Dear Best Friend...

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I looked at your letters in my hand today and traveled back in time.

My memory stopped exactly 19 years ago. I can’t recollect how & when, but some quick encounters started our friendship and before we knew it, we became good friends.

I sailed through some of my best years of schooling life thanks to your support. You were always besides me no matter what. On good days and even the really bad ones. You always maintained you will never have a best friend in life since you thought it unfair to distinguish between friends. I never understood you on this but always wondered and wished that you would say I am your best friend. I would constantly prod you with my silly questions - 

“Whose your best friend ?”

“What if you could only choose one ?”

“Who would that one person be?”

“All are good friends of mine.” - was your forever reply when I tried my best to get my name out of your mouth. “You will always be my best friend.” - I boasted to you. But that’s how mature you were, even from a very young age.

I learnt a lot from you and still cherish the moments when you stood by me. You were the first one to teach me optimism and always encouraged me to think positively in life. I thought I was the only one with real-world problems until you showed what it means to look at the silver lining in every situation. 

When I had to leave your company and go away for higher studies, you promised to keep in touch and you always did. During one of the toughest phases of my life, the only relief I got was from your hand-written caring letters. I looked forward to the birthday cards you sent me and till this date, treasure them as good as gold. 

Reading all the olden letters and cards, makes me sad today but nevertheless feel grateful and blessed to have as my friend. I feel proud to have known you. Even when we reconnect now, I never experience a loss of connection & always manage to pick up from where we left the last time.

You showed me how friends can be family too. I wish all our life relationships were as caring and loving as ours. I wonder if I have been a good friend too. But I guess I am too quick to dismiss this thought knowing that I haven’t.

Because you made a promise and always stood by it. 

If you had to write a letter to your best friend, 

what would you say ?

**Linking with Day 7 of the #BarAThon Challenge  from 1st to 7th August 2016**

Yours' truly,

Outside my window

As my fingers type away with what’s on my mind, my heart quickly races back to the little boy running around in his tiny shoes. He runs on the empty ground nearby playing with his pet dog. I stop typing for a moment and get up to peer outside my kitchen window.

Moving to this place 3 years ago, made me feel sad. I purely went by the appearance of the locality and the layout of the apartment only to reject it in a blink of an eye. However, 3 years later, I feel cozy because life’s best memories have happened here.

A house once stood tall on the nearby empty ground. Old and abandoned, it looked like a shipwreck. A tattered gate prevented strangers from entering the plot. I would stand in my kitchen every morning preparing my coffee and occasionally crane my neck to see if I would be lucky enough to even catch a glimpse of a neighbor. 

At one point, I thought the house was haunted. In the late hours of the night, as I would tip-toe into my kitchen for a glass of water, I would force myself to not look outside the window terrified that I would find a ghost walking across the room with a candle in hand. But I never saw one.

I wondered why anyone would leave their home unattended. I imagined the kind of people who lived there, what lives they might have led and even made up mock memories in my head. A house-warming, birth of kids, graduation get-togethers, birthday parties, home renovations and what not.

And then one wintery morning, huge vehicles entered the premise and made the space their home for the next 5 days. Construction workers would hammer here and there to tear the roof apart, or pick up broken logs and lug them out. All the remains within the home were picked carelessly and thrown into garbage bags. 

Once the belongings in the house had been cleared, a huge bull-dozer brought the house down while constantly beeping away. I looked on as the pillars of the house fell, then the wooden roof and finally the walls of the rooms until there remained no proof of a house. 

Watching the sight of a broken house made me restless but I consoled myself with the thought that now a new family would come back to build their home right here. Soon, there would be good memories to reminisce about. This end only meant a new beginning. I waited and waited for months expecting and hoping that soon there would be another home.

But no one came. And there never was another home. 

Now, all the sights I find on the empty ground are kids playing during the holidays, people walking their dogs int the afternoons, squirrels chasing each other for hours and birds pecking away in the search for food.

