It seems like, all too often, people focus on the negative things happening in their lives. Whether it’s bad traffic, a missed promotion at work, a relationship gone sour, or blaming ourselves for something beyond our control, we have a tendency to take the good apples in the barrel for granted and complain about that one bad apple. This affliction is endemic even in our society. The news always casts a greater spotlight on the shocking, sensational stories. Be it the crashing stock market, a hero’s fall from grace, violent crimes, or celebrity breakups, we can’t seem to escape the barrage of depressing news in print and digital media.

Every once in a while, we need to remind ourselves that there are positive and happy things around us. To start the year off on a bright note, I decided to create a list of the 10 things that make me happy. I suggest you, dear reader, make a similar list and maybe even share it with your best friend or significant other. It’s fun and most importantly, forces us to recognize that there are things to appreciate, enjoy and be happy about in our lives. So here goes…

1. The company of good friends where you share that relaxed familiarity, good-natured ribbing, and easy flow of conversation

2. The satisfaction of a day spent productively – nothing makes me feel more accomplished than having marked off everything on checklist for the day!

3. The excitement of traveling to new, unexplored destinations

4. A damn good glass of red vino

5. The good feeling that lasts all day after you’ve received an unexpected compliment from a friend or stranger. Makes you think, if it feels this good to receive a compliment, wouldn’t it be nice if we returned the favor more often to others?

6. Being recognized and lauded for my efforts professionally (I guess it’s a sort of self-validation that I need!)

7. Making a purchase that ends up being really worth it. Example? My Canon DSLR camera, which I initially hesitated to buy because of its price tag, has turned out to be the gift that keeps giving. Thanks to it, I’ve been able to beautifully capture a thousand precious moments

8. Blogging, when I’m being regular and inspired about it

9. Doing something that’s just for me. Dancing, yoga, reading a real page-turner without interruption, a good afternoon nap, or even going out for a movie by myself, this “personal well-being therapy” works to recharge and refresh every time!

10. Spontaneous hugs, kisses, and cuddles from my son - the truest, most unaffected showing of love that never fails to melt my heart

Speaking of happiness and my son, I took the little kiddo to the Singapore Zoo this weekend thinking he would love the experience. No such luck. He seemed unenthused the whole time I was excitedly pointing out animals like the tiger, monkeys, elephants, and giraffes. The only time he actually broke into a smile and started flapping his arms excitedly was when he saw an insignificant bird fly by. Point to note: the bird was not part of the zoo. *Sigh* Kids…

At the zoo - the smiling mother and the unenthused child

See what I did there? I wore a leopard-print top to the zoo! 

Keeping it casual and practical for a day out at the zoo

The proboscis monkey with its large schnauzer, definitely one of the most awkward-looking animals at the zoo

The peacock with its rich, colorful feathers. Easily the most beautiful animals we saw at the zoo

The white tiger got the prize for most regal animal

At the bay front in Singapore

I stare blankly at my computer screen, bubbling with things to say yet not knowing what to talk about. Words and sentences form at the tip of my fingertips, then dissipate into the air as I struggle to pick up where I left off. It’s been more than 6 months since my last post and I very nearly waved my blog goodbye, just as I had bid goodbye to my old home and life in New York City. Sad as I felt to leave behind that concrete jungle, I was roaring with excitement to move halfway across the world to the Lion City. Singapore, as it’s also called, welcomed me warmly with its green urban landscape, constant state of sunshine, and island-like breeze. Amidst the unpacking of boxes and multiple trips to IKEA, getting the little kiddo settled into a new place, training a live-in helper/nanny, and starting a new job, a blog on my frivolous travel and fashion escapades fell on the wayside. Besides time, I fell short on motivation. Even reading other blogs and FOMO wasn’t enough to stir me out of my laziness. In a way, I needed this hiatus to highlight the fact that if I stopped blogging today, nothing would change. But what I would lose is my outlet for creativity. My husband has often said that my blog has made me more open to adventure, more reflective, and has given me the courage to share personal things on a very public platform.

So what happened? A flash of inspiration and a few words of encouragement came my way and voila! I regained the urge to get back on the blogger bandwagon. Now I’m ready to start fresh. I’m not much of a resolution-maker but I do like to map out goals and plans when a new year starts. Among them is getting back to Urban Mantra. As I pen down my thoughts and experiences of living in a new country, share my travel adventures and personal style, I do hope you’ll join me on this ride!

