A Year Gone By

A year gone by, many a times is that mile stone that provides some of us the needed excuse to look back, assess the happening and at times allows us to wonder how much did we travel, if at all we did....

After very many years, felt that the year gone by was not brilliant..... yet when I looked at the fine print, there were sure a few stress points... the year started with an imminent closure of the business line I was involved in, the element of uncertainty that brought was one, another was I had gone on not only to like the city (as I had never done before-best part of my life I had not liked Chennai too much)I also went on to make a few good friends after many years ( For a long time until then had not made many new friends who would belong to my inner circle so to say). Just as much as I missed home and family for the period I was away, and looked forward eagerly to get back, leaving Chennai and the bunch of friends did add to a few stress lines.  Add to that, an unexplained estrangement of a  friend. On the home front, the wife had challenges far larger on her work front,which saw her in quasi government agency offices,and police stations more then in the clinic through the first quarter of the year managing the owner (whom we saw in poor light to say the least) of her then premises.

Having said all of that, I had more reasons to celebrate. Through the clinic-landlord fiasco the wife found a lot of support from local residence associations and the elders involved. We found a lawyer in a friend of ours, Geeta-who was a huge blessing and was instrumental in the end game in finding closure with out us loosing out financially. The wife went on to find a good place on the same street keeping disruption to the minimum.Mid this year started writing on my blog, though sparse (in quality and quantity) it is something I have enjoyed.

2011 saw me take some of my best road trips, started the year with a couple of memorable drives through
the western ghats, a birthday that started in Pondy and ended in Chennai with a few friends. A Chennai - Allepey-Cochin-Chennai drive with one amazing night in a home stay on the back waters of Allepy and the next evening was a nice a time again joined in by Anoop's dad as well (a person in some ways I had been looking forward to meeting..having heard so much references of him, from Anoop). A Bangalore - Goa drive and week's holiday at Soul vacation in Colva. A holiday that saw us do nothing but laze, soak in the beach and the resort pool and yes watch the whole Star Wars series under the able guidance of Arun. (According to him- one needed to watch the series with a bona fide star wars fan like him). It was fun.Mid year saw another awesome drive to Kukke Subramanya with whole family and towards the year end was Bangalore-Shirdi and back over a weekend with a friend of many years. Finished the year with a drive to Kerala and back with the wife and a cousin of her's. Though the occasion for the travel was not bright in itself, the trip was fun...pretty much bid adieu and welcomed the new year on the roads...

The biggest celebration being, it was the year that brought me back home after close to three years of being away. Folks doing pretty well...The little chap doing well in so many more ways then one, is huge cause of celebration and a million other blessing to count and be grateful for........

As is the nature of life one looks forward to a fulfilling 2012... More challenges to overcome, a lot more to learn and so many nice people out there to meet with.... and like Loony wished us (Anu, Beboo and me) long nice drives across the country

Good bye 2011..... Come on in 2012....