alice's peephole

I read a grandma’s blog today- that’s right- a grandma’s BLOG! It all started with a project at work- I needed some information, and google only gave me a 1 line definition. Then I came across this blog by “Ugich Konitari”. Even through an impersonal portal like a blog- a Grandma’s serenity came through. Her wealth of knowledge wasn’t sitting locked up at home. It was a lovely post, with pictures and all. She had 179 followers! That’s 35 times that follow my blog!! But after reading it, I started envying the grandkid that, in my head, helped her create it. In retrospect, it’s possible that she that even made it herself. Either way, it made me miss my Grandma. She passed away a couple of years ago. When I was 10, she was diagnosed with cancer. She was already 80 then, and the doctors gave her about 2 years more. I think I was lucky to have overheard this shocking news. Then on, I was so afraid of losing her, that I cherished every moment I had with her. Every year my family spent...

At this time last year, I was waiting eagerly for what I was sure would be the best experience of my life. Surprisingly, I never stopped to think about what would come after it was over. I was riding a wave of optimism and naiveté. The ugliness I had seen did nothing to reduce my enthusiasm. I started applying for jobs; sure I would get picked up soon. The following months were the most difficult of my life, so far. The thing about a job is, when you don’t have it, it defines you. You are- in a word- unemployed. It’s like your CV is your price tag, and you are sitting on a supermarket shelf, while everyone just keeps passing you by. Most of us can’t enjoy the break at all. We fret and worry and obsess, and fall into a pit of self-doubt. I know I did. We have all the time to do the things we love, but they don’t seem so enticing anymore. I was very lucky though. My mom forced me to enrol in a Master’s course, and insisted I follow it through. Even when I had 2 dream job offers i...