Monday, May 5, 2014

The Leap

So I haven't been posting a lot lately. Apologies for that. A lot has been going on, and a lot more is in the offing, and a lot needs to be shared. Most importantly, I'm quitting my job to become a full-time writer, right after I'm back from Brazil in July. But first things first.

I have wanted to do this (become a full-time Jholawala) for a long time, and over the past six years, have come very close to taking the leap more than once. So finally, I'll end my tenure at my present job in the middle of May, take a long hiatus, and from July, I'll dedicate my time and energy to writing anything - fiction that I hope to get published, travelogues and reportage for anyone willing to pay for it, wedding cards, angry letters to exes... basically, I'll be a writer for hire. I could do some awesome bit of writing for you at very reasonable rates. Just saying.

On the personal front, things have never looked better. The Sharma family welcomed a new member to our folds last month - my younger brother-in-law got married to his long-time sweetheart, a brilliantly talented, beautiful and immensely patient (for putting up with li'l bro for this long) girl. The wedding was insane amounts of fun, especially after I discovered the privileges of being the groom's Bhabhi. I have also rediscovered the Bhabhi-Devar relationship as one in which I get to crack all the jokes and the victim gets to grit his teeth quietly in reverence to my age and status.

And oh, the Mom-in-law and I presented what was quite possibly the first ever Saas-Bahu item number in the history of Big Fat Indian Sangeet Ceremonies. It may or may not have included me donning a turban and serenading my (much taller) Saas to the tune of Kajra Mohabbat Wala... Also, based on post-wedding feedback, I think I have earned enough Good Bahu Credits to get away with a few more jokes at the cost of the newly married young man.

In the latter half of May, I'm visiting my hometown for a good number of days after many years. Now I don't remember the last time my sister and I stayed under a roof beyond the Critical Threshold of Domestic Peace - the maximum number of days we can go without pissing each other off. Hopefully, time and age have made us wiser and both of us will come out of the ordeal without tufts of hair missing this time.

Finally in June, the husband and I are taking off for Brazil - he for the FIFA, I for the chance to spend three freaking weeks in freaking Brazil. The plan is to visit about 12 cities and watch about 6 live matches that we've managed to buy tickets for, while soaking in as much of the local sights, culture and cuisine as the budget allows. Mostly the cuisine. Thanks to the husband's Footballing karma, we also have a couple of local homes on our itinerary. I will try my best to chronicle our journey through this blog as regularly as possible.

Wish me luck!