20.12.2007

Daddy makes me want to write

I just rang home again as it is eid today, which I found out from a yogini friend so that shows how closely I follow our religious days. I spoke to mum and dad, mum was so cheerful as she's flying to Istanbul tomorrow with Rahman. Dad really dislikes the cold weather so he's staying in London and having a well deserved break from mum's nagging. Its healthy for both of them to be apart time to time, then they realise how much they still love each other when they reunite.

Anyway, I was telling him about the Vedic astrology and how each day has a significance and people have certain beliefs in those qualities. For example Monday is the suicidal day, Tuesday is a bad day, and Wednesday is a good day and so on. According to this you don't have a haircut on a Tuesday, start a new business and in astanga yoga you are never given a new posture on a Tuesday. He said he will ask his Patel friend about this, made me smile.

Then there was obviously the same old conversation about me "wasting my year, my most productive year" according to dad. He kept asking what I will be gaining and what will change. It was fun when I turned the tables on him and said "well dad, why don't we discuss our gains from this year for me and for you when I return back to London", he laughed. I know deep down that he is very proud of me and my stubbornness. He still thinks I should be writing a book about my experiences, little does he realise that the book will be about my dad and our phone conversations. Arrgh, I love him to bits!

But as I was walking home I was already thinking about what I had done today. When I did my vippasana an integral part of it was about reflecting on the day, what have I done, what have I learnt and what I could be doing differently. Well, unfortunately I don't reflect very regularly as I may be busy chatting to people at Suprabatham until late at night, reading a book, or simply daydreaming. But my reflection happened as I walked from the restaurant to my room. Here is what I did today:

5.00am alarm went off but kept on hitting the snooze

5.45am I actually got up, showered and out on yoga clothes

6.15am I arrived at the shala, spoke to Christina for a bit, filled up my bottle of water

6.25am I started yoga practice

8.30am I had breakfast (rice puttu, orange/carrot juice) with Mandy, Paul, Christina and Denis

9.30am I returned to my room, showered, faffed on my computer, did some laundry and hung it on the terrace

10.30am I went for a massage at Unni's

11.45am I returned to my room for shower

12.15pm I walked to the German Bakery

4.15pm I left the German Bakery (In those 4 hours I had veg pakhora, mix salad, French fries, masala chai and tea fizz; and read, spent time with Paul, Andy, Lisa, Bev and Simon)

4.30pm I arrived at the shala to finish my book (A thousand splendid suns)

5.30pm Pranayama class

6.30pm I went to Suprabatham for dinner and had channa masala and brown rice

8.00pm I rang home to talk to mum and dad

8.20pm I showered

8.30pm I started to write….

I agree with dad sometimes that I ought to something in my life than have one year of holiday, which is still fine as it would be a life experience meeting people, connecting and sharing but I did that 5 years ago and time seems more precious now. I try not to be too ambitious and overly exert myself by doing too many things, however on the other hand I don't enjoy floating unconsciously through time either so it'll be back to books soon and a bit of personal development.