Celebrating Sibling Love

The following write up is almost 10 years old. And I found it amidst so many other documents in a forgotten folder on an old external hard drive… (I’ve added on at the end, to make up for the years gone by since then!)

It’s nice to be your sister. It’s taught me loads of things... apart from how to source cheat codes! :D

I’m told I loved you when you were still not born. That I would talk to you while you were still in mama. Maybe our bond was spun right then.

But I’m also told I was jealous as hell as soon as you were born. Obviously. With you being the centre of attention. Mama and papa showering all their love on you, I thought they forgot me. So I’d throw tantrums to ensure only mama fed me, bathed me etc. :D 

But as you grew into this adorable chubby little thing, I couldn’t help but wanna be next to you all the time. Hold your stubby little fingers and watch you grow. 

‘Twas fun playing with your guns and cars. And yea I know I forced you to play with my dolls and the kitchen set too. :D And I’m sorry. For all those times, I’d pretend to be dead and wake up a zombie to scare the living daylights outa you. 

As you elder sis, I always thought I was to look out for you. Protect you. So when the football came hurling at you, I went and slapped the guy. Even though it wasn’t intentional on his part, he should have been more careful when playing around a little boy!! 

Soon, you bid adieu to your tricycle and were on a bicycle. We were growing up so fast. We’d race each other so often. I was ahead. And you fell down and fractured your arm. I felt so guilty that night. It was my fault. Also, that time, we raced down the stairs and I had to see you tumbling down. Gee! I had my heart in my mouth! 

And soon we were too big for each other. We had our own friends. Our own books to attend to. And our own different priorities. So while you were hooked to your PlayStation, I was glued to the Harry Potter books. 

And then, we moved back to India. And we were older. And yes, the study pressure was glaring! So amidst innumerable tests, we’d help each other. I’d make notes for you the night prior to your geography test, and you’d try and keep our little cousins engaged while I crammed before my entrance exams. And we’d celebrate our little victories together with a pizza and some fizz. 

And with the blink of an eye, soon it was you giving the entrance exams. I’d bring you vanilla ice-cream with fresh strawberries, keep extra chocolates for you etc.  amidst all the lectures and fights.

You’re pursuing an engineering career now while I’m a doctor already (Holy smokes!). And we’ve seen each other through tough times. Be it family, friends or health crises. Yes, I still have the pics from your untimely E-med visit at 2am! But I must say, some of those scaringly wise and mature things you say at times, it’s hard to imagine that you’re no longer that chubby little boy. 

In fact, you're the first person I told about Prantik! And now, #SocialShaadi has happened, and at times it drives me insane that you find him cooler than me :P 

Today you’re much sought after not only because you have an attractive voice. But because you’re awesome, lil one. You’re well behaved, the teachers’ pet, a caring friend and all that. A genuine gentleman, an enterprising engineer who just recently landed his first job and a rockstar too! And I’m so so so proud of you. And you must know, that you’re mum-dad’s apple in the eye, well deservingly!

And yes now, I’m probably the little one. Haha. But all I really want to say is I’m going to be there, you like it or not, and I’ll stand up against everyone else, for you. I love you, Rohit Kamath! Shoot for the stars, baby brother; the sky is no limit! Stay happy, Stay blessed! We all love you....to infinity & beyond!☺

A week of lovely memories.

A week of keeping them alive...

A week of celebrating festivals! :)

T-6wks 

Bubbles

He asked for water, we gave him a sip, enough to wet his lips...

When I close my eyes, his still eyes haunt me; his family wailing, their voices still echo in my ears. We did everything we could, but we couldn't save his life. Worse still, we couldn't figure out what resulted in his unexpected death. Just a few minutes ago, he was throwing his drunken limbs around, a few cuts across his lips, a few bruises over his chest and extremities sustained after self-skidding from his motorbike; he wasn't visibly bleeding from anywhere. The ultrasound didn't show any visible internal bleeding either. His parameters weren't too abnormal. And then all of sudden, his heart wasn't beating right. He wasn't breathing. There was no pulse. We started chest compressions. We shocked him. We gave him the requisite drugs to resuscitate him. We did all we could. And yet, in a moment, life had left from his body. And no matter how hard we fought, Lord Yama (considered as the Lord of Death, as per Hindu mythology) had wielded his power. And thus, a person in his prime of life, ceased to exist... Just as suddenly as a bubble burst.

