2015 - A Friend Or Foe ?

Continuing  A  Piece Of SHE's  tradition of writing this post at the end of every year...

Every year on 1st January, a new friend comes to visit us. Every year they come with a new name. Last year, it was 2014. This year we called it 2015. They stay with us for one year and then wave us goodbye exactly at 12 am on 31^st December. Like every friendship, this friendship too takes it own sweet little time to blossom. And we get well acquainted with our new friend after spending at least 3-4 months together . We make so many memories with these friends every year and  talk about them even after 10 years. Like in 2004 , i lost a very dear person , 2012 gifted me love, in 2013 I got married and so on. So, whenever I will think about 2015, these are the things I will remember!

January – our year didn’t start the way we had planned it. We were planning to start New Year in a new country. I left my job and on my farewell day we got to know that our trip had been cancelled for some official reason. So we were bit down and didn’t know how to greet 2015. I was again jobless and had no clue about my next move. But amidst all the confusion we went to Chennai to visit our friends. We had a little reunion in Chennai and we had so much fun. We took the right decision to go there because we forgot all our worries and sadness and were ready for the fresh start with lots of new energy. 

On the way to Chennai 

Just few days after coming back from Chennai, we left for Ooty again with another friends. Again, we had so much fun. Even the long road journey in the hired car from Bengaluru to Ooty was awesome. In this trip I discovered that I am a talented mobile photographer and also, earned the title of “official mobile photographer”. These two trips changed our life. We were again ready to move forward in life.

Moyaer River at Ooty

February: - I decided to start looking for a job again and February was all about answering calls, sending CV and proving my worth to the companies. I was too busy but enjoyed this business of busyness a lot. I discovered so many things about myself and all those interviews taught me something.  I also got acquainted with the road map of Bengaluru.

March – Nothing changed in March except for the fact that I was getting better with every interview and I had pizza at my husband’s office, if that’s something! 

April – In April, again the Chennai reunion happened in Bengaluru at our place. I and my girl friend were left alone to have fun like old days. And we utilized every bit of it. We tried to do the things we used to do in Kolkata before marriage. Meanwhile, I was also planning when to go home next to meet my parents.

May – Here comes the twist in our life. I’ve so much to write about this month that I would need a separate new post for this. In short, we were travelling again but this time to UK in a 7 days notice period . We couldn’t meet our families. We felt terrible for that reason but I was excited too to see the world. As soon as we arrived in UK, all hell broke loose. We just wanted May month to end and soon. We lived in a Bed & Breakfast for few days and then on May 16 shifted to our own rented flat. I can go on and on but I need to stop here.

Swindon

June – I’ve no idea how I survived those initial days in UK. We had no internet and no television. I did lots of shopping and window shopping to kill time and wondered about the times when  internet or TV were yet not discovered. But then I found a wonderful library and I never got bored in UK again. I also met one of best friend in UK. I couldn’t believe that it was actually happening and they took us to London. Visiting London was my dream since I was in college. We also visited Cardiff and Bath. Cardiff is capital of Wales and Goa of Southern England. Bath is the place where Jane Austen spent her last years. The vibe of Victorian era still lingers at Bath Spa.

London

Celebration of Jousting at Cardiff Castle

July – My elder sister was admitted to a hospital and she  went through a   minor operation. Thanks to God, all is well. Other than that God was kind enough to keep me away from any untoward incidents. Bristol was our destination on July and it is my least favorite among all the places I had been to in UK.

August – The memories of 1st August will forever remain fresh and young on my mind. We celebrated our 2^nd anniversary in a very romantic and beautiful place called Bournemouth. We saw beautiful beaches and we both agreed that we had never seen a beautiful place like Hengisbury Head before in our life. We had famous fish & chips, Nachos for lunch. It was bright and sunny which is very rare in UK. It was just perfect!

Hengisbury Head at Bournemouth 

I also got the opportunity to see oxford on August . Oxford is a small town which we could easily covered by a bike but rain God never stopped showering its love upon us on that particular day. Our second trip to Bath also happened in August. We tried to cover those places which we missed in our first trip and had lunch in an awesome place.

Oxford - The Radcliffe Camera - built in 1737–1749 to house the Radcliffe Science Library

September – It is the month of many birthdays in my family including mine. So I always feel excited about this month even though I get a year older (but not wiser). 2015, September was terrible for me. My dear mommy got admitted in a hospital urgently at night. I got to know about it next day afternoon. Those few days were terrible for me. I became completely mad.  But even though God gave me problems, He didn’t leave me alone. He also gave solutions to my problems and my mom came back home after few days totally fit. I had lunch in a Chinese restaurant on my birthday. I had lots of cake and sweets. I also met my friend and we spent some time together  again in London.

