Travel Woes

The thought for today is where to travel...is familiarity and comfort more important than novel experience?

I've had this toss up before most notably in the Turtle bay vs Hong Kong debate which became a null decision since mother fell sick and had to cancel Turtle bay but the new place had won.

However this year, I did a new place and cannot say was impressed by it even though it came with many good reviews.In my life, where leave is an issue and money sometimes, it pinches to waste both on an average experience!

So the husband and his BFF and wife love Samui and thus want to go there all the time, in this case specifically for New Year's Eve! Now I loved the honeymoon and thought it had a fantastic vibe but I hate to go to the same place twice when I can try something new but was thinking, Thailand assures you of a fantastic experience and you cannot go wrong with it - whereas if I insist on someplace new for example Hampi and it does not work out, it seems to be self defeating! Also the other argument is that the value for money is much higher in a place like Thailand than anywhere in India where expensive rates are not a guarantee of good service or standard!

In other information, thanks to pinterest, I now have some very exotic locations on my to visit list.

addition # 1 Lake Bled in Slovenia - where the water is so clear, you can see under the boat!

this is a picture pinned by Lauren G which I think looks amazing....similar picture is the Hilton at Bora Bora.

addition # 2 Austria Green Lake in the Hochschwab mountains - would it not be amazing to take a break while diving and just sit on the bench waiting for you there?

Side note: ok so clearly my first time posting in this new blogger template and while it looks cleaner (much like gmail), it does feel too sanitized!

on friends

I never realised it's been almost 7 months since I last feel the need to say something! I think I might have forgotten the password to blogger but it's one of the 3 that I use everywhere so got lucky there, unlike my internet banking password where I have set a new one every time I use the damn thing due to my inability to remember what I had chosen the last time - this is further exacerbated by the fact taht they expect you to change every 3 months in any case which means about the time I sort of remember, it's due for change!

There has been a series of minor events in my life - trying to set up a house, hating afore mentioned house, house developing leak, living at mother's for 2 months, finding new house, living with only 2 chairs in new house for nearly 2 months now but still...the floor is sparkling white so feels good to sit on it!

In other news, the BFF had a second baby so I trotted over the 2 oceans and god knows how many countries to visit her, my 2 and three-quarters old godson (first time seeing him by the way) and the new bonny boy who crossed 5 kilos at the 4 weeks stage! I really enjoyed spending time with R and not doing anything at all but chilling in the house and sort of helping to look after the boys (read as letting baby D sleep on me while R rushes around changing, feeding and bathing the baby not to mention the 2.5 yo!!) - very good sort of assistant I is - I tell ya!

on the way  back, stopped off in HK and spent a night with the charade - was great catching up and we stayed up till 2.30 talking - don't ask me about what!

It was this and the 'depression' I have suffered since then which actually brought me back to this forum.

I am 30 years old (yeah that's the other eventful thing that happened - I crossed over to the dark side - was so unhappy could not even do a recap post!) and at this point, 2 of my friends from college live in this city! Hanging out with the girls kinda causes a wrench in my chest because no matter how much I love the friends I have here today, nothing quite compares to someone who has known you for half your life, if not more in some cases! out of the group of 12 girls, around  6 -8 of us are still in fairly close touch one way or another, some more than others leading to everyone being fairly aware of what all are doing. Out of these, 5 are from the same school so even more history from that....these girls understand where you come from always, you have made so many memories, its very easy to share the new ones - somehow we are invested in the children as well coz they are 'of' the friends. It's very easy to resume a conversation even if the last one was years ago. It was not just me who felt this way - both R and Charade also commented on how comfortable and nice it was to just have a conversation in person - another friend also remarked on how she was missing other girls who in turn responded with the same sentiment (maybe we all just 'mawkish'?).

I think part of the problem for me is it's much more difficult to make friends as an adult than as a child/teenager - if you join a university, those people might be carried with you but post that.....I think for me also, I was very happy with the friends that I have and object to replacing the people who suit me just fine even if they live continents away -I'd rather have a phone conversation once a week with the BFF than dinner every day with someone else!

Oscar Worthy?

I feel like I watched a movie after months - Actually I did watch a movie after months! The Husbaand went off to babysit his best friend (whose wife and child are absconding in the UK) and I decided to catch up on some Oscar fare! I started with The Kids Are All Right followed by the much touted Social Network.