While working in Emergency Medicine, we are faced with probably the highest number of sudden deaths. While many are expected deaths, the ones that are the toughest to deal with are the ones that strike out of the blue. It is obviously tough on the family and near&dear ones. I can't even imagine what the parent and elder siblings were going through. Having to break the news that their family member is at the brink of death, is definitely not an easy process either. They are hit by the strongest sense of denial that is so hard to refute. Keeping at par with the Kübler-Ross model, it is soon followed by anger - at that moment, it is directed at the healthcare personnel, more often than not; bordering on helplessness of course. They then bargain and ask us to "do something", despite us reiterating that we have and we are doing everything in our capacity.... Often, it helps to just be by their side, perhaps. Standing in silence. While the family tries to wake their lifeless family member, all attempts in vain. We let them have their privacy, as it gradually sinks in and an overwhelming sense of depression overcomes them all. It's contagious even. Doctors and other healthcare personnel are not thick skinned, as the world out there tends to believe. We grieve the loss of our patients as well; only less visibly perhaps. Finally, before the body (not a person/patient anymore) is transferred to the mortuary, a fleeting not-so-firm sense of acceptance has to set in sometime for how else would they inform other members of the family of the accident, unless they had accepted, at some level, that their loved one was no more. 

There's silence and screaming. There's denial and acceptance. There's hopelessness and faith. There's frustration and calm. There're tears and prayers. Death throws contrasting aspects of life, right at us. It confuses and yet, gives us perspective.

The week also saw, Guruji at HK. And as he guided a short mediation session, which Pran and I could fortunately live-stream; he answered quite a few questions but the common thread that he stressed was to realise that our lives are short and impermanent. It's troubling to live in fear but it's important to understand this very truth of our mortal lives and thus, learn to focus on the important things in life. We should fret less or better, sweat not over the small things; soon, we'll see most of the things we worry about are indeed "small things". 

The Asthavakra Gita talks about how 'we are not the doers'. Such a powerful teaching. If one were to visualise, each of us, as puppets, in the hands of a higher force. Not to say, we are completely out of control. Our deeds are our own - adding to our karma. So, 'not being the doer' ≠ not doing anything. But I guess, at times like these, it's always helpful to acknowledge an unknown, unseen Force at work. Doctors, are not Gods; they are merely instruments of His Love #terms and conditions apply#

The week that started at the ocean, with the waves lapping against my feet, as the sun set, ended thus at the shore of spiritual awakening. As a person, as a doctor, as a living creature on this planet, a speck of dust in the Universe, there's so much to learn, so much more to do... And each day, each week, life only teaches me more. And I blow some more bubbles, again... 

A week face to face with mortality.

A week of haunting screams and silence.

A week of sunsets, forever and new sunrises.

T-7wks

Alphabet

The week's big tech headline was Google announcing "Alphabet" as it's parent company.

So, in jest, my very own "Alphabet" too for the week gone by...

A: Anniversary (3 yrs since we met)
B: BBQ party
C: Changi beach
D: Double bicycle
E: Eshaan's b'day celebration (with props including moustaches!)
F: Family photo wall
G: Garden brekkie at Spruce
H: Harmony, always
I: Indian Independence Day
J: Jana Gana Mana (goosebumps, always!)
K: Kindle time
L: Labrador Park
M: Marche meal
N: National Day 6's champion (Whoohoo!)
O: Other side of the city state
P: Patriotic song Antakshari
Q: Quality time with loved ones
R: Radio air time @PranMaz
S: Sunday off (Yaay!)
T: Taare Zameen Par
U: Us, chilling at the club lounge
V: Village hotel staycation
W: Wine, sparkling
X: eXtra learning sessions
Y: Yummilicious Chicken Biryani (product of our kitchen!)
Z: Zen

A week of the ABC...
A week, I out-did myself. :)
A week of sublime happiness... :)

T-8wks

Seven Surprises!

