With the closing on our first home quickly approaching, I am getting more and more excited about decorating. Really making the townhouse a home that I will adore like no other. I've always been drawn to natural, homey comfy sort of home decorating. The problem arises when Kunal decided his ultimate designing needs include ultra modern furniture. He decorated the apartment by himself and everything is black with white, gray and red accent pieces. Don't get me wrong, it looks very nice...but it just isn't very homey to me. I've managed to sneak some tan into the bathroom and our dining table is dark brown. But it doesn't flow with the two very conflicting design schemes at work.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to be old fashioned but warm colors make a home more of home than something modern. Being who we are, we have clutters everywhere; mail on the dining table, magazines on the coffe table, DVD's on the side table. I wouldn't call it mess but it definitely takes away from the modern feel where everything has a specific place. Also, if it helps my case, black furniture gets extremely dusty. Almost every day, there's dust and it's SUPER annoying to clean.
Who will win this decorating battle? I'm putting my money on myself personally. I can be quite dramatic when it comes to getting what I want. I'm sure Kunal knows he won't have a major say in decorating until we move into a actual house and he'll have his 'man cave' while I have the rest of the house.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Dressing the Part
I've always had a loving relationship with clothes, handbags, shoes, and accessories. I must admit, I can be a bit materialistic. But really, who can live without their favorite hangbag? Or that top that just works? I've realized that the majority of my wardrobe can be defined as statement pieces. Pairing items together can be quite tricky; I can't just wear throw on my burgandy trench, grab my blue satchel and put on my cognac colored boots, now can I? This answers Kunal's question of "You have so many clothes, how do you not know what to wear?"
Now that I'm a "grown up" and a working professional, I was super excited to dress the part. Pencil skirts, pretty silk blouses, patent leather heels, the works! But I work in a lab, where my day to day attire consists of steel-toes shoes, a lab coat, and a hair net. Oh, and we are allowed to wear jeans. So on my way to my "big girl job", I dress like I'm going to middle school.
I used to wear dress pants at least, but working with skincare items all day is a risk to their appearance. Why would I want to wear something that can easily be stained with foundation? Clearly my fun lab job doesn't allow for my fun wardrobe. The labs on Bones and CSIi are so misleading. Who really analyzes blood in a khaki suit? About 95% of my body is covered and I definitely don't work with any bio-hazards.
Now that I'm a "grown up" and a working professional, I was super excited to dress the part. Pencil skirts, pretty silk blouses, patent leather heels, the works! But I work in a lab, where my day to day attire consists of steel-toes shoes, a lab coat, and a hair net. Oh, and we are allowed to wear jeans. So on my way to my "big girl job", I dress like I'm going to middle school.
I used to wear dress pants at least, but working with skincare items all day is a risk to their appearance. Why would I want to wear something that can easily be stained with foundation? Clearly my fun lab job doesn't allow for my fun wardrobe. The labs on Bones and CSIi are so misleading. Who really analyzes blood in a khaki suit? About 95% of my body is covered and I definitely don't work with any bio-hazards.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Finding Some Alone Time
Kunal and I spent a lot, and I mean A LOT of time together. Grocery shopping? It takes two. Going to the mall? Need a second opinion. The boys call for a quick trip to PA to gamble, two seats please. Grab lunch with a friend? Table for three.
I really love spending time with Kunal. Considering our work schedules, we see each other in the morning when I say good bye to his royal sleepy head and then again when he gets home that evening. We barely talk during the day unless there's an emergency. So with that being said, on the weekends, you'll seldom find Kunal and I apart. Luckily after sharing 800 square feet for over a year, we still want to genuinely hang out with each other. I think the reason for this is because of the 2-3 hours when I have the place to myself before Kunal gets home. Thanks to my work schedule, I'm home by 4:30 at the latest every day. Kunal usually comes home around 6:30-7 on a good day. Those few hours where I can just relax and just watch TV or take a nap (shh don't tell) are amazing. I can cook and watch Netflix, I can watch the news (yea Kunal doesn't like watching the news). Because of this, I'm legitimately happy to see Kunal when he walks in through the door.
I've always wondered if he ever gets sick of me. The most alone time he gets is on his commute to and from work. Usually every other week if not every week Kunal stays at a hotel near his office. I think it's his much needed break from me. In order to gear up for 48 hours of weekend time with me, he probably needs a night to himself to just relax without worrying about what I'm doing, what I want him to do, what I want us to do, etc. Yes, I can be hard to handle at times.
No matter the distance, we make sure we always say good night and (usually) good morning to each other. It's sort of our rule, I can't even remember the last time we didn't say good night, including trips to England (him) and India (me). Gotta love technology.
