Junk alert!!

Yes, its been a long time. For those who thought I was dead.. here's my answer - :P

But my apologies, this time I really left blogger for too long, unfortunately am not even up-to-date on some of my favourite blogs! Am sure you all missed my comments! ;)

Anyways, its been a very very hectic couple of months - I've moved into a new apartment which I've leased for one year, which means doing up the place in my own way and that means lots of shopping (yes, I'm spoilt. I live on my own.) I've also been doing a lot of volunteer work for an organization, which meant every evening after-office hours and weekends were spent in that... I've also met a whole new bunch of people who have shown me a different side of New York, which is great! And I've been doing some soul searching and deep thinking as well while my life has been a roller coaster ride! I finally bought a tv after 4 months of living on my own, but the tv is still not installed, so I continue to watch movies online on my 15 inch faithful laptop. And I continue to be oblivious to the latest and greatest news around the world, my only source of news being the captivate.com news headlines in my office elevator! (I do not spend office time surfing news websites, errr.. I really dont' get the time, don't get me wrong!).

Anyways, today was another round of shopping for the house, and I'm almost done... I only have some major items to furnish like sofa and chest of drawers, but apart from that, I'm good to go! I love this process of setting up my own place, because it brings out the years of desire I had to have to decorate my own house.. Ah, before you think it's a big house, my apartment is a small studio, but somehow, I can manage to find many things that I'd like to put in it.

Hence my post title. I've come to a point now when I've shopped so much but still dont seem to have everything. But today, I caught myself. I think every girl should have a device strapped to her fingers that beeps every time we start to buy junk things that we think we will need some day. I think it should read our thoughts too. Every time we try to rationalize an unnecessary purchase as "I'll use it some day", it should set an alarm off that will be so loud that we'll die of embarassment and will retreat from the item and go hide ourselves in the corner of the shop. Hmmm.

Because today I bought so many things that I dont need and wont be able to use right away, but could not stop myself inspite of knowing I am collecting junk! Sigh. So I thought, maybe if I had a small machine that would either send an electric pulse to my brain or simply electrocute me, then maybe I wont spend so many dollars buying unnecessary frills and save some money and have a fat bank balance.

Sigh.

On a separate note, Wednesday I am planning to join Kathak classes in the city, am so excited! Ok, now you may wonder why I learnt Salsa in Delhi and am learning Kathak in NYC. Hmmm. Tough. I think the answer is that the grass is always greener on the other side :)

On that note, I shall sign off, and this time without any promises of being regular, because whenever I do that, I find that I'm most irregular with my blogging! Btw, hope that everyone else who has disapeared on blogger also comes back now!! Haha, yes I can be very selfish :)

Mid year check?

Ok, I can see how my disappearance from blogger has become quite routine nowadays, but this time it was for a good cause... but before I launch into a description of what I've been upto, I thought I would do some mid-year stock-taking... remember my post from New year? Ok, here it is...

Since June is fast approaching, I thought I'd take stock of how many new year resolutions I've achieved, and how many I need to remind myself to complete! Since this is almost the first time I've made a list of things to do in the new year, I'm quite excited about seeing where I stand... so here goes:

I "pledged" to - learn a new language
I learnt 3 words in Spanish - usted, despacio and bien.. so now I can string together an entire "sentence" in Spanish - "Senor, usted drive despacio por favor, my sister pregnant, bumpy road no bien"

I "pledged" to - Get back to singing
I sang my heart out on my recent vacation... everyone avoided looking me straight in the eye after that! Hmmm.... not repeating this mistake again :)

I "pledged" to - Graduate from the bunny slope
Ummm.... I love bunnies?

I "pledged" to - Stop wearing shades of grey, black, brown and white
So now I'm wearing shades of green and blue most of the time... when I was packing recently, I realized all my office clothes were still black/brown/white, and all my "party" clothes were blue and green... hmmm.. I need some colour!!

I "pledged" to - Give more time to myself instead of my job, laptop and sleep
So now I'm spending more time on the phone!! Add reading to it. I have no tv, so nothing to substitute the laptop with! :(

I "pledged" to - Learn how to say no
Nope, definitely no progress in this area

I "pledged" to - Travel to a new country
And THIS I did!!!! I just came back from Peru yesterday! Was an awesome vacation, one which deserves a whole separate post, especially the jam... errr.. never mind,more later about that.. anyways this is my biggest accomplishment for the year! And the one thing on my list of to dos that I least expected to achieve! Clap clap!

