Day 1000: It's Here, A New Beginning!

Over the last few months, I used to wonder every now and then on what I would write on the final day of the blog, given that it's a culmination of almost three years of my blogging experience.

Should I just write about the day itself and leave it at that? Should I write a summary of all that happened over the last 1000 days? Should I write about all the wonderful highlights from the last three decades of my life and make the theme around 30 years? Should I write about what I learned on this journey? Should I write about what I would do moving forward? Should I write about this, that and everything else?

For the last half hour or so, I had been staring at this laptop, still continuing to wonder on the above questions and I realized that I still have no clue. I still have no freaking clue.

Blah.

So am gonna stop blinking idiotically at the screen and instead just write whatever that comes to my mind without over-thinking it. If the rest of this post meanders and sounds like utter gibberish, I apologize in advance.

When I started on this blog, I had simply wanted it to be a forced attempt at staying positive. The background for this is as follows - I had went through a bad phase some time in 2009 (in hindsight, it was nothing really... but during the phase I thought the world was ending)  and it took a visit to an orphanage and seeing a bunch of kids being perfectly happy with their dry dosa and black tea to drive some perspective into my thick head (a bit of that story is covered in the post here).

That left a lasting impression and I learned once and for all that I can be perfectly happy with what I have, provided I make an effort to do so. And I thought that jotting down one positive thing about each day would ensure that I think more positively than I would otherwise.

Given that the timing of this thought process coincided with some of my friends turning 30 and feeling royally blue about it, I thought maybe I shall kill two birds with one stone. I thought that if I make this searching-for-positivity thing a habit for the next 1000 days or so, when 30 hits me, instead of feeling blue about it (of which there was a good chance), it will find a very happy me.

Today I turned 30 and I am very happy to declare that I am.... a very happy me! Actually, not just happy but really on top of the world!

In other words, the mission worked!

And I asked myself why am I on top of the world and I realized that the answers are few and simple:
- Because I feel like I have given my best effort to everything that I did the last few years.
- Because I feel like I was conscious of every passing day and even if not all days were really maxed out in terms of productivity, most of them were.
- Because I feel like I am aware of how blessed I am to have everything I do and I stop myself from cribbing as far as I can help it.
- Because I feel like I have lived through a number of experiences that I had wanted to go through and have ticked off everything from that before-30 list.
And most important of all,
- Because I feel loved and appreciated by my family and friends more than I could have ever hoped for and every bit of time spent with them has been incredibly awesome!

That's it. That's the summary of what made the last 1000 days work for me:
I gave my best,
I kept track of time,
I counted my blessings,
I packed in as many experiences and
I was loved and I loved in return. 

I don't think there's really much else to it.

And I guess moving forward too, this is exactly what I need to continue doing to make the most of the remaining years on this big, bad, beautiful planet! Am hoping that with 1000 days of practice, this may be hard but not impossible.

So then, it's time for goodbye and time for a new beginning. One where I start all over again, in new roles, with new lists, facing new challenges, but still hopefully making the most out of it. 

But not before I jot down what made today, the day of my 30th birthday, beautiful!

Let's do that list one last time, shall we?

Here we go...

a) At 00:00am, when I wished the hubby "Happy Birthday" (we share our birthday, in case you are not aware), instead of wishing me in return, the man soberly took his laptop out and started to set it up, much to my annoyance. And then I realized it was to give me my best gift ever! And I really mean The. Best. Gift. Ever. When I saw what he had prepared for me, I was so ridiculously overwhelmed! Had my parents not been around, I would probably have become an emotional mess and shed copious amounts of happy tears! It was that awesome! This man, the one I love and who loves me, made me this!

http://shilpakrishnanshukla.com/

Needless to say, it made my day, week, month, year and many more to come and I thanked all known Gods for making this wonderful guy mine! Like I declared on Facebook immediately...
"I love my husband. Period."

b) I got a TON of birthday messages and calls from all my wonderful family and friends which made me feel oh-so-happy and special! I spent a considerable amount of time going through their messages - reading and re-reading, responding, chatting for a long time with those who called or met up with me,and basically basking in all that love and attention! God bless each and every one of them! A special mention to my wonderful teacher from school who has been a terrific support to this blog as well as everything I have been up to, ever since we came into contact on Facebook after more than a decade! This amazing teacher actually wrote a blog for me on my birthday, which was like the best gift any student can ever hope for and it left me humbled, honoured and truly blessed!

c) I had an important meeting at work, which started early in the morning. I had to make several presentations and it lasted for a good 5 hours! I was dreading this for weeks, but it went off very well and that made me happy. To top the work success, one of my lovely colleagues made a "Happy birthday" presentation to wish me during the meeting and the team even sang the song at the end of it! It was rather sweet! 

d) It  looks like there will be a screening of Mausams in Singapore exactly one month from now, with the proceeds going to charity. This is being arranged by a couple of friends with the objective of encouraging independent artists in Singapore as well as supporting charitable institutions. I thought it was wonderful that a screening of my film was confirmed today and that too for a good cause!

e) Given that it was a weekday, we decided to have a birthday dinner celebration with just the family. So the hubby, my brother in law, my parents and I went to 1-Altitute for drinks and dinner. With the wonderful view around, we had a nice, cozy, family time there. At the end of it, the guys at 1-Altitude brought in three sets of desserts with birthday messages - one for me, one for the hubby and one for my mom who is celebrating hers tomorrow! It was a first of its kind experience because we had never celebrated all our birthdays together before, so that was lovely! My mom especially was super excited by the whole thing! It was really cute watching her gushing over the desserts, taking multiple photos etc!

In short, it was the perfect birthday!

And at this point in time, I really can't ask for more. I am beaming and I feel blessed beyond reason.

For anyone and everyone who has been to this blog over the last 1000 days - thank you for reading, commenting, encouraging! It means the world to me! I know for a fact that I couldn't have kept it going for a 1000 days had it not been for your terrific support. So thank you, thank you, thank you!

Here's to new beginnings...!

0 more to go.

Day 999: Just 1 more to go!

Lovely day!

Early in the morning my parents arrived. They are here to celebrate my birthday, the hubby's birthday, my mom's birthday and their own wedding anniversary and also very importantly, to visit a very pregnant me!

So the day started off pretty well!

Oh and before I forget, today is also my "Malayalam birthday". Every year I (and in fact every other Malayali) end up having two birthdays - one as per the English solar calendar and one as per the Malayalam lunar calendar. The English birthday comes on a fixed date every year but the Malayalam one can change. And this year, it falls today.

So yeah, in a way, my birthday kinda already started and it was good to have my parents around when that happened!

Then I went to work really early and finished off a huge chunk that I had to. I had been dreading the work for a while, so it felt to good to tick off this chunk!

Then back at home, it was time to enjoy some of mom's cooking - my favourite mathan-payar-elassery (pumpkin-pea-curry) and sevai with rasam! Yum!

Later, as part of the birthday, we decided to visit the temple. One temple visit very soon converted to two temple visits and we spent a considerable amount of time at both the places. That was pretty nice because that's exactly how my Malayalam birthdays used to be celebrated - visiting temples together with parents! Nice.... don't think it has happened ever since I got to Singapore more than 13 years ago!

Right now, as I write this blog, my parents and the hubby are around, all of them chilling out and having a conversation. First few of the birthday wishes are flowing in from some close friends. And I am mentally going through the decades that have passed.

I feel good. Last day of the 20s and I feel really good. It's been great so far and I look forward to tomorrow.

1 more to go.

Yup.

Just 1 more to go. 

Day 998: Bali Memories & 30th Prep!

I did a really good thing by planning my annual leave such that I have an extra day to recover at home post Bali. So while the rest of the gang, including my husband, hit their offices today, I was chilling at home.

And I needed that badly! I had a ton of fun in Bali and of course was kinda tired after all of it, and needed the day off for the required rest. But I also needed a day to put up all the pictures, catch up on my pending Bali blogs, kinda live with the memories for a while before I let them go, align my head to the fact that holidays are done for a while and now there's really no other milestone until the new member arrives, and also be well prepared for the 30th.

So I did just all of that.

I had a great time looking through the pictures, uploading them, discussing them with my friends, and beaming through the day! The holiday has done a ton of good! I also got my well needed rest and some time off to myself where I could either think through all that happened in the last 1000 days or simply zone out. I pretty much did both and realized that I am all set for the 30th. I have done all that I wanted, I have had a great celebration in the way of this holiday and most interestingly I don't feel old at all, even though am going to be a mom soon! In fact,  i realized that am planning on trekking trips with the little one as soon as he/she can walk!

So yeah, it's all good and I am incredibly happy and at peace and well prepared for the 30th.

And with that we have...

2 more days to go! 

Day 997: Adios Bali!

A rather blue day actually because it was time to head back home from beautiful Bali! Sigh!

