Preparing for India...

Over the next 5/6 weeks, I will be updating my travel blog - so see you there!

ARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

I am annoyed! I am frustrated!
Most of all - I AM VERY ANGRY!!

I have had it with the “climate sceptics”!! I have tried for weeks now to try to see their point of view – but I CAN’T! I am sick and tired of hearing the “arguments” for and against! It frustrates me sooo bloody much!

I was talking to a friend about why I am a vegetarian (who is also a vegetarian) and she was telling me how it frustrates her that she seems to have to justify her reason for being a vegetarian EVERY TIME she is out at lunch. She wanted to know why she had to justify her reason for choosing to not eat meat, and yet all those people there who chose to eat meat did not have to justify why “killing animals” was perfectly alright.

Why is it that the person who drinks can say nothing, but yet the person who chooses not to, must justify their actions? If you choose to gamble, it is fine. If you choose not to, then you have to answer to “Why??”.

I know this is not a proper “argument” that looks at both sides. These are merely opinions. I know the answers to the above questions – that is not why I am asking them. I know how to look at the other side of the coin and I also know that this kind of an argument will get me nowhere with anyone or anything. You know what - I DON'T CARE!

I am just sick and tired of having to support my arguments. So – like a lot of other people (who seem to get away with it), I too am going to pass an opinion and not give any supporting evidence. This is my blog. I can say what I want.

Climate change is real.
It IS largely man-made.
WE HAVE to do something about it.
AUSTRALIA (and other developed nations) HAVE TO do more than "something".
I am willing to pay a few extra dollars a day to ensure a better future for all of us.

There.

I did want to write a proper essay on why climate change is man-made, I wanted to give all my reasons for why I believe that to be the case and why I don’t agree with what the “sceptics” have to say. Then I read what the sceptics had to say.

If they don’t have to make sense, then neither do I. If they can’t give me a reason, then I don’t have to either.

I am done ranting - and I feel much better now.

Red Red Red

I woke up this morning, stepped outside to draw a kolam and was shocked at what I saw. I have never seen so much red! At first I thought it was the sun rising... but when I couldn't see the sun and when the red persisted I got confused.

I then thought maybe there was a bushfire somewhere - but I could not smell the smoke. Then I thought perhaps a volcano had erupted somewhere. Maybe if there were ANY volcanoes in Sydney that would have been an option!

I then turned on the news and realised that it was a dust storm. I took a few pics with my phone and left it at that.

Sydney looked soo amazng this morning!

It was like mother nature had gone crazy with the red paint...

Change

There is a quote that goes something like this... "The only constant in life is change itself" - maybe someone can correct this for me.

I am doing my taxes after a hiatus of FIVE YAERS!! One of the (many?) benefits of being a student was not having to worry about anything in the real world!

When I went to lodge my tax return I kept getting errors. It kept telling me that my personal details didn't quite match. Eventually I got locked out of the system and had to speak to a real person to sort it out.

When I was speaking to the really nice tax lady, she asked me a few questions and I told her that all my details needed to be changed on the records. Everything about me on paper has changed over the last 5 years. My name, title, address, living arrangements, phone number, financial details - almost everything!

I was thinking about how I am almost a different person now. Physically, mentally and socially. I was a little bit taken aback by all the changes and in a way it gave me an opportunity to look back at what I was and what I have become.

I guess in another 5 years, if I look back, I will think about how much I have changed yet again...

Let's Pretend!!

I was just reading an article about how it is perfectly normal for children to have imaginary friends. I remember a few years ago, another study was published that stated that having an imaginary friend was healthy and that children who had imaginary friends were less likely to develop depression, bipolar, Schizophrenia, etc as adults. Interesting isn’t it? Idon’t know how true either of those statements are – depends on what your “friends” are like I suppose!

I had imaginary friends as a kid. Some of you may have already heard this story. I am sure I had plenty of imaginary friends as I was growing up – having two brothers meant that I didn’t have anyone to plays with dolls with me or have a tea party with. So I would make them up. Kids do that all the time.

