I'm up for it!

Life’s been busy. I landed in Bahrain on 12^th at 12: 30 p.m. I was up since 1:30 a.m., had an 8 hour journey with a stopover, but that didn’t deter me to head straight to my friend's house to catch up. She made me lunch and packed my dinner... ah, I’m glad to say missing home is extremely tough when you have such awesome people around!

Boy’s family will be here tomorrow and we have a hectic schedule for the next 12 days. Between packing and unpacking, I decorated the room for the 7-year old who will be visiting us for the first time. I am as excited as he is because this will be his first journey outside India. I want it to be really, really special for him. It will be the first time that a child will be in our home sweet home as well. I cannot wait, to say the least.

Blogging will definitely take a back seat when we will be exploring the Kingdom with ‘tourists’. Since I have been so irregular in the last 2 months, I thought to take up this challenge. I want to write and write lots. 26 posts in April – that should be fun. Hopefully this will kick-start the much awaited writing regularly habit. I am already jotting down ideas for A to Z!

This year I have just won one contest. Somehow the recent topics have not inspired me enough to participate. While I await results of two for which I did write, I was glad to see my name mentioned here. And it’s been more than 3 months, but as they say better late than never, I want to thank Roshan for mentioning my name in his interview. It made my day, no, week! And while searching for something, I landed on a story that I wrote eons back. That was my first prize ever. All this just reminds me that I need to write more and so I’m hoping the challenge to be a motivating force.

We will also be playing a quick Holi tomorrow before we head to the airport to pick up our guests. For people like us who live in a faraway land, Holi falls on a weekend before or after the actual date. Even though we are short on time tomorrow, I can’t miss these festivities. After all, this is the stuff life is made of – short and sweet memories.It is so funny when firangs see us all dirty. Last time a Britisher was with us in the elevator. He looked at us and asked in disbelief, “What happened????” We then explained it to him and he just smiled with awe. It is also a lot of fun to drive back home and get second/third looks from total strangers. Holi definitely rocks!

See you in a bit, people. Take a look at this website and think about participating in the challenge. And if not, pass on your ideas to me; I need lots of prompts!

Oh, and it's 4 p.m. and I am kind of postponing my shower for tomorrow. Who needs a wipe today when tomorrow I’ll need to scrub for an hour! Okayyy... I hear you; it's time to bathe :)

Run(a)way - When flying can be a horrifying experience

For me, flying from one destination to another is the worst part about travelling. So far I must have taken more than a 100 flights and have always hated it. I love road trips, but flying is something that bores me, and, well, scares me.

I remember the first time I sat in a plane. I must be 8 or 10 then. All I remember from that trip was that I cried a lot because of the awful air pressure in my ears. A few years later when I was 18 I travelled alone to Delhi. That flight was fun because I felt so independent and oh, an awfully cute looking man sat next to me!

But that was it. After that I have never looked forward to those long hours in a plane. Even when we were upgraded to business class a few times. Even when the view was mystifying. Even though the destination was dreamy... flying has always irritated me because one, no matter how many TV series/movies you have on your smart phone, the journey always seems endless. Two, I am one of those who gets severe ear pain. Now you may think that I am a spoilt girl who gets to travel so much but loves to crib about it. But believe you me, a pain that stays for almost a couple of days is worth cribbing about. And three, I’m scared awful things will happen once I put on that seat belt.

Like the things that are being speculated about the Malaysian Airline Flight 370. Air plane crash, being lost mid air, buried somewhere in the deep blue ocean, caught by terrorists, hijacked, attacked by aliens... ah, the whole thing makes me shudder. We have developed incredible technology over the years to locate anyone, anywhere. It is sad that we are helpless now. The theories that are being raised send a chill. Is it a human error, a massive technological failure or a political drama? Whatever it is, I can’t even begin to imagine the trauma felt by those 239 souls. More than that, I can’t imagine the pain their families are feeling right now. 

Travelling might be a favourite hobby of so many, but flying sure is seeing its deepest low at the moment. Let’s hope the plane is safe somewhere and nobody is hurt...

Home Sweet Home - Phase 2

*Maa ke haath ka khaana

*Walking in the lawn (which I terribly miss here)

*Sharing stories with a cousin who came to meet especially from Mumbai

*Being inseparable from her for 48 hours!

*Playing ball with the kids at home

*Coloring with crayons and laughing like crazy

*Reading stories to my niece

*Copying the nephew who has just started forming full sentences

*Meeting two new born nieces for the first time (why are we all growing up so fast!)

*Not being able to talk with the Boy on phone because of lack of time!

*In between all the chaos, convincing people to contribute for this.

*Going to local dhabas/tea stalls

*Shopping!

*Not touching the laptop for so many days

*Rescheduling the stay to attend a close relative's destination engagement!!

*Making a creative newspaper for the boy and girl and being applauded for the effort (wish I could show you pictures; it was superb!)

*Singing songs at the engagement and becoming really, really famous!

*Attending practice sessions for the engagement party

*Visiting Agra for the same

*Seeing the Taj Mahal for the first time

*Making mommy pose for several pictures

*Sleeping with headphones on because the parents snore so much!!

*Rushed packing, tiring journeys, sore muscles... aahh... the side effects of having too much fun!

*Leaving for the 'international' airport just two hours before the flight and still have more than an hour to spare at the airport... belonging to a small city can be extremely convenient

*Reaching an international airport before time coming out in maximum 10 minutes... living in a small country is such a luxury!

Although this world is extremely different from the one I went to, it's peaceful and full of love. Hope to get back into routine soon. I'll leave you with a few pictures and much love...

The super-fun coloring session!

My nephew is hiding somewhere between his cars and pillows that he cannot live without!

The Taj :)

Inside the awesome hotel in Agra

My niece performing on a number at her Mama's engagement party.. she looks like a doll!