But not before half a day of fun first in the villa! We had very cleverly booked a 6pm flight out, so we had the whole morning to continue to chilling out at our gorgeous villa!

Once again we spent the whole morning getting massages (yeah, two days in a row!), spent a lot of time in both the pools, enjoyed breakfast and a few rounds of coffee and juices, yapped, laughed, took pics and basically had a gala time!

Then it was time to pack, get ready and bid adieu to the lovely Lagen Cliff Villa and its wonderful staff.

So carrying along a lot of wonderful memories, we made our way to the airport. But then we extended the holiday a little bit more by first hitting "Krishna", a very cheap shopping place. We spent a good half an hour or more there buying lovely Balinese clothes, accessories and artworks for ridiculously low prices!

So there, we managed to pack in shopping as well, the only thing that was missing from the trip so far!

The check-in, immigration etc. at the Bali airport was super smooth and very welcome, because I was already rather tired with the very exciting holiday.

We had our last meal in Bali at a nice little restaurant in the airport. A friend even managed to squeeze in a massage during the waiting time! And then we boarded the flight. Once again, 5 of us got our seats in the same row, so we had a nice time chatting away until we got back to Singapore!

We, i.e. the hubby, a friend and I, extended the holiday a tiny bit more by  having our dinner at the Ananda Bhavan at the Changi airport.

And then the holiday was truly over.

I was rather sad that it was over, but I was also very very happy that we made this wonderful trip! Bali with its beautiful oceans, sands, people, food, breeze, massage and of course, our villa, will be truly missed! It was one of the best trips ever! It was also my first time ever with such a big group of friends and I had the most amazing time with them and the best birthday holiday ever!

Now I think I am ready to turn 30.

3 more to go. 

Day 996: Rooftop, Massage, Uluwatu Cliff Temple, Kecak & Fire Dance and Bumbu Bali!

After the rather hectic day yesterday, most of us decided to hang around the villa for the bulk of today. Just a couple of them made their way for paragliding and Ubud, while the rest of us chilled out at the villa.

The best part was that we got a couple of masseuses to come over and give all of us massages. Our villa had a beautiful rooftop with bales that housed massage beds and we decided to make use of those.

With the stunning scenery of the ocean, the wonderfully chilly and strong wind that kept blowing and some really good expert masseuses, it was the best massage experience ever! I didn't want mine to end at all and from what I understand, the rest felt the same! Even the hubby, who is not a big fan of massages, was soon contemplating making it a daily routine!

Getting a massage in the rooftop bale

After the massage, we spent a few hours doing what we did best - chilling out. Lounging in the pool, relaxing on the beach chairs or in the bales, drinking, eating, especially enjoying the Pisang Goreng (friend bananas) with ice cream that we got the in-shouse chef to make again because all of us oh-so-loved it, chatting, listening to music, laughing and in short, living.

In the evening, we made our way to the Uluwatu cliff temple, which was just 2 kms from where we were staying. The hubby and I had been here in our previous trip to Bali but this time the experience was very different. In the previous trip we got to the temple at about 3pm and were surrounded by monkeys with very few other humans around. But today, there were thousands of people, all making their way for the 6pm Kecak & Fire dance at the temple. We hardly got time to go around the temple grounds and also hardly spotted any monkeys.

But the dance, in the backdrop of the cliff temple, was very interesting. They showcased snippets from Ramayana, something which all of us were familiar with. The costumes were elaborate but there were no instruments used. Instead, a group of 30-40 men used their voices for the music, in a form of acapella. Thanks to our familiarity with the Ramayana, we could understand what was being portrayed and with that haunting vocal music, the fires around, the setting sun and the rising darkness in the background, the performance was truly enchanting. I loved it!

Post the visit to the temple, we made our way to the Bumbu Bali restaurant in Nusa Dua for an authentic Balinese dinner. We were welcomed with Frangipani flowers and accompanied with some Balinese music in the background, we enjoyed traditional Balinese cuisine. The boys tried their hand at drinking arack, the Balinese local alcohol, but gave up after 2 sips. It was apparently rather lethal!

Back in the villa, it was time for another round of mindless conversation, picture taking and general cribbing about how it was already our last night in Bali.

Last night it truly was, but one that followed a gorgeous day!

4 more to go. 

Day 995: Uluwatu Cliffs, Finn's Beach Club, Rock Bar!

Day 2 in Bali with so many wonderful experiences! Ah!

OK, let me do a quick list... here's all that I fell in love with today....!

a) Morning yoga by the pool with a gorgeous view of the ocean beyond! - Most of us were up and about by 8am. While some decided to hit the pool immediately, I decided to do my yoga taking in the wonderful ocean view from the villa. It was one of the best yoga sessions ever!

b) Wonderful breakfast of toasts, eggs, croissants, danish, fruits, sausages, coffee and juice, at the villa!

c) Trip to one of the cliff edges of Uluwatu where some of the friends wanted to do paragliding - The hubby and I had done this in our previous trip to Bali about four years ago and we recommended it very strongly to the rest of the gang. So all of us made a trip down to the paragliding location which is at the edge of a cliff and gives stunning views of the sea below! They couldn't do the paragliding because of the strong winds and were asked to return the next day but everyone was happy being there. The view, the wind, the peace were well worth it!

d) Finn's Beach Club at the Semara Resort, where we went for lunch and some time at the beach - This was a super duper extravagant resort! The whole area was extremely well designed and maintained and we were given a tour around, which got our jaws to drop. After being sufficiently impressed by their villas, pools etc. we made our way to the Beach Club which was down a cliff and required us to take a a flight of stairs followed by an inclinator. The ride on the inclinator was a novel experience and super fun! At the Beach Club, the rest hit the sea waters but I avoided them because the waves were too rough and the beach was too rocky. Instead, I listened to music and ate and drank by the beach, while watching the rest of the them behave like kids in the water. I loved the experience! After the hubby had his share of fun in the water, we walked on the beach for a bit, visited a cove at one end, had lunch and drinks and relaxed for a while on the sands, getting tanned!

e) Rock Bar at Ayana Resort, where we went for dinner and drinks - Post Finn's Beach Club, we returned to our villa briefly for a quick rest and change and then set out again, this time to the Rock Bar at Ayana Resort. Ayana Resort, like Semara, is also a very high end resort but a much, much more sprawling one. We had to walk for almost 15 minutes from the entrance to get to the Rock Bar, which was at the other end of the resort. Rock Bar, once again at the bottom of a cliff, required us to take an inclinator down, which I loved!  The bar itself is perched on rocks right on the sea and had waves crashing against it throughout. Quite an amazing location!

f) Late night conversations and chilling out - After Rock Bar, we got back to the villa. Everyone was dead tired but that didn't stop us from spending a few hours into the night, making mindless conversation!

I hit the bed with a huge smile, feeling on top of the world!

Another beautiful day in Bali ends!

5 more to go. 

Day 994: Beautiful Bali!

Today early morning we set off for Bali! The holiday, planned together with 8 of our close friends, is to be the hubby's and mine birthday celebration as well as our last trip together before we turn parents (whew!)!

So needless to say I was all excited throughout!

We set off from our house early to catch the 9 am flight and met 5 other friends at the airport (the rest were to join us later in the day in Bali). After a smooth check in and immigration, we got ourselves breakfast from Coffee Bean (strictly below average stuff) and boarded our Air Asia flight. 5 out of the 7 of us had seats together, so we had fun on the flight chatting away and also enjoying some cup noodles!

Upon reaching Bali, we were picked up from the airport by our manager Ketut of the Lagen Cliff Villa in Uluwatu. I had found this place after much googling and it was the only one that fitted our criteria of must-have-sea-view, must-be-afforable, must-have-5-bedrooms etc.

But all the googling and the pictures on their site hadn't prepared us for the real deal! The villa was just spectacular and pictures do no justice! With an amazing sea view from a cliff, two fantastic pools (one being an infinity one), gorgeous bales around the pool, beautiful rooftop with massage beds and bale, humungous living/dining area, wonderfully spacious bedrooms and baths and amazing service by the manager, butler, maid and chef - Lagen Cliff Villa was just perfect. Like, P.E.R.F.E.C.T!


After enjoying the welcome drinks that were provided and then going into the very entertaining process of deciding who gets which room in the villa, we lounged around until lunch arrived. I had my share of some yummy Nasi Goreng (Fried Rice) and then hit the pool for the next couple of hours. The rest had their champagnes and wines in the pool, while I stuck to coffee, which I must say was pretty good. I am not usually a coffee drinker but I did have one cup too many in Bali, thanks to the perfect blend there.

Dinner was cooked in the villa itself by the in house chef! We were given a long list of Balinese and other Indonesian dishes to choose from and after much to and fro we decided on two chicken dishes, one fish, one vegetable and some rice. On top, the chef added his speciality dessert - Pisang Goreng (Fried Banana) with ice cream! It was awesome! In fact, the dinner at villa was one of the best meals we had during our stay in Bali this time! Really really delicious!

