Travel triggered musings !

Hello everyone, it is soon going to be time for me to be on the road, and it is an exciting journey ahead for it is a path that takes me to my family and friends in India. Yes, am headed home for a vacation and while I am mighty pleased at the thought and have been busy finalising plans here and there, I just realised how much am going to miss every inch of our home here in Korea :-)

It is an amazing realisation for me how this tiny little space of ours, has grown to become home for us. I still remember telling you about the empty canvas in my first post on the blog, about how all that awaited me in this house were two plates and forks and a huge television (other than the world's finest husband of course, smiles). Well I would like to believe that we have come a long way since then and have gradually infused life into our apartment. 

Other than the few curios, some wall art, vases aplenty and a lot of colour around this place, what am really happy about is that there are 'ties' that have developed in the past six months, friendships that have been forged and a comforting familiarity established with the four walls in this home of ours. 

Is it possible to 'befriend' an apartment you ask ? According to me, yes it is, for you connect with every little corner of your home as you attempt to make it 'yours'. You stamp it with your unique sense of style as you customise how it looks and very soon you have your 'my most comfortable', 'my most relaxing', 'my most invigorating', 'my most peaceful' corners etc. earmarked for you. Before you know it, the concrete 'brick-mortar-woodwork' structure softens and melts, moulding itself to your decor fantasies and assumes a character and personality that is original, sui generis, one that you can relate to, love and cherish.

Needless to say, I will miss our place in the weeks ahead, miss how the mornings feel, how it feels to pull the curtains to keep the afternoon sun away, the joy of seeing my plants silhouetted against the silk fabric...

...or indulging in my OCD of plumping up and smoothening the cushions now and then...

...or coming home after running errands and just unwinding on the rug... 

...and relishing endless cups of tea in the living room..

...or picking up flowers from my favourite Ajumma's flower shop in the neighbourhood...

...and the happiness of seeing them glow in the lamp light as we spend a carefree evening at home, reading, thinking, talking over dinner...

But then again am happy since I know our place is in the best hands possible, my better half is super when it comes to looking after the home, in fact he is far more particular than yours truly about how things must be kept in place and takes prompt action if even one leaf in our plants looks like it is going to wilt :-) AND of course, I cannot wait to be reunited with my family, very specially with the four legged members who have been informed that they can look forward to seeing me very soon and that there are going to be a lot of biscuit treats so they must get that 'wagging' business in order :-)

Longing to write more but I have a long list of 'to-dos' to take care of, so I am forced to sign off here, much against my will. But I shall see you here again soon, I have a lot that I would like to share with you from the upcoming India chapter. Until then, stay happy and smiling, caress your home and nurture your decor dreams, and I promise to stay connected here :-) Till next time, take care.

A magical month !

Hello everyone, it has been a while since I caught up with you on the blog. Trust all is well with you and your loved ones and the weeks that went by have been special for you.

As for me, it has been a magical month with my in-laws visiting us and spending time here in our home. I definitely have gained in more ways than one, on the weighing scales for sure, some of my Ma-in-law's prize recipes tucked under my belt and happy to flaunt some extra laughter lines thanks to all the cheerful moments we shared together. Family reunions are amazing, truly, can anything be more precious ?! :-)

And now that it is back to the two of us here, I was thinking of all that has changed around us in the time that just flew by, noticing the seemingly small, yet significant alterations that have come around our home, and I am happy to say they look really nice :-) My plants for sure have blossomed in the warmth of the family being together...

It is the most pleasurable feeling to see a new leaf shooting out of a plant, a sign of new life which to me is also synonymous with no apprehensions and no biases in life...

A new leaf reminds you of freshness of thought, of another chance to grow and flourish, a reminder to keep the child inside of you alive...

And of course it is pleasing to the eyes and looks beautiful too, the glorious, inimitable colours of mother nature... :-)

The days that went by have been gratifying on other accounts too. Other than the fact that my 'rajma' and 'cheese balls' got an 'A+' in my Ma-in-law's report card (smiles, she is very kind and generous) I am happy to share with you that some of my artwork was up on exhibit at an international exhibition in Seoul :-) I have mentioned earlier that I love my time with my oil paints and love to romance the canvas.  My time off from work allows me to indulge in this passion more often now and I was very happy to see my work on the walls of the gallery, a moment that was made more special by the presence of my family here. The paintings are back home now and some of them have found a place on the walls here...feels nice (and quite unreal at times) to see them adorn our nest :-)

This is my whirling dervish, happily surrendering himself to his 'meditation in motion', ecstatic in his state of trance as he swirls and twirls in the open fields...

And another one that finds place in the balcony, a secret gazebo tucked away in a garden that opens into a meadow, the desire to keep spring alive in our home through the year maybe visible here :-)

And now after all that excitement of sight seeing, travelling around Korea, lots of cooking for the family, and of course the art exhibition, I am more than glad to just take it easy and relax at home, letting the lull overtake for now...

It maybe time to travel again soon, and until then am looking forward to some rest and repose in the surroundings that I love the most...looking forward to some 'me time', quiet and blissful evenings with the better half and last but most certainly in no way the least, spending more time with you all here. Immensely grateful to the Almighty for being so kind...see you again soon.