I "pledged" to - Convey my love to my family
Still working on it

I "pledged" to - Stop crying in every emotional scene
I have now degenerated to crying while reading books as well! Sigh.


Btw, at the risk of sounding like an incurable romantic, here's the last song I sang and tortured everyone with:

Aankhen band kar loon, dekhoon bas tumhe
Khyabon mein hee keh sakta hoon apna tumhe
Rehne de mera yeh veham pe hee yakeen
Na jaa abhi
Pyar ke yeh raat hai, ab na jaa
Chhoti si ek baat hai, ab na jaa
Pal do pal ka saath hai, ab na jaa
Jaadu si yeh raat hai, ab na jaa...

This is one of the most romantic songs I know, thanks to Euphoria!! It's true, sometimes all you need is for someone to tell you "don't go"...

Dream a little dream for me...

She stood by the huge window overlooking the river... 12 floors below, men and women hurriedly stepped out of the ferry and weaved their way through the morning rush... in the distance, the symbol of freedom and liberty stood in the middle of the water, holding up her torch.. ferries and boats whizzing past, splashing a jet of water behind them, cut across the gently chopping surface of the river... on the streets below, yellow cabs honked impatiently at pedestrians who walked across the roads seemingly oblivious of the oncoming traffic... at the corner of the street, a long line of customers stood patiently waiting for their morning cup of coffee at Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts, waiting to get started with their day, make some money, cut some deals... high heels and high power mingled comfortably with each other... the station exit spewed a continuous stream of people who all seemed to have an aim, a mission for the day... the fast pace of the office goers cut through the crisp morning air, the sunshine making its way through the skyscrapers and reaching the walkers... the newspaper stands cleared and the trash bins filled up; heels met potholes and stayed afoot without falling; everyone walked close yet no one touched the other, this was skill of staying alert and focussed... hotdog stands and coffee vendors had been up since 5 and doing great business in the rush hour... a few men and women stood on the sides and puffed and blew smoke unconcernedly into the faces of people walking past, but no one cared... people stepped over manholes with lids "Made from India", walked over construction sites and got to their 50 storey office buildings, charged up and ready to go.

This was vibrancy, this was pace, this was New York City and this was where she wanted to be. This was her dream. She had been blessed because this is what she had achieved. She stood there, 12 floors above the hustle bustle, drew a deep breath of contentment, turned around and sat at her desk, charged up and ready to go.



Been away from blogger for too long, infact for the first time, I missed a whole month!! For those of you who thought I was dead, pls don't party. Have just moved jobs and cities, it's been a rollercoaster ride settling in... I have a lot of catching up to do, but I will definitely write regularly now... been itching to write for so long! I have many desi stories to tell!

P.S My previous post was very pertinent because I started my new job 2 days after that, and wanted to know if what motivated me also motivated others.. glad to know I'm not the only one out there!!

Playing catch up...

Playing catch up seems to be the story of my life right now! Be it at work (how do you get work done when you're in meetings the whole day?!) or personal stuff like paying my bills, talking to friends, shopping, and not to mention blogging! In the midst of catching up with life, I forget to notice the smaller things in life, such as how beautiful and the bright the moon is every night (last night was a lunar eclipse here, and I failed to realize that the moon is usually much brighter than the muddy brown colour it had taken on during the eclipse!!), how fresh a crisp winter morning can feel, how comforting a warm hug can be and how good a warm chocolate brownie sundae can taste!

In the meantime, 2 people tagged me - Unpredictable and Adarsh.. Don't know if I can complete both posts today, given that I'm dying to hit the bed, so I'll start with the relatively simpler one - one which relies on past "wisdom" and does not call on my brain to churn out something new at this uncreative time of the day!

Post 5 links to 5 of your previously written posts. The posts have to relate to the 5 keywords given (family, friends, yourself, your love, and anything you like). Tag 5 other friends to do the same. Try to tag atleast 2 new acquaintances (if not, your current blog buddies will do) so that you get to know them each a little bit better. Don't forget to read the linked posts and leave comments!

Family: I've mentioned many of my family members in different posts, but I think the one that is closest to my heart is the post I wrote for my brother on Rakhee in 2006.. ofcourse, he had a look at it and nodded his head and grunted - all signs of acknowledgement that he knows I love him so much!

Friends: I've never dedicated a post to any particular friend of mine, and maybe I should, but here's something I wrote about a friend of mine who has been there with me through thick and thin for the past 7 years, and we're so much part of each other's lives, I think we are like sisters... And my post to thank all my wonderful friends definitely counts too!