Seasons change and so does this empty ground. It stands barren in the winters, and turns lush green in spring. The place has it’s own charm in the fall with multihued leaves strewn everywhere. 

My friends who stop-by never fail to take a view out this window and exclaim how peaceful it looks outside. But, every time I look out the window, I imagine the old home standing tall and ponder about the memories that lasted there.

What’s the view like outside your window ?

**Linking with Day 5 of the #BarAThon Challenge  from 1st to 7th August 2016 
and Friday Reflections - What can you see outside your window?**

Yours' truly,

A simpler time

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“Life is short so never hold back, forgive like you have amnesia, believe like a kid, love like crazy, and never regret anything that made you happy.” - Author Unknown.

As I flipped the monthly calendar to the new month, I looked back at the days gone by and realized I was getting old. There are those days, once in a while, when memories spring up in mind and remind me of a simpler time. Before technology took over. Before the world changed forever. Before we over-complicated our lives.

When the mobile phone first made an entrance into our household, as children, we helped our parents learn all about the new gadget. Up until then, every time we needed help with a problem (in school, in academics, in life, you name it) we turned to our parents. They seemed to know it all. Even without the help of Google. Our youngster, fresh minds were bubbling with energy and ready to take on the world. More importantly, we looked forward to adapt to any new challenge.

Fast forward to the present day and I reminisce about those simpler times often and yearn for it. On some days, I feel I am done with the new age traditions and wish someone could invent a time machine for me to go back and relive those memories again.

As we mature into older versions of ourselves, I find many of us don’t wish to over-complicate our lives anymore. Seriously, I don’t. I like having letters in my mailbox which I can read later as opposed to emails. I enjoy in a long walk on a warm evening accompanied by just by a bag and a book instead of a mobile, charger, headphones and a laptop. I realize that our fragile lives are caged temporarily in a man-made bubble which may pop anytime and leave us crippled if we don’t train our brains and heart to live without a mobile.

If I could, I would take away the technology that has tricked us into becoming it’s slave. If only, we would slow down our fast-paced world and take notice of the world around or even better, just look around and for once, be in the moment. 

Nowadays, I enjoy a simple game of ball with my baby girl. I relish a cup of coffee reading a book. I focus intently on what I am cooking so as to absorb the recipe and not just merely follow the online instructions. It’s a way to enjoy what I am doing and also stay in the present moment. 

Do you agree - what’s your ritual when it comes to relaxing our super fast lives?

Also please share, how do you like to detox technologically? 

Do share.

**Linking with Day 3 of the #BarAThon Challenge  from 1st to 7th August 2016**

Yours' truly,

Hello Again !

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Hi there ! Remember me ? At this point, I am frantically hoping that you still haven’t forgotten me, thanks to my unplanned, unexplained hibernation phase I have been going through up until now, and if you have indeed forgotten me then I wish this post of mine penetrates deep into your mind, to dust-off & bring back all those wonderful thoughts that conspired in your mind every time you visited this space.

Now that’s what I call wishful thinking ! :D

Back to reality then. As you can see, there’s been a pretty wide gap between now and my last post. Between now & then, while the world had its share of New Year celebrations, V-day mushiness & a billion other global events keeping it busy, I had a sudden ‘Shockation’ (it’s a new word in my dictionary & I’ll be talking more about it soon in this post), I discovered a different meaning to my traditional New Year Eve celebration, some new experiences, some old heartbreaks and countless memories to last a lifetime. So join me & read on to find out more.

I have always looked at successful people & strongly believed that their everyday lives are results of meticulous planning. So as to survive better, we plan our activities for each passing day - carefully save & pick out destinations for our yearly vacations, diligently revamp our goals for every new decade of the millennium and consistently watch out for any unexpected curveballs that may deviate our journey in this life. Because that’s what people should do for a smooth & pleasant life and few others who prefer a balanced life with goals and milestones. Right? 