Post dinner, it was again time to lounge around and we were soon joined by the rest of the gang. Some went into the pool, some played Antakshari, some drank, some listened to music, some zoned out, but everyone was happy and enjoyed thoroughly!

I was dead tired by the time I hit the bed thanks to the early rise and a long day of talking and swimming and general high excitement, but needless to say, I was a very happily tired person!

6 more to go. 

Day 993: Happy Cold!

It was a horribly sick day thanks to the mother of all colds that I had caught.

But I was rather happy through it because tomorrow the hubby and I are leaving for Bali, with 8 other friends for our birthday holiday! Yay! So I was in an awesome holiday mood and didn't mind the flu at all!

The day was spent on resting, little bit of packing and day dreaming about the Bali beaches!

A rare happy cold it was!

7 more to go.

Day 992: A Pedicure?!

Yup, it's very evident. The pregnancy is definitely getting my feminine hormones all active. First it was all that shopping that I couldn't seem to get enough of, and today I got myself a pedicure!

A freaking pedicure!

In case you are wondering what's so great about it or why it's a big deal, well... I have had a pedicure only once in my lifetime before - that was for my wedding more than 5 years ago!

So there.

Sure, I spoiled the newly done pedicure within a couple of hours when I did my yoga and applied weight on my toes in a few postures, which kinda reminded me why I am not fit for these beautification processes....but still, I loved the experience of getting my feet pampered and having pretty, painted toes as long as they lasted!

8 more to go.

Day 991: A Lovely Birthday Dinner!

It was the hubby's partner's wife's birthday and we were invited to be part of their lovely celebration at The Lighthouse in Fullerton. There was only one another couple also present, so it was a nice, cozy dinner.

Over some yummy Italian dinner, I had the most amazing time! The conversation was great, the venue was great, the view was the great, the food was great, the tiramisu was great and the people I was with were the best!

It was the perfect evening!

9 more to go.

Day 990: A Perfect "Friendship Day"!

It was apparently Friendship Day - as per the large number of status updates on Facebook. I usually don't care much about these "Days" - Friendship day, Valentine's day, Fathers day, Mother's day etc. because...well, what's the point?

So when I saw the flurry of Friendship day messages doing their rounds on Facebook, I didn't really pay much attention to them.

But then it turned out to be a day totally about friends! Starting with lunch, the hubby and I spent the entire day with our closest friends (the same gang from college days). Lunch, tea, movie and dinner - we did them all together.

So the so-called Friendship Day did end up being all about the friends after all! And I had the most awesome time with them!

10 more to go.

Day 989: A Day With The Hubby!

This Saturday was all about the hubby.

He was away in India the last weekend and the next few weekends we are gonna be rather busy with friends in Bali, parents in town etc. So we decided to spend the day together and max out the quality time.

After our customary brunch at Lakshmi Narasimhan, we decided to do some shopping. Together we went around Novena Square and hung out in the shops there for about 2 hours or so. The initial objective was for me to buy some stuff for Bali but the hubby ended up shopping 5 times as much as I did! Oh well.

Then we got back home and decided to watch the Olympics. India's Saina Nehwal was playing for the Bronze medal in Badminton. About a few minutes into the game, the hubby decided that it was my presence in the room that was making her under-perform and asked me to kindly exit. After adequately rolling my eyes, I did exit and decided to use the time to wrap up his birthday gift and do up the finishing touches.

So in a securely locked study room, I did just that.

Soon the hubby came knocking on the door, wondering what I was up to (FYI, Saina won the match, so he decided that my presence will not do much harm anymore).

Upon discovering that I was working on his gift, he told me that I didn't have to wait until the 15th (his birthday) to give him his gift and that he was more than happy to take a look at it now.

I actually didn't mind that because like I said, the next few days are going to be crazy busy, so I might as well use this time when we are left to ourselves, to pass him his gift.

So with much drama and build up, I got him to close his eyes and come into the study room. I made him sit on the floor and then open his eyes.

He opened his eyes, looked around and realized that I had not prepared 1 gift for him but a pile of 10 gifts! The idea was that I will give him 12 gifts in total (2 to follow on the birthday itself), one for each month of the year.

The look on his face when he saw the pile, was priceless! All those hours of shopping and wrapping were completely worth it!

The next half an hour so was spent on him unwrapping the gifts, reading the messages I had written on each of them, posing for photos etc. etc. It was super fun!

Hubby with his gifts!

Post that wonderful gift-time, we went to our usual hangout place Al Afrose, the hawker centre, and had dinner.

An entire day spent together, and a very fun day at that!

11 more to go. 

Day 988: Janushirasana - Check!

Got yet another yoga pose right today!

It was the Janushirasana or Head to Knee pose. 

I used to get it right prior to pregnancy and by "getting it right" I mean, I could manage to lock my knees in the posture. But post pregnancy that was not possible.... until today!

I couldn't hold it for long but only for a few seconds, but any progress is good progress, so yay!

12 more to go. 

Day 987: Yet Another Farewell!

The last year has seen a lot of my close friends shifting to other countries for work, studies etc.

And now, one more is leaving for the US on a new job.

So together with a couple of mutual friends, we had a farewell lunch of sorts with her.

This friend has been a strong supporter of all that I've done in the past, be it my theatre venture, or Mausams or just my life in general.

She was my assistant director on my production Kathaah in 2008 and since then we've been pretty thick. She couldn't be a full time crew member of Mausams because of other commitments, but when I really needed her help badly - say, during my biggest shoot with a 100-odd cast in an external rented venue or for publicity during screenings in Singapore, she was the one I could rely on. And she was phenomenal at whatever she did!

Not just the projects that we've done together, but even otherwise, our wavelengths matched perfectly. We had the exact same views on everything - be it marriage, family, kids, career, feminism, creative pursuits etc. etc.

Farewells suck but only because what we had was so special. It's been a privilege to know and work with her and have her around all this while.

And I enjoyed the lunch having that much needed final session of catch-up before she leaves!

Till we meet in some part of the world again!

13 more to go. 

Day 986: It's August!

Yup, it is indeed August!

August, when it's my birthday!

August, when it's the hubby's birthday!

August, when it's my mom's birthday!

August, when it's the parents' wedding anniversary!

August, when my parents are gonna be in town for 2 weeks for all the celebrations!

August, when I will be travelling to Bali with my 10-member strong friends group!

August, when I finally turn 30 and this blog comes to an end!

August, August, August!

That's the kinda upbeat feeling I had through the day! I was super excited and very, very happy that the month is really here!

Which is kinda nice because it means the last almost 1000 days have been successful in making me feel good about turning 30!

In my very first post on this blog, I had written about how more often than not, I have seen my friends and colleagues feeling really blue about turning 30. Because it kinda feels like half time. And I had started this blog to ensure that I don't feel the same. I had decided that I will keep track of what would make each day beautiful so that at the end of it, when 30 is right around the corner, I continue to feel awesome!

And I am feeling awesome, albeit it being half time, which means it worked! Super duper happy about that!

So here I welcome August with open arms!

14 more to go.  

Day 985: A Conversational Evening

After work and a round of yoga, I had the loveliest evening.

My friend who is staying with me for a few days and I had dinner together at Thai Express. Over some yummy BBQ Pla (i.e. BBQ Fish but "Pla" does sound a lot nicer!), we had a nice long conversation touching pretty much everything under the sun.

Then we moved from Thai Express to Marble Cake Creamery and over some yummy Brownie and ice cream, we continued our conversation.

Then I got back home and called up my in-laws and had another 45 minute conversation with them! I don't often have long conversations on phone simply because...well, I am not usually a phone person. So this was both unusual and really nice! I enjoyed it!

After the conversation with the parents, the friend and I continued our conversation again for another hour or so.

Nett, if it weren't obvious by now, it was a very conversational evening!

So, what makes that awesome?

The fact that there are people with whom you can have such prolonged conversations and the fact that there is so much about the world to wonder and talk about!

It's really... hmmm.... nice!

15 more to go. 

Day 984: The Fighter.

It was a tiring day at work. I felt incredibly fatigued by the time I got home, but still had work calls to make, so I attended those. That got me even more tired, so until bed time, I did what I usually do in these situations - stare at my computer, doing nothing much else.

Then my editor came online and we happened to chat a lot about potential film projects in the future.

I told him that everything sounded exciting but the future looks unsure because you see, I don't know how much energy I would have moving forward to do everything. For instance right now, I pointed out to him, I was sitting idly and not working on the feature film script even though I have a good idea how to go about it and I really want to write it out. But I am not working on it because I just don't have the energy.

He said, "Oh, you are a fighter. You will get it done somehow."

Blah.