For example: we were at a friend’s house last weekend and they have a 4 year old. He asked everyone to play Table Tennis with him. After playing for a while, both my brothers and Sudarshan were feeling tired, so they said, “Let’s play something else”. He was very insistent and decided that he would play TT by himself – he would hit the ball from one end, run to the other end, and try to hit it back – and would be having a conversation with himself the whole time! (Surely that much energy has got to be (un?)healthy at some level???)

I don’t remember the names of my imaginary friends (I don’t think I had a steady friend, they would change according to what I needed at the time) but I do remember one particular friend that I used to have. I can’t remember what he was called…

He was a big monster – about the size of three grown-ups. He was huuuge and scary looking. He could fly and would only visit “once a year”. He didn’t talk to little kids much – but he would talk to me. However, I had to be very careful not say or do anything wrong as if I did, he would get angry and accidently injure me!

While I knew my other “imaginary friends” were “imaginary”, I used always get this one friend confused. I could never remember if he really existed or not. When you are a kid, “a year” is a long time, and if others couldn’t remember him, I would assume it was simply because they “forgot”.

Psychoanalyse that!

To love and to hold...

It is always nice when you have time to do all those things that you have been putting off for one reason or another. That is how I feel at the moment. My evenings and weekends are all mine and I can do whatever I want with them!

I have started sketching and painting again and am really enjoying it. I am also reading a lot more and have been learning Telugu (finally!). I am loving my work at the moment and am appreciating what I have in life in general.

There is a certain routine to life now – and I like it that way. I am enjoying doing all those little chores that I feel like I never had time for before. Things like organising the pantry, picking flowers for the vase or thinking of what sort of cushions will look nice. Those sorts of domestic things are no longer a “luxury” – if that makes sense!

Both Sudarshan and I are really enjoying the time we are spending together – we like being able to do what we want when we want. There seem to be no restrictions and we are enjoying every minute.

I remember feeling like this towards the end of my degree, just before my PhD, prior to getting married and then again immediately after Sudarshan and I moved out.

Every phase in life must be beautiful in its own way.

The Big Day - 27th of March, 2009.

It has taken me four years and 50 days (give or take a few…) to achieve this! I got my thesis back from the binders this morning. I have taken tomorrow off from work in order to submit it to the University.

I have been looking forward to this day for SOOOOOOO long. Gone are the days when I was “excited” about my project. Then came the days when I thought “at least I am doing what I want”. Soon after that, it was, “There is probably nothing else I can do anyway!”. Finally it was, “Just finish!!”.

Now that I am at the final stretch, I don’t know how to feel! When I got my Honours theses bound, I would open it and look at all the colour pictures constantly. This morning, I didn’t even check to see if the binders had done a good job. I simply put them in a box and placed it in my brother’s car boot and said, “I will get it off you later tonight!”.

At the end of my Honours, I was excited. Somehow I expected to feel four times more excited as I did then - given that it took me four times as long to finish! However, I don’t feel excited. I don’t feel calm or relaxed. I don’t feel scared. I don’t even have a feeling of accomplishment!

I am anxious and kinda empty. A bit of an anti-climax really!

When I told Sudarshan this, he said, “You are a different person now to whom you were then.” My friend Yumna, who is always full of wisdom said, “You need to give yourself some time – you have been too involved with this so you are not seeing clearly now.”

I believe that the last year of my PhD has been the most difficult. I can not believe how long it has taken me to “get there”!

It is amusing to go through this blog to see how my attitude towards my PhD has changed from first year to fourth – and it is particularly interesting to see just how much of my life has revolved around my PhD!

Maybe once I officially “hand-in”, I will feel different…

"08"... Done and Dusted...

My customary summary of 08 is long overdue! The delay in the post in itself shows how busy the year was.

January:

I welcomed the new year with Sudarshan and Natasha. What a day! Can't beleive that that was over a year ago now!

