As 2018 comes to an end …. When the year started we had only one big thing in mind, my brother’s marriage. As usual we took a break in January , but saved all other days to visit Kolkata.In February it was a big leap ,a new member added to our family. In March I got the first staycation of my life. Thanks to Lakshmi for the same. Rajarshee & I still fondly remember that weekend. April is always special , my blog turned 1 , it’s bengali new year , it’s a month where naturally I am in a festive mood. The sudden birthday celebration in Marriott Whitefield is still so memorable ,for this I shall thank Ari & Jayadev Jackie. May & initial days of June were quieter months, focused on work. June we took a short break to Kochi along with Sumi Di & Ajith Da. We were so warmly welcomed by Sumi di’s parents, who immediately renamed their home as ‘indira resort’ and we couldn’t forget those few days of stay there. We shunned the thought of staying in a resort in Cherai , because ‘indira resort’ and it’s warm host & hostess waited for us every time we came back.July was epic. Firstly because I was invited to a luxurious stay in Tamara, Coorg and secondly a trip that we planned about 8 years back finally came true. Meticulously planned by Rajarshee, we had a wonderful sojourn in Sri Lanka .11 nights and 7 different places a wonderful journey which made me fall in love with Sri Lanka , it’s people, practices, cuisine and the land. In August we visited our second home in Hyderabad briefly and also went to Kolkata on my parents birthday. Yes, you read it right, my parents’ birthday and not anniversary. They share their ‘birthday’ (years apart) . Little did we know that such a big surprise awaits us. September is usually a new year at work , that’s the time we decide on new modules, reports etc. This year the decision to be made was different. It was a big leap for me , it was a weaning process almost and finally I boarded the flight to ‘America’ , the first weekend of October. It’s been almost 3 months since then … Gradually all those things which I wanted to do here, is coming true. Luckily I met my god-parents Patricia and Papa Daniel in New York. We did not know that both of us were in New York , thanks to FB live , we were connected. To hail from Paris and Bangalore , suddenly this Tete a Tete in NYC was dreamlike. We are also lucky to be able to say that we have cousins and family staying close by even in this side of the world . ‘Thanksgiving’ was a wonderful opportunity to meet our extended family, see their customs and share the table . Got to know about the concept ‘friendsgiving’, which I don’t think I would have known otherwise. I also realized ‘Christmas’ or Holidays is not just a day or two , but an entire period .It is in fact so similar to the frenzy we are caught in before Diwali or Durga Puja. Life in this part of the country has earned me new friends if different community and nationality too. We got introduced through the Diwali party and now have shared so many quiet evenings , potlucks and meals . We are so comfortable now that when fish is cooked in my kitchen , a piece goes to a lady who is expecting and loves fish. Similarly , we have already welcomed a friend’s daughter’s birth and waiting for another baby girl soon. The baby shower is round the corner. I have seen Las Vegas so closely for 5 days. We visited the grand canyon , this was not even in our imagination about 13 months back. I have seen the capitol, the Whitehouse, numerous museums. The year came to an end with a tick against my bucket list to witness ringing in the New Year at Times Square. I am so overwhelmed by the way the year 2018 took me through the experiences , I wish the following years just follow the same path and I shall be happy. I have been writing regularly on my FB pages ,but not on this site directly. I promise to be regular here. I plan to make certain changes in the categories and the content. Wish me luck ! Thank you for reading me !