New gal in the City!

I have been in Australia for more than 2.5 months now and I have started loving the place already.
The unpredictable weather is definitely on the top of my list :) Uncertainties are always thrilling aren't they?
Initial few weeks I was very jittery and doubtful of staying here for long. That would ideally be the case for most new comers to any new city/country, unless you dislike your own place. Coming from Bangalore, stepping out of my comfort zone and having planned my entire move to Aus, I thought I had no liberty to crib in front of him.

Initially felt the city was slow and yes it is slow and life is not a race here. Imagine a Bangalorean saying any city is slow where as the whole of India cribs Bangalore is slow, laid back and boring (read night life).
It is indeed a slow and calm place and shops and malls shut down by 6pm, you see most people going back home by around 6pm, everyone has a smile on their face, people spend quite good time with family and the most important and encouraging thing is I get to see lot of oldies (may be I shouldn't call them oldies) running and jogging and being fit as a fiddle.

There is so much freshness in the air that just a walk around your own locality can make you happy and set your spirits right! The parks here are to die for. In about 2 months I have seen not less than 15-20 new parks. Yes this city is famous for its park where you have a jogging track, beautiful lawns, sitting area all around the greenery, eating area and kids play. I have not seen any kind of pollution yet. The air is stunningly fresh, there are lot of vehicles but no pollution (still wondering how). Its not just the marvel of nature but also the human effort which makes nature marvelous. Even the kids here dont make a lot of noise or scream or cry in public places which is definitely a blessing. But you get to see lot of kids around atleast 2-3 in a family :).Quite encouraging I would say!!
A beautiful park which has a lake too.One round around this park is about 5km. Evan a lazy person can carve to walk or run here!

There are libraries in every locality, where u can be members free of cost, use internet free of cost, borrow books from among 1000s free of cost. Awesome collection of magazines to read and borrow. There are daily activities in the library for kids. Rhyme reading, singing, puzzle activities etc for all age group of kids. Not just kids but there are awesome programs and engagements for the senior citizens too. Lot of acclimatizing programs for the migrants too. Lot of English speaking classes for those who aren't too comfortable with English.

Different eating options from cheap to budget to classy restros. Lot of Indian restaurants around are a life savior. I dont miss any grocery item as such as every suburb has an Indian store where u can get sambar powder to gongura pickle to pani puri chutney to dhokla and khakra. This place has welcomed and accepted the migrants really well. Among the major immigrants are the Chinese, Vietnamese, Koreans, Indians, Africans and also the US people. People are kind and also helpful when you are on the streets and are in need of any directional help.

You get to see all different races in this city equally happy and surviving hand in hand. Racism would crop up now and then, though I have not witnessed any till date but which big city doesn't have racism. I feel we Indians are the most racist of them all. Sorry but I seriously feel that after my observations. No place can be that perfect but this society is surely livable. This place was occupied by European migrants in 1700's and hence no one belongs here. Everyone is a migrant. So profound! All of us are migrants in this world!!!!

The infrastructure is awesome and there are different means of transport within the city. Bus, metros, trams all are available and are quite dependable. But still many use their own cars. One lovely thing is I see even 80 yr old driving their cars so comfortably that it makes me smile :) feels nice to see old people being so independent, fit and self reliable.
Speaking of the old people,there are lot of old age homes and the government is very helpful towards these people who are alone and have no family. Even an old man of 80 can lead a comfortable life with so much support from the govt. The govt surely loves kids, as a measure to increase the population there is lot of support and financial assistance from govt for new parents and hence the reason for me to see 3 kids in a family. Surely there is a good work-life balance.

Aus is surrounded by sea from all sides. I have visited the beaches atleast 10 times till now in last 2+ months. The sea here is deep blue and clean and the water is clear as crystal. we love beach so much that i'm sure my close ones know it completely. Even back in India, we would love to visit goa and I have been to goa 7 times in 4 yrs :) For those who still cant understand why we visit goa so many times, all I can say is I pity you. Its the best beach destination In India. Vacation and enjoying is not about counting the number of places you have seen. It is about going to your favorite place and falling in love with it totally all over again.