Myself: Aaah.. must have written a thousand posts about myself!! But here are my favourites - when I grow up, the older and nicer me, cosmopolitans, a little girl and what I'd like to do..

Your love: This one is easy! My crush/love/lust!

Anything I like: Mumbai story, weekend stories and the music story!

Now, to pass this on...
3 known people to tag: Zee, Chaitali, Cuckoo
2 new peope to tag: Equilibrium and IR

Early morning.. blues?!

I'm not an early riser by any means... 7:30 is early for me, on an average day... ofcourse on an average day I also have to make it to office in time so I wake up a whole 15 mins earlier... At my most active, I can wake up in the morning and do yoga/meditation (for half an hr, ok 15 mins), have a bath (there's a reason I'm specifying this - because I know many people who go to office without having a bath in the morning in winters, and I'm of the variety who can't step out of the house even for grocery without having one, summer or winter!), grab a toast and rush out.. At my laziest, I have a bath and rush out... Weekends are a whole different ballgame... 7:30 AM is like midnight, whether or not I was out the night before... and usually when I do wake up around 9:30 or so, it takes me ages to surface and come to normality... I mean, if I have to travel then it doesn't matter, but if I am at home, then it seems like a waste of time waking up early on a weekend!

Anyways, today I woke up at 7:30... on a Saturday! It was sacrilege! But I had to wake up "early" because my cousin was going to give her SAT and I wanted to wish her luck... I went back to bed after vaguely giving her a hug and saying something to the likeness of "Don't drink too much of that juice you're taking with you, you'll waste time going to the bathroom"!!! Tsk tsk, such sound advice from big sis.. she must really treasure me!

But I couldn't go back to sleep (which has never been a problem with me before), so for want of anything better to do, I started clearing up my room.. That done, I did my laundry, and one thing led to another and I found I was vacuuming (everyone else in the house was already awake - yeah, they're the type who wake up at 6 on weekends too.. hmmm), setting my cupboard straight, finishing a sudoku puzzle (that's my current timepass, I know I'm late to join the craze but what the hell!), AND making breakfast for everyone!! My aunt was literally staring at me the whole time, and I think she started giggling when I reached for the duster to clear the dust in the family room (there was a whole load of construction happening at home the past week, hence the dust)...

And I was done with all this by 9!

And now I have the rest of the day to do nothing! Hehehe... It feels good because on other weekends I'd also bum around, but I would know I need to finish my work and I'd start by around 11, which is LATE by the standards set in this house... It's important to note that I love cleaning, it's therapeutic for me! I've done it since I was a kid, it's actually my favourite thing to do on a Sunday morning! Only issue is that the timing is all wrong!!!

But today is great because I've been a good girl :) And I'm feeling so fresh and energetic having woken up to the early morning air, I think I'm going to go shopping! Guilt-free!There are so many more things I can pack into one day that I think this "wake up early" lecture I keep getting may actually have something to it!

So here's hoping I can wake up in good time every weekend and have more time to do stuff (read: nothing)!

The rest is still unwritten...

So it's that time of the year again when one has to take stock of what one has achieved in the year that has just flown by, and what one wants to do with the coming year... I was looking at my New Year post written on the same day last year, and am afraid of repeating myself! However, I shall conitnue for the sake of tradition...

Last year I thought I had everything figured out, I thought I knew what was going to happen almost on a month by month basis! And although I'm not usually clairvoyant (yes, sometimes I am, but that's another story), but a lot of it came pretty much true! Of course, there's always surprises, there's always hope and sometimes hopelessness, and that's what keeps up the spice in life...

But 2008 - I have no idea what it holds for me! I can't predict this year because there's no history... It's scary because of the uncertainty... it's like stepping into the dark in an unfamiliar house.. you're on your own, nothing to go by... so many possibilities and yet you don't know which one will work and which won't work... life seems like it's on an Improbability Drive, you don't know where you're going to land up finally!

And yet, I feel positive about it, or at least make myself believe that I do.. because you are what your thoughts are.

I feel inclined to do whatever I can to make the best of the times and not let years go passing by without a sense of fulfillment. And though I don't believe in New Year resolutions, I do believe that a fresh start at the beginning of the year can give you perspective (and here I've failed already, because the start of this year was anything but "fresh" for me!! Too much partying and then sleeping at 6 in the morning doesn't seem like such a good idea now)...

[I'm irritated though that my birthday and the new year come so close by.. this whole reminiscing and taking stock thing is too much pressure so close together in the year!]

And I do know that I want to do the following things for sure this year. And hopefully this published post will remind me of my own promises and kick me into action whenever I forget.

