To watch a baby grow...

Being able to watch Baby Live Onan grow during these past few months have been fascinating. She's just a few months old and is has just learnt to pull herself across the carpeted floor in pursuit of some exciting-looking toy. She's just sprouted a couple of teeth and has learnt that biting her hapless father brings her immeasurable pleasure (especially when he hollers in mock pain). Most of all, I love it that she's grown comfortable with me. I believe I could spend hours just blathering baby-speak to her. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said "We find delight in the beauty and happiness of children that makes the heart too big for the body." The more time I spend with this kid, the more I can't help but agree.

Some of you may be wondering how I fared in the final exams. Well, I don't actually know how I did in those exams. But I do know that I got HP grades for three classes and an SP for one class. HP stands for High Pass and SP stands for Superior Pass (the highest grade). I am satisfied with my performance given my academic input. There is a part of me that is rebelling at not getting SPs in all the subjects....but what do you do?

A bunch of my friends are heading to India. I shouldn't be envious - I just got back from India over the summer. But I can't help it. Being able to go home and spend time with family is such a wonderful thing. So I will be envious but wish all of you guys a wonderful holiday. Remember to have fun and eat lots of food. And don't fall ill.

I was talking to Live Onan about the Israel-Palestine thing recently (He's a cornucopia of political information) and felt pangs of helplessness to do anything to fix a problem that should never have happened in the first place. Is the solution to go back in time and decide who did wrong first? Or is it better to forget the past and work in the present to come up with an amicable solution. Either way, the path is not easy and I don't see solutions coming about unless there are leaders are can be strong, sensible and to some extent dispassionate. Wishful thinking, right?

Term 1 is over

After a week and a half of frenzied studying for final exams, term 1 has come to an end. The exams were not as bad as I thought they might be. So now I'm waiting for my grades...

But I have a few days off before Term 2 starts and I'm taking the opportunity to take some time off doing precisely...nothing! Well, that's not entirely true. I'm hoping that I can do some useful work in preparation for the next term and the job search process. I also intend to enjoy a peaceful week hanging out with the Boss.

The "Live Onans" are off on a mini-vacation to Washington D.C. So the Boss and I are dog-sitting for them. Well, not really dog-sitting. We're just taking him out for a walk twice a day so that he can do his errr business. Shyam, a big black labrador-chow mutt, is quite a friendly dog and is proving to be quite easy to handle. But he is obviously quite lonely without his masters and I hope he will be OK for the next 36 hours till they return. Walking the a dog that weighs 80lbs can be daunting. Especially when he decides that he wants to go somewhere and you don't. This critter can pull and if you're not careful about letting him know who the boss is, he will take for a ride. The Boss, who is terrified of dogs, is responsible for walking him. I tag along for moral support. So she is learning to be a little less afraid of the pooch (and hopefully pooches in general). Did I mention that I'm responsible for picking up the poop he leaves behind? No? Everytime I head towards the pile of doody, he gives me a wicked grin that almost seems to say " You think you're the master, eh? Well, looky here...you are actually picking up my poop! ". Doh! Lousy dogs.