October – I had planned a small surprise at home for my husband’s birthday and it went well. I did cooking for him and next day we went to a restaurant to celebrate. We also  explored few new places in London together.

November – I joined a club in my library. I got to meet new people from all around the world. We discuss about our country , culture, traditions and stuffs like that.

December – This year everyone in my family had been admitted to  hospital at least once. December was my papa's turn. But again, God helped us to overcome this difficult situation. I was excited to see all the Christmas and holiday lights but I live in a small town and they celebrate in a different and  non commercialized way. On 24^th evening we left home at around 7pm. We went to a church and got to know that the midnight mass will start at 11:30 pm. Meanwhile, we had dinner at Nandos and came back at 10. Nobody had arrived and the front door was closed. The Christ Church is at the middle of cemetery. So we two were sitting in the middle of a graveyard waiting for the church door to open in a cold and windy night. It was scary in an exciting way. I got the opportunity to attend the Christmas midnight mass for the first time in my life. It was very spiritual.

And now all those  lights shining everywhere to welcome another new friend, 2016 is telling me that it’s time to go home and hug my dear mommy and papa and my niece. 2015 was all about travelling and friends but in 2016 I am looking forward to add infinite crazy  pictures of my family in my facebook album.  I hope I get along with 2016! 

I want to thank God for taking care of everyone in 2015! 

How was your 2015 ? What will you remember most ? 

Kenton Cool's Mt Everest

Before I write about the book I would like to share my experience with mountains. When I was in school, I lived in a place called Aizawl in North East Part Of India for two years with my family. Aizawl is situated 1,132 meters above sea level. So, I grew up watching mountains around me though they were small mountains. I also learned that life is difficult for people who actually "live" there. Visiting a place for few weeks or months for trips and living in a place for 2 years is completely two different things. If I missed school bus ( which I often did) I had to climb around 200 staircases to reach school. 

The most unimaginable thing that I remember from those days is "water". We didn't have tap in our quarter ( I heard that they have it now) and per day we used to get only 3 barrels of water. Every day at  4 am water van would come and fill our barrels and if you don't wake up on time to signal them to stop then you will find your house floating in water in the morning. There was no bell to signal, we had to scream at the top of our voice "STOP" until they hear our voices. They had to travel around 4-5 hours (one way) to bring water from the nearby river. so we used to get muddy river water for our daily uses including bathing and cooking.  And some days If water van didn't come then we had to manage without water. When I look back now I wonder how we lived there for 2 years. But still we loved the place. Aizawl is beautiful and untouched by the tourist industry as you need special permit even to visit the place. 

Though I've never climbed any mountain in my life but I appreciate the beauty that nature gift us. The highest altitude I had ever visited was Gurudonmagar Lake in, 2005/06.  It  is located at an altitude of 17,800 ft but I had only covered around 100m approx by foot and rest was covered by a hired car. Though the experience was nothing sort of climbing Mt Everest but being a non climber and knowing that I will never climb Everest made it special for me. 

I  had been blessed with the view of snow capped mountain and frozen Gurudomagar Lake in Sikkim. Though the way to Gurudonmagar lake was not covered in snow. Its more like passing dessert on both sides. It was one of the most wonderful drive in my life. I had covered that 100 meters in Jeans and hired boots from a local shop and after reaching the top I started showing the signs of altitude sickness. I had headache and was feeling very tired just walking those few steps and my nose was running badly like someone had opened the tap. I was so naive that I didn't know these minor illness could be fatal in mountains. 

Everyone around me was so excited to see the beauty in front of them but at the same time they looked nervous and I couldn't understand why. I didn't undergo any sort of training or physical fitness before the trip even though my uncle had insisted on that. Going there was a choice which not many had undertaken that day but my uncle took the decision for me and I am thankful for that. Otherwise, I would have missed the golden chance to romance nature. 

I am not a climber but my uncle is very passionate about trekking, birds and wild animals. He always tried to inspire me as soon as I was old enough to spell the word trekking. But Unfortunately, I never understood his love for mountains when I was young. His mountain stories bored me like everyone else and I often runaway when he would call me to watch a wonderful documentary at  Nat Geo or Discovery channel on mountains with him. 

