As a fitting way to end the month here, I decided to take part in the Gratitude Circle post series, co-hosted by fellow bloggers Vidya Sury and Corinne Rodrigues. The premise is pretty simple: every fourth Thursday of the month, we submit a post expressing gratitude for the things in our life that have made us happy this month.
And August has certainly been an eventful month for me. So without further adieu, here are some of the things that I am grateful for this month.
These are some of the things that come to mind when I look back upon the month gone by. Can you think of things that made you happy this August? Well then, jot them down and add them to the August Gratitude Circle list (open till September 23rd) like I and the others have done. I know I would definitely love to read them and share in the moments of happiness in all your lives rather than listen to the sorrowful news in the media right now.
And August has certainly been an eventful month for me. So without further adieu, here are some of the things that I am grateful for this month.
- I joined a new work place a short time back and while it can be scary relocating and starting life over, I am happy that I have an awesome department now which makes me smile and gives me the confidence to take on new challenges case-wise.
- Students! Yay! I finally have students again after over three years. Deep down, I really think I would prefer to be a teacher. So it is wonderful to help newbies (Scrubs reference FTW!) as they start off their internship.
- One of the books I am published in ( Love: Lots of Volatile Emotions ) is going into reprint. My story in that one that is typically me- 'a whimsical joke-a-minute take on a love story occurring inside an operation theater... and how I try to stop it!'
Do check it out here - ROAD TRIP! We have been friends for close to 16 years now. We started off as roommates back in 1999. We have failed and passed together, gone on hundreds of trips together and over the years grown from freshers in a medical college to become a trio of an ENT surgeon, a physician and an anaesthesiologist. We have spent over a dozen New Years since 1999 with one or the other and ended up visiting half a dozen states along the way. And even today, in 2015, we still make time off from work to go on a road trip for a friend's wedding, giving me my first glimpse of the 'Venice of the East' Alleppey.
When we first met in college, there were no mobile phones for selfies like this.
We used STD/ISD booths and listened to audio cassettes. Yes, we are 'THAT OLD'!! - The WhatsApp group of the authors of the national bestseller "Love Stories That Touched My Heart" has been in fine form too. Everyone seems to have gotten into the 'meme' craze and it is absolutely hilarious. After a stressful day at work, watching these super-creative minds tease each other using instant memes would bring a smile to anyone's face.
- Ah, yes. Home made food. After a lifetime of eating hospital canteen food, it is pure nirvana! Don't worry. In the coming month, you will be seeing a lot more food pics here.
My personal favourite: Ladyfish fry / Kane / Nongal - The blog hit 9,00,000 views this month! This is significant because less than 90 days ago, I was celebrating the blog attaining 6,00,000 views after 9 and a half years. Goes to show you what one viral post can do.
- A 'weekly rendezvous' with a dear friend to unwind after a long week at work is also very welcome as I get to just sit, chat and be myself as we discuss movies, shows, life and everything else under the sun.
- Online friends and relationships are highly underrated, if you ask me. With every month, I find my bond with friends I have made online strengthening further. New people mark their presence in my life too which is heartening.
- After a very long time, I finished reading a book cover-to-cover in a single go (Micheal Conolly's A Darkness More Than Night, if you must know). Am now looking to get back into that habit once more.
- Booked my tickets for #WIN15, India's Blogging awards and conference ceremony. The first ceremony held last year really did mark a turnaround in my life as it opened up a crazy bucketload of opportunities for the rest of the year after I had won. I am so looking forward to catching up with friends who are fellows bloggers and seeing them win this year.
- Back at home, Snoopy continues to entertain. He has become more affectionate now since he has realized I won't be there at home all the time. One of the things he has learned from his doberman buddy, Victor, is to nudge me when he sits besides me so that I know that it is time to start scratching him.
I would love to hear any captions you could think up for this pic!
These are some of the things that come to mind when I look back upon the month gone by. Can you think of things that made you happy this August? Well then, jot them down and add them to the August Gratitude Circle list (open till September 23rd) like I and the others have done. I know I would definitely love to read them and share in the moments of happiness in all your lives rather than listen to the sorrowful news in the media right now.
