Exactly a year ago today, I was up till 4am Eastern Standard Time, battling two bursting suitcases. I was yanking out random clothing and possessions, discarding a few items at random and re-stuffing the baggage, till finally both weighed less than 23 kilograms. I collapsed into an exhausted sleep, dreams of logistics, unsold furniture, pendingContinue reading “Memories of the Big Move”
Author Archives: msaraf
Breaking The Fever: Holding Out for the Delhi Monsoon
There’s a hotness that builds in Delhi, slowly, steadily, and painfully. It starts in April, burning, simmering, slowly into May. By June it rises to a fiery peak, scorching anyone that dares roam the streets at noon. The monsoon, in comparison, is the break of this chronic fever. After three months of what feels likeContinue reading “Breaking The Fever: Holding Out for the Delhi Monsoon”
Confessions of a Trypophobe
This post may make many of you question a) my sanity and b) why you are friends with me or read my blog. But in all seriousness it is a real thing, and is as absolutely insane and weird as it sounds. I’m not sure when it started but my earliest memory of it wasContinue reading “Confessions of a Trypophobe”
Muscle Memories of Bikram Yoga
We are in Pune for the weekend. I discover the studio at lunchtime as we stop for burgers. I excuse myself from the rest of my family and race up the escalators in a shopping centre that probably holds the world record for least amount of actual retail outlets per space occupied. As I clamberContinue reading “Muscle Memories of Bikram Yoga”
Key Crime-Solving Tips You Can Only Learn from C.I.D.
I had the pleasure of watching my first C.I.D. episode today. Although I didn’t make it through the full episode, I allowed myself to be led through a fascinating series of plots twists and turns, each packed with ulterior motives, secret meetings, and gory bodies which are often examined in the most unusual ways. C.I.D.Continue reading “Key Crime-Solving Tips You Can Only Learn from C.I.D.”
Telemarketing Text Messages
I’ve been in Delhi for almost two months now, and one of the things that fascinates me the most is the barrage of unsolicited marketing text messages I receive almost daily. I have been offered lucrative “PLOTS” of all kinds in all sorts of places at all types of prices. I get an offer forContinue reading “Telemarketing Text Messages”
Papa
5 years ago I got a message in the middle of the night. It was not good news. I had never lost someone close to me (at 28 that made me pretty lucky), and the grief was surprising in it’s intensity. We all called him Papa: my parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. My Grandfather hadContinue reading “Papa”
New Year’s Eve & My Silly Superstitions
I have this crazy superstition that the way I spend New Year’s Eve, dictates how my year will go. It has happened a few times, so it has sort of stuck with me through the years. On New Year’s Eve 2007, my friend Tandi and I roamed the streets of Manhattan all night, avoiding creepyContinue reading “New Year’s Eve & My Silly Superstitions”
Thoughts on Delhi
Walking up the stairs to work today, I smelled that spicy smell of burning wood, which reminded me of the Delhi winters of my childhood. I have been back for a little over a month now (permanently) and I often have moments like this – where the smallest thing feels oddly familiar, an un-spooky déjàContinue reading “Thoughts on Delhi”
A Little Inconvenience
I’ve been in Delhi for about a month now. As I write this, a stray ant crawls across the floor of my bedroom. I barely notice them anymore; they are now a part of my daily existence. Two or three grace my shower every morning. I try not to kill them but there is noContinue reading “A Little Inconvenience”
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