retrieving

It’s already the 6^th month of the year—I’ve already lived almost half of this year! Unbelievable, the way time flies…with each year time passes even faster. Although I’m not sure if am happy at how things have turned out to be—nothing disastrous but nothing overwhelming either…I’d like to live a life where am stretched and challenged a lil beyond what I can handle…I think something like that would be extremely fulfilling.

A recap…

I woke up on the morning of 1^st Jan to the whistles of the pressure cooker…my mom was cooking in the kitchen. For the first time in 6 years, our family got to spend Christmas together at my sister’s place—but by new year we got home…New Year’s eve was extremely memorable. Dad made a bonfire—and we sat circled around it, watching Justine and Wapang dance to the loud music played in the background. At the stroke of midnight dad fired a couple of gunshots as a sign of saying goodbye to the old year and welcoming the New Year. It felt like I was taken backwards…bonfires, music, gunshots had been a tradition in the family which dad religiously observed with or without us kids at home.

I landed back in Hyderabad on the 8^th of Jan. Mo had come to pick me up looking all ‘worked out’. Apparently he was living on orange juice and a strict work out regime with the dutiful and persistent trainer. I was treated to a plate of Hyderabadi biryani—I missed it as much as I missed him.

Celebrated Valentines Day 14^th February with home cooked food and lots of chocolates and roses.

N and I had been working on a book late 2007 but I was a difficult person to work with until I went home for a break. N says it’s because of my nephew. I couldn’t agree less. Babies are amazing! They can completely change your life. We restarted working on the book from mid Jan till the first week of April. It was taxing working for 12 hours at a stretched most days.

Last week of March, I went on a vacation to Vizag with my three heroes. And I had the most wonderful time ever! The beach never looked so lovely, coconut water never felt so refreshing. Lying on the sand was a therapy in itself. When ever I think of it...my palms tinkle and feel the excitement all over again.

Most of May, I wasn’t myself or rather too much of myself. Mood swings and numerous telephonic fights with dad over the marriage thingy. He thinks 27 is the perfect age to be betrothed into matrimony just so that I can have babies by 30 and later. My cousin Apok arrived on the 8^th of May to live with me…definitely for another 3 years. Happy and blessed to have a family with me. It is a joy.

I shamelessly took two weeks off in late May to prepare for my Ph.D entrance exam...wrote the exams on the 3rd and 6th of June. I hope to make it--it's been a long break now and I desperately want to get back to academics.

School reopened on the 12^th June and I’m back to teaching 80 girls 45 minutes every day. I cannot wait for the day when I will announce the deployment of Virtual Classroom technology. It’s been a year now in development and I’m becoming impatient. I hope as I write about the 6 remaining months, I will start with that announcement.

Sigh, I wish life was more nerve racking and adventurous!