2024 year end post

 I have not my yearly ritual for last year. I did not do my annual summary which I definitely do before the year turns around. But this year I was very sick to do it. So its late but anyways here it is.

I had absolutely no expectations from 2024. I remember driving back from school one December evening and telling my sister that I had no plans, no excitement for 2024. I had no holidays to look forward to.  The  house extension was still in progress and I had no idea when it would get over and I could have control over a normal house again. My sister very maturely had said go with the flow. I took it as the mantra for the year.

The house extension which had started in October 2023 took upto end of January to get done. The house was just one part. There was getting the furnishings, painting, decorating, carpeting. We also went on to buy new sofa, new dining chairs, repainting the entire house and getting all the curtains redone. It took quite a lot of effort, time, money. But slowly but surely it enhanced the look and feel of the house. The total upheaval made us feel better overall as well.

In the month of April - May Amma  reached our place and my parents reached my sister's place. It was good to have both sets of parents in the same town. 

Around the same time, K decided to volunteer for guide dogs. Going with the the flow this was something we hadn't anticipated would happen in our lives. But we did get accepted and it was a whole different suite of experiences dealing with puppies. Again we had hoped things would go swimmingly,but we saw ourselves not being competent enough to raise puppies given our family and work conditions. So we down graded ourselves to be boarders. We took care of puppies when their original owners were incapable of doing it for some reason. It was  still a very enriching experience and we had unmentionable joy looking after our favorite Imber. 

The weather was very murky for the good part of the year. There was a lot of time spent indoors watching the Olympics, T20 world cup, IPL and   a host of sporting events. Towards October to bid adiue to our parents. We had ventured now where for the entire year. But then an opportunity presented and we decided to go on a holiday in October. It was an immensely relaxing 4 days.  Things started really winding down in the months of November and December.  There were some bad news with respect to jobs for friends for which  I am eternally grateful to God for helping us keep ours. 

This year we have ended up really going with the flow. There were unanticipated travels, unexpected moves at work and unprecedented moments with friends and family. Overall over the year, we are at a much better and improved place from where we started on 1.1.2024 

Here is hoping who ever chances upon this post a year of improvements and extensions and enjoyment of those enhancements. May good things come your way ❤️

It's a wrap

 New year's eve again. That time of the year when 12 months seem to have zipped past and it seems like yesterday that it was last year.

This year has been one of certain uncertainties for me. Sitting in 2022 I was sure of the things that were going to happen. There was a trip to India, there was renovation work for our house, there was Chiyaa starting secondary school, my parents visiting UK, my sis moving to her own place and then a holiday. That was a bit long list but we were uncertain of how things would pan out.

First up my parents arrived in February which coincided with my sis moving from our house to a rented house of her own. It was a different experience for her getting everything sorted independently. It was also a tug of war of emotions. There was a desire and longing for all of us to stay together. But then mummy and papa were keen on supporting my sister as well who was setting her own place. It was a bit of a roller coaster of emotions the meeting and parting every week. But eventually we started getting used to it.

April we made the trip to India. It was an epic trip with us managing to stay at Bengaluru for the major chunk of our holiday. It enabled me to meet up so many of my friends! It was an amazing and utterly soul soothing experience.

We came back from the trip to have Chiyaa face her Standard Assessment Tests which is like a public exam. She did quite well and it was milestone for her. With that over we had to look at her starting secondary school in September and a whole bunch of changes to our routine. The two kids would goto two schools which would start and finish at different times. It would throw our work patterns a bit out of whack. We used to brainstorm literally every day how we would go about the whole thing. But when September started it just wham! naturally fell into place!!! K would drop her and I Pumpki. On good weather days they walked and K would await mid way and we would drop Pumpki together. Else it was a car drop for Chiyaa. Most days she walked back by herself which for me was a major letting go. Pumpki had her first year in school without her elder sister in the playground. I saw her strengthening her friendships with her peers and seniors. Since we were ending up starting work a bit later cos of the 2 drops we started after school club for Pumpki so that we could stretch our working day. It also added to her set of experiences. Chiyaa settled down perfectly in her new school and it was so nice to see her forming the social connections which she missed in primary. By God's grace the kids were finally settling.❤️

All this while we had quite a bit of renovation planned for the summer. The summer became late summer and that became early autumn. That turned the whole house to pay turvy. K and I used to get into arguments about this or that regarding the builders or the cost or the layout or some random stuff. The season has changed to winter and the work is well and truly underway. But there is still so much more to do in the new year. 

Which makes the coming year a year of uncertain uncertainties. We have to make some financial recoveries since the renovation has run a bit over budget. How  needs to be figured out 😀Also we have no idea when all the tasks will get over and the house will be fully usable. My parents might be making a trip again. But we aren't sure when, for how long and what we plan to do together in terms of trips etc. My Mil is coming over and it will be a different experience for her coming over first time since the pandemic. We have no certainty about any trips or holidays we might be undertaking.  I will be changing teams at work with new people, new systems and new tech stack. There are just too many things up in the air and I would love to see my thoughts on 31.12.2024 😃

But here's wishing anyone who chances on this post a very happy new year. May your uncertainties result in pleasant outcomes. May you have the strength to live through them and the results. May things forge ahead and be enriching. Wishing everyone a new year full of pleasant surprises!

