Newsletter: One week into 2017, here's how I've been

This was my newsletter last week--this week's has just gone out! Subscribe here.

One week into 2017 and it feels like a really long one. Although, evidence suggests that the first week of January always feel long, January itself feels like it's dragging its feet, because I guess November and December are full of parties and entertainment and celebrations and by January, you have to "get on with it" as it were. Never mind, by March, the year will start whizzing past again, unless you or someone you know has their board exams this year, in which case, March will never end. I read this fairy tale about the twelve seasons, where this girl meets all the months and they give her presents and June and July are very dashing, and January is a baby and December is old or vice versa. Here's a version of the story, from Russia, featuring a good stepdaughter, and a rude bio-daughter.

The Russians made it into an animated movie

This week in arts and crafts: Spent the first day of the New Year attempting to paint over the mouldy bits at the bottom of our bedroom wall. I did it "freehand" which means great, glorious slaps of paint, looking a bit messy, but then K intervened with masking tape and showed me how to do lines and things, and now, thanks to our efforts, it looks very nice and professional. I chose gold, which has turned out to be a shade of mustard yellow, not unpleasant, and also an aqua-ish blue to touch up the old Godrej that is also hideous. These are things we do now: K has carpentry and gardening projects, and occasionally, I paint walls.

This week in Reading Challenges: Not only have I pledged to read 150 books this year on Goodreads, I'm also trying to check off Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge.  (PDF link) Some suggestions if you choose to do it as well: "a book about sports," have chosen Joyce Carol Oates's On Boxing, debut novel, either The Last Samurai or Geek Love, a book where a "person of colour goes on a spiritual journey" was a bit tougher, but I picked Deepak Chopra's Muhammad and also Elif The Unseen. Anyway, picking and choosing my way through it, so that not all 150 books I read this year are random and thoughtless.

This week in television: Stayed in bed with a cold (a looming one that hung over my head from December 31st, which I ignored and which finally got me this weekend), and decided to give Netflix one last go. Not so pleased with it as a streaming service, it's both more expensive and has less selection than the other two. Plus three subscriptions is a bit much, so it might be bye-bye Netflix from next month (it already auto-added me this month.) Anyway, so I watched Love, a delightful meet-cute rom-com set in LA, starring a geeky guy and Brita from Community as the cool girl addict. I thought it was a fantastic show, and was very sad to only have ten episodes.

This week in dive bars:  Friends took us to Rock's Pub, and I'm now holding it up as my golden standard of dive bars (besides 4S which I still love). GREAT Goan bar snacks--sausages and potatoes, and roast beef and a prawn pulao that's just lightly steamed rice with little pink prawns buried in it like treasure. And bar pets, some very friendly dogs and a cat that lords over them all, and drinks are cheap, so basically, yes, Rock's Pub is where you'll find me if you're like, "Oh hey, where should we meet for drinks?" You notice I'm not telling you where it is, but intrepid readers will look on Google maps or just like, message me and I'll tell you.

This week in new restaurants:  New-ish Japanese place I can't remember the name of, I think it's called Cliff's Monty? Down the road from Artjuna. No Japanese here compares to anywhere in Delhi or Bombay, unless it's when you're being lazy and ordering Sushiya, so okay, these are all Sushiya-ish standards. But still pretty place and cheaper than Delhi or Bombay, so there's that. Plus really pretty stuff for sale in their attached shop section, including some origami earrings I think I will go back for.

This week in short trips: I went to Bombay for a meeting this week. I had actually ruled out Bombay from the places I'd like to eventually live in (again), late last year. Goa takes care of all my Bombay weather needs, one big city in India is remarkably like another (yeah, yeah, yeah, save it), and I had no desire to cramp myself into a teeny 1BHK after years of living in large spaces. BUT! As I got out of the fancy new airport, zigged across the fancy Sea Link, entered fancy South Bombay and gazed up at all the buildings with my mouth open, I decided that Bombay WOULD be nice to live in again, IF I could snag a top floor in a high rise in South Bombay, preferably with a view of the sea. The 'burbs were my home, and still continue to be where my friends live, but they're too much like crowded versions of South Delhi. However, since these fancy homes cost more per month than what I make in a year, that dream might have to be shelved till I'm a billionaire.

Despite that really long week, I don't have that many updates for you this week. My mum is visiting and staying with us, two other dear friends (hi Nayantara and Anmol!) are also visiting and not staying with us, both are nice things to know though, and we are working, and the sun is shining, so those are all great things. Onwards to the Sunday reading list: My favourite new TinyLetter, I open The Alipore Post before the rest of my email every morning. ** Why you shouldn't be buying your puppies. Come on, guys. This is 2017. Surely you've heard enough arguments by now? ** Two-two new mentions of The Girls Of The Mahabharata 1! One in DailyO, and one in bpb. ** "He then repeatedly slapped and punched her and called her a whore. The petrol pump staff and bystanders did not note down his vehicle number despite her repeated appeals to them to do so. When she later asked them why they did not intervene or help in any way, they casually told her, “We thought he must be your husband." Uff. ** Coming to terms with being single forever. ** Anne Shirley or Emily Starr (OR Pat?) **




Have a great week!
xx
m