HAPPY BIRTHDAY, FRIEND!

Spoke to a friend today. Initially, it was a birthday wish, but am hoping it made the said friend's day as much as it did mine. Put a smile on my face, really. What did we speak about? Nothing earth-shattering, nothing that is of importance globally. More importantly, it was topics of conversation that made the both of us happy, and glad that we did touch base. It's not often that we speak - yet! (it's a newly forged friendship, you see) - but catching up is always fun. The SMSes that fly back and forth are snippets of conversation in themselves. Hmm, contentment.

Why do I write this post? No, it's not to make the friend get a feel of 'oh, look - I write about you just to flatter you'; neither does it have to do with wanting anyone else to feel that way. What I'm pleasantly surprised is about the fact that you find friends in the most unlikely places, under the most unlikely circumstances. About meeting said friend: a business meeting with a fair number of others, but somehow seem to hit it off with just this one person. A quick promise to keep in touch (did I mention that we live in different cities?), and which we stuck to, saw us swap contact information, led us to explore a tentative new friendship. Safe to say that on the friend front, this is a good place to be!

P.S.: Here's wishing you a wonderful year ahead, friend! You know who you are!

HEY BABY!

Flashback to the time back in school, when we’d sit at your kitchen window, sampling yummy stuff courtesy your mum’s culinary skills… To the time when we’d swap books to read, and discuss the characters like they were friends… And also to the time when we figured babies were not our most favourite topic of discussion!!

Cut to the present. Clichéd but true – how I’d love to be there at this special time in your life, when you’re probably still sitting at a kitchen window (this time, your own), maybe reading a book…. A baby book. (So how many people have had you read ‘What to expect when you’re expecting’?) Now, when a baby is so eagerly awaited, a precious l’il gift already so wanted and loved!

Wish you loads and loads of fun times with Baby! May each day bring with it wonderful moments that you’ll forever cherish.
Here’s to you, Mommy!
Hugs,
Vaijxxxxxxx

P.S: So do you regret not having figured out how to knit from back in high school?

EIGHT-EIGHT-EIGHTY

This is for my BFF, whose birth date this is. (She now has her baby son to share her birthday, too!)

Schoolmates since grade seven, we never did speak while at school, moving in different circles as we did. A tentative friendship was struck when on the suggestion of our tutor, we walked to and fro from French class, seeing that we lived down the road from each other. Initial hesitation and awkward conversations gave way to an amicable walk to class, exploring topics of discussions other than French verbs. Slowly, we'd spend evenings post class and homework together, with me hollering for her outside her window. She'd pop in the window, either inviting me upstairs to her home, or skip downstairs for a stroll along our tree-lined street. We grew up, sharing our fears, hopes, dreams and aspirations. And so the friendship was forged...

Growing up saw us apply for the same college, and become batch mates all over again. Schoolgirl giggles made way for college girl banter, boy talk and shared secrets: some of which we laugh over today! And so the friendship grew even stronger...

Nostalgia hit hard and it was tough to contain the tears, not just for me, but for her too, as she got married and moved away. From having the best friend so close by that she could dash across to comfort me when I was particularly low, or for us to go shopping together, or share her happiness, this stage was one full of mixed emotions.

Years later, with both of us married and leading lives with our significant others, two things have remained constant: the geographical distance, and our friendship. Would love to have the former change, with us being neighbours again someday. As for the latter, there are some things that are sheer perfection and needless to say, should remain unchanged... Touch wood!

ONE WEDDING, A SANGEET CEREMONY & LOADS OF COLD

Taking up where Mr Frosty left off, the North Indian winter just doesn't seem to understand that it's time for it to recede, not intensify at the end of January. Consequently, spent one cold day that led into an even colder evening.

The title's pretty clear - we went to multiple functions, initially dolled up in diamonds and silk, to end the evening wrapped snug in an exquisite Pashmina shawl, in a valiant (and fairly unsuccessful, I might add) attempt to keep the cold at bay.

Made a new friend, wished well to the old - here's to you, Siddharth and Becks!

More on this soon!

CHEERS!

Met one of my oldest friends today. We go a long way back: kindergarten and playing in the sandpit at the neighbourhood park, followed by graduating high school together.

No party night here, but a fun filled, relaxed evening at home, watching television and chatting late into the night (read: 5 in the a.m. the next morning)! Caught up on life, love and sundry other happenings, mundane day-to-day ones even. Rolled our eyes in our heads remembering old school crushes, doing a where-are-they-now reconnoiter, discussing work, common interests... Picked up right where we'd left off, a phone conversation a couple of months ago.

We always plan to meet up, and somehow wind up blaming our schedules for not doing so, but this one evening put a few things into perspective - friends are for life, and you need to take the time out of your otherwise busy schedule to work on and maintain that friendship.

Here's to old friends and to making new ones!