Action Replay - January 2015

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New year came and January too past by. Time is flying ain't it? I still remember the new year's eve celebration with the fun, frolic and alcohol and now it is time to start planning for Valentines day. Wow! If the last few months were about work, work and only work, January was all about house hunting along with more work. Yeah, you can imagine the effects of this deadly combination. After Cal's little brother grew up and started working, we decided that he needed his own space and privacy now. Currently we are staying in a 2 BHK duplex house, where one room is occupied by the in-laws and the other by Cal and I. It was about time he got some space of his own, so Cal and I decided to move out and give him our room. Cal and I had planned to move out to a place of our own immediately after marriage, but somehow that idea did not materialise. But now, we decided to find a place for ourselves. And boy was it one tedious task.

Bangalore the IT hub of India is a place where almost every IT person resides. Thanks to the humongous crowd, the cost of living has shot up and owners and dealers demand exorbitant amount as rent. The first couple of houses we saw made me want to scream out bloody murder. We are looking for a house around the same area we currently live in so that we are closer to the in-laws as well as our work place. And this happens to be one of the the poshest localities of Bangalore. The 1 BHK houses we checked were the size of a matchbox with a jarring colors on the walls. The bedroom of one house was so tiny that not even a single bed would fit into it. I was so disappointed that I wanted to scrap this whole idea of moving out altogether. Cal and I checked out so many other houses online but for the rent that they demanded I would have had to sell one kidney of mine. One day of house hunting in Bangalore and I was done.

But then on day two a miracle happened. We had checked out a particular property on an online site but the number provided there was not no valid. The next day, the owner of that house directly called us and asked us to go check out their apartment that they wanted to rent out. We went there with zero expectations, but the minute we set foot into the house, we knew that we belonged there. A spacious 1.5 BHK that includes a utility room and a balcony. And for once the balcony does not open to another house or another balcony. The balcony faces empty space and there is plenty of fresh air. I was in love. Within five minutes our decision was made and in a week the papers were signed and next Monday we are all set to move in there. We found a house in Bangalore in two days! You have no idea what an achievement that is.

The whole of January was spent in buying items for the house and juggling work. I bought all the products for the kitchen with the money I made/won from my writing. I feel so proud because of that. We are yet to pick up some appliances, but we want to buy one thing at a time and not pile on debt. The basic items are ready and we are good to move in for now. I'm so excited because I have never lived with just one person before. It has always been a family. This is a first for me and I cannot wait to live alone with the man I love. This phase is also going to be a test for my multitasking skills. I am neck deep in work and we now have to handle all the household chores by ourselves. I would never compromise on work no matter what, this would be put to test now and I hope to come out with flying colors. Until now I had my mother-in-law to take care of things when I wasn't around, but she is a housewife and has the time to do it. Here, both of us are working and need to excel in our time managing skills. This would also be the ultimate test for my OCD issues. I hope I don't get all hyper while arranging things in the house now. Cal is a tad bit worried to live with me because of this.

The new year started off with a bang with my story getting selected to be published as part of an anthology. My first work on print and I'm so thrilled. I even managed to write about sixteen posts inspite of being neck deep in work. So I'm pleased with how the year has started for me and I'm all set to start off a new life in a new place soon. I hope it all goes well and Cal and I learn to manage everything perfectly. Do pray for us!