Part - !!!! (Where it all came together!!)

It has definitely been a while. I attended Mood Indigo or a part there of for the first time since leaving college. (Well, attended might actually be a rather strong word... let's just say it so happened that I landed up and MI was going on at the same time.) The thing that persistently and forcefully made itself felt was that two and a half years is a lifetime! Yes, there are few other things that could make you feel old as clearly and mercilessly :-<.

I guess the old bit hits you whenever you get back to campus, once all the immediate juniors etc have also passed out. But during MI the number of people you don't know is just huge! Only, now, I cant tell if I don't know them 'cos they are from outside, or they are simply too young (or conversely, 'cos I am too old :|).
But, since this is the time a lot of people collectively chose to inflict this ignominy upon themselves, I managed to run into a fairly large number of my old batchmates :). And there were others who managed to land up in town by some magical coincidence. Met almost half my department batch. And guess what the occasion was? Yet another had gone and got hitched :).

And I bought books!!! Had found out while on the road trip itself that Game World book 3 was actually out! (A friend of a friend had managed to grab a copy :D.) Found The Unwaba Revelations in the very first book store I looked!! So the GRRM that I'd barely started will come to a grinding halt while I do a Basu 1 - 2 - 3 :D. While at it, I got a series I'd been looking to get for a while now, Asmov's Robots. So I guess I'm set again for a while on that quarter.
For a million reasons it does feel great to just kick back and relax for a bit surrounded by so much that is different, but nonetheless familiar. And given the time of the year, I'm spending a some of it wondering exactly how it is that this year is poised to be over almost before I even realised properly that it had begun! I was asked recently if this year had been better than the last. And after thinking about it forever, I still didn't know. The two obvious upward spikes in happiness levels, Sydney, and the recent Kiwi road trip should probably be enough to settle the question, but I don't know...

Back in Invercargill, definitely while under the influence, I recall telling a visiting senior company executive about how all I really needed was maybe a week's worth of time when I really felt good, in a whole year, to consider myself satisfied with my life. I was clearly overestimating my powers of resilience :). Note to self: in future when country/area/regional operations managers are around, keep your mouth shut!!

Oh well, this is the first time in three years that I actually have New Year's Eve plans! Nothing crazy, just dinner with some old friends.... :) I think I'll go with it's all well if it ends well.

Currently: living in a past that's disappearing fast
Listening to: Fiona Apple - Never is a promise