Mixture.

What have i been up to since New Years?

Well, i spent the 31st and 1st in Chennai with a bunch of friends, came back to Bangalore to spend a weekend at K's, then another at G's.

Finished a couple of pending tasks, fretted a lot about my missing marks cards and degree certificate (as an aside, Mom found it this morning, buried under her lesson plans from yesteryears; now i have to keep my part of the deal with God and do what i promised to do), made inquiries about yoga classes, swimming classes and gyms, finished other mundane jobs.

Spent two days as a beggar, with just 75 bucks in my bank account.

Maxed out my credit card after blowing up 10,000 bucks on sarees.

Have been shuttling between Hyderabad and Gulbarga since the 16th, catching up with aunts and relatives i thought were now folklore.

Spent the first birthday away from home. I'm officially 27 now - the idea that i'm growing steadily old hasn't hit as fast as the fact that there are so many things to do and see while there's so little time for all of it; that every moment, starting now, is precious and is going to be dedicated to living, to capturing the richness of life's joys and the relationships that it helps us create.

And a whole lot of other such philosophical BS.

Brat Pack threw me a faux surprise birthday party complete with decorations, two cakes (of which one was Mickey Mouse's head), samosas and Biryani. I also happened to talk to the boy - sorry, ex-boy - for an hour and a half at least. International, mind you.

Met more relatives today, all dressed up in a full-sleeved salwar kameez. Re-lived the old days when everybody was together and so...young and full of adventure. Figured that i was the point where the Old City of Hyderabad meets the New City, and that i live both lives with almost equal ease.

Wished, prayed, beseeched God to change the rules of the game - that people should never grow old, because it's very heartbreaking.

Decided to come back to Hyderabad for at least 15 days again in the near future, renew long-forgotten family ties, capture the relatives for posterity in photographs, learn interesting stories from their lives and compile all of it into one big family book.

Yeah, i'm in that kinda mood. Especially after being given an hour of intelligent lecturing on marriage, where i could do nothing but keep uttering the Old City equivalent of 'Arrey!' because every word spoken made absolute sense.

I discover now, that just when i thought i knew where i was headed to, i lost my bearing.

And to top it all, i think i'm gonna be one tooth short soon. Thank you, Ice Cubes. This is what i get for loving you so much.