After living in Australian for almost 15 years, we visited Melbourne for the very first time - and absolutely loved it. More than anything else, I think it was the company that did it for me (and for everyone else there). Who could forget the singing of "Happy Anniversary to you" at the 12 Apostles, the ever-famous "Saavu giraaki" speech at Phillip Island or the tireless driving had by all? I think we all forget just how gorgeous Australia really is sometimes. There is something about being a tourist - you think you can do whatever you want without worrying about what anyone else will say or think. We should all be tourists more often...

On our way back from Melbourne, at 12 midnight, we stopped over somewhere past Wodonga at a service station and were warmly congradulated on reaching the ever-so important milestone of completing 1 year of our married life together. I remember being hit by a surge of emotion at the time. I can't explain what it was now but I remember holding Sudarshan's hand really tightly and wanting to cry.

February:

That was when Kevin Rudd said "Sorry". What a moment.

I remember talking to my Thatha in February and he would tell Sudarshan and I constantly how happy he was with the two fo us. He would constantly tell us how he saw that we both stood by each other and how much he loved that about both of us. "Made for each-together".

March:

My Grandparents, great-aunt, mom and Srini all left for India in March for a short break. That was the last time I saw my Thatha. I remember how their was a technical difficulty with their A380 and so couldn't leave till the next day. It was like he had come back to properly say "good-bye". I hugged my Thatha before he left - something I don't think I have done very often (if at all!).

They all left for India, Rama came to spend time with Sudarshan and myself while they were away. When Srini came back, he too spent time with us. I enjoyed looking after my brothers.

April:

I was hurriedly working on my thesis and finishing off experiments. I remember being kept busy - both at work and at home. I had my brothers with me and my mum was back too. I spent a lot of weekends eating out at family friend's houses that month.

May:

My mum was back, and we were all on our way to a friend's house. My dad was expected back in Sydney the next day. We suddenly got a call from my dad saying that rather than flying to Sydeny he would be flying to India as Thatha wasn't feeling well and had been admitted to hospital.

Things can change in life so suddenly. We did go to our friend's house but left early and Sudarshan and I spent the night with my mum and my brothers. There was something not quite right. I remember telling myself, "Thatha said he will come back - so he will."

I was the one to take the phone when my dad called to break the news. Somehow we had all been expecting it.

Never having lost a close relative, it was as if we didn't know what to do. We all got very busy suddenly. I volunteered myself and Sudarshan to go and buy the air tickets for my mum to leave immediately. I was in the car when I shed my first tear - then it was hard to stop.

I developed hatred that month. I hated certain people. I don't know why. Maybe bereavement does that to you. It is all too hard to understand.

June:

June was spent coming to terms with what had happened and with realising that life doesn't stop. A certain kind macabre peace was felt - "People die. You are in grief. Then you get on with life." If I was to die, people would mourn but they would get on with their lives. It doesn't stop. It made me strangely more accepting of the world and made me see just how transcient it really is.

I still feel sad sometimes and happy at other times - but, I now know that it isn't going to last forever.

July:

With both my parents back, our family was suddenly different. We were suddenly looking for a house to buy.

August:

I presented at a conference and was awarded for the same. Sudarshan and I bought a house. My grandma came from India. And things were back to normal. My father in-law joined us. I got a job. I don't think I could have squeezed anymore into the month if I had tried!

September:

The after math of all that happened in August was lingering on. I spent much of Septemeber moving and working on my thesis. I started at my new job. I don't really know where Septemeber went. It is all a blur now. I remember thinking, "If I can get through Septemeber, I can get through anything."

October:

October is always a busy time of the year in my family. Rama's 21st, Sudarshan's 28th (so old - and I make it a point to remind him every opportunity I get :P), my 25th... Working two jobs, writing in my spare (??) time...

Stressed? Perhaps...

November:

I started to feel calm again. I started to feel like everything was going to be ok. I was extremely grateful for what I had and had a sudden surge of self-confidence that made me feel like I could do it. Perhaps it was surviving September and October that did it!

