Things that made 2016 unforgettable

The year is about to come to an end. The time for a review is upon us. This post, more than the others, is for me. One day when I am old and wrinkled, or maybe later in 2017, I will read this and all the other annual posts and smile, laugh and cry, not in this order necessarily.

Unfortunately, for most parts I have to nod in agreement at the hundreds of memes flooding Facebook and Twitter that claim that 2016 has been one of the worst years. Office was eventful to put it mildly. As the HR and senior management tried to make up their minds, I was put in three different teams and under five different bosses in a span of six months.

January and February were cosy and comfortable at home. Meanwhile, there was a whirlwind at work.

In March we travelled to Mangalore to be with V’s parents. We went to my in-law’s farmhouse for the first time. V showed me around with so many childhood stories delivered at various stops. I drank nearly half of the coconut farm's produce. It was blissful. The barbecue managed by my BIL, cooking by my SIL, the pool shenanigans of our two-year-old nephew, my brother’s singing, my MIL’s anecdotes and FIL’s jokes and our laughter under the star-lit sky made the trip everything I had imagined it would be and then some more.

April went by with office playing more than required on my mind. But I did wear lots of sarees as a part of the 100 saree pact. I also painted penguins and ladybirds of some stones to decorate my balcony.

May started with a happy buzz surrounding me. The happy days didn’t last long. We suffered the biggest loss of our lives. I had a miscarriage a day after the pregnancy test came positive.

I was on bed rest for the better part of June. I lost a baby and in the aftermath lost a few erstwhile close friends as well. Friends, who I believed would be a part of my life forever, decided to keep their distance even at a time when I was drowning in the black pit of sadness.

July was about surviving. I am a child of a survivor. I have seen my mother survive hardships, one after the other. So, I decided to be inspired by her. No. I did not pick up knitting needles. I rekindled my love for photography. I started baking. I bake some kickass cupcakes with buttercream icing and meringues now. And I started posting shameless crowd sourcing pleas on Facebook for a KitchenAid tilt stand mixer.

The trip to Tirupati was the highlight of August. Had a great time with family. The food in Tirupati is to die for. We then went to Bangalore. Food was not as good but the weather was awesome. We visited the zoo. Seeing animals with Amay was loads of fun. He said hi to the bear in the sweetest voice. I learned that even if the guide says don’t make noise, a two-year-old will say ‘ROAR’ when he sees a real lion for the first time.

By September, following several visits to the doctor, constant hand holding by V and continuous support from elders of both sides of the families, I started feeling more like myself. I started eating better and exercising again.

October was exciting. V’s parents visited us in Delhi. This time they stayed for a little more than a month. V and I took them for a road trip to Kasauli. It was one adventurous drive. So much fun though. We bought 14 kg apples while returning. V drove like a champion. I cooked a lot and pampered them to my heart’s content. And I was pampered as well. Had a fantastic time celebrating Diwali with them.

Mid-November saw me returning to the HumSoc department. Like I told LB, it seemed like I was returning to my parent’s house after getting used to hostel life. Getting back to work and the grove of the department was not difficult at all. However, I am wiser to the changes in me and around me now.

Just as November was ending, office became interesting as ICSE decided to introduce a new syllabus. I loved being immersed in work. Bone-tired I managed to work on a book and handed it over for production in around 13 days. Proud to say, I did not have to sit late or work over the weekends. And I am more than happy with the way the book looks in its final avatar.

Just at the onset of the ICSE madness, V and I went to Bharatpur for our anniversary. Returning to the same road after nearly five years of the accident and coming out unscratched was a win. Sighted lots of birds and my favourite owls. At one point, V and I were atop a machaan, it seemed that it was just us two in the entire world, surrounded by hundreds of birds. Magical.

We got V’s drums home. His joy was priceless. And I am so glad that I played a role in making it happen for him. He plays for hours over the weekend while I bake or read or paint or cook. Our house is a happy home.

Prasha called from the states to wish us and told me that she bought a KitchenAid for me and that Mami was going to bring it to India on her return. Man, the Secret works! The fact that my baby sister bought the best machine in the world for me made it even more special. My cupcakes, my cakes, my meringues and the buttercream icing have started tasting so much better now! Yay!

