oh!

oh, how would it be to roll in the snow with gay abandon!

The maintenance staff

The maintenance staff of my apartment complex is amazing. We pay a certain amount every month. They however charge for things that get replaced, and a service charge over that, which goes to the plumber or the electrician. So, it often happens that whenever you complain about anything, the automatic reply is that it needs to be replaced. I am seeing this pattern over all complaints that i made. The sink got clogged. S and i used to remove the pipe from below and clean it up. This time, since he was not around, i sought help, and the suggestion was that i need to change the pipe. One pipe on the geyser was leaking. i checked the pipe and saw it was in the joint and nowhere in the pipe, that had to be replaced. On top of that, he left two more holes in the false ceiling. Looks like my geyser is looking down on me through the holes or wearing spectacles. The water was leaking in the toilet. Again his suggestion was that the pipe has to be replaced. This time, i did not buy it and told him to tighten the valve in the edge and lo! it is working fine. We have an owners' forum where we mail our experiences and it seems to be the same everywhere. Sometimes, we even joke over this. So, ideally i am paying maintenance only for the beautiful complex, and everyting inside my house goes from my pocket. Staying in a huge complex has its sour points i say. Should my new year resolution be to learn plumbing?!

Tired

Tired- Physically, mentally, and emotionally.

And they say it is Christmas and there is cheer all around.

Downton Abbey-Super like

Watched the day slip away, and as the night unfolded, plonked myself on the bed and watched the second season of Downton Abbey in one shot. If drama is for you, if you like classics, if you like romance, if you like period movies (this is a series and even more reason to watch. The story starts at April 1912), if you like ladies in gowns and corsets, flowing dresses, the works... emancipation of women, chambermaids, servants, family titles, Earl, Dukes, Countess, good storyline, and some class acting, please please please watch it. It starts in the early years leading to the first world world war, with a family's quest for a male heir to protect the family title and fortune, and i can't get enough of it. i almost starved myself watching it. Slept at 3 am and looking like a zombie now. Don't know if anything that i have written here is making any sense at all, but it is so nice...

who is the most lovable of them all?

i have many nieces and nephews from my 3 other siblings.

Ankita somehow seem to be the sweetest among them all. It is not even her nature or looks, the fact that she is the eldest and the first child of the next generation perhaps, has to do with it. My parents say her younger brother is the more sensible one and he talks and does the right thing, while she is very naughty. Yet i seem to like her the most. Yes, the rest of them came one after the other from the rest of the siblings and i did not really see them, but i did not see Anki either for long. When i think about this, sometimes, i do wonder if parents do love all their children equally. i think it is possible for some parents to have a favorite child. Perhaps, they do feel guilty to admit it. Mom says parents love all kids equally, but worry constantly for the weaker one. i don't know. Perhaps, she is right. Perhaps, i am wrong.

honey, where is the sofa?

My long distance marriage has been going on for almost a year now. Before that, S travelled for a couple of months. He came back and was asked to travel again when we just shifted to the new place. He said 'no' as i was not well and we were winding up the interiors and monitoring the wood work day in a day out. His tickets were booked the next time around, but i met with the accident just two days before his travel due date and he had to postpone again until i could stand on my feet. i had become very popular with his management and clients alike. However, he did go and it has been almost a year now. Time for us to take stock of things and decide what we want to do. P.V Narasimha Rao, i think, had famously said in his book, " the decision not to take a decision is also a decision." Well, i lived this for a year and it was never an easy thing. No doubt, he never looked happy in any of the pics that i saw of him on T.V while he was the P.M.

When i went for the two months vacation, i didn't know S wanted me to weigh the options and see for myself how i liked the U.S and if we would wish to stay there, or want him to come back. Emotional as i am, i never expected myself to love my job so much. i tried being a house wife for the two months, burnt my fingers while cooking, cribbed and cried and made sure S take over as the official cook, and came back. i am pampered silly by my husband and i am surprised that i can still stay away from him. Anyway, confused mind leads to confused post and this is not going to end in a proper way. Instead, i will share what i did while coming back to india. Without asking him, i packed the lava lamp, brought it to India, forgot about the voltage difference and the moment i inserted it on the plug point, the power tripped and darkness prevailed. It was nice and pretty in his apartment. Now, it is wasted and repairing it doesn't list even in my to-do list. i also carried candles, picture frames, and a lot of stuff for the house. S did tease me saying that if i could, i would have packed the sofa too in my suitcase, which is actually true.

Coming back to the U.S, it was not possible not to be bewildered the first time i saw the country. Most of my friends, and half the world have already travelled or are settled there, so i did not shout it out loud. It was mind blowing at times. I did travel a lot. The most thrilling experience was the south-rim walk at the Grand Canyon, where we stood small and admired mother nature in her vastness, mystery, and beauty. Vegas was amazing too, and i lived every moment to the fullest in the brightest spot on earth. Rest, i flew up and down meeting up with childhood friends and family. The icing on the cake was the business class from Atlanta to Paris on my return journey. i had been crying until i reached Atlanta for leaving my hubby behind, but i cheered up when i saw that i was getting business class in an economy ticket.

Why am i writing all these only now when i had actually come back in the end of August? This is how i live through my separation from the hubby, re-living each moment we had together as if it happened just today morning. The months have somehow passed and we are trying to be together again.