2011, Just Another Year?

Me by the end of 2010

Well it is that time of the year when you look back and perhaps recollect some of the best and not so best memories and reflect on occasions when you could have acted differently and sensibly and re-live those picture perfect moments that you would want to take to the grave.

For me 2011 was a teacher who was unforgiving, was the faint light on the horizon that gave hope, was a walk on the thin ice that I dreaded, was the scented breeze that caressed gently, was the beauty and mystery of an unheard language, was the sad song from a distant world, was the dew on the desert orchid and more than anything was a friend who gave a chance to look inside me.

Of all the things 2011 was, the most prominent one was distance; I had never been away from my family, but for most part of 2011 I was not in India, I was away in UK working towards becoming well, a workaholic. Every minute that passed by without seeing my parents and sister was like thousand years without breathing, the struggle to fight the urge to call it a day and go back to India, go back to my nest, go back to my ecosystem was immense. To make things worse when I was totally being consumed by my “missing my parents and sibling syndrome” I heard this song from rockstar “O naadaan parindey

ghar aa jaa..

ghar aa jaa..” 

2011, the year I spent the least time at home, the year I called my mum the most.

The year started with a trip back to India in early January when I had to spend most of my time in our Hyderabad office doing a KT to my offshore team and the trip followed an immediate fly back to UK. This time I had made a decision to stay alone in UK and was not having any room mates. What followed was one of the most difficult times in my life as at 2011 however the experience was enriching. Being alone gave me a chance to know what I was and what my preference was and how flexible or otherwise I was. I always thought I was never a social person and was more an introvert but from the time I started to stay alone I realised how socially dependent I was. Perhaps my mum would be happy to know I was not all that bad in housekeeping and had a pristine apartment throughout my lonely stay. Had experimented a lot in cooking and also developed a passion for writing.

Guys with the trophy

One very important thing to remember and revel ? Well it was the Indian conquest of ICC world cup in 2011. Indian team had shown a greater character throughout the series and made more than a billion people proud by bringing home the cup. Talking about cricket this was also the year when India toured England and got white washed, too bad this was also when I was in England and need less to say the locals had their bit of fun every time we lost a match.

From the Indian politics, the Great Indian fight against corruption by 'Team Anna' would certainly be remembered. By the end of 2011 when the parliament season was getting to a close the bill was successfully protected from passing by an orchestrated drama in the upper house.

On the way to the Isle of Wight

Team India Fans @ the MCG

The year certainly would go down as the year of travel in my books, had been to lot of places in England and one of the best was the visit to Isle of Wight. Had a wonderful time in the Isle with some close buddies. My besty had come down to London from Ireland and we had a wonderful time in London when I visited Wimbledon for the second time with him. We had also been to Lords, the home of cricket. Later in December I travelled down south to Australia and started living in Melbourne on a working holiday. This would also be the year when I visited two of the most prestigious cricketing venues around the world, one being Lords and the other being Melbourne Cricket Ground where I watched the boxing day test.

Me in Lords

Steve

2011 saw the death of Steve Jobs the man who gave apple a place in history like Sir Issac. The year apple launched iPhone 4S, the year Siri was introduced to mankind, the year my besty tried having phone sex with Siri.

2011 was also the year I found myself loosing interest in several of my important daily catalysts like cricket, music, reading and eating. Was also the year I desperately tried clinging on to these small but important things to me. The year when I started to read the millennium trilogy and the fountain head. Lot of health issues struck me this year ranging from numbness in the legs, palpitation, sharp pain in shoulders, depression etc. The year when I had an appointment with a doctor in the northern hemisphere and in southern hemisphere. 

The year when Dhanush was regarded a national integration leader for penning the third most popular national song after Jana Gana Mana and Vande Mataram which sent the whole nation in Kolaveri and also made a proud parent name her newly born “Kolaveri. D”

Well 2011 was: 

• The year I spent more time in office, on the internet and on calls with mum 
• The year I uploaded a Youtube video of me cooking an eggplant curry 
• The year I fell sick more often 
• The year I spent more than 40 hours on the air
• The year I tried to become a vegan 
• The year I had most Facebook 'Likes' 
• The year I was on both the sides of equator 
• The year I bought my first blazer 
• The year I was in Trafalgar square, Federation Square and Anna Square

Oh I can see the horizon glittering with the fireworks and people are getting ready to welcome 2012, adios 2011 and thanks for being there.

