Back Yet Again!

And I'm back to blogging! After a 2 year gap this time. What is it about blogging, writing that keeps pulling me back again & again? Well, whatever it is, I am happy to be back! And with so many changes to boot!

First & foremost is the addition of the biggest relationship title of my life ever, Mother! Yes I am now the proud mother of the delightfully loud & gorgeous little girl! Joining Sunshine & Bumblebee, the newest feature of this blog is my darling little one!

Wow has life changed. Questions of life & marriage & partnership now meander to questions of parenting, philosophy, the kind of child I want to raise and the right amount of push I want to give for her to achieve milestones organically! Isn't it funny how we live in a generation where we are already talking about milestones for a mere 8 month old. And yet thats the society we live in today. Comparisons run galore right from birth!
The challenge & mission in all of this is to respect the child as a whole human being, as someone who is capable of learning, understanding and emoting the full range of life that we as adults do.

To my sweet little one, I dedicate myself to, learning, growing, evolving as only mothers can do. Each time she places her tiny little hand on my bosom as we nurse, she unlocks another piece of my heart, warms yet another wall and fills me up with serenity the likes of which i always chased and never could manage to experience wholly.

I love you Sweetheart, Unconditionally, Irrevocably, Undeniably, Forever. :)

Life & Questions

How do you define space in a marriage? How do you define abilities in a marriage? If you are not good at a certain skill or couldn't care less re it, is it right for your partner who cares so much more about it to keep harping on it? To make judgements, to try to 'improve' the other? To constantly talk about it, as if life would be impossible without?

How do you define what is acceptable to 'nag' about and what isn't? 

*sigh* life is never without questions is it?

Growing up

My bumblebee is growing up...today he says, "I think we should sell my car in the next year or so...start looking into it! Gotta plan for kids na?" Awwww, yes my love - we gotta grow up...perhaps start with replacing your beloved sports car for a sensible option!

I love you babe! *hugz*

Welcome Back Sunshine :)

Its been forever!! And I can't believe how much has changed. Its so hard to even start to pen down all that has changed in my life since I last wrote here!

I got married. And moved to a new country. And left my job. And my friends. And my life. And my family. And my comfort zone. Just about everything. To move in with a person I barely knew, a person I liked on the surface but I had no idea what he was all about. No idea what it would be life to live day in day out with this person. My head spins every time I think about the extent to which I turned my life around. It was a 360 degree, mind turning, mind spinning change for sure. But before it starts sounding all depressing, its a good change. A great change. The kind of change you constantly talk about for years to come! And wasn't our entire courtship period like that? The other night, we spent a few hours going over every detail of our 6 month long courtship with a friend (asked him multiple times if he wasn't bored and surprisingly he wasn't!) It was pure destiny that brought us together, that brought me here to this land 5 years back, I never thought I would be in. A life that surprisingly took on the face of every faceless dream I'd had in the past.

But enough about that. Its been done. I have now moved on to my third career! (im taking bets as to how many i'll get to before i finally settle down! :P) We bot a place recently and I now have a new car - I am properly and definitely rooted in this new life. And now that we have a new dining table that I absolutely love sitting and working on, Im hoping that will spark more blogging! I've been wanting to get back since so long but always struggled with how to start and where to start with all that's happened. And i think for now i've decided to start with just where I am right now. And then go from there! I miss writing and I miss sending my nonsensical thoughts out there in the world! So there world, I'm back! :)

So I know I defined being rooted in this life earlier as the materialistic house, car and job keeping me here but more than anything else, its this man keeping me here. Bumblebee. Oh where do I even start writing about him. He is wonderful and annoying and loving and hurtful and passionate and sometimes too logical all rolled up into one perfectly flawed human being. But thats what makes this work, I think. Even this close to perfection as he gets, I have my bouts of extreme insecurity about our life together and my role in his world - imagine if he was perfect?! I would be a basket case! So yes his faults are what make him reachable in my head. I know thats a little messed up but hey, i got issues man! :P it surprises me sometimes, the insecurity coz i wonder where is it coming from. From the close to problem-free life i led? From the loving parents? From the wonderful friends? God knows, maybe some people are just born with an extra dose of it. Cross fingers i don't pass them on to my kids.

So yes, I'm here. I'm back. With all my nonsense from everyday life! And some funny happenings from my class! Yes I am now a pre-school teacher! I teach kids from 2.5 - 6 yrs old and ohmigod they do say the cutest things ever! So yes they may make an appearance here soon too!

Ciao! See you around World! (soon hopefully!)

Pre-Wedding Jitters!!

A week from today I will be at the eve of my wedding. My wedding. Wow. It seems so unreal. I think of Bumblebee & there is no doubt in my mind that he is the person I want to tie myself to for the rest of my life. I think of everything else & my step falters. Leaving home, being part of a new home, new rules, new expectations, a new country & def a new life. All this is scary. Part of me is excited & wants to stop worrying & over thinking! Part of me is terrified that I'm not thinking enough. That I should know how to be, how to act, what to say by now.

