While it's true that time flies when you're having fun, I think
most of us agree that time flies, period! My refrain since I've moved
to Mumbai is that I don't have time. But perhaps I should re-phrase that
to say I don't have the energy. If I take a closer look at how I spend
my days, there are pockets of time to check Facebook
(hadn't been on it in weeks until recently), or upload pics to Flickr
(haven't done so in MONTHS), or to do any number of the other things on
my to-do list. At the end of the day, when faced with a choice
between reading a few pages of a book/magazine or going to sleep, and
getting on the computer, I regularly opt for the former. I talk to a LOT of people every day as part of my job. Only now am I realizing how draining that is.
August went by in a blur of enjoying
normal work hours after a very busy July, and adjusting to a new routine
with S starting pre-school. M and I took advantage of a holiday, and went on a morning movie-date to see the big Eid release Chennai
Express. It's neither thought-provoking nor award-worthy, but it sure
was fun. I just don't make it to the movies often anymore, so when I
do, I enjoy it. Hindi movies shown in India don't have
English subtitles, but M had fun too. And to top it off? Upon exiting
the theater, we were interviewed by a reporter from The Times of India
about what we thought of the movie, and our names and comments showed up
in the Mumbai Mirror section the next day! I will (eventually) post a
pic of that newspaper blurb.
A few days later, S started pre-school. We prepped him by talking to him about it frequently in the
days leading up to it. We also took him shopping to pick out a new lunch
(well, snack) box and water bottle. I went to work a couple of hours
late his first two days, just so I could be there for my baby
starting pre-school. It was an adjustment, but nothing too dramatic, and
a month+ into it, it's obvious he really enjoys it. Per S's request, M
had to wait in the lobby for about 15-20 extra minutes for a few days
after school started. But even that's ended now. S is already showing signs that he is a product of two very independent
people by being very independent himself! I will do well to remember that over the coming years...
We decided to go to Ahmedabad for a long weekend, to
spend time with family and relax. It wasn't the same as my
cousin/niece was hospitalized due to dengue, but we still managed to
have some fun. I spent some of my energy worrying about her, some of it
worrying about whether one of us would get bit by a dengue-carrying
mosquito, and some of it trying to manage family expectations for us to
come visit them. My niece has fully recovered. We did not get dengue,
although those mosquitoes are not limited
to any one particular place, and the only thing you can do is use insect
repellant regularly. The challenge of balancing relatives'
expectations for us to visit and/or call with lack of time/energy
will continue I think for the entire time we live here. Wish me luck. The Indian holiday of Raksha Bandhan took on a different tone this year. I mailed a rakhi to my brother (who I typically see in person for this occasion), and got to tie rakhis in person to a few of my cousin brothers here, which was nice.
That was August, and here I am telling you about it when September is almost over. Guess I better start writing about September!
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