Coming back to the point, I have seen 3 famous beaches of Melbourne, St Kilda, Brighton beach and the Frankston sea beach and I totally loved all of them. You see people of all age groups enjoying on the sea.
Drinking by a sea side restro, running, kids playing and few happily fishing. Oh yeah I did have a culture shock when I visited the beach almost at the fag end of summers and saw girls lying on the beach topless and/or a bikini short. I was thrilled to see single women on the beach lying topless not bothered on who would look at them, confident enough that no one around would do any mischief. Isn't that cool for a city to be so safe and open. Being a girl, felt really good and happy about the place.

There is a forest area close by where I went with him and a couple friend for a forest walk. That too was out of the world and amazing with beautiful scenic views. pics below.

The city/CBD is quite a happening place and every weekend there is some event happening at the city centre (Federation Square). The victorian library (of 1800s) is a beautiful place and has an awesome collection of books from across the globe since 1700s. The victorian market is a 1800's market which is a must see and one of the ancient functional markets where farmers come in and sell there fresh vegetables and it is typically a mela environment. The CBD is the place where you see sky scarpers and you get a buzzing city like feel.
The CBD is surrounded by a river called the South Yarra river. its a main ingredient in making the CBD beautiful.

Lots of things to write and lot of  places to see. Wineries, great ocean road, forest treks, camping in the forests. Many more to do which I will surely start exploring as soon as we land a job!! Life is too short and I have lot of things to do :) Not sure how long I will stay here but I know I will make the most of my stay!
Write to you soon!

Check Check!!

I'm happy with the facts of life.. Infact all of us would be.
Living with my husband.. new circumstances, new experiences, new country, new people, new surroundings, new explorations, new places to see, new rules to follow, a total new phase of life and for someone who craves for newness in life every new and then its great. I felt even more happier and relieved after I read an article that people who do things differently and who try things out of their comfort zones and listen to their instincts are much happier than others who limit themselves to their normal lives.

Its crazy to keep changing life scenarios but I truly enjoy the dare devilry of my kinds. This devil creeps in me every now and then and hints me. Come on. Your life is so comfortable and boring. Do something which is different and gives you a reason to smile at life.

Happiness comes with some risk taking too. Though I know am not independently happy or may be I can be. I dont know. But I feel I depend on my family and few close buddies for my happiness and feels great to know they too are dependent on me. Thats comfort zone.

But every now and then I need a reality check.I need a check to reassure myself that am on the right track, with the right kind of people, doing things that are good for me, and ofcourse avoiding the ones who can be obstacles in my dreams. Thats why one can afford calculated Risk. I believe in taking risks which might or might not give fruitful results but life surely is fun with some uncertainties.

Every now and then I ensure to check if all I have and all I do is what I want. Some times being in comfort zones, makes us comfortable with some stupid unwanted people and things in life as we assume we cant proceed without them. We assume we cant proceed without things we actually possess right now. But taking a step back, thinking, letting go of few things and trying out life is what is very important. Some reality checks of our lives are mandatory infact at regular conscious intervals.

I'm on it, and I check on:

• The people who are with me in life for long run
• The things I possess
• The people who I chose to involve in my life
• My habits
• My living standards
• My needs
• My health and fitness
• My eating patterns
• My happy and Sad zones
• The job I do
• letting go
• Staying positive
• Reading lots
• Learning new skills

 and many more..

All of us have some formula for our lives and this one right now is working for me pretty well. And yes having these kind of checkpoints is very important to keep us on track and make us feel happy about ourselves. Because there are many people around who will want to demean you, and underestimate your abilities. But once you have your checks no one can ever put you down.

Thinking!!

Thinking what to write about thinking. I want to write about this to see how complicated and uselss my thinking can be at times.  I think quite a lot before doing anything. I have always been like that may be. My thinking leads to well planning. My thinking makes me clear on my course of action. My thinking at times also screws my mind completely. And those times I force myself to sleep for hours till I relax my mind.

