Category Archives: London

And it snowed!

 



























I was snuggling up in my duvet, watching the cloudy sky from my window all of my morning. And I thought that in a nut-shell would describe my Saturday. Then it stretched a bit. I went on to do a light and healthy breakfast, took a long warm shower, cooked a spicy lunch with my colleagues and and just when post lunch was beginning to get drowsy and lazier, I sat upright and played a few episodes of HIMYM. However, the day’s mood had not changed much – I was still snuggling up comfortably in the my duvet! It was only around 6pm that my colleagues convinced me to step out with them.


East Ham (in East London, easy to guess I believe!) is the place to do your shopping for Indian groceries. And so that’s where we headed straight. I was happy to walk through the small aisles in this shop filled with Indian cosmetics, spices, cereals and pulses, and all the possible varieties of Priya and Mother’s Recipe pickles! I picked a few packets of spices – cinnamon sticks, grounded coriander powder, til seeds and asafoetida among some of the important ones. I also saw baskets full of Maggi there! And well, my fifteen pounds felt good.

And then it happened. Snow!



It started to excite me the minute the tiniest snowflake placed itself on my cheeks, almost like a sweet peck! As my colleagues and I finished dinner and stepped back onto the streets of East Ham, the city was beginning to get covered under a snowy white layer. The sky turned an adorable sepia and the hues were breathtaking at places with the combination of neon lights and snow’s reflection causing that vibrant mix we only see in paintings! We spent a good one hour playing about with the tiny layer of snow; but by the time we got home in Stratford we had a thicker layer of snow waiting for us.

I am so happy it snowed in London! I had been waiting for it to snow. The winter of 2011-12 has just got its meaning, for me, and I hope the day’s ahead are as white and bright as they can be!

I pulled out my camera immediately after reaching my apartment and these are some quick clicks. Enjoy these for now, while I step out to click and play a little more!



The Ring

This post is just about my beautiful ring. I bought it in Claire’s in London; fell in love the moment my eyes fell on it. It was golden in colour when I had spotted it, hanging by the hook on the wall. The wear-and-tear turned it into silver first and near-bronze later. It now stands in a good shade of rusty-pink!
Inscription: “Think of a wonderful thought” on the outside, and “Believe in yourself” on the inside. 
I love it! 

Old City, New Girl – the sublime discovery

#written on a rainy evening sitting by the window in my apartment in London, posted only now.

When I landed in London,
along with two pieces of luggage I arrived here brimming with excitement and my
dreams sprinkled all over. I was going to be in a new country all by myself and
the uncertainty of how days would unfold gave me a high every time I wondered
about it. The time had come – to experience newness in life, to open my mind to
a different culture, to explore and discover a new me. That was the dream,
after all. And I was not going to let go of this wonderful chance, I said to
myself as I stepped onto the streets of London on my first evening. 
I spent my time walking
amidst castle-like buildings and sprawling lush lawns. I found company to visit
places on the outskirts – small towns like Twyford and Henley-on-Thames,
Brighton’s beautiful (and sunny!) pebble beach, Wimbledon, the Roman Baths; and
sometimes even to share the pure joy of uninterrupted shopping as well. Other
times, I would hop on tubes on my own, turning every direction my heart would beat
for and I was hardly ever disappointed.
But, whenever I sat down
to capture and pen down my thoughts about London, I’d invariably find
something missing. What could I possibly say about this beautiful city that
wasn’t said before, that wasn’t captured (even preserved) already. So I always
kept it for a later time and date, hoping I’d figure out the Midas touch that
made this city so special for me.

In just over two months
I had fallen in love with London. I began to share a very special attachment
towards it, like the city was my own. And it made me wonder to the point of
enticing me to find out the real reason for my unconditional love for this
city. Was it my exciting job, my weirdly wonderful team mates at work, my small
and cozy apartment in Stratford or was it my independence. I kept thinking –
closed-lip when out and aloud when in a shower – what has this city really
given me…
Actually, the answer was
right in front of me all that time. Only, it had taken me a while to reach to
that realization. 
During my first week in
London, I met someone – a colleague, friend, companion – whatever name you’d
want to give. A complete opposite of how and who I am. Disciplined,
sophisticated, having some clear goals in life, living with reason and logic –
but at the same time, he also knew to enjoy life and its eccentricities, just
the way I did. And it made us tick from the very beginning. Our innumerable
conversations sitting at a dining table are perhaps some of the choicest of
moments I’d savor for the rest of my life. 
I wonder sometimes,
would I have enjoyed the train journey home from work as much everyday had it
not been for his company; would my visits to Hyde Park have remained as magical
had he not come with me to share that bench by the lake in the rain; or would
my knee have hurt more had he not walked with me that evening and taken care
that I get home safe in one piece… or would that Sunday afternoon be any
funnier had we not turned up wearing clothes in the same colour-combo
(absolutely same, believe me!). 
When I had come to
London, I knew it was going to be all ‘me-time’ – away from the usual
hustle-bustle of my life back in India, away from all things and people
familiar and I’d take a step closer to understanding myself better. But now I
know, the joy of discovering oneself lies in sharing oneself – one’s happiness
and sorrows, one’s dreams and hopes, one’s successes and failures –
with someone else. Now I know, the strange love I feel for London is actually
the warmth of love for this friend – with whom I learnt to share my fears and
fantasies, my trials and tribulations.
As beautiful a city as
London truly is, it can get equally tough on you. It is fast and keeps you on your
toes – quite literally. And, in the daily drill of chasing our goals,
unintentionally sometimes, we forget to notice the small joys of living. So,
for a few moments, take your mind off the innumerable post-it notes stuck to
your laptops/PCs at work, refrigerator-doors at home and try to find the
special, unique feeling that puts a smile on your face; that makes your city,
your life even more beautiful for you! Who knows, you might find a friend for
life just the way I did! 

The Wait

A girl all of fifteen

So genial and genteel,
Swayed like a tree
At her favorite spot, by the sea;
Her giggles filled the air
With a charm quite rare;
She picked her pebbles
And blew those soap bubbles,
Which naughtily at times chose
To pop right on her nose;
Those waves kissed her feet
She tasted the water, oh not-so-sweet!
She wrote with her hands
On the golden sands
Her favorite names
And played her games
With sea shells and stars
Soothing her scars
Of a wound still livin’
But long forgiven
For, she knows better
It was not just petter
Sweet-bitter
As those memories hit her
She continues to sway
By the tree, to this day
Longing for her gait
And hoping for the end to wait.

Infinity

The twilight
pulled the curtain down
and pinned it
with a star

The star
held her gaze strong
and froze it
in a twinkle

The twinkle
spread till the horizon
and brightened it
with a smile

The smile
travelled with the breeze
and caressed him
with a kiss

The kiss
locked their lips
and sealed their bond
with love

The love
transcended the finite
and merged itself
into the twilight