Toodaloo 2022

 This time of the year comes around so quickly doesn't it? Literally seems like yesterday I was penning this for 2021. And we are about to draw the curtains on 2022. 

I have savoured many things in 2021. Since I am typing this from a hotel room it makes sense to highlight the best thing to happen this year. It was the trip to Iceland. It was to be a trip of dreams..something we could only imagine  given the fact that Iceland is quite an expensive place. But an of the cuff discussion led to prices being checked, with plans being made, with holidays being booked and a trip being made. It was the best place I have been to. It was tiring, rejuvenating, unique and spiritual. I have written many posts about it and I could keep waxing eloquent still. I had not experienced anything like Iceland and I am grateful to God to have brought it to me. The amazing trip came with its dark cloud too. The kids didn't like it as much as we would have wanted them to. :( Especially Pumpki who simply hated it. She is not yet game for the long tours that are a part of covering such exotic places.

We were able to make a trip to the Jersey islands which were another unique place to have been. It was deeply educative to be through the numerous museums and forts. And we managed to ring in Pumpki's birthday with a trip to London's natural history museum. The wannabe paleantologist deserved this as her birthday gift. It was every bit fun for Chiyaa and the adults. 

Talking about trips, the one I hated was those to my work place which had been made mandatory twice a week from March. When lockdown hit in 2020, working  from home became a part of life. Going back to working at actual desks in formal attire seemed like a thing that happened to other people  by late 2021. But 2022 saw the 'opening' up of places and the return of normalcy as defined pre-pandemic. I was not game for returning to office  and had to start looking for places which had a flexible attitude towards it. I was not very keen on carpet  bombing my resume through job sites either because I loved the place where I worked, loved the people I worked with, loved the stuff I worked on and also loved the pay I got for doing the stuff I loved. Looking for another place satisfying all these criteria was going to be hard. So I took the delicate approach of sending my resume across to ex-collleagues who were more or less friends. And one shot clicked and I ended up getting a new job in July! 

Anything new comes with a ton of re-adjustment. On the surface most things were hunky dory. But I had too many good stuff  happening at my previous work place. It would have been impossible for any new job to match up to it all. At the moment, I am quite dissatisfied with a lot of things and harbour a keen desire to move on. But the work from home is too luscious a carrot to forsake, so for the near future I am sticking with that as incentive. 

Talking of incentives, K and I bought a pair of adjustable dumbbells as an incentive to workout. And somehow they have been the best thing ever! We have encouraged each other to carry on stenght training. But I must confess we have neglected the cardio aspect of fitness. The new year we both plan on coming back to running and improving on stats there. New year comes with many more plans too. There are plans for the house. There are plans for a few more trips. There are plans with family. There are plans with friends. 2022 had taught me, not everything every time goes to plan. But hoping for the best and mentally preparing for any consequence helps. Here is hoping to anyone passing by this post that 2023 brings to fruition all the pleasant plans. And if some plans don't work out, may it just be a pleasant learning exercise. Happy New Year! 

31st December 2021

 It literally seems like yesterday that I was penning down my year end post. The first year of the new decade comes to an end today and I am left with a very dull and numb feeling. 2021 was  a year of most unprecedented and unexpected events. 

Work presented all sorts of twists and turns. There were days when I was this close to looking for a new opportunity. The location changed for me and I am not keen on travelling to the new location once we are called to start coming in. I would have looked other places but I want to see how the work from home scenario pans out. The new year will bring in our team's merger with another and that in turn will bring in a whole load of other changes from technology to management and also work culture. What the next year holds in stock will be seen. 

I am not a social person and don't host or visit people that often. But there is a Diwali lunch and a New Years Eve dinner that I host. But I noticed that both events were giving me more strain than being an occasion for meeting friends. The coming year I have decided to cut out these two gatherings. I don't believe in taking any unnecessary stress. No superfluous rituals, no extraneous relationships. And next year I have decided to get rid of a few more. 

Both K and I have had some shocking events in our families. I have the view that they are unpleasant but essentially good changes. The future holds the fruits of these seeds that have been sown. 

I feel the next year will be a year where we will start seeing the consequences of the events that have happened this year. So here is hoping the next year brings in a good crop. A good crop of smiles and opportunities and successes. A good yield of happiness and satisfaction. A good produce of peace. Happy new year to all!

A year to remember!

 2020 seems to be getting a lot of flak. But for me it has been the most amazing and unique year.  Starting with mummy and papa it seemed an innocuous start. Things were quite settled as we celebrated birthdays and anniversaries through January and February. With March loomed work from home. Initially  it was a novel thing. Colleagues were enthusiastic about the online meet ups, elders spoke about the unique situation. There was conspiracy and an undercurrent of excitement. Till reality bite. And things were not so hunky dory as the rigmarole of keeping everything normal in the face of abnormal came in.

Schools closed. And that added to the challenge of accomplishing work tasks. Personally for me there was the additional work of the kids entertained and fed at home. At school they have the lunch and playtime ensures adequate physical exercise. Also they have enough extra curricular to keep active.  But with all that being absent a lot fell on our shoulders. Dragging them for walks after a day of work needed will both for us and the kids. But somehow a routine set in in the respect too. We were very very lucky to have Papa Mummy with us who were a major help. My walks with the kids and Mummy, innumerable times through the same woods will be a remarkable memory of this year. 