There should be classes on this. How to leave your own house & enter another's & make that your own. Really, I'm sure lessons on this would have helped me far more than stupid history & geography!

*sigh* God, give me strength. And hold my hand please? I need you right now...

And thus ends another year...

....and what a year its been!!! *phew*

K's wish for me at the beginning of this year was that 2011 brings me happiness, clarity & peace and suffice to say true to her words, by the end of 2011; I've found all three! I had one of the best NYE's in a long long time and I'm hoping that its a sign of the super awesome year that 2012 is gonna be! :D

Its been a whirlwind 2011! My resolutions last year mostly revolved around finding myself & figuring out what direction my life was taking. Its been a year of ups & downs. The year began with me very conflicted. A fight with the parents at the beginning of the year is really not the way you want to start your new year!! That was definitely super sucky. That & other things just did not bode a very well beginning. I'm very superstitious about beginnings and a conflicted new year's just makes me wary!

Offsetting all the unpleasantness was the best friend's marriage announcement! Its funny how life moves at such a fast pace sometimes..!! Her wedding pre-planning and all the looong conversations around this brought a different perspective to my life. All the stuff that I had agreed to for my parents sake last year started making practical sense as I heard her go through the same thought process. The reasons for, the reasons against, the pros, the cons, the good, the bad & the ugly...we dissected all of it in a span of a few months. And I think grew up in that process...or at least I did! (K seems to have been born mature! :P) I was now jumping off the cliff willingly, because I wanted to; and not because someone else thought it was the right thing to do or the right time to take the plunge. And that made all the difference in the world.

Enter Bumblebee and life has certainly been a roller coaster. From having no clue to what I wanted in the beginning of this year or even what direction I should be steering my life in; to being engaged to the best possible person I could have ever found for myself - life's done a complete backflip on me. And I couldn't be happier. The rightness of this decision, the positivity & happiness around everything scares me sometimes. I haven't felt this free-falling in love with my heart wide open in a long long time and this time there is no back door & no parachute to save me. Will I fall gracefully, enjoying every moment of my ride or will I have a nasty fall complete with bumps & bruises - only time will tell. For now i'm just enjoying the exhilarating feel of the open wind in my hair & his love in my heart! :)

2011, you've been a life changer of a year. 2012, I sense you will bring with it many more challenges for me as I get adjusted to this whole new landscape that I'm entering in. A new family, in-laws, so many more relationships to hold, so much room for mistake, so much love that ive gotten. I wonder if every new beginning has its share of good & not-so-good? I wonder if the not-so-good is thrown in, so you don't have any unreasonable expectations from the rest of the chapter. I'm treading carefully but steadily into a new life. God, be with me and give me the strength to not make mistakes. To be strong & to be smart. To know what the right path is always; and to never forget myself. To be loved and to give lots of love. Mostly, to be happy.

Resolutions for 2012:

- Travel, travel & travel. I never get tired of putting this on my resolution list! There i so much more in the world to see! Sweetheart, I hope you're reading this! :P

- Try something new. I've done Life Sciences & Banking - maybe its time to try something else? I'd love to just learn something new. The some bit of cooking that I did over the past month has been quite fun and I'd love to try my hand at something else creative - even though I'm pretty sure I have no creative bone in my body!

- Stay myself. Love people. Forgive people. Look for the best in them. Stop finding motives. Stop suspecting. You never did that in the past - why start now? (Try not to be too naive tho as mom would pitch in here!)

- Don't underestimate yourself. You're capable of a lot more than you think you are. Try and push the edges. Step out of your comfort zone. You made one huge change and got to where you are today. 2012 is going to be full of changes - embrace them. Learn from them!

Hello 2012, I hope you treat me well. :)

The Kind Of Love That Saves You

I started to re-read this book. It's been one of my favorites ever since I got hold of it agess back. It's the story of this woman who loses her husband while she is pregnant and how she fights the grief of losing him to learn to live again for her daughter. It's a beautiful book, written amazingly well.

I started reading the prologue;

Every persons journey is touched by loss. At some point in this life, someone will be taken away from you. The place where they were....empty. What you hoped might be....gone. Grief will reach in and wrap its roots tightly around your heart. You'll believe the pain will end you.

And I couldn't go on. Maybe now that I have someone to potentially lose, I can't read on. A shiver runs through my spine just imagining what it would be like to lose so much. I can't even imagine. It's beyond my capacity to think.

I love you bumblebee. Stay safe. I wonder if my life could possibly go on without you? And then I just pray I never ever have to find out.

Me, You & Wifi*...

...the modern love story!