I too was taken by Obamania and started developing a strange thirst for knowledge outside my field. Maybe it was just masked procrastination.

December:

December continued in very much the same pace as November. However, I had started taking each day at a time and thanking my good fortune at the end of each day.

I think I was a good person this year.

There it is. 2008 - officially the year of "Accepting circumstances and valuing goodness."

“Life after People”

A documentary called “Life after People” was on Channel 7 last night. Sudarshan and I watched it. At the start I thought, “this is stupid!” (you should listen to the music and the narrator’s voice!), however after the first ten minutes or so, I got really “into it”. Sudarshan on the other hand was unable to share my enthusiasm and the best he could say about the documentary was “the graphics are pretty cool”.

I guess life after people will be largely dependent on how exactly we humans become extinct…

The show was based on the assumption that one day, all of a sudden, humans will simply disappear or drop dead – and only humans. All other mammals were assumed to have survived whatever it was that had resulted in our extinction. I think this is unlikely (unless all human beings board a space craft and fly off to some other planet and leave earth behind or fail to control a viral/bacterial pandemic that is human-specific).

I think that when we eventually “go”, we will take a number of other species with us.

There was one thing that the show spoke about towards the end which I found very thought-provoking. The show concluded that within 500 – 1000 years, most traces of the “modern man” would have been wiped off the planet. All man made structures would have crumbled and there will be no trace of our existence. The only reason we know about ancient civilisations such as those of the Egyptians and Incans was because they left behind writings etched on stone. We tend to store our legacies on books, CDs and computers that are far less durable…

They did suggest that perhaps Mount Rushmore, the Great Wall of China and perhaps the larger pyramids of Giza would still be around, but not much else.

If humans were going to be become extinct and life continued without us (which I am fairly certain will in one way or another), then is it important to etch our legacy in something more durable? Or, in the absence of humans, does our “legacy” too become worthless?

Laugh Kookaburra Laugh...

I can't remember the last time I saw a flock of birds in the sky. Apart from the common pigeons, magpies, indian mainas and the occasional rosellas I hardly see any other birds. I see a few cockatoos when we pass some bushland on our way to work but that is really it.

I don't particularly like birds - an extension of my hatred for all animals really, but now that I spend a lot more time looking at the sky (I have a seat by the window), I can't help but wonder where all the birds went!

As a kid in Fiji, my friend and I would lie on the grass and look at the sky and watch flocks of birds flying "to get home to sleep". We would lie there counting them (this was before Fiji got free-to-air TV!).

Perhaps I no longer take enough notice of the brids in the sky, or maybe they simply aren't there anymore! Either way, it is really sad.

6 Degrees of Separation

I saw a really interesting documentary yesterday on the science of "Networking" titled "How Kevin Bacon cured cancer"

After watching that documentary, I felt a bit like I did when I first learnt about DNA for the first time. The world suddenly seemed very different.

The idea that everyone is connected to everyone else through very small path lengths totally blows me away. We have all heard of (and perhaps participated in the experiment through Facebook!) 6 Degrees of Separation but I think there is something else there. I feel like there is something really profound in that documentary - I just don't know what it is!

I can't seem to stop thinking about it though... Maybe there is really nothing there and I was just tired. Whatever the case, I will get over it.

(BTW, For those that are interested, you can watch it on YouTube...)

Where do you start?

I was speaking to my father-in-law when he was here about the state of India at present. He put all the problems in India down to one thing "Corruption". He was convinced that corruption was the root-cause of all evil.

When I look at problems at a state, national or global level, I am almost never able to find solutions. I don't know if that is because of my own ignorance or because there is genuinely no solution. Perhaps it is my mental make-up - very few solutions result in a win-win situation.

When I think about all the problems in my house, a city, a country or the world, I always end-up at the same place...

"Be open-minded, do what you think is right and understand that your way may not necessarily be THE way." It is not always easy to follow, but you have to try.

