I'm Good at Frisbee Starting Yesterday!

I went to the park with the family yesterday. We packed our dinner and drove 15 mins to a waterfront park in a neighboring town. It was a lot of fun! We played spud and we ate and then after dinner we threw around frisbees. AND I WAS GOOD!!! (I have NEVER been good at frisbee tossing and all of a sudden I was!) Ah, good times!

I drove to the library so many times today..it's kinda weird. I had to return some stuff that was due yesterday so I had to get there before they opened. Therefore, trip # 1 at 8 am. THEN I had to go back to take out the exact books I returned because me and my sister hadn't finished reading them. Hence, trip # 2 sometime later. Then I had to go to the park to pick up my brother and since the park is right across the street from the library, I stopped by to return the movie that was watched just before I left. That's a grand total of 3 trips to the library!

Speaking of reading, I am still working on Corelli's Mandolin. I really need to get some more reading in or I'll never finish! It is taking me forever because I keep doing other things around the house. And it doesn't help that my sister spends her days with her door locked so nobody even bothers to ask her for anything anymore. Everyone automatically comes to me with any question, complaint, or observation. Really, it gets quite annoying.


I just watched About a Boy with my siblings. They haven't seen it and I love it so it makes for a perfect night! That movie is really incredible though. I don't think a better part can be conceived for Hugh Grant. He plays the role extremely well and I find that watching it again and still believing the character underscores how naturally he fits the role. Simply amazing (and irresistible)! I think the story is such a beautiful one. No matter how many times it has been recreated, it is touching and heartwarming and really makes me think. I may get annoyed of the family but it's still a blessing to have company. I should really appreciate the positive more than I accentuate the negative.

Alright well that's about it for now! Time for bed =)

Catch-up on a hectic week

Wow! Definitely thought not having a job would amount to a lot more posts! Sorry for the long absence..I have been creating a makeshift job for myself. I am currently a 7th grade, 8th grade, 9th grade, and 10th grade teacher! I am trying to help my cousins adjust to speaking English the American way...I make them watch movies, read aloud, do grammar drills, and write essays. (When I write it out like that it really seems like a lot of work haha..It's for their own good! I'm not being mean or bossy I swear!)

Mornings and evenings have been spent going to prayer and in between the two is when school is in session. The good thing is I'm getting used to having all these people around. I can tolerate the noise a lot better and the tolerance factor is definitely increasing. I played volleyball and cards and board games with the kids in the past week.

I think one good thing that comes out of all this is that my brother and sister are maturing. They weren't immature (at least not more than the average kid anyway) but they definitely had some growing up to do. I'm glad they're learning from having all these kids around. Now that's taking 'taste of your own medicine' to an entirely different (cruel and unusual?) level!

Our lawn mowing people that we hired ditched us. Our lawn is too much for them so they don't wanna do it anymore. So two days ago, I mowed most of the lawn and my uncles helped too. But then when we refilled the oil we put the wrong kind so the lawnmower got mad at us. Now there's a randomly located square patch of grass that hasn't been mowed. Oh well! Maybe I should've tried this with the lawn mowers:


My exercise lately has been a lot of sports. We put up the volleyball net for my sister's backyard graduation party so it's been up since. I play volleyball and badminton and soccer (who knew a volleyball net can be a soccer goal too?!) It's been a lot of fun. That's one of the benefits of having so many kids around...we can actually play team sports!

I've found that getting well adjusted to having so many people around is making life a lot better. I actually look forward to playing with the kids and helping the adults in the kitchen. I make jokes and I talk to them about anything on their minds. It's nice to have the company and I know I will miss it when I am buried in books in a month.

Oh so on the med school front...one of my roommates has decided to withdraw because she got accepted to another school. So now we are on the hunt again for a roommate. I'm not too concerned though cuz financially I wouldn't be responsible for her portion (I hope?)

Well now I'm gonna get some reading done (still workin on corelli's mandolin)..I haven't had enough time for myself lately so I need to take advantage when I get it!

My Glass is Optimistic

Ah so I have some good news that can also be considered bad news (half full or half empty kind of situation..Okay I have to say the thought that I'm tempted to say: Democrats think the glass is half full and Republicans think the glass is theirs hahah) Okay and now a funny, semi-relevant picture:


Okay so back to my news. I don't have a summer job anymore. The company I was working for realized that they aren't as understaffed as they thought and they don't need my help as much as they thought sooo I "can spend some time with my family before I go off to medical school".

I don't blame them for not keeping me...I mean I did have enough time to read two entire books all during work. I just wish they thought it through before hiring me because it's gonna be hard to find a job for a month now. I could've had a summer long project but one month is tough. I'm gonna start looking today though. I don't really care if it's a job or a voluntary type of thing but I just need to be doing something. I can't sit around the house all day with nothing to do. So here's to my search!