Imagine my utter surprise when I'm heading back after work and I get a message from my mom-look-alike aunt telling me that they are in Singapore! August thus kickstarted with the first from the extended family visiting us :) Heart-warming to say the least. We hugged, kissed, smiled, laughed and had a jolly good time. The little one, Amreen, fondly called Ammu, after our beloved grandmother, infact has some facial features like Mamama. Being the youngest first cousin from the maternal side, she's the apple of our eyes; gifted with a melodious voice, a kind heart and a shy smile, she could steal anybody's heart in a moment, which is exactly what she did at our wedding #SocialShaadi :)

The next day marked 8 months since our wedding. And the dear husband earned brownie points by choosing to work from home so he could spend the day with me (I was working the night shift that day which meant I was home most of the day) - For not all gifts need to be touched; the gift of time is precious, invaluable...and touching indeed - Prantik had clearly read Gary Chapman's "The 5 Love Languages" cover to cover ;)

Post the night shift, getting back home and crashing is a routine that Prantik has gotten accustomed to. I have cereal with milk for breakfast, wave him good day, and then dive into the abyss of sweet slumber... I got up quite late, way past 4pm, unlike usual 'sleep days'. I dressed up and joined Pran for our movie spree date. Prior to meeting him, I picked up a card for Friendship Day to present to the best friend, even though 2 days late :P And then, I honestly surprised myself by staying up for back to back movies, despite a messed up wake-sleep cycle. We watched Tom Cruise's Mission Impossible and Salman Khan's Bajrangi Bhaijaan and liked both movies, much to our surprise!

The next day I had class, followed by shift. I reached home, only closer to midnight. But that didn't stop us from watching Shonda Rhimes' Scandal. Our daily dose of TV, couch time, us time. :) The last 2 months were quite busy with our parents in town and we didn't really get time for Netflix :D so, we were making up for that :D

Thursday was an off day. I had loads of stuff to do on my checklist - finish a book, do the laundry, watch FRIENDS maybe, work on my case review presentation draft, and cook perhaps. The only thing that happened was the last item! I surprised myself by conjuring up an entire healthy thali for dinner and infact enjoying it all, while listening to Shafqat Amanat Ali's Ajab Khail on loop (which was also a chance discovery - Ah! The joy of discovering soulful music). There was Palak-Carrot Pulao, Mushroom Shabnam Curry, Baingan Bharta, Cucumber Raita and Mango Chutney :) Prantik even took second helpings :P Don't they say a way to a man's heart is through his stomach :D:D:P Mission accomplished ;) We then headed for the night show of Drishyam, with friends; a thriller well-done, it was a good way to welcome the long weekend.

Long weekend for everyone, but service providers, like us, healthcare personnel. I worked on all days of the #SG50 Jubilee weekend. And so did so many others in the healthcare sector - right from doctors, nurses, clerks, auxilary staff - and there might have been long faces, once in a while, but while working, each one worked with an enviable fervour. It was good to be on the receiving end of appreciation, from patients and their families' for caring for them during this weekend - and I would respond simply with - "You don't have to thank me! It's my duty, my pleasure :)" and that is the simple truth. When surrounded by people who love what they do, and are as passionate about it as you are, then waking up everyday and going to work is not a chore - it's part of happy living. To be honest, having worked in ED for 1.5 years now, it has become such an integral part of my life, I can't imagine myself doing anything else. This realization came quite serendipitously, indeed!

The next evening, we headed to Shushanta-Nikita's housewarming party. We were catching up with the gang after quite sometime! We had home-cooked dinner and oh-so-sweet wine; and I topped it with some vodka/cranberry juice before heading out to the newly opened/re-opened Rupee at St.James. It was only Day 2 since they had opened and it was good fun grooving to Bollywood numbers, in a space larger than Magic Carpet. Phew! Finally :) Tune Maari Entry... played too and it brought back such fun memories from our Sangeet :)

A week of good fun time with extended family and friends :)
A week of catching up on movies :D
A week full of surprises and serendipity, indeed!

