A lot has happened between the last post and this.
Olympics and Paralympics were a great success.
The summer has been glorious.
We finally did a mini Europe tour, with family.
After over 6 years of working in the Western side of the world, I faced redundancy.
A work culture where redundancy isn't much of a taboo, when compared to the eastern side of things, its not much of a news.
Working in the City, in the investment banking circus, its no news.
I worked in a small firm, which was doing very well - so well that it attracted attention from the big fish in the US of A, and there was a buy out.
Inevitably, majority of the staff was slashed.
Losing job is not a happy affair, but when all are sailing in the same boat, the pain is dulled.
(And with a more than handsome redundancy package, the pain is numbed! ;-) )
The last month at office passed in a blur of discussions, team lunches, outings and leaving drinks.
Once there was nothing else to do, I realized there was so much to do!!
Late mornings.
Cooked breakfast and freshly brewed coffee.
Morning playtime with little K.
Walks with friends.
TV lunches.
Window shopping.
Wardrobes to be cleared.
Furniture to be dusted.
Kitchen to be tidied.
Plants to be watered.
New recipes to try.
Afternoon naps.
Swimming on a week day!
More relaxed weekends - more family outings!
Hanging out with friends over tea.
Going to the park, library, mall , swimming pool with little K.
Pre and post dinner chats with C.
Late night movies.
Long phone calls with mom and sis.
Tine for evening prayers and lighting a lamp.
And books - lots and lots of books.
With train to catch and office to reach - Kindle was the saving grace to reading books.
But the joy of reading a book is like sipping wine.
You can't finish it in one go, neither can you leave it untouched for long.
Its best enjoyed leisurely.
This break has rekindled, renewed the bond with books.
I dreaded the time when there would be no office to go to, no routine, no schedule to a day.
How wrong I was!
I have discovered that household chores have their own charm.
Baking a cake provides just the right amount of distraction when you need one.
Arranging a bookshelf helps you organize your thoughts.
Hoovering, ironing, folding clothes becomes a form of meditation.
Small precious moments, which slip by unnoticed in a busy day - little K wearing shoes all by himself, C asking help with his cuff links - now become the high notes of a good day.
Having more time for myself, has helped me give more time to my loved ones.
Redundancy has helped me slow down, and take a good look at things that matter, things that really make a difference.
I liked my job and enjoyed it. But what I have found by losing it, is more precious.
Time will come when this relaxed routine will make me restless, and I would want to go back to a full time job. But for now, this redundancy suits me just fine!
Olympics and Paralympics were a great success.
The summer has been glorious.
We finally did a mini Europe tour, with family.
After over 6 years of working in the Western side of the world, I faced redundancy.
A work culture where redundancy isn't much of a taboo, when compared to the eastern side of things, its not much of a news.
Working in the City, in the investment banking circus, its no news.
I worked in a small firm, which was doing very well - so well that it attracted attention from the big fish in the US of A, and there was a buy out.
Inevitably, majority of the staff was slashed.
Losing job is not a happy affair, but when all are sailing in the same boat, the pain is dulled.
(And with a more than handsome redundancy package, the pain is numbed! ;-) )
The last month at office passed in a blur of discussions, team lunches, outings and leaving drinks.
Once there was nothing else to do, I realized there was so much to do!!
Late mornings.
Cooked breakfast and freshly brewed coffee.
Morning playtime with little K.
Walks with friends.
TV lunches.
Window shopping.
Wardrobes to be cleared.
Furniture to be dusted.
Kitchen to be tidied.
Plants to be watered.
New recipes to try.
Afternoon naps.
Swimming on a week day!
More relaxed weekends - more family outings!
Hanging out with friends over tea.
Going to the park, library, mall , swimming pool with little K.
Pre and post dinner chats with C.
Late night movies.
Long phone calls with mom and sis.
Tine for evening prayers and lighting a lamp.
And books - lots and lots of books.
With train to catch and office to reach - Kindle was the saving grace to reading books.
But the joy of reading a book is like sipping wine.
You can't finish it in one go, neither can you leave it untouched for long.
Its best enjoyed leisurely.
This break has rekindled, renewed the bond with books.
I dreaded the time when there would be no office to go to, no routine, no schedule to a day.
How wrong I was!
I have discovered that household chores have their own charm.
Baking a cake provides just the right amount of distraction when you need one.
Arranging a bookshelf helps you organize your thoughts.
Hoovering, ironing, folding clothes becomes a form of meditation.
Small precious moments, which slip by unnoticed in a busy day - little K wearing shoes all by himself, C asking help with his cuff links - now become the high notes of a good day.
Having more time for myself, has helped me give more time to my loved ones.
Redundancy has helped me slow down, and take a good look at things that matter, things that really make a difference.
I liked my job and enjoyed it. But what I have found by losing it, is more precious.
Time will come when this relaxed routine will make me restless, and I would want to go back to a full time job. But for now, this redundancy suits me just fine!