Today my brother started his internship at the state assemblyman's office. It's kinda weird seeing him grow up so fast. I can't believe he's already interning at places! I think having these India kids here really makes me see my siblings in a different light. How mature and grown up they are really strikes me when I have a bunch of preteens to compare them to. I think there is a difference in maturity in kids that grow up here and kids that grow up there. In some ways, my cousins are more mature than my siblings. They always know to help out with everything and they can understand a life of struggle better than we can. But in terms of decorum and emotional maturity, there's a huge discrepancy. Now on the decorum front, I completely understand that they don't subscribe to the same societal rules that we do so it's unreasonable to expect them to get the hang of that right away. But the emotional maturity---that one puzzles me. There are points when the 15 year old is fighting with the 6 year old and I'm standing there wondering which girl is which age. There are certain things you can tell those kids a thousand times and they will still never get the hang of it. They aren't as open-minded as kids here and I think that's gonna make it tough for them to adjust to life here. They have a huge transition to make and the more open they keep their minds, the easier it will be for them. I hope they are able to see that soon and able to make the necessary changes. Ah well, I guess whatever fate has in store for them..

Time for breakfast! More later (since I don't have a job or anything haha)

Refreshed!

Things are getting better at home. I am getting used to having all of these people here and I am able to tolerate them a lot better now. It's still loud and sometimes it can get frustrating. I don't think anything external has changed, but I have made a lot of internal improvements. I don't actively get mad at them anymore and I don't get annoyed by the little things anymore. It's a lot better now that I don't concern myself with every thing that goes on in the house. I only butt into things that affect me and the rest of it...I couldn't care less (hate when that phrase is used wrong haha)

Not much going on in life in terms of interesting stories. I go to prayer in the morning, go to work, come home, go to prayer in the evening, eat dinner, and then come home and hang out for an hour or so before I can't keep my eyes open any longer. It's a pretty straightforward routine with barely any curveballs. I have figured out that I can hang out with my brother and sister at night before I go to bed. That's pretty much the only time I have to spend with them since I'm not home during the day. And the best part about that time is that it's just us, not the other gazillion kids too. I really am glad I have that opportunity.


Also, I started reading Corelli's Mandolin. I REALLY like it so far. I forget how far in I am (it's been a hectic weekend) but the book is so interesting. I don't know how he does it but the author is able to include some of his more philosophical thoughts within the context of a fiction book. It's also very funny. The man is brilliant! More when I read more =)


Oh and I'm listening to Blink. I decided to try out the audiobook medium since I've never really done that and I have a long ride to work. It was kinda hard to keep paying attention at first. A whole track would go by and I'd realize I wasn't REALLY listening so I'd have to replay it. But I got the hang of it. I think it's a better alternative to the radio which, after a few days, REALLY gets redundant. Plus it doesn't help that I'm not a fan of that Pitbull song that every radio station has the urge to play, every 20 MINUTES!! Blink is an interesting book though. It's about the snap judgments we are able to make without our conscious processes even being aware of them. It's interesting because the 'sources' he uses are a marriage counselor who within a minute or so of witnessing interactions between a couple can predict the fate of their relationship, a car dealer who has met immense success in his line of work, paleontologists (that's probably not the right word but whatever) that can tell when an artifact is a fake in just a glance, and the like. It's an interesting concept and the different mediums presented are varied enough to keep it interesting.
Alright I'm really getting tired now. I'll write some more whenever I next get the chance!

Hecticity

Ah a lot happened in the past few days..It's been a hectic week for my family. Two days ago (Thursday) I got into a car accident..nothing too serious but my car needs some major repairs. I was slowing down with traffic and the car behind me wanted to switch lanes but she wasn't keeping an eye on what I was doing, just on the lane to the right. So she rammed into the back of my car. I was driving an SUV and she had a small Volkswagon so her car pretty much went under the back of mine. My exhaust pipe is bent and smushed up and the rear passenger side light doesn't work. And the tire may be misaligned. So that car is pretty much not safe to drive right now.

Oh and the first thing the tow truck guy says to me...."Are you a fan of Michael Jackson? He just died." Uhhh, WHAT?! I think I may have been more shocked to hear that than I was when I heard the sound of the car smashing into mine. It's kinda weird to think that he's dead. Like, I'm no huge fan or anything but who doesn't like him, you know! And regardless of any individual opinion, he is definitely an icon, a legend. It is weird when people that represent a certain time or era pass away.

Ah so that was Thursday. And then Friday, my sister had an allergy attack because she may have eaten something with peanuts (the allergy, allegedly). She was having difficulty breathing and so we ended up at the emergency room for a few hours. It wasn't anything too serious but it definitely scared all of us! She is fine now, just exhausted and resting up.

