2010.. A year to remember :-)

2010, for a lot of reasons will remain a special year! Thankfully, for all the good reasons :-) So here's a snapshot of sorts of the year that is soon ending.. except that the snaps are missing! :P (The events are not in chronological order.. i don't like chronological lists)

...Fell in love, after being in denial for a seemingly unending period. I finally found my soul mate (yes! they exist!). Got betrothed after the most romantic proposal ever!! And we managed to surprise and shock quite a lot of people. Somehow, that makes me happy - to do what is unexpected of me!

...My sis and jeej moved in to their own, kick-ass home... and it has been super favourable for them! Touchwood! My sis got pregnant!! And now we are eagerly waiting to welcome our new family member this weekend!! :D

...Princess Tia / Junior Ram... as of now I don't know! But on Saturday, 18th December 2010, we all will know and I could not be MORE excited!!

...My bestest friend, Pals got saved from what would have been a disaster. It is still scary to think "What if..."

God bless that girl for giving her the courage to do what she had to do... And to seal it for all eternity Pals, I want you to know that I'll be sorry forever for not doing what I should've done. In hindsight, all's well that ends well.

...Sid & Me got our own, cozy house! And was it complicated or what!! ;-) But for the beautiful elated feeling I get when I sit on my perfect-red bean bag with Sid... soaking the beauty of the setting sun against the sea, from my 16th floor balcony, I could go through that headache over-n-over again!

...My first love.. Mera bachpan ka pyaar.. My jaaneman, Raji got pregnant!! And I could not be happier!! Though she will now be sporting a huge tummy on my D-day.. and the performance on "Gal meethi meethi bol" will be tough.. Who cares!! "Oneshot Pillay" is on its way.. And we have BIG plans!! ;-)

...KF happened to Sid & me and the drudgery called BAGIC came to an end. So far so good.. Praying it only gets better! Amen!

...My second bachpan ka pyaar, Manas got married to his one & only forever pyaar, Sucheta! :-) Thankfully, I got to attend it!! Super happy for these two souls who put up a tough fight.. Now they are happy and it shows! :D

...Juggiekiens - my darling - cleared his engg.. Got a well paying job with KF (yay!! Now that makes us a happy family! The family that works together, stays together?!?!?!? :P ) ... and deservingly earned his self respect back! Muaah!

...Ron Murthy got a job too!! Hoping he gets some sense back and comes back! Also hope he doesn't kill me if he reads this!

...My darling Mom made her first trip ever outside the country!! And she's brought back LOADS of goodies, for the baby & me! :D

Wow! It sure was a happy year for almost all my loved ones.. in all the ways that I can think of! So here I am getting all geared up to bid good bye to 2010, which brought in with it, many reasons to smile! And welcome 2011 with loads of hope and excitement.. wishing it will be more promising than 2010, in more ways than one!! Amen!

Another first at Goa!

It's hard to believe that until now, I'd been to Goa only once and that too with parents!! All plans through college and MBA got canned either due to parental guidance issues or lack of funds! And now when I finally did, I went with my fiancé for 6 days straight!

It is the perfect vacation place coz it is inherently lethargic and laid back! No one is in a rush or in a hurry to reach anywhere or accomplish anything! And that is a welcome breather after the maddening pace of your life in Bombay!

My first drive through Goa.. was from the airport to our resort in Arpora, near Calangute / Baga. And amidst the lush green landscapes, the sea, the tall palm trees, and of course the beautiful churches, spotting a school was like an eyesore! I was like "Oh people work, teach n study too in Goa! It's such a beautiful vacation place.. how do they ever manage to get any work / studying done here!!"

The hoardings in Goa are not at a raised level as in our usual boring cities.. They are at ground level.. lower than the trees so that the ugly metal doesn't spoil the landscape! Interesting in'nit?

Their architecture is unique and contemporary in a stylish way! Im not an architectural expert.. But it was pretty in a very English style.. wooden cottages painted in loud colours.. Red purple yellow orange.. As jazzy as you can imagine! There was this red house and the owners had covered the entire house with a plastic sheet to protect it from the wrath of the monsoons! :D

I dint know that there are no petrol pumps in Goa! At least in North Goa where we put up! They sell petrol in 1 litre bottles at local retail stores! And for people to know that, 2-3 petrol filled bottles will be on display outside the store! Needless to say, they sell it at a premium price!

Oh the food! It aches to think of all the awesome food we had there! Sea food was to die for! So was the baked stuff and the desserts! And to top it all.. beer was available for 20 bucks a pint! So for someone who loves guzzling beer (and worry about the beer belly only once u r back!) it was heaven!