As the world started opening up in the middle of the year, the return of my parents was to be planned. We had started with the cold winters with the garden being stark, merged on to the warming spring with daffodils and lillies and marched on to summer when in the words of Papa 'everything was full of flowers!' As the seasons progressed to the darker autumn, we bid goodbye to them.

So much had happened over 3/4ths of the year. We had transformed the spare bedroom into office room. There were one addition after another to the office space. Shopping for clothes, accessories and makeup went down to zero while that for fitness and cooking went up. Ah also plants! A lot of new ones got added. We had also managed to metamorphose the children from reluctant walkers to seasoned ones. 

As Papa Mummy reset life in India we reset life here. It was easier no doubt. Picking the kids from school without after school was much to their liking. We were definitely more tight knit as a family as we worked a lot with each other for our engagement and entertainment. We took on the traditions of Ganesh Puja, Diwali, Halloween and Christmas a bit more strongly since obviously I had more time :) We read more. The kids and K watched better shows. It was a really enriching experience. 

This year made me accept and appreciate how much I like spending time by myself and with my select few. I am fanatically unsocial and this year was as if carved out for me. Along with reading I could spend time on art work, home improvements, gardening and cooking. I am never buying peanut butter,nutella or paneer ever again since in the words of K I have mastered them :) . Neither am I going to shy away from exotic plants and homegrown vegetables. I will keep working on my fitness goals which at the moment is the one needing most motivation :) With a year in isolation I have also researched just so many many amazing places nearby. Nothing warrants an expensive holiday when all the kids want is to catch sight of a squirrel in the woods or a bird chirping like crazy on a branch.

As the year draws to a close I hope we all discover the wonderful that is within us. And devise ways and means to enrich ourselves. And if we are content then let's not be afraid to extend a helping hand to others. Some people need help,and might be shy to ask. So even we are the ones saying 'Hi! How are things?' more often than others are, let's  do it. And help one more willing person to be a bit more self reliant. 

As we have seen this year that there are professions which matter - the medics, the teachers, the law enforcement - let's realise that there are things more important than money, fame and success. There is light at the end of the tunnel with vaccines being bought and plans being afoot for mass immunisations. Let's bid 2020 a goodbye as the year that has been unprecented. Difficult yes. But what a lot it has taught  us. A year for reflection. A year to take a step back. A year for taking it a notch down - something  I think we wish for in other years. And let's hope this year gives us a lot of life enriching habits. We have life at the end of this year. Let's acknowledge  and celebrate it. Wishing everyone who passes by a very happy new year!

Reflecting

31/12. Used to be a special day. It's still special but not cos it's the end of the year. But because I have the wonderful circle of family around.

 Last year it was only mummy who was with me. This time luckily I have papa too! The children have had their annual bout of severe cough, cold and fever. K was not spared either. He had a viral infection a month ago. Somehow his immunity was not upto the mark and he had another week of sickness. He was in fact so weak that one day he collapsed with a blackout. The Christmas holidays helped him recover. There was opportunity to rest which has enabled him to be spruced up for welcoming the new year. Mummy though not 100 percent, is on her way to recovery after her sickness too. 

Just a month ago we were all by ourselves. Making do with a rhythm. The kids are definitely grown up and are participating in a lot of activities. They are also much more compliant and adhere to instructions. Though the occasional meltdown occurs too :) That made K endure a 4 weeks of summer vacation with the kids. He is one who is terrified of the idea of managing both of them. But even he could sense a better fabric of discipline. It was much easier manoeuvre them at home and even outside. We made a trip to Lisbon which was our first Europe trip as a family and it was very fulfilling and fun filled . 

This year has been a year of growing. The children are growing as if evident in their bond for each other, in their awareness of the world around and in their enhanced knowledge and influence. It also brought in the 4th birthday of Pumpki which heralds her karate lessons and next stage in swimming. She is also going to school next year! Chiyaa also moved on to the next key stage at school which drove home the seriousness of studying. Growing is synonymous  to aging especially for us adults. I could definitely find a reduced metabolism, thinning hairline, the more prominent greys and other tell tale signs of approaching middle age. But it also helped K and I find a passion in running  and karate. As we are growing, so are our parents. And I can see them go down in an accelerated pace. They are loosing their health and stamina. Though they try to keep up and keep going, I can see their health taking a toll. 

As we stand on the threshold of a new year,I hope our parents have the health and agility for their stay on this planet. I hope we have passions and interests to keep us alive and we are ever connected with the younger generation - physically, emotionally and intellectually. I hope the new generation keeps enhancing their already heightened morality, intelligence and superior sense of duty. I hope the next year brings forth new challenges and accomplishments. Wishing everyone who passes by a very happy new year. 

This will be a close call

To the year end post... Huff puff. 

Year end! And what a year it has been. One that started with a bang. My sister's wedding. An event our family was eagerly waiting for for many years. I wasn't sure if the following months would be able to top that. As I sit at the end of the year I would say - no. But all gave their fair share of highs and lows. 

Feb was a big one where we moved to our own house after nearly 8 years of nomadic existence. It was quite exhilarating, tiring and fulfilling. The day we celebrated Chiyaa's sixth birthday was the day we moved in to our own place and that was a crowning glory. 

