Oh and Happy 2012!

Much to be happy about and thankful for this year. Completing one year of married life after all the years of living in sin, moving to London, new job, new home, new friends and most importantly for Dot!

P.S: Dear Dot, if you ever read this then we are most excited about meeting you in a few months and spending our next new year's eve with you.

The things one googles when pregnant!

Ranges from biology to astrology making pit stops at very gritty subjects which leave you shivering in a corner and sleeping with the lights on.

Best to have a sense of humour about it me thinks.

18 day vacation comes to an end.

Devastated. Can't remember the last time I had such an awesomely relaxing vacation. Can't foresee the next time I will. The things in between better be worth it !

It's okay to be an outsider!

It irks me no end to see recent migrants to America so eager to replace all their old associations, experiences so quickly.

If you are a self-proclaimed tam-brahm used to waking up to smells of filter coffee and idli sambhar for more than two decades then don't claim to be getting into festive spirits and realising life is good when you smell freshly baked cookies five Facebook status updates later.

Living in New York for 6 months doesn't make you a New Yorker so please don't speak for the city or the people if your favourite pass time is heading to New Jersey to gorge on "desi" food.

Just admit that you are an outsider. Why let the urge to fit in overwhelm you so much that you give up on things that made you who you are to begin with?

When in Spain...be intriguing and dramatic.

Unpredictable 2011 still continues to be so. Not one to be forgotten on December 31st at 12am, 2011 has planted its seeds which will blossom in 2012 and stay with us for the rest of our lives.

Coming into 2011, we had plans of being back home in Bombay this time this year celebrating our 1st wedding anniversary with freinds and family. And still here we are in Majorca, Spain sitting out in the sunny balcony of our 8th floor hotel room, looking at the sea and being awe struck by how unpredictable life is.

The lovely orange trees, almond, date and olive farms and the rolling hills all building sketches of Spain only read of in books is definitely making us count our blessings for being able to travel and see so much.

Unable to write in singular anymore , no matter how hard I try. Just a sign of times to come...it's going to be about 'us' more so than ever. 2011 is going to be tough year to forget.

Restlessness

Despite my active imagination, I don't think my mind has been so jumpy in a long time. Constantly moving from job to life to travel to lunch menu to rain and repeat with some new variables.

I've been at my new job over a week and it's been a painfully slow start. All I seem to do is read blogs and go out drinking with colleagues. I doubt my younger self would have complained about this, but sadly I'm older and in a real big hurry to kickstart my career and attain eternal fame, wealth and prosperity.

Yesterday, finally I managed to get some work an then I realised I'm not as quick at picking things up as I used to. Or maybe I've been so bored at work the past week my brain is simply refusing to compute and understand the counter-intuitive softwares used by the company. Eitherways it isn't making me feel smart and therefore I am not liking my job already.

On the train into work today, I regretted my loss of wonder when I used to gape at everything and be a tourist. Now I just feel like one of the many zombies, running through life just to get onto the 8:07 train in time.

I need to calm down. Calm my mind down. This big mug of black coffee isn't helping.

First day of work at the new job tomorrow. My clothes are ironed and kept in the study. Bag packed. Tummy full of butterflies. Nervous like the first day of school.

Will there be bullies? Will there be friends? Where will this lead me? Delicious excitement of the first page of a book.

And then I landed a job! 2.5 months since touchdown. Quite a proud moment if I may say so meself.

Becoming my mother

Mom was visiting and stayed for a month. So much to be learnt from her. Spontaneity, being self motivated, art of keeping self busy doing things that make me happy, being a good housekeeper, being independent, being at peace. Tough job.

Last year this time our group of friends from Boston and us were in yellowstone national park. Today the boy, mom and me are in Greenwich royal park.

I'm intrigued where this journey will take me next.

So it's been two months and some since we moved to London. A lot has happened since. We lived in a hotel, lived in a service apartment. Lived without our furniture. Jumped to see our furniture arrive from Boston. Moved into own apartment. Brand new couch didn't fit in through the door. Discarded brand new couch. Cursed compact-London. Missed oversized America. Missed our car. Set up new apartment. Lots and lots of boxes. Started falling in love with London. Mom arrived for a month. Being a tourist. Being unemployed. Interviewed a lot. Got a lot of rejections. Still interviewing. Still having faith. Going to Edinburgh for boy's 30th birthday. Fun times. Won't deny, having a job would make it funner. All in good time I guess.

Just a perfect day...

They came. They packed. We moved.

(Boston gave me my favourite weather today to deal with the move. Grey. Windy. Clouds pregnant with rain. Beautiful.)

We cross the Atlantic every Sunday ! Well atleast the last 2 weekends and the coming Sunday.

I just realized I always wanted this life.

Letting go

We sold our car today. It was the first car the boy bought. I feel horrible.

Before the week ends we will have to let go of a lot more things as well. Including the house.

Last week while in London we did finalize on a pretty apartment in a Georgian building overlooking the Heath in blackheath.

Still doesn't make it easy to let go.

Give a little (song on tv right now)

The boy is sitting across the room with the trash can open in front of him. Meticulously pulling out clips and pins from his new office clothes.

Two suitcases lie open. A lot of clothes everywhere.

The grill has gone. The car is sold. The rest will be gone before we can say Marylebone.

The fridge is empty. And we are brimming with hope, adventure and nausea.

We are going to London tomorrow to house hunt for a week.

.....and then we decided to move to London !!!

If there is already so much excitement within the first three months of married life....me thinks this is going to be a long, fun ride !

Ooh and the boy also took me flying last weekend !!

I like ! I like !

Bring on Europe, I say !

Changes on the horizon

"Kahani khatam hai ya shurvat hone ko hai,
Subha nayi hai yeh ya phir raat hone ko hai,

Aane wala waqt dega panha hai,
Ya phir se milenge do raahe,
Khabar kya, kya pata."

So my facebook newsfeed is suddenly brimming over with people who "love sipping on (insert intelligent sounding flavour) chai, while reading (insert intellectual sounding foreign author) and watching the/listening to/smelling rain/snowflakes/general sunbeams".

What is it, huh ?

Snap out of it !

If everyone is going to be a petulant possum on a weekday then I'm not playing.

If no one is going to be genuine and honest about how crappy this week has been then I'm not playing.

I think I'll go smell the trees and write an ode to it while sliding down my private rainbow only to land on fresh, fluffy snow. And then have Moonface and Saucepanman over for tea and eclairs ! (and post about it on facebook)

Eat that you pseudos.

Addendum (February 10th): And today all these people love shoes and want to marry shoes and make small slippers with them or some such. 
Atleast be consistent in your pseudo categories ! Come on !

Grown up ramblings

Bit by bit we set up this house,
And now it is our home.

Bit by bit the distinction came clear,
What used to be home is now "parent's home".

Grown up woes

How do two people negotiate a mid-point when priorities are different but the end goal is the same ?

How do two people decide whose turn it is to compromise ?

How do you get the other to make breakfast ?

Comfort

Q. So how does it feel to be married ?
A. Just like how it felt before.

I'm back. I'm married. I'm no longer a virgin.

...because turns out I am a Leo now. How long was I gone for ? Seriously !

Give a little beer...

"Give a Little Bit" Supertramp (1977) @ Yahoo! Video