Music to my ears

Hello bewdas,

In case you were wondering about my disappearance, I was trying to keep up with my travel blog, as it is one of my new year resolutions. I just finished the post on our big fat family trip to Yercaud, or what I like to call 'a family wedding, but without the wedding itself'. You can read all about it here.

So Xena first heard the song 'Tere bina zindagi se' from the 1975 movie Aandhi during the Yercaud trip. My sister-in-law and I sang it to entertain the family and we chose the song as a tribute to the very cool and funny uncle C, who for some reason had chosen Sanjeev Kumar as inspiration for his dress code during the trip.

A month and a half later, yesterday to be precise, I heard Xena hum what sounded suspiciously like 'Shikwa nahin...'. I asked her what she was singing and sure enough, she said it was the 'Shikwa song'. So I played it 3-4 times on Saavn and then we sang it together a couple of times.

Today, I heard her sing the first stanza all by herself and was fortunate enough to catch it on camera.

My bandmate from my university days saw the video and sent me a message that went something like  this: "Not yet 5 and sings from Aandhi. There is yet hope."

Amen to that!

First things first

"When was the last time you did something for the first time?"

Every now and then, I ask myself this question. I can't remember where I first read it, but it serves as a good reminder for me to live life to the fullest.

So last week, I found myself answering this question multiple times.

We had gone to Telunas island in Indonesia for our 9th wedding anniversary, and it was a trip of many firsts. First time travelling by boat for two and a half hours to get anywhere, first time staying in a villa built over the sea, first time kayaking on a black river lined by mangrove forests, first time chasing squirmy mudskippers and crabs along the beach, first time toasting marshmallows on a bonfire, and thanks to Viv, first time having a surprise candle-light dinner on a jetty!

No wonder I have been raving about Telunas to anyone and everyone who cares to listen (or doesn't!).

Hop on to my travel blog Hopscotch for more details and pictures about this piece of paradise.