New Year, New Beginnings.

Before I propagate my manifesto for 2014, let me just update you on the finer aspects of the last few days.

1. 26th December: Dad comes to college, Me becomes excited emotional fool. Permission to go home denied. Hyperventilation and Lacrimal Glands start working overtime. Permission granted. "Long Drive Pe Chal" with music and college talk. Reach Bangalore, hunt for Bhopie ki ghar in the semidarkness of JP Nagar, finally make it. Hog on Pizza after months. Chat about hostel life, freedom (in Bhopal) and the lack of it (in Shimoga), academics and the surprising joy of it, friends and close friends, sponge bobs in Shimoga and dignified debaters in Bhopal (*wink wink*). I felt reconnected with a part of myself which I thought I'd lost after I joined medicine. Turns out it still exists, surreptitiously hidden in the recesses of my brain.
   
2. 27th December: Bid adieu to the baboon by name Sanjana and head home. I was pleasantly surprised and touched by Di ki Christmas Tree (all decked up with Ma's help) and she'd made greeting cards too! Rest of the day was a sleepy haze and evening we went shopping in BSK, had good ol' Golgappa and added a few more specimens to my jewelry collection.
   
3. 28th December: Morning session passed without much ado. Oh yeah, I got an ECG, a Sonographic scan, post and preprandial blood tests, and an X-ray too. Shockingly enough, I have a near perfect report. Post lunch we headed to Vnagar where I convinced Ajji that she needn't feel so sad for me and she is convinced that she convinced me to give up on coffee. Sleepover at Atthe Mane where we stayed up much later than we ever had. :)
   
4. 29th December: Sunday began on a sleepy note, was interjected by ample sleep in the noon and culminated with Dinner at The Village, Central JP Nagar. It was a risk that I took by suggesting this place, but luckily we all had a great time and a lot of different dishes at our own pace (which is rarely the case in most restaurants these days)
   
5. 30th December: I can't seem to remember how the mornings pass. I mean, seriously! Evening Ma and I watched Dhoom 3. Watching movies has become a surprisingly fun event with Amma. I rarely go with anybody else either. The rest of the evening was mildly unpleasant but fairly overshadowed by the movie.
   
6. 31st December: Morning was doing Divya duty for a while, shopped for survival food for the hostel, met Maidha and we went to Sapna where I purchased:
1. The Krishna Key: Ashwin Sanghi
2. The Tell Tale Brain: VS Ramachandran
3. The Lowland: Jhumpa Lahiri
4. The Red Queen: Philippa Gregory
5. An Anatomy book which I think will be useful for me.
   
   Plus, Mama has lent his book 'The Siege: The Attack on the Taj' so I'm really hoping to get back to my reading habit when I get back to College. Primarily this is another way of spending my time usefully when I'm not studying or sleeping. I MUST make time for reading these books (plus the books that I brought last time!), even if it means lesser networking with friends.
   
   Each time I come home, I realize that I've stagnated to some extent and I try my best to overcome this. Here's to a lot a more reading in '14! (Academic and non-Academic)
   
   After book shopping for myself and a curiously docile Divya we headed to PH for the usual hogfest and it was a hearwarming feeling to hang out with my beloved Sheepie once again (It reminded me that insanity is a very normal phenomenon that strikes the best of us! :P )
   
   Post this, I came home, began the arduous process of packing my bags and retired to Dreamland as usual. Later in the night, we headed to PV for that rare family dinner that passed quite eventfully (thankfully). Good food and good conversation makes for a great time :)
   
   And thus, I began 2014 while putting Di to sleep, convincing her that the fireworks that she could hear were infact her own imagination and that all little kids were in bed and she should go back to sleep too. :)

Here's hoping for a better tomorrow, good health and much happiness to anybody reading this. May this year take you one step closer to achieving your goals and realizing your dreams, May this year give you the endurance to overcome the tough times, enjoy the good times and work for betterment. 

On a personal note, I hope I can be dedicated to my choices, loyal to my friends, and faithful to my own values.