Skip to main content

"You are turning 30, you are single and don't have a job. What exactly are you celebrating?" ‐Anonymous admonition

Genesis: Thus responded an old friend in Singapore when I called to invite him mid‐Jan for my 30th Bday celebrations. His response got me thinking. What exactly am I celebrating? A certain coming of age, the freedom of not being answerable to anyone, the emotional and monetary recklessness that comes from being single and unemployed? What is it... Well, I guess it's a mix of everything above that simply boils down to a joie de vivre that I embody and advocate strongly.


So that’s the context for the blog. I will try and post my impressions and outlook on the myriad events and experiences that come my way. These will encompass food, music, film, travel, academic lectures, adventure sports…anything I fancy.
 Read this to discover what it is that I celebrate and savor; life as it unravels… now and hopefully forever.
An anecdote on the coronation of the blog: My best friend from college Jahnavi and her husband Graham were visiting me in Boston in the Autumn of 2010. The three of us and Patty, another close friend were driving through Massachusetts in search of Walden Pond through several small towns reading out the names of each town as we crossed it. Someone randomly asked me what I would name a town given the onus of doing so. Without a second thought or the blink of an eyelid, I said, “Vibsville”.
So, here it is.. my own little kingdom... my world.
Note: Most of my drama unfolds in Bombay. Please keep that in context when reading about traffic, plethora of things to do and interactions possible only here! Expect clutter, chaos and craziness.
Finally, a big shout out to a close friend Krupa who insisted I blog, even if it’s just for myself. Thanks Krups, for tiding me over.
Other publications in chronological order:
1) The Economic Times
http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=RVRCRy8yMDA3LzEyLzA0I0FyMDMwMDE=&Mode=HTML&Locale=english-skin-custom
2) The Indian Express
http://www.indianexpress.com/columnist/vibhakagzi/
3) The Harbus
http://media.www.harbus.org/media/storage/paper343/news/2009/04/14/News/Cuba-Uncovered.Beyond.Mojitos.And.Cigars-3708019.shtml

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Bhutan - land of monks, meditation and monasteries.

When u start planning your trip to Bhutan, the first issue you will confront is flight bookings. The Druk Air (monopoly for flights in Bhutan) has a terrible website, making it difficult to understand options. Web check in still remains a distant possibility. When flying into Bhutan it is suggested you get a window seat on the LHS and the opposite on the return, since you traverse Mount Everest on your flight and can spot it on a clear day. Flights are sporadic and if connecting from bombay you have to fly the day before to Calcutta or Delhi adding on more travel time. Daily flights to bombay are launched around mid-May so do check on the dates with your agent before you plan your travel. While May is still considered "high season, perhaps since the monsoons will hit in June/ July and August, the best months to visit if you want to see the flowers in full bloom are March and April. These months also bring the cultural festivals to Thimphu and Paro, making advance bookings a m...

Looking beyond the lights - Finland

Much like all travel enthusiasts, we too, wanted to “see the light(s)”! First question is which country to see it from. Well, we tried Iceland already and were unsuccessful in our attempt, so this time the toss up was between Norway and Finland. The Norwegian fiords, train through Bergen and the cruises to see polar bears pulled us towards saving Norway for a summer holiday (the activities and place change completely with seasons here), pointing us towards Finland. Also, turns out Finland is more “affordable” compared to Norway. Destination being decided, we had to plot how long and which cities to visit. After much research and conversations with friends who had visited, we narrowed in on flying into Helsinki, which at least in the winter was bitterly cold, windy and hence really not much fun to walk around. It’s also relatively small, so a half day there gave us sufficient time to see the main sights which are: 1) market square 2) sebilious monument (Must visit the tiny but full of c...

40 things to do BEFORE you turn 40

They say u have a mid life crisis when u turn 40. I’d be lying if I claimed not to have gone through one myself. I couldn’t quite grasp this term in my 20s and 30s, thinking why would someone have a crisis at 40? By then, life would be set, and I’d have exactly what I had envisioned. That is precisely the root of the crisis.   The chasm between what you had imagined life to be and what it turns out to be is the crucible where the crisis dwells. It swells and subsides periodically; but, it’s important to remember that you, alone can control the intensity and existence of the crisis. Much like in school, you can focus on the 95 points you scored, or the 5 you lost. Inevitably, first my mind wreaked havoc on me - all the things I had *ASSUMED* I would have by 40 that were now amiss came flashing into my head. I didn’t have a spouse, or children, a company listed on the stock exchange, a dream home, and yes, that island in Hawaii now seemed far out of reach. Had I failed? Had I not liv...