The Day of the Doctor - OFFICIAL trailer - Doctor Who 50th Anniversary S...

So excited! 13 days and counting down to the anticipated episode...

Wow, 31 already...

Ten years ago, I turned 21. I remember feeling full of hopes, dreams and drive. There were so many plans I had. But life can be sneaky, and now I find myself of a path I had never imagined, a path with a husband and a home. I suppose all I can do now is embrace it all fully... and enjoy every moment.

The *S.O brought all these goodies to the bed this morning. And I felt so loved.

And from google: 

*S.O = Significant Other 

New Home in Pictures

The S.O.* and I got the keys to our first house in November last year. We only moved in after the wedding in March. In those few months we managed to paint, renovate the kitchen, add a bookshelf, replace carpets with laminated floors and replace four of the conventional swinging doors with sliding doors (to save space). So, without further ado, here are a few pictures!

The kitchen: 

The lounge and dining area: 

The bedrooms: 

And the all important bookshelf: 

It is still very much a work in progress.I have a vision of what I want my home to look like, and I am getting there, slowly and steadily.

*Significant Other 

Do you listen to "She and Him"?

I gotta admit, I have a harmless girl crush on Zooey Deschanel. It is no surprise then that I also listen to the music from her band, She and Him. Zooey directed their latest music video, and yes, I enjoyed every quirky moment.

I want more of Mauritius

Mauritius is a place where a lady can wear a flower in her hair everyday. It's an island that thaws your stiff bones with the warmth of the sun, its people and fiery, vegetarian friendly cuisine. Its where local dancers can really move their hips! And it has become a destination I would want to return to.

"Let me do the cliched thing and go there on honeymoon," I thought. My needs were simple: I wanted to go to a place that was not too far from South Africa, I wanted a visa free destination, I wanted some peace and stillness from the intense busy period of the wedding and by George, I also wanted ample, tasty vegetarian food. I cannot tell you the amounts of times I ended up eating tubes of Pringles and chocolates...for the entire holiday. Mauritius emerged as the shining beacon.

A view of the beach from the reception area literally took my breath away. "This is going to be good," I thought. I felt instant relief and a weight off my shoulders. S.O and I made our way to our room, and my initial thought of things being good, improved to better. The room was magnificent, with the beach a short walk away. Perfect for some RnR.

It felt like any other holiday S.O.* and I had been on, there was no pressure to make it special simply because it was the honeymoon. We spent a lot of time on the beach, doing water activities like snorkeling (sea water kept on going into my eyes and troubling my contact lenses, so I gave up), the glass boat, the pedal boat, and sitting on a tube while being pulled by a power boat. There was time for gym, touring, morning walks on the beach, aqua aerobics, attempting to water ski (S.O.) and yoga.

I simply revelled in the fact that wedding was over, my time was mine and I was not neck deep in wedding chores! In fact, there was absolutely nothing to do except eat, relax, drink and take in the salty sea air and warm sun rays.

S.O: Significant Other 

A Writer's Block

According to this article on Huffington Post, Jason Crombie recommends writers do the following: 

Drink

All the great writers drank like fish: Ernest Hemmingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ethan Hawke, etc. There's no point trying to write a single word sober, you'll only disappoint yourself and your family. Start the workday with a six-pack, and then work your way up to a bottle of Johnny Walker Black; that's when the magic happens.

Don't bother with rewrites

You've written it; it's there on the page, see? Job done. Now why in the name of heck would you do it again? To make it better? Don't be stupid. Ever heard of a little thing called, 'First thought, best thought'?

(Click here if you want to read more)

I found the tips refreshingly sarcastic and wonderfully entertaining. Then I stared at my computer screen and realised my writing has reached a horrible stagnant stage...and I cannot see beyond the murkiness. Fact is, I am not writing the way I should, the way I want to. This blog has suffered, and there are even blank pages in my diary, where the past year should have been documented... 

There was a time when words flowed out of me, when I did not struggle with every paraphrase and paragraph. That was when I did not second guess myself, and stare at blank word documents on my computer. I almost feel crippled by fear at the thought of jotting something down now. 

Life seems to have gotten in the way - too many things to juggle and I always have these points in the future (after the wedding, after I move house, after I settle in, when I am not so tired) that  I think I can write again.  My job has also put me in a formulaic mode of writing - making me, God forbid! - such a lazy writer. 

These are precisely my mistakes, aren't they? I have excuses instead of forging on. I have more reasons defending myself, than to persevere and prosper despite circumstances. Because, as Jason mentions in his first line, "Good writers write. They don't always write well, but they must write!" I suppose this is a good a start as any... 

Chocolate Monday: Week 15

The Significant Other's (S.O) aunt made this for me past weekend. How cute is it? So much so, my first reaction was: "That looks too good to eat!" Nevertheless I got over it and happily dug into my dessert. I even managed to share the saucer and the spoon with everyone... I suspect I was so touched I was left in a generous mood. ;)

Chocolate Mondays have been created to banish Monday Blues, or at least lessen the sting of a new working week.

I have good reasons for my absence

A work colleague once told me that getting married and getting a new house in the same year is a bit over ambitious. Now I understand what she meant. Since December last year, I have been "Wedding Mode Engaged" plus trying to move house. It feels like I have not had a weekend since then.

Two of my closest friends (more like sisters, really) flew to South Africa from Doha for the wedding. They hosted such an epic bachelorette and I was so touched. It was the only weekend that I really enjoyed this year! They were also invaluable in the week run-up to the wedding. It was so busy and overwhelming, I am so grateful to have had them there.

Thankfully, the 17th of March came and went, with only a few glitches. What else can be expected out of a wedding, right? The honeymoon in Mauritius was much needed RnR, and then there was just another week to set up the house before I returned to work. It felt like I came right back into intense busy-ness! (Is there such a word?!)

I am now sitting at my office desk, feeling all of this has happened to someone else. It has been a surreal experience - me - getting married?! I see pictures friends and family took, and I sit there gobsmacked. Surely, that is not us...surely.

Pictures of the new house and the wedding (when I have it) to follow in the near future!