What was 2013 like ?

One word - amazing. 2013 has been the best year on the personal front. On the blogging front, I would say - not very good.

Source : Google Images

The start of the year was not very pleasing since LP and I were returning to US after our annual vacation in India. February and March were really busy months with work and a lot of planning on personal front.

After a 3-month hibernation, I was back on the blog in April with a comeback post. I realized that few of my long lost loves needed revival and so I made sure I had time for those interests. I also made a second attempt at NaBloPoMo (after an unsuccessful stint in November 2012) and made it successfully this time around.

In April, I celebrated the 2nd blogoversary, shared my packing experience from my last vacation, complained about the snow we received last winter, bragged about our new little Dalmatian and  thanked Anisha for the Liebster award and talked about 10 random facts about myself.

I explored my creative side with poems in 'A Rainy Day', 'Breathing Life' and a drabble - 'A Leap of Faith' and shared my photos from the April Photo-A-Day challenge (here, here and here).

I also relocated (for the nth time already) and shared about how it has always been an emotional experience for me, thought aloud about a "profession" vs. "hobby job" and bragged yet again (I think I need an intervention on that ;p) about my new Stickygram magnets.

I ran a quick retrospection about how my past equation with few friends has been.

When LP and I moved closer to New York, I shared about what I missed in my earlier city and what I look forward to in this new city. I loved it when summer was finally here. I posted about how my laptop went on a trip for a couple of days.

In May, I posted a tribute for my mom for Mothers' Day and my May Photo-A-Day challenge.

Post May, I went on a 6-month long hiatus during which I stayed away from the blog but enjoyed my life to the most with family.

The best thing happened to LP and me when we welcomed our little angel - "Baby Girl" in this interim. Life has not been the same since then. :)

I returned back to the blog with yet another comeback post and soon after with a 100 word drabble - "If Only...".

Last but not the least, I made myself a wish list which I want to continue in the coming years.

This year was quite eventful in my life and I hope the same has been the case for you too.

Before I go, I want to wish all of you a very Happy New Year 2014. See you on the other side soon. :)

Your's truly,

A fresh start...

The last time I took part in the Photo-A-Day challenge was in May 2013.

It's been a while so I think it's time for another take at the challenge starting tomorrow and what best month to start other than January 2014.

Here's a look at the prompts created by Fat Mum Slim for January 2014 -

If you would like to join in, you can find the details here.

And if would like to follow me and my pictures for the next month, head to the social media icons on the right sidebar under "Follow me here".

You can find me on Instagram at @momentsilike and on Twitter at @eloquent_mind.

Are you going to take part for the challenge ? :)

Your's truly,

My New Year resolution for 2014 is ...

... to not keep a resolution. Seriously. Why ? Because, every year in December, just as the new year's around the corner, I make some resolutions only to break them within the first 10 days of the new year.

So this year, I have decided - "No more resolutions". Instead, I am going to have a "wish list". 

Source : Google images

A wish list, in so many ways, is similar to a resolution yet different at the same time. Many of my blogger friends have their own wish lists or bucket lists published and I've seen them work towards it successfully. So drawing inspiration from there, I think I should give it a try too. 

Firstly, you get to build your goals in a Work-In-Progress list. You can keep adding on new stuff as and when you like. Secondly, you get to decide by when you wish to accomplish the items on the wish list like in the next year or coming years, so the deadline depends on you entirely. And last but not the least, it's much more inspiring and makes you feel great when you get to strike off items on your wish list.

Now, having my own wish list was something I longed to do much earlier. Something that I regret not doing and putting it off all the past years. I think the main reason behind it was I was afraid of not being able to accomplish it. But this year, I'm not going to let that affect me. If I do 'complete' everything on my wish list, good for me. And if I don't then I just need a pretty good reason for not achieving it. Atleast this way, I'll take out the fear within me and give myself a chance to retrospect on how well/worse this is going.

