Moments that made me smile in January #MondayMusings

It has definitely been an eventful start to 2016 for me.

A lot of new experiences and unexpected moments to look back on as January came to an end. And that is exactly why taking up Vidya's Gratitude Circle Blog Hop & Everyday Gyaan's MondayMusings is perfect - it allows me the chance to reminisce on all the things that brought a smile to my face in the first month of 2016.

Old traditions:

Celebrating the start of a Brand New Year with the same medical college roommates I've been celebrating it with since 2000. Sure we've packed on a 'few' extra kilos and lost a 'few' strands of hair too over the years but it's heartening to know that deep down, we haven't changed at all.

Rest assured, we tried out the yummiest that Mangalore has to offer - fish pulimunji & rava fry, squid in 4-5 different varieties, pork & prawns and of course, the iconic Mangalorean Chicken Ghee roast. 

Celebrity spotting:

My first trip north of Delhi also got me my first celebrity sighting of the year right at the airport.
You may know Priyadarshan as the director of Bollywood comedy hits of the early 2000s including Hera Pheri, Hungama and Hulchul but I remember him for such gems from the golden era of Malayalam cinema as Kilukkum and Chithram. He was simply brilliant in those movies, making you laugh out loud for 2 hours before abruptly changing the tone and leaving you teary eyed as you left the theatre. He knew how to make you care about the characters in his movies.

Prior to leaving, I had joked with my colleagues that I was going to Delhi to meet the chief minister. Turns out I was almost right. I did end up meeting the ex-chief minister of Delhi, Sheila Dixit, at the wedding (more on that later). In fact, she was the one who encouraged Renjith and me (the two docs who flew down from Kerala) to join the troupe that day as we danced our way to the wedding hall.

Hey, how do you say no to a chief minister?!

New land, New Delhi:

I honestly didn't know what to really expect of Delhi after all that I read about it for so long. As it turned out, it was one of the best trips I've had in years. The love and warmth that we received from the groom's family... you instantly feel like a part of the family instead of just guests. Add to that, so many places we have only read about in articles and magazines and here, all of a sudden, you get to see them in person.

Bellinis for breakfast? I don't think we are in Kerala anymore!

And do not be fooled by those unassuming pale brown score of six in the plate on the right. 

Eating those wasabi prawns was basically "crunch, munch, crunch, munch, crunch, SMOKE COMES OUT OF NOSTRILS."

60 feet wide, 90 feet long, 37 kilograms.

No, those are not the dimensions of the pizza I had for lunch.

This is Tiranga at Connaught Place, 

the second largest national flag of India.

Meeting old friends:

If a chief minister had me dancing on the streets, Sushmita Malakar had me going around in circles. Literally actually, as we sat on the top floor of the revolving restaurant Parikrama and bitched gossiped cursed fondly discussed our fellow bloggers while the evening turned to night.

Ours is a wonderful example of the funny ways absolute strangers become friends. Before this, we have met for barely an hour over a year ago (she found me hogging at a breakfast table in Goa; I am all about making a memorable first impression, you see.) But we kept in touch and with time, became each other's confidantes. We are there for each other when needed - as a shoulder to lean on, a friend to laugh with or just share our inner insecurities without fear of judgement. Out of a 1000 Facebook friends, you can count yourself lucky if you have ten people who fit that description.

An Awesome Punjabi wedding: 

For those of you who haven't attended one till date, you really need to add it to your wish list. I've been to a lot of weddings over the years but I've honestly never had as much fun as I did here. There was dancing on the streets, awesome food, dancing in the hallways, awesome drinks, dancing at home... did I mention dancing?

The pre-wedding sangeet

The morning of the wedding. A stark contrast to the solemn nature of our own

Keralite weddings! And yes, he is sitting on top of the drum.

Pre-wedding section where everybody gets to refresh themselves 

before entering the gurudwara.

The function within the prayer hall was beautiful & serene. 

The reception: Also, the coldest weather

I have faced in my life.

The Bloody CR/SR/JRs:

It was nice to catch up with the old Bloody chief, seniors & juniors (remember this video?) and see how far they have reached in their lives.

Two cardiac anaesthetists, two general anaesthetists and 

me, Snoopy's chauffeur. 

Yes, that is my 'lust' face.

In 2009, as our bloody junior, she used to drive us nuts.

Now she just drives us!

One thing I found hilarious was the way the groom kept introducing me to his fellow doctors - "This is my senior. Do you remember last year we shared the article about the guy who would make his daughter a pole dancer instead of a doctor? This is da maan!"
Turns out a lot of my peers there actually had loved it and shared it! Talk about your blog's reputation preceding you! 

Birthday:

Well, another year of experience added to my crown. Didn't really expect a cake since it was a low key thing this year around so that was a wonderful surprise. God bless the few who make the extra effort to let us know we matter. 

I wanted one candle for each year of my life but the Fire department 

refused to grant permission for such a dangerous bonfire.

Stand by Me:

I guess I'm doing something right somewhere. When things got a bit tense soon after, I was surprised to find not just moral but outright support when I took a stand. I'm kind of used to friends and even family disappearing in times of need to avoid getting into any hassles. So an open show of support was heartening.

Pride & Privilige:

Even more heartening was a message from an old teacher. At some level, we all wish we had the approval and thumbs up sign from our guides. This felt good.

It's only a month down and already three of the things in my 2016 Vision board have materialized in some form or the other (travel to new destinations, meet old friends.)
That is heartening cause there are some really tough hurdles to accomplish still left in that board.
But hey, a good start to what will hopefully be another memorable year. Have a great month everyone.

You can find the gratitude posts of January for other bloggers here.

Also linking to EverydayGyaan's Monday Musings.