Pichle saat dinon mein maine khoya...

This is the second weekend that actually seems like a real weekend. With the year-end review coming up, and with the new work-me (one who's trying to inculcate some of that much-lauded quality called proactiveness (and suffering because of it)), the last few weeks have been quite stressful. Not that the weeks before that weren't. The 'busy season' runs all year round! Well, the good thing is that there isn't much client work right now, so the deadlines are a little more flexible and my brain isn't stuffed with a zillion to-dos. I've learned the hard way that I can very easily forget something that I was told to do a minute before, so I'm writing everything down. While that does seem to take some of the stress away, looking at that loo-hooong list can be quite stressful in itself. Well, we live and we learn. At any rate, we live. (Where are these lines from? Googled - some quote).

Last week was even more frustrating cause I kept losing things. I did find some things, alhamdulillah. I think I badly needed that lesson. Sometimes you're so caught up in your own world that you completely forget to count your blessings. I kept losing things - first it was small things that I just overlooked, and then it got bigger and bigger until I was completely distraught. I repeated to myself, the prayer for lost things and reminded myself of the many things that I was dependent on Allah for. And the point was driven home when I read Premchand's words to the effect - 'And we make such plans when we don't even know if we'll draw in the next breath'.

A horrible skin infection taught me some other things too. Most important lesson? TAKE ANTIHISTAMINES! I don't know why I avoided them for so long. I'm pretty sure I'm sleeping a sounder sleep now that I'm taking them. Oh and you'll realize that the face you've scoffed at in the mirror is now much more appealing to you cause that nasty boil isn't there anymore!

What else? Eight of us (cousins, aunt and uncle) played Life yesterday and I was pretty much the laggard in 'life'. I was the last person to finish, having gone over the same stretch four times thanks to a stupid yellow space called 'Go back 15 spaces'. I was a journalist btw, with twin boys and a salary of $24,000 per year. Sounds like a nice life, no? In the end, when the money was counted, aunt who was a doctor with four boys ended up last though and I ended up second last. Much like the running races I used to take part in school.

Vacation plans seem to be shelved currently. So das.

Oh, last weekend we splurged at Odyssey buying all the kids summer timepass stuff (that's where the Life game came from). Was very disappointed that Odyssey didn't have classic bestsellers like Catcher in the Rye or Love in the Time of Cholera. Three kids still await their turn. Last weekend I also had an extremely unforgettable conversation with N. Gawd, my friends!

It's time to go home now. I have broasted chicken to make.

Fare ye well.

(Kabhi khud pe hansa main, kabhi khud pe roya! Ugh! I hate Farhan Akhtar's non-singing voice. Sat did a good imitation. Also the hilarious Black 'hwaatah'. :D)