A Big Sigh of Relief, Hello India!

I have had a tough couple of weeks:  I have been studying for the QLTS (Qualified Lawyers Transfer Scheme) while workingfull-time, not to mention that I was out for a week because of a crazy bad cold!

I took the MCT assessment yesterday and thankfully, I survived!  I found it quite tough but I did my best and now I have to wait and see.  I can finally breathe a big sigh of relief – I’ve been talking about this exam since October 2010, I started studying for it in May 2011, stopped in June 2011, then started again in December 2011!!  It’s by no means over, when I pass the MCT, I have two more assessments to pass before I qualify.  However, I have some breathing space until I know my results and I can concentrate on work and wedding planning!

Today, I received some really beautiful flowers (Red Gerbera Daisies) from Barry and that totally made my day!  Ten months more to go to our wedding day.  I am grateful everyday for being in love with the most wonderful man I have ever met.

That brings me to wedding planning!  Surprisingly, we have progressed really well with very few hiccups along the way.  That brings me to INDIA!

I’m almost packed and ready for India.  We leave on Thursday and I can’t wait!!  It’s been approximately 1 year and 4 months since I have been to Mumbai.  I’ve missed the city and the people a lot even though I’m settling fairly well in Belfast.  We have a TON of wedding-related stuff to do but we threw in a night or two in Goa so we could also relax and enjoy the sun.

I’ll try to blog in India but I doubt it – I’ll be too busy wedding shopping, meeting friends or eating proper Indian food!  I’ll definitely blog when I get back – I’m sure I’ll have a lot to say!

xoxo

Christmas Day – Boxing Day – New Year’s Eve

I had a really good Christmas day: Santa (or as they say in Northern Ireland, ‘Santy’) gave me almost everything on my wish list; and I had a lovely Christmas dinner and tea!  Overall, I can’t complain. Boxing day was still a holiday (quite different from the US and a nice surprise) and we were [...]

Happy Christmas!

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The week leading up to Christmas weekend was quite rough but it’s Christmas morning, I’m blogging in Clabby, and looking forward to spending Christmas with my fiancé and his family. The week  started out with my MacBook dying last Sunday. Three trips to the Genius Bar later, it’s fixed but not quite ready to go. [...]

Barry’s Birthday Weekend

Last weekend, Barry came to Belfast and so did a few of his friends to celebrate his 30th birthday.  The festivities started with a typical Ulster Fry at Maggie May, followed by walking around the Christmas Market in the city center.

The boys then went to watch Portadown beat Glentoran at the Oval, which completely made Barry’s birthday!!

We went to dinner at Hill St. Brasserie where I we had some really good food and a close embarrassing encounter when Barry (and his friends) thought the empty table in the corner with balloons that said “Happy 30th” was our table.  I did not plan anything embarrassing for my Barry: so no balloons, no birthday cakes and no waiters singing Happy Birthday at the restaurant.  We did have a nice meal with some good friends, and I think Barry had a good time (and was quite pleased that I didn’t embarrass him in public – although I was dying to!).

We spent the rest of the weekend at his parent’s which was also quite lovely.  Sadly, I didn’t get to spend his actual birthday with him and we are both hoping that we get to spend our next birthdays together.

It was still a lovely weekend and I’m glad he and his friends were able to come to Belfast.

Barry: I hope you had a good birthday and welcome to your “thirties”!!!

xoxo

A Lovely Weekend in the Netherlands

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A few weekends ago, Barry and I went to the Netherlands to visit our friend AG and to explore Amsterdam, a city I had only briefly visited for a clothing fair for my brother a few years ago. We arrived on Friday evening and stayed with AG in Haarlem.  Haarlem was a nice surprise.  It [...]

Catching Up With Some Reviews…

2 posts in one day?  Yeah, I’m maha productive today!

This one will be pretty short.  I just wanted to let everyone know that I’ve added reviews of the following nail salons: Malone Manor Skin Spa, Nails Inc., Paradise Nails, New York City Nails and rbfy.

I’ve also added reviews on the last three books I’ve read: The Colorado Kid, One Day, and The Girl in the Garden.  I’m currently reading The Litigators by John Grisham (e-book) and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carre (paperback), and I hope to add reviews for each when I finish them.

I hope you enjoy the reviews!

xoxo

Edinburrrrrr-rahhh!!