The minute I heard that I knew I had to give it a shot at least. I had the next few scenes very vividly in my mind and all I had to do was put it down on paper. Now that this fellow has gone and called me a Fighter, the least I could do was at least fight a little bit.

So I did. I bid him goodbye and got to my script. I took a deep breathe, conjured up the energy that I didn't think I had and started to write.

I finished off the next few scenes I had in my mind and the feature film script is now 25% done.

I feel good.

16 more to go. 

Day 983: An Even Better Sunday!

Yesterday was a good Saturday.

Today was an even better Sunday!

A list again...

Firstly, instead of shopping for self (which is what I ended up doing yesterday), I actually did manage to shop for the hubby and finish off his birthday gift! Yay!

Secondly, I finally managed to spend some quality time with my good friend who is currently in town. She is actually staying with me for a couple of weeks but unfortunately, I haven't been able to spend any quality time with her because of our conflicting schedules or because I am always too tired or sleepy or suffering from a back pain. But today none of that happened and we had a great time chatting at Dome, over some of their awesome Chocolate Lava cake with Gelato.

Thirdly, I managed to shop a bit for myself too. Yeah, pregnancy is turning me into a shopaholic and of course, we get to blame those hormones here. I have spent more in the last 3 months on clothes than in the last 3 years I think. Oh well. Hormones, hormones, hormones!

And last but not the least, I was getting stuck at a particular point in my script but today I figured that piece out! Phew! That was like awesome! I mean it is still in my head and not on paper yet, but that will do for the time being. The fact that I was getting stuck was eating my head but now I feel really good and can't wait to write it all down!

Like I said, an even better Sunday!

17 more to go.

Day 982: A Good Saturday!

Let's do a list!

1) Lunch at Lakshmi Narasimhan - Hot & Spicy Andhra Dosa, Medu Vada and Filter Coffee. Nice!
2) Shopping at Suntec City - went there to buy birthday gift for husband but instead bought a few maternity clothes for self. Ah. Made me feel great!
3) Yoga back at home - this was quite an achievement because half way through shopping at Suntec I felt immensely tired and was ready to collapse. So I got back home to take rest. I did take rest but then forced myself to do yoga so that the horrid back pain doesn't pop up again. So managing to get the routine done in spite of the fatigue felt good.
4) Last but not the least, I worked on my current feature film script further - completely enjoying the process! The characters and situations are all forming well in my head and am enjoying putting them on paper. Exciting!

18 more to go. 

Day 981: Conquering the Back Pain!

I have been suffering from the mother of all back pains the last few days. A few things may have contributed to it. The fact that I am pushing the third trimester now, the fact that I have not done yoga for a week and the fact that I have had an incredibly busy week at work with long hours, which has probably taken its toll on the back.

Because of its severity, the last one week I would just get back from work and immediately go to bed but all that lying down did not seem to help. I knew that yoga would help but I was just too tired to get out of the bed and couldn't get myself to even think about it. The whole thing was starting to affect whatever I do and was really getting to me. 

But today I decided that I had to do something about it. I told myself that no matter how tough it seems, I need to get myself to do yoga. I had got back a bit early from work and had gone straight to bed. But then I forced myself to get up and do my yoga routine. It took all....and I really do mean ALL my will power to get started but once I did, I could feel the difference immediately! 

I went through the hour, not without some effort, but at the end of it, felt terrific! And I realized that I wasn't having that intense pain anymore! I am not sure whether it is such psychological or really a physical difference but whatever it is, it's just what I needed. 

I felt like I conquered the damn back pain at least for the day and that felt incredibly good! Mind over matter! 

19 more to go. 

Day 980: Back On The Bus!

I haven't taken a bus ride in months. Ever since the nausea kicked in, in my first trimester. It's been cabs all the way. But today I decided that I felt well enough to take the bus to work... it was high time anyway.

So I hopped on to my usual bus, got my usual window seat and then realized how badly I had been missing this routine of morning 25 minute bus ride to work.

It's seriously a great start to the day!

The bus moves so slowly (for some reason the average speed of a public bus in Singapore is about 40 km/hr) that you can observe everything that happens on the streets - the office goers, the aunties and uncles exercising, the school going kids being rushed by parents, the people waiting at the bus stops in all sorta attires, the maids who go for their morning grocery shopping, people picking their noses in cars that pass by completely unaware that their actions are not as hidden as they think they are, the women who touch-up their make up in the buses that pass by, the cute dogs being walked by their owners or the domestic helps, babies in strollers etc. etc. etc. There is just so much to see!

Then on top of that, all this life passes by you as you listen to some great music on your ipod!

And when you are bored observing the life, you can simply look up and see the sky and clouds passing above. With the music to accompany, the vast expanse of blues and whites makes you feel fresh and alert and all set to take on the day! It's perfect!

Ah.

Definitely taking the bus from now on!

20 more to go. 

Day 979: Concepts Joy!

I had written here about how, some time ago, I had managed to qualify 5 out 5 concepts at work (the description of what this means is also in that link). If you notice the date of that post, you would realize that it was more than 2 years ago! 

Qualifying new concepts (or initiative ideas) is a key deliverable I have in my current job scope and more often than not, you don't get to make a clean sweep in any concept test. It's a pretty rare feat actually.

But today I am terribly excited because once again, all FIVE concepts that were put into a test have been qualified... not just qualified but with rather high scores! I am super duper thrilled and relieved because I had to qualify at least three of them to ensure that three projects of mine were on track. But qualifying all five makes it extra special! Now not only the critical three projects are on track but I have concepts even to feed future initiatives, which is like too awesome!

Ah, such joy!

21 more to go. 

Day 978: Massage!

Yeah, I got a massage.

A prenatal massage.

And that's awesome because I usually don't do these self pampering activities. The last time I got a massage was in 2008 when I was in Phuket. That's like four years ago!

But now that I am pushing my third trimester, I am beginning to feel rather heavy and lethargic and gassy and all such less than desirable qualities.

And I wanted to feel better and thought I deserved some pampering.

So I got this prenatal masseuse to come to over to my place and she gave me a nice, gentle massage that made me relax and forget all the discomforts for a while.

Simple but sometimes much needed pleasures of life!

22 more to go.  

Day 977: Pushing It!

Yesterday I couldn't sleep at all. I tried to, several times, during the day and night (it was a Sunday after all) but I just couldn't fall asleep.

Throughout my mind was whirling with things to do at work. I have some very critical deliverable and my mind kept going through what I need to get them done.

As a result of a disturbed night, lack of sleep and the fact that I am pushing my third trimester already, I was in bad shape today. There was too much fatigue and and I was very uncomfortable through the day.

But I did manage to finish a considerable chunk of the due deliverable, not without some significant effort at pushing myself, and sent it out to my manager in charge of the project.

Then I crossed my fingers and waited because if she thought that's crap, I wouldn't know what to do next.

The wait began to bother me and I wanted to take my mind off it.

In spite of the fatigue and pregnancy related discomforts, which by the evening had doubled in their strength, I decided to hit the gym and walk and cycle a bit.

So I did that. Getting to the gym required considerable effort at pushing myself but once I was there, it seemed like the best decision. Enjoying some good music, I walked and cycled a fair bit.

When I got back from the gym, I found the note from the maanger. She said what I sent her was "excellent"! I could literally feel a huge knot leave and my body relaxing completely.

And then I got something which I haven't had in weeks, thanks to the growing belly. I had the best sleep ever! Dreamless, painless, peaceful.

23 more to go. 

Day 976: When My Music Begins...!

A few months ago I had written here about what I considered my music and why that makes me feel oh-so-awesome! 'My music' is basically what my talented music directors compose for my films. Needless to say they are always a lot more special to me than any other songs that I love.

Other than the fact that it is....well... mine, what is really fantastic about my music is that I get to see its journey. From the very inception to the final rendering, I get to see how it develops and blossoms and that's a fascinating experience! 

Recently, I had written about how I have started working on my new feature film script. I had progressed a bit (a bit means really a bit - just about 7 scenes or so) and I sent it to my Mausams music director, just to get his early thoughts. Being a film maker himself, he has always given me his opinions on the characters, the build up, what can be improved, what should be maintained etc. on my previous scripts. And I was expecting an email with similar feedback from him on this script as well, once he goes through it. 

The email came. But instead of the feedback, he actually sent me a quick and rough tune that he had put together as a suitable soundtrack for the film! What a surprise that was and it was soooo exciting!! Not only did the music completely suited what I had in mind (and that's not really surprising because the man's a genius) but more importantly it gave me a sudden wave of inspiration to write more and progress with the script! And so I sat down and wrote another 7 scenes today! 

It gave me such a high because I sensed that this was the beginning of what would someday become my music (hopefully)! And that's a terrific, terrific honour! 

All smiles! 

24 more to go. 

Day 975: The Best Girl Team!

Another Saturday. Another terrific brunch with a different set of my favourite girlfriends!