Having said that, the next question on my mind was - So what do I want on my wish list ? In order to get a head start, I decided to write down the first thoughts that come to my mind - 

• Read at least 25 new books -
  2013 was pretty disastrous in terms of my reading. On one hand my reading challenge never got completed while on the other, I read few books but didn't bother to keep track of them. Since I don't want to repeat that next year, I am starting with a small target and hope to achieve a little bit more than with every passing year. Fingers crossed on that one.
• Write a book review - 
  Another item which has been on my mind for quite some time, I think it's high time to give it a shot. 
• Lose weight - 
  Now that the post-pregnancy phase is slowly returning to normal, I want to lose weight and firstly return to my pre-pregnancy weight. Once that's achieved, focus on managing a healthy weight. This also means that I am going to stick to more healthier foods and stay from junk food altogether.
• Stay away from chocolates and caffeine - 
  Ok ok, you can remove that "who-is-she-kidding" look from your face. You know what, even I feel like I'm gonna cave in on this item in the first few days. Maybe I'll grab a cup of Joe or sneak on a choco once or twice but this item stays on my wish list :) Stay tuned to see how I fare.
• Control my anger - 
  This year has been pretty much disappointing in terms of controlling my emotions. Blame it on my pregnancy hormones or not, I think I can do much better if I stay away from certain people and situations in order to not get affected. 'Forgive and forget' will be my motto to help me be on track. :)
• Visit at least 3 new states in the US - 
  This is going to be a joint item on my and LP's wish list. After our last relocation from Illinois to New Jersey, we really haven't got a chance to do much long-distance sightseeing. So 2014 will be the year to break that jinx and do some serious exploring. Can't wait for it.
• Learn to read and write a new language - 
  Out of the 4 languages that I know, I can't read or write in 2 of them. So I am going to work on that in 2014.
• Learn classical music - 
  Ever since childhood, my mom has struggled to teach me classical music. Unfortunately it never took off and I always ended up learning just the basic notes. Also, this was at a time when I was not too keen on learning the art. However, as the years flew by, I noticed that the desire to learn music grew stronger and stronger in my heart. It's reached such a point where I long to nurture this art. So this goes into my wish list for sure. 

Obviously, this is not a very exhaustive list but it's a decent start. This list will soon make its way as a separate page on this blog for better tracking.

Now you tell me, what's your resolution for 2014 ? Or do you have a wish list like mine ?

Your's truly,

If only...

Source : Google images

“Sigh !”

Kristy served coffee to the last customer at his table. With five minutes left to strike 12AM, she trailed off into thoughts again.

If only she wasn’t working on Christmas eve…

If only someone tipped her 500 bucks to fly home…

If only wishes came true…

The gentleman left with a smile as Kristy walked to his table and found a note.

“Spend this Christmas with your loved ones!”.

And underneath the note – 500 bucks!

It was 12AM. Kristy was wonderstruck. Did her wish just come true ? Or was it a blessing in disguise ?

- Written for Write Tribe’s 100 Words on Saturday Prompt: A Blessing in Disguise

Your's truly,

My 'comeback' post plus "something new"...

6 months and 23 days.

That's how long it's been since my last post. Gosh ! Time has flown, seasons have changed, milestones have been completed and most importantly, newer relationships have taken center-stage. 

I truly missed this space and yet I never remained totally away from it. I never could. 

Even though my writing was on a break, my reading was not. Your lovely posts and exciting stories kept me hooked like a child watching TV. Your blogs made me want to read and know more about the interesting events happening in your lives. 

Source : Google Images

So then why did I choose to go "away" ? Well, it was a conscious decision to take a break from the surfing world (read - Facebook, Twitter and the likes) to spend more quality time with family. And I am happy I went ahead with this decision. I guess, in this fast moving world you need a break sometimes to retrospect and come back with a bang. Truly, the last few months feel like a dream now. I should say - not only was it the best break, it has also been the best time of my life so far.