T-9wks

The Roller Coaster Ride

Last Sunday evening... I got home after work, to a gorgeous rainbow - oops double rainbow! Such a beautiful sight - I was thrilled beyond containment :D
Later that evening, the Strathmore folks had invited us with Maa-Baba over for dinner. We basked under the warm golden yellow light, with Kishore and Lata's melodious voices in the background, while the lovely food grabbed all the attention. Much effort was put in by our new friends - Ankur, Chandni and Vivek; not to forget our old friend, Eshaan. :) It was so heart-warming to listen to some of my all-time favourite tracks like Raina beeti jaaye  and Beeti na bitaaye raina, while the moon rose higher up the night sky.

Monday evening, at the fag end of my evening shift, as I was heading back after handing over a patient to the ICU team, I got a message from one of my close friends from college, Prudhvi and then, learnt that one of our good friends was going to get hitched soon! What a surprise! I was so kicked, I tried my luck and called him up via Whatsapp. God bless technological advancements. A decade ago, we were still struggling with dial up internet; and now I can call him, serving in a rural area, via phone, pretty much for free! It was so good to listen to his voice and tease and laugh together. There's that thing about close friends isn't it? You don't have to necessarily talk everyday, but when you do, you can always resume where you last stopped and it just feels so uplifting :)

The next morning, I helped Maa-Baba pack and tried to rest in the afternoon, pre-night shift. I also decided I'll accompany Prantik to drop my in-laws off at the airport, later in the evening. So we headed together to Changi Airport. The check-in as always was smooth, and I quickly got a greeting card, to express our gratitude to Maa-Baba for the lovely summer '15; After which, we had some appetizers at the Thai restaurant. Soon enough, it was time for them to immigrate. We took our last welfie before we parted ways. Farewells aren't kind on the heart, ever but guess, it's always the promise to meet soon, that keeps us going...

Getting back to a seemingly empty home, just the two of us, after good 2 months, felt different, to say the least. It's like a glaring void, that we don't know how to fill. But, I guess, time heals. And soon enough, our own voices echo against the walls and fill up our rooms, giving us the illusion that we aren't alone...

In the meantime, the country was mourning the passing away of the former People's President, the inspirational teacher, India's Missile Man, who truly gave Wings of Fire to the vision of India 2020 - a Bharat Ratna indeed - A.P.J. Abdul Kalam passed away while doing what he enjoyed most, teaching. Such a blessed soul :) He shall be missed. May his ideas and values, continue to ignite minds and serve as a beacon light for our nation, in the decades ahead...
Also, a couple of days later, the nation witnessed the execution of Yakub Memon, brother of Tiger Memon, responsible for the Mumbai 1993 terrorist blasts. Hundreds lost their lives, and many more remain scarred for life. This execution was debated over by lawyers and many well-read folks but I know of one of my friends' father, who was a victim of the blasts. Though, the main accused are still out in the wild and evading the police and interpol, Yakub's hanging probably tries to send out a strong message from the country's legal system, point of view. (To the many fanatic terrorist groups, he probably is a martyr!) But if I were to ask the many victims, if this changes anything? I am not entirely convinced of that... For what's lost, is lost in the sands of time, forever. And though, the wounds have since healed, the scars will remind them, constantly, of that dreadful day. And there is truly, never a complete closure...

The week, thus started out, as quite an emotional roller-coaster ride. We decided to watch the LKY Musical - a tribute to Singapore's Founding father. It was a well orchestrated performance, with anecdotes from Lee Kuan Yew's early life. It served as a reminder, to all Singaporeans,  of the impact he's had in transforming a fishing village to a formidable red dot on the world's map. The 9-box concept for transitioning between different scenes and times was quite unique and well-executed. We then grabbed light dinner at the French Bistro - a date night after what feels like ages! :)

Once in a blue moon, which was on Friday, my off day, Pran worked from home, in the morning. :P It was good to spend the day at home, organising the kitchen cabinets and the fridge :) That evening, we were invited for dinner at one of Prantik's friends' place. I had met them only once before; it was rather kind of them to invite us over while his father was in town. We had good fun conversation and Chicken Biryani for dinner :)
Saturday, we were to attend another housewarming party, and I had even picked up a wine bottle for them, but an hour later, I found myself sprawled in the living room, my body demanding rest. So we called it a raincheck and stayed home instead. Pran and I caught up while enjoying the gentle breeze...

