Snapshots from crossing over

30 years

I survived 30 years

Wish me a happy birthday

Details to follow :)

Steam off

I’ve let off steam
I screamed
I yelled
I think I almost cried
But I didn’t

And I'm back
Back with a vengeance
And I'm trying to accept the fact that in less than 2 days I am going to be on the other side of 30

What have I achieved?
Maybe its time to introspect
Maybe not

Me thinks it time to pop open a bottle of wine or champagne
And blast into the new year
Well my new year
My new decade

And as I type this
My computers speakers shriek saying
‘Girl, You’ll be a woman soon’
How appropriate

So help me out while I cross over
Send me loads of love
And orchids too













Excuse me while I pop some champagne

Checkmate

Is my life a game to you? Am I merely a pawn that is unable to reach checkmate? New opponents, new players, same cheerleaders. The game ends the same every time. I promise myself to become a better loser. Maybe I'm the winner though. I’ve reached the point where the fear of getting hurt hurts more than the actual pain. It’s like taking a shot at the doctor. The anticipation always kills me more than the prick of the needle against my supple skin. Ouch. Loser. I’m a bad loser. And its funny, it’s the one lesson I never learn in my life. Learning to lose. And every time I'm faced with a situation that teaches me to lose. Maybe I should just lose gracefully. When a door gets shut, somewhere someone opens a window. Let the breeze flow through. The touch of my hair on my face. My fingers slowly grabbing each strand and tucking them away behind my ear. The joy of being alive. Times when winning or losing don’t matter. Smiling, laughing, singing. The sparkle in my eye. That’s lost when I lose. Waiting. I'm back to playing the waiting game. There are rules to waiting too. What’s worse is someone wins and someone loses. And here I sit trying to win the waiting game. Because I'm a bad loser.

But once, just once I would love to say checkmate.

9 years and counting...

Nine years ago I caught a flight that would change my life forever

I never imagined that my parents would let me leave home and move to a 'foreign' country to live all by myself

But there I was all of 21 years old breathing air cleaner than I had ever breathed before

(I'm serious soon after landing I just stood there taking in the fresh air)

Perth, Western Australia was my new home











Not soon after I settled into the dorm, I watched someone trying to make 'khus khus chicken' for dinner

Thats the first time we spoke

We discussed the chicken the next night

That was the second time we spoke

She had beautiful red hair and was tall and thin

Me, I was uhm am short

We started hanging out - we went to the Perth zoo and hung out in the butterfly enclosure

Thats where she got her name - atleast the name I call her

We ate chicken from Coles on friday evenings and then caught the bus into town to party the night away

Globe Night Club was our regular hang out

She's play pool with the boys and often beat them to it

I'd stand and watch - my mouth gaping - wanting to learn too

That was way back in 1997

I've never forgotten how I asked her to pick me from the airport one night when I was on my way back from India

When I got there she released a sigh of relief

I wondered why

She said she messed up the dates and was waiting at the airport the night before and was terrified when I never came out and the gates closed

But there she was the next night, waiting

Waiting

Since then, both of us have left Perth

She now lives further away from me

But funilly I have seen her more often

She got married recently too

But its been 9 years since we started our friendship

And the Lord has been kind and blessed me with friends forever

And today is her birthday

And I know she will read this

And all I want to say is Thank God, You Made Khus Khus Chicken that night

Happy Birthday, Love You

72 hours

I live by a '72 hour' rule in life

Thou Shalt not sulk or feel sorry for thyself for more than 72 hours

I have been religiously following this rule for many many years now

It works fairly well...It keeps my sulking in control while allowing me to mourn any loss I deem fit mourning over

So, I'm done with yesterday...

Today was a new fresh day

When I woke up the sun was shining in my face and Phil Collins was singing for me...

I went to work late and took on additional responsibilities with a smile on my face...

I saw more pictures from my Goa trip which made me smile...

I met friends after work and they made me smile more...

I said nothing to my friends about what was bothering me

I think I forgot about it

I love my 72 hour rule

I love living life by the 72 hour rule

Sometimes

Sometimes life is hard

Sometimes my life is a piece of cake

Sometimes I hate going to work

Sometimes I thrive on the joy of being alive

Sometimes I wait for the tone of the sms

Sometimes I pray because I actually want to

Sometimes I fight with the Lord ( I am now... )

Sometimes I eat french toast for dinner every night

Sometimes I skip dinner

Sometimes I hate receiving emails

Sometimes I feel bad about '0 smiles on the face of Noojes'

Sometimes I get insecure

Sometimes I am a drama queen

Sometimes I get scared

Sometimes the love of your life calls to tell you he is a father

Sometimes that day is today

Do they know its birthday time?

It's Birthday time
There's no need to be afraid
At Birthday time,
Eat some cake and sit in the shade
And in your world of presents
you can spread a smile of joy
Throw your arms around Mr Lily at Birthday time

But say a prayer
to pray for Princess
At Birthday time
It's hard, but when you're having fun

Do they know it's Birthday time at all?

Let them know it's Birthday time again ...

