Watching and OMGbusy

Where was I? In India right?

But then I'm too busy and we took a million pictures (about 6000 actually, crazy right?) and life's too full on.  Also, now I'm here I'd post some piccies but my harddrive is crapping itself and won't show my pics to me so I can choose a few to show to you.  Next time.

I've been sneaking in blog reading while I'm driving to and fro from all my multiple roles.  Very naughty, but I try to read only at lights and when stuck in traffic jams.  But, when I read blogs on my phone I can't comment 'cause Feedly is weird with comment boxes and so is Safari and I've been watching my bloggy friends have crappy awful dreadful times and not commenting not because I don't care but because life is too hectic.

I've stolen a night here and am posting and commenting up a storm.

I was horribly spasm-y and in pain all through May and then in June we went to Tuscany for a week, followed by France for another week.  Imagine that! Two international trips in one year.  I could get used to that.  Except I got dreadfully ill on the plane over there and stayed sick (got a weird virus, lost my voice and was exhausted and flat) the WHOLE time we were away.  Loved Tuscany (again), love Italy full stop. Visited the town my Grandpa was born in.  Loved that too. Loved the Loire.  OMG CHATEAUX. Azay le Rideau. OMG. Chateau d'Amboise OMG-er.  And then we went to Chenonceau. OMG-est.  I can't believe it's a real castle and not a movie set. Extraordinarily beautiful.  Paris did not stir my heart as much as anywhere in Italy though.  I expected to adore Paris, but I merely adored the shopping. The rest I liked.  Except Sacre Coeur which was very beautiful, which I was not expecting at all.


So, other life...

Work is cray-cray as the teens say. In fact it's all cray-cray.

TLG is not little. He's 10 now and I am dying for the love of him.  He's sugar and spice and all things nice, without the bows and pink and ribbons because he's a boy and that rhyme got it all wrong - there's no slugs and snails in my little love.  He's playing footy, which he adores, and doing really well.  His team is awesome good and will probably make the finals!  School is ok, he got a crappy effort report which has inspired lots of conversations about "listening ears" and "quiet mouth" and "actually DOING your work" from me.

TBG is also playing footy which is super-stupid as he's so ancient. He's hurt himself in 5 out of 6 games he's played. Also hurt himself in training sessions. Hurt so bad, he limped around Europe with a torn Achilles. But he loves it and is very cute in his footy uniform and refuses to stop playing saying his body "just needs to get used to it"!

The middle guy is no longer middle sized.  Though shorter than tBG he is far heavier and has been made to exercise now.  This appears to kill him as he would much rather be left alone in his room to read manga cartoons and eat lollies. He failed some exams which was super-wonderful as he'd done NO prep for them and he thought he could just skate on though. Ummm, no. You have to know maths and sciences (the subjects he's picked) in order to be able to regurgitate them. I was actually very happy he failed the exams as (hopefullypleasegod) he'll learn from this (finally) and actually pull his finger out and giveafuck about life besides manga and lollies.  Who knows.

The perfect princess needs a new moniker because she's no longer reaping the benefits of a nailed position as perfect child.  She's full of imperfections which completely expected. I'll call her The Teen Angster (TTA) from now on.  If she can angst about something she will. Briefly. And then she moves right on seemingly having instantly forgotten her angst-i-ness. Weird.  I do remember how strange it was to be 13.  Full of awakenings and ill-defined longings and a need to be thought of as grown-up. While being completely childish still.

I am working in a hospital this year diagnosing kids in the paediatric developmental disabilities clinic.  If public work wasn't SO shockingly paid I'd think about doing it full-time.  But no. The hourly rate for a hospital psych is atrocious so if I do it in my future career, it'll be strictly part-time and basically for the altruistic good of the public.

PhD is going along.  Nuff said. Anxiety rears it's head too easily if I think about it.

There. Braindump and catchup done.  One of my cats just brought one of my slippers almost to me while meowing.  She does that. I just wish I could train her to bring both of them all the way to me.

Night night dears.

Superwoman cannot exist

If you haven't read this post from Mel, then you should.  It's awesome.  I'm going to quote the best part here.

"Essentially what we’re asking women to do, and shaming them when they can’t, is to be superwomen.  We should not get pregnant as teens because that would not be socially responsible, and we’d be a burden on the system because we’d possibly require social assistance.  THEN we should go to college and set ourselves up for a sweet career because women! can! do! anything! and! they! should! do! everything!  THEN right as we’re building our careers, we should settle down, preferably with a man because then we’ll be able to get right into the unassisted babymaking (not that they’re making any heterosexist commentary with these campaigns, right?), while working the full time job.  THEN, because we’re young and fecund, we’ll have said baby, while not taking any time off (because maternity leave is annoying to everyone judging by the sighs people use when they discuss someone in their office going on maternity leave) but breastfeeding exclusively (because don’t you love your baby?) while simultaneously spinning multiple assignments at work.  And volunteering because you don’t want to be a dick and not volunteer.  And hosting dinner parties.  And still having sex with your partner (we’re assuming he’s a man — though don’t call us heterosexist just because we are).  And making dinner for that widow at church.  And calling your mother.  And throwing a pinterest birthday party!"

Yes indeedy, the Taj Mahal was astounding

Can you even believe I got this shot! What symmetry. It's an unbelievable building in person. Photos can't capture the size of it, nor the beauty.

Mum looking back at the side of the Taj from the Mosque.

Looking down the archways at Agra Fort

The mirror tiles of the Maharani's astoundingly beautiful dressing room which we saw secretly.

Looking through to the Taj from the window in the Red Fort that Shah Jahan was locked up in by his son. We were told that once the Shah's eyesight failed he was provided with a mirror that reflected and magnified the Taj so he could still see it and that he died looking at the Taj. Interestingly the Western history of the Taj Mahal is very romantic and many myths surround it. From what historical records tell us (or don't), Shah Jahan did not dismember the wrokers or blind the architects, nor was there ever any evidence of the alleged Black Taj. 

Sunset at Fatehpur Sikri, an abandoned palace complex. Akbar the Great spent so much time overseeing the building of this complex only to leave once it was completed as there wasn't enough water (and also the region was militarily unstable). It was beautiful to note that throughout the palace Akbar had honoured the religions of his wives, we saw Hindu, Jain and Islamic symbology mixed together all through the place.

OMG Wow - India Part 1

Long time no write peeps.

India was amazing.  We all loved it, no one got horribly sick, we had extraordinary experiences and fell in love with the whole place.

Goodbye Australia!

Hello river cruise in Bangkok - lots of fun, beautiful land, we have friends there so we stayed with them and were thoroughly spoiled.

Kolkata - noisy, dirty, alive. Our first taste of India, only one night there in transit. Kids were flabbergasted and horrified and delighted all at once. So were we adults.

 We visited the Mother House, this is her grave. Beautiful sentiment.

Next stop Varanasi, the peaceful Mother Ganga and beauty in old ruins.

More to come.
xx to all

100,000 rupees will make a difference

We're off to India in 2 days. Prepared as much as possible and bearing a huge donation for Seva Mandir.

I am so delighted that I had the idea to fundraise and that it happened - double what I hoped for. We can make change. We are making change.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!