Through March, April and May the struggles and push and pull relating to work and life continued. My sister had to make a move from Pune to Bangalore to be with her husband. Those were tough months for her, looking for a job, managing the house, managing all  aspects of her life. Since she was in between jobs, she was at home. Even I was light with my projects and managed to have some time. So we spent a lot of  time chatting and messaging and just being with each other virtually. Such was the frequency of our conversations that when she got her offer and joined her job, we missed our regular conversations. 

While she was busy looking for a job, I had temporarily suspended my job hunt. Amma had returned to India and without her support around it was tough to manage work and the additional task of looking for jobs. Once mummy, papa joined us in August, I resumed the search. By God's grace I ended up having an offer which was good in all respects. Since papa mummy were there, I would have some cover at home to be able to settle into the new job as well. It all seemed perfectly timed. It had been a long and arduous job hunt which had gone on for nearly 9 months!

During the same time there were some hiccups in my sister's life on the personal and professional front. There were health issues that impacted her personally and office politics that impacted her professionally. She did not have any help since mummy and papa were here. One child wins the other looses :( They were worrying few months. We kept praying for things to settle down. 

By October things had assumed a semblance of normalcy for sis. I started my new job. Things were challenging for me. I used to think, we don't need earth shattering events to make the fabric of life. The daily struggles are enough. The dash of catching the 0730 bus in the morning, running out at time to pick the kids from school and nursery, the karate and swimming drops and pick ups, getting the uber for making to work in time, making new friends in new work places - they are the threads that make life. The every day mundane stuff. 

November was mostly packed with preparing for papa's return. December was a festive month with the birthdays in the family and the winding down for year end. In fact things have been so busy that I have barely managed to post my year end post. But I intend to make it before the clock strikes 12.

Year 2018 has been unique. A year where we went to India, amma was here and so were mummy papa. Year 2018 had been unique where I learnt that my metabolism is definitely no where near where it was 6 years ago. I have managed to gain 1.5 kgs in 10 days of year end holiday and I would not say I am very indulgent or frivolous when it comes to food. Year 2018 has been unique where I have bonded even stronger with my sister and seeing our bonding and the one between my kids have reaffirmed my firm belief in sibling love. Year 2018 has been unique where I have learnt that time holds the answer to many things. Its best to just accept some of the events of the present and move on though it may not always be easy. 

Year 2018 has laid the foundation for a future. A future that is our hands to shape and God 's wish to design. May 2019 gently nudge those small everyday dreams to attainment. May 2019 help us put into action the small steps needed to lead to fulfilment of our aspirations. May 2019 be a step towards a better future. 

Here is wishing every one passing by a very happy new year!

Rounding up

The year ends today. What a year it has been! The same time last year I was having the jitters about going back to work after a years maternity break. I started nervously. A year is a long time. The 10 mins walk to the train station from home in the dark winter morning seemed terrifying to a nervous person like me.( I am nervous about many things.  Anti socials grabbing my handbag. Someone shoving me and running away. Missing the train. Getting on the wrong train.) But it all went swimmingly. Work kicked off and I was engaged in some really fruitful projects. I also managed to retain my job through a redundancy cycle. The year turned around a full circle. My four hour journey one way from Ipswich to Leeds turned to a 40 minutes as we ended up retuning to Leeds. 

We had landed in Leeds thanks to K's assignment. We left Leeds because of his change of project. We ended back in Leeds due to a voluntary decision to accept a job here. A job which came after a four months long struggle. Trust me struggling is not a cup of K's tea. He works hard but breaking the shackles of 13 years of employment for something new was definitely new, challenging and frustrating. He had ventured towards something he had never done. Coupled with it was a change of career path. It was very daunting and very unnerving. By God's grace we made through the phase and it was going to be Leeds all over again. 

The idea of movement back to Leeds made me realise how wonderful Ipswich was! It was the perfect honeymoon. Our house was in a picturesque locale. The school was fantastic. I cannot vouch enough for the amazing swimming and karate classes Chiyaa went to. Pumpki 's would be daycare was conveniently located within the premises of Chiyaa 's school. I had a state of the art- the best I have seen in my years in UK - gym within 10 mins walk. I hugely enjoyed some real endorphin inducing gym sessions. And I came across some very very good people. I connected, forged friendships, enjoyed to the hilt our quaint stay in Ipswich. The rain hater in me loved it even more because East Anglia is one of the driest regions of the UK. What I enjoyed the most was WORKING from HOME. I loved it loved it loved it. I loved the lack of distraction of interacting with people. I loved the seclusion. I loved the lack of decision of 'what do I wear today'. I loved my 'office corner' and working away in oblivion and coming to Leeds once a month to let people know that I existed. Now that we have moved back the facet that rattles me most is the hidden demand by my supervisor to come in to work more frequently. I am hating the idea of day after tomorrow when I have to entertain the idea of going into work more often. It borderline depresses me. But we got to do what we got to do. I hope the routine will kick in sooner rather than later. 

