I am not sure how to begin this. I have meant to write for a while. But have been busy. Mostly because i am really getting experiments done now. About time since its my 5th year into my PhD. Long hours in the lab and the extra courses do stress me out a lot. But this post is something special. Its not about more than one degree. Its not about only me but about how i think i can say "us" now. Now when you love your thoughts and space it cant be an easy thing to accept but i think i finally can do it.Say us without flinching. And I actually feel nice about it. Like this is right. P has been amazingly patient with me even though i have nagged his head off at times. We both are quite different on some issues and it has taken us some time to understand what compromise is. Its been loads of fun figuring out what our quirky things are. Not to forget the brief appearance of the Ex who threatened to ruin it all, in perfect filmy style. All this, along with the amount of things we have been doing extra, gave us something to remember. P’s Blood pressure and i had something even more weird. To people that have had it before it draws an excruciating wince. Haemarrhoids or piles as we call it. My nightmare. Sans lovely cotton clothes and mom's home cooked food it deteriorated very fast. Surgery and steroids failed. Ultimately good old homeopathy and patient diet control helped.
P pushed me to exercise and i am glad he nagged me for a change. It helps and boy am i proud of my "runners quads". It wasnt easy to get myself to run 5 miles in an hour. Every moment I kept telling myself I had it in me to do it and when I finished, it was a unique sensation. Now i have a knee problem because I am knock kneed and P has supported me through this like every single other issue. What he has taught me is something nobody else can. To be strong and patient and give everything my best. And most importantly to have confidence in what I do. I admire his diligence in approaching his research and how he can show up in the lab at 7am on a Sunday morning. That is one thing I still need to get rid of – my laziness. I am working on it. I love how P is open and willing to try everything. I am spellbound at how quickly he has learnt the basics of Carnatic Music and truly appreciates the sheer brilliance of this artform, even picking out ragas like a pro. Again teaching me that if you put your heart and soul into something and you really want something to happen, it will. I am amazed at how this has changed me in the last couple of years. Hopefully for the good. One of the things that I hated was to fit into the usual desi stereotype here and I am glad P agrees with me. I love how he is the one person who will always smile when I pick out a new restaurant and not stick to the usual mundane ones. And now I simply have to give my love to my family- my lifeline and 7 other lovely hearts, 7 pairs of eyes and ears and 7 billion hugs that I always will have from the loveliest wingies – our very own spice gals. My best friends, lovely women who have understood me, accepted me and my tantrums and have stood by me every second. Women who are on the other end waiting to give me their encouragement and support always. Finally, all my friends at AZ that have made my stay here warm and colorful. And as I prepare myself for a roller coaster month ahead, I have to thank all of them for they have already told me I am going to have fun. I really think, toasts should be for family and friends rather than the couple. So here is mine, albeit virtual.