The Asthavakra Gita teaches one to be a witness only; may all events that occur, float as clouds, while we remain untouched and maintain our poise. Over the weekend, my parents were at Tirupati, a pilgrimage temple in South India, with a group of friends, while I continued, to just be...
Steve Jobs' mantra was to "Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish" while Sri Sri Ravi Shankar advocates to "Stay Hollow & Empty" thus, I just stayed me...

A week of farewells, and some goodbyes forever...
A week high on emotion.
A week of seeing the rainbow, beyond the rain :)

T-10wks

Creating Memories

Last Sunday evening, I was post and pre-night shift. I joined my family for a Bengali music concert, at the splendid Victoria Concert hall. There's this grandeur to the tall majestic buildings, carved in white - when the yellow chandelier lights are switched on, they look unreal almost. We found ourselves seated, for the first segment by Lopamudra Mitra, who is known for her catchy renditions of folk songs and Rabindra Sangeet. I quite enjoyed her performance, personalised with short anecdotes from her own life; even though they were in a language I don't quite follow, I personally think music transcends language. Music is born from vibrations within one's soul and a true musician knows just how to stir the audience's soul and I must say, she did a pretty good job at that! Be it songs about our motherland, about Kolkata, love or just rain, her voice quality and modulation was enviable and I found myself humming those tunes even while I was working on my shift, later that night! I couldn't stay long for the Anupam Roy segment, but I should be honest, I preferred the former's melodious segment to the latter's head-banging, wanna-be-cool performance - he could have done much better, or maybe I just expected better from the music director of Piku. Oh well!

The adrenaline rush from the ED night shift, continued into the morning - for the family vacation was kickstarting! Hurray! Sleep-deprived yet I was wide awake and kicking :D Who doesn't love holidays? Some last-minute packing and then we headed to the always-so-lovely Changi Airport. Equipped with our travel accessories and our iPhones, we clicked the first family welfie of the vacation - "Apple Parivar, Sukhi Parivar" (Apple Family, Happy Family) :D A quick flight to Kuala Lumpur and a taxi ride later, we arrived at our resort - Avani Sepang Gold Coast Resort at Selangor. Such a beauty! Cottages on stilts, arranged in a palm tree pattern; with waves lashing underneath during high tide; the beach a stone's throw away and the pleasant sea breeze caressing us while it sped past. The golden sun, unusually shy, hiding behind clouds... Jammu-Kashmir has been described as the heaven on earth - "Gar firdaus, ruhe zamin ast, hamin asto, hamin asto, hamin ast" Though I haven't ticked Kashmir off from my travel-bucket list yet, I always believe beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, and so, that evening, as I was taking in the gorgeous views, I felt an overwhelming sense of serenity which I presume is what heaven feels like :)

That Monday night, I clocked 9+ hours of sleep - I can't remember the last I slept so long. Getting up to a stormy morning felt even more awesome. Some instant coffee for the husband while I had green tea, thoroughly enjoying the weather. The continental breakfast spread was quite vast and I was probably the glutton in the family, with the Mazumdar trio on their calorie-monitored diets :) The truth however is that how much ever I like my food, I just can't hog - 'eating in moderation or less', is the mantra that my stomach has dictated ever since I learnt the effects of diet on not just my physical body but also my psychological health. 

That afternoon, we enjoyed playing a new board game that Maa's new friends had taught her - they even gifted it to her! Rummikub as it's called is quite like the card game, Rummy, with the difference being this is played with small inch-sized tiles, not cards. Prantik and I got the hang of the game soon enough and we were playing the game until evening! It was fun, and mind-engaging; we kept teasing Baba about how he overshot the time limit, every turn! Haha. Simple pleasures of life. :) We enjoyed many such games, that week.

The best part about the resort was that we could rent bicycles! Prantik and I haven't had the time to fix our foldable cycles, in Singapore (silly excuse that!) and so, when we set our hands on our rented bikes, it was exhilarating to say the least. We cycled around the resort, even racing each other at times, laughing and chatting, even taking a selfie while at it :D One of the evenings, we headed to the Sunset beach on our cycles. We chilled with the parents, by the beachside, on hammocks and reclining chairs - I even clicked one of my favourite snaps from the holiday, a silhouette-oid, featuring Prantik and Maa-Baba, with the sun setting in the background. 

