I started off this year with a rock on my finger and a two month wait before I tied the knot. I did January in style by partying as the "hen" at the Jewel Bar dancing my final days of freedom away. The party continued into February where we celebrated my brother's engagement to his (then) fiance with a night in town.
Then came the wedding. Toni and I got married on 25 February. I felt like a queen. It was an amazing wedding, the best, and I was glad to say it was my very own. We held 3 parties in the space of 24 hours. We had a marching band. We had the romantic entrance to our party with hanging bouquets, scattered petals and drapes. We had the gurdwara, white with beautiful domes. I had the greatest man by my side. It was perfect.
We went to Rajasthan for our honeymoon. Certainly a trip we'll never forget. I got food-poisoning and was bed-ridden for 3 days and 3 nights. It could have been worse if we weren't staying in a lush palace hotel with views of the Lake Palace in Udhaipur. I had my great man looking after me. But then it did get worse, for we had a car accident. Hit head on by a truck, whose driver just happened to be drunk. Luckily for us the scene of the crime was just opposite a police station and with the help of the locals, and the very polite policemen, we managed to file the paperwork and get ourselves a 15 hour taxi ride home.
I tore myself away from Toni to fly back home in March. A month of waiting and I was back in India for Easter. A flying visit which saw Toni and I attend the courts to officialise our marriage and collect our marriage certificate. 4 days in the glorious heat was just what I needed having felt down and blue on the cold grey island. 4 days later I was back at work and preparing for Toni's arrival. In the meanwhile the media reported that Madeleine McCann had gone missing. To this day there is no sign of her.
For Toni and I, there was the visa to process, the medical examination to pass and the lots of worrying to be had. I had to find a place to make liveable and pray that Toni would get his visa soon. Finally, on 1 June, my husband arrived at Heathrow airport, looking very smart (he had made an effort for his wife) and looking extremely handsome. We spent a week settling in and watching lots of dvds. We warmed the flat with a party. We also welcomed Gordon Brown as Prime Minister, with fresh hope of a better Labour government and independence from the Bush regime. Instead, we got breath taking government incompetency and hope that the embarassing a series of blunders don't continue.
Glasgow was witness to the failed car bombing at the city's airport. An amatuer attempt to cause terror resulting in the wrongful arrest of an Indian born doctor working in Australia. He cleared his name and has recently been entitled to return to Australia.
July and August were busy wedding months and we attended 4 in total (as well as the pre-wedding parties and ceremonies), having to miss one wedding in France due to a clash. The summer was also the wettest for a long time and the floods in the north and lack of sunshine dampened everyone's mood.
David Beckham jetted off to the land of dreams to convert Americans into loving the beautiful game. Toni and I started house-hunting. By the end of the month our offer on our home had been accepted and we were commencing the horrific ordeal they call house-buying. We also saw the global credit crunch hit the UK and watched queues of Northern Rock customers collect their savings from its branches for fear of a crisis. The Burmese monks peacefully protested against their military government against the rise in fuel prices which led to a rise in the cost of consumer goods. This sparked off a human rights outcry throughout the world.
Toni got his first job as a Manager at a Pizza Hut branch and underwent his management training in July and in October I qualified as a corporate solicitor. Also said goodbye to EJ, my dear friend who left the firm for much greener pastures. On 7 October my brother married his sweetheart and we had half a week of culture and tradition - it was fab.
The iPhone was released into the UK in November which saw hightech-savvy consumers flocking to the shops for their latest gadget.
Toni and I began packing in November and then agonisingly waited, with baited breath, to exchange and complete on our first home. The chain held us up and we were close to being homeless (save for mum and dad's, as the very last resort) but finally picked up our keys on 7 December. We also bought a bed and sofa and, with the help of everyone in the family, moved into our new home. Since then and right up until Christmas day, Toni and I became avid fans of painting. We're not quite sure whether it was the fumes, but we certainly hit a high when we finished our work of art. The ground floor rooms were fully coloured and made beautiful in time for Christmas.
Gillian Gibbons was jailed in Sudan for allowing pupils to name a teddy "Mohammed", seen as an insult to Islam.
The Spice Girls made a comeback at the O2 and played in London after nearly a decade. The glittering girls all performed well with the exception of Posh, who failed to rehearse.
Today we find the situation in Pakistan has spiralled out of control. Benazir Bhutto has been assassinated by a suicide bomber, having been shot in the neck before the bomb blast. Although it was only a matter of time, it will spark off mayhem in an already politically unstable region.
This year has certainly been a big year. One of excitement, one of change. One which ends on a note of uncertainty. Climate change and economic tension does not bode well for the coming year. However, I suspect on all levels that it will be a quieter year; a year of reflection.
When I am counting down on new year's eve, I will certainly thank God for giving me the best year of my life, and hope that 2008 will be even better, albeit less dramatic. Happy new year wherever you are. Keep smiling xx
Amrit and Toni