Working from home came with added benefit of perfect balance for a working mom. I thoroughly enjoyed being a mom this year. Yeah you heard me right. My kids are growing. And being someone who looks forward to the future rather than sighing with nostalgia ( yeah I do that too once in a while), I enjoyed the independence of my kids. Now we are able to enjoy activities together rather than worrying about logistics. Travels are getting easier. Even a small  activity like going to the pool which would otherwise be back breaking is becoming an enjoyable experience. The kids are bonding wonderfully too. They fight savagely over the same toys. They console each other when one gets upset. They crawl onto my lap and snuggle like puppies. I love every bit of it. 

In the extended family there was a much awaited wedding. And after 10 years next year there will be another wedding in our family as my sister will tie the knot. The year will start with a bang. I am nervously excited about what will pan out. I hope we will have summery summers, crisp autumns and bright winters. I hope the sine wave of our lives over the next year is manageable crests and troughs. I hope the new year comes with enough good and bad and enough humility and strength to cope through either.

Here is wishing each and every one a very happy new year!

Customary year end post

It's the last day of the year already and now I am sitting down to draft my year end post! Phew! What was I thinking? Uh well as long as this post makes it before 2017 breaks in - am good. 

What a year it has been. So full. So sumptuous. Started with the care of a little baby. Those tumultuous months of frenzied nappy changes, feeding, post partum care and the mandatory  weight loss attempt. Some things were harder this time around while some were easier. The most special bit was making the trip to Bradford with the two kids and mummy in tow to get the travel documents for Pumpki. Both the days were cold and wintry and rainy. But with the warmth of the ones who love you, it is so special. 

We moved to a new place. We bid goodbye, packed, searched houses, booked tickets, unpacked and rearranged, settled down and started afresh. 

It was followed by the lovely Indian summer! We laughed, we ate, we roamed, we shopped, we wept as we bid goodbye. The moments, the time, the feel of being home - something I will hold very close to my heart. 

Back in the UK with a lot of heartache we resumed life. It included school, new work, a bout of sickness,trial at new ventures and the wait with trepidation for results. 

This year has been fabulous. Extremely busy and full to the brim with activities. I read a lot. Wrote a lot. Spoke a lot. Heard a lot. Loved a lot. Lived a lot. Here is hoping a tranquil 2017. Here is hoping a successful 2017. Here is hoping a healthy 2017. Here is hoping a year we are at peace with. Happy new year everyone!

Let me finish this task

There are still 6 more days to bid adieu to the year, but let me pen my customary post, and keep it to post on a later day. To top it, it's Christmas today so what better day to finish this auspicious task!

The year started with its usual coughs and colds. Chiyaa had some trouble settling into her new room in daycare. But slowly things returned to normalcy. We planned a vacation. It was an amazing trip. Since Chiyaa was 3 years old already, it was a very different experience. She was more aware of what was happening, where we were going, what she was experiencing. She was also way easier to manage and was very flexible. Its been nearly 8 months but she still remembers the trip and what all we did.

This year saw us competing 5 years of stay in the UK. It seems like yesterday that with so much uncertainty we moved in here on a strictly temporary basis. Time has flown and we are hanging around here. We have no idea how long we have daana paani in this country. But 5 years seems long enough sometimes and just like yesterday at other times. Theory of relativity is no wonder so popular!

My sister made a move on the job front. In these volatile times, a job change that is conducive on all fronts is hard to come by. This resulted in her leaving the nest finally. But she being her continued to take care of my parents with her trips home. She called them over to her place for a long vacation as well. She is so much a better offspring than me!

The job front was a year of epic fails for me. In my current organisation we need to apply for the next level of progression. Since there was an opportunity I applied for a role. I failed. It was a good learning experience, but the negative result was a bit disheartening. I also attempted to write a certification examination. I have never ever failed an exam. This time I did, not once, twice. I admit this with much shame. I can rationalise it as much as I want to. I can draw inferences and think of the positives and what not. But the truth remains. K also faced a lot of troughs in his career. Gives me the hope that things should even out in the new  year. Then again I am an external optimist.

One personal achievement I am proud of its the books that I was  able to devour. 15 and counting! Woo hoo! The penultimate month saw my mom coming over. I get to bask in her pampering. I get to have the time of my life again! 

I am not one to openly comment about political or international events. I have an opinion and prefer keeping it to myself. This year I was witness to the Syrian refuge crisis. In my years of existence I don't remember a situation of such proportions. It was heart rending  to see innocent people bearing the brunt of the vagaries of politicians. A news channel reported 'a humanitarian crisis is made up of individual humans '. In the new year I wish there is peace and cohabitation and we come together as human beings to alleviate the problem. I wish children don't face such massacres and genocide.

The new year stands at the threshold holding a lot of promise, a lot of uncertainty. As a family life will change for us. As professionals I hope it changes for the good for us. I wish the coming year brings us face to face with things that make us better, stronger and content. 

Wishing everyone a new year which brims with hope and prosperity.

31st already

And I have not put up my year end post :( 

I know it's unlike me. But I am not one of them to let the year past without the year end post. So here goes. 

The year has been a breeze. Like all others before it, it seems to have passed so quickly. But I would not say it was without its fair share of ups and downs. The winter had me attending a very big interview. It was literally a dream job in a very big corporation. I had restarted my career in UK with some compromise. This was my chance of striking equal ground. I prepped hard, I gave it my best. And I bagged an offer. Till visa and restrictions and long term availability started playing spoil sport in actualisation of the offer. It was  long drawn anticipation game. As plan B, I had managed to get another offer. But my heart was set on the first one. I would love having it because it was a bigger firm, was closer to home and the best bargain was it had flexible working. Real flexible working! I was pinning my hopes on it, and finally exactly a month before the end of my term in my first job in the UK, the letter of offer of employment reached me.

