Travel Tales: Life Lessons YOU will learn from moving out/cities

It isn't as glamorous as it's shown in movies. The chances of that cute-boy-next-door or the 'F.R.I.E.N.D.S' setup is as rare as spotting a live dinosaur.

You will never have it all figured out. You'll fail, you'll learn. Repeat

Fridge and freezer are two different things. Tea without milk tastes just as nice. and helpful cleaning fairies do not exist.

Have experiences, not regrets. Don't bum yourself out for anything that doesn't work out. In the larger scheme of things it always does. Treat yourself to some icecream and move on. 

Surprises aren't only for Birthdays. No matter how prepared you are, or however well you think you've read about the new place, there's always the curious case of the unexpected. 

You don't have to look for similar places like you loved in your old city - discover new favorites.  


Living alone is overrated. If being on your own is the reason to move out, think again. The internet has it exaggerated. 

“Turns out not where but who you’re with that really matters”. Dave Matthews. If you have good friends, any place will be fun. If you don't, it will never be. Make some. 

There are amazing people everywhere. and people are pretty much the same everywhere. You just have to find what makes it click. It takes a shockingly short amount of time to connect once you try.

Where am I?

I'm standing at a crossroad

where is that you ask?

It's where I shine, brushed against a rock

It's where I fall, only to rise higher up

It's in my head, one that is brimming with facts and myths

a kaleidoscope of ideas, thoughts and dreams

a place i think i'd like, a blurry vision, not much I can see

not sure where it'll go, convinced someday it'll form a complete sketch

just yet I have nowhere to be, lots many places to give a start

for now, this is where I’d like to be

It’s where I belong, from where I can believe.

Travel tales: Things to make Moving cities a little easier

You've moved to a new city. You've said your goodbye's & you're onto starting a new chapter. The tough part is over, or so you think? The moving on is the easy bit. You still have your family & friends helping you out & being supportive to your mood swings as you tackle expenses, decisions, packing, farewells etc. Now come's the difficult bit  - the new place - adapting lifestyles, discovering, experiencing, learning - exciting, soul wrenching.. its what you make of it !

'Don't cry for me Bombay' - an ode to the city called 'Home'

Don't cry for me Bombay,
...the truth is ill never leave you.

of breaking dawn lapsing into starry nights,
a stroll along the seaside, childish glee splashing in high tide
ek cutting chai; staring into the sunset 
or working to the rickshaw sounds till sunrise
gazillion lanes abuzz with twinkling lights,
its never too late to grab those post midnight bites..

a temptress with many moods,
a guiding angel, a devil, a tease, 
seduced by you into a potent love affair 
are the many who come to the city with hopes & dreams   
to trade it to anyone who would pay them a price

only to find themselves nestling in your belly, 
grabbing a few winks under the open sky, 
soon to be camouflaged into the crowd, just another face..
fantasizing of being a winner, waking up to begin at the start line of another race..
among the crowd, i find solitary
in trouble, an extended helping hand
a polite gesture, a stolen smile, among strangers jostling for space..
myriad dreams lost in translation, in the city that never sleeps, 
insomniac with unrequited love, fueled by fiery ambition..   

 Courage is your characteristic virtue  
I continue to remain in disbelief and awe, 
you're a good city my love.. despite your flaws

you've taught me patience and to come into my own,
for me you are the synonymous to home..   
you'll always be my love, my identity, my pride
the city where I was born, the city where i hope ill say my final goodbye..

I walk hesitantly in measured steps, while the city whizzes by in rhythmic nonchalance
for now i must make peace and move on, 
to a different city where a new chapter awaits
in the hope that someday we reunite..  
as passionately as if, 
this separation never did take place. 

Travel series: Questions to ASK when moving cities.

I have worn the proud 'Mumbaikar' tag unabashedly for as long as I've known, declaring it smugly to anyone who would care to listen. I never thought I would leave the city. Never say NEVER, lesson learnt! So here I am, sitting amidst a pile of stuff strewn across, preparing for my move over the weekend. The decision came five months late and after gazillions skype/whatsapp sessions of I can/I cannot, I genuinely enjoyed what I did a little more than I thought! Now that's another story!! But! if you like me are a virgin city mover, who has never been away from home (no! vacations don't count), there are tons of questions you should ASK YOURSELF before you stock, lock and change pin codes.

Moment

she wished she could freeze this moment right here

and lock it in an hourglass

and turn it around and round again

and when the dizziness would stop, she'd finally pause...

only to be able to stare at it, threaten for it to never leave

it gives her comfort, solace this phase

a memoir to carry along to a parallel universe....

but somewhere, along the way, it doesn't feel enough

there's a void, an unexplained melancholy, a chaos in their minds

it doesn't fit its place in my life, he says

'midst bouts of unrequited love and insecurities

guess she'd just have to find someone else, who'd let her memories be.....