I have to say I cannot understand the typecast butch with the short hair and the manly clothes! I'm certain there must be relationships where both are feminine or both are somewhat butch. In this case, Annette Bening is called Nick, dresses in trousers and vests - I understand the controlling part but the need to be masculine? is it not possible to be lesbian, in charge and feminine? I understood Julianne Moore's character more - the sleeping with the man does not imply she is straight or even bisexual just that she is tortured and making bad choices to force the situation. The movie is good but apart from the fact that it was a same sex relationship, all the issues seem the same. Mark Ruffalo as the 'F***ing Interloper' trying to move into a ready made family, was the best thing in the movie for me but I cannot understand the non conclusion of the sub plots like Joni kissing the boy or Tanya and the other fruit picker (this maybe just me though with the need to tie up all threads!).

Having read "The Accidental Billionaire', I have to say the movie stayed true to the book in most part but still the book had more impact. Maybe watching the movie, little less than a year after everyone else creates a certain prejudice but I was certainly not raving about the film. The book very clearly states that for Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook is the biggest thing in the world but that did not come out for me in the movie. In the case of Eduardo Saverin, the things he might have done seem personal and the point of Sean Parker is not overtly stated as a threat. The music does set the scene and Jesse Eisenberg acts the part of a borderline genius but I'm not sure that A Girl is the source of all his angst.

I also thought that the films very not very gripping but that could be the effect of watching them at home on a not very large screen - the distractions and ability to pause does not create the tension to pay attention! I really could not understand the Oscar hype around the films in comparison to previous films which I loved - The Reader, Million Dollar Baby, even Life is Beautiful! 

Next on the list to conquer - True Grit and The Fighter.

Words of Wisdom!

Coz I think I should be a stylist...

This looks like something my Nana would consider an appropriate housecoat in which to greet guests.
Why would you wear a dress the same colour as the rest of you?
I like this even though it looks like a mashup between a roman breastplate and a table cloth!
The wedding look I imagined (in white and with 3/4 sleeves)!!
Why is she even there?
Squashed much - can she even breathe?
The sort of cut out in the middle makes me wonder....
Loved it!
The fan really works!
Forget at 60+, I want her style now!
Matthew McConaughey and this dress - waaaah!
The bow on the butt ruined this silhouette!

I am not a fan of feathers, extra material, fringes dangling off gowns  - Zoe Saldanha last year, Hilary Swank this year - it does not "add character" to a dress - it just looks like there was extra material or worse ran out of the original material!! As for fringes, on an original flapper dress, it's cute - on a gown a la Anne Hathaway presenting - No thank you!'

Funniest commentary ever!!

Raise your glass!

My Maid of Honour's speech at the wedding:

Curly, my best friend you're married today.,,

our fun days at college seem like yesterday,

Coffee at Crosswords & getting wet in the rain

gelato's in Italy & Sangria's in Spain.

We always had a blast where ever we went

and didn't care how much money we spent

We've travelled together & seen different places

we've found our soul mates among all those new faces.

You were always crazy & had your own style

which made certain people run for a mile!

but what I love about you is you don't mind

and your thoughts, words & deeds are never unkind

You've been there for me like no other

That's why I made you my Son's godmother.

You're loyal & loving & a really great friend

But your reign as Drama queen will never end!

When I first met the juggler, I thought what a guy,

hes handsome & funny & not at all shy.

ok The juggler's paid me to say this

but not any of that would I dismiss.

I love how you two look at each other

like there's no one around just one another

and Juggler, the key to being a happy chappie

is to make sure your wife is always happy!

Curly & The Juggler what can I say

you guys look great together any time,any day

you're not alike in many ways 

but your love for each other never sways

I will end now on this high note

it's a pretty cool poem but I wont gloat

I wish you both love luck & health

and many babies to spend all your wealth!

*There were tears at the end of this!

and that's what you missed on....

Glee! That's generally the way they open the show after the recap - The first few episodes of this season have focused on Kurt and his issues with being the only gay person in the school. Well, What I missed on is having a gay BFF - I feel like my life is somewhat incomplete! I also wanna be a 'Fag Hag' - tho I'm not sure if that's a politically correct term - if it's not,I take it back but I still wanna!

Actually, I cannot claim to KNOW a single gay person much less claim them as BFF's - even the people who apparently are homosexual are certainly not telling me!! I think it's a vibe I give off - maybe I come across as judgemental?? Tho I really cannot see how that's possible considering for most people, I'm left of the middle and for some people, I'm not even on the path!

Couple of my friends have the gay BFF thing going and they make it sound like a secret society! Oh! my gay BFF did this - My gay BFF did that! I want a key! I also want to have friends who have 'gaydar' and say things like 'The closet ain't big enough for him, honey'!!

I think my new year's resolution this year - instead of adopting a child for education, I'm going to adopt a gay BFF for my education!