This was the Good Friday weekend and was an extremely relaxing one. Before coming to Singapore, my father wanted me to make some special meals for him and I have been trying to make at least one every week for him. This weekend was also both cloudy and sunny and so we alternatively switched on the air conditioning or switched off the fans.

Both GG & BB finally got information about their graduations and both will take place in early May. Unfortunately, both only can invite two people to attend the graduation, so only S and I will be able to make it.

Albert Einstein, widely acknowledged as the greatest and most influential theoretical physicist of all time, once said The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination. What this means is that storing knowledge and learning facts and formulae is not enough, but the motive of life is to think beyond the imagination. This is what differentiates the truly intelligent from the masses.

That’s all from me this week. Take care and stay safe!

April is here and the first quarter of 2023 is over! How were the first three months of the year for you all?

I spent the first two weeks of March in Bengaluru and so barely did much walking. The second half of the month was spent with my parents in Singapore, so again, all I did was the bare minimum. As of the end of March, I am still in Maharashtra and am less than 400 km from my Mumbai home.

I didn’t read much this month, only finishing four books, so I am a little behind in my annual reading challenge. So one goal in April is to make sure I read and read more.

Today’s quote is from Swami Brahmanada, the first President of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission. According to Swamiji, the mind is susceptible to suggestions and so it learns whatever you teach it. What this means is that what we want to do and achieve, all we need to do is keep suggesting the idea to the mind and it will achieve it by itself. This is very similar to the law of attraction where one needs to keep reinforcing an idea for the universe to make it happen.

That is all from me this week. BB and GG are on holiday and GG is waiting to hear back from universities about her applications. Every day we check the admission portal for any news. Please send positive vibes to her.

Take care and stay safe!

Today’s quote is from the American talk show host, Oprah Winfrey, who tells us that we get in life what we dare to ask for. What this means is that if we don’t ask, we don’t get what we want, need and deserve. And so we need to ask to receive and what’s the worst that could happen, they say no. Plucking up the courage to ask for what you need and want will pay off hugely.

GG had two admission interviews this week, but there is still no news from her first-choice university. I’m praying hard that she gets a callback from them soon. BB is still waiting for his enlistment letter after which we will know when he will start his national service.

My parents have more or less settled down in Singapore and are adjusting to life here. After arriving in Singapore, they were given a one-month visa, so we need to renew the visa so that they can stay here for the scheduled two months. We are planning to take them to some of the new places they have not yet seen, but that is for another day.

That’s all for today, stay safe people and have a wonderful week!

Hello again from Bangalore! We are still here in the south Indian city of Bengaluru where my parents have moved to a retirement community and the children are having a great time here. We are also doing a bit of sightseeing which I will share in due course.

Today’s quote is attributed to the Chinese philosopher, Confucius who lived between 551 and 479 BCE. He is traditionally considered the paragon of Chinese sages and his teachings and philosophy underpin East Asian culture and society, remaining influential across China and East Asia to this day. According to Confucius, we all have two lives with the second one starting when we realise we only have one life. This means that when we understand that we only live once, we can become free and start living. When we realise that the only thing holding us back is everyone’s expectations and measurements, that is when our one and true life starts.

The traffic in Bengaluru is horrendous, and as someone who has travelled to cities like Bangkok, Manila and Jakarta, I can safely say, Baengaluru can compete with them for the title of one of the worst traffic cities in Asia. And the best part is because the place where my parents live is so far from the city, going anywhere means sitting in the car for a minimum of an hour or more. But Bangalore has always been close to my heart and so I can forgive all the traffic. Being here has brought back so many memories of spending time with my paternal grandparents and going out with family and friends. Last week, at a coffee shop, I overheard some girls speaking and that typical Bengaluru accent brought such a smile to my face, BB and GG had to ask my why. It reminded me of being with friends in the city when we used to come here for our summer holidays and those uncomplicated days are always nostalgia inducing.

We are also back from a hectic trip to visit the Lord of the Seven Hills – Balaji in Tiruapati plus a couple of other temples and we were so tired from the hours of sitting in a car, that we took the day after we returned back to Bangalore as a day of rest.

Our trip is almost at an end and it’s been fun connecting with BB & GG and just being with them without the pressures of school and other distractions. The next update will be when we are back in Singapore.

Namaskara from India’s Silicon Valley, Bengaluru! We arrived here at the retirement community my parents live in now earlier this week and this was BB & GG’s first flight and overseas trip in more than three years. It’s also been that long since they have physically seen and spoken to their grandparents. My parents are also super excited to see their grandchildren and both grandparents and grandchildren are having a good time with each other.

Today’s quote is from the Indian Nobel Laureate, Rabindranath Tagore. It’s a beautiful quote where he asks people to let life lightly dance on the edges of time like dew on the tip of a leaf. I believe what Tagore was trying to convey was just like a dewdrop sits on the tip of a leaf in the morning, light and delicately, one should also let their lives live on the edges, lightly and able to change at a moment’s notice.

Since we just ended February, let me share my monthly stats with you. This month, I read less than I did last month – I read 10 books this month, mostly fiction, with a couple of non-fiction thrown in. I don’t think I will be able to reach much this month, because of my India trip, but I will do my best.

As for my steps and walking, this month I walked more than 200 km and am now somewhere between Wardha and Jalna in my home state of Maharashtra. I am about less than 600 km from my home in Mumbai and from there, to get to Bengaluru where my parents are currently living is another 1600 km.

That’s all this week. Next week, maybe there will some mention of the time we had in Bengaluru. Watch this space!