So, he planned a trip as soon as I was at the age to climb or at least ready to take basic preparations with minor climbs and that's how Gurudomangar Lake happend. How I wish that I took it more seriously rather than treating  it as mere Sightseeing trip . But somehow that trip changed something inside me. At least, I started to appreciate the beauty of nature and when in 2007 I was in university I started planning about a serious trek with one of my classmate who walk slower than tortoise till today. But somehow climbing never happened for me but now and then I get the chance to appreciate the mighty mountains in India from the safest distance. 

Finally, back to book and Mt Everest. The 1996 disaster in Mt Everest caught my attention just few years back and since then I started digging about the great mountain. Media raised questions about the morality of climbers for leaving their fellow climbers alone to die. I was  aghast. I wondered how can they ? But going into little depth recently my observation says that media's concern could be for two reasons. First, They were naive like me and completely unaware about mountaineering and the risks involve in such high altitude. Second, they wanted to sensationalize the news for TRPs. 

After Eat Pray Love I got so intrigued about mountains especially Mt Everest and K2 that I started collecting books on them from the library. And that's when I picked up a book called One Man's Everest By Kent Cool. 

The man in the book cover look more like a NASA scientist than a climber to me. Kenton cool is an English Mountaineer whose achievements are super cool just like his surname. He is the first man to tweet from top of the Mt Everest in 2010. Till now, he had summited Mt Everest 11 times and wish for more. He had also led Sir Ranulph Fiennes in 2008 and 09. Also, In 2013, Mr cool summited The Triple Crown with Dorje (sherpa) without returning to base camp. 

Kenton Cool: leading an ascent of Annapurna III in 2003 (left)
Image Source: 1 http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/magazine/article3782179.ece

The first thing you'll notice when you open the book is the map of Mt Everest. It was very helpful and one of the best for the layman like me. I googled for the better map but this one helped me more to understand the territory. And In my opinion when you write about any place or mountains showing a map to your readers is must. 

His mountaineering journey is amazing and inspiring. Even his completely shattered  ankles couldn't stop him from climbing his dream. Not once but many times. What I loved about him is he shows love and equal amount of respect to his Sherpa. Sherpa are the unsung heroes who never get their due credits from their client but cool has given fair amount of coverage to them on his book. His writing is very engaging and by the time I reached Mt Everest (page no 116) through his words I was literally holding my breath and my heart was beating fast. I felt like I was on Mt Everest and had crossed turnaround time. 

I found answers that I was looking for, from this book. Like, why Mt Everest when it is so dangerous ? And why they often don't turnaround on time or why the expert mountaineers push themselves even in unfavorable conditions.  Kenton Cool is often criticized by his fellow climbers for making climbing his profession. And he had explained his point of view in this book and I completely agree with that. Whats wrong If somebody is earning from what he or she loves to do ? Aren't we all look for a job that doesn't feel like a job? Then why make climbers feel guilty about it. That's not fair to them. Also, in a dangerous summit like Mt Everest you need professional or  to help you and if they've to think about job back home then there will no professional guide to help us in our journey. 

In the end he gives glimpse of his dreams to his readers which I understand is both exciting and sad for him and his family. I wish all the best to him for his future journeys to mountains and pray to God for his safety and his family's peace. Also, I hope he will give us another book after coming back. 

Overall, I really enjoyed summiting Mt Everest (a dream) with Kenton cool through his book One Man's Everest and recommend it to all. 

Few phrases from the book:- 

1. "No one can ever tame Everest. She will bite and hard." 
2. "Climbing brings people together with a common goal. Its a place where everybody's equal , where everybody has the same aim: to summit and get back down . Everest doesn't know whether you're a student or you earn a million pounds a year, you're just another person to Everest, and that's what I love."
3. "To climb like I had done since my university days requires a strange detachment - something akin to going to war, I guess: the notion that its the guy next to you that's going to die, not you. Its a strange, illogical belief in your own specialness."
4. "The media often slams these wannabe climbers, citing that they pay their way to the top. Well perhaps they do; but they still have to step out and do it - no amount of money will help you make that psychological move."
5. "It has been such a magical day, you know; the summit is nothing."
6. "I always find the solution is at the bottom of a glass", as Guy Willett, my partner in Dream Guides, famously said once in Chamonix."But its just a question of finding which glass it's at the bottom of". 