But what happens 

if we don’t overlook the curveballs 

& go about planning our lives as usual ? 

How do we wake up one fine day 

& re-adjust ourselves to face life 

with a new plan ?

Exactly 2 months ago, while one half of the world was busy enjoying the New Year bash and the other half was gearing up for the New Year to start, I was caught in between staring into oblivion. Conscious of my being but unaware of how life could change course within mere seconds to make new plans almost instantly. 

Originally having planned our family vacation for March 2016, we looked forward to 

• spending quality time with loved ones, 
• attending family events scheduled in that time frame, 
• completing few over-delayed responsibilities 
• and generally have fun in the Indian summer heat (ok, the last one wasn't true). :D

The morning of 31st Dec 2015 definitely ensured we throw out the afore-mentioned plan. Enter our ‘Shockation’. 

We were still vacationing at our friends’ place at Ohio (which is 12+ driving hours away from our home sweet home in New Jersey) when a shocking update from the hubby’s office came about saying that an unfortunate paperwork goof-up will require us to immediately pack our bags & leave for India to help sort it out. And this was just the beginning. So left with no other viable option than to travel, we drove back from our friend’s place overnight to save on precious time lugged by bag, baggage & toddler to at least get things rolling. 

Traditionally New Year Eve, for me, means to spend time with friends or family, watching movies, playing crazy games, feasting on delicious food & counting down to the New Year. But the New Year Eve of 2015 surely took the cake. We spent the initial moments of the New Year, at a gas station. Feasting on homemade quick bites. Remembered the mind blowing fun our friends were having at the same time. Sigh ! 

Aah ! Let’s do away with tradition I say ! :D

I still have no idea how the next 2 days flew by mainly because we had to pack 5 big suitcases (and hand baggage extra), coordinate with the office to book our tickets, shop for last minute gifts for family whilst remembering to jot down our pending tasks on paper so we wouldn’t forget the zillion things once back in India & also catch up on beauty sleep for the long journey ahead.

Before we knew it, we were on a plane to India, still reeling over how life could take sudden swift turns on a smooth road & throw you off-track. We definitely weren’t in the vacation mindset and I surely got a taste of that, thanks to my ‘Shockation’.

Since our trip was unplanned, we didn’t inform anyone in the family about our visit except my Baby Bro. It was a rather fun experience to casually walk into the household in front of my parents who opened the door with gaped mouths and were pretty freaked out seeing us there. They gave us an earful for hiding the surprise but the look on their faces is something I will treasure for the rest of my life. :)

The month whizzed by in a blink of an eye and we also made sure to return to the US with an ‘almost’ completed to-do list.

Once the ‘Shockation’ came to an end, it’s side-effects began to roll. You know the drill - fever, cold, cough, bad throat - the usual drama. At one point I was freaking out the people around me by all means thanks to my rustic, croaky voice. :D

We returned home early February & since then I have been reveling in the happy moments of the trip & feeling grateful because - 

• Sudden vacations are always good - Life has a funny way of telling you to stop working hard or even partying hard. Then it just forces you to enjoy & live for the moment. Truly said - “Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans.”

• A dose of family & friends can fix everything - January saw us reconnecting with family, friends & everyone from our social circle living in different cities. It made me forget my worries & feel blissful in their company. After many years, Hubby dear got to spend his birthday in his home town amidst his family. Baby Girl, on the other hand, got to meet everyone in our families who were equally thrilled to see her & watch her antics. So never distance yourself from people who shower their unconditional love on you.

• The Universe is constantly conspiring to help us - If I learnt anything from my experiences in the past couple of months, it is that - ‘Everything is life has its own time.’ Sometimes the Universe plans for you & helps you achieve/complete it. When things don't happen our way, we begin to fret over the small stuff. On the contrary, something better is definitely on its way. So I have learnt to stop overthinking, worrying, trying so hard and let it naturally flow.

