Happy holidays!

Half of December is gone, but I often forget that it's the holiday season. There is more Christmas/holiday-themed stuff in Delhi than in smaller towns in India, but it only really pops up in fancy grocery stores, nice hotels, or other places targeted to rich Indians, tourists and expats.

I do miss the winter wonderland I experienced in Yorkshire last December (snow! sheep! snow-covered sheep!), but am looking forward to celebrating the holidays in India this year. My mother arrived in Delhi this week, and we have been having a great time exploring the city, shopping, and eating delicious food. It's also interesting to hear her stories about how much the city has changed over the decades (she was a student at Delhi University in the 70s).

Julie, a dear friend from London, will arrive once my mother leaves next week. Julie and I have plans to travel around Rajasthan for Christmas and New Years, which should be a lot of fun. So far, we have planned a camel safari, ziplining around a fort in Jodhpur, and relaxing by the lake in Udaipur. It will be nice to get out of Delhi for a bit, and to breathe some fresh air! The smog in this city is incredible.

Imagine breathing this air everyday!

Photo update

I've been terrible about updating this blog, but am going to try to be better about it while I'm in Delhi. I've been here for nearly two months, but have been traveling or flat-hunting for most of it. I'll write more later, but here's what I've been up to in the last few weeks:

Durga Puja in Chittaranjan Park, Delhi

Attempting to fix up the ugliest living room in the world, which is in my flat. Don't worry, I'm moving to a much nicer place on December 1.

Wandering around Amsterdam

Drag brunch in Washington, DC

Visiting Obama... or trying to

Getting caught up in a protest at the new MLK memorial in DC

Relaxing with Kate, my old flatmate, at her lovely home in DC.

Perfect decor for the kitchen

 CNN Center in Atlanta

Hanging out with my east coast family at our dear friend's wedding in Georgia 

Diwali puja at my childhood home in Ajmer, Rajasthan

Spending time at one of my favorite places in the world - Pushkar Lake, Rajasthan 

Sunset in Pushkar

Helping out with my cousin's 2-day long engagement ceremony in Ajmer!

Long overdue update

Sorry for my lack of posts. In short, this is what I've been up for for the past 5-6 weeks:

1) Writing my dissertation proposal, meeting with my advisory committee, making changes. Repeat every 1-2 weeks. This has taken up over 90% of my time, including weekends. It's also the reason why I've been horrible at keeping in touch with everyone (sorry!)

2) Watching the royal wedding. To be honest, though, I was more impressed with Pippa than Kate. Also, who knew that they would sing so many hymns after the couple was officially married?

3) Starting to bike around London. I joined the new Barclays bike scheme, which allows you to pick up and drop off bikes at various points around the city. It's much less hassle than owning a bike and constantly worrying about it getting stolen. (I used to have a bike that was stolen despite it having 2 locks).

I'm heading to California to see family and to North Carolina for a wedding this Friday. I'm really bummed about only getting a week off, which translates into me not being able to visit friends in Atlanta or DC. Guess it'll have to wait till October, when one of my closest friends is getting married!

Missing a social life

For the past few weeks, I've been working pretty much non-stop on my dissertation proposal so I can get a draft to my advisor on Monday. I have a feeling that I'll have to keep going at this pace until May, which is when the dissertation proposal defense is scheduled. Honestly, I'd rather spend my time flitting around in a dress like this:

Pretty model and dress courtesy of Christian Dior

A little shallow? Definitely. But working seven days a week for a while has made me crave a completely different lifestyle.

It's spring!

Or London's equivalent, which means occasional sunshine while the days barely warm up. It feels a little strange to wear sunglasses for the first time since October!

Window Display at Coco de Mer, Covent Garden

The bunny seems a little out of place.

Braithwaite Street, E1