Holiday! Celebrate!

Taking some advice from Madonna, we headed out for a mini-vacation 2 weeks ago. It took a good month of planning and waiting till we were finally off to our "break-from-it-all". Worried that the immaculate planning and budget control would get the better of us and we would come back disappointed, we were apprehensive as we got into our taxis to head to the airport.

And as luck would have it, the worst of Delhi hit me 10 minutes after I left home. All alone in a taxi called for from the local taxi-stand, it seemed safe enough to make it to the airport. When you're set to take one of the busiest roads in the capital, there is hardly a worry in the world. As I mentally ticked off things on my packing list (even though I had checked and rechecked my bags numerous times over the previous week), I was presented with a traffic jam that would have clearly taken an hour to get through, optimistically talking. The driver suggested we take a detour through a very famous engineering college close by and I agreed. What I didn't realise was how large the campus actually was. While finding our way out (and the cabbie insisted that he knew the way), we reached a dead-end in a deserted area with nothing but a dirt road to turn back on. Frantically, I called up my significant other (SO) to feel safe and hyperventilated until we reached civilization again. I finally made it to the airport on time with a little less than 3 hours to spare until the flight left. SO was worried about not reaching on time!

Check-in, immigration, security check was smooth but not without the hordes of Indian tour groups littered outside the airport. Like lost sheep, they had no clue where to go, waiting for their tour guides to assist them and in the bargain ruining it for individual travellers like us by blocking all possible doors to the airport. I hope that after the Delhi airport renovation is complete there will be more order than chaos. Dinner was a non-event as the trusty Subway outlet inside the airport had disappeared and we had to make do with trashy snacks from the airport-owned vendor which left us with full but disappointed tummies. The duty-free shop had been reduced to the size of 2 toilet cubicles with a aisle space only for a size zero (whether I managed to squeeze my way through is something never to be mentioned!). I think I caught a glimpse of the shop attendants peeking out from behind the tiny cash counter waiting for someone to knock a bottle over so that they at lease made a sale. We fled before anything disastrous would happen (getting stuck in the aisle is counted).

As we emerged on the other side of security check we realized that all the action had been there. Restaurants galore and a small but better version of the Duty-free changed my initial view of the really boring security check area. Earlier it was a place where one was trapped and could only escape when it was time to board a flight. The pre-security check but post-immigration area was meant to be the fun part and I have spent many outbound journeys maximizing my time outside before moving to the next stage.

Considering the fact that the Delhi airport was far from exciting, we were literally shaking with excitement when they announced boarding for our flight. Actually, SO was shaking with excitement while mine was more of a nervous shiver.

What's Missing?

4 days left until I leave for my long awaited vacation. It's been a tedious countdown to D-day, but it's been totally worth it. The effort that has gone into the planning and decision-making has been unimaginable. I hope everything turns out well. I can't wait for the satisfaction to set in as I walk out onto the sunny (but not scorching) beach and head towards a lounger with a book in my hand.

Books...aaah! I thought I'd left them behind when I returned to Delhi. Mumbai had given me the perfect opportunity to catch up on my reading. The Mumbai local trains may have been a nightmare, but on days that I was lucky enough to get a seat, I managed an hour of reading one-way. 3 months into Delhi and I realized that I had barely read 3 chapters of a book that had been pending since Mumbai. Determined to get back on track, I visited my favourite hole-in-the-wall bookshop to give me a jolt of what I was missing out on. Mission accomplished and I'm back in the saddle!

But the real problem has now arisen. What book do I take with me on vacation? If I can see myself sitting on the beach reading a book, the problem is that I don't know which book it is. A discussion with Doodle has not resolved my problem and we continue to debate it as I type out this post. Bridget Jones would have been the best companion, but alas, I have already been down that road. No amount of searches online have come up with a decent solution. I have 4 days left, and my packing list is still incomplete. I'm still searching for the perfect book.

The Hiatus is Over!

After a 5-month long absence from my beloved blog, I'm back! Lots has happened in the period in between. I've switched jobs (no more am I employed by the world's local bank!). I'm living the proverbial corporate life. Home to office in the morning, office to the gym in the evening, back home for dinner, bedtime, and the same thing for the rest of the week. Weekends are spent catching up with family and friends. Sunday afternoon brings on the bad mood related to Monday being just round the corner.

But I've found the key to keeping happy. It's working for now. I hope it doesn't fizzle out any time soon. I keep certain dates or activities in mind that are coming up in the near future. My entire energy goes towards planning for and looking forward to that.

To begin with, I have a nice and lazy vacation to look forward to in about 3 weeks. My favourite destination ever - Thailand. I'm surprised the Thai authorities have not gifted me with an honorary visa that never expires. The last couple of times I was in the country for vacation, the immigration officials had a hard time finding my most recent visa. I'm sure I must have been to the place at least 8 times. And I still can't get enough. This time my week-long visit consists of 4 days in Krabi and 3 days in Bangkok. Aaaaaaaaaaaah! I can already feel the sea-breeze and can almost smell the sewers in Bangkok as I start my long countdown to my vacation. It's the first time my significant other and I are venturing out on a nice luxurious holiday together (Europe was different because we pretty much roughed it out there as poor students!).

I'm glad to be back. I have a vacation to look forward to. Lots has changed around me since I last posted an entry (more of all that later). I have a tonne of stuff waiting to happen over the next few months (pretty much what is keeping me going). Life may seem like it's blah right now, but I guess it's up to me to make things happen. Stay tuned!

Thank you, Mumbai!

For once I am thankful to this city. I still miss Delhi everyday, but thanks to the arduous commute I have recultivated a habit I had lost out on over the last couple of years in B-school - Reading. The one hour train ride between work and home has given me a chance to catch up on my reading. My weekends are spent at bookstores and a substantial portion of my credit card dues are for book purchases. While my mother complains about lack of space to stash my purchases, I can't help but succumb to the smell of a new book. I think it's time for that new set of shelves in my room back home in Delhi!

Life is a Lemon

And I want my money back!