Eat Pray Love By Elizabeth Gilbert

I may be late for the party but in this case at least its better late than never. I just finished reading the book that changed Gilbert’s life and made her famous, Eat Pray Love. I had seen the film twice when it was released in 2010. I remember the exact year because it was the year when my life was changing. Anyways, film was good. And I know all the quotes from this book by heart even before reading the book. I never thought I will ever read this book. But I feel that there are some books those you read for entertainment and then there are some books that happen to you, to change you and your life.

Eat Pray love happened to me accidentally recently on a rainy day in England. I was waiting for few people in library when I spotted her (the book). I had nothing to do and wanted to appear busy therefore was just turning the pages. It wasn’t enough for me and felt the urgent need to appear more busy, action kind busy. I walked towards reservation counter to borrow it. That walk somewhat satisfied my need. I told myself I will return this book on my next visit. I have many other important books to finish, this one doesn’t deserve my time. But I was so wrong. 

Paulo Coehlo's Aleph has set a benchmark on my mind which I had read 3 years ago and I was hoping to find another such kind and that satisfaction I found again in Elizabeth Gilbert's words. So I learned that you might not find what you're looking for from the same author. The author can create that magic only once after that their masterpiece become their own competitor unfortunately. 

After I came back home, I was sure that I will return the book very next day. I opened the first page to read the quotes I already knew. I just wanted to underline those lines and wanted to share those quotes on Internet. BUT what I found ? How this works or 109th Bead. So beautifully Elizabeth had explained the concept behind 109th Bead in the first chapter. She explains the reason behind the title of her book Eat Pray Love and she also tell us the reason for number of chapters in this book. I couldn't take my eyes off from her words. You know you're reading a good book when you feel like author is talking to you one to one. I felt same while reading her book.

Elizabeth divorced her husband and found herself in another emotionally draining relationship with a 10 years younger guy called David. She realized after some time that she need to be her own hero and save herself. She decide to travel the world to re discover herself and to heal her broken heart. Her life take her to 3 three completely different places. The book is divided into 3 sections - Italy, India and Indonesia. Wherever she went she had this urge to learn something. In Italy, she learned to speak fluently. In India, She learned to let go and Indonesia taught her to love again!  

I love each and every sentence written by Elizabeth Gilbert.This book is entertaining, funny, emotional and soul touching. And I felt that it is the best way to write travelogue. Writing in such a fashion that reader will feel that they are reading the experience of their friend.Adding emotional and funny touch to it and writing about things that cannot find on Google. If only there was more travel books like this I would've already traveled the world through these books.  

Eat Pray Love will inspire you to do something about your life. It will inspire you to learn something and to be emotionally independent. If by chance you dive deep into the words and stay there for some days then you might stumble upon more deeper message for you. I cannot explain it to you. You have to feel those words yourself. 

This is one of the books where I feel that words are not enough to describe its beauty. I highly recommend this book to everyone even if you've already seen the movie. Before signing off  I just want to say Congratulations to meet you, Elizabeth Gilbert !!!

Have you read this book ? Did you like it or hate it ? Why ? And just for fun what is more important to you eat , pray or love ?

World Is Crying For Paris

Source: 1 

Instead of killing innocent people and building hatred all around the world, if they build hospitals for poor, give foods to homeless, education to children, equality to women, expose truth to public then they will get even without asking - "the power to rule the world". That's what they are after - "Power". It has nothing to do with Religion. Because there is only one Quran with the same message for love and peace for everyone. Then how they are getting the wrong message? Please rather than spending your money to kill, use it to nurture a life.

To the families of departed Angels - You did nothing to deserve this pain for lifetime. People will move on after sometime. Its not their fault, that's human nature. Eiffel tower and Paris would remain symbol of love no matter what but the horror and pain of Friday 13, 2015 will live with you forever. Though I've no words to ease your pain but I pray to God that May time flies for you because it is said that time heals everything. 

To the departed Angels - You didn't get the last chance to let your loved ones know that how much you love them. Know that they know it. They can hear your last whisper of love and care even without you getting chance to say it aloud to them. Rest In Peace. World is crying for you. Hope you're in better and beautiful place than earth.  

Good And Not So Good Side Of Great Britain

Now that we have completed more than 6 months in UK, I felt that finally I am eligible to write my opinion about my stay here in one of the town of England. Last few months was like roller costar ride for me. One moment I was having amazing time with my friends in various southern parts of India and next moment I rejected a great job offer and jumped into plane with my hubby for a new home. And all that happened in just 1 day. 

