Its me again!
So much time has gone by. I wrote out a whole update post and bloody blogger ate it up! So here we go again. May not be as nice as the first one (frustration) but I’ll try.
Baby has gotten a whole lot bigger and is a walking, talking, running monster. He has ten teeth which he uses on me a lot, he gives hugs and kisses which are the sweetest things ever and is this really happy confident child, most of the time. There are the days of course when he will not leave my side, cries Mama constantly and only wants to be carried. He weighs a ton! I’m entering some kind of weight lifting competition soon. I might just win with all this training. He loves tomatoes and eats lots (like his parents), dances by shaking his diaper bottom and bouncing on the soles of his feet and looks like an (fat) angel when he sleeps.
Travel has been non-stop. Nepal, New York, Madras, Manali, Bombay, Goa and Bali. Whew! And that’s just since May!
Katmandu was meant to be a romantic weekend which turned into hay fever central and traffic bonanza. Absolutely off my list unless you want torture. Worse than a bad Indian C grade town. Maybe it was the wrong season, maybe we stayed in the wrong hotel (I hear the Meridian in Gokarna is beautiful), whatever!!!! Don’t go!
New York! What is there to really say about New York? It’s amazing, so full of life and energy and colour, interesting people, places, clothes, parks, shops, restaurants, street stalls…… One of my all-time favourite holidays.
Madras was a close friends wedding. South Indian style and lovely. Its great to see two people absolutely in love and committing to be together. Brings a tear to my eye. Am I the only person who can get teary-eyed at a South Indian wedding?
Manali was family time and getting to know the boy S’s sister just got married to in Bali. He’s lovely. Warm, down to earth, charming, intelligent, funny and he adores her. Awww. Miss the wonderful weather and long walks and great food. Ok more the food than the long walks but hey!
Bombay was a long overdue trip. Lots of friends, food, sitting by the sea on Sim’s gorgeous terrace, Indigo deli, great conversation, long Sunday brunch, some shopping, some wandering, great fun.
The Bali wedding was amazing. This is after they said they wanted a small wedding which ended up being one party in Bombay, two parties in Delhi plus the wedding and lunch and then the whole Bali adventure. Everyone should have small weddings.
The days just kept getting better, the conversations kept getting sillier, the nights got longer and the drinks got larger, while the full moon shone gently down and the palm swayed in the breeze that ruffled the frangipanis in our hair. Hmmmm. BWS (Bali Withdrawal Symptoms) are raging and show no signs of getting better.
Back at home now and trying to get some work done. Looks like a lot of things are falling into place. I feel happy and content and ok to stay in one place. For a little while at least and then who knows!!
Random
Trying to get some work done but can't seem to be creative or even remotely interesting.
Baby refuses to sleep. Eats an apple instead and bites my cheek. He even says Mama. Is there anything better than the smell of a baby just woken up from his sleep?
Love the rain. The feel of cool breeze. The plants looking green and happy.
Went to this thing yesterday to benefit Breast cancer research. Met old friends and made some new ones. Keeping up my resolution to be open to people. Wore a lovely white sweater and jeans and felt thin and tall.
Had people over on saturday night after ages. Close friends who feel like family. No need to stress. Mountains of food. Drinks and baby talk. They leave at 2 am. And it feels late.
Web obsessions
So my latest obsession is with food blogs. They are seriously amazing!!! The quality of photography astounds me every time. While there are lots of really random ones out there, some of them are of exceedingly high quality. They have all these competitions and Sugar High Fridays and Baking Challenges and its a whole other world!!
My pick of the best
chezpim.typepad.com - very well written
cookandeat.com - great recipes, even better photography
saffrontrail.blogspot.com - veggie cooking in amchi mumbai
hookedonheat.com
tartelette.blogspot.com
And of course for recipes of any and all kinds
www.epicurious.comLabels: food
- Been on a major movie watching spree lately. This week I've seen 'Brokeback Mountain', 'Vanity Fair', 'The Constant Gardener', 'Syriana' and 'Good night and Good Luck'. Vanity fair is good time pass. Great costumes. Brokeback Mountain was sweet. Their love is sort of real and therfore believable. The others are just awesome. Very very cool. Must watch!!!
- Tonight I go to watch 'The Chronicles of Narnia'. When I was a kid, maybe 8 or 9 I read an abridged version of the first book in the series 'The Magician's Nephew' and with that one chapter I was hooked. Over the years I collected and read all 7 in the series and re-read them for years after. The movie better live up to the expectations of the little girl in me!!
- Talking about little people inside me...... that sounds very gross, I know but Peanut is doing well. We finally know that its a boy (!!!) and he's got another 5 weeks to go!! I am so tired that I'm ready to have this baby now except for minor details like the crib hasn't come yet and the room doesn't have any curtains. Oh and also that I'm so not ready to be responsible for another life. But that's a whole other post!!!
- I'm staying at the in-laws house these days. S has been out of town this week and only comes back end of next week after which I get to have him in town for the whole of next month!! Its enough to make me want to stay pregnant!! So coz he's away all parents and siblings have decided that I'm suddenly not capable of staying on my own so I sleep over at the in-laws. It's good fun. Me and T watch movies (as you know) and chat all night.
- I've fired my cook (really annoying man!!!) but the plus side is that I've hired a housekeeper/cook woman who seems really awesome! She starts in ten days and hopefully she will work out and my mad house will become a bit regulated!
- My mum comes to Delhi on the 22nd for 3 whole months to help with the baby and then Rat lands up for 5 days on the 1st of March. And of course my dad and sister and S's sisters will all come in when the baby comes. Really nice to have family coming in. you appreciate them a lot more when they're not around so much.
- Ok that's all for now. More later.
Seven Things I plan to do:Travel and live in as many places as I can
Go bungee jumping
Learn to surf and dive and fly a plane and ride a motorcycle
Be totally fluent in a foreign language
Get at least one more tattoo and a couple more piercings
Be the best mother I can possibly be
Get super fit
Seven Things That I Can Do:Sail a boat
Sing
Drink like a fish
Embroidery (yes yes I know I'm cool)
Be relaxed even when things get tough
See the glass as half full
Play pool
Seven Things I Can't Do:
Wake up in the morning
Figure out what I want to do with my life
Drink black rum
Gadget stuff
Stick to a routine
Eat vegetables
Do things on time
Seven Things I Say Most Often:No Way! Really?
Shut up
Whaaaat???!!!!
Shit
huh?
Dumbass
Awww
Yoga fever
So I've become a complete yoga junkie. Even at 5 months pregnant or rather especially at 5 months pregnant I love contorting my body into all kinds of weird poses. Shoulder stands, inverted leg excercises, upside down stretches. You name it and I'll do it!
It feels great. My whole body gets energized and I just get tingly all over. I get all stretched out. I feel all lean (except for the big belly) and happy. And the baby (Peanut) loves it. I can just feel him getting big and strong and happy.
Best feeling in the world!
Like Penny Lane says, it's really hard to write about the people you love without sounding all corny but here goes anyway. The Rat turns 24 today. HAPPY BIRTHDAY RAT!
Penny and Rat are like extensions of me, of my family, of my life. We've literally grown up together. So many of our firsts have been together. Our first crushes, the first time we got seriously drunk, when we got into major trouble. We just have so much history together and even though we're apart, every time we meet or have one of our conference calls its like nothing has ever changed. And I hope it never will.
Both of them are so smart and sweet and ..........Damn it really is hard for me not to get mushy. They are unbelievably awesome women and I'm very, very lucky to have them in my life. And so happy birthday both my September babies.
Have a great year!