Last but not the least.. the beaches! I'm a complete water baby and i am blissful when i'm around water bodies! Every day hitting the beaches was like religion! If i din't do it i'd feel weird! The sand was abrasive and even through the clouds, the sun was harsh.. but i fell in love with all the beaches instantly!

Back with a tan.. and loads of happy memories clicked and captured.. it was a perfect first vacation with Sid! :)

1601, Shubham Atlantis

"Permanent Address". I hated the field in the numerous forms I have filled. Because my permanent address was never the same as my current one and there came a point in time when I was missing having a fixed set of co-ordinates.

Today I got that. My first own permanent address! - Not taking into account the ones my parents gave me..

1601, Shubham Atlantis. The first house we will ever own. The first piece of earth we own. The first haven where we will build memories for a lifetime. My first EMI! The new party pad. My new secure spot. My new home! The place for so many firsts! It is an amazing feeling - to say the least of course! We entered a new phase in life when he went down on one knee.. Today, 3rd August 2010 is the first important milestone in this beautiful journey!

The feeling is yet to dawn upon me completely.. But I'm writing about it to record this initial euphoria, this intermittent excited feeling, the jittery feeling when I think of my finances going for a toss, the smiles on our faces which says a lot, the look on his face which gives me the faith that we will see this through! I feel like a child who just bought a new toy she was dreaming of for so long!!

Did you know that Cloud # 99 just shifted to the 16th floor of Shubham Atlantis? Come see for yourself!! :-)

God bless this place!

Of Roses and Rainbows!

"No matter the weather.. carry your own sunshine wherever you go!"

It was just another quote until a while ago.. When i discovered my own sunshine!

He's grumpy when hungry or sleepy, snaps when disturbed while doing imp work - which could mean actual work, reading the newspaper, watching sports, reading about sports, discovering his new phone, cooking, sleeping.. All of it!!

He snores, hates to be told what to do, lives in a mess (and that is an understatement!), drives like a maniac, is difficult to please (!), always impatient and in a hurry!

Abuses everyone on the road, hates me driving his car, loves beer, bacardi and fanta, is a pure woman charmer, satan's right hand who is going to be picked up in a stretch limo when his time to go to hell comes! Oh and he also has his condo in hell booked!

While he's at all of this.. he can make me smile in a second, and cry in the next.. Troubling me his favourite pastime! Cliched as it may sound, but he can swing me between extremities of pure bliss and utter sorrow with a flick of his hand!

He loves me, laughs with me, adores me, cooks for me, pampers me, scolds me, looks after me, feeds me, hates it but still gives me directions while driving, comes shopping with me,.. and yes, he also cries with me!

He's not a prince out of a fairy tale.. But neither is he the cruel king! He is a perfect mix of the prince charming and the devil in disguise!!

He brings me a smile no matter the temper.. Brings me sunshine no matter the weather! :-)

A New Address!

Empty spaces are always depressing...

Irrespective of whether they previously were filled with happy memories, sad or none.. Bare walls, empty rooms, and echoing sounds within those rooms always depress.

17 - When i moved out of a safe net.. en route to carve out my own destiny. That's one journey (amongst others) i'll never forget...

Four hostels, four PG accommodations, one rented place and 15 room mates later i don't even know what is my comfort zone and what my preferences are, if any!

I've enjoyed every bit of this journey.. adjusting to new surroundings and new people now comes very easy. I've loved not being tied down to one particular city. When people ask "Where are you from?", I just say "From a lot of places!"

But i guess i'm done living a nomadic life. I have started to feel the need to attach myself to someplace - my own city and my own house. Having lived in so many different rooms all these years, each time I set up a new one, I thought of what it will be like when I finally will set up my home! :-)

About to move in to another house.. the feeling only grows. How many more places till I finally come home? Coz there's nothing as soothing as coming home again!

18th Feb!!

Its the happiest time of the year.. When I am self-declaredly the Queen Bee (i almost always even imagine a tiara on my head!!) and no one or nothing gets to spoil my happiness!!

Midnight celebrations, cake on the face, fav flowers, gifts (small or big), fav chocolates, hugs and kisses, phone calls from all over the world, going to sleep with the biggest smile on my face, waking up feeling like a princess, floating through the day in my own dream land, meeting loved ones, more hugs and kisses, preferably not working the entire day, taking the longest, most luxurious bath ever, dressing up, again meeting fav people, eating my fav food, drinking, doing everything that makes me happy.. Actually even not doing anything great makes me super happy that day!!