For suppers, we juggled between the Chinese restaurant, Hai Sang Lou, which served simply delicious food - right from their appetiser dim sums, hot and sour Sichuan soups, to their Saute'd vegetables with Macadamia nuts, or even the Diced chicken dish, it was all so yummy - we all definitely kept getting back for more! The mango sago pudding was to die for!

But, then we found the other beachfront restaurant, Sepoi Sepoi, to be even more tempting. Their special one night was Tandoori Chicken, and boy! It was spot on, especially with the chutney and raitha! Catering to South East Asian cuisine, it featured favourites like Satay Ayam, Thai green curry etc. which our palates have learnt to love. I must mention - The Gula Melaka dessert was out of the world! The moon smiling above with the countless sparkling stars, the waves lashing against seasoned rocks, the lovely candle-lit dinner over long family conversations - Life's Good, indeed!

Some mornings, we got up earlier than usual to behold the skies as they changed colours to welcome the sun, at dawn-break. Each villa had it's own balcony, and it formed a perfect place to click many snaps, as if to freeze that moment in our minds, for eternity. Photographs, are a perfect medium for time-travel! In a snap, time halts and a scene is caught in it's trap, filled with hues and shades, and all sorts of emotion - and a memory is thus saved; to which one may return, at will, from any time in the future. We are thus, all time travellers. And the power of our minds to be able to travel through time, I reckon, is one of its strongest capabilities.

One other morning, we headed to the beach and out into the sea. While Maa-Baba sun-bathed, Prantik and I, headed out on our first-ever kayaking journeys. To manoeuvre the boat all by ourselves wasn't extremely easy, but once we got synchronised and got the hang of it, we loved it! It was an enjoyable "Life of Pi" kind of experience, without Richard Parker of course :D

Another afternoon, we chilled at the infinity pool with the family. The cool water was a befitting reply to the overhead sun. We each swam a few laps, to and fro and the rest of the time, we'd just stand at the end, looking far into the horizon, watching as the waters changed colours....The name "Prantik" means "horizon" - an illusion of the end, where the sky meets the sea - but truly, there is no end...

Soon, Friday arrived and it was the end to our vacation. Rejuvenated, we traced our steps back to Singapore. I unpacked and worked the night shift later while the rest of the family, relaxed at home. Saturday evening, we headed with friends to a monoact by Rakesh Bedi - Massage. It was entertaining and funny in parts; kudos, to his voice modulation abilities, but I'm carved for the more serious plays like the one a couple of months ago, directed by Rakesh Bedi, enacted by Anupam Kher and Neena Gupta, Mera Woh Matlab Nahin Tha. After the play, we had dinner at the Singapore Cricket Club, with friends, catching up over Ginger Ale and Pratas.

A week away.

A week, creating memories, with the in-laws.

A week of deep love, deep conversations, surrounded by the deep sea.

T-11wks

It's all about loving your family

Last Sunday early morning, we were at Changi Airport to pick Baba (Prantik's dad) up. He had a sense of pride when he entered our 3 bedroom homely apartment; for it was a stark contrast to his son's previous bedrooms that he rented as a bachelor. Things were in place here, there were no soiled clothes on the floor, no unfinished chips and cookie packets on the couch; fresh breeze blew in as the first rays of the summer sun reflected against sparkling floor tiles. The sheer space can get overwhelming to be honest, and the mirror-wall in the central dining area, adds more dimension to the place. With the orchids in a vase, and the newly added reading corner, we've grown even more in love with this place...I'd almost refuse to go anywhere else!

That evening, Maa-Baba came over to my workplace to pick me up :) So, I showed them around and we had some quick dinner at Thai Express and then headed towards Robertson Quay. Here, we chilled and watched the nail-biting thrilling Wimbledon finals between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. Just the previous evening, we had had a bunch of folks, we call the #StrathmoreFolks or the #ActiveSG team over for dinner. Maa is fond of the nice warm, homely group, some of them even from Pune/Maharashtra. So she was quickly drawn in to join the animated discussion; the rest of us enjoyed watching the match from a distance, sipping our drinks and having cheese with figs, pitted prunes and crackers. Some indulgence that. But, at this point, I must add, cheese platters at Da Paolo at Rochester Park and at Mozza Pizzeria at Marina Bay Sands, are my personal favourites, till date. Pran knows where to rush me to, if I'm ever low :D