Powell for Obama

"He is not a Muslim, he's a Christian. He's always been a Christian. But the really right answer is, what if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer's no, that's not America. Is there something wrong with some seven-year-old Muslim-American kid believing that he or she could be president? Yet, I have heard senior members of my own party drop the suggestion, 'He's a Muslim and he might be associated terrorists.' This is not the way we should be doing it in America."
-Colin Powell

Been wondering about this for a while now... WHY HASN'T ANYONE ASKED THIS QUESTION ALREADY????

Comments like "Barrack HUSSEIN Obama - how can you vote for someone with a muslim name??" makes me SOOOOOO ANGRY! To think that there are Americans out there who feel taht way - and are allowed to vote!

My 2 cents on (for?) the Financial Crisis...

About three weeks ago, I got my first PROPER job. Since I started, I have had absolutely nothing to do! As a result, I have been reading online newspapers – as you do! The things that have been dominating both the local and international news at the moment have been i) global recession and ii) the American election. Here is my 2 cents (or perhaps 1 cent!) worth…

As I don’t understand economics AT ALL, I spent the first few days at work reading “How banks work” and “How the stock market works” on “www.howstuffworks.com”. (You try sitting at a desk for 8 hours straight with no solitaire to play!). I can’t say that I understand it all but I think I “get it” more now than before. However, I don’t believe that I understand economics enough to be able to make an informed decision on what is the right thing to do as an individual.

I guess if bad debts are what caused this mess than all I can do at the moment is spend no more than I make and save for a rainy day. I guess that is pretty much the philosophy of most Indians living abroad anyway. The quote of the day in my Tamil calendar reads, “Indru nee thevai ilaadhadhai vaanginaal, naalai nee thevai aanadhai vaanga mudiyaadhu” which roughly translates to, “Today, if you buy something you don’t need then tomorrow you won’t be able to buy something that you do need” I think the quote to an extend highlights the general Indian mentality – or perhaps I am generalizing too much?

I still don’t fully understand how all of the above is connected but I can see that it is. Perhaps I need to type “Economics” into Wikipedia and see what that returns. (I did read “Economics for Dummies” which was helpful but the current global financial mess isn’t any clearer to me!) Perhaps I should just accept that I am never really going to understand economics fully and therefore I shouldn’t bother.

With regards to the American election, I have become an Obama fan – more out of revolt for McCain and Palin (both of whom provided me with hours of comic entertainment!) than out of love or pure admiration for Obama. I would like to think that America will change dramatically as a result of this election but I won’t put my money on that.

However, ahving someone who can see the flaws of the country has got to be a step in the right direction... surely!

July Flies by...

One week to the last week of July.

So much has happened over the last month I don't know where to start! Let's just say that life is really beautiful right now.

I get worried when too many good things happen. I think life has a certain equilibrium to it - something like Yin and Yang... When too many good things happen, I immediately start thinking that something really horrible is just around the corner.

Sometimes I think about that and I think, 'That is a really bleak way of living". Other days I think that it is that very view that makes me keep a cool head regardless of the situation.

I am happy now - so why should I think about the future? If I am so contented, then surely I won't be able to cope with anything slightly worrying that the future will throw at me.

I guess you should just enjoy every happy moment and deal with anything that is not... Seems so simple - then why do we worry?

I guess sometimes we feel like we are not strong enough to deal with everything life throws at us.

Life goes on.

Almost a month now. It is hard to describe how I feel. I can't say that "I am over it" or that "I am still in a state of shock". I miss Thatha very much.

I think how your family behaves when hit with a tragedy is a true measure of its strengths. The way my family has coped over the last month I am sure is one that would have made Thatha feel extremely proud.

I have two months to go till I submit. We are looking to buy a house. My parents are going to shuffle between India and Australia over the next few years. I am presenting at a conference in Adelaide. I will hopefully have a real job soon. Srini will be working soon. Rama is finishing off his degree and starting honours. My Grandma is looking after my pregnant cousin.

Life does go on.

