Making sense

There is something fundamentally attractive about jigsaw puzzles. Maybe it has to do with putting things together, using your hands, creating a whole bigger than the sum of its parts. Or the sheer childish fun of it.

D and I decided it was time we stopped throwing away precious weekend hours thinking of what to do and focusing on some problem-solving enjoyment. This is where we have got so far.

We are slow, but we never, ever ever ever ever ever give up! :-)

Of triggers, old and new

Many years back, when I went camping with my school mates, my dad got candy flavoured toothpaste for us all - so that we could enjoy even the rubbish process of brushing our teeth. Every time I have had candy since, I am transported to the beautiful banks of the Ganga in Rishikesh, a happy, care-free school kid, going white-water rafting with her mates. It's one of my fondest childhood memories and I only need some candy to re-live the glorious moments!

So imagine my delight when another sensory trigger removed me into a different Asian city today. A is in Bangkok, meeting some dear old friends. As I spoke to him over the phone, I could hear the cab driver shouting instructions into his cab radio in Thai. I was instantly transported to the city where I discovered myself again - the mad traffic, the lovely people, the enchanting buzzing of the air, the oppressive tropical heat and the coke with crushed ice in polythene bags- there's no place like Bangkok.

While my first love will always truly remain Delhi, if there is another city I absolutely adore, it is Bangkok. I know, I now, London is home now, and Delhi will always be home, but Bangkok is really home away from home.

After ending the call with A, I rumaged through my old photos. And this is what I found - a moment in time - the lovely home A and I made in the city that we remember so fondly.

Aafat and his friends

Aafat is my 3 week old calla lily who takes great pride in himself and his name. You do know that it stands for 'trouble' in Urdu right? Please make sure you pronounce his name correctly - he doesn't like it when people get it wrong.

Aafat is a bit moody these days. How do I know? He's getting slightly yellow around the edges and sometimes fights with the papers, pens, books, tea cups and the laptop on my desk to get some serious attention. Ac and I were a bit worried last week as we didn't want him to make himself ill. So we placed him by the window and now talk to him constantly. He seems to like this as he's getting his colour back.

Aafat also has some nice friends in the office, which helps. Eric, Ac's calla lily is his best buddy. We believe they gossip about us girls when we step out to get some tea. Aafat also finds Moufa rather interesting - surely you know Moufa? Ca's cactus? Ca decided that he needed to be named after how that particular day was turning out for her - Moufa I believe is 'not quite right' in Greek.

As we celebrated the end of the first mammoth review cycle with champagne and laughter, Aafat, Eric and Moufa too went a bit tipsy over shots of unadulterated water. Talk about demanding attention and getting it!

What we see

is what we want to see.
Big news in my office last Monday - no, there's no bonus yet. Apparently the brilliant shoe shop down the street, where you usually find all the women from the office ogling at the beauties on display in the show window and sighing at their prices, has got a sale on. Who cares that we are in the midst of one hell of a pressure cooker situation in the office - stress comes and goes but shoe sales, now that's something to stop and take stock of.
So each lady, and I mean each and every one, paid a visit to the shrine. Given that its a fairly select boutique, we were a tad worried that we might all end up in embarrassingly similar footwear - beautiful but certainly avoidable. And so, to our collective relief, surprise and nirvana-like joy, we all ended up picking up dissimilar foot candy. No two pairs were alike. Beautiful, but different. If only all the rest of the world's problems were this easy to resolve!
I overheard P telling B "oh I just love yours, but I just don't remember seeing them!" You see, we have eyes only for what we are after. And I am in love with my new acquisitions! What a shame I haven't any photos to show for it...

the sand in my hand

is nothing more than nothing. Why do we want things that don't exist; at least not in the ways we imagine them. What is the shape of a hope? What is the structure of love? What is the form of friendship? How can I touch kindness? What does hatred look like?
I heard a voice over a frequency allowing voice communication. So what was it that tied my heart in that painful knot and filled me up with an empty, watery sense of dismay? Can I hold on to that fear that filled me with tears?
No, as we grow, we find newer questions, and fewer answers. We are neither right nor wrong, we just are.