So... I suppose house decor is going to be a constant theme here for a while. You folks are already in on all the ups and downs, twists and turns, that occurred before I moved into my new abode or almost didn't... so it's only fair I report what happens after the presumably 'happily ever after' ;) Kind of funny how as I was growing up, most of the movies or the older movies, books, fairy tales etc made you believe that all was well once the boy and girl got together. There was nothing after that. You grow up to find out that life actually begins where the stories end. The literature, movies etc these days are a lot more faithful to real life, but I am not quite sure that's a good thing? Well, not to get too drawn into the tangent, the story of my house continues... is my point :)

I am still to do and buy a whole lot of basics for the house. My brain works in too much of a systematic way for practical life. When I think about doing one thing, I realise I need to do some other thing before that, then when I think of the other, I hit on something else that should precede that, and then I get into so much of a loop that they all get tangled up and I am not too sure what I should start with anymore. I think most people just jump in headfirst into things and figure out as they go along. Unlike me who needs to have a full-blown plan with sequential steps and the whole map and what not. Anyway, I have finally decided to do a bit of both. The other difficulty I hit on is my natural bent to do extensive research before I zero down on something. Whether that's a sofa or jam. I went through a whole lot of reviews for a toaster and thought I found an ideal one. They are not too expensive, but I feel a lot of responsibility around use/reuse/disposal so anything I get must serve me for a really long time. Which means I need to take a whole lot of my needs into account. When the toaster came home, imagine my surprise dear reader, it was almost, not quite, but almost, as large as my microwave :( I returned it, of course...

I have come to a conclusion about why this particular toaster happened to come out top in my research. People who recommended this either have largish families, have a high standard for the toast they want (slots in this are fat for real thick slices), have really large kitchens or all three of the foregoing. The only one that fits for me somewhat is the high quality of toast but I am not particularly fussed about thick slices. I actually prefer thin slices. So not even that. The toaster is clearly sturdy and lasts forever but that does not really compensate for the amount of space it takes. So... in spite of all my homework, I had to give it up :( 

Well... hope I have better luck moving on ;)

I went to the carpet shop yesterday to find out why no one contacted me after visiting my house to take measurements in September. I had been away almost three months so maybe the person who came over did contact me? I went in asking for him. Nothing had prepared me for the answer I was given. That person had passed away in December. I was shocked to say the least! He wasn't that old. I was told he was in his mid-50s and had a heart attack. His wife, the lady who worked in the shop with him, said she was crumbling inside but had to carry on... for their four children. She had known her husband for more than 30 years. I couldn't even begin to fathom her grief... couldn't begin to imagine what it must feel like to suddenly lose someone who was such a solid part of your life for so long... like one day you wake up and they are just not around? Nothing in place of this moving, thinking, feeling, loving, caring being who was there all the time, a part of your own world? Just a large gaping void now that could never be filled. How do you cope with this...? I do not know...

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On a lighter note... they sent another person to do the measurements for the carpet today. He was one of those cheeky old characters. When looking at one option versus another, he said something about entertaining people in the house. I said I am not much of an entertainer ;) To which he said, I can't believe that for one moment! Hehe! [Not sure what made him not believe me :/)]

I feel like I live many lives in the space of a few months. Become a completely different self in a different space/time with a different schedule, different meals, different interactions, different concerns, etc etc. Or a bit like a revolving door which leads me to a different world every time and I too have to become someone different in that world. Every arrival takes adjustment and then comes the settling, acceptance of the new life, and soon enough it's time to leave, say my goodbye, anticipate the new me at the threshold who is at once new and at once old. I remember her and what her life looked like but I have also forgotten it a bit. It was not that long and still long...

Anyway, the time's come to leave Dubai. As usual with a heavy heart... but I'll be back again. Very soon...