I wonder how and when this feeling grew.. But as far as I can remember, I've always looked forward to this day with utmost excitement and I hate it if some year another event or person shares my limelight that day - Like sharing my birthday with a classmate in school meant I had to go with him to distribute sweets through the school! Made me so sad!! This year, my sister is the culprit.. 18th of February is only supposed to be my birthday.. Nothing else!! :P

I doubt the importance I attach to my birthday will ever diminish.. I'm sure I'll want to cut a cake at 12 midnight even when I turn 60..75.. and 80!! It is the day when I celebrate Me! And I don't want to ever stop doing that! Coz "main abhi bhi apni favourite hoon.. aur hamesha rahoongi!!"

Happy Birthday to Me!! :-))

10 things that bug Me

1. Judgmental People

And I thought I was done with my share while I was in engineering college! But I was in for a surprise!! They are omnipresent!! And they love targetting out-of-line idiosyncrasies!
Ok.. Honestly.. even I silently analyse people around me all the time (its the best way to kill time when you are travelling in Mumbai local trains!) but I don't alter my behaviour towards someone based on my (possibly incorrect) perceptions!
I'm referring to the kinds who, when they see a girl (or a guy for that matter) drinking / smoking and immediately tag her / him "wasted", "spoilt brat", "useless" and the likes.. Professors (and bosses alike) who see a boy and a girl talking and getting friendly and immediately make a mental note of giving them minimum marks in termwork!
Seen a lot of them.. We know that they'll always be there.. But the world would have been a better place if there weren't people judging others and screwing their happiness!

2. Hypocrisy

People who don't have the courage to stand up to their ideologies and they change them - usually under pressure of social acceptance or simple peer pressure. The need to have desirable and publicly approved traits is so high that they feign any behaviour that will satisfy the need.
I dont think hypocrisy can cease to exist.. I just feel sorry for those people who will wake up one day with no sense of identity left..
All of us have our flaws.. And all of us have our spot under the sun! Then why the need to change?!?! Love yourself.. Everyone else will follow! ;-)

3. Political Correctness

Realised this more so when I started my professional life.. Under the scare of the big boss, most employees forget what they believe in and do or say only what the boss would like to hear!
I agree that to a certain extent, keeping your boss happy is mandatory.. but not at the cost of killing your beliefs and principles!

4. Dirty Nails

I made my boss cut his toe nails because they were way too dirty and unacceptable as decent living conditions! I cant stand them! Period!

5. Bad Breath

Two extra minutes every morning! That is all it takes! Wonder why dont people do it then! Or else just use Mint people! Mint! :P

6. The Sound of Velcro

I think this is more of a disorder than anything else! U have them everywhere! On bags, wallets, pouches, folders!! And each time it goes open n close.. I can feel goose bumps rising on my flesh!

7. False Pretenses

Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken!! Isn't it simpler and so much more easier to just be U..

8. People who honk at a red signal / traffic jams

Even I am impatient.. very! But seriously what is the goddamn point of honking when 50 cars up ahead of u are stuck! Duh! Utilise this time effectively.. plug on that handsfree and return the calls u missed while u were at work.. Listen to ur fav music.. Learn time management!

9. Pink

No explanations. The only two pink pieces of clothing I own were both not bought by me! Though I must admit that gradually the dislike for the colour in itself is reducing.. the aversion to wear pink is because I'm not a pink person! If u know what I mean...

10. Ignorance of Me

I detest it when people (loved ones actually) do not return my calls or texts or emails! Especially when it is more than just another call.. or it is one of those 6 part linked texts / long e-mails which were written with more thought than I put into my curriculum vitae! Aarggh!
People who've known me, know this about me.. Some have improved.. Most others just love to see me squirm in disgust at the ignorance I receive!

P.S.: The reason behind this post is that me and 2 of my "besht" friends decided to post on the same topic and at the same time! Just another one of those weird ideas we came up with! Just in case you are interested.. the links to the other two are

http://conceptlife.blogspot.com/
http://thought-for-the-blog.blogspot.com/

“Do I want answers to all my questions?? … Nah!!” ;-)

A dear friend (P3) is reading “The road less traveled” and she is going gaga over it! She says she finds all her questions answered in the book.. Why am I weird? Why are parents the way they are? Love etc etc...

But do I want all my questions answered? Not really... Taking inspiration from a very dear friend (who I don’t speak to anymore.. but some memories remain)... He always said “Neha agar tujhe pata chal jaaye ki aage kya hone waala hai.. will you enjoy life?” And against my wishes, I always found myself agreeing with him!