Monday morning, I got up with a bad, throbbing headache; my sinusitis came in uninvited and for the first time ever, I couldn't get up without feeling giddy. Too bad, I had to visit a doctor and call in sick :(
Meanwhile, my parents-in-law had invited our neighbours over for brunch/lunch. They actually came over to learn how to make Chappatis from Maa :D They bond over "good old days", exercise together in the mornings, share knitting tips and even, celebrate birthdays/attend funerals together. It's amusing to see how warm and friendly they are with Maa; they even take her to the wet markets and ChinaTown shopping area. They reminded me of the unconditional love and buoyancy that my grandmum exuded - It was simply heart-warming to meet them in person, after having heard so much about them from Maa.

The next evening, I headed out with Maa-Baba to the Asian Civilisation Museum. This time round, they had a special display of relics from the Ancient Calcutta Museum - featuring different parts from Buddha's life. Furthermore, there were displays on the South East Asian history, culture, heritage and civilisation. As a student, I was always fascinated by history. I couldn't remember names and dates to save my life, but the sheer magnificence that surrounded all the stories was mind boggling. So the evening spent here, was enriching to say the least.

We had dinner at Sofra's, serving Turkish cuisine - right from pita/sesame bread with hummus; to flavour-filled kebaps, we sure did enjoy our meal. After which, the in-laws went in for a quick foot reflexology session. The gentleman there, remembered them from past years! For some bonds are not fostered by blood... We ended the day with a blockbuster movie - Bahubali at Jade. Primarily, an Indian crowd, it's always fun to watch movies here - for there are always going to be groups of people cracking jokes, commentating and what not - especially, the initial part - so much so, Maa who often falls asleep in the movies, was sitting at the edge of her seat, wiping tears of laughter :D The war scenes that followed were epic, so was their background score and to be honest, I'm definitely not going to miss the next part!

The next evening, after my morning shift, I came home to an empty house. The silence was almost eerie! The in-laws were at the Indian Heritage Centre and then grocery shopping, while I stretched my legs, and read all the kind comments on the previous blog post. I then made some South-Indian sambhar and stuffed okra for dinner. After which, we all had juicy lychees while listening to songs by veteran singers, on YouTube, on our TV - There's a certain charm to songs from that era that songs from today cannot allure.

Thursday evening, post-shift, we headed out and Pran joined us from work, too. We finally got Maa-Baba iPhone6s too :) Finally, all of us on Apple devices. Not to say, Android phones aren't smart enough but I guess our souls are already sold to "i". It was quite an exciting moment, and I got hugs and kisses showered upon. Yaay :P To top it up, Baba decided to treat us to some delectable wine. At Elements again, we smiled, as Pran and I had been here even when I had got Pran his iPhone6, almost year ago. The chicken wings were yum and we couldn't wait to get home to get the iPhones started.

Friday was Hari Raya - a public holiday. I got home after my morning shift. Yea, we often have to work on public holidays but I wasn't as bothered by that. For the poignant truth is there is no fixed time for people to fall sick and gravely sick, often. I wonder how the families come to terms with such morbidity and loss. Next year, on the public holiday, would they go on a holiday or would they mourn the passing away of a loved one a year ago... Their pain is much more, their fear much deeper - so I can have only compassion for all the people I meet that day; even if all the friends and family I know from non-service profession enjoy over the long weekend.

I was welcomed by my school friend and her mum as I reached home; was good fun recollecting fond memories from school time and all the adventures that we were a part of :D
After they left, I quickly made Vegetable Stew to go with the Appams, for the dinner later that evening. Maa had earlier prepared green chilli chicken and corn-palak curry. We had the gang over for dinner - these are people who've been Prantik's friends for over a decade and now, I've gotten to know them as well. Much fun :)

Saturday witnessed Baba being introduced to the fitness and health apps. This was the beginning of the family choosing Healthy Living, Happier Living. And I couldn't be more thrilled. :)

A week of doing the new and revisiting the old.
A week of having neighbours and friends over and chilling with family.
A week of loving my new family.

T-12wks