I really love spending time with Kunal. Considering our work schedules, we see each other in the morning when I say good bye to his royal sleepy head and then again when he gets home that evening. We barely talk during the day unless there's an emergency. So with that being said, on the weekends, you'll seldom find Kunal and I apart. Luckily after sharing 800 square feet for over a year, we still want to genuinely hang out with each other. I think the reason for this is because of the 2-3 hours when I have the place to myself before Kunal gets home. Thanks to my work schedule, I'm home by 4:30 at the latest every day. Kunal usually comes home around 6:30-7 on a good day. Those few hours where I can just relax and just watch TV or take a nap (shh don't tell) are amazing. I can cook and watch Netflix, I can watch the news (yea Kunal doesn't like watching the news). Because of this, I'm legitimately happy to see Kunal when he walks in through the door.
I've always wondered if he ever gets sick of me. The most alone time he gets is on his commute to and from work. Usually every other week if not every week Kunal stays at a hotel near his office. I think it's his much needed break from me. In order to gear up for 48 hours of weekend time with me, he probably needs a night to himself to just relax without worrying about what I'm doing, what I want him to do, what I want us to do, etc. Yes, I can be hard to handle at times.
No matter the distance, we make sure we always say good night and (usually) good morning to each other. It's sort of our rule, I can't even remember the last time we didn't say good night, including trips to England (him) and India (me). Gotta love technology.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Living with a Pet Peeve
Three years, two coconut exchanges and one legal ceremony later, I've found the one thing that makes me want to suffocate Kunal in his sleep. SNORING. I have never nor will I ever understand how a person can go from breathing normally one minute to snoring like a banshee the next. Nothing's changed except the fact that you're unconscious. What is this magical trigger? I must find it..and break it!! Did I mention that I'm a super light sleeper? Sometimes during my naps in the living rooms, the ding from the elevator can wake me. On a windy night, I awaken to the wind howling outside, sucks being on the 18th floor sometimes. I barely slept through Hurricane Irene.
Sleep is something I cherish greatly. If I didn't feel like Kunal would judge me, I'd nap for an hour after work and then go to bed at 10:30 on top of that! Imagine how it feels to be denied that precious sleep that I so greedily want. Without fail, every night I'd wake up, usually around 4am to Kunal snoring up a storm next to me. This results me in poking, nudging and shoving the poor guy before I sigh (just loudly enough to cause him to stir) and retreat to the living room to catch that last few hours of sleep.
Many times as I try to fall back asleep, I find myself wondering how exactly this happened? Kunal never snored in college. Was I too tired to notice his snoring? Was he hiding it until it's too late!?!? Am I really stuck with having to sleep in a separate room to get a night of restful sleep? So many questions, how am I ever supposed to get back to sleep with all these unanswered questions? Sigh, dramatic much?
Kunal says the easiest thing to do is wear ear plugs. I don't even like headphones much, how would I manage a night with ear plugs? If they prevent me from hearing Kunal's snoring, would I also sleep through my alarm? Too many risks associated with ear plugs. No way am I trying that...on a week day.
For now, I'll cherish tonight since Kunal is tucked away at the Embassy Suites and I can enjoy a night of uninterrupted sleep.
Sleep is something I cherish greatly. If I didn't feel like Kunal would judge me, I'd nap for an hour after work and then go to bed at 10:30 on top of that! Imagine how it feels to be denied that precious sleep that I so greedily want. Without fail, every night I'd wake up, usually around 4am to Kunal snoring up a storm next to me. This results me in poking, nudging and shoving the poor guy before I sigh (just loudly enough to cause him to stir) and retreat to the living room to catch that last few hours of sleep.
Many times as I try to fall back asleep, I find myself wondering how exactly this happened? Kunal never snored in college. Was I too tired to notice his snoring? Was he hiding it until it's too late!?!? Am I really stuck with having to sleep in a separate room to get a night of restful sleep? So many questions, how am I ever supposed to get back to sleep with all these unanswered questions? Sigh, dramatic much?
Kunal says the easiest thing to do is wear ear plugs. I don't even like headphones much, how would I manage a night with ear plugs? If they prevent me from hearing Kunal's snoring, would I also sleep through my alarm? Too many risks associated with ear plugs. No way am I trying that...on a week day.
For now, I'll cherish tonight since Kunal is tucked away at the Embassy Suites and I can enjoy a night of uninterrupted sleep.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Eating like an Adult
I feel that one of the most important things that make a place a "home" is having a home cooked meal every night. This is something I always had growing up and now that I'm on my own, miss immensely. I've tried to instill this in my daily routine but some way or another, we usually end up going out to eat 2 or 3 times a week. Why botch up pad kee mao when my favorite Thai restaurant is just a 10 minutes drive? Did I mention it's BYOB?
With the help of my trusty planner (yes, I know I don't necessarily need one) I've started planning meals by the week. Even with this, I usually end up making something I'd make in college, grilled cheese, soup (at least it's homemade!), pasta. If I'm feeling fancy, maybe some grilled salmon and veggies. I've realized the root cause of my elementary meals is the fact I don't have a fully stocked kitchen. No fresh vegetables, onions, potatoes, etc. All the things I need to make a delicious grown up meal, I don't have. I pondered why...and came to the conclusion that things go bad so why buy them? I hate throwing away food because it's gone bad. Why does it go bad? Because I'm too busy eating out to actually make something with it.