It was August 1999 when I first landed in the US as a 17-year old, nervous yet excited to begin a new chapter of my life. I was about to start college with big ambitions and so much to prove. Fifteen years later, I'm leaving behind the country that I've called home for most of my adult life. Somewhere in this passage of time, I evolved from being a shy, naive teenager into a confident and independent woman. I met and married the love of my life and had a baby, now the second love of my life. I made amazing, lifelong friends. I lived in three cities (Boston, Austin, and New York City) and enjoyed each one at different stages of my life. I got a degree and became a doctor. I learned to embrace fitness and ran marathons. I toobed down the Guadalupe River. I learned to appreciate country music. I performed a dance to a Bollywood song on a moving boat for a Holi celebration. I took part in a flash mob dance to Sheila Ki Jawani on Wall street. I explored national parks and attended live music festivals. I traveled to Iceland where I hiked up a glacier, boated inside a volcanic crater in El Salvador, and jumped off a cliff in Spain. I ran up 46 floors of the Empire State Building while I was pregnant. I attended New York Fashion Week. I blogged!

Life recently threw us a curveball and we're now moving to Singapore! I'm sad to leave behind my sister and my friends in the US who became like family to me. Yet I look forward to new adventures in a new country. 

If you follow us on Instagram, you would have seen pictures I posted of my trip back to NYC - city street scenes that inspire me, places I visited, friends and family I spent time with...until it all culminated in our packing up our life into little boxes to be shipped halfway across the world. American the beautiful, I shall certainly miss you. Singapore, here we come! 

Crossing the street with a view of Times Square

Baby K and me having a picnic in Central Park

Hanging out for a brief weekend in DC 

Horse-drawn carriages that charm you in the city

Quality time with the sister at a food festival in Brooklyn

Grungy city subways - I dared to take Baby K on the subway and he loved it!

Love these street vendors selling pictures of NYC cityscapes

All packed up in our NYC apartment and ready to leave

Being just a 5 minute walking distance from the best known park in the world is definitely a privilege. Central Park is one of those places that is romanticized in films and just as magical in real life. Pre-baby, Central Park appealed to me because I loved being able to go running there. Recently, I've begun to discover a new facet of this park, one that appeals to my baby as well. Now I also love the park because it offers wide, open spaces for my little one to crawl (and soon walk) around freely outside the confines of a small New York apartment. For those of you wondering what to do with a baby/toddler in the city, here a few places to visit within Central Park itself.

1. Did you know that CP has zoo? Yup, a real zoo. And it's not your usual, run-of-the-mill zoo with horses, goats, and pigs. The Central Park Zoo has a polar and a tropical section where you'll find all sorts of exotic (and some endangered) animals - adorable penguins, flipping sea lions, swinging monkeys, colorful tree frogs, hissing snakes, biting piranhas, agile snow leopards...and the list goes on! You really can lose yourself in this world of animals. I brought baby K to the zoo and enjoyed myself as much as he did!

2. There are numerous playgrounds in CP but the oldest and biggest one is Heckscher Playground (located at 7th Ave and Central Park South). Swings, monkey bars, see-saws, and rocking climbing setups provide a place for children to run free. Baby K can't walk yet but he had a whale of a time crawling around on the astroturf and sitting on the swings!

3. Street artists that cater to children with balloons, bubble blowers, face painting, and musical performances are everywhere! You'll find these street performers at every twist and turn, providing entertainment for children and adults alike.

4. Picnicking in the park is totally a summer activity I do with my girlfriends. In the past, we would bring along blankets to lay on the grass and sneak in some bubbly. While that hasn't changed (hehe!), I have now added a baby to the equation. Throw in some toys to keep the baby occupied and you can have a lovely time catching up with friends while giving your baby some quality outdoor time. Plus, the feel of crawling/walking on the grass and seeing dogs that people have brought for a walk really gets babies excited (also great from the standpoint of the baby's sensory development).

Yay! Fun in the park! 