30th April, 2014, I started in my 5th job. I started working in the same firm the husband works in ! Albeit as his client *blushes*. Yes, I had a 'return of the prodigal daughter' feeling. I had worked the starting years of my life in a firm that I don't like at all( Hate is a very strong word :P) I did not like the way it treated me, I did not like it treats any body, I did not like the work culture. K is still with the firm as are many of my friends. Finally I was working with that very firm, although in a very different role. It was like the wildest dreams come true in a very very convoluted way ! When K used to work at this place, I used to rue the fact that the office was so close to the town centre. They had good eating joints to catch a quick bite in lunch time. You could step out for anything from grocery shopping to window shopping. The location was so prime and vibrant. Unlike mine. I used to think out loud - Wish I get a chance of working in a place like this! Be careful what you wish for .... :S For mine had come true. Love and spring was in the air! 

It was very different couple of weeks, walking to work with K, being on the same floor as him *Shy* Yep - I used to blush if I met him in the coffee zone. Urgh yeah silly me. We used to have our lunches together. God never gave us the chance of being in the same place when we were dating, and now after a kid, we get to sneakily hold hands at lunch time. Doh! How low dramatic can our lives be! But it was 15 minutes of peace we had without a toddler crawling on our shoulders. Some of K's errrr... 'our' colleagues gave us the 'look' But hey who cares :P For make hay when the sun shines. Cos on this island, it aint shining for long :P 

Soon K had to opt for another role in another city with a change in his designation. At long last, he received his long over due promotion. He was third time lucky! Well, when he missed the first 2 nominations, it did lead to some nervousness.Being the ever oh so eternal optimist, I assured him, he would ultimately make it to the next level. In the grand scheme of things, when he retired, he would not even remember whether he jumped the grade in year 8 or year 10 of his career. As long as he was learning something, the job was worth doing. Uh well, that was my mantra :P K believed, like Lincoln, he would try till he succeeded :D To each their own :D 

Coming back to the travel to another city part of the story.  It was a 40 minutes train ride away. Luckily I had mommy here! It was simply amazing having her over in summer. I was a bit worried for my sister having to be alone with Papa (alone with Papa - is that even correct? But I guess you get the drift :)  ) My sis was also in a bit of a rut with respect to her work life. Luckily she was able to make a move! It was simply amazing! 

With Mummy, the home was warmer, cleaner and Chiyaa was definitely better fed. It was so much easier with many of the work at home accomplished without lifting  a finger. And not to forget, the lazy strolls in the evening with her, the endless chatting - even window shopping held a bit of allure for a change :) Things got better when Papa came over for 3 weeks. We had the most amazing time at Belfast. I wished time to just stay still and we remain in those idyllic days. If wishes were horses..... Papa had to go back. And the months rolled on, till Diwali was at our door step. It was a fantastic Diwali with Mummy. Though, 2 days later, we had to say goodbye to her too.  With autumn setting in and mommy going away,things were looking a bit dismal. That is life is nt it?

We got on with the maddening pace of things. I got in touch with a few old pals. Dear Ashu made a progress in her career. Roomie dear also moved on with a job. A close relative of ours who had endured quite a lot of struggles in her youth, had been diagnosed with cancer. She has a very young family. Things are looking promising for her too!  And well, things were happening. 

As we stand on the threshold of yet another new year, I know there are so many milestones we wish to achieve. There are many milestones which the future has designed for us to achieve. Here is hoping that we have the courage and spirit to work for them and the courage and spirit to face not accomplishing some of them. Here is hoping that the heart is content but the mind is challenged and the body is resilient. Here is hoping for the circle of love of near and dear ones and strength to do just that extra bit for ourselves and for others.

Here is wishing everyone a very happy and prosperous New Year!!

Pehle aap pehle aap main gaadi na choot jaaye

Well I thought, someone would do it first. As in you know, start wishing happy new year, give a wrap up, etc etc. :( 

Hmm well maybe people are super duper busy, not on an extended holiday like me :( 

So let me take this opportunity to do the wind down.

January started with much trepidation, since February was just around the corner you see. And what happens in February? New mommy joins office.ARGH! Scary I know. In spite of mil being there, it was super duper scary. Not only for the sake of the kid, for me too...would I be able to survive pressing F9 and F5 again and again after a gap of a year? Survive we did, and survive we did just fine :) Now all this seems so far far away. February also had the little one turning one! Yayyy! What a milestone! First birthday ! Party!!!!

As spring brought out colors and the chirping of birds, it was time to venture out more with our little birdie. We fully utilised the relatively warmer days by making lots and lots of trips to the parks and play areas. Aise hi haste khelte days were passing when Amma's mid year return to India loomed close. There was a  professional glitch for K which was very perturbing. But then, we decided to look ahead. We also took the opportunity to step out of the island and visit Paris. It was exhilarating, exciting and a very exhausting trip. We certainly forgot the setbacks at work. 