December brought with it K from the US. She stayed at our place for one night. It was so much fun. K and V met for the first time but it just didn’t feel like it. I was happy to be surrounded by so much love. Mami bought the KitchenAid. My excitement knew no bounds. I was jumping with excitement. So happy with the gift. And can safely say I receive the best gifts. And the cherry on my cake of happiness was the fact that V got a big Christmas tree and a lot of ornaments for me to decorate.  

Just as 2016 draws its last breaths, G and her family have reached Delhi (from Calgary via Amritsar). I will be meeting them on the third day of the New Year. My joy knows no bounds. I will be meeting her kids for the first time!

The last day of the year is also marking a first of sorts. V and I are hosting our friends for a New Year party. This is the first time ever that I will have friends over. The only other time I celebrated with friends was in Pune in 2011. Otherwise New Year’s eve has always meant plonking in front of the TV or writing my annual posts, once from Goa, with my friends fast asleep on the bed next to me. I have cooked for the better part of the day. My house is my point of pride and it is ready to welcome friends with its warmth.

I hope 2017 continues to bring joy our and your way. May we end the negativities in our lives one-way or the other and move on. May we begin on newer paths of happiness and contentment. May we continue to bask in the warmth and glow of love and loved one.

Happy New Year!

And on Sunday, she rested

The last five days of running around in the sun and having fun have taken a toll on me. As is a holiday ritual with me, I was badly sunburnt. So today, I decided to celebrate Sunday in a haze of Avil induced sleep. Since you have vicariously enjoyed my holiday, I think it is only fair that you get a dose of details of my sunburnt, itchy skin! I am kind and generous like that.

So my arms are burnt. They are red and itchy. Fortunately, the burn on the face is limited to my lips (which are scaling a little). Thanks to a tablet of Avil, lots and lots of lotion, and a blast from the air conditioner I have managed to keep it in control. Since I had covered all the spots of Hampi in the last two days, I decided to stay in the hotel the whole day. I had a heavy breakfast. Came back to my room and went to sleep. SKT called and it was a pleasure talking to her. I love the excitement I hear in her voice when she talks about my travelling alone. I went back to sleep with a big smile on my face.

After a good four-hour nap (yes, I’ll call it a nap), I got up and did a mental revision of the days gone by. For those who know me, I do these revisions often. Since I don’t plan to cry on 31 December this year as I’ll be with friends, I decided to do the recap of the year a couple of days early.

The year has been good. Mom’s chemo cycles of the year weren’t too bad. She once again fought like a hero and came out of it with a big smile and a fresh mop of hair. She became more active on Twitter. Made new friends and planted loads of pots. Thinking about both of these achievements of hers make me happy.

I look back and think about friends. Friends who stood behind me like rocks (it’s only fair that I call them rocks since I am blogging from Hampi) ensured that this year was enjoyable. Parle, Sangy, SKT, Anky, Titu, Loofah, Jaspinder, and Sweater, ensured that I smiled and laughed even when things were on the edge of going terribly wrong. Now that look back on the year, I travelled a lot. I went to Pachmarhi with friends, to Dalhousie and Khajjiar on an office trip, to Udaipur with mom, to Bhopal with mom to meet family, and now to Goa and Hampi. From where I stand, it is very difficult for me to remember what went wrong this year. Thank god! I think this year was awesome.

If all the travelling was not enough, I also pushed myself to get out of my comfort zone and learn a new language. I plan to continue learning Spanish in the months to come.

I paid all the E.M.Is for my car. I also spent a lot of money on gadgets. I bought myself an iPod, a MacBook Air and a phone. And as Loofah will remind me again with a well-deserved smirk, I was supposed to be on an austerity drive this year. Well that is one resolution I don’t mind postponing to the next year.

The biggest achievement for this year is that I have not cried even once in the last 7 days. I think that is a record of sorts. Hopefully, I will cry even lesser in 2014.

This evening, I will be taking an overnight bus to Goa. Will return to blogging about the travels and adventures tomorrow.

Have a great time!

2011: Challenge Accepted!

This story began in December 2006. I had been doing a revision of the year gone by and decided that 2006 was the year to beat as far as being a landmark year of my life was concerned. I believe that 2011 was sitting in a corner, looking dapper in a grey suit with a maroon tie, and said in a Barney Stinson voice, “Challenge accepted”.

