then it lasts about as long as that sentence. Something somewhere shows up that shows you why you actually weren't that close ever, or how different you actually are!
Ah, life.

But this post is not about that, its not about the almost-were BFFs. Its about the real forever, no-matter-what type folks. :) Folks who don't need to keep in touch everyday/all the time, but never stay MIA for too long. Folks whom I adore, and who adore me back :) Folks who I wish lived with me everyday/all the time, folks whom I can call fat and who'll call me fatty to my face!

This is about my favouritesssst people in the world, just coz I miss them tons! Ignore the grammar, the excessive usage of !! and soak in the ♥!

my mental: I mean it -- she is my most mental, crackest, bestest & friend. we go back forever! we've had dreams of travelling the world, sharing all our shoes, having one giant common wardrobe :P doing exotic holidays together, with unlimited baggage & no shopping restrictions of course. We're in 2 different parts of the world, but we still talk about 'OMG imagine if we're both in that city at the same time next year!!' :D We ping each other exotic bags that we will never afford - you know, just in case it goes on sale! we skype & show off the newest pair of shoes that can be potentially shared, and continue planning our fantastic shopping/meeting holidays..
I dont even know how long its been since she jetted off, but hey - that aint ever stopped anybody! ♥

my little sister/partner in crime -- of all the people I've met 'by chance', I've never been more thankful for this one! We're as different as we're alike, we buy the same clothes, dream the same dreams, love to play house :) and love dressing up! anything shiny = w.i.n! We'll obsess about random things, stay up talking for hours, try & figure out people's secrets :P laugh like mad people, shop like we own the world! She's like a little sister I never had, and I know we can not see each other for months and just one sentence can get us giggling in no time! ♥

my big sister-twin -- we walk the same, talk the same, look the same (apparently!) she is the big sister i never had - friend, philosopher & guide types. we LOVE our shoes, if only we could share! we buy similar clothes, the same shoes - one big pair, one tiny pair :)  we window shop online like we can afford everything there, clearance section, of course! we make travel plans - which will work out at some point, I promise!! we can sit & jabber & jabber all day! and tell each other to shut up, its my turn to talk! succchhh a random co-incidence that we met -- it was absolutely meant to be!! ♥

my roomie, my cracko -- apparently we met once, long ago, and stupidly didn't decide to remember each other or be friends. but you know, it was meant to be, and how!! we're as opposite as we are alike -- we can make each other crack up, and yet talk about the serious stuff on Day 1. She hates shopping, I'm clearly a shopaholic, she hates pink, and me, well, I can do pink -- those have made for some interesting days at home!! She'll eat anything (even if I cook it!) and say Yum :) And no matter where we are, I know we'll never miss a chance to meet and get a cup of chai, and lots of food of course! ♥

#%$@!

I think I'm stressed for the first time in a long time. And its not a good feeling.

Workaholic-ness

Yesterday, for the first time in 6 months of the new job, I finished work early. like 2 hours early, which is a holy-freakin-big deal. And what did I do to enjoy it?! Nothing. Nothing! I couldn't think of a damn thing. So I refreshed my inbox for 40 mins, then pinged a few clients to say hi. Seriously.

Apparently being semi-workaholic makes you boring also. So, I've decided I'm going to find me a new hobby. A new hobby that will make me less prone to pinging clients for entertainment, and also help me have a life again. Sooo, my options are:

1) Gymming; however boring it might be
2) Swimming -since its summer & all
3)Yoga - I just discovered a very famous Yoga instructors classes are 2 mins from home, so why not!
4) IPL - maybe I should start an IPL 4 blog -- and save my office & teammates from my incessant IPL related opinions.

Okay gotta go, clients are pinging.

Bleeding Blue!

What. A. Match!

Cricket can bring this country together -- forget about knowledge, views, opinions, likes, dislikes, girls vs boys, RCB vs Deccan Chargers, strategies, teams, selection, or whatever. Its Passion. Its a religion! Its all about that game, that day, who cares if we lose tomorrow, but today we'll hammer them.
(And especially if this means we get to play the Pakistani's next, we'll hammer them also!!)

This is the shizz, I tell ya. This is Cricket, This is us Indians, This is what its all about! Its all about wanting to throw your drink at your TV when Gambhir runs like an idiot, its about everyone at work streaming the match such that the internet bandwidth gets jammed, its about yelling abuses at Yuvraj like he'll actually hear you, its about sprinting home from work in the drinks break, its about traffic-free streets during match days, its about not changing seats coz no wickets have fallen since you sat on that sofa, its about the only Indian sitting in a london office & screaming bhaaago!, its about bearing with Psycho Siddhu in a Purple turban just to hear Dhoni at the post match presentation, its about the fucking passion. 

