On Sugar Paper

1. A new job with the pay I want. I can't believe how little people pay. People studying in premier institutes are getting paid unimaginable salaries for managing a mere ten people and probably some spelling errors in a computer programme. But if you want to change the country's education system by influencing a hundred teachers and therefore a few thousand students- you be happy with a few thousand rupees because you are so noble anyway. Why corrupt yourself with money?  2. Picking up: I have been a bit down the past week. Yes, I have been reading, knitting, cooking and yelling at builders to get the elevator fixed but other things have halted. Today, I promise you, is a new day.  3. What does it take to start an organisation that one wants to stay invested in? Yesterday I tried to list the various factors- telling everyone that you have started something, a long term goal and vision, sustainability. Maybe this is what is required. Of course, passion, interests and ...

Leo Tolstoy, in his manifesto, advices himself to live the same even if he becomes ten times richer. I asked a few people what they would do if they became ten times richer and these were the responses I got: a. shift to a 100 percent organic life. b. retire c. take care of my nephews and nieces d. pay back the loan on my house e. travel the world f. start my own business The first response in this list is mine. So, what would you do if you got ten times richer? Same slow and peaceful life!  

Moving into the new house has meant leaving our little kittens behind. There were three kittens and one mother cat who made our life easier in our short-term rented ground floor apartment. It was the first time that we were living on the ground floor and for the first time had 'pets'. These stray cats came into our lives and taught us what it meant to love selflessly. It was not all that selfless though. Love, always lets us get much more than what we can give although love is not always transactional. But these kittens with their antics and cuteness, gave us enough back. There were three kittens- Poosha, Brave and Limka and Toppy (short for Top-Cat) the mother cat. Roxanne, came over to photograph them one day. She met only Brave and Limka. Ready to see the most beautiful kittens in the world? Hey! Hi! Thanks for the sausage, but I need my dose of little insects! Oh, is that what you call a camera? You think I am cute? Wait, till you see me do this....

I finished reading Albert Espinosa's The Yellow World in record time. I decided to have a reading marathon one day and finished a lot of the book. The premise of the book is that there are people who come into our lives for a short duration for a very specific purpose and then they leave. They are not friends and not lovers. The 'relationship' is short and provides the two people a very fulfilling interaction. Such people are called 'yellows'. I never engage in conversations while on a train journey. I love it when I am allotted the side upper berth as that seat is my quiet haven. Its provides the kind of private ownership that is not possible in a public train. I was on a side upper berth on my trip from Calcutta to Mumbai. There was a family consisting of parents and their two sons and another grandpa-grandson duo in my enclosure. There was one more quiet person and then there was me. The family was Catholic, spoke Konkani and were on their way to Karna...

I have developed this new habit. I wake up every morning and look at my phone first. This is a strict no-no at home. I don't look at my phone first thing, unless I have a call or I have woken up late. But these past two months in Malaysia- almost every single day it has been 'good morning phone!' The reason for it is actually reasonable! My sisters would message me before they would go to sleep which is two hours after I have slept hence I would wake up first thing to hear from them. Sometimes, VM would leave me some messages too. But most of the times, I would wake up to check messages from work- is there something I need to know before I start my day in order to prepare for my day and so forth. To be honest, there would never be anything I would have missed had I not checked my phone, first thing.  These last five days, I did something entirely different too. Watched videos on Youtube for two hours at a stretch- now that I never do. I mean NEVER. I might watch a movie for...

Before I left for Kota Kinabalu, I left my huge suitcase at KL airport. My suitcase is really big and I was a bit nervous about travelling with it.  The day I left KL was the day I left a lot of my friends behind. The previous day I was talking to one of the Fellows of TFM. She told me that once all the 'externals' (a word for foreign staff) leave she would feel helpless and sad. I told her to think of the fact that 78 Fellows and so many staff members will still be around. Whereas I was the only Indian in the organisation and I was returning all alone. I was leaving everyone- staff, fellows, friends. That statement truly hits me now. I am going to KL tomorrow to collect my luggage and to take a flight. Two of my best friends in the organisation came to send me off that day. They were with me at the luggage drop off. When I go back tomorrow I will feel extremely nostalgic, I know. I will relive some of our last conversations together and some experiences- like the restaurant wh...

I am on my first solo trip of my life. I chose Kota Kinabalu in Eastern Malaysia to be the place where I would continue to challenge myself. It has been two days and I have been having a great time. But here's the thing. I just find it unbelievable that all I have to do is think of which place I am going to visit next.  There is nobody waiting for me. No email waiting for a response (yeah, one), no work waiting to be done, nothing to worry.  I don't remember the last time I experienced this. At the moment, I am sitting by the sea and I am completely alone- there are a few birds, butterflies and a gentle breeze for company. And lots and lots of healing time for my mind.