Thinking too much is unhealthy I feel, atleast it has made me quite unhealthy at times coz I end up thinking too much.  I end up thinking the same things again and again. Yes I am blessed to do that. Specially on useless things and people who matter the least in Life. I let myself get impacted by useless thinking. Probably this kind of useless thinking is also because I have lot of time these days. I'm on a break from job for the last 7 months.May be this easy time adds on to the junk thoughts.
I call my friends without thinking twice, I thank people without thinking too much. I put no effort If I should be nice to someone. I talk my heart out to my dear ones without thinking. Lot of good happens to me because of my thinking.
But the sad part is when my thinking impacts me negatively. May be I'm getting into mood swings and I just want a reason to be sad or lie low and think bad. I end up nurturing my mind with all bad thoughts, sulk in the ugly thoughts, cry a bit, stay aloof for a while, sleep like a log all for no reason. I then force myself to talk to a dear one on the mood swings and they turn out to be my angels who help me recover from the mood swings by just speaking to me for few mins. :) The crave for some love and pamper makes me force myself onto someone for help and I do get it.

I read books or see some happy time pics or write something to pep up my mood and go on a jog or a long walk and try different things to get me back to my normal happy self. But at times I need someone to do the magic for me.
I had a small mood swing and a dear friend spoke to me and made me realize what a happy and bubbly girl I'm always.My husband reassured how perfect and nice my life is and said few nice things to just make me happy and smile :) Read a dear friend's blog who is just so wonderful at writing and telling stories. :)

I will continue my thinking and try to keep myself out of stupid thoughts all for my own good.
I'm just thinking, am I the only one to feel this way or is this a common phenomenon :):) 

Patience

Ok I seriously dont get the real, actual meaning of this..
All I have understood from my life is Having patience means taking more of shit from everyone with a smile on your face.. Yeah that is literally what it means..
To be happy and peaceful we need to have lots of patience and the best way not to have your patience tested is by being with your self and loving your self and avoiding the rest as much as you can. This is what comes out of my conked up head right now!

My First cup of Tea!!

Whatever time I wake up however busy my day has to be, one thing I ensure to refresh and reawaken my senses is to have my first cup of tea in my balcony on 8th floor. The cool breeze has definitely some great effect on me.
I see an empty ground right beside my house, where I can get to see lot of people, cows, sheep and many more. My concentration though is never on this empty space as I believe in looking beyond that to reach out to the morning clouds which give you lot of peace and lot of time to think positive about my day. I avoid seeing people for obvious reasons, its the time for my own self, for my own imagination and for my clarity of the day. I also avoid them for an ugly truth. Most people come there for nature calls early morning. I cant blame them as they are poor laborers or those kinds who cannot afford a proper toilet. Imagine a huge apartment with thousands of people in it who can face this ground and see whats happening. But still these guys have no choice :( And for this am not sure who all to blame.

My eyes fell on 2 little kids walking into this space, a boy around 6-7 and the girl around 3-4 yrs. I thought they were brother and sister going for their early morning task. I could not take my eyes off them for some reason. Later I saw they were roaming all around this big space while I waited them to settle down for their task :)

That tiny girl was running behind her brother while she found some kind of a huge plastic sheet or something. She was picking it up while her brother came and snatched it from her, bent it so he could easily carry it and he started running out of the ground. The tiny girl seemed angry, crying and was trying to thrash her brother. She followed him and on the way picked up some more tiny plastic sheets. I assume its a plastic sheet seeing from such a far distance.
Both of them ran, happily (I felt so), out of the ground and kept walking till I actually lost sight of them.

The open ground

What do you think they were upto? why do you think they picked up that sheet? Why would they even fight for that petty plastic sheet? what would it fetch them?

I kept thinking for a long time and felt may be they would sell it for 5 rs or so. May be they were trying to earn some money, help their parents or may be they were forced out of the house by their parents to go make their own earnings and hence the fight.
My thoughts were endless and my imagination was unstoppable. I was jittery, i felt I should have chased them to see what they were upto. End of it I was sad thinking of 2 tiny kids fighting for something so worthless in our dictionary, who should ideally be sleeping on their comfortable beds that early in the morning. Tears rolled down, I wiped them and felt that I learnt some lesson out of this incident.
And now with my first cup of tea I wish to see these kids around. This time may be I will chase them, probably offer them some good breakfast with me :)

Lessons are many to learn in life but how open we are to learning is what matters. My first cup of tea that day had turned out to be a learning session for me!!