I’m scared of calling this the year the one to beat and hope there is not one more year that decides to take up the challenge. Although, I do wish that there is a year sitting in the calendar room, looking down at me and thinking, “Ah! The poor girl has gone through enough to last a lifetime. I’ll reward her when my time comes.”

One year ago, if you came to me and told me that in a year’s time I would have a permanent tattoo on my back and would have pierced my nose and also given up on the idea of a nose pin, I wouldn’t have believed you. Chances are high, I would have just about waited for you to turn your back before rolling my eyes and mouthing the word, ‘idiot!’ Someone would have to be an absolute idiot to suggest that I would be brave enough to go through both of these extremely painful processes. But if you think that 2011 was painful because of the tattoo and the piercing, boy you are wrong.

The year started on a grim note. None of the five odd doctors we had visited could understand why mom was losing weight. Finally, in the last week of February, after a tormenting visit to the Ram Manohar Lohia hospital and a series of tests over a period of four days, we found out that she had ovarian cancer stage three. Rushed decisions were made and mom and I went to Jaipur where mama and mami opened their hearts and house to take care of mom. It was decided that I would shuttle between Delhi and Jaipur. I’ve already written about this at length so will not repeat myself. In short cancer shook me up in a way I never want to be shaken again. Ever.

On the positive, my life values went on to be defined in a better manner. Suddenly, I started seeing only good in all the people around me. There was a duration of around 3 odd months when I was almost defending other people’s bad choices as well. Trust me, this is not the best way to be. In time, this year also taught me what having a balanced approach to life and people means. Hopefully, I’m now wiser to the ways of life and can see people for what they really are.

One of my best friends shared the awesome news of her pregnancy and I realised I miss her now more than ever. I wish I could be near her and see her evolve in this role. Fortunately, technology ensures that we exchange all the important details of our lives from time to time. Of course given a choice things would be different and I would be with her to share her journey of becoming a mom but choice is not affordable at the moment.

Things improved as the year progressed. I got a promotion at work and outside of office some things fell into place in such a manner that I can now call myself a published author/contributor. One of my stories was published in the Chicken Soup for the Indian Soul: On Friendship. Receiving the first copy of the book was a moment I’ll treasure for the rest of my life. It was what Oprah calls a ‘full-life circle moments’. My mother and I relied heavily on the Chicken Soup for the Soul series after my father’s death. A decade and some years later, it was nice to know that my story might bring a smile on someone’s face in their moment of need.

Another important event was the crossover from being a Blackberry Boy to an Android Girl. Totally in love with my new Korean companion, I love discovering new things about it daily. The world of apps has engaged me almost as much as SRK and his smile have for so many years.

An employee of MidDay was kind enough to blatantly use a photograph I had clicked and posted on my blog, Delhi Photo Diary, and call it a file photo. Obviously, I was mad and after an online toing and froing of mails and tweets, the editor-in-chief was gracious enough to accept the mistake and compensated me a sum of 5K. That was a pleasant and welcome windfall.

Like I mentioned earlier, I got a beautiful tattoo of a daffodil on my back to stamp my narcissism. I also decided to pierce my nose. Impatience is my middle name when it comes to vanity and soon I wanted to wear a better design. Apparently, none of the holy texts grant rewards to the impatient. And one day the nose pin fell off while I was sleeping and I was not brave enough to put it back in. So now the hole is there but the jewel is missing. But now that I have realized that my threshold for pain is high I might go for it again in 2012.

The travel bug bit me as the year neared the end and I decided to force Parul into coming with me to Bharatpur for a weekend. I decided to drive myself. We had a wonderful time. Birds posed for my camera and the hotel we stayed in was beautiful. As soon as I was happy with the way life was settling back to normal, a drunk truck driver changed his lane and hit my car on the highway while we were returning. Fortunately, Parul, other people on the road and I were not hurt. But my car was really badly damaged. We also had the good fortune of being helped by really good and helpful police officers. Both of us reached with gratitude in our hearts for our saved lives. The bonus was a good set of photographs in my camera.

The year thank god did not end at that note. Better things were waiting in the side wings. Mom got a promotion just two days before the year ended. It was a much awaited good news. Good things come to people who wait it seems. So this will also be one of the mantras to survive 2012.