So apparently what is absolutely essential to complete a love story in this generation is wifi! Lol! Technology has been super frustrating since I got to jkt. Given the clear reception that Sg phone services have; I'm superbly frustrated by the crappy reception in Indo. And for some reason this reception is only crappy with US! Talk about annoyingggg!!! We circumvented the phone line & realized that skype was working far better in terms of quality of conversation! And then what happens? My wifi starts acting up! Since last weekend, my wifi has been all wonky! Randomly connecting & disconnecting as it deems fit! I swear I miss the technology of a developed country! How am I supposed to have rambling conversations now? *sigh*

*courtesy Bumblebee :))

Day 3: Poha, Chole & Tomato Soup!

I actually woke up early to go for aerobics today! Today was a super fun day actually! Aerobics in the morning - we did Body Language today which is supposed to be toning & stretching exercises mostly. Muscles I did not know existed in my abdomen are paining right now!! *sigh* I really need to get back in shape...hopefully a month is enough for that!

Anyways, I guess there is some basis to the thought that exercise gives you an adrenaline rush coz I actually had a pretty active day! Came back from aerobics and cooked breakfast & lunch! Made poha for breakfast which is one my all time favourite garam nashta items! :) and made kala chole for lunch which go perfectly with bhatura but i ended up making rotis in an effort to be health conscious!

Pics below - !

After that spent my whole afternoon on the phone with Bumblebee! I love the fact that we can chit chat for hours about anything & everything ranging from serious discussions on marriage, life, etc all the way to random chit chat & observations about life. We do think alike in a lot of ways on life in general and i love that! :))

In the evening I went for a looong walk with mom; her giving me marriage gyaan! lol! Its gonna take a while before this whole mom giving me advise on how to deal with a guy in my life sinks in! Its pretty amazing how life changes so fast! Was also walking with dad after dinner (for which btw i made a very healthy tomato soup! am i not super awesome? ;)) Its always refreshing to talk to dad; esp when my mom frustrates me a little with her inability to look at life from my point of view. Dad always has an interesting take on things. And even though it may not be what I wanted him to think/ say, it always gives me something more to think about. And i absolutely love these alone chats with my dad coz he is one person that i dont have to think whether it will hurt him before i say anything (like i often have to with mom!) He just accepts, tries to rationalize it and if not understand completely, will def attempt to understand where im coming from! :))

So yea, happening friday it was! So very different from my Friday just 2 weeks back! How life changes....and so many more changes yet to come!!!

Weeks, Days, Hours, Minutes...

...I countdown every moment
Har pal jo tumse door rehti hoon
Its as long as a millenium
I count down the days
To the moment that I'm in your arms again!

Mornings I look forward to now
Knowing it always brings a msg from you,
"Good morning sweetheart"
Is there any doubt, that a morning
that begins with your love would be anything but?

My afternoon rushes past;
in countless messages & random conversations
My evenings seem longer
As I wait for the sun to rise in
Your part of the World!

The days that should be short with
the amount of work I have
Are only lengthened by the number of
Hours I spend not talking to you

I miss you jaan...

To Us!

You just know when u meet the right person; that he's the one for you.

When people used to say that to me, it would just piss me off. I would know; seriously?! Like would there be a bell that rang or a song that played or a whisper from God saying he's the one?! I just never could get it. And each time I liked someone, I waited for a sign from the universe; telling me that this was meant to be. Don't get me wrong, its not that I don't believe in destiny; let's just say that at times I didn't have very much faith in mine. And even tho I wasn't always waiting for the right person to walk past, I forever thought it would be nice to have someone sweep me off my feet na?

Today, I'm with someone and u know what; all those bloody idiots were right - sometimes u do just know! And no it wasn't a bell or a song or even a whisper. In fact it wasn't even in the first meeting. We met in an ordinary circumstance on a normal day. Between parents & other family. We had been talking for some time and I thought I was fairly comfortable with him. The first meeting was good but awkward. I was trying not to say much (courtesy loads of advice from family to not be super chatty as guys apparently don't like such girls! *eyes rolling*) and he was just trying to figure me out! The first thing that struck me about what he said, was that he was looking for a partner in his life. And he couldn't find that person in a week. (sthin that's fairly atypical of most guys in the arranged marriage scenario) We spoke some more & even if he had no clue what he wanted by then; I knew I liked him. :) I had no clue whether it would even go anywhere further...and for once I didn't think beyond.

We met a few more times after and talked for a few more weeks. About everything & anything. I didn't even realize I was falling for him until that moment in a crowded club that I looked up into his eyes and then, I actually just knew. I knew that I wanted to be with this person who made me laugh; who made me comfortable enough to be myself around him; who teased me mercilessly about everything & anything; who listened; who loved life & had a passion for living; who was fun & easy to be with; who made my life that much brighter every day. I really just knew.

Whether it's the jolt of love at first sight; a sudden realization of a best friend that u actually love or like us; the slow creeping of love between two people; I can honestly say, that sometimes u just know when the person is right for you. :)

This is to u my sweetheart; and the many years of togetherness we have signed up for. :) *hugz*