The flight journey from India to Heathrow was emotional as well exciting . Emotional because we knew we won’t see our loved ones for a long time. This had never happened before to me. I had two options, to be miserable about it for rest of the months or to be happy with what I have. I had chosen the later, holding them always closed to my heart. A part of me will be forever there, no matter where I am.

Anyways, coming back to our journey, it was exciting too as we caught our connecting flight in 20 minutes. We ran like we were Usan Bolt almost shoving and pushing away poor passengers on the way. When we saw the security line we gave up the chances of reaching Heathrow that day but God only knows how we made it. If that wasn’t enough then we got Hollywood style welcome as soon as our plane landed at Heathrow.

Passengers were asked to remain seated and not to move an inch until allowed. Though my dear hubby assured that it was just a regular announcement just to maintain the order, but it sounded threatening to my ears. I was super excited to witness the drama which was going to unfold before me. Heathrow didn’t disappoint me there and soon we saw 2 real MET polices with real gun searching for a particular man. And the man was just seating 1 row before us. He was taken away by the police and we were scrutinized by many eyes of London cops as we marched towards immigration cue. Immigration was hassle free and took less than 2 minutes which I wasn’t expecting. I didn’t actually know what to expect as it was my first international flight.

After all this process when my husband’s office informed us that “Jesus” (Our driver’s name) will be waiting for us outside the airport, we knew that we will have a pleasant stay because Jesus Himself came to take us to our destination. He was a man with positive vibes and kind smile pasted on his face.

As soon as our car rolled into our destination my husband observed that it is small town that will be our home for some time. I don’t know why I couldn’t believe that something like town can exist in this country. I thought where I live in India which are actually metropolitan cities would be like town to people here. But I was wrong. So now I will write down about the things I like and didn’t like, expected or didn’t expect about UK.

I will start with the good things first.

Good things…

1)  I learned to study cloud and know the importance of sun. Sky gazing gives me immense happiness. I was so thrilled to see the sun shining at 9pm and painting the sky pink before saying good bye.

2)  I learned that no matter how old you’re, you can enjoy life. Old people are real inspiration. They’re not dependent on anyone and quite happy with what they’ve. Of course, they have problems too just like everyone but they do not blame their age for that. This is one of the important lesson that I’ll be taking back home.

3)  Everything is so well organized here.

4)  People are honest in their work field.

5)  Love fish & chips – national dish of Britain and pub foods specially burgers.

6)  I love the fact that most people here are dog lovers and dogs are almost treated like human. They can go to most of the places with their human family and always showcase their best behavior in public places.

7)  Learned to say “thank you” & “sorry” more often.

8)  I am madly in love with the library here. Being a book lover, I will miss library when I go back. We have everything in India but not library like this.

9)  Don’t have to wait here for hours in cues to get something done.

10)              Wonderful public parks. I love the greenery and sound of birds singing.

Not so good things:-

1)  I feel scared of drunken people or drug addicts on streets.

2)  I get this feeling sometimes that local people don’t like us just because we’re Asian.

3)  There is only one small shopping mall, one multiplex and few shopping option in town center. The town shuts down completely by 6 pm except very few shops like Morrison or Tesco.

4)  No buses on Sundays.

5)  I also feel that job opportunities are less here but I am not sure about that.

6)  Getting accommodation here is nightmare.

Well, that’s all for today! But no matter what, I am going to remember these days always. 

The Girl On the Train By Paula Hawkins

Genre – Psychological  thriller 

Price - £12.99

Author – Paula Hawkins

Author’s Bio –

 

The girl on the train - Paula Hawkins

Paula Hawkins worked as a journalist for 15 years before turning her hand to fiction.

Born and brought up in Zimbabwe, Paula moved to London in 1989 and has lived there ever since. The girl on the train is her best thriller. It is being published around the world and has been optioned for film by DreamWorks. ( Taken from the book). 

My reading journey - 

Recently, I had finished quite a few numbers of interesting thrillers like Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty, The Ice Twins By S. K. Tremayne (aka Tom Knox) and now the girl on the train. All of them are selling like hot cakes in the market. I wanted to read the girl on the train for two reasons. First, because of its popularity. Readers are divided into two groups, one those hated the girl on the train and second group belong to those people who believe that it is the best thriller till now. Secondly, some readers are comparing it with Gone Girl which I had found quite interesting therefore, thought of give it a try.