Amma was back in town. Things were returning to status quo. But like all years,  matters get out of hand for us towards the year end. There was some news with my parents which was very distressing. The illness of a very close family member clouded everything. Things are still not under control, but then there is no escape from certain scenarios. As the weather turned colder and the trees shed their leaves and the days started getting shorter -  a sort of dullness entered our lives as well. Chiyaa did her test run at day care and her unhappiness unsettled everybody. K  tried his professional move the second time and failed again. Burning his fingers twice was not as bad as seeing his peers proceed effortlessly. Things worsened at my paternal home. 

Who does not deserve a little timeout. December we decided to visit our new found love Paris yet again.Vacation do do the needful - they numb out reality. 

Here I am on the penultimate day of the year fancying that all works out fine in real life. I sit wishing for K's success, Chiyaa's happiness, my little sister's progress and my relative's well being. I beseech God to grant to my family to take care of a very sick but young kin.I hope my friend who is expanding her family with her soul mate has the most joyous year ahead and others hopefully find their matches.

May our dreams soar high and take us all to our coveted destination. If not, may we have the strength to try again. May we all learn a lot, love a lot and live a lot in the coming year.

Wishing you all a very radiant, vibrant, gorgeous new year!  

The world did nt end but the year is about to

This year somehow I was not getting the enthu to write the year end post. Things started going a bit topsy turvy since the 15th of the month. It was getting all cluttered, clumsy, uncertain and a bit dismal for people I love. To top it all, the untimely death of the young lady Damini/Nirbhaya/Amanat really distressed me. One half of me wanted to her to pass away soon, as in, she was undergoing too much torment, and that too for a life ahead which would not be complete. But then the news of her demise, somehow rattled me. Don't we all want life to triumph. :( In the New Year Celebrations, cricket frenzy and a day to day life, she will be forgotten, the episode will be forgotten. What will surely remain is darkness which will haunt her parents and near family, maybe till the day they meet her again. What heckles me most, in spite of so many such incidents, there is no solution. I being the 'cowardly', 'pragmatic' choose to be fully clothed, be back home by 2000 and always take my own car if  situation deems me to be late. I am sure, I am going to enforce these 'Taliban-ish' rules on my daughter too. Better safe than sorry right? But then are we really safe? Don't we get goose flesh if even one of the street light is off? A group of men standing by  a street corner even in broad daylight can make one dream up worse case scenarios. I have heard of my friends being stalked in a wedding reception! Is there any place that is safe? And safe enough?

Hmm.. anways. I think its a curse we have to bear. I do not blame all men. I do not blame women either - come on one life, they should have the liberty to dress and do what they want to do. But without our civic machinery churning, I see no end in sight.

A dialogue goes in Shawshank Redemption - Hope is  a good thing. 

As I became a mother on  26/02/2012 23:55 I hope the world is greener, more peaceful and definitely safer for my child.

I hope I am able to get into the minds of great people through their books as I did through a lot of 2012.

I hope I am able to be gainfully engaged with family as we were in India being with folks both at Chennai and BBSR.

I hope we are all healthier and fitter to take up more challenging endeavours.

I hope the year is so much better that we don't hope it to end.

Happy New Year! May the coming year fill our hearts with the same hope that glistens in the eyes of our innocent children. 

Time for the ritual- Yea the year end post!

Now is the time for the year end wala post J

Don’t believe it, that in a day this years going to be over! This year went really really fast did nt it? There were no big milestones that I crossed but there were some junctures which I crossed that made this year extra special. The most epic one was our decision to become errr… parents. Scary thought eh? I know. I would nt trust myself with a child, let alone a baby. But then I dunno, I feel one fine day you just feel ready to take on the journey. Yes, any right minded person would think – Whoa are you crazy? But yea buddy – there are quirks in nature. Life does bring you to a stage where you see past the dirty diapers, the puke, the terrible twos and assume you can cope with all that. And take that big leap of faith. I could go on and on about how the whole thing can make you feel, but then I would become arduous. So dive we did and mind you those were some months of anticipation.

We had reached a point where we had given up – yes we are impossibly impatient. We were rather looking forward to the parents making a trip. When they reached, it was sheer bliss. The little one bed apartment accommodated 6 people! There was cooking, chatting, shopping, roaming; the house was literally on fire. I also acted guide after a long time organising trips sans K to Scotland, London and the Bath. It was some serious fun. On the last week of my parent’s 3 week stay, we got the confirmation of the new +1 in the offing. It was delirious to break the news with everyone being there in person. There is a reason God makes one wait for good stuff. The smiles (and tears for the moms) on everyones face add so much splendour to the whole fact. The icing on the cake was, 2 people I am pretty close to are also due within weeks of me – one 2 weeks ahead and the other 4 weeks hence. We don’t constantly swap stories but do get some reassurance from the fact that we are all sailing in the same boat. J

My parents stay drew to a close and it was terrible to bid them goodbye. But Amma was to be around for some more months, so there was not a sudden vacuum either.