I said the same thing to P3.. do you really want all your questions answered? Don’t you wanna enjoy unraveling the mysteries instead? I think Life will become monotonous if you have all the answers! The quest called life will come to an end! I think (as per the best of my thinking abilities!) the true meaning of life is the fact that we don’t know jackshit about it but we still are breathing it, living it... every moment.. aren’t we?! Why would someone want to take away all the fun from that everyday uncertainty.. the anxiety.. the fear of the unknown! Doesn’t it give you a thrill to not know what is going to happen next and yet keep playing the game… keep planning your next move in anticipation of what follows!!??

Tell me something...

Would Harry Potter have been as big a hero if he had already known everything about the seven horcruxes and finished them in one week straight?!?!

Would Frodo Baggins have been as big a success if he would have known the way to Mordor at the back of his hand?

Would winning that final match be as exciting if you would’ve known the results already?

Would proposing to the love of your life be as interesting if you knew the reply beforehand?

...No right??

I believe you’ve got to let Life surprise you!! Though the bad surprises seem to outnumber the good ones... but if it weren’t for the bad surprises.. the good ones wouldn’t have been half as good!

For the more materialistic ones… here’s a very carnal analogy..
Each time H (the babe) & D (the dude) have brilliant sex.. they think they can’t top it.. but sooner than later they do.. And then D asks H what made it better this time? And H says “who the fuck wants to know?!?! Let it be a mystery na.. That ways, sometimes u stumble upon the jackpot.. sometimes u don’t... but when u do.. it’s Orgasmic!! ;-)”

So yeah.. this quest called Life is similar.. Who the fuck wants to know what clicks when! U keep working towards it (of course).. and then one day you go Eureka! :D

2010

6 months since I started working..
1 year since I became a post graduate..
1 year since I turned 25..
1.5 years since I lost Bitto..
3 years since I last wrote..
4.5 years since I graduated with an engineering degree..
4.5 years since I started my first job ever..
8 years since my first massive heart break..
8.5 years since I've been living away from home..
10 years since I wrote my first board exam..
11 years since my first kiss..

... The last decade has been eventful.. to say the least! It brought most of the important, life changing, milestone-ish events in my life! I look back to realise that I have come a long long way from the Neha Mordia that I was to the Neha Mordia that I am.. and I can say with utmost surety that I have no regrets whatsoever!! Each mistake, each goof up, each lesson, each success and of course each failure has changed me... but i regret none!

Moving out to a hostel was I guess the best thing that could happen to me. That is where I started the journey to understanding the core of me and growing up to becoming Me. I suddenly had all the space I ever wanted :) Not physically of course.. since COEP hostels were anything but spacious! But mentally, yes! I was the least homesick kid.. and would usually be the one providing solace to the other depressed souls..

It is too big a time span for me to capture every essence of it here.. Lemme try n put down a few of my fav learnings..

• Love Yourself.
• All females are bitches. Period. Love them for that :-)
• All men (necessarily) are dogs. And we love them for that. The sooner we accept that, the sooner the world will become a happier place.
• No matter how much you love him, no matter how much he loves and adores you, You will ALWAYS need your girlfriends! There is no replacement for a soothing chat/gossip session over coffee and chocolate!
• Moms are super cute. No.. Seriously. Much more than we think they are!
• A good first boss can change your perspective towards a lot of things in your professional life! I'm lucky I had one :-)
• Forgive/Apologise.. with all your heart.. No matter how huge the offense committed..
• Fall in love.. Break your heart.. And fall in love again :-)
• Never spend Diwali (or Eid) alone! Never ever!! And preferably with immediate family always!!
• Call up old friends.. You'll be surprised to know that they were actually glad you called :-)
• Dont crib about PMS. Rather try utilising it as an opportunity to truly be yourself.. When someone complains of eccentric behaviour, u can pass it off by saying "Sorry.. PMSing.." :P
• When you are feeling low on self worth, go back to your alma mater. Don't be too amazed when you realize that all those teachers and professors you thought despised you, actually saw the "spark" in you before you did!
• I love my space and how! It is healthy i believe.. i dont trespass into your boundaries, you dont trespass into mine.
• Figure out what you love doing.. and work on that. Dont get stuck in doing work you do not love.. Life will be unimaginably sad! They say this in all the gyaan sessions/books/websites.. and its not even funny how true it is!
• It is sad that it took the loss of someone very very dear for the realization to hit that Life is unpredictable and hence very precious! Whether you plan it all or live each moment as it comes, just ensure that you live it up to the maximum, do your own thing..
• Do not let go of your idioysncrasies.. They make you.. You! And not a photocopy of a desired image! Like someone wise once said "I'd rather be hated for who I am instead of being loved for what I am not"

I look back upon a quarter of a century and thankfully I can smile. Here's hoping the smile stays inthe years to come! :-)

Cheers 2010!! :D