Paula has successfully engaged its reader till the end . Story is presented by the three female characters Rachel, Anna and Megan in the chronological order. The idea of watching the houses from the train is something that we all can relate to and the story starts from here, Rachel observing houses from train and imagining their life.Her imagination is beautifully explained by the author making the readers more curious about the future of the story.  The suspense is lovable. It serves the purpose of a good thriller. 

Rachel is a drunkard and ex wife of Tom, who is the husband of Anna now. Rachel has completely messed up her life even before her divorce with Tom. She continues her drinking habits even after her divorce and can’t remember the things she had done while in drunk condition. She commutes daily to London on a train holding lots of secrets to herself and her roommate Cathy. Anna hates Rachel because she believes that Rachel is not leaving them alone. Megan lives just two blocks away from Rachel’s old house occupied by Anna now. One day Megan disappear suddenly and Rachel get herself involved in it willingly with the intention of helping Megan's husband Scott. 

This is where lots of people are finding similarity with “Gone Girl” I think. Because Megan suddenly disappears and she hasn’t used her cards or phone. But except disappearance of a wife there is no similarity with the Gone Girl. I found Paula Hawkins storytelling and presentation is also different from Gone Girl. Though I found a major discrepancy in the story which I am afraid If I reveal here then would spoil the fun for those who haven’t read it yet. So without elaborating it much, I would just say that how police could not trace a mobile phone with a sim card inside it? This is really weird to me and killed the fun for me in the end. 

If you can swallow that easily then you will enjoy reading this book. Paula has done great job as a debut writer. She writes simply and can very well hold reader’s attention till the end. No harm in reading it once. 

Did you like the girl on the train ? Or are you planning to read it ?

Dear Grumpy !

Dear Grumpy,

Tommorrow is our 2^nd marriage anniversary.I'm publishing this today because we might be off to Bournemouth tommorrow early morning.Like last year, this year too my gift to you is this very letter you’re reading right now! I had promised to you write one letter every year for this occasion. That way, I think, you’ll collect 28 more, over the years, for sure. If you demand more, then that’s something for our beloved God to decide. But I think total 30 letters means 30 years of togetherness will be “enough of me” for you for this lifetime. 

Every year, like this predictable gift/letter, message will also remain same that “I love you”! Though I know there is no surprise in that (message) because I make sure to remind you that at least 5 times every day. Unless I am really mad at you (sometimes for no reason at all, I admit. Thanks to my over flowing female hormones). But I do not say “sorry” more often than I should. So, this is the time also to ask for forgiveness for the times I had hurt you. Sorry for the times, I had placed my “ego” instead of placing the word “sorry” between us. 

It was our dream to celebrate our anniversary somewhere abroad and we’re living that dream this year by God’s grace. I’ve many memories to cherish this year. 

I will remember the walk from our apartment to a nearby mall holding your hand on almost every weekend!

I will remember keeping my head on your shoulder while sleeping.

I will remember, you spending sleepless, anxious and excited days and typing in numerous mails for my job hunt. 

I will remember the day when you came back home from office suddenly leaving all your meetings with lots of foods just to celebrate the call for 2^nd round of interview for Amazon.

I will remember you waiting outside the Amazon office for my interview, missing your crucial cricket match. 

I will remember your constant support in my journey to be something or someone!

I will remember our laugh, our cry, our fears, our broken dreams and our hopes. 

Various trips that we covered this year like Chennai, Ooty, swindon , Bristol , bath and Cardiff.( Most probably we're adding Bournemouth also).

I will remember the funny ball dance in our moon light filled bedroom in Swindon on a Spanish song!
 

I will remember the struggles we did after coming to Swindon and excitement as well to see a foreign land together with you! 

I will remember all the long walks to unknown roads and destinations.

Most of all I will remember how much we loved (or may be didn’t love each other for that matter) and how young we looked! 

My best memory of us from this year would be our last night in Bengaluru before leaving for Swindon. We sat together, holding hands before getting ready for the long journey ahead us. With a infectious smile on your lips and shining bright eyes you said, “ Shainee, Lets make it a best 8-9 months of our life.” Then we had spent all night at the international airport talking about our future , the unknowns in front of us in an unknown place until the dawn while watching the landing and taking off of the planes! It was a night to remember and cherish always!

Hope we remember this all the time especially on the tough days that we're ALWAYS on the same side. When you fall, I fall. When you rise, I rise! Happy 2^nd year of togetherness to us!

Love,

Piper