Thatha...

The following was written almost 15 years ago....

A pale old fellow with a billion wrinkles, a walking stick, thick black rimmed glasses that don’t seem to do anything, a dress sense that only makes sense to the wearer himself and of course the frail body that doesn’t seem to belong in this world anymore. That may seem like a perfect example of a grand father but my grand pa is different.

He is a jolly fellow who is always looking for an adventure and has trouble staying at one stop. He is always ready to put up a good debate and likes to talk to anyone who doesn’t agree with him. He somehow manages to find amusement in some of life’s hardest obstacles and manages to keep a grin on his face even after everyone else has given up. Even when his blood pressure reached 240 he somehow decided that a trip exploring the inner suburbs of Sydney would do him good!

He says that he is like a free bird now. In many ways I agree with him. He was a bird that had been locked away in the iron cage of all work and no play since the tender age of 12.

Vijaya Raghavan, a journalist, accountant, financial controller, champion chess player and much more, is now a retired citizen of Australia.

Vijaya Raghavan was a mother’s pet. His father was an astrologer and was a very orthodox fellow. V.R was born elder to six girls and 1 more boy. A total of seven siblings!

Being the eldest and being the eldest boy in the family meant that he was required to assist in the family income. For this reason alone, he started to look for a job and obtained one of book keeping. All the money (which wasn’t much as he was still a student), made through this job went into the helping of the family.

Paying for just one girls’ marriage in India is seen as a great economic struggle. Paying for six girls’ was almost unbelievable. Raghavan was required to help in paying for all his sister’s weddings and dowry’s. Because V.R’s father was hardly ever at home, the helping of his mum in day-to-day work and also in making important decisions on the family lay on his shoulders.

Finishing school, which was one place V.R hated (as his father was a miser and would not pay for the necessary stationary or books), was seen as a great accomplishment.

V.R’s life as a journalist, which India was in great need of at that time, started soon after his completion of school.

Marriage. This is seen a huge step for most if not all, of us. However, marriage in V.R’s life was even a greater step, as he now had to look after two families instead of one. It was also at this point that he moved out of home with his newly married bride to a whole new state.

In this new state known as Bangalore, my grand pa fought for a rather small book stall which was dually his as his former employer gave it to him. This hard-earned bookstall still stands today under my grandmother’s name.

With the money he made from the stall and other early morning, afternoon and other spare time work, he managed to bring both his sons (one of which is my dad) in a very successful manner.

My dad now looks after my grand pa as a way of repaying what he had given up in his life to bring my dad up.

Had it not been for my grandpa’s handwork, dedication to his work and family, and above all his high ambitions and willingness to stretch his limits to the max, I wouldn’t be standing where I am today.

A man of high spirits and extraordinary talents can now be seen sitting at the corner of his bedroom playing a gameboy an trying to beat his grandson’s score.

.........

We all miss you very much...

Madras Srinivasa Raghavachari Vijaya Raghavan

27th September, 1932 - 17th May, 2008

The case of the Strata guy

Let me start by describing an embarrassing moment, or as Sudarshan calls it "A Vidya moment". :P

Last Sunday Sudarshan and I were at Myers doing some shopping (I bought two pairs of shoes for under $20 at a 75% off sale btw - how good is that?!?!?!?!), when my phone rang. The phone call was from someone from our Strata and he wanted to come and check our eaves. Our eaves seem to be having some water issues so we told him that we weren't home but it would be ok for him to check it out.

He was supposed to be at our place around 4 and we didn't get back till 4:30 / 4:45. As we were driving past the back of our house, I saw someone in a light blue shirt. I said to Sudarshan "That must be the Strata Guy". This is when my brain decided that it would be a great idea to suddenly fill me with the overwhelming need to wave hysterically to this person as if to say, "HELLOO!!! LOOK AT MEE!!!". Well... he certainly looked at me! He squinted as if trying to make out who I was and continued to look at me like I was crazy.