Life moved on as I cleared 2 technical certifications – phew atleast something to write home about.  This brings me to a post by Nancy where she rues about merely existing. I feel that it is not a bad thing entirely. Yes there are young guns who take the world by storm, there are achievers who make us feel like nothings and there are qualifications and titles which make us feel incompetent – but then is nt everyone a mere face in the crowd? I do not propagate complacency, but then I don’t think we fare any less by doing our day to day tasks with diligence and honesty. I feel every person has a role to play in the fabric of the world. Just like the much clichéd every drop makes an ocean, every person’s carbon footprint adds up, every person’s activities add up to some economic, social or ethical good. We might be part of a mass, but our actions might end up making parts of a product that improves the quality of life somewhere. We might be mere parents but we might end up giving values and ethics to future world citizens who may in turn bring momentous changes. We might be merely “existing” but our actions might be the reason someone else smiles and goes on. Well sounds philosophical and my philosophy might be totally misplaced. Hence I shall stop blabbering.

As the year draws to a close, there are lot of new things to look forward to. We a moving to a new house which will be literally a stone’s throw away from K’s work place. Life will be different there. We will be a getting a new member to the family and life will never be the same again. And we have to brace for the zillion uncertainties that life is anyways going to throw at us. 

So heres wishing good changes and the strength to bear them in the New Year! Hope the year brings the best for all! Happy New Year!

Its that time of the year again

When we do the round up. Top 10 songs, top 10 movies, top 10 wardrobe malfunctions and all other important things that moved and shook the world. Its just 3 more days to a brand new year, but there have been none of the 'traditional' emails doing the rounds. More so, there have been no posts on bloggerville either. Except for the Furobiker  of course, who can never ever fail :) So thank you for the cue, now Cherrie shall follow suit. I did whet my own writing cells with old posts by your truly :) over the last three years.

The year has been one with so many phases,that I could easily bookmark them mentally. It started on a bad note  on the job front. It was like Whack! on the head, and a pretty bad one. As I was recuperating from it, there came the stint of K overseas, cos of which I was left in murky waters for a long time (In short things went from bad to worse). It was a long drawn separation with things going crazy at work and home. Ever chiming 'for this too shall pass', and posting sad senti stuff like this I dragged on. Things were so bad, that I cried my eyes dry for 3 days straight that too at my parents place! Now I shed a tear only when I am leaving my parent's house, never ever when I am there. This year saw my mom seeing me cry, yea I wanted to stop all the time, but then when the faucet is open, its on autocontrol then on. ( Thats when I went from the frying pot to the fire)

Seeing no end in sight, I changed projects, kept moving back and forth between Chennai and Bbsr, hung around with strange people (no, I wasnt smoking pot, just random people, whom maybe on a good day, I would'nt go beyond casual banter. I was so down, I actually went to the extent of sharing cell phone numbers! Urgggh!!)

But then that was the very time, I found some amazing 'friends' in my colleagues. Friends is a protected term (look at the developer talking people!) for me, which I use VERY sparingly. But then, Rumi, Divya, Soukarya (with Ameya, Anita and Sworen in supporting cast) - you have no idea, how much you did unknowingly of course to keep me pepped up. The spontaneous rides in the car,the scooting for the tea, the impromptu plans, those were the stuffs I looked forward to. Not to forget the movie and the amazing time I had when you guys dropped by at my home. Roomie dear, Ashu, goes without saying how hard you worked, so much so, I mainly wrote a post to thank you!( I was still in the fire and some divine cook was waiting for me to turn a nice golden brown). Thats when I was like, its about time whoever is cooking me. Get done with it will you?

Things started churning real slowly and I ended up being a housewife .(See the cooked becomes the cook in this phase) It was an altogether different experience. The kitchen had never been a place where I escape from rather a place I escape to (Thank you BBC for saying the lines I always wished I said) , and it has become more of haven each passing day. I have been able to master the art of some typical Tamil delicacies apart from sambar and rasam  and slowly graduated to being able to make pongal, ada dosa, beans usili (Tamilians would know what I am talking about here) . I have dug my way deeper into K's heart, than he could have asked for. Not only that, my gajar ka halwa, achaari paneer, pudina rice and stuffed puris have become the talk of 'our' stomachs. Food was not the only thing I chewed upon (though the waist begs to differ and screams that thats precisely what I have been doing all the time),I have also devoured some of the choicest books. Till now its been eleven down:-

1. The Family Man 2. How to be good (Must read) 3. The art of racing in the rain (which had a doggy talking!Ulti cute book) 4. Coma (Just to savor some American writer) 5. Moths (Must read) 6. Julie and Julia 7. Juliet, Naked 8. A Mercy (Must must read) 9. Departure Lounge 10. Choker Baali 11. He's just not that into you............... and still counting. (Speed reading has never been my forte :( no wonder I sucked in my CAT exams  )

Yes yes, I heard it, enough with the crib-athon. K did get promoted (This was also long due), we moved into a new style of life just the 2 of us and our raves and rants (a totally different but seriously temporary set up). Apart from them, I cannot think of anything sparkling or happening on the 12 month long horizon, so much so that blogosphere was pretty damp with Satish, Shylu, Ashu, Piper, Shalom being gayaab. Ya even I was  lousy in being upto date and was without a single post in April and June, but folks, you are missed in my space. 

Enough of drama now, ab aanso ponch leti hoon.  Here's wishing everyone wandering, stomping, grazing by - a truly happening New Year. (Read it somewhere, may you live in exciting times!) Yes wish you all exciting times and times where your heart cherishes whatever you do. Spread the new year fever- sneeze around. Errr... I meant, put up some posts, send some emails, go crazy on FB, lets usher in the brand new year with a lot of hope.