It feels good to be back in the city! The first few days after coming back were tough with baby K having a horrible case of jet lag. Poor kid was still on Bangkok time, sleeping most of the day and then waking up at an ungodly hour at night. At 3 am, he'd be wide awake, wanting to play while all we wanted to do was sleep! Anyway, he has now adjusted to the time difference and we've been able to go out and enjoy the lovely summer that is emerging in NYC. This weekend, Shruti was visiting and we decided to trek over to Brooklyn for the famous Smorgasburg. Known as a food flea market, it literally comprises of a "smorgasboard" of different food stalls. You see all sorts of cuisines (Indian, Ethiopian, Burmese, Mexican, Filipino, Thai, American, etc) and fusion foods. My favorite stall was Masala Tacos. The paneer tikka masala tacos and channa masala tacos were just amazing! What a brilliant idea to blend Indian and Mexican foods together. Overall, we had a great time noshing on different types of foods against the backdrop of the Manhattan skyline on an incredibly beautiful, sunny day.

Tip: Smorgasburg is held every weekend in the summers with two different locations on Saturday and Sunday. Highly recommend checking it out!

 Well folks, I'm finally heading back to NYC. Yep, my almost 6-month stay in Bangkok has come to an end. Crazy, right?! I know many people didn't think I was gonna come back. Certainly, life works in funny ways. I had only planned on coming to stay in Bangkok with my family for a couple months as part of my maternity leave after baby K was born. But as I've mentioned in an earlier post, it became a much longer stay. The unexpected turn of events that brought us to Bangkok was such a blessing because I got to enjoy this new phase of my life of being a mother and watching baby K grow and get pampered by his grandparents. In this time, I also got the opportunity to focus on myself and get back in shape post-pregnancy. I even managed to squeeze in a bit of travel around Thailand and Singapore. If you were following me on Instagram (hashtag #richainbkk), you know how much I was living it up!

So it's with a heavy heart that I say goodbye to my family because I enjoyed a wonderful past few months with them. On the flip side,  I'm excited to head back and catch up with friends and family in the US. I've been away for far too long! And the other half of Urban Mantra, Shruti, is very mad that I kept her nephew baby K away from her for this long. :)

So adieu Bangkok and hello again New York! Postings may be a bit infrequent as I settle back in after a long absence (though I'm always active on Instgram! Hehe!). So please bear with us and as always, thank you for reading Urban Mantra and following our travels!

A few highlights from my time in Asia (clockwise from top left): Enjoyed Thai food, hanging out with a 3-month old baby K, chilling beachside at Krabi, a visit to Uma Devi temple in Bangkok on Jan 1, tuktuk rides in Bangkok, all dressed in desi clothes for a pooja at home, shopping at colorful Haji Lane in Singapore, a tiger on my lap in Kanchanaburi (no big deal!), baby K and I at the Singapore Gardens by the Bay

I'm not one who typically watches TV. I find it a waste of time. And after several months of being home and seeing my family watch hindi TV channels, I can honestly say that I like TV even less. Let's talk about the ridiculosity of hindi TV shows, shall we? I find them to be completely over the top and melodramatic! In hindi TV soaps, the relationship between a mother- and daughter-in-law (saas-bahu) is completely blown out of proportion with both sides plotting to sabotage one another. Actresses are packed with heavy makeup and jewelry, even in scenes where they're supposedly sleeping at night (I mean, who goes to bed with the full face of makeup, heavy jewelry, and a saree?). Many of the female roles are portrayed in a regressive manner, with heroines whiney and dependent on men. I've also been unfortunate enough to be subjected to a few viewings of a comedy show called Comedy Nights with Kapil. I don't even want to get started on how lame that show is. All I can say is, Sidhu has one sweet gig as the guest of honor on the show where he gets paid to just laugh at slapstick, silly humor. And lastly, hindi news channels could be taken more seriously if only they relied less on sensationalism and more on actual reporting of news. I may be a Bollywood fan but I have very little patience for the rubbish that makes it to the small screen. OK, I'll end my rant now. Let's talk about something else, something equally frivolous...my outfit! 

I bought this pencil skirt recently without thinking about how I'm probably one among masses of girls buying something floral for spring! Nevertheless, this skirt is very versatile and can be paired with different types of tops. Here, I decided to go with two different looks - one skirt, two slightly different ways. Which one do you prefer?

Express top (old), CC Double O floral skirt, Stradivarius pumps,
Lauren by Ralph Lauren Newbury tote

F21 top, H&M pumps, rest as above