Well hello 2012!!!!!!!

Dawn of 2012 @ Federation Square - Melbourne

Three days of mom and dad just won't do

Started to chennai amidst of sizeable mental pressure due my obsessive compulsive disorder or phobia to travel on Indian roads due to the uncourteous driving nature of the drivers. Anyway came home the next day to a cuppa from my momy's kitchen, I could just smell the aroma of love tightly packed in the cup.

The house was inundated with water slash slush in all directions thanks to the monsoon that battered the city raining not just cats and dogs but some more. Everytime my dad went out to get something so my mom could prepare the best delicacy all I could see was love not just 'regular' but 'extra large' twice.

Mom stayed home on sat but dad went to office. I certainly feel he must take it easy and start relaxing with lots and lots of books, he reads a lot and is capable of conversing for long hours on any topic. Just things dint work out for him on his writing endeavour. He has this project too close to his heart which he has been writing from god knows when, whenever he sees some scene in some movie he feels that all of his story is getting in to some movie in bits and pieces. He wants me to complete the book in English. I am sure I have it right on top of my to-do list, it surely doesn't deserve to be locked down in some termite feasting wardrobe.

He is really happy to have his ebook reader that is touch responsive, have loaded lots of classics for him to cherish. He was genuinely ecstatic when I told him it was capable of connecting to Internet over wifi and wanted me to have the wifi access enabled on the device which he then took and checked out a google page, hope he enjoys his reading life.

Not long after the coffee some 'steaming idlis' made their way to the dining room, before I write about the idlis, my dad introduced me to the expression 'steaming idli' :) now about the idlis, was there more? Oh yeah there were some freshly made murukku, my fav mango pickle, tamerind rice, appalam, podi, spl curd. My mom had unleashed her culinary prowess yet again.

I am really angry with her, I don't want her to retire but I need her to retire and give importance to her health, a diabetic also topped with some free flowing LDL doesn't really make me feel any better. Everytime I go away leaving her behind, my eyes forget how to stop tearing. I don't want to go away I want to be around her or I want her to be around me. She has protected me in her and only she can.

Felt like it was less than a minute and Saturday was making way to Sunday. I am expected to travel long in a weeks time and had to go shopping, was planning to go alone but my mom insisted that she come along and my dad wanted to join as well.

Sunday morning had this appointment with my doc to get an opinion on this palpitation and numbness that I developed while in England. Doc couldn't give his advice as he could not run any test given that I was traveling immediate. They both were so apologetic that I had developed this, but I am sure there is nothing to worry.

Next stop, palm grove, menaka restaurant has been one of our favourite family fine dining place. Had a negligible quantity of food for the price with which an elephant could have been fed. Had a good laugh on how no one could eat properly and the waiter had to tip us so we didn't waste food. A hearty walk to city centre really built the expectation in my mom and dad and when they stepped in they were not at all happy as the mall was nothing close to EA or Sky walk.Anyway my mom chose my first ever blazer no matter how fat and overflowing I was in the blazer my gazillion dollar babies couldn't stop adoring me.

After some more shopping it was time to leave to blr but packing has never been easy emotionally it just meant I won't be around my sweet hearts and I hate that moment.Took it easy and stayed back but couldn't get enuf of it my mom was busy again in the kitchen to ensure my stomach was full and my dad was busy getting things ready for my departure.

0040 hours Tuesday on my way back to blr sitting in an anonymous seat with some random fellow travellers , speaking to my iPod touching some random alphabets orchestrated by the tears rolling down my chubby cheeks.

Have lots to do, lots to say, lots to listen. Three days of mom and dad just won't do.

Sent from my iPod