Hola Amigos!

It seems as if 2013 has passed just like a wink of an eye, and the new year splashed like a wave on our face.  Even before we could wipe it off and reminisce the gone days, a month is already over.  What is it?  I feel like the days are going faster than supersonic flights! I dug this blog from 100 feet below the ground, dusted it off and have adored a new dress very recently.  So, it wouldn't be fair if I don't leave a scribble or two.  Atleast I wanted to write here before 2014 ends!!

Wishing you all a very very happy new year.  I wish this year brings tons of good memories to cherish, and all the goodness of wealth, health and happiness come knocking at your doorstep!!

2013 was a super busy year for everyone, I guess.  Partly yes for me! I was not too occupied, but I can't stop myself from complaining about how less of time I have every single day!   I was busy building networks both online and offline, making some groundwork and progressing in personal goals, and learning some basic html to survive the blogworld.  When I think of 2013, all good days of yesteryear come flashing.   Here's some highlights of what I did last year!!

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I started my new travel blog in 2013. But when I started it,  I did not know what I was doing. I simply created it. But every single day, I discovered the potential I had to create a niche travel stuff on my blog, but I had no clue what or how to do it. I read gazillion other posts and browsed pages every day to understand how travel blog industry worked, and what potential it had for me on long run. I discussed about having a niche couple travel blog with S, and then started the groundwork for our blog. That's a lot of work I did. May be there are simpler ways to do them, but I had to make mistakes and learn from them. I made mistakes, made corrections! I spent days charting out a meticulous plan for the travel blog which apparently I never followed till date! Started building network with other travel bloggers, created social media profiles, went for custom domain, learnt some html to design the blog (the most challenging one so far!!). I still have a lot of work to do to improve the site, it's content, increase the reach and pageviews etc. I am only 20% or so on my way, but I feel satisfied.

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 S and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary in 2013.  It was a special moment for both of us.  I always say, "oh God, has it been 5 years since I've married you?", but on the other side, I know I felt like I've known S for ages.  He is a great blessing and one of the best things that happened to me.  I can just go on and dream about as many things, because I know S will make those dreams come true.  We are completely different individuals and our opinions are never same, but we strike a chord when it comes to how to enjoy life. Be it travelling, our everyday lifestyle, "live-this-moment-happily" attitude or not having any intention to save for the future, we are partners in crime!  I am not a troublesome baby, but I am tough, arrogant, stupid, silly, irresponsible and expensive wife! I think God knows that a person like me can only be managed by someone like S!

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 I took a big decision to quit my job and ....and...and.. sit at home doing nothing!  I do have a 1% of regret, probably the only thing I am regretting so far.  It was not the easiest decision, but I felt I needed it.  Needed the time for myself. When I think about it, I still can't say one single reason why or what made me quit the job.  There's myriad reasons behind it.  But more of it on another post.  On a lighter note, I enjoyed the summer of 2013!  I mean, for all these years, I would have to only listen to people saying "Oh it's lovely sunshine outside" while I sit behind the glass window on my work desk! And I would wait for the weekend to enjoy the summer, when the weather will turn out to be bad, windy, rainy! that's Scotland!  So, back to 2013 summer. I went walking all days, spent my afternoons reading books over a hill, near the canal, in the meadow, by the beach.  I did a lot of people watching, and understood there were a lot of people jobless like me, spending their days trying to burn calories, or play with their dogs! It was a lovely time, and I felt bad that I missed such good moments for 3 previous summers! 

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  Although it was for a very short time, our vacation to India is one among the most memorable moments that we will cherish for lifetime. We had a very special family celebration back home and all our time went on giving away invitations, making arrangements for family get-together et al.  But its good to see all the relatives in one function rather than visiting them separately right? Saves a lot of time, and its lot more fun when all are together! 

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There are some hobbies which get buried deep down somewhere as we move ahead in life.  One such passion for me was dancing which rooted up last year. I always dance.  Like a bathroom singer, I am a home-alone dancer.  I dance when I cook, when I see my favourite song on the TV, but making a performance on stage was something I thought I forgot.  I met like-minded bunch of friends who were interested in dancing, and viola we made 2 performances so far- for dussehra and diwali, and now we are gearing up for our 3rd one!! 

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 We travelled a lot in 2013 (Read our 2013 travel moments here). Both within UK and within EU. We hunted down the best flight deals and believe it or not, it saved us a lot of money. For instance, from Edinburgh to Oslo round trip, the cost was £35 per person. It was like getting a jackpot! We became more methodical in making our travel plans (may be they came after years of experience?). We divided the responsibilities between us like S took care of transportation (air/train/bus/car etc), and I took care of where to stay, what to see, where to eat etc. It worked really well for us.

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These were my tiny precious moments of 2013.  I am hoping this year I will not ignore this blog like I did last year. I want to learn more of html coding, or simple tips/tricks on working/altering templates.  If you know of any good internet materials, please share your 2 cents.  See you all on my next post, until then bye!