• Writing again - The past 3 months have been low on my writing part. At one point, I wanted to just keep away. Either because I had a feeling I had nothing to write about or at other times, I was bursting with so many ideas to share about. When I would finally sit at the laptop to write, I just couldn’t. Made me wonder - have others felt the same too. If yes, please do share. Reading Parul’s gratitude post on her blog - Happiness & Food, gave me that extra nudge & a little much-needed inspiration so as soon as I was done reading, I made myself a hot cup of coffee, sat down on the couch and promised myself not to budge until this post was ready.
• Now is the time - I am grateful for ‘this’ moment. I realized that with the vacation out-of-the-way, I can now focus on the other important stuff lined up for this year & I am all excited about it.

• A surprise V-Day celebration - We have actually never celebrated V-day in the true sense. However, this year was a first of firsts. Earlier this month, on probably the chilliest day of this month, hubby dear surprised me to a lovely brunch on a cruise along the New York waterfront. We were also one of the very few couples onboard who had a toddler in tow. ;)

A V-Day surprise !

• Last but not the least, your blog posts - Even though I have been away, on vacation or at home, I remembered to read my favorite bloggers before heading for bed every night. I realize I haven't been regular on the comments but I still do read all of you. :)

Do share ! What’s on your gratitude list ?

Linking with Vidya’s Gratitude Circle Blog hop for February 2016. 

Yours' truly,

99 things I love #FridayReflections #GratitudeCircle

Unlike the times where I have to play a mental tug-of-war with my mind on one side and the words being typed on the other, I could just dive in this week and write out to my heart's content. Because it's a list I love, it's about all the things I love and there can be no end when it comes to picking out our favorites from this lifetime. Incidentally, this list also combines items that I am grateful for.

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What I would love, even more than the list, is to find out how many of you amazing people have the same things on your list, if you had to write one now ? 

So what are we waiting for ? Let's share and find out. :)

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1. My birthday (ok! That seemed obvious. :p)
2. Birthday cake (or any cake in general)
3. Books, books and books - need I say any more
4. Reading on my couch with a steaming hot cup of coffee in hand
5. A comfy couch
6. Watching the rains while listening to my favorite music
7. Traveling to exotic places
8. Food ! 
9. Writing
10. The 'Fall' season - how nature changes its colors and makes me 'fall' in love with it :)
11. Watching the first snow of the season
12. Shopping for Baby Girl (or myself :D)
13. Watching romantic movies with LP
14. A long shower (yes, that is indeed a privilege these days)
15. Loitering around mindlessly in a book cafe
16. The smell of new books
17. Blogging community and all the wonderful friends I made in the past year
18. Writing letters
19. Poetry
20. Dancing 
21. The performing stage - it's where I want to die when its time 
22. Going home to see my parents and baby bro
23. Planning surprises for loved ones
24. Driving on my own 
25. Occasional solitude - lets me indulge in my thoughts
26. My busy routine
27. My dance studio - it's where I forget the outside world and sometimes even my family :D
28. My iPhone - even though I hate how the invention has replaced 'almost' everything, I am used to it
29. Doing nothing from time to time
30. Chatting away with friends for hours
31. Watching mom cook
32. The appreciations after a good performance
33. Watching my dance institute grow an inch every month
34. Going away for the weekend
35. Thanksgiving shopping - when good things are really cheap
36. Holiday season 
37. Sightseeing in NY - you never run out of places
38. Walking around the neighborhoods of NY on a Saturday afternoon
39. Spending some well-deserved alone time at a coffee shop
40. Flipping through old photo albums
41. Watching silly movies with my baby bro 
42. Balloons
43. Historical fiction 
44. Mythology
45. Indian classical music
46. Soft toys
47. My laptop
48. Early mornings and its eerie silence. For the same reason I love late nights and the solitude it brings.
49. Going for a long walk
50. Long drives
51. A clean home
52. A cleaner sink :P
53. The days when I have a lot of reasons to smile about
54. Sleeping after a really long day
55. Disney stores - I could keep gazing at the toys and the princess dresses forever
56. Movies at the theatre with popcorn in my hand
57. Feeling the cool breeze on a hot summer day
58. Watching reruns of F. R. I. E. N. D. S.
59. Creative thinking - irrespective of whether it's for dance, painting or writing
60. Playing games with close friends
61. Having a pot-luck dinner topped with hot debates, delicious desserts and late-night movies
62. Opening gifts
63. The accolades from childhood
64. Long walks along the country side lanes in UK
65. Visiting churches and temples to admire the intricate architecture
66. Meditating
67. Acts of kindness
68. Quiet evenings
69. Meeting my students every week
70. New Years' Eve celebrations
71. Snuggling into bed
72. Flowers
73. Chocolates 
74. Shoes
75. Reconnecting with school friends
76. Being silly with my toddler
77. Cartoon time - makes me reminisce my childhood days
78. Photo shoots - personal, professional or plain candid
79. Peeking from my blanket while watching a horror movie (Yeah, I do that a lot.)
80. Singing in my car with the music on
81. Planting sloppy kisses all over my kid
82. Volleyball matches with friends
83. Bowling
84. A nice dinner at my favorite restaurant
85. An empty calendar day
86. Video chats with my family
87. Ice cream
88. Exploring best picks for furniture from IKEA 
89. Silly dancing along with Baby Girl
90. My morning free time before the pandemonium begins
91. Puppies and kittens
92. Visits to my library
93. Clouds
94. A nice hot bowl of soup on cold wintery nights
95. Sunrise and sunsets (who wouldn't have these on their list)
96. Vacations
97. Fridays
98. Memories
99. Special moments of life

