Sunrise, Sunset, and Life Forever…

When it's pouring outside and i look at that misty glass, trying to figure out what lies beyond, i often go to that Zen moment, where nothing matters and still everything matters.

I stare at the open space, i stare at the sky and then i stare at the computer screen with my finger automatically clicking to open facebook.

I see an update from one of those happy teenagers with "Friends Forever" and i wonder when did i stopped uploading them, why doesn't it feel relevant anymore, why does it feel funny at times now?

May be as i grew up to know we are still friends and we know it is not because we promised to remain "Friends Forever"!

We have one life and it can be as simple as a line drawn on the black board and still it ends up feeling complicated like a painting by toddler, you think it means something but when asked he will only surprise you with what it is supposed to mean!

You think you are in peace with yourself, with your life but often you think that way is not enough for that to last.

One life... and still why should it take us so long to figure it out, to figure ourselves, and sometimes even that does not happen..

And yes relationships.... that make life so interesting.

They make you feel loved, they make you feel drowned, they make you feel useless, they make you feel hated, they make you feel pampered and they can even make you feel like living forever or may be never!

Why do we loose friends?

Why do we fall in love?

Why do we fight with the ones we love?

Why do people break our hearts?

Why relations which don’t matter makes us cry?

Why do we have to pretend at times?

Why do we feel the need to run away some times?

Why do some plans never see the sunlight?

And why do the unplanned take the flight?

May be that's what the LIFE is all about.

Sometimes i am so clueless, and sometimes i know exactly what i want. Sometimes i am so powerless, and sometimes i just go and get what i want.

Sometimes i can see life from outside, just like i am watching a movie. So detached and still attached.

Sometimes i feel i should just live and not think too much... but then would i be machine and not human?

So then i just walk, walk, walk... let the breeze hit my face, listen to my favorite songs, I can't think of anything, and still it feels good living that moment, setting my heart free, not caring what others may feel when they look at you and I can actually feel my heart beating....

May be it's a part and parcel of being a human to be over analytical, or may be it's just a girl thing. Or may be it's just me thing !

Sometimes i think may be i can just turn to Sweets, chocolates..... And may be that was the right answer to all the questions.

And then i feel what ever be the reason for this spring in the summer.... we should just go with the flow... enjoy the rain, enjoy the few sun rays here & there and look at the beautiful changing sky ... one moment flooded with warm sun rays, next race of clouds and magical dance of colors when sun makes love with the clouds!

Life is beautiful.

And Life is complex.

But Life must go one, and it goes on.

3 years of love & hate relationship !

So it's official, 3 years of our love & hate relationship and still going strong.

Ooops yes, we did complete 3 years of our wedding 2 months back, but I meant our relationship with this beautiful country of Canals, windmills and Tulips !
Arrrr, what did you think I was talking about?

Time sure flies, just realized today is the day I landed in this country exactly 3 years back!

And I survived ! Look at me still very alive... not bad, not at all bad !

On this very special day when I complete 3 years in this country, I thought of sharing 3 things about living here.

But well, I am in very happy and generous mood today so I decide to give you more headache by giving 10 instead!
Things which I realized / learnt / experienced while living here in The Netherlands, and here you go...

1. When you are driving, if any animal slows

you down (or you end up killing/ injuring), that would most probably be ducks or ducklings or goose or alike. (You got my point, right?)

2. It is a highly competitive country, people race everyday to come office at the earliest hour to be able to be first to leave. (That’s the one thing this country couldn't change me with... coming last to the college, lecture, and office, whatever.)

3. it’s easy to talk here, no need to be innovative... just talk about weather everyday. (By the way it is unusually warm today, isn't it?)

4. When you don't understand something Dutch and are asked "how long have you been here?", it will be no fun to say 3 full years and still I don't get it! (Does that mean I will have to be inspired again to change it??? :-( )

5. Free stuff is not luck by chance but it is a way of life. Your right by the birth. (Remember the days, when everything was free as there was no super-stores and malls? people just used to produce all what they need! If you don't get it free, ask for korting/ discount !)

6. Doctors prefer to cut you than to feed you with medicine. (Being operated upon is better than taking a few medicines, any day, right?)