My guru has arrived and I have been going to morning and evening prayers everyday. It makes my day longer and a little more tiring, but it's definitely the most welcome part of my summer. The big program for our religious group is on July 4th, which is next Saturday. So there's a lot to do in the upcoming week!


Yesterday we had a palkhi, which is a parade of sorts. A palkhi is a platform on which an idol is placed. There are a few wooden stick type things jutting out that are carried on the shoulders of a group of men. (See picture above) We had a bunch of people playing the drums and we were all singing and dancing down the street. It was a lot of fun. I love when we have those because it makes me feel like I'm in India. There is colored powder being thrown and bells jingling and people clapping and dancing and singing. The only clue that we're not in India are the onlookers from the neighboring streets that want to see the festivity. It was a really great time!


Oh and one thing I've neglected to mention..I read Better by Atul Gawande. I really liked this book and recommend it to anyone who wants to be a doctor, or really, just anyone (but especially if you wanna be a doctor!). It addressed performance in a field where lives are on the line and every decision carries a considerable weight. The topics discussed are very interesting and well put together. Every chapter has a sort of general setting in which medicine is practiced and a different aspect of performance analysis is brought to light in each. It was thought-provoking but nothing too scientific, making it accessible for all audiences. I just really enjoyed reading it and I'm hoping to read his other book, Complications, sometime soon!

Now I have to get started on the dance for next Saturday..

Noise, noise go away

Did we fit this many people in my house?

Ah, things are hectic. Way too hectic for my taste. I am busier than I've been in a long time (maybe even more than I've ever been!) and it's overwhelming. I don't know how my parents are able to keep their composure and energy up. I come home from work, mentally drained from the boredom. My eyes are seriously glazed over as I walk from the hospital doors to my car, and even along the hour drive home. I look out but I don't really see anything, I don't focus in on anything.

I come home and then I help out in the kitchen, preparing for dinner. Then I help serve the three families that dine together. And then I eat within 5-10 minutes and start cleaning the kitchen. By the time the kitchen work is done, it's like an hour to an hour and half before I should go to bed. Should being the operative word there (in case the italics didn't do it for you) And then I finally sit down on my bed, waste a bunch of time on my laptop, sleep way too late and then wake up groggy. The working life sucks!

Which is why I can't wait to get back to my familiar routine of studying! I am seriously so bored by the life I live right now. I get alone time at all the wrong times and when I want the peace and quiet more than anything, I'm surrounded by a horde of kids. It is ridiculous!

Oh and I haven't played tennis in over a week now. I don't know if I'll be able to play anytime soon since there's always so much to do around the house (and my Jimminy Cricket LOVES to work overtime!) I need to figure out a new workout schedule. I don't even wanna bother trying to use the on demand videos I get because I know every single person in the house will just sit there, observing me as I (try to) contort my body into whatever shape the shapely pilates instructor effortlessly adapts. Privacy is a lot to ask for these days.

I guess the bottom line is:
Anuja, where are you?

Pomp and Circumstance

Today was my sister's high school graduation! I was a little late because I went there straight from work so I missed some of the beginning stuff (guess I lucked out hehe) but I made it in time for all the important stuff. Yup that's right, I heard them announce all four hundred and some graduates, of which I knew...three. Either way it was interesting because I actually missed my high school graduation. We left for India the day after my prom so I wasn't here for graduation. I guess that made this a little more special for me, because since it's the same school and a lot of the same teachers, I felt like I was graduating! I saw a bunch of teachers I've been meaning to visit so that was nice!

After the graduation we came home and had a really hectic dinner (I don't know when dinner won't be hectic now that we have 15 people eating together!). One thing I'm not a huge fan of is how noisy the house is. There are always a lot of people in the house and they are always making noise! I miss the quiet and the solitude. I am really appreciating the alone time I get when I drive to and from work. I miss having time to myself, to collect my thoughts and just daydream. Even now, as I type this, I can hear every word that is being shouted downstairs and I just wish I could go somewhere more isolated at night. Ah, well it's only a few months..

Tomorrow morning I am going to sign my lease for my apartment for med school...I think the changes that are going on in my life are a lot more realized when there is tangible evidence attached to them..Signing the lease tomorrow will really drive home the fact that I will no longer be driving home after August. It's so weird to think that I'm moving out again and that this time, home won't be my bi-weekly (or whatever the word for every two weeks is) retreat. I'll have to stay at school more because of the exams and studying. It's gonna be different, that's for sure..

I know most of this post seems like I'm not happy with where I am. That's not the case. I just have some adjusting to do. Things at home are different and pretty soon, my home itself will be different. It's just a lot to grasp and having work all day doesn't leave much time for grasping. Ah, I'll get it by the time I have to leave in August. Okay I am so tired now so off to bed!