Happy Birthday Lilykins

Make a wish and blow out the candles

And remember

I'm two steps behind on 26th May

Still playing around

I AM: a good daughter and a greater friend. Probably more a friend than a daughter to my mother too...

I SAID: *cough cough* (all day today)

I WANT: to be happy and healthy all my life

I WISH: I could turn back time to a few years ago

I HATE: chipped nails

I MISS: hanging out with my nephews and neices - all 5 of them

I FEAR: closed spaces

I HEAR: music in my head all the time - currently it is "You're just too good to be true"

I WONDER: if I'm destined for love?

I REGRET: nothing in my life - I'd do everything the same over

I AM NOT: always as happy as people think I am

I DANCE: only when I'm happy

I SING: "I will survive" with all my heart and soul every single time and mean it every single time

I CRY: rarely - If I am crying something MUST be wrong

I AM NOT ALWAYS: perfectly made up or dressed - losing patience

I MADE: my career on my own terms

I WRITE: poetry only when I'm sad or confused

I CONFUSE: others when I don't know how to convince them

I NEED: to start going to the gym

I SHOULD: Spend more time with myself everyday

I START: my day by reading and listening to music every single morning

I FINISH: a bottle of cabernet easilly

Playing around

MG was playing this game over at her blog and I thought it was pretty cute...

This is how it works:
Comment on this entry and ask and I will give you a letter.
Write ten words beginning with that letter in your journal, including an explanation of what the word means to you and why, and then pass out letters to those who want to play along.

I got the letter N so here goes...

N
There are n number of things about me that you will never ever know
(I'm not sure that counts as a word but what the hell, its my rules from now on...)

NAMESAKE
There are 2 other people in my office with my name (This really pisses me off especially coz its not a really common name)

NOSTALGIC
I remember everything and save everything - from old letters to silly memorabilia...Damn, I still maintain a diary

NOON
The time of day I would love to wake up at every day *yawn*

NAUSEATING
Body Odour and Bad Breath top my list

NEGLIGE
I love satin neglige - every single night without fail

NOSE
The one part of my face I would change

NASHVILLE
My home away from home

NEGATIVITY
I try to be as optimistic as possible

NAILS
How could I forget my obssession with my nails on my hands and feet

So there, now all you have to do is ask for a letter and let me know when you've played so I can hop on over...

Enough about me...

Looks like we made it
I had big plans for post no 101 but due to a techincal snag, I am unable to complete that wish
Maybe post no 151 or 201
Or maybe it will just be a no reason surprise
I personally HATE surprises
I like to know whats going on, where, with who, with whom, why
Maybe I am curious
Maybe thats why I love blogging
People's lives an open book to read
A solace of sorts to know that I'm not the only person suffering in this big bad world alone
Knowing that there are other wolves out there waiting not only to bite me
A place where other peoples childrens add joy to my face whether through a weed from the backyard or even a song in someones heart
This blog is my secret garden - well not that secret honestly
I still go back to my diary for that time and time again
But this post was not supposed to be about me
But what the hell
Last night I had a conversation about forgiveness with a friend
And I realised how difficult forgiveness is if you truly are forgiving someone
It's easier said than done
And why does forgive and forget have to go hand in hand
Damn, life is hard

Seriously I never intended this post to be about me

What I wanted was to say I used to write alot of poetry before I started blogging
Most of which was sad
Things have changed since I started blogging

Thank you











Alone
Alone in a desert
Cold and dry
Alone on a mountain
Wavering high
Alone on a plateau
Nothing around
Alone in a forest
The jungle sounds
Alone in my heart
The memory streams
Alone in my veins
The blood screams
Alone in my ears
The voices refrain
Alone in my soul
The vision remains...

~Noojes

Post no 100

When I started blogging I never imagined I would get here

I never imagined that there would be strangers in the world who's lives and daily tribulations would impact me

I never imagined I would write stuff about my boring life that people would want to read

I asked people what they wanted me to post about for my 100th post

You wanted to know 100 facts about Noojes

So, here goes...