Another thing that I do on the regular is pack my lunch from home. Same things almost every day, a cold cut sandwich. And every day, I feel like I'm in middle school with my packed lunch. I've realized I like hot food, a sandwich isn't going to cut it. Most people bring leftovers from last night's dinner. Unfortunately, I don't have leftovers b/c I don't cook! I don't want to buy lunch every day because most of the time, they don't have something I want. Although the quesadillas today looked AMAZING. Maybe this is a new resolution, cook more legitimate meals so I will have leftovers for lunch the following day. We'll see what happens.
With the help of my trusty planner (yes, I know I don't necessarily need one) I've started planning meals by the week. Even with this, I usually end up making something I'd make in college, grilled cheese, soup (at least it's homemade!), pasta. If I'm feeling fancy, maybe some grilled salmon and veggies. I've realized the root cause of my elementary meals is the fact I don't have a fully stocked kitchen. No fresh vegetables, onions, potatoes, etc. All the things I need to make a delicious grown up meal, I don't have. I pondered why...and came to the conclusion that things go bad so why buy them? I hate throwing away food because it's gone bad. Why does it go bad? Because I'm too busy eating out to actually make something with it.
Another thing that I do on the regular is pack my lunch from home. Same things almost every day, a cold cut sandwich. And every day, I feel like I'm in middle school with my packed lunch. I've realized I like hot food, a sandwich isn't going to cut it. Most people bring leftovers from last night's dinner. Unfortunately, I don't have leftovers b/c I don't cook! I don't want to buy lunch every day because most of the time, they don't have something I want. Although the quesadillas today looked AMAZING. Maybe this is a new resolution, cook more legitimate meals so I will have leftovers for lunch the following day. We'll see what happens.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Obtaining a Mortgage
Back to the topic, Kunal and I are in the process of buying a place of our own. Paying rent in NJ is insanely expensive. Paying a mortgage in NJ is that plus half a leg. Nonetheless, we are both super excited to own our first home. We're getting a townhouse because it's a good baby step in homeownership. Ideally, we want to buy a home and settle in NC but figured since we're here for a good bit, might as well have something for keeps versus throwing money away for a tiny apartment. Here's a picture, just ignore the car
As with any home purchase, we're obtaining a loan for an insane amount of money that we cannot fathom how we're going to pay back. The process of closing on a house is quite long and extremely expensive. We haven't even finalized a closing date and already we've spent over half of our savings. Never before did I think I would be so interested in mortgages, escrow, and lenders but I feel as if I am fairly knowledgeable about it now. We're playing the waiting game now to finalize our closing date.
One of the things we are trying to avoid is the negative outcome of our lease. We can't just pay a set amount and break out lease. We'd have to pay until June when our lease actually ends. Hopefully we will be able to find a sublease so we don't lose $7k for a place we aren't even living in. *Fingers crossed!*
New Year's Resolutions
I've always loved blogs (probably because I used to have a xanga) and as one of my New Year's resolutions, I've decided to try to keep up with a blog. I've always been a bit aprehensive for a number of reasons. Am I funny enough? Will it be interesting? Is anyone actually going to read it? But oh well, here goes nothing!
Anyways, back to resolutions. I always find them funny because typically people keep up with it for the first month and slowly it fades from memory. The most popular one must be "I will go to the gym at least X amount of days a week." I admit, I've tried that myself a few times, but now I know better.
My second resolution is to cut back on the drinks. I feel as if I'm finally past the days of "Oh let's get drunk and go dancing" and I need to accept and incorporate it into my life. I've decided that only once a week I will drink. Whats the point in drinking so much you get sick or don't remember the night. I've had plenty of those and definitely not my cup of tea. Especially with my "old age" where I just can't party like I used to.
Let's see how well I hold up on these resolutions.The month is half over and so far, I've done pretty good on my minimize drinking resolution. Now let's work on the blogging one.
Anyways, back to resolutions. I always find them funny because typically people keep up with it for the first month and slowly it fades from memory. The most popular one must be "I will go to the gym at least X amount of days a week." I admit, I've tried that myself a few times, but now I know better.
My second resolution is to cut back on the drinks. I feel as if I'm finally past the days of "Oh let's get drunk and go dancing" and I need to accept and incorporate it into my life. I've decided that only once a week I will drink. Whats the point in drinking so much you get sick or don't remember the night. I've had plenty of those and definitely not my cup of tea. Especially with my "old age" where I just can't party like I used to.
Let's see how well I hold up on these resolutions.The month is half over and so far, I've done pretty good on my minimize drinking resolution. Now let's work on the blogging one.
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