One of them, visiting from Amsterdam where she is doing a 2 year Masters, is staying with me and the rest of the gang decided to meet her over brunch today.

And it was a fantastic one! Personal lives, Gossips, Politics, Philosophy, Fashion, Dreams, Aspirations - I think we covered them all in our conversation over some terrific food at my newest find Antoinette at Palais Renaissance (really, super duper awesome food!). In the quaint French settings of the restaurant, we spent about 3 hours yapping away!

This bunch of girls have this innate ability to make me feel on top of the world!

They are not just friends but have worked with me on several projects before - dance, theatre, films etc. and have been a constant source of support the last several years. My only sadness is that some of them will be moving out of the country soon...one is already out and the rest are about to leave as well. It makes me rather blue when I think about it. But I guess it's OK... I had the privilege of being around them for so long.

They may or may not feature on this blog over the next 25 days of its existence so let me end this by saying that they've made the best Girl Team I could have ever hoped for and were a big part of what made so many of my days beautiful!

25 more to go. 

Day 974: Bhadrasana with Locked Elbows - Check!

Seems like a rather good week in terms of Yoga!

Today I got the Bhadrasana right! It is actually a simple one and I used to get the legs right till now, but could never lock my elbows (reference pic in the link below).

http://www.psdasyogapathy.com/images/bhadrasana.jpg

Now, that' been cracked too. Am liking this!

26 more to go. 

Day 973: Being Chinese!

Today I found myself in an authentic Chinese restaurant, enjoying some authentic Chinese food, amongst a 100% Chinese crowd around me! I was the only Indian or non-Chinese around and I felt totally cool about it! The whole deal wasn't planned... I just happened to go shopping, got rather hungry in the process and instead of waiting for the hubby and a friend who were supposed to join me for dinner, decided to go ahead and eat first.

As I worked around my noodles, veggies and cup of Chinese tea, with the aid of a pair of chopsticks and ceramic spoon, listening to Chinese conversations flying all around me, I felt totally Chinese myself!

Don't think this has happened to me in all these years in Singapore, and it was beyond interesting!

27 more to go. 

Day 972: Fixed Firm Pose - Check!

Post getting the Standing Bow Pose right a couples of days ago, today I got the Fixed Firm pose right! The Fixed Firm needs your knees to be touching each other, something which I was not being able to do post pregnancy... not even for the Yoga shoot below (last row, first pic).

But today I could do it, so that's another check! Yes!!

28 more to go.

Day 971: The Complete Working Day!

It was the most productive and satisfying working day I've had post pregnancy.

Here's why:

1) The day started with about 15 minutes of praying - There's this prayer I used to chant a while ago but had taken a break from and today I decided to pick it up again.
2)  I worked hard for 8-9 hours straight in the office.  There was no going late, leaving early, taking breaks, nothing. I was scuttling from one meeting to another and didn't have a minute to spare.
3) I came back and had a good 45 minute session in the gym - 30 minutes of walking on the treadmill and 15 minutes of cycling. I hadn't hit the gym in a while, so this was good.
4) I continued writing my new feature film script, post dinner and got about 6-7 more pages done!
5) Late night walk to the nearby hawker center with the hubby, which was our quality time spent for the day.

I haven't had such a productive working day in ages! Prayers + Work + Exercise + Scripting + Family Time! In my books, that's kinda the most complete a working day can possibly get!

29 more to go.

Day 970: From A Yoga Shoot To Self Esteem!

Very fascinating day indeed! Completely unexpected one at that too!

Now, everyone knows that I practice yoga. Not very regularly, but I do. Prior to pregnancy, I used to hit Bikram Yoga about 50-60 times a year (yes, I do keep track), and compliment that with a few days of running, swimming, dancing and such extra curricular activities. I have active yoga periods when I go very frequently and then black out periods running to weeks and months after that, when I don't go at all. That's how it used to be usually.

Post realizing that I am pregnant, I had taken up prenatal yoga, practicing at home and following the DVD that my yoga studio passed me. I had started this in the third month. Again, I had not been very regular.. averaging only 1-2 times a week, and even had a 5 week long break in between when we made that awesome trip to Scotland.

So why am I explaining all this here?

Well... because recently, i.e. for the last 3 weeks, I had been religiously practicing yoga thrice a week. And yesterday I felt that it might be a good idea to take pictures of each of my postures, at least the harder ones, for the following two reasons.

Firstly, I wanted to ensure that my postures are correct. Unlike in the studio where there are professional instructors to oversee and full length mirrors to self-correct, at home I have no clue how I am doing. So taking photos during the practice would help me see if I am doing something terribly wrong. Secondly, I wanted to how I generally look doing yoga in my current 6-month pregnant state. I thought it would be a good idea to keep these pictures for posterity. For all I know, I might be pregnant only once in this lifetime and hence these are the last few months I would get to see my pregnant self doing yoga!

So I convinced the hubby to take a few pictures while I practiced. And he kindly obliged.

And I was pleasantly surprised! Post pregnancy, every time I practice, I used to feel like my joints and muscles are too stiff. Hence in my head, my postures are all awkward and simply not the same as the way they should be. But the photos we took showed me that I am keeping up decently well enough and things are not as bad as I had imagined.


Needless to say, this made me terribly happy! 

Since the pictures came out decent enough, I put them up on Facebook and went off for dinner. That was yesterday.

And today, I was bombarded with so many comments and messages and emails and calls about that picture! People were coming up to me at work even, to discuss it! Apparently everyone thinks I am a yoga professional, and was asking me for tips, training information, exercise schedule etc. etc.  Jeez! I was so taken aback! And I got so many messages from ladies - those who have been pregnant, those who are pregnant, those who are planning to be pregnant, telling me that they are motivated by these pictures! I even got appreciation from a few yoga instructors! It was really overwhelming! I was expecting a few "likes" on Facebook, sure, but nothing of this scale!

And I realized how much I needed this experience.

Not because I needed a vanity ride or an ego boost. Of course, I love getting compliments like everyone else but I need this more because it reversed this rapid decline in self esteem and confidence I had been dealing with over the past few weeks.

You see, pregnancy can play real weird mind games on you. In my case, the rapid weight gain, the feeling of being off-balance most of the time, the fact that I wobble vs. walk, the difficulty in sleeping, the discomfort every time I need to move, the appearance of the first few stretch marks, etc. had been getting to me. In my head, while I do see the bigger picture and I do look forward to the little one, these things have been making me more depressed than I had initially thought. Of course the hormones aren't helping. Neither are random people who comment on how "huge" I am. Most of the time I can handle it, but not always. Sometimes, it really takes me to down to a mental and emotional pit. And what's more frustrating is that being bothered by all these changes and outsider opinions.. and not being able to handle it all with the dignity and indifference that I expect from myself, makes me feel even more bothered. Ugh. Vicious cycle, really.

Net, I was beginning to turn into a mess.

But no longer.

The fact that suddenly there is something positive about me and my body, makes me feel good! The fact that in spite of all the above-mentioned symptoms, I still can manage to do something that everyone seems to appreciate, makes me feel super good! The fact that so many other women think I am doing more than what they have done in similar situations, makes me feel super duper good! Even being mistaken for a professional yogini, which can't be further from truth, makes me feel awesome!

Sure, I am very aware of the fact that I am just reacting to some external opinions and this may not last, but that's fine. It has helped me get out of that rut I was slowly falling into and I feel a lot... I mean a LOT better about myself! I feel like I can handle the mental, emotional and physical changes that are happening and would continue to happen, because I have proven now to myself that I am doing just fine! And being just fine, is just what I want!

I had never expected that yoga shoot to give me so much! Not just the expected pretty pictures for memory sake but also a ton of that much needed self esteem!

I feel blessed!

And with that my friends, we have only 1 more month to go on this blog!

30 more to go. 

Day 969: The Best Service in Singapore!

Today I experienced the best ever service in a restaurant in Singapore! Very impressive!

The place - Indian restaurant "Zaffron", diagonally opposite to 112 Katong Mall.

It was our first time there today. Katong is quite a fair distance from where we stay but we got to hear rave reviews about this place from a couple of friends and we thought that a jobless Sunday evening might just be the best time to go check it out.

So we went.

Now, I must say upfront that I didn't think their food was the best. It seemed like Indian food catered to western tastes - a bit less hot & spicy than what I would have liked it to be. Even their Masala Tea was like the Chai Latte you get in Australia and New Zealand, and not like the Indian Masala Chai.

But the service was top notch!

First, they went out of their way to get a good table ready for us, especially when they realized that I was pregnant and couldn't sit on the bar stools, which was the only one that was initially empty. Their second option for us was a table a little close to the entrance to the washroom. I thought it was a decent enough place, because the washroom couldn't be seen at all from there, but then they themselves felt that was not good enough for us! So they worked around some reservations and got us a pretty good table finally, like in their "prime" location!

