what the world needs now

Of all the love stories that have not resulted in a quite so happy ending,  in a society when age old romance and through better or worse has slowly dispersed – I take heart in having at least one love story to hold on to and to instill my belief in being a hopeless romantic.

My aunt and uncle met when she was 25 and he was 32, she had just been epically heart broken, and he had gotten out of his first marriage. Wtihin 6 months of courtship, they tied the knot and relocated to the United States, with no jobs and no friends over there, just a mutual dissatisfaction of their lives before they knew each other. 

Through the 35 years of marriage, they have brought up their 2 kids, moved from the West to East Coasts, lived their life to the fullest with road trips across America, commitment to missionary work and now welcoming laughter in their households with grandchildren. 

Everytime I met them (for a while it was once per year), it seemed to me like they were deeply in love. No doubt about it, I bet there were the trecherous tough tides, but its the weathering of those tides that bind two people together. No doubt about it, that they don’t find each other perfect, but after the fairy dust, after the cake, and after the first dance; marriage is above all else, loving and accepting what has been, what is now and what will be about your better half. 

Maybe its more relevant to the generation before, but what I think made their marriage such a success was how my aunt glued the family together with love, patience, and great food. Making sure their house was always a bright and blissful home, cooking and freeze packing home made curry and then FedEx-ing it across the states so that her son never forgets the sensation one gets from a home cooked meal.

In a marriage and raising a family, its all about team work – someone has to jump into the fray, while the other holds the fort. My aunt brought her kids into the world and then gave them her world, she stood by the wings offering support while watching her family take center stage with pride. I’m not saying that I disagree with equality among the sexes, but perhaps what we do need is some tradition in the roles of women and men. Work especially if you must, but never forget that the joy of a strong family unit forgoes everything else. 

Above an illustrious career, above material comforts, above all other frivolous pursuits we see today as priorities, I much rather invest in nurturing an enduring love instead. What about you?

moments of magic

I remember your rare words of declaration that came with this MMS of the full moon one beautiful night. 

I remember the time we spotted snowflakes crusted along the window rim as we flew over the Artic ocean.

I remember the expression on our faces when we saw fireflies in Central Park.

I remember us air strumming the guitar to Queen’s ‘Another One Bites the Dust’ while we painted our walls white. 

I remember the morning you left for a long trip, and told me that you were so glad to have someone you look forward coming home to.

And I’ll never forget how sweet it feels during the many times you lay your head on my lap; sometimes falling peacefully asleep, and other times soaking up my attention as we while the day away.

wood woods

Updates! Sketches just in from our carpenter: 

King sized platform/bed frame with storage underneath 

 

 

Presenting the first draft of my dream bookshelf – many changes to be made though, so I’m waiting with bated breath! Delight! 

 

 

 

somewhat like games day

Our furniture has arrrived! What started as a mass of boxes soon took on its own life into a full on, guy on girl competition of brawn and sufficient wit to decode instruction manuals. 

We had games like ‘Who can assemble the rattan chair the fastest’ and ‘Who smoothens out all the creases on the couch wins’. Unexpectedly, putting together some drills, screw drivers and 3 hours of a sweaty afternoon turned out to be amazingly fun. 

Expectedly, E obviously won most challenges. I mean, that guy is a pro. He really got me hands down on the  ’Who first finishes this can of 100 Plus in a breath without brain freeze’ one. 

And dear friends, we do not possess such lackluster standards of taste to have purchased a shockingly blue TV console.. Its actually white, with a jarring blue protective sheet over it till the day we haul our stuff in. And hey, if it can hold my weight, our 42″ TV will do just fine.

the ever raging battle

I spent a good chunk of my morning figuring out how to use the new scanner at work.. technology will be the better of me some day.

that day in July

It was the perfect date. 

We had done a spot of shopping along Herald Sq and walked down to Madison Sq Park, where we stood in line for some infamous burgers and shakes from the Shake Shack. 

 

Taking silly videos, and stealing kisses midway conversations, we finally got to place our orders 45 minutes in. While the food wasn’t too bad, everything else about our afternoon was great. We people and dog watched, and enjoyed our spot in front of the fountain amidst the sea of other shake shackers.

He came over to my end of the table, and for a good 5 minutes, I lay on his shoulder and cuddled up. Reluctantly taking our leave after what must have been another hour of quality time, we left for the fifth avenue apple store. 

Both E and I knew that we had absolutely loved our afternoon together, and we shared one last publicly affectionate kiss (a rarity) with the gentle sun cast on our faces, along the streets of New York, before making our way to our next adventure. 

PS: This photo is evidence on how I need to work on my aim…

hit the track, jack

Lightweight? Check. Adjustable handles? Check. A nifty separate compartment for my running shoes? Check. Dusty pink?? Check! 

One more reason to hit the gym with this baby

stocking on the basics

This weekend saw us at IKEA, the one stop furniture outlet that saves the world. I remember the hype of the IKEA opening in Red Hook Brooklyn while I was in NYC – the marketing blitz through the city and the anticipation and heavy coverage it received most mornings on New York 1.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

E and I spent a good 4 hours deliberating, visualizing and dreaming up the spaces of our apartment in our head. Finally, we managed to decide on the above few items and will be expecting delivery in a week’s time. Here’s a rough sketch of ideas for our living/dining area…

As you can see, there is quite a lot going on in the dining area – I’m finally going to get the custom book shelf of my dreams, with varying cubby hole sizes for all my books, Vanity Fair issues, knick knacks, a plant or two (?), some wine glasses and most of all, a custom space for my iMac! 

So far, we’ve got the basics down pat (sofa, TV bench, dining table, etc) – further stages would be segueing the accessories into the concept, cos that is where the essence of your space comes in! Next up, the decision between chandeliers or more minimalistic lighting? 

Our place is gonna be awesome by the time we’re done with it! If all goes well, it will only be a few months more..  

undomestic goddess III – it might not look like much, but…

Ingredients & Preparation in a breath  

For the meatballs that are fabulously delicious, mix fresh minced beef, chopped onions, bread crumbs (or a soaked in milk and disintegrated slice of bread would do), whole egg, pan fried bacon bits and salt and pepper ALL together. The bread crumbs and egg “holds” the mixture together, and with the bacon and onions, guarantee a very yummy meatball. 

For the rest of the dish, just do the usual boiling of pasta, add in some freshly chopped tomatoes and puree, some carrots and extra onions if you’re feeling diligent – and then toss with the separately pan fried meatballs.

This was one of my favourite meals to have on that bench under the shady tree in Madison Square Park. Together with my plastic cup of lemonade from the nearby vendor, this fed me and kept me oh so very happy. 

the one bridge to rule them all (for now)

Yes, I’m talking about the Brooklyn Bridge. I’ve this huge thing about suspension bridges, its architecture, visual beauty and personification of a strong steely dame just thrills me. 

Travel guides often tell you that you must pay a visit to this bridge – walk, run, cycle, or heck, crawl across it – and really, they are urging you to do one of the best things in NYC.

Personally, I took an open top bus along it, and with the wind in your hair, the evening sun’s rays warming your back and the view of the Manhattan skyline mirroring..there really aren’t that many experiences that can rival it. 

My NYC experience alone had the Brooklyn Bridge entwined in its many stories, such as chancing upon a sneak peak of it from Chinatown, or the time whereby my colleague got hitched in a gorgeous function room with a generous view of the bridge from Dumbo (in Brooklyn), and not to forget the night it acted as the assuring backdrop of the 4th of July Macy’s fireworks. 

There are tonnes of suspension bridges left in the world for me to uncover, but I am exceptionally pleased that this lady was the first of those many.