Go on, it's your turn now. :)

The road ahead...

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29th July 2000

How should I describe today? A day of mixed emotions? Personal realizations? Life-changing moments? Or should I call it a plain rebirth? Sitting at the international airport lounge, with a family of strangers at my side and a hand-bag in my hand, I am amazed how my life has taken a sharp turn in the past 48 hours.   

Source : Google Images

For 16 years I have stayed here. Abroad. In the Middle East. With my family. My parents who love me immensely. A mischievous baby bro who plays my side-kick and partner-in-crime for most pranks. Education in a sophisticated Indian school. Extra-curricular activities, competitions, regular concerts and outings to keep us busy. We had an almost perfect life.

Life was good. On one hand, I had just completed my Class 10 final exams with flying colors. The new year in Class 11 had begun in full swing - something I was still coping with thanks to the elongated vacation to India after the Class 10 exams and a sudden leg surgery in India. But nevertheless I was confident of catching up during the summer vacations (July and August) and be right on track in September before the Half Yearly exams. 

Major career options can take a back seat for now. These only need to be decided in Class 12 and that's still a good 1 year later. So why bother about it now?

On the other hand, fate was busy making other plans for me. 

As the first month of the vacation period creeped towards it's end, sudden changes at dad's workplace forced him and mom to rethink options for the future and our life abroad. And the first casualty was me.

I was at a crucial stage of my education. Any chance of a sudden job loss for my dad would mean losing an entire academic year since the admissions in India close well before the end of July. Thus began discussions and decisions to get me admitted to a good junior college in India before the admissions close.

I was told 2 days ago that I need to move to India alone. My mother and brother would join me 20 days later. It took only 48 hours to book my ticket and pack my belongings from a country where I spent living and studying for 16 years. I'll tell you what I felt when I was told I would be shifting base to Mumbai to a new college to study with new friends who speak a new language? 

Fear. Sadness. Doubt. 

Not to forget the fact that I had never traveled alone by a bus, let alone an entire 4-hour flight journey.