Then we noticed that they are not just mechanically doing their work around but actually having conversations with all the customers. They were like really friendly but not in an in-your-face manner. More like western culture of happy, random conversations with strangers vs. the formal Asian culture where we hold back a lot more. Pretty neat!

We also noticed that they were very quick to change the dish if there was the slightest dissatisfaction with it.

Then one of the waiters dropped a glass of water a little distance away from us. For the next 30 minutes, apologies and concerned questions about whether we were OK, poured in! Not just by the waiter you dropped the glass, but the girl who was helping him clean it up, the manager etc. etc. We had to work really hard to convince him that we were indeed OK and the shattered glass had not harmed us in any manner!

Last but not the least, when it was time to leave, we got a pretty elaborate goodbye! 2-3 people were at the door seeing us off and they even wished me good luck with pregnancy!

Seriously, the hubby and I were very impressed. Singapore is not the place where you get the best service on an average, but this was really pretty nice! Makes you feel like royalty even if for just 2 hours!

31 more to go. 

Day 968: That Old Team!

Had a wonderful brunch today, catching up with two of my ex-colleagues and great friends from my previous SK-II team! One of them is just back to work post maternity leave and the other had moved over to another company recently. We hadn't met each other in months, so we decided to do brunch today. And it was a lot of fun!

Our venue was Food for Thought at the Botanical Gardens. It's quite a pain to find that place and their indoor seating arrangement leaves much to be desired because instead of small personal tables, they have huge tables seating 12-15 people, which means you need to share the seating with strangers. Weird! But we managed to find a sanely arranged, normal table with just 4 chairs outdoors and that's where we settled down for our brunch. The food itself was pretty good and I had a wonderful time catching up with the ladies!

The newly turned mom had several stories for us and I poured out my pregnancy tales as well. Together the three of us discussed work, career, babies, parents, husbands, gossips (of course), and everything under the sun over brunch! When it was time to leave, the new mom's husband.. i.e. the new dad.. brought their new baby to meet us! She was such a darling and got along very well with us strangers!

The old SK-II team was the best team ever and we are always so close knit! Of course not the entire team was there for a reunion today but I was really happy to catch up with these two ladies and revive some of that old time fun!

32 more to go. 

Day 967: Cocktail & Conversations!

Today was a major day of catch ups and conversations for me!

First with my team over a nice, long Friday afternoon lunch - it was an all-girls group and we gossiped to our heart's content!

Then with an ex-colleague whom I had not met in the longest time. It was good catching up with him, especially because he had a very interesting story of dealing with his life's ups and downs and re-evaluating priorities etc., all of which struck a chord.

Then with one of my best friends from work, whom I catch up with very frequently but is still a joy everytime I do so!

Then with my usual gang of friends outside of work, whom I had not met in a while because of everyone's travel plans, other engagements etc. So it was good to catch up with them and there were a lot of interesting stories to share and we chatted away all the way until 1 am!

Last but not the least I also got to watch a very refreshing Hindi film "Cocktail". The first half was really good and more than made up for a plain second half. It was funny and I enjoyed it thoroughly especially since there was as much entertainment off screen as on screen, as my friends and I were totally amused by certain...erm...characters in the audience! But let's not get into the details there!

Overall, a very nice day!

33 more to go. 

Day 966: Book Bliss!

Buying books always gives me a high. Actually it's been the case since childhood. I always used to get my mom to give me pocket money to buy books as a reward for doing well in exams. Sometimes I buy so many at a go that I don't even end up reading all of them for the longest time.

Today I got the same joy of buying books in bulk! I had ordered a whole lot of them via Flipkart, an Indian version of Amazon.com, and thoroughly enjoyed myself! They have a wonderful collection especially of Indian authors, something which I always am on the lookout for, and I had a great time going through their list, making my own purchase list and finally buying whatever I wanted to!

Ah... bliss... from books!

34 more to go. 

Day 965: The Cheque!

Mausams was a "zero budget" film in Hollywood/Bollywood terms. But zero budget doesn't exactly mean zero. It only means that the movie was made on a budget that's almost unheard of in the usual film industry. I had actually spent a few thousands dollars on it - mainly on location hiring, film festival entries, etc. So far I haven't broken even, in spite of running for a couple of weeks in Singapore because the tickets then were cheap and part of it went to the venue rental anyway. But it was never about the money and I have gotten a lot more from that film than I could have possibly hoped for ever.

Even then, it feels good when you get a tiny bit of revenue for it! Last year Mausams had played on an online pay-per-view site called Dingora.com. It played there for a month and even managed to get to its top #12 all time best-sellers list. But the site did not compensate me for it.. that too for over a year, in spite of multiple follow ups.

Today, out of the blue a cheque landed up in my house. It was only for a few hundred dollars, after Dingora's cut and US taxes etc. and hardly brings me anywhere close to my breakeven point, but still it was a kind of returns for Mausams and I felt thrilled to hold the cheque!

Big or small, it made me feel pretty nice!

35 more to go. 

Day 964: Painted Toe Nails!

Like yesterday, today too was rather eventless. Yesterday I had made it eventful with some birthday shopping, but that's not something you can do every day.

So today, I decided to paint my toe nails instead. I managed to find a 5 year old bottle of nail colour and happily sat down to apply it. With a growing tummy in the way, it was not an easy feat at first but then I got the hang of it after a while!

Now, I must point out that it has been years since I painted my nails - be it on my fingers or toes. The last time (and the only time) I had gotten a manicure and pedicure was for my wedding 5.5 years ago. Since then I probably would have had painted nails once or maximum twice, but not more. These things are usually not my cup of tea simply because I don't usually get the time to think about it - I do think painted nails are a lot prettier than non-painted ones, but you know... one needs time for these extra curricular activities.

But now I seem to have all the time in the world, so I painted my toes a shiny beige.

And felt absolutely feminine and fantastic about it!

36 more to go. 

Day 963: Birthday Shopping!

It was an uneventful day and was getting on my nerves after a point, so I decided that I wanted to make it somewhat eventful.

So in the evening, I set out for some shopping. Not just any shopping, but birthday shopping. Birthday shopping for the hubby. That is, shopping for gifts for the hubby's upcoming birthday!

Well, we share our birthday, so his birthday is still 37 days away, but I decided that there was no point in procrastinating. I had a fair idea what to give him, so I thought I might as well get it sooner than later. And most importantly it gave me something to do on an otherwise boring day!

So I shopped until my heart's content, thoroughly enjoyed the experience, came back and worked on the gift for a bit at home and felt super smug about the whole deal!

The hubby, when he got home, heard what happened. Of course, I didn't tell him what the gift is but I told him I went shopping for it. And he wasn't pleased at all! According to him, this simply means that he needs to work extra hard on his gift for me (remember, we share our birthday) and all this is just stressful! Sigh! Such lovable drama!

I assured him that I didn't go shopping because I wanted to give him a spectacular gift but instead, to have some fun myself. So it was a exercise meant for my own entertainment and not for his benefit - the latter is just a by-product. I also gently reminded him that in any case, I always have better ideas when it comes to gifts vs. him, so why bother.

After much reassurance, he was finally convinced and I was happy!

Great evening!

37 more to go. 

Day 962: Lakshmi Narasimhan, Script, Yoga, Wimbledon and Missisippi Mud Cake

I am not sure whether I have mentioned this before, but we have formed a routine of hitting the South Indian restaurant, Lakshmi Narasimhan, every Sunday morning for brunch. It's a routine I am very much enjoying so far! Today, I binged on their Hot & Spicy Andhra Dosa, Idly, Vada and Filter coffee. Yum!!!

After that terrific start to the day, I decided to spend some time working on my feature film script and made some progress.

Then I felt like I had done all that needs to be done for a Sunday and wanted to sleep off. Instead, I forced myself to do yoga. And 'forcing' it was! The energy levels were pretty low and I took 1.5 hours to finish off the hour's routine because I was taking my own sweet time. But post the practice, I felt good and it seemed to be the best decision I could have made!

Then I joined the hubby and friends at Chimes to watch the Wimbledon men's single finals. The hubby was supporting Federer as if his life depended on it, and I supported the hubby and in turn, Federer. One of the highlights of the group-watching of Wimbledon, other than the totally crazy conversation that was happening throughout with the friends, was the Mississippi Mud Cake that we ordered to go along! Everything else in the restaurant was pretty average ....oh, except their curly fries which were awesome....but the mud cake was exceptional! Loved it!

Anyway, good news was that Federer won, which made the hubby royally happy. He couldn't have been happier if he himself had won it! And in return for the support I gave him and Federer, the hubby did me the favor of reading through my film script so far and commenting on it. Something which I had been unable to get him to do till then!

Nett, a pretty fun, packed, happy day!

38 more to go.

Day 961: Meet Ups, Dim Sum, Galaxy S3, Ice Cream & Happiness!

It was a fantastic day!