- Learn another new language, maybe Spanish this time, so that I can choose whichever option I want when calling customer service!
- Get back to singing (outside the bathroom)... oh yes, though none of you will fortunately be subjected to this torture, I plan to get back to singing... so many hours shall be spent re-discovering Sa Re Ga Ma Pa.
- Graduate from the bunny slope and be able to ski at the next level.
- Stop wearing shades of black, grey, white and brown most of the time (and for all you men out there, different shades of white DO exist!!)
- Give more time to myself instead of my job, laptop and sleep.
- Learn how to say no (because saying no to someone you don't like/isn't your friend doesn't count as much as saying no to someone you do like/is your friend)
- Travel to another new country.. ok now this is stretching it. But then maybe not.
- Somehow, just somehow be able to convey to my family how much I love them and am grateful for all they've done and sacrificed for me. And always be there for them the way they've been there for me.
- Stop crying in every emotional scene I see in a movie (recently I cried myself silly watching Taare Zameen Par - brilliant movie though!!)

Ok, I think I need to stop before I spill over to 2009!!

So, on this positive note, I'm ready to take on what 2008 holds for me, and hopefully find what I've been searching for!


Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten...
-- Natasha Bedingfield

Happy New Year!

Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year!!

:))

From Spring to Fall...

There’s a green, a faded yellow and a bright lemon. A deep maroon looks down upon me and a sudden bright red peeks out from the corner and surprises me. Sunlight falls on one and it lights up in a magnificent golden. There’s a mehndi orange, there’s a pumpkin orange and an orange the colour of mahogany furniture. They mingle easily with the tangerine yellow and the yellow the colour of corn… the rust gives way to the more assertive vermillion red, which overpowers the others… As I look out the window, there is a profusion of colours, each distinct yet existing in harmony… the number of shades on the leaves of all these trees is awe-inspiring! And even though the branches will soon be bare and look lonely, it seems as if they are enjoying the present in a celebration of colours and of life itself!

Fall is here. I moved here in Spring. I remember I wrote about spring, of hope, of blooming of life. It’s been 6 months since then. And with another milestone coming up in a week (those of you who know what it is, please treat this as a reminder that if nothing else, I want at least calls/emails!), I’ve been doing some self-analysis and have reached some conclusions… but that’s for later… What’s striking me the most right now is the mind’s ability to adapt to circumstances, situations, new places, new phases and new faces at rapid speed!

For example, I am amazed at how quickly my brain has adapted to driving on the right side of the road! In fact, the other day I was watching a Hindi movie and for a second I thought, ‘why is this guy driving on the “wrong” side of the road?’!

In 6 months, I’ve learnt to say “we” instead of “I” in office. For example, even if it was only me who worked on a document, I say “we drafted this”. This is the culture here, and I think it may be more of a CYA strategy rather than a display of teamwork, but in any case, in Rome, you got to do as the Romans!

Traveling at 85 km/h has become more the norm rather than the exception now! In fact, sometimes I have to speed up more to avoid slowing down someone behind me…

Standing in lines patiently, awaiting your turn is more pleasant now since I don’t have fat uncles or bullies who shove their way to the front of the line before me…

I’m drinking tea from a teabag, adding milk later! (God help me on this one! I’ve no idea when I got accustomed to this, but I miss the Indian chai like hell!)

I find it easier thinking in Fahrenheit than converting into Celsius and then figuring out how hot or cold it is or would be… (this may have something to do with my abominable math skills too!)

And in these 6 months, I’ve learnt that distance is a much bigger healer than time.

But, I still can’t adjust to this – how Americans have a name for every ailment that ever happened to anyone! They have a syndrome for every condition you ever thought of! The best yet is the ‘restless legs’ syndrome! And of course there’s ADD – Attention Deficit Disorder. And everyone is self-diagnosing it and shouting from the rooftop, I have ADD. I can’t concentrate on one thing for a long time. Hmmm. You need a spank, not a drug.

But I know I’ve become addicted to blogging more in these past 6 months than before as a means of expressing myself, sometimes as a means of self-discovery, sometimes for entertainment, sometimes to vent my feelings and sometimes to share my joy. And I know that you all have been with me through this ongoing journey, and I’m glad and grateful for that!

Because it’s been quite a journey, these 6 months. Quite like any other previously. It was different in Paris, different before Paris. But these 6 months have been a real mix of the good and the bad, intertwined so intricately that I can’t distinguish the good times from the bad! Which is just as well, because it means that it has all turned out good. Thank God for that.