I’m about to lift my bags and leave for a holiday. And I plan to be in a mood where I revise the year gone by while the train chugs across the states of India. I already know that by the end of the journey, though I have had high jumps and then fallen really low, I’ll get up brush the dust off my ass, give my brightest smile and say, “Dear 2012! Bring it on baby!”

The Year That Was (2010)

The year 2010 was the year where most of my prayers were answered. I love to travel and this year, to my heart’s content travel I did. I love meeting new people and I am happy to say that the people, who have come into my life this year, by design or pure destiny, are some of the bests I have ever met. I made two appearances in the magazine sections of national dailies. I read books, explored Delhi, attended music concerts etc. A more detailed account of my life of the year gone-by follows.

January: Started on a high note. My school time best friend, Garima, gave birth to a baby boy. I took a one month break from my office and joined a new place to see how the work would be. The experiment showed me that the company was not the best place for me to grow in my career so I went back to my old job. The good part about the month was I met some really nice people at EFY, like, Nitin, Manish, Elsa, Sindhiya and Varoon.

February: Mom and I went to Gwalior for a day. My mom found some of her school friends on Facebook. And the whole month was spent just planning her re-union in Jodhpur in March. I joined a group of shutterbugs, Clickcraft, and went for my first photowalk with them to Red Fort.

March: I went to clean the River Yamuna with several other volunteers. I had a test and interview at Oxford University Press. I got the job. Before joining the new office, I went to Jodhpur with my mother to attend her school re-union. We met a lot of my mom’s batch mates, their spouses and their children. I was happy to make a lot of new friends there. A pleasant surprise awaited me. It turns out that one of my friends Harpreet’s (Phodu) father was my mother’s classmate. World is indeed a small place :-) After coming back from the enjoyable weekend trip to Jodhpur, I joined Oxford University Press as an associate editor on the last day of the month.

April: The better part of the month was spent getting familiar with the new work place and people. The evenings gave me enough time to explore Delhi and utilized the opportunity to see the places I had not seen before. My first interview in a newspaper—The Sunday Guardian was published. On the last week of the month, I went to Khajuraho for the editorial workshop conducted by our company. Some of the colleagues had planned an extended holiday to Panna and I joined the troop to have some more fun.

May: More photowalks happened and I met more new people. I also learned a bit more about photography and people’s skill. I had friends over for dinner on a couple of occasions. Realised I do enjoy cooking a lot.

June: My birthday month :-) Posted the 100th post on this blog. Never thought I would be able to. Bought my first Tiffany pendants. Attended the Weirdass Ham-Ateur Night. Life changing experience as I laughed my gut out and enjoyed the company of complete strangers. Spent a lot of time thinking about what I wanted to learn most. Decided it was photography.

July: Joined photography classes. Work was at its peak and I was happy submitting my first set of books as an editor to be published.

August: Published by 500th post on Delhi Photo Diary. More photowalks happened and my circle of friends increased further.

September: Photography classes were mostly theory till September. The highlight of the month was Ganpati Pooja at my place. Friends and family came over and the sabudana vadas I made were a hit :-) Went to the Rail Museum and went shutter-crazy. Finished my first roll of black and white film. Life changing experience: One of my stories was selected to be published in the Chicken Soup for the Indian Friend’s Soul. The book is slated to publish soon.

October: The month was full of festivities. Commonwealth Games were a hit despite all the muck that preceded it. Attended the first hockey match of my life. It was incredible fun. Drove on the highway for the first time. Went to Jaipur and back. Mom, Akshat and Ross accompanied. Highlight: Akshat was proud of my driving skill :-) It was the second time in the year that my interview was published in a national daily. My photograph also occupied space on the paper when Sukalp Sharma from the Financial Express interviewed me about photography.

November: Developed my first prints in the dark room. Thanks to Aditi, my picture was put on the Statesman House building for all of Delhi to see for 15 seconds. I am not sure if anyone saw it on the building or not. But my mom was sure happy to see me smiling on the huge Connaught Place landmark :-)

December: The last month of the year was filled with drama. To my great surprise I attended and enjoyed Anish Kapoor’s exhibition at the National Gallery of Modern Art and the South Asian Bands Festival at the Purana Qila. Plans to go to McLeod Ganj with friends for a weekend had almost failed just 2 days before we were to leave. But I did manage to rescue the plan and instead went with another set of friends. The vacation was everything I wanted it to be and more. My faith in the saying, “everything happens for the best”, was restored and strengthened.