One of those days when you feel pretty happy and good about everything even though you might not be able to point out why exactly!

In any case, here is a list of all the small things that could have contributed to the big happiness:

a) Meeting and having an interesting conversation with someone who contacted me to know more about how to get independent movies screened in Singapore - I discovered that she is a fellow Mallu and better still, a fellow Bikram Yogini which made us instant thick friends!
b) A little bit of shopping
c) Visiting my Bikram Yoga studio to pick up the husband who went for a class there, and meeting the folks there whom I miss oh-so-much.
d) Being told twice the same day that I look quite fit and good for someone in her 6th month of pregnancy!
e) Gorging on dim sums at Din Tai Fung, with the hubby.
f) Getting the new Samsung Galaxy S3 phone, which came to me almost free of cost thanks to the offers at Starhub, my mobile service provider.
g) Being quite happy with the service at Starhub, while we were there.
h) The happiness of the hubby who instantly accepted the offer when I suggested that he could use the new phone instead of me.
i) Having McDonald's cone ice cream, something which I usually do not have at all (simply because am not an ice cream fan) and hence was a novel experience.
j) Spending the entire evening making random conversation with the hubby who seemed to be having a generally happy day as well!

Like I said, not one big thing but several small things. But as long as it made me happy, who is complaining!

39 more to go.

Day 960: The Filmie Fanatic Again!

I had written here about how a fellow filmie fanatic from India had read about Mausams and the very humble background of its making in a newspaper, and came to visit me during a trip he made to Singapore. His story was that he had always been wanting to make a film but somehow didn't get himself to, due to work commitments, but after reading about how Mausams was made by people with zero film background and full time jobs in other fields, he was inspired to make one. We had a long chat that day in Singapore and I was happy to see someone so genuinely passionate about movie making.

He went back to India and soon made a short film which did extremely well in film festival circuits and won a few awards as well. He also visited me during the Mausams screening in Kerala when I was there last year.

He was back in Singapore today and he once again came over to meet me. For our meeting today, he chose the same Starbucks where we had met last year to discuss his film making dreams, and he even walked over and sat on the same seats saying, "This is where it all began!". He was pretty overwhelmed with the whole experience of making a film and couldn't seem to believe all that he had managed to achieve in the last one year. Not only has his film done so well, the latest news is that he has gotten the #1 star in the film industry to work with him on an extension for that film and post that development, some channels are also acquiring satellite rights for it! All very exciting stuff!

I was thrilled to listen to his story and felt extremely pleased to be a very small part of his wonderful journey so far!

And then I asked him what his plans are next. He has enough contacts in the industry now to make a mainstream feature film if he likes to, and he shared with me the thread of very interesting plot he has in mind for a feature as well. I asked him what was stopping him from plunging in again, and he said that it was the same issue as last time - work commitments and a general feeling of "will I be pull it off?", something all of us go through I suppose. And then he said, "I thought if I come and meet you and talk to you about my plans again, maybe I will go back and act on it.. just like last time." How sweet! He was giving way too much credit than what that meeting last year could rightly deserve!

I assured him that it is one thing to be inspired by other people and a completely different thing to actually act on that inspiration and make something out of it. Post Mausams, I have probably had at least 50 - 60 people tell me that they too are inspired to make a film on their own after witnessing the Mausams journey but this filmie fanatic is the only one I am aware of, who has actually done it. And done it so well, that too! Kudos to his passion, courage and determination!

I am certain that in another year's time, I will hear back from him... with more success stories. Now that he has started, I think there is no stopping him. I wish him all the very best! And I am very, very happy and humbled to be a very tiny part of his wonderful story!

40 more to go. 

Day 959: Next Feature Script Begins!

I was up until 1:30 am today, working on the first few scenes of the next feature film script!

This one, supposedly a romantic saga across multiple locations, is completely out of my league in terms of execution! But this is exactly the reason why I thought now would be a good time to write it.

I am under no pressure... that is no pressure from myself, because no one else bothers to pressurize me about these things....  to make any film for a while, until and unless I settled down with all the changes in my life currently.

So it's like I have all the time in the world to write down the ideas in my head, without a need to worry about when and how I would be able to bring them to the screen.With that understanding, I began to finally jot this idea down which had been on my mind for at least a year now. 


And am totally, loving the process! Unlike writing for short films, feature film scripting is like being in a world of its own! My quiet study room, a cup of tea or milo or just water at times, some beautiful music in the background and my characters shaping up on the pages as I type on. 


Wonderful to be back here! 


41 more to go. 

Day 958: Standing Bow Pose - Check!

Yup, I am beginning to keep track of the yoga postures I do well in my current pregnant state, much like what I used to do before.

Previously, my benchmark for getting a posture right is if I get complimented by the instructor in the hot yoga class. But now, given that I do my prenatal yoga in the comfort of my own room, my benchmark is my ability to maintain the posture through the recommended time... which is usually only 15-20 seconds.

I can do hold most of the postures for the recommended time but there are a few tricky ones like Standing Bow or Balancing Stick or even the Awkward Pose.

And for today, I am happy to share that I got the Standing Bow Pose right! Yay!

42 more to go. 

Day 957: 2am Parathas & Teh Halia!

It was one of those days... or rather nights, when you just don't seem to be able to fall asleep. Both the hubby and I were wide awake discussing everything from the newly discovered God particle, to work, to the upcoming child, to travel plans in the future, to what we should be doing on our shared birthday which is just a month of so away... without making much progress on any of these, I must add.

Then the inevitable happened. We got hungry. 

It was already 2am, so the hunger wasn't surprising. But then it was mildly surprising that we decided to act on it. Instead of going to bed and forgetting about the hunger, we decided to take a stroll, go to a nearby hawker centre and get something to eat. 

So we did. 

We walked to Al Afrose and stuffed ourselves with Onion and Egg Parathas and Teh Halia (Ginger Tea).

The food was good but more than that, I really enjoyed the experience. It reminded me of my film shooting & editing days ...or even university days, if I want to go that far back.... when I would be up for so late, in spite of the fact that it was a weekday, and then go around looking for food in the middle of the night.

Walking through the completely deserted roads of a very quiet Singapore, in those memories, really felt good! 

Small pleasures of life!

43 more to go. 

Day 956: Acting Offer!

Totally out of the blue, in the least unexpected manner, one of my friends (who also happens to be my cinematographer on Mausams and Inganeyum Oru Katha) asked me whether I would be interested in acting in a short film that he wants to make. That too in my current pregnant self!

Woah! The offer made me real happy especially because I wasn't expecting anyone to ask me to act for them and definitely not a pregnant me! So this made me feel real good!

Anyway, not sure whether this would actually take off or not as the script is in progress currently and I am not sure how long my energetic self will last. But at least I got the offer.... I will be happy with that

44 more to go.

Day 955: Spirit!

That's the name of the Malayalam movie I watched today - "Spirit"! I always enjoy the rare instance of watching a Malayalam movie in the theatre - meeting Mallu friends, talking in Malayalam, observing fellow Mallu movie watchers - and today was no exception. And it was all the more pleasant because the movie itself was pretty good!

Loved the Spirit experience!

45 more to go.

Day 954: A Complete Script!

I wrote an entire short film script today and it felt super, duper Awesome!

I couldn't help smiling for the rest of the day - it felt so good to actually complete something rather than simply planning for it or things just being "work in progress"! I no longer feel unproductive but am super encouraged to carry on writing! In my current condition, shooting a film may look doubtful but I can definitely continue to write and having completed one script, even if it is only for a 15-minute film, makes me feel a lot more energized than before!

After working on the script, I went for a swim and had a nice dinner with the hubby to celebrate this little achievement!

Oh, the small joys!

46 more to go. 

Day 953: The Next Decade!

Alright, so am a sucker for planning. There is no denying that. I plan my week ahead, the year ahead, what I need to get done before I turn 30, heck... I even plan on how to make the 1000 days running up to my 30th birthday "beautiful". That's the kinda planner I am.

But sometimes planners are at a loss too. Here's the latest situation.

Now that I have so successfully completed checking off everything on my "things to do before 30" list and am on track to turning 30 as a wiser, more satisfied, happy human being, the very obvious question arises - "What do you want to do by the time you are 40?"

"What do you want to do by the time you are 40?"

This one has several layers, you see. Do I continue to work at my current work place? Do I look for another job or maybe study further? Do I take up films and theatre full time? I have managed to juggle work, family, exercise, travel, films/theatre etc. up until now but will I be able to continue doing that especially with the baby coming? What about traveling? Where do I go next? What about financial planning? What about doing some good for the society? What about this, that and everything else?

I had no clue. Bummer.

I was already rather satisfied with whatever I had done until my 30th, so 40th was rather tricky as such and these additional questions do not really help. Everything I could think of initially, seemed like asking for a bit too much.

But all that confusion was only until today.

Today, I simply knew.

