Thank You For Two Wonderful Years

Before I start my nonsensical birthday ramble, let me just wish all of you, one day in advance, a very Happy Independence Day. Hope your kites fly sky high tomorrow. And to my Pakistani brothers, who are celebrating their Independence Day today, stop the violence. Be cool.

So, another year has passed by. The blog is now two years old. It seems like just yesterday, I was sitting in my crappy apartment in Shamli, writing the first birthday post. I never thought that I would be writing the second one from Mumbai. It has been a memorable year so far and among other places, I finally got to visit Egypt, a country that has always been on my wishlist. Nothing can match the rush I felt when I got to see the Pyramids for the first time or when I got to spend a couple of nights sailing on the Nile. Amazing!!!

(Sorry I have not written about it yet, but more on that later)

The Nile

Over the last few months, the blog has been a bit quiet with only a couple of posts coming in every month. The reason is not due to lack of material. There are so many experiences and stories that I would like to share on this blog, but it is just that I have been a bit busy with planning back to back trips, getting my apartment fixed, watching Breaking Bad and learning to drive.

Yes, as embarrassing as it is to admit, I do not know how to drive a car. I hated the fact that I had to constantly depend on public transport and tour operators. But things are about to change. The classes started yesterday and surprisingly, I have not killed anyone yet. (Scared the hell out of a dog though).

Currently, my trainer is teaching me a couple of curse words in Marathi that I can shout out to people when they do something to piss me off. He tells me, in one week I will atleast be as good as a lady driver. I am so excited that I have already started making a bitchin’ music playlist for my first solo car trip.

There is one more thing that is keeping me busy these days. I am trying my hand at writing a book about Egypt, which I intend to self-publish. I have already written about a hundred pages and am trying my best not to make it sound like a Chetan Bhagat novel. Believe me, a lot of research goes into writing a book. A lot!!

Anyway, I had something really special planned for the second birthday of the blog, but due to a couple of jackasses the birthday gift was ruined. I was in talks with this graphic designer who was supposed to design a few cool banners for this blog. We even agreed on a price. But a week ago, he sent me a mail saying I am being too demanding and asked for a higher price. Being a cheapskate and a man of principles, I told him that he should honour our earlier agreement and finish the project at the price already decided upon. I was not being too demanding. He was just doing a shitty job. One thing led to another, and he “fired” himself from the project leaving me with zero banners.

So, if you are a graphic designer and interested in working with me, send me a mail.

(Assholes need not apply)

Now, let’s talk about the year ahead. What can you expect from the third year of the blog?

Let me put it this way.

When I was in Unawatuna a couple of weeks back, there was this small five year old kid, who would come with his parents to the beach every day. His parents would set up the towels, put on sunscreen, lie down on the beach chairs and read books. Meanwhile, this kid would start digging a hole in the sand with his small hands. He would dig for hours, with the hot Sri Lankan sun beating down on him. If it got too hot, he would take a dip in the water, run back up and start digging again.

Sometimes the waves filled the hole with water. Sometimes his brother kicked some sand into it. But he would not stop. He was neither hoping to find anything precious buried in the sand nor did he want to impress anyone with it.

He just loved digging!

I am like that kid when it comes to running this blog. I don’t know what the third year of the blog would be like. All I know is I will love running it.

I know, I am no Bill Bryson when it comes to writing, but I am constantly trying to improve. I promise, I’m trying. Don’t lose hope.

I may not have a large group of followers but it certainly is a special group. I am grateful for all the comments, tweets, shares, likes, emails and messages I receive from you guys.

When the sun gets hot and the waves grow violent, you inspire me to keep digging.

                                                 Thank you!!