T for Tag, R for Retrospection

An alphabet tag is moving around in the blogosphere. A letter is assigned and one has to write about 10 things one loves that begin with that letter. Now Apar assigned me Q, Vishesh allotted B and Willow tagged me with M. You know from now on once I am tagged for a meme, I will put up a header image declaring “TAGGED FOR XYZ MEME” ..on the lines of shouting “don’t touch me” when someone tries to give you a new pinch. Hope you all know the custom of new pinch 🙂

Few weeks ago, Sulz had asked for help from her readers. She needed topics to blog about and I had suggested that she can write about “Ten good things that you have done in past one year. or maybe ten lessons that you have learned in past one year.” After reading her post I was impressed by my own suggestion and decided to write a post about my lessons. So I have decided to incorporate this tag with a round up of the important events of my life and the lessons I have learned in year 2008.

B for Blog :- I began blogging actively in May 2008 and boy, was I glad to discover this wonderful world!! I discovered a new talent inside me, made some very good friends and received a lot of awards for blogging this year. People actually like what I write!! Wow!!! Yooo hooo!!! Lesson learned – Its never too late to discover something wonderful inside you. If you have it, people will appreciate it.

B for Bon voyage :- My sister went abroad in Feb 2008 and I did not know how Sis and I would deal with the separation. But long video chats and cheap phone calls made it lot easier. Thanks to Skype and VOIPRaider. Also having busy lives helps. Time flies then. Lesson learned – Absence makes the heart go fonder if the love in the relation is true. Hail Internet!!

B for Bench :-

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —
I took the one less travelled by,
and that has made all the difference                   ~ Robert Frost

In 2008, I made a huge and difficult decision of doing a second Masters in Engineering. Huge in the sense that it meant convincing parents for more studies when my friends are getting married and for tolerating people’s incredulous looks.  Difficult in the sense that pursuing another course would demand time, hard work and balance with job. Lesson learned – Things worth having are worth the effort. One has to do what one has to do.

B for Backbiting :- In 2008, I had to face lots of backbiting and mean politics at job by few colleagues with whom I don’t see eye to eye. Sadly, this will continue in 2009 too. But it helps if you are a good teacher because all these fade in comparison to the love and respect of students. Lesson learned – “A fly may sting a stately horse and make him wince; But one is but an insect and the other is a horse still” – Samuel Johnson. Meaning – A person of great stature does not lose his greatness because some insignificant person says disparaging things about him. 🙂

B for Break :- In 2008, I and my parents took a break from the monotony of life and went on a trip to Vishakhapatnam in Diwali vacation. Lesson learned – On the next trip to Vizag and nearby places, go for atleast 5-6 days especially if there are aged people with you. Do not go to Araku  or any hilly place for that matter if you suffer from motion sickness. 😦

M for Management :- After becoming the  faculty in charge of the departmental student body, my team of students, my group at work and I organized two events at college both of which were huge successes. One was a dance competition and another the yearly branch function in which I performed on stage for the first time in my life. It was a group song by teachers. But this offended few of my (male) seniors. They felt less important. Lesson learned – Being the lady in charge is a real pleasure. If you want something to be perfect, you have to do it yourself. But as you can’t do everything, you have to reduce the obsession with perfection to keep people working for you 🙂

M for Moral Police :- In 2008, I faced one of the most creepiest incidents of my life. A late night moral policing from a weirdo and that too without any fault of mine. It was scary and frustrating. Lesson learned – Note down the number on the bike first. Choose your battles. In India the repercussions may be not worth the fight.

M for Movies :- 2008 has been a year of some wonderful movies. My pick for the best movie of 2008 will be Kung Fu Panda. Its just too awesome!!  The biggest disappointment was the postponement of  Harry Potter and Half Blood Prince. 😦 Lesson learned – When in tension or depression of any sort, watch an animation movie. 😀 Works every time.

M for Multitasking :- This year I have juggled so many tasks at once that I am assured of the fact that I really am a Gemini.2008 has been a very busy year. Lesson learned – Get a pocket memo…mental notes can lead to data loss if one day your brain decides a time out. Its ok to be busy but always unwind once a month by taking a day off.

Q for Quest :- In 2008, the eternal quest for peace of mind finally began to see a light on the horizon. After few years of emotional stress I feel my mind is at peace now. Peace that comes out of trust. Lesson learned – Trust is the most important thing. God does listen to prayers.

Q for Question :- 2008 has been full of  both questions – personal, professional, academic and answers too which I have sought out myself; except the academic ones which were found in books 😀 Lesson learned – Wrong decisions are the ones that are easy to make. The right ones are usually hard. The right answers are always there in our subconscious minds..sometimes we just choose to ignore them.

Q for Quit :- I quit the tag now. 🙂 Lesson learned – When tagged, do it asap so that others can’t tag you. Even if they do, tell them you have already done the tag. 🙂

I am not tagging anyone. Whoever likes the alphabet tag or my idea of writing a post on lessons learned in past year is free to do it!!

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