The gift

I'm on the 21st, staring out at a mildly lit Tokyo. Its my first time in Japan and just like I had expected, I love that I don't know this place at all. Its so alien and after months, or years, barring the few days in Laos, I'm in a place that genuinely has me interested. Because of the wonder. Because the Japanese don't let much out to the world. Through their language, their culture, their pride- they keep it within. And to have the opportunity to spend a few days here, makes me fortunate.

As a generation, we travel. We love to see new places and update our friends with photos. I do too. But I find myself often doing more of the same. So much that Latin America, Australia- none of these interest me as much. I would happy to visit but increasingly feel less excited about what used to be lesser known places. Tokyo still fascinates me. It has, since I graduated 6 years back. The other place that does is Taipei. I have wanted to visit since 2006. Some day. Reykjavik. Seoul. Moscow. Ulan Bator. Havana. Buenos Aries. Alaska. All of these still fascinate me. Then there are some frequently visited ones that do too- first on the list is KL. Then, Jaipur. Cochin. Kota Kinabalu. Amsterdam. Brussels. Paris. You know there's a little bit of me in you too, isn't it?


I set out to write, after so long, because I'm having a private moment. And that;s usually when I write. I meet some old memories tomorrow, which bring back a flood of events in to the present. Its strange how I feel I'm living two lives. In anticipation of tomorrow, the past is happily making love to the present and it feels like an extended ongoing orgasm. That's my merry way of verbally celebrating the past!


Life is a gift. It truly is- as effing cliched as that sounds. Its a box of chocolates. Its love. Its all those cliched things people say. Its a bitch too. Its beautiful. Its a celebration. Its a roller coaster. Yes, all that.


Its never a routine. The excitement is in the head, the heart and a few other places. Its so much more in reading through vast reserves of information and soaking it in. Its no longer in sitting on that plane. Its in enjoying the single malt while watching a sitcom. Its in scrubbing yourself with sugar to remove the dryness of the ongoing winter. Just all that.


My travels have halted barring the odd trip here and there and I'm pleased as hell at least for a bit. I don't even crave vacation any more. Now each day is holiday. What's changed? So much, isn't it, if you've been reading me for a while? Its growth. I'm quieter, wiser, more comfortable and more about me than I ever was. This is the private moment, which I'm loving sharing with the unknown.

Lots of love.

Music- Dildaara from Ra.one. You get the drift?