Out of the blue, it dawned on me. Exactly what I want to do the next decade! The clouds of uncertainty parted and I could see a clear direction!

Wooohooo!

Alright, I am not gonna write it all down here, because it is not one thing but several and they make sense to me right now but not necessarily to others.

But the whole point is that I know. And now that I know what I want, I can plan for it accordingly. The sense of purpose and direction makes me feel secure and in control.

And thus, the planning for the next decade begins!

47 more to go.

Day 952: As Stiff As An Iron Rod!

I got back to prenatal yoga today, after a gap of about 4-5 weeks or so, and that's how I felt - as stiff as an iron rod. Gosh! I couldn't believe that a month of inactivity would make me this inflexible. And it's not even like I am doing regular yoga - this was pregnancy yoga which is like one-tenth as strenuous or demanding as regular yoga! Oh well.

So then the question is what's so beautiful about being stiff as an iron rod.

Well, what's beautiful is that I persisted. The iron rod that I am, continued to do the yoga aasanas in whichever way I could and lasted the entire one hour.

And that felt awesome! It was like getting back what I had been missing out from life the last few days!

So there, as stiff as an iron rod but still feeling pretty darn pleased about the whole thing!

48 more to go. 

Day 951: Kicks Galore!

Yup, the kid's getting rather active and kicking all around!

I have been feeling the movements for a while, and it's been exciting (and annoying as well at times, especially when I am trying to sleep) but I had been wanting to share the fun and excitement around it with the hubby as well. But that hadn't happened until today, when the kicks got real strong and the hubby could feel it too! He looked thoroughly amused and both of us once again had a freak-out moment realizing that there is complete human being inside me! Phew!

The wonderful workings of this wonderful world!

49 more to go.

Day 950: Dramatic Airport Farewell!

Pretty dramatic day! 

It was my in-law's last day in town. After 1.5 months of staying over, it was time for them to take their leave. So everyone including both of them, the hubby and I were a bit blue. I was certainly gonna miss all that pampering, especially since they were at unprecedented levels thanks to the pregnancy! 

Ideally I would have wanted to drop them at the airport, But I had a totally packed day at work with a lot of meetings and I had to tell my goodbyes in the morning, with no hope for making it to the airport. But as luck would have it, the meetings in the afternoon got cancelled one after the other, and I suddenly realized that if I rush, I can still catch them at the airport. 

So I rushed!

I took a cab but there was only so much the cab could rush and it took me a good 40 minutes to get to the airport. 

Upon barging into the terminal, I realized that there has been a last minute change and that the terminal has been changed to another one! Ugh! I had not told my in-laws that I am going over to the airport since I was planning to make it a small surprise. I was certain of the terminal number because we had checked it online yesterday, so there was no need to call them about that as well. But then again, as luck would have it Changi airport decides to change the terminal and I didn't get to know about it. 

So then I rushed to the other terminal. This time the sky train took its own sweet time to arrive and let passengers board and finally chug its way over. 

Once I got to the right terminal, I made my way in the general direction of where I expected them to be - somewhere between their check in counter, Starbucks and Ananda Bhavan restaurant, which are the usual hangout places. 

I didn't have to make it until there because half way down, I saw them right outside the door to immigration, just about to enter! I ran over and announced my arrival with great pomp and show! They were not expecting me at all and were thoroughly taken aback, so the surprise worked! Yay! A minute late and I would have completely missed them and all that rushing would have gone totally wasted!

So we had a round of final, elaborate goodbyes at the airport! It was nice and I was pretty happy with the whole deal!

Post seeing them off, the hubby and I decided to catch a movie. We booked ticket online for Men In Black 3, only to realize that we hardly have any time to get there! So that was another round of rushing, this time to the theatre! Seriously, one rushed day this turned out to be! 

But the movie was totally worth it, am always a Will Smith fan, so no complaints!

Post the movie, it was dinner at the amazing Absolute Thai and thankfully that was not rushed! 

 

So yes, it was a rushed day with a typical Bollywoodish last-minute airport farewell for full dramatic effect! But one that I loved!

And with that my friends, we have only 50 more to go! 

50 more to go. 

Day 949: Almost There!

Pretty good day, one where I feel like I have almost reached pre-pregnancy productivity levels. And that's because after a super long day at work and even a night call, I managed to write a few pages of a new script! Now that hasn't happened for a long while. I have had ideas but haven't been able to get myself to write anything for months!

So that made me feel very excited and satisfied! I would have said that am perfectly back to pre-pregnancy levels, had I also been able to squeeze in some exercise like a walk or a swim or some yoga. But I have become notoriously lazy at exercising since Scotland, so that didn't happen. But 11 hours of work and then script writing makes me feel pretty close to being my very productive self.

So for today I will be happy with just that - getting almost there!

51 more to go.

Days 947 & 948: Weekend with the In-Laws!

23 & 24 June, 2012

It was the last weekend of the in-law's visit this time around, so it was fully focused on spending top quality time with them! They have been around for 1.5 months, taking very good care of a pregnant me and we spent the weekend having a last burst of awesome fun!

So what all did we do over the two days? Well, we shopped a lot, chatted a lot, went restaurant hopping, watched a movie, spent Saturday night at Clarke Quay and Sunday night at the wonderful Ion Sky Bar, which they thoroughly loved and it finished off the weekend on a high note!

This was awesome, till the next time!

52 more to go.

Day 946: Scans, Celebrations & Happiness!

Kinda packed & happy day!

After half a day of work, in which I felt like I had to douse a million fires, I was off for my medical appointment - this time for what the doctor called a "detailed scan". And detailed indeed the scan was! We could watch the little one roll around and see the tiny face, torso, feet, arms, fingers and toes for a long time as the doctor took all the required measurements. The results were all thankfully normal and nothing to worry about but the best part was just being about to watch the kid play around for at least 15 minutes or so. I know in a world of 7 billion people, pregnancy and childbirth are hardly matters of any wonder, but whenever such a scan takes place, I can't help be amazed that there is actually a whole human being inside me!

Anyway after the scan, we got back home, relaxed a bit over tea and snacks and then went out for a bit of hanging out and shopping. It was the in-law's last weekend in town and we wanted to make the most of it!

Post that it was time for the birthday dinner of a close friend. I got to meet the usual gang, also the birthday boy's mom and aunt who were both such dear ladies. We had a ton of fun over some yummy Thai food followed by the bean-bag seated TCC drinks & desserts!

At the end of the day, I felt rather happy. Happy to have been product at work, happy to have seen the baby, happy to have spent time with in-laws and friends, happy to have all that awesome food and drinks. All small things maybe, but all happy!

54 more to go. 

Day 945: Surprise Festival!

I had almost completely forgotten about Mausams in the last few months and been moving on with my life, hardly ever thinking of it.

But today, totally out of the blue, my editor messaged me and brought to my notice that Mausams is an official selection at the Delhi International Film Festival! That was just too amazing and brought a avalanche of Mausams memories to my mind! I was so very pleasantly surprised!

It had happened because one of the members of the organizing committee of the Delhi festival was at the Dhaka film festival where Mausams was screened. He liked the film and had asked us to submit it for consideration for the Delhi festival. This was about 5 months ago! I passed him a screener and a few details and then completely forgot about it since then.

So when this wonderful news came by today, I was so thrilled! Needless to say, we went immediately to celebration mode because this is also the first festival in India that Mausams is getting to be a part of! I shared the joy with the cast and crew and family and felt on top of the world for the rest of the day!

Felt super grateful that something I had worked (very, very, very hard!) on such a long time ago, still continues to make me feel so good!

I won't be able to attend the festival because it is very close to my due date, nevertheless am very excited about this surprise festival entry!

55 more to go. 

Day 944: Best Friend!

Best friends do remain best friends!

Today I happened to catch my best friend from school on line after several months and we had the nicest chat ever! It is amazing how we are not necessarily in touch all the time but whenever we do get together, we get along like a house on fire! She makes me feel so happy and good and we had the most amazing conversation! God bless her!

56 more to go. 

Day 943: Chaat, Chaat & Even More Chaat!

It was a hectic day at work after the holidays, and I was rather tired by the time I got home. But I was instantly perked up when I saw that my in-laws had made this super amazing spread of Chaats for dinner! 

Wikipedia explains Chaat as “savoury snacks, typically served at road-side tracks from stalls or carts in India”. Given that I don’t have a better way to explain this other than “awesomely tasty food from the North of India (and probably East or West but definitely not South)”, we shall stick to Wiki.

So yes, they had made Aloo Tikkiya, Dahi Vada, Dhaniya Aloo, Mutter, Golgappa, Bhaigan Pakodas and about 3-4 different kinds of chutneys. And I gorged on all of it, shamelessly kept burping throughout but remained unfazed by it, and continued gorging anyway.

Bliss!

A great end to a tiring day!

57 more to go.