I mean, how can you *not* be a cricket fan after a world cup like this -- first the tied game against England, then  some random tiny little team beating the mighty English, then the crazy collapses, and then Team India, the Men in Blue. Sachin Tendulkar, Ponting, Murali. Epic! 

I know this World Cup has converted a few non believers, for sure! Welcome to the family.

Balance

Do you have the fabled 'work-life balance' ?

Support Sport

First of all, let me say I'm the worlds biggest cricket fan. (I can almost hear all the boys saying, "biggest cricket fan -- for a girl!". But screw you, you know I can kick your ass :P )
Okay, coming back to the point of this post. I recently went to watch a cricket match with a few friends.  And quite obv the other girls in the group don't follow cricket.  (Anyhoo, quite obvious when you come to a sports bar in a tiny little skirt & high heeled boots. I mean, even the name says it: "Extreme Sports" bar). Now, I have no problem with that, (gotta love the dress-up-for-reason nights!)  but THE most annoying part is how these girls just purposely decide to cheer for & woot at the opposing team to what their boyfriends are supporting! I don't know if this is just to  rub it in or the only way to get a little bit of the boyfriend's attention. (or other boys at the bar!) Sometimes it pisses me off so much -- now no one ever takes a girl talking abt cricket seriously, I swear! 

Bloggers Block

Sometimes, I have a zillion things I can't wait to write about after I get back from work. But when I do get back & open up my blog, either nothing comes to mind, or I can't pick what to go with.
This has an uncanny resemblance to picking what to work the next day.

Overheard

I've unwittingly been part of interesting conversations thanks to the tube, or even the guys walking the same route as me on the street, having super loud discussions. And no, I wasn't particularly eavesdropping, its hard *not* to hear these things!

2 of the most interesting conversations I've heard:

1) Two guys walking on the street behind me, obv catching up after a while..
First guy: omg, you'll never guess where Dude X is, I just got a post card from him!
Second guy: woah yeah I haven't seen him in a year, where in the world is he?!
first guy: In a fishing village in *Africa* !!
second guy: you've gots to be joking!!
...And then basically this is how the story went: Dude X decided to quit his job one drunken night, then got on a plane & went to Africa & landed at a small fishing village with backpack on back & no money in pocket.
He worked there for 4 months, being the only white guy in the region & was much loved by all. Then some rich local dude offered him a job & said I can't pay you salary but if you do this for 4 months, I'll give you a piece of land. So now, Dude X is in Africa & owns a piece of land!!!!
Then the boys had to turn left & I had to turn right, so that's all I know for now!

2) How can this not be about a girl!
first dude: so it was pretty late that night, so we were all pretty drunk...
second dude: aha...! score!
first dude: lol. so.. she was like, "why are you so quiet, what are you thinking about right this very moment?" and i was like.. "I'm just wondering how it would be, if I kissed you right at this moment.."
second dude: man, i can't believe you said that! what did she say?
first dude: so then, she said "i know how it would be.. it would be like.." and then she leaned over & kissed me!
second dude: whaaaaaaat
first dude: yeah it was crazy.. we basically made out all night then she invited me back to her place.. and we made out all the way up in the lift, reached the top floor, then hit the right button, reached her floor, but just continued making out.. "
[second guy is making woot noises]
...And then they got off at their stop.
And I thought these things happened only in the movies!

Enthu-what?

I used to be the most enthusiastic person in the world. I swear. Always up for an adventure, doing something new, cannot-sit-at-one-place type. But off late, I've been so.. bleagh. Its been a gradual, slow change, and apparently I never noticed it until, well, after it happened. So many things that were me, don't even bring up a teeny bubble of excitement anymore.
Pictures: I was the 200-pics-on-a-night-out type of girl. Then my camera kinda got lost in the busyness of life, and now, I have a whole phase of 2009-2010 that I have no memories of.
Travelling: I was the person who'd pack my bags one weekend before I had to travel, you know, just to make sure I could always throw in last-minute things, in case I had forgotten them off my neatly categorised packing list. Now, when I leave home for a 5 week trip to a cold place, I pack the night before, and forget things like socks.
Entertainment: I never loved movies, or tv, but I had my list of  reality shows that I followed like there was no tomorrow. I knew which model wore what, who got what contract, who dated who, who got eliminated, who was most likely to get eliminated next week. Now, apart from the occasional cricket match, I haven't sat in front of the tv, or my laptop apart from work.
People!: I couldn't be alone at home one night without driving myself up the wall. I enjoy having people around me, talking, laughing, drinking, socialising, chatting, bonding until it was time to go to work the next day. Now, all I want to do after work is come home & crash out. [There's only one thing in the world that still keeps me being me, and thank god for that!]