Thats a beautiful and complete list ..Enjoyed going through it and brought back some memories especially the weekend unwinding with friends.
ReplyDeleteTrust me. I have a plan for exactly that coming up. The one thing this blog hasn't had (after dabbling in everything else from fiction to travel) is food. Its time to rectify that before the 10 year anniversary :)
ReplyDeleteSuch a lovely list. So glad to have gotten to know you Doc. You touch so many lives, and looking forward to meeting you at WIN15
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the new workplace!
ReplyDeleteOh, and keep the food pics coming in.
That's really essential. Work can really drain you and you do need some form of an outlet for the stress or else you will explode, I always feel
ReplyDeleteHahahah mine too! So I added a food post recently, and a travel post. Now the only things missing on my blog is sports :P
ReplyDeleteThere's a cricket match on right now.. U can talk about the cricket or how Ishant Sharmas Adams apple looks like a cricket ball itself! C'mon! We must have a sports post from ya! :)
ReplyDeleteHahhahaha, no XD
ReplyDeleteAwesome.. Looking forward to seeing you too :)
ReplyDeleteYour list is truly delightful. I can think of one pathetic pun for Snoopy's "Pet-icure". ~grin~ I'm sorry. That was terrible. What a sweet puppy face!
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you for the kind question about my mother's delayed surgery upon reading my humble gratitude post. I feel you deserve a full answer if you'll forgive my expansive reply. Her preferred knee surgery is invasive, which leads to few willing to perform it.
The whole thing started with a knee replacement when her leg gave out. Supposed pre-existing stress fractures resulted in the knee replacement breaking both leg bones above and below the new joint. But this was not known until therapists tried to make her stand. Delayed communication and other health concerns such as a follow-on blood clot and a still-mysterious dangerous drop in blood pressure halted further assessment for months.
Now I understand that the highly sought surgeon will install a different prosthetic knee with posts going up and down into the bones for stability. It should enable mobility but the procedure risks a high infection rate. I'm cringing as I write this while wishing for the will to investigate further. I'm trusting my beloved sister-in-law (a skilled long-term RN) to aid in that department as well as my beleaguered elderly parents' decisions.
Options including doing nothing and keeping her in a wheelchair or stiffening the leg. That latter is my preferred choice but it's allegedly difficult for a person nearing her 80's to regain ambulatory skills. So we are in limbo for now and the insurance company may send her home by the end of this week.
Please forgive me for venting so extensively and do not feel compelled to reply. I just wanted to give my fullest response to your query.
Blessings to you and yours! And congratulations on the reprint. I should read your tale.
Reprint... Wow! That's awesome and congratulations too. Read your story in Railonama today. Loved it! The fish looks so tempting and snoopy is so adorable!
ReplyDeleteMr Snoopy steals the show... everytime :P I love my whets group too... they just go absolutely crazy sometimes :D congrats on so many achievements :D
ReplyDeleteDamn... I am really sorry for what you are going through. I guess I am just not used to seeing this aspect of medical care. I work in a medical college in India and regularly work with patients well past their 80s. Even today, infact, my last case of the day was a 87 year old woman with a horrendous fracture of the femur. It is so frustrating to see it not work out on both factors - neither a proper diagnosis nor an insurance aspect. The part where you say they stopped assessment for months sounds crazy to me and yet, I know it is probably normal protocol there.
ReplyDeleteTake care. I sincerely hope things work out and at a much faster rate than this.
Hey, cool! I actually think that Railomania is a very underrated book.. so many wonderful tales of the rail system that everyone can relate to.
ReplyDeleteAs for fish, well - rest assured, September is gonna have a lot of food posts for a change, starting with today :)
My kindle book is titled Railonama. Am I reading an older version? Is Railomania its new title?
ReplyDeleteSigh... chalk it down to my old age :/ I meant to write Railonama... didn't even realize I wrote Railomania till you mentioned it. Time to look at retirement home brochures, me thinks...ooh, these aching bones.
ReplyDeleteThere will be more Snoopy pics in coming days, I assure you. :)
ReplyDeleteReprint? How awesome! Loved your list - travel, friends, books - happiness. Snoopy is cute :) Happy September! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks :) happy September to you too :)
ReplyDelete