2008 Rocked and how...

It is time for the report of the year that ended a couple of days back. I must confess that the year 2008 turned out to be a landmark of sorts and it turned out to be far better than I had thought it would. I have already mentioned the happenings till June, the half year mark, as well as my birth month. June turned out to be fun. My encounter with good fortune continued and John Calderone form Outlook Delhi City Limits came to the blog… yes this very blog, and asked me to pen something for the magazine. It was kind of a full-circle moment for me… as after my college, when I was searching for a job, the magazine was one of the several places that I had approached. I was then told that I did not have enough experience to write for the magazine of that repute (what they were expecting of a fresher…I still fail to understand). I was overjoyed by John’s request for a capital letter and managed to write two for the magazine over the period of last six months… one in July and the other in September.
I went to Indore for my cousin Luv’s wedding in July. It was a great experience and I had loads of fun meeting so many of my relatives for the first time ever.
July 30 is a very special day for me as it is my mom’s birthday. It became even more special as I booked my first ever car on this very day. My black Spark arrived on August 17. I mastered the technique of driving and got my driving license in September. I was especially proud of myself for achieving this feat, i.e., getting the car and learning to drive on my own vehicle.
Parul and met loads of time throughout the year and it was always stupendous fun. Missed Gurneet a lot, but guess everyone has a role to play in one’s life. For now I am content to have friends to share loads of inane jokes, matters of heart that trouble me and to share the day to day stuff. Some others I must mention include Amitabh, who is a repository of books --- he has as a part of conversation helped me make a list of books that I want to read for the next 5 years,Yamini, who not only made yummy mouth-watering food but also bullied me and took care of me like an elder sister would, Mili, who is a very sweet and genuine person, Anjana, who is my age group and is someone I love to irritate. She deserves a medal for bearing me throughout the day, 5 days a week. Charu, one of the first people in NLI who helped get into the comfort zone and is today a good friend.
September saw me driving to Noida for the first time. I know for many this might seem a trivial thing but for me… it was an achievement as I drove back at the unearthly hour of 11 30pm for the first time in my life.
As you would have noticed most of my stories of the last six months revolve around my driving escapades. And so November was no different. The highlight of the month was an office party, my first official party. I dressed up and went all the way to the extreme south of the city for a party that had everything – ear blasting noise, drunk people, loads of fancy food, a dance floor (the main attraction for me n my friends) and the formalities that are an all essential part of an office set-up. Don’t let my cynical tone confuse you to think that I did not enjoy the night. I had a blast especially in noticing the change a nocturnal adventure can have bring about in normal colleagues. Not that I am complaining. It was fun, but in all probability I am done with office parties for some time at least.
Work during the months of October, November and part of December was too much and therefore killing. But then again something that doesn’t kill you makes you stronger and believing in this saying I’d like to claim that I am proud of myself for weathering the rough tide. 
December turned out to be quite eventful. I received my first award from Patty, or like she likes to call herself, Old Lady Lincoln for my Delhi Photo Diary. December 25 was an off, for everyone at office, which is a rarity when the firm in question deals with news. Everyone at office was super-excited and nice as all of us are, we decided that one off that all of us are getting, we should ensure that we spend with each other. We went for a one- day long visit to Agra, to see the Taj Mahal. I must confess that the trip would surely count amongst the best trips of my life. Our house in Gurgaon was finally allotted and we went to see the flat that would be home very soon.
2008 rocked!

The month of December had several highs. But it had lows as well. It was on December 7, 1998 that my father passed away and this year was his tenth death anniversary. Often I like to tell myself that now after so many years I have overcome that flood of emotions. However, a small incident, without any prior warning, triggers the deluge of tears. Its just by looking at my mother, who has been an inspiration of fighting back and getting back to life after every blow it dealt that I manage to live again and laugh again.


I hope 2009 turns out better than 2008 for me and for all my blogger friends as well.!!!