7. I felt relieved when a new colleague joined the company, who has been here for 1.5 years more than me and is as good at Dutch as me. It is wonderful to hear "Com'on it's ok, we don't have a Dutch partner so it is difficult". And... I love it!

8. If you discuss about others, it's "gossip". If they do the same it's "Sharing"! (BTW this one is universal I guess)

9. At office, all you should be worrying is about filling in your 8 hours, doesn't matter how it went, with coffee or peeling oranges whirling in your chair.

10. Patience! You have to be patient and wait for everything. Procedures and deliveries aah not to forget customer service! (May be more to do with... you came to us! You need it and not we!?!? Something like that?)

Ok that's my 10 for time being, for more may be we will have to wait one more year for experience ! :o)

Image Courtsey : http://www.mindsinmotion.net/index.php/mim/cartoons

Finally, a visit to the doctor in NL.

There is always a first time for everything, and it was to visit a hospital today in NL for the first time.

Well, it was scary and also totally new experience. I am writing this post right now, which means there was nothing serious involved but still I cannot help with that smile as now and then that tensed and scarred face of Ashu keeps popping up in my mind.

Ofcourse if I compare the experience with back home, India, there is a difference of ... ummm not comparable. You don't have to fill in forms as you are registered in database officially and you don't have to pay at the very same time of being treated.

Medication, that differs again, as when you go to doctor in India, you hardly rarely (may be never) ever come out without a medicine (whatever type it is!) or prescription for the same. Here even after my asking for atleast antibiotic I was denied with wait and watch!

But waiting.... cannot comment on that one as I was expecting with not a long waiting line in reception room and hospital full of patience waiting time would be better, but no... It remains the same! We had to wait even after we had an appointment, we had to wait for hours for getting the tests done and then for doctor to come to us and advice, so that part remains the same.

Life has been busy and I have been hardly getting time to write or read other blogs.

So this was just a drop in to say "Hi". Hope everyone is doing well.

I do miss blogging / sharing !

Image from : http://snippits-and-slappits.blogspot.com/2011/02/they-dont-make-cartoons-like-they-used.html

Somethings here and there...

Isn't it incredible, since how long I haven't been writing!
Ahh don't even ask me the reason! Not because I have endless reasons, more because I don't know the reason. Haven't I been complaining lately about kind of writer's block? Then there it may be, even though I am not a writer!
Well, now that I am here writing, I don't even know what I want to write about! It's just that internal feeling of not having been writing lately and an urge to write!

There were so many funny incidents, which when happened I made a note to myself to write about it the next time but when I am actually here now, nothing comes to the mind! Well, that's me, isn't it?

2011 started pretty well, with us being in India for the New Year. Lots of yummy food, lots of shopping, catching up with family and friends. Aaah as usual made some usual new year resolutions as well.... like to start saving a bit finally or to be back on exercise regime and to take learning Dutch more seriously, also to start learning atleast basic French to be able to ask atleast if they have anything vegetarian on menu...hehe It's not even 2 months and tell you, everything is in vein already!

Yes did a bit of superb cooking also in-between the time while was away, have been collecting pic for some time now and procrastinating posting recipes on my Food blog for sometime now but soon will do that... hope so. Also started back on that long work-in-progress painting, and looks like 2 more sittings and it will be ready to hang on the wall! You will know when I am done with those as you will see me updating on my "Colors - My Art Studio". We just have to wait now when those 2 sittings happen! :-P

Also made a trip to Belgium last week. It was very interesting in the sense until we left home, we were not sure where are we heading to. Just thought we need a break while on the way back home from grocery that Saturday and in 30 mins we were out on the roads. We ended up in Antwerp that night, tried an Indian restaurant in Antwerp for the first time. We already knew that there is a big Gujarati community there due to connection with Surat diamond business / exports. I was mentioning that on the way that there must be some restaurant as well and amazingly we ended up at this place where the owner was Gujarati and got to speak Gujarati in a restaurant in Europe for the first time (except in England last summer) !

Believe me that once you are full with Indian dinner, you can't get any lazier! So decide to do overnight stay there and went for a long drive from there the next morning. Explored the region of Ardennes , and it is truly beautiful.



Ohh and we saw something interesting in Antwerp behind the glasses.... go figure :P