My parents charted out a new life for me and I wasn't skeptical how I was going to adjust to it. At first it sounded exciting to share the breaking news with friends about the quick decision. On the day of my travel at 6 PM just as we were about to leave home for the airport, the feeling finally sunk in. 

I am never going to live in the Middle East anymore. I was being uprooted to a new location. 

I wanted time to pause. So I could breathe. So I could absorb my surroundings. So I could say good-bye. 

But time flew by like always and there I was at the airport looking clueless. My father requested a family, who were traveling to Mumbai like me, if I could accompany them on my maiden flight. They obliged. And thus the scene was set. 

Dad helped me check-in my bags and walked me till the immigration counter. When he kissed and hugged me, I felt a huge blow deep down in my heart. For the first time in 48 hours I realized I would be staying away from my dad for God-knows-how-long. 

So this is me now, on my maiden journey to India. Alone, in a flight, seated next to strangers, with a million emotions to share but no words to express. 

All thanks to the huge lump in my throat and the tight knot in my heart.

Dad - your loving hug choked me up. I wanted to say so much to you but I couldn't. Now all I can wish is I can tell you telepathically how much I will miss you. I wish I could tell you or mom how scared I am. That I am unaware of what this road beholds for me. 

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P.S. - This was the flurry of thoughts running in my head as I moved out from one home to another to test the waters. Looking back at how the past 14 years have zoomed by, I feel nostalgic of that time. Life has changed so much post that journey. 

Today, I felt I should share with you what ran through my mind 14 years ago as I embarked on a new chapter in life. 

Do you remember your first journey away from home? What were your feelings?

Yours' truly,


                          **Linking to the Ultimate Blog Challenge for July 2014 and BlogHer - NaBloPoMo**

Looking back 10 years...

Every decade brings us new memories in our lives. 

Famous life coach and motivational speaker, Tony Robbins believes - "Most people overestimate what they can accomplish in a year - and underestimate what they can achieve in a decade!"

Source : Google Images

When I look back at the last 10 years, it feels like a blur. Not because I have forgotten the moments in those years, but because as always life has been fast paced and leaping towards it's destination at breakneck speed. 

By far, my twenties have been the most fun-filled years (I have 2 months to go before I enter the thirties). It's also been very fulfilling personally. 

Here are 10 important events that took place in my life (in chronological order) in the last 10 years  - 

1. Completion of my Graduation 

2. My first job 

3. Moving to the UK for work 

4. Loss of my maternal grandfather 

5. Visiting Singapore as a danseuse 

6. Entering matrimony 

7. Completion of my Post-Graduation 

8. Purchasing our home 

9. Moving to USA for work 

10. Birth of my baby girl 

Tell me, what are the 10 most important events that have happened in your life in the past decade ? :)

Yours' truly,


                                **Linking to the Ultimate Blog Challenge for July 2014 and BlogHer - NaBloPoMo**

Our lil Miss. Cookie

Few weeks ago, I watched the movie - '101 Dalmatians'. The cute movie about a couple, their even-more-adorable dogs and puppies not to forget the vamp - Cruella.

Image source

I had watched this movie a lot of times earlier too but somehow I liked watching it even more this time.

People who know me can speak about how crazy I get when I see cats or kittens. Add cute, adorable, innocent puppies to that list and off goes my attention. :)

So when LP and I made our visit to India in December 2012, our first stop was my parents home. I couldn't wait to reach home. Since it was a really early morning flight arrival, we requested my parents and baby bro to not bother coming to the airport to pick us up. This was also our chance to barge in like gate-crashers to surprise them.

Once we reached home, we sneaked all our luggage without making a noise through the corridor outside our apartment. Then we rang the bell continuously and so hard that the neighbors would have actually misunderstood us to be thieves :)

My father opened the door and welcomed us. Mom came out next from the bedroom and hugged us. Then it was my baby bro's chance to step out. And finally just when we thought we have met everyone, there was an additional entry. And this is how she greeted us -

This is our little Miss. Cookie. :) She came prancing around like a cub right behind my baby bro while we stood there with a surprised look on our faces. Cookie got acquainted with us within a minute and off she went licking our legs and pulling our bags.