1. Noojes is one of my most popular nick names
2. It stems from 'Nuj' which is part of my real name
3. I've been called 'Nuj' since I was like 2 or 3 years old
4. My sister in Nashville still calls me Nuj
5. My sister is an artist and I cannot draw a straight line to save my life
6. Most of my closest friends don't call me by my real name
7. Some of the various names I've been called are Babes, AJ, Nuj, Noojes, Baby, Tweety, Billy etc
8. My boss insists on calling me 'Mother-Hen'
9. I love care bears - I still have the one since I was a child
10. I've been hospitalised only once in my life - Sick with jaundice, typhoid and malaria all rolled into one - was there for 2 weeks (touch wood)
11. I'm superstitious (Don't take scissors from others hands etc)
12. I believe in the after life
13. I have seen spirits more than once
14. My maternal grandmother died in my arms
15. I have unconditionally loved a man
16. I still love him and will never stop
17. I am loved by more than one
18. I had my first boyfriend when I was 15
19. He was my boyfriend till I was 21
20. He left me for another woman (He never got her)
21. Most of my ex boyfriends have invited me to their weddings
22. More than one married man has hit on me and wanted to leave his wife for me - I've sent them right back to their wives
23. I have lived in Australia for 2 years
24. They were amongst the best 2 years of my life
25. I can bake a mean cake
26. I don't like to cook
27. I am obsessed with my hands and feet
28. I model my hands from time to time
29. I love and hate my hair at the same time
30. I love to travel
31. I started flying internationally alone when I was around 9 or 10
32. I prefer flying alone than with someone
33. I have been to multiple cities in the US, England and France, multiple cities in Australia, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan and other places to name a few
34. I have seen the Taj Mahal on a moonlit night and the Grand Canyon on a moonless night
35. New York, San Fransisco and London are amongst my favourite cities in the world
36. Australia is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen
37. I want to go to Austria one day and attend the 'Sound of Music' tour
38. I know the words to the entire movie - The Sound of Music
39. I have seen snow but never seen it snowing
40. I have 2 siblings, an elder brother and an elder sister - both married with kids
41. I work in advertising and I love it
42. In 8 years of working I've only changed my job once
43. I am borderline OCD or so my friends say
44. I never go anywhere without my mobile phone
45. I save old smss' and read them over and over
46. I have maintained a diary since I was in 5th grade
47. The song I am known for is "I will survive"
48. I don't cry easilly or often
49. Small things in life make me happy
50. There has been only one man that could order food for me without asking - We don't talk anymore
51. I love red wine especially cabernet sauvignon
52. I have converted alot of people into red wine drinkers
53. I have never been married
54. I never thought I would be 30 and single
55. I'm not beautiful or pretty - just attractive
56. I believe I am amongst the luckiest people in the world
57. I don't believe in miraces, I rely on them
58. I save everything and find it very hard to throw things away
59. I love 'Sex and the City'
60. I enjoy spending time with myself
61. I read every single morning
62. I rarely watch TV first thing in the morning
63. I love music and cannot live without it
64. Sarah McLachlan, Natalie Merchant and other strong female vocalists are amongst my favourite
65. The song I'm addicted to at the moment is "Kind and Generous" by Natalie Merchant
66. I cried at the Sarah McLachlan concert in Nashville
67. I have attended concerts of Billy Joel and Elton John face to face, Simon & Garfunkel, Bryan Adams, Air Supply, Michael Jackson, Savage Gardens amongst others
68. I love my car - I call her babe
69. I eat french toast atleast twice a week - have been doing that since I was 5
70. I am a gemini and am turning 30 this month
71. I love wearing off shoulder and spagetti strap dresses and tops
72. Orchids always make me smile
73. Issey Miyake usually gets me into trouble - I still wear it
74. When I wake up in the morning I always put my right foot on the ground first
75. I always get up on the right side of the bed too - lol
76. I love pictures - my room, my desk at work are filled with them
77. Diamonds are Noojes best friend -ha ha kidding but honestly I do love diamonds
78. I prefer cats to dogs
79. Most kids love me
80. 3 nephews and 2 nieces have trained me into being a good aunt
81. I learnt how to play church hymns on an organ when I was a child (I'm Hindu)
82. I still sing 'Abide with me' from time to time
83. I rather spend money on expensive shoes than clothes
84. I love wearing stilletoes with nicely pedicured feet
85. I am a heavy packer - always over packing
86. I have been wearing the same watch since I was 18 - My ex and I bought matching watches
87. I am stingy with spending too much on myself - rather spend it on others
88. Forgiving and forgetting is something I need to work on in my life
89. I learnt the art of patience from a man - Thank You
90. The number I love is 17 - No clue why
91. I have been eating the same lunch on the same routine for pretty much 7 years - Creature of habit eh...
92. As a child I learnt Ballet and the flute
93. I love fondue
94. I can eat chinese food really often
95. I throw one big party a year on my birthday that is always over-attended
96. I have never run out of food or alcohol at these parties
97. I have been going to the same hotel to bring in my birthday every year for the last 4 years...going right back this year

Thats 97...I'm sure each one of you can come up with 3 things about me to complete the list...

And remember its still Be 'Nice to Noojes Month'

Back from sunny Goa

I promised you pictures from Goa and since it is be nice to Noojes month, I had to live up to my promise...

I had a real hard time picking pictures to post on the blog but here are a few of my favorites

I know some of them are blurred but blame that on the alcohol and the person trying oh so hard to take a decent picture...

Want more details - leave me a comment ;)


Bevdi (thats what I call her - means 'alcoholic') and me on the bus to the resort...
The bus ride was terrible thanks to the non existant suspension...








The bus ride was worth it as you can see...









Ahhh dinner at Martins...I swear to you we ate all of it...btw thats still raw...








Ahhh cooked lobster - Isn't it gorgeous...I took pictures of the crab too - incase any of you want to see :)








Oh hammock me away...I fell off the damn thing thrice lol...








I love watching the sun set especially with a bacardi breezer turkish melon lol







Aww, Isn't this picture just divine? I love the colour composition as well...









Eat your heart out...


















I will NEVER EVER forget this night for the rest of my life...
One memory I am definitely taking to my grave...




And oh before I forget, this is post number 99...

What do you want me to post for number 100???