And now for the "something new" part. :)

Till now, this blog has only been about me and my hubby (LP). But going forth, I want to write about another member as well who has, in the recent past, taken the spotlight of my life and that is my "Baby Girl". :) Not only does she keep me on my toes & busy as a bee but she also keeps me sane enough to find time at late nights to get back to my blogging. :) 

I don't mean to turn this into a mommy blog or anything but I still want to utilize this space to record my experiences & special moments with her so that one day, I can go back, read these posts and say - "Now that wasn't too bad." ;) Who knows maybe even share these experiences with the little one too.

Yours truly,

Instagram - May Photo-A-Day Challenge

May was fun ! :)

I loved the prompts and it was even more fun to click the pictures for them. Take a look.

Day 1 - I bought this - an iPad for hubby

Day 2 - Morning Ritual - my bowl of cereal and milk

Day 3 - This is really good ! - Choco chip cookies.... Yum !

Day 4 - In my cup - Milk

Day 5 - Paper - Movers list

Day 6 - Broken - my tap

Day 7 - Something beginning with F - My favourite flower

Day 8 - Shape - of an elephant

Day 9 - Snack - Indian snack - pani puri and a hot coffee. Bliss !

Day 10 - Stars - in different colors

  Day 11 - A Smile - on the cover page of my book

Day 12 - Mother - can't wait to see you

Day 13 - Sunset - in New York City

Day 14 - Need - to go to sleep

Day 15 - 7'o clock - having Mexican dinner at Chipotle

Day 16 - Mailbox - in my building

Day 17 - Season - Summer is here

Day 18 - Want - good homemade food

Day 19 - My Favourite View - Nature 

Day 20. Light - Natural moonlight

Day 21 - I care about this... - Nature

Day 22 - Change - in weather

Day 23 - PJs - to keep me comfy

Day 24 - Go - for some sightseeing

Day 25 - Us - at the Brooklyn bridge

Day 26 - Fave thing to do on Sunday - take a nice long walk with hubby

Day 27 - Can't live without - Nature

Day 28 - What I am doing now - Celebrating our anniversary

Day 29 - Kiss - just a doodle

Day 30 - Tool - my favourite one

Day 31 - Four things - night-time booklight, current book, pen and bookmark

From your daughter...

You never gave up and never said a word,

Through all life's troubles and whole lot of pain.

Now it seems selfish every time for me to cry and wince,

Because you always ache and never let go my wails in vain.

Ever since you gave birth and held me in your arms,
My whole world seems secure and safe.

I feel thankful to God who gifted you to me,

I feel thankful to my destiny that I wasn't a waif.

I am what I am today just because of you,

With what you taught, enriched and shared.

It's been a new learning experience for me every moment,

Every time I turned to you whenever I erred.

I despise those who failed to understand you,

Those who failed to trust your advice and feelings.

It's their sheer bad luck and misfortune,

That they are now suffering in their own dealings.

There's no better expression, there's no other way,

To cherish what you sacrificed and appreciate what you gave.

You have gracefully sailed through the toughest times,

 By being calm, righteous and brave.

I live in fear now awaiting that day, 

When two little hands will look up to me.

Can I ever in this life be like you - patient, caring and kind ? 

Can I ever make you proud and fill you with glee ?

I pray to Him and will always wish, 

To shower you with happiness and blessings than any other.

If I got to make just one wish today,

I would always ask to have you as my "mother".

Note: ‘I am writing a Tribute to Mom in association with Parentous.com‘

Foto Fridays at Times Square !

Need I say anything ??? :)

Hello New York City ! :)

Most populous city... Famous tourist destination... City that never sleeps...

What else do we know this place as ? :) No matter what, this city is on everyone's wishlist.

Instagram - April Photo-A-Day Challenge (Days 21-30)

Here are my pictures for the April Photo-A-Day Challenge - Days 21 through 30 :)

Day 21 - Fire

Day 22 - Blurry

Day 23 - Time

Day 24 - I saw this person today ...

Day 25 - Life is colorful

Day 26 - Childhood

Day 27 - Earth

Day 28 - My Sunday

Day 29 - What I wore today

Day 30 - Glasses