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  I can’t believe it’s been almost two months since I have last blogged!  Needless to say that I’ve been pretty busy and yes, at times lazy! Last weekend Barry and I met up in Edinburgh.  It was my first time visiting Edinburgh and my first time visiting Scotland.  I had such a fabulous time! [...]

A Busy Week Packed with Food, History, Wedding Planning and Fun!

Wedding planning is moving forward in full force.  Mom and I visited the Pandit Ji (Hindu Priest) at the Indian Community Center in Belfast, last Wednesday.  I had several questions about the Indian ceremony and about booking him for the wedding next year.  I was in for a shock when he told us that the cost for him conducting the ceremony is no less than 500 pounds (with references to different people giving him 1000 pounds and more) and that I needed a mandap (a covered structure with pillars for Hindu wedding ceremonies).

I had no idea how much times had changed and I unfortunately recognize that I’m missing out on a lot of what was available to my peers five – ten years ago.  Gone are the days when the Hindu Priest merely asked you to donate what you could afford. Now there’s a deposit and a minimum fee.  Wow.  I clearly have a lot to learn and a long way to go with wedding planning.

The past week was pretty busy in general.  In addition to visiting the ICC, Mom cooked Yellow Daal and Coconut Chicken Curry for my team at work.  Everyone enjoyed meeting her and tasting her cooking.  Recipes to follow.

On Thursday, I went out with some colleagues for ‘Arthur’s Day‘.  I had no idea that there was a special day to celebrate the founder of Guinness but I was not surprised.  We went to Filthy McNastys – don’t let the name fool you – the place is really cool and has an outdoor beer garden in the back.  It was a really fun evening for all of us.

On Friday, we went to Stormont and met Peter Weir, an MLA in Northern Ireland.  We had seen the grounds of Stormont before but we really enjoyed the in-depth tour of the chambers and the offices.  Thanks to Barry’s friend John – my Mom and I learned some history while taking in the beauty of the interior of Stormont.

On Saturday, we met up with Barry’s parents and his brother, brother’s wife and baby.  It was really fun seeing everyone and catching up over lunch at Pizza Express at Victoria Square.  After lunch, Barry and his Dad went off to see the Ports win and the rest of us walked around and shopped for a bit.  We all ended up back at my flat for some tea, toasty buns, cake and cup cakes.  It was such a fun day!

After such a busy week, Mom and I opted for minimal necessary errands on Sunday and mostly lazed out for the rest of the day.

I have had a fun-filled week with my Mommie and I am looking forward to the next few weeks of more fun and laughter (and probably stuffing myself as well!)!

xoxo

Fun Friday Night Out with a Sprinkle of Racism

My Mom is slowly getting over her jet lag and settling into the routine in Belfast.  She came out on Friday night to join me and my colleagues for drinks at The Stiff Kitten for HB, who is (sadly) leaving our firm.  I think she had fun and was pleased to meet everyone.

We also went to Bar Bacca with BC who was in town this week from Bombay.  It was really nice to see him and meet his colleagues.  My Mom enjoyed meeting him too.  We owe a lot to BC as he told me about the job in Belfast, which eventually lead to my application and hiring.  BC is also really good friends with Barry, who I am sure was sad that he couldn’t meet him during this trip.

I had a pretty fun evening apart from one incident.  My Mom had already gone home at this point and we had moved to The Roost.  Some big guy came up to me at some point in the night and said: “You are really dark.”  I didn’t really understand what he meant.  He repeated it and it took me a few minutes to understand that he was referring to my color and essentially looking down on me for being Indian (brown).  My friends convinced me to ignore him and move on.  My initial reaction was anger but I did eventually get over it.  This is not the first time I have encountered racism in Belfast or in general.  I have probably encountered it in practically every city I have lived in, including – believe it or not – Bombay.

I will not let this person ruin my opinion of Belfast or my stay here.  There will always be ignorant people and what will be more important is how I handle the situation.  I was lucky that my colleagues were sensible and told me to ignore him.  I am sure the fact that this guy was huge and we had all been drinking had a lot to do with it.  In any case – I’m happy we didn’t let it ruin our night.

I still love living in Belfast and love my job.  I hope Barry gets to join me soon.

xoxo

Happy Birthday to Me!

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I know I know – I haven’t blogged in a long long time!  But, I’m back!! I will admit that I haven’t blogged in a while mostly because my busy work schedule and commuting to meet up with Barry (every now and then) leave me very little time to veg out.  Read: I’ve become lazy [...]