December is here already?

Gosh! Are we already in the last month of the year? When did the rest of the months come by and where did they go? It seems like y’day that I bid adieu to a very distressing 2011 and welcomed 2012 with full of hope for a better tomorrow.

The year didnt disappoint, I can say that for sure . It has largely been a memorable year for us. And I’m deeply grateful to God for that.

In fact, to be honest, I sort of hoped that this year would move past at a more leisurely pace so I could take in all the positive vibes and joyous moments that the year has had to offer me and my family.

But the year seems to have gone by in a flash! And I haven’t even had the time to let these moments sink in. Or have I? Am I getting greedy? My heart craves for more such moments.

When I think of the tough and draining 2011, I shudder!

Right then I feel blessed when I realize how so beautifully has this year made up for all the depressing times of the previous one.

And now, its that time of the year again when I have the same nagging sense of unsurity slowly creeping inside me.

Am I ready to say goodbye to this year yet?
Can I not hold on to it for some more time?
Will all the good moments lived and cherished in this year be carried forward to the next year?
Will the happiness last for years to come or will it be short-lived?
Will the coming year unfold for us things that we may not have prepared or asked for?

Just when these moping thoughts begin to needle me, my mind drifts away to look for some positivity around. And I realize that I dont have to go very far. Because this also is the time of the year that brings a smile on my face..

for everything looks so beautiful and festive..
for the weather is so nippy, cheering me up every time a soft breeze brushes my cheeks..
for my plants look so happy when they wish me each morning with their freshest blooms…

for I feel ever so kicked up to pick up a book to read..
for I feel ever so driven to scribble something( even if gibberish), to give free passage to the words brewing inside me…

for this so is my favorite time of the year..

For I feel so blessed to be…

Touchwood!

Welcoming the festive season with this bloom…

The first hibiscus of this season

This is the time of the year that I love the most when every little thing around me begins to look and feel cheerful, festive and positive . My mother is visiting us this time which makes all the festivities even more worthwhile .

Hope you all have had a wonderful start to the festive season as well .

I realize I have not been visiting very many blogs, totally my loss..which I hope to make up for, as soon as I have some time in hand

Have a great week ahead

EDITED TO ADD (13NOV2012) :

A Very Happy Diwali to all of you! May the festival of lights sparkle up your life with happiness peace and joy all around!

A sense of uncertainty mixed with a sense of hope for the coming year…

This is how I feel as each year draws to a close.

Uncertainty because theres always a sense of jitteriness about what the future may hold, and hope because, despite the uncertainty, there is this unfailing hope that everything will be fine….just fine. Although I have no control over life’s unpredictability, there’s this want to start the new year with a fresh perspective, on a happy note, all the while telling myself that the coming year will have far better things to offer than the previous one.

This year in particular being a little rough on me and my family, what with the surgeries and constant health-scares to have plagued my parents, the anticipation of what’s in store for me in the coming year is even more so.

Yet, this is one time of the year when I feel extremely positive because it is such a beautiful time of the year, isnt it? Everything- from the lovely weather to the wide array of festivals to the smiling faces of people to the well-illuminated houses to the beautiful decorations adorning all the malls and roads, not to mention the promotional-flyers of supermarkets and malls finding a space in between the sheets of my newspaper every other day alerting me of their festive offers and sales-every single thing seems to cheer me on towards staying positive, staying happy .

When, R & Namnam geared up to set up the christmas tree a few days back, what set me thinking was how little it mattered that we didnt follow the religion that normally was associated with christmas. What mattered was how symbolic the festival was with happiness and cheer. In fact a friend and I were even discussing about how this was one of those festivals which transcends religion, caste and creed…how over the years, it had come to mean more about staying happy, spreading joy and being hopeful of better things to come than the birthday of Jesus Christ.

In this world where there are diverse religions, festivals are occassions which reiterate their co-existense.

When my Punjabi friend comes upto me to wish “Happy Onam’ or when I hug my Arab friend to wish her,’ Eid Mubarak’ or when an American joins his Sikh friend to burst crackers on Diwali, or when, in an Islamic country like Qatar, I find malls and retaurants beautifully decorated with christmas trees and stars or when I find ‘konnappoo‘ being sold in shops around Vishu

Konnappoo (image courtesy Google Images)

it makes me realize how beautifully religions can co-exist in this world. How we can respect each other’s religion without having to compromise on our ideologies and beliefs.

And this is the time of the year when I miss being home the most for I know how beautifully festive my city looks all around. In fact the yearning to fly down to soak in the festivities starts to creep inside me much earlier…when the second half barely trickles in. With so many festivals lined up one after the other my heart fills with so much of happiness that as the year closes in, more than feeling sad about bidding the current year goodbye, I find greater joy in looking forward to the coming year with more fervour.

On that note leaving you with our Christmas tree and heartfelt wishes that the coming year will have loads of joy and happiness in store for you and your loved ones

Wish you a Merry Christmas and a very happy & a blessed New Year

Koi Lautade Mere Beete Hue Din…

…at least the 10 days that have gone by, rather swished by!

How wonderful it would be if you could go back in time and relive the beautiful days you spent with your family, all over again!

- The days spent lazing around carefree, with either a book in your hand or simply watching your daughter run around with absolutely no worry to run after her because you knew there already were three people who were more preferred to do the honour!

– The days spent watching your daughter climb up the shelves of her grandparents’ wardrobes, like a monkey and flick li’l things from there and sneak them into your bag. And then hearing her tell them how badly those things were needed in ‘her house’ instead making you reminisce about the time when you used to do the same

– The days spent stuffing yourself with the umpteenth serving of gajar-halwa made ‘lip-smacking-iciously’ by your ma and still craving for more.

– The days spent waiting for the tikki/golgappe-wala to come to your block and then rushing out to book your place with other residents, when he did come tom-tomming on his large frying pan with a spatula. And then devouring and relishing every bite and sipping the spicy jaljeera thereafter….oooooohhhhh!

– The days spent hopping from one shop to another splurging away and realizing in the process that no joy matched up to the joy of shopping with your mother .

– The days spent rediscovering your city through lanes and by-lanes in a cycle-rickshaw with your daughter perching herself amazingly well right at the backseat and your heart skipping a beat every time the rickshaw-puller maneuvered through a jam-packed traffic and finally letting out a relieving sigh when he got you to your destination successfully.

– The days spent rushing up to the terrace as soon as the sun came out, with a pack of moongfalis and a book and your daughter following right after with her homework-sheet.

– The days spent grinding your teeth in the biting cold and yet loving every bit of the chill and breathing in every bit of Dilli ki sardi! Brrrrrrrr!!

How I wish I could have those days back! But as it turns out, its back to the grrrrind!

Anyway, how have you all been? Hope you all had a rocking start to the year.