No Wrinkles

My nieces are at the age where they just make an impromptu video call on WhatsApp and can go on for a long time. But it has been a while since I had spoken to them as they were busy with school and exams and such. I had sent them a selfie when I had received my reading glasses and I was trying to smile and take a selfie at the same time. I am very good at multi-tasking except for taking a selfie and smiling at the same time. I have never got that right and trust me, I have tried it way too many times and have failed every single time. Something about seeing yourself in the camera and trying to smile and yet thinking about the composition… never works for me. I applaud every single one of you who can take a good selfie.

So last week, when my nieces called, the first thing my niece said to me was “Your face looks so nice and so smooth…no wrinkles”. I wasn’t sure where this was coming from and why I wouldn’t have wrinkles. I am at the age where when I try to concentrate or when I try to smile or laugh you do have wrinkles on your forehead and your mouth which are otherwise called laugh lines. Also, I wasn’t sure if this was a backhanded compliment of sorts. So I asked her what she meant about wrinkles, she told me that in the photograph I sent with the reading glasses on, my face was full of wrinkles and that I looked old but now when they see me on camera there isn’t any and I looked the same as always. I couldn’t help but laugh and be surprised at the same time.

The more I spoke to her I realised that they still see me as the person from 5 years ago. They are surprised when I look a little bit haggard, especially on a bad day and show my age. They are not able to understand how I could age so much in so little time. By the time I finished the call with her, I felt so much older 🤣. I hope that when I move back and they see me more often, these kinds of comments will reduce (not expecting it to cease but at least reduce).

Time flew by…

Where did the three weeks go? I start school again and it feels like I haven’t done all that I had planned to do during the break. I did a quick trip to Canterbury for a day and complete an online course on Autism and ADHD (to gain more insight into those areas and to see how I can help with those kids in my school). Not to mention killing myself during that three day yogic course. Other than those the weeks just flew by and here I am into another term and almost close to a year of my teaching career and much closer to becoming a year older too. Good lord, I am getting older faster than I thought 😁 But I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Never been so jetlagged

Never have I ever felt jet lag so much in my life. Ever since the trip to India was booked, I have been working on settling things and getting things done that I hardly slept. Except for a couple of hours sleep during the flights, my days in Bangalore and back here in London were filled with packing and unpacking. I have literally slept for straight 12 hours the day I landed back in London and still  managed to sleep another 10 hours the next two days. Sign of old age? Or the release of stress of finally moving my base to London? I am not sure. But I am eager to get back to having normal sleep times and to be more active than I have been these past few days. 

My blogging has taken the brunt of it and I am yet to check on a lot of posts which I have missed over last two weeks. And given that so many interesting things have happened around the world I am eager to check on the posts. Hopefully, this week will be the week when I settle down a bit. 

An end and a beginning

It has been almost 14 years (more like 13.5 years) since I joined my current company. This week will be my last week there. Finally, after saying goodbye to a lot of my colleagues, it is now my time to venture out. It is quite a long time to spend in an organization on the same team, even though we have had different managers, the teams have been merged, reorganized etc. The worst and some of the best years of my life has gone by during that time.  I have worked in 2 other organizations but only for a limited amount of time. I hadn’t made any friends there. Acquaintances…yes. Friends, no. This is the only place where I have made friends and have retained them too. I have people who care about me and help me whenever and wherever possible. Like any journey, I have had people leave and new people join. But the best part of it is the experience. The experience of seeing the organization grow, the successes and failures, the growth of the people involved, all of it. The end of my Vanvasam (reference to Ramayana, where Lord Ram was sent to the forest for 14 years), as my manager put it 😉 or end of my Vanvasam & Agnyatavasam (reference to Mahabharata, where the Pandavas were in the forest for 12 years and 1 year incognito) which might be more appropriate in my case.

Now to the beginning of a new age. Literally. The big 4 O. Even though I don’t feel it yet, it is still a fact that I just crossed the big 4. Nothing dramatic happened. Maybe just the weather which turned a bit dull and rainy but the sky is slowly clearing up. I hope when I am back from India in a fortnight, I will come to a sunny spell. It is going to be a very short and very hectic visit. Given that I have 1001 things to do and not have enough time to do it all, my blogging might take a hit.  I might have my usual weekly prompts scheduled in place, though. Hopefully, there won’t be much of dramatic changes in the world until I am back. Stay safe and Happy Blogging.

 

 

Wordless Wednesday