Sunday 27 November 2011

Some Sunday Love

I remember a time when it’d come to 3pm on Sunday afternoon and I'd be filled with this inexplicable dread of the full week looming ahead, that same sinking feeling in the pit of the stomach as when you wave loved ones good bye (I class the weekend as a 'loved one', okay?!). But now? Now it's my one day of down time, catch up time, fix-up-and-get-my-life-in-order time. It's my day to spend with the family, with the bf, cooking, chilling and just doing as I please. I love Sundays. I mean when else is it really acceptable to crawl into (your unmade) bed following the fattest lunch you could possibly imagine, and just stay put until you're feel ready to take on the world (and the washing up) again? Exactly. I haven't accomplished anything on my to-do list (nope, haven't proof read essay on Leviathan, haven't applied for a minimum of three internships nor have I been job searching - oopsie), but I reckon, just because it's a Sunday, and Sundays are meant for lazing, I can forgive myself. It's nice to start the week with a head start - and I'm definitely looking forward to this one. I'll be back tomorrow (hopefully with a stomach full of sushi and a new hair style), but for now, here's wishing you a happy Sunday - hope you're rested, relaxed and re-energised.


xxx


Photobucket

Thursday 24 November 2011

I've Cheated, I Won't Lie

Photobucket

It's official, my 21-year-long highly exclusive intensely romantic relationship with Bollywood has been dirtied. Tampered. Changed forever. I've cheated and I can't lie anymore. Who'd have thought three months with the bf would be enough to have me knowing who set fire to the rain and who found love in a hopeless place? And to make me feel worse, I can't even say I don't feel an ever so slight swelling of pride within my being each time I recognise a tune on the radio/in a club/at work. It's a sublime sense of satisfaction, a small slither of smugness that seeps through my heart. Absolutely brilliant. Yup, Amy, Sunita, Rob - what you couldn't accomplish in ten years has been accomplished by another in three months. I will no longer spend nights out asking you "what song is this?!"


xxx


Wednesday 23 November 2011

An Orange Wednesday At Last

I’m off for my first Orange Wednesday date in an age. Can’t tell you what I’m seeing though ‘cause that’s a surprise (yeah for me as well, I don’t actually know what I’m seeing - I just haven’t had the time to ask). I have one day off work in the next ten, two essays to submit, a stack of reading to plough through and the whole of the Leviathan to digest (if you don’t know what it is, you’re better off not knowing, trust me). But who caaaaaaares, it’s half way to the weekend, five days ‘til payday and seven ‘til the start of December. And no I’m not sad enough to be counting down the (only flipping) 31 days ‘til Xmas (eeeeeek!) Jeez, whadya actually take me for??


xxx


Photobucket

Tuesday 22 November 2011

Hurry Up Christmas, Hurry Up.

Photobucket


It's days like these that make me wonder where the colour's gone from the skies. As much as I'm trying not to wish time away, I can't wait for December to begin; it feels like it's high time we have something to look forward to, no? But then November always tends to long out a bit doesn't it? Ahhh hurry up already December, hurry up carol singers and Christmas parties, colourful cards and useless presents. Hurry up toasty winter evenings and tipsy Christmas nights. We've been waiting long enough already. Hurry up.


xxx

Wednesday 9 November 2011

The Blues

I think I have post-holiday blues. It's dull, dreary and grey outside. I miss my mum. It's cold. I can't be bothered to do anything. It's grey. I'm awfully jet lagged still. Did I mention it's grey? Urghhhhh. I feel I've been working like a robot the past few months and I knew that the minute I stopped for a break, I wouldn't be able to pick myself up again. And it's official. I've lost my mojo. My will to do anything. I've done next to nothing the past few days and yet I feel SO tired. All I just want is to leg it out the country asap to a place with white sands, blue skies and golden sunsets. Someone remind me what we're actually doing in England puh-lease?!


I've got the last of my holiday photos for you today - I've been pouring over these endlessly in a desperate bid to cheer myself up, draw some energy from their vibrancy. Alas. These were taken in Vadodara, mum's home city, in the state of Gujarat, home to almost 1.6 million people. It's a gem of a city, extremely clean by India's standards, vibrant, bustling and beautiful.


Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket


Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Monday 7 November 2011

No Words

For lack of words, and some seriously severe j-lag, I’m just going to leave you with some more pictures today - the rest of my journey through Mumbai. Back tomorrow.


xx


Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Sunday 6 November 2011

Missing Mumbai


Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
7 days, in and out, and I'm back before my own iMac, in my own little bedroom, my own house, my own sleepy hill-top village, as though India's nothing more than the distant memory of a fading dream. It's been a funny kind of a trip; a whirlwind break in day-to-day routine but definitely not a rest. India has never, ever, failed to give me the time of my life; but the explosion of colour, the excessive noise, the myriad smells and the constant flurry of hustle and bustle make it impossible to switch off. It's a non-stop feast for the senses, what with there always being somewhere to look and something to see, so it commands attention, not relaxation. It's hardly a surprise then that I feel absolutely knackered. I don't know about you but I find introductions and formalities and pleasantries all a bit tiring too. Extracting. They take a lot out of me. And the past five days have been a marathon in exactly the same; so the near 24 hour (door-to-door) journey home was actually some very welcome time alone - in fact, it was probably the most relaxing leg of my trip. It was the first time in a while that I could hear my own thoughts, that I was able to switch off as nobody was waiting for me, or expecting anything of me. Alone, and able to reflect on where I am, where I belong and where I'm going. India, to me, has always felt like the place where it all started; the source of my trilingual-ism, a home away from home. Now that I'm back, I long for the hooting rickshaws, the busy road-side pani-puri stalls and my grandparent's little flat. I definitely won't be leaving it another two years to get back.


I'm starting today with some pictures from Mumbai; though we were on an extremely tight schedule, we were lucky enough to catch the city at both sunrise and sunset - probably the two most beautiful (and bearable/advisable!) times of day to explore. A walk along Marine Drive at sundown is a must - as is a wander through the iconic Taj Mahal Palace Hotel - followed by Chaat at Chowpatty. From a severely jet-lagged me, that's all for today. I'm going to crawl into bed (having tried-and-tested many-a-bed worldwide, it's know known fact that my bed is THE most comfortable, comforting, toasty, cozy bed in the WHOLE world) to catch a few winks. Ta-da, enjoy the rest of your weekend.


xx

Friday 4 November 2011

Back in Baroda

Day four in Baroda and as I’m finally feeling at home it’s almost time to leave. I love this city, absolutely love it. It’s mum’s home town and though its the same frantic mass of population and pollution as Mumbai, it’s familiar. Navigable. Manageable. It's a bite-size chunk. I’ve grown up watching the city grow with me, visiting year after year to witness it’s transformation from dust cloud to jewel in the crown. I know it like the back of my hand - where to find the prettiest dresses, the tastiest pau bhajis and the wackiest ice-creams. Now that I’ve gotten over that initial “tourist’s shock”, I’m beginning to find respite in the smaller joys; like the late night breeze when I sit out on the balcony swing, and the lolling-laziness of the afternoon siesta; the tireless hospitality of those around me and the mouth-wateringly delicious food on offer. It’s been a good few days, what with a house constantly filled with family and visitors. I’ve been warming up my washing water on the stove, whiling away my evenings playing cards and scouring the city in search of one phone that can make an international call. It’s a very simple existence; probably just what I needed to remind myself that the life I have back home is filled with luxury. I will probably be back on Sunday with lots of pictures and of course loads more ramblings. Until then, wishing you all a good weekend. Happy Friday.

xxx

Tuesday 1 November 2011

Mission Mumbai

I’ve just made the gruelling six hour train journey (2nd class, non AC, packed in like sardines, in case you were wondering why gruelling) from Mumbai to the city in Gujarat where my grandparents reside; Vadodara. And really, there’s just one way to describe the way I’m feeling. Shell-shocked. It’s been a mad couple of days to say the least and I’m misplaced, disoriented and totally unprepared for what Mumbai has thrown my way. This coming from somebody who’s spent the larger part of their gap year here. I’m at loss, if you may, as to whether I should wonder or worry about the stark contrasts that stare me in the face left, right and centre. About the fact that bare-bummed kids squat before Porsche showrooms to do their “number twos”. About the way sky-high towers and blinding wealth blossom above sprawling slums and grinding poverty. It’s as though Mumbai leads a double life: poverty, the misses, totally unaware of the unashamed mistress, ostentatious wealth.


I have plenty of pictures to share, pictures that will show you what words alone can never describe. Despite the chaos, we’re tried our best to appreciate the city in all its glory and allure; the inebriating melange of extremes, the frantic mass of humanity, the noise, traffic, pollution, the innumerable colonial relics, warrens of bazaars and the stunning sea-front drive. I’ll be back tomorrow, fingers crossed, with the lowdown on my mum’s hometown and hopefully some pictures too... until then, it’s over and out. Wishing you all a wonderful week


xxx

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...