As we drove closer, I saw on his shirt that he actually belonged to the local bowling club and therefore was NOT the Strata guy! I had just waved hysterically at some totally random person! Thank you brain! Smart move, that!

At first, Sudarshan tried to keep a serious face and tell me how it is dangerous to wave at strange men on the street but he preferred to point and laugh at me instead :P

Lesson of the week: Never wave hysterically at strange men wearing light blue T-shirts!

PS: Earlier that day at the fruit market someone was calling out to his son. He called, "Marco!!!", so I felt that it would be appropriate to call back "POLO!" - then walk fast and hide amongst the herbs...

Sorry...

What a speech!

Extra proud to be an Australian today....

Good on you Rudd!!!

Merry Christmas and Happy 2008!!!

Looks like if there were no festivities then this blog would become extinct!

Firstly, belated Christmas wishes! I hope you all had a beautiful day. Secondly, HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2008 (a leap year - and we have the Olympics coming up too!) is almost here! One of these days I will stop wondering just how fast time flies...

2007 has perhaps been one of the busiest years of my life! I have surprised myself and have truly changed as a person. Anyone who knows me can tell...

January: I left for India on the 16th of Jan. In Jan as we all probably know by now, Sudarshan and I got married. What more can I say??

February: After spending two weeks with Sudarshan's family in Hyderabad, I came back to Sydney to wait for my "husband" to join me.

March: While Feb seemed to go by pretty quick, March seemed to drag on. The house that I had lived in practically all my life and the people whom I had known all my life seemed so different. I felt strangely empty and lost not having my husband by my side. Everything was starting to look different and I was seeing myself as a different person too. I don't mean any of this in a corny sort of way - but I came to realise that knowing that you are eternally bound to someone and not having them by your side surely makes for a uniquely uncomprehendable emotion.

April: After a month and a half of being apart (it seemed like a lot more!) Sudarshan arrived in Sydney on the 6th of April. We had our legal wedding and really got to know each other.

May: It was all eventually starting to sink in. We seemed to finally have some time to sit down and think about all that we had been through and every minute of my 23 years were told to Sudarshan and in turn every minute of his 27 years were regurgitated to me.

June: Did you really think that 23 and 27 years could have been re-told in merely a month???

July: I remember talking about "honesty" earlier. I discovered what it means to be your true self in that month. I was content. I still am. Sudarshan was offered a job that month. We moved to our own place. A turning point of all sorts...

August: I learnt to cook and clean and iron and all sorts of things. I also discovered what it is like to live without a telephone or internet access! I started paying bills and the like... Oh so old!

September: I started planning for our reception here in Australia. Sudarshan and I had achieved so much in the first 7 - 8 months of our life together and we couldn't help but feel proud of that. I realised that my PhD was coming to a completion. Who would have thought that 2.5 years were already up??

October: Sudarshan's parents joined us in our very own home. I am not only a lucky wife but also as a very lucky daughter(in-law). Our reception in Sydney proved to be a very fun affair. "Periva illadha kuduthanum, Perungaayam illadha thaligai". To both Sudarshan and myself, a family is simply not a family unless it is an extended family. That is the sort of environment that we have both been raised in. Currently it feels like we are on a vacation of some sort - yes it is fun and all that, but we know that this is not the real thing and it won't feel like home without my in-laws.

November: I took time off work to finally work on my thesis and to finalise what exactly should go in it! ABOUT TIME! Sudarshan and I celebrated our "Thalai Deepavalli" and "Karthikai".

December: A year since the beginning of the year, I continue to feel happy and content with my life and feel like God must really love me. It scares me because I don't believe that I have done anything to deserve such contentment.

This year I would like to thank God for all that I have been given. I have been truly blessed. I am proud of both Sudarshan and myself for all that we have achieved - individually and together. More so, I am extremely thankful and pray that in 2008 that I will be able to grow as a better person because I can't think of anything more to wish for.

I wish you all a ton of happiness in the New Year and may everyday be filled with joy, love and a sense of accomplishment.