So she's a new addition in my family back home and it's fun to see my parents and baby bro cater to her whims-and-fancies. :)

As kids, we had love birds as pets earlier but somewhere deep down, my bro and I always wanted a pet like a cat or dog. And even if it was so later in life that we got one, we are so happy with the way Cookie has entered our household. She has grown bigger over the past couple of months. I don't have a recent pic and hence leaving you with this pic where my mom is holding her while she poses for the camera ;)



Travel Diaries : Cincinnati, Ohio (Mr. Anna's birthday)

Last weekend, LP and I headed over to Cincinnati, Ohio to surprise Mr. Anna for his belated birthday celebrations from 14th Nov 2012. Excited to be back in Ohio, we started from Bloomington on Saturday and reached our destination in 4.5 hours.

At Mr. Romeo and Mrs. Juliet's home, the surprise was decided and we hid ourselves in their bedroom closet to avoid Mr. Anna from suspecting on us.

After what seemed like an eternity, Mr. Anna kept chatting with the folks keeping close vigil from any off-guarded secrets. :-P Once the cat was out-of-its-bag, LP and I sprung out of hiding to surprise him. What followed thereafter was an evening of good conversations and amazing food.

Leaving you with some snaps of the evening -

Dinner at Mexican restarant - Casadores

Finally, a game for bluff and monopoly.

Mouth-watering lunch the other day.



Happy Diwali 2012

Can't believe it's a year already and here I am posting about Diwali again. If you missed my earlier post on Diwali in 2011, here it is.

When I think of Diwali, my memory takes me back to my childhood in Bahrain. It was mummy's responsibility to take care of the sweets every year. There were some that were made at home and some that were purchased from the local South-Indian hotel. Baby bro and I would sneak into the kitchen and start eating them even before the festival day. :) Aah the days when you could gorge on dozens of sweets and not worry about weight or pimple issues. "Calories" ??? Whatever that meant or however it spelt back then. :p Too bad, the old metabolism rates have disappeared into thin air.

Diwali is never complete without new clothes. Shopping for new clothes and jewellery starts days ahead. On the day of the festival, we would wear the new attire and go to the temple.

I know I have said it here before and I will say it again. I love making the "Rangoli" for Diwali and this is the most interesting part that I always look forward to. Eager to reach home after school to start the rangoli, I would keep wondering what design mom had chosen for the year and what colors need to go into the design. Once at home, a quick lunch and it was time to spend the next 5-6 hours at the doorstep or the stairway surrounded by colors of different hues.

The men of the house - Daddy and baby bro would stop by occasionally to judge the effort. Actually, when I come to think of it, I remember my baby bro would pool in with mom and me to help us. As usual, he always ended up fighting with me over how much area I could have to fill colors and how much area he could have. Nevertheless, he always got bored in the first half hour and walked away to play. The moment when he walked away was always, sheer bliss ! :p

Diwali, in India, was a totally new and refreshing experience too. Twelve years back when I moved from Bahrain to India, I was sad that my childhood was being left behind but little did I know that it would open doors for many other opportunities and possibilities and one such opportunity was "celebrating festivals".

In few places of the Middle East, we are not allowed to fire crackers in public. In India, this experience has been different. As kids, baby bro and I missed this fun. However, on the other hand, we have never gone over-board as well.

Although we refrain from purchasing noisy rockets or large crackers due to the pollution it can cause, every year we do make it a point to celebrate with some for sure. Years have gone by, but the charm of the festival still amazes me and what I miss most on this Diwali is the company of my family and loved ones because that is what makes every occasion even more special.

Here's wishing you all and your families a very Happy, Prosperous and safe Diwali ! :)

Snaps of this year's celebration -