Or is it a preface, to yet another beginning.
You see the muse is back, or so I shall assume. :o))
Thanks to Alok for gifting me a Compaq Presario, makes it so much more easier I guess.
So on that note, I'll start by doing an afterword to my entry dated March 2006 :
My Wishlist of March 2006
1. Go parasailing, snorkeling and river rafting
2. Write religiously, unfailingly everyday
3. Lie back on a hammock by the beach and read, read and read
4. Live by the sea/ocean
5. Contribute towards making a little more difference in the lives of the unprivileged
6. Keep a pet turtle, a robin, a squirrel and a cocker spaniel
7. Spend more time with nature-watching penguins waddle and woodpeckers at work
8. Last but never the least, spend quality time with my lovely family-Alok & Arusha
So here we go:
1. Go parasailing, snorkeling and river rafting
###Hmmmm...I didn't go parasailing, I didn't go river rafting either, but yes! I did go Snorkelling and Scuba Diving. And Scuba sure walks away with the laurels.
Spent a cosy New Year with Alok and Arusha at Aniloy, in Batangas, Philippines and we wraped the year 2006 with a dive and welcomed in 2007 with another. Sheer bliss!!
People, you have to experience a dive to believe how awe-inspiring and breathtakingly beautiful it is as you plunge into the gorgeous depths of the deep, dark yet so very divine sea. Who wants to go to heaven, when god already gifted us a readymade one, right here on Mother Earth!
It all actually started with a Snorkelling experience at the Bohol islands, our wondorous Haloween getaway. Alok and I went snorkelling thrice at Bohol, and still craved for more of the sea, and it's calming effects and most importantly it's amazingly wonderful creatures. That is yet another anecdote that needs extensive elaboration-in yet another post!
Then Aniloy happened; as we were winding up the year, thanks to Arnel, better known as AA; our travel agent friend who sent us to Bohol. Even little Arusha all of 8 plunged into a 15 feet dive! Alok and I were taken by the deft dive master for a 30 feet dive, the first time on, and then the New Year propelled us 45 feet down under. The most incredible experience during my dive was, when the puffer fish blew up at me into a big balloon, as I tried mollycoddling it to become my friend. Fortunately, the Jelly fish spared Alok this time on, except for one odd sting. (He had managed to get stung by many at Bohol you see!). They seem to stay away from me-maybe they like me a tad more. But Alok was amazing on his first dive. The dive master didn't have to guide him through-he dived mostly on his own, very much like the snorkel at Bohol; where I thought he had mastered the sea in his own ways.
If you are thinking of "Finding Nemo" make sure you go for a dive. The clown fish, or Nemo, the name we know the species by; is all over the place savagely protecting the Sea Anemone-one incredible symbiotic relationship. The clown fish lives in the mesh of the anemone.
My next dive was without Alok, as much as I wish he was there. He would have savoured this experience, just the way I did. This part of Aniloy was more picturesque than the earlier one. The reef homes a plethora of sea creatures. Rachelle a friend and an ace diver took Arusha and me there. What an incredible experience that was! Words wouldn't suffice to describe the beauty I was beholding, in the deep realms of the gigantic sea. There were shoals and shoals of fishes around us-maybe 100s of different varieties per shoal. These eclectic beauties would put the prettiest woman on earth to shame. The grace with which they navigate the sea and twirl around as a team is worth mentioning here. I couldn't help but notice their team spirit. Completely applaudable.
Yet another worthwhile experience during the dive was, feeding them. They all trouped and clamoured to catch the biggest bite, some straight out of my fingers. At one given point of time I thought they'd cover me into their warm envelop, like a fish jacket of some kind. If there was one!
Later as I traversed further I played tease to one pretty sleek thing, trying to finger and play a frivolous game of sorts and she or was it a he; almost threatened to bite my finger off in digust. Her big black eyes still haunt me! My third dive lasted over 45 minutes to an hour, by then I was beginning to even shiver in my wet suit (the dive suit, as it is called). But one part of me was thirsting for more. But since rules are rules and an intro dive only lasts 30 minutes, but thanks to Rachelle we got away with a longer duration; I had no other choice but to relent and come back to shore, to a sumptious Filippino cuisine.
2. Write religiously, unfailingly everyday
## No prizes for guessing I didn't stick to that one! But hope is the beginning and so is the muse. Will continue to give this wishlist my best shot.
3. Lie back on a hammock by the beach and read, read and read
## Haven't been lying on that hammock by the beach and reading, but have spent some very treasured moments by the beach, so what if I was just making sand castles, instead of reading.
But I did manage to get back to my reading in 2007, though minus the hammock! Have read some of the most incredible books- both Khaled Hosseni's gems-Kite Runner & A Thousand Splendid Suns, Sydney Poiter's -Spiritual Autobiography, Suketu Mehta's- Maximum City and many, many more.
4. Live by the sea/ocean
## We don't yet own that tiny little cottage by the sea, but we live in a place which is actually close to being our “tip of the iceberg”. We live on an 8th floor apartment that overlooks a tiny patch of sea, a n eagle's eye view; closeted between the TNT office and a management institute. The Singapore nights usher in a breathtaking view of the glimmering lights from the ships docked by the shore, recreating a Diwali of some sorts.. And the sea breeze spares no single moment in ruffling our senses and filling our home with it's crispy fragrance and sending our windchimes into a rather tinkling Sea Salsa, of some genre.
5. Contribute towards making a little more difference in the lives of the unprivileged-
## Partly achieved, so I would like to believe; from the 52 episodes of Radio Programmes I worked on in my prior job, and which are being aired on AIR and have recieved a very heart warming response from it's audience and are slated for a repeat telecast. These programmes are designed to drive home the importance of Health messages to the rural audience of UP, the Northern state of India. But, very much like Mr Frost... I have miles to go before I sleep, and would like to keep the efforts ongoing, unfailingly.
6. Keep a pet turtle, a robin, a squirrel and a cocker spaniel
## Yes we had two very lovely turtles- Bertie and Turtie, back in Manila. But had to give them away, given the emargo constraints. Now they live happily in a tank at our Scuba friend, Rachelle's place in Manila. A robin looks unlikely and so does a squirrel now, but yes a doggie might happen someday- though I am not sure if it will be a cocker spaniel, as I've taken a prediliction for other breeds like Pug, Shiatsu etc. Someday!! Hmmmmmmm...:o)
7. Spend more time with nature-watching penguins waddle and woodpeckers at work-
## We managed to do parts of that on our holidays to Bohol and Aniloy, in Philippines, and quite recently at the Singapore zoo; which really is remarkable. Just that have to figure out more ways to catch the Penguins waddling or doing a Happy Feet jig!!
8. Last but never the least, spend quality time with my lovely family-Alok & Arusha-
## Yes, three of us have been doing lots of that since we again got back together after our transit in May'07, and prior to that while in Manila, and yes, there's more to come. And me thinks, the time and moments spent with family are one of the most gratifying experiences life has to offer.
Life really is beautiful. And I am greatful to the guy up there, who is very generous. It warms the cockles of my heart to say that I managed to fulfill a major chunk of my 2006 wishlist, if not all of it. Thank you dear God Almighty!
Someone rightly said, “You just have to believe and you can.” And kudos to the Addidas sign off that proudly proclaims “Impossible is nothing”.
You bet!!
So I continue to dream...
