Happy New... February?

To say it's been a while would probably constitute a lie. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if you've forgotten me. It's been an era, and then some (or so it seems) since the last time I looked at this web space, let alone contemplate writing in it. So let's start at the start shall we? First off, Happy 2014 (haha, I can hear you, YES I am a month late) and here's hoping you've had a great start. Secondly, why did I cease to post here? Well... I didn't really have anything interesting to tell you to be honest. Then why are you back, I hear you ask? AHA. See, aside from lazing, grazing and dozing, blogging is one of my favourite pastimes. I missed it. And so here I am again, to start again. 
Stay tuned. 
SL xx 

Redecorating: Part 1

Remember this post? Yes, it was a very long time ago and no, I didn't give up on the idea. It's just that squeezing the complete overhaul of a room in and around... well, life, can be tricky. And so maybe the project ended up moving at snail's pace. Like three months on I'm still waiting on furniture (!) BUT, the ideas are in and, to avoid a bedroom that looks fresh out of the Argos catalogue, I'm actually hoping to make some of the decorative/accenting pieces myself.

The thought of redecorating came, to be a bit cliché, in a flash. I recall looking around and just thinking, 'gosh, it looks a bit busy in here!'. And so, two overriding inspirations in mind, began my make-over endeavour. 

1. I wanted my room to "grow up" a bit - to take it out of the teen time-warp it was stuck in. 

2. It needed streamlining. Less clutter and less colour, a real haven for human-battery-recharging. 

What do you think?

It is a work in progress and yes, I have just moved my books from behind my bed to... errr, beside my bed. Temporary measure only, I assure you. 
SL x

We're Rebranding...

Readership is on the up (aww, thank you guys!), inspiration is on a high and so (though available time is on an all time low - read zero) I think it's time for a little change up around here. Stay tuned. 

x

...And the New Job

So what exactly is it that I 'pretend' to do in the City day in day out, I hear you ask. Well, you already know I job-hop like there's no tomorrow (described at my last work place as a job-market floozy!) but it seems I've finally found something I can live with - campaign coordination, fundraising & social media.  Here's some food for thought. 

x

New Year, New Page

Life's about to change all over again - I'm moving home, starting over in a new place and best off all, got a new job - with a TV channel! Yaaaaaaaaay! *jumps up and jigs*. Aaaaaaanyway, going back to new starts, The Diary seems to be receiving more page hits by the day. Now, I'm hoping that's because more people are tuning in and not because it's so godd*mn boring readers fall asleep mid-page and have to refresh when they wake up (clarifications welcome). And so in a bid to make new posts and updates slightly more accessible, I've set up this wee FB page 
http://www.facebook.com/TheDiaryOfMissRaj
for all ye avid readers (haha, am I just delirious from happiness?) to follow. Be kind now, the page has been set up... ooooooooooh precisely 36 minutes before this post. It's a work in progress. For now, that'll be all. Have un weekend fantastico.
xx

Top 5 in 2012

With 2012 less than 12 hours away in most parts of the world  With New Year's done and dusted, all things Christmassy packed up and put away, I thought it might be a little fun to recap on some of my, and your, favourite diary moments of 2012. 

1. My First Time... at Yo! Shushi (what were you thinking?!)

2. The day the Instagram bug bit.

3. A quick trip to Amsterdam

4. Putting together a full Indian

Aaaand 5, Numerous Trips to WW.
Do you agree? Belated, but Happy New Year to you all. 
xx

Love at First Bite

So remember that recipe I posted for cheesecake-marbled chocolate brownies? Yeah, THAT one (shame on you if you haven't yet tried it), the one that provides maximum pleasure for minimal effort? Well I think I just found its mama. I figured if you remove the cheesecake stage, double up on the chocolate ingredients and chuck into the oven, you've got an even simpler, quicker (and potentially even richer) brownie. A bit of measuring here, a spot of melting there and a lot of mixing everywhere. Done.

And what a week for some baking ey? Torrential rains and blustery winds are every reason to hole up in a cosy kitchen and bake (and then snuggle down under the duvet and of course eat). I find the week after Christmas is always a bit of a strange one; a lingering interlude between the end of one year and the start of another… with not a lot going on to fill your time. Let's face it, we've all overeaten (but exercising before the start of the new year is just… well, not done really), we've spent most of our money buying everyone's presents (so the sales are a no-go too) and it seems utterly pointless starting anything new before 1st January.

It's nice to have come out this side of it though; rested, relaxed and ready to go. Having had the time to work out what we want to achieve within the next year of our lives. So once again, to all of you, happy 2012. Be happy, make it count and realise that we never, ever get time back so we have to make every moment a memory.

xxx

New Looks, Old Love and Fresh Starts...

So welcome to the new look blog - a new look, I'm hoping, to reflect a new life. It’s Easter tomorrow, and I couldn’t think of an occasion more befitting, to start over again. I'm a single girl now, not by choice but by default. I know I’m not the first and last to suffer a break-up, but that doesn’t make it any easier, right?! A break up hurts like f***; it’s not just losing some-one, but also all the shared dreams and commitments; it’s uncharted territory where everything is disrupted: routine, responsibilities, even your identity. To top it, there’s the doubts and questions, outright fears; What will life be like? Will you end up alone? What did you do wrong? Doesn’t exactly help when all anyone is talking about is...

THE ROYAL WEDDING.

Even if you bury your head in the sand for the next week, you’re gonna be hard pushed to avoid this one; as a British subject I can’t say I exactly understand the hype, but, as a girl, I somehow feel a little differently. This week’s been packed with catching the latest on the Will-Kate wedding (strictly for work purposes, I assure you), but looking at pictures of Kate, it’s not difficult to see why the girl looks so happy. She wears a ring on her finger, given to her by the man she loves.

(I’m not always this soppy. You can put the sick bucket away now).

Wednesday 20th April 2o11

*Maybe I lied. The highlight of my day was actually discovering a link on the BBC news website to one of my articles on the YouGov page. I have to say though that despite absolutely lovin’ this work experience, the very best parts of my day come often when I’m home, where an aura of hope and happiness pervades, and though we have troubles like any other family, we just count the blessing that we are all well and together. We joke and laugh, eat together and there’s a reassurance in knowing that the house is ‘full’, the family complete.

I feel a little melancholy today – it’s glorious outside and the warmth takes me back to summer times gone by. It’s still difficult to digest the truth, that sometimes what we lose in the passage of time can never, ever come back.

We’re 2/3 of the way through April already, even though the start of the year seems only just to have passed. It’s crystal clear in my mind, the memory of a midnight filled with promise as though it were just yesterday. So far 2011 has brought little other than struggle, but I haven’t given up hope that when things are as bad as they can possibly be, they will only get better. The seasons are smiling, and so too will life.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-13091768