Monday, January 05, 2009

Mutlu yıllar

A bit belated, but still - new year wishes. Personally, I am just wishing (hoping, what have you) that 2009 is a more eventful and happier year than last. I don't really have much to show for 2008 - it was mostly rather mind numbingly dull. My reading has pretty much gone down the drain. I still have a stack of books that I bought and never got down to reading. Perhaps it is apt that my favourite book out of the few I read last year was Joseph O'Neill's Netherland. Saw a lot of movies - most of which I never wrote about. Anyway, my applications have all been submitted now. I had hoped that once they were done I would be a little less harried but the wait is immensely painful. I had an awful nightmare about the whole thing a few days back - silly, but still too scary a thought to relive.

The year will bring some change in scenery at any rate. I am shifting back to India - in all probability to Chennai for a few months with work, and then lets see. I haven't been in more than a decade and have only the haziest memories of the place - strangely enough I vividly remember Kodaikanal, Madurai and other places in Tamil Nadu - but I do hope to make the most of it. So, basically travel about and take photographs on the weekends. And I am looking forward to the food very much - if there's one thing I would be happy eating everyday for the rest of my life it would be sambhar, rice and chutney. Along with thoran, ideally.

I do however have to pack up - bag and baggage - and five years of stuff to wind up and shift countries isn't very pleasant. Just the thought of it is tiring but I have started sorting through stuff and will start sending my books - most of my stuff, really - soon. I am also traveling to Java later this month - the last few days have been reading up for that - and I am suitably excited. And apart from that the new year also got off to a surprisingly nice start - the people at the New Yorker sent me a 2009 diary (with my name embossed!!!) - causing much delight, since I hadn't actually ordered any such thing. (Just registered my hard drive.) Still, I am hoping its a good beginning to what will be a good year.

8 comments:

Madhuri said...

Hi Szerelem, Wish you a very happy year too. Hope you enjoy Chennai and the travel around - do try the Udupi region, I have heard quite a few ravings about it - there is a lovely island close by called St Mary's island.
Cheers

Alok said...

hey, happy new year and best of luck for all the applications. Hope everything gets through soon. and please blog more in the new year :)

Tabula Rasa said...

good luck!

Roxana said...

by the sound of it, it will surely be an exciting year for you! I envy you for so many travels :-) I miss that now. well, I will go to Germany for one month soon, but compare that to Java :-)

Anonymous said...

Love the use of the verb 'shifting' - you're in (Indian) character already!

Fëanor said...

So when is the grand move back? Good luck, I say.

sambhar, rice and chutney. Along with thoran, ideally

Surely you got all that in Singapore? :-)

Szerelem said...

Thank you all!!

Madhuri - thanks for the tip. I have briefly passed through Udupi eons ago but of course hardly remember it. Will try and wander around as much as I can.

Alok: see new post re the applications :D

TR: Thanks!

Roxana: I have been only to Munich, but really want to visit Berlin. I have heard only the best things about it.

Saif: Welcome :) And I am always in (Indian) charecter :P

Feanor: You'd be surprised how difficult it is to get good thoran. But of course the sambhar cravings are well satisfied here.

Roxana said...

yes, Berlin is a city that I love above all. I lived there for a year once.