So whiny I've become, no? Does everyone have this "phase"? Is this what becoming older means?
If it is, then #*(% that shit. I miss being me, and its about time I get me some of that!!

Life

Wherever life might take you, no matter what the weather, always remember to bring your own sunshine.

Happy-go-Lucky

I used to think i was a happy-go-lucky person...but the more I think about it, that concept doesn;t make to much sense...Sometimes I wish I was one of those determined, hard workers, who had this Life Plan. You know, the post grad by 26, MBA by 28, swanky apartment by 29 etc etc.
Little old me just lives life by the hour/day/week, call it whatever you may. If an "opportunity" comes up, like in my face, I take it, or leave it if I don't feel up to it, etc etc.. and this is how it goes. Is that Happy-go-lucky? Or is that just lazy? That can't be happy-go-lucky, thats just leaving things to take their own course.. the F word. Fate. Or Destiny.. which seems like a bunch of faff in my opinion. I think a lot of people use "destiny" as an excuse for messing up. "its destiny... it wasn't meant to happen.. maybe something else'll work out". Balls.
Okay, now I'm digressing.
So, the thing about happy-go-lucky, I read somewhere it meant that the happier you are, the luckier you get. May be, but I also read this quote that stuck with me - "The harder I work, the luckier I get".
But what the hell, I'll stick with Happy-go-lucky for now. Life-Planing seems as futile as saying I'll be 5kgs lighter by the end of the year. Sigh.
 Publish Post

TwentyEleven

2007: The year of the new life! New city, new job, new friends. Time to parrtayy babayyy!
2008: The year of kicking a.s.s - at work, at everywhere. The year of Travel - America, Ireland, Singapore & Malaysia.
2009: The year calm after the storm of 2008. Same life, same job, same city.
2010: Best. Year. Yet. New phases, new life. Home sweet home, new job, new friends, new home, new life all over again.
2011: show me whatcha got!

New year, new plan.

This year I've decided to start blogging.. I have so much to say, and I talk a lot.. I'm thinking this is better than having one person (mostly the husband!) having to hear my babble all the time!

Mixed Fruit Jam

I'm having a happy-crappy day. 70-30 happy. I think.
I hate the feeling of having mixed feelings. It's so...bleargh. Mixed feelings is like happy-crappy, but the crappy takes away from the happy. Feels like there's something on my back I need to shake off.

So recently I did this test that told me what my "true colors" are in terms of my personality. I'm split down the middle (almost) into gold and blue. Gold is process oriented, logical, structured, steady. Blue folks are loyal, empathetic, ruled by emotions, and rely lots on feelings. And then there's some green & orange for data driven & creative etc etc.

So, do green & orange & gold folks not feel happy-crappy? logically speaking, with data & logic, there's either only happy or only crappy no? poor things.

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Wedding planning: Rant 2. To Dress or not to Dress.

Whoever said you can plan a wedding in a day was/is, well, hallucinating. And obviously never tried it before. You know who you are -- hope you're listening!
Dress or Saree? Mehendi or no mehendi? Dress, but modest? Saree but non-traditional? Mehendi on a dress? Saree with no mehendi? Dress with mehendi - yuck. Saree to church wedding - nah. Bridesmaids in sarees - hmmm. Bridesmaid in dress, everyone else in saree - hmmmmmm. Dress but not pure white? Saree but white-ish? Dress is "picture perfect" but this is hardly the movies. Saree is easy and convinient, but this is hardly the time for convenience - once in a lifetime no?  Avergae Indian dress-making or take a chance on phoren retail dress? or ditch it all for the Saree? even there's 3 more Saree occasions? Dress & color cordination or color co-ordinated sarees? Co-od clothes with decor? or Decor with clothes? Indian flowers for dress? 'western' setting with saree? Aaaaaarghh.
Its okay if this appeared garbled -- its not you, its me.