2012 auld lang syne..
The year 2012 started very cold in Gurgaon but with onset of sunny spring in February we moved around and about in National Capital Region.
The first 2012 trip was to Jim Corbett Park ( my 4th visit) and packed my bags and camera with fond hopes of capturing a live tiger in the wild picture. Still after all these years the Tiger studiously avoids any contact with me despite my tempting belly being a good dinner prospect for him/her.
The second trip of 2012 was to Russia to St Petersburg and Moscow in May. The Hemitage Museum was absolutely a delight and two whole days was not enough to see all its treasures. The Van Goghs were worth the wait and will be etched in the mind for eternity.
The Moscow Armoury houses the fabled Faberge eggs which are amazing for the minute and intricate craftsmanship and was ticked off from my bucket list with much fondness.
Staying at the Ritz Carlton a mere stone's throw away from the Red Square was an experience in itself and made the stay all the more memorable - far cry from the school scouting trips and tents of Doddabalapur and Davangere.
The second half of the year was not so smooth as the first as we had met with a car accident in Chennai wherein all three of us survived a young licenseless driver trying to upend our car with his SUV. We managed to get away clean as the accident left us with out any injuries though my car needed to go to the body shop for repairs. This is the first time we got God to be on our side this year and little did we imagine it would not be the last....
In mid July I received a call from Abhishekh's school informing me he met with an accident wherein he had been injured by a glass shard from the window pane he had run into when he was being chased. The injury I thought was a scratch till they told me he would need plastic surgery and that got me rushing to Chennai. Fortunately we had the best surgeon in Stanley Medical College operate by the time I landed and he was back to his normal self. Apparently he had been playing catch with his school buddies and when being chased careened around a corner and to support his speed and balance he leant on the glass window which shattered and pierced his wrist. The wound healed quickly though he lost a month before he could write as it was in his dominant left hand which was totally plastered. Through God's Good Grace he is back to normal and we thank all the people who were concerned and prayed for his healing.
2012 was the year in which Abhishekh also grew suddenly and was taller than his mom and a few inches away from me by the end of the year. It was also the year my belly probably grew an inch as I moved into Shirt size 46 from 44. Viji pretty much remained the same and it would be safer for me to not go down the road of fleshy prosperity.
In August Leo ( my 3rd sister's son) was to get married and we drove to Trichy and Madurai and the wedding to Sharmilee was tastefully done. Leo who works with Infosys is planning to go to US and taking Sharmilee who works with Google in Hyderabad.
Towards the end of the year Jeremy (my 2nd sister's son) was also married to Divya and they will be in New York where he works in the Hospital for Special Surgery.
The family seems to be adding new members almost every year and I guess my dear departed parents would have been delighted to see the new entrants.
So another year rolls by and work at Akzo Nobel with my new Execution Excellence portfolio has ended and we hope the new year brings us more joy and we wish a happy new year 2013 for our friends and relatives reading this annual letter ( my first attempt to chronicle our years on this planet).
With best wishes,
Joe, Viji and Abhishekh
The first 2012 trip was to Jim Corbett Park ( my 4th visit) and packed my bags and camera with fond hopes of capturing a live tiger in the wild picture. Still after all these years the Tiger studiously avoids any contact with me despite my tempting belly being a good dinner prospect for him/her.
The second trip of 2012 was to Russia to St Petersburg and Moscow in May. The Hemitage Museum was absolutely a delight and two whole days was not enough to see all its treasures. The Van Goghs were worth the wait and will be etched in the mind for eternity.
The Moscow Armoury houses the fabled Faberge eggs which are amazing for the minute and intricate craftsmanship and was ticked off from my bucket list with much fondness.
Staying at the Ritz Carlton a mere stone's throw away from the Red Square was an experience in itself and made the stay all the more memorable - far cry from the school scouting trips and tents of Doddabalapur and Davangere.
The second half of the year was not so smooth as the first as we had met with a car accident in Chennai wherein all three of us survived a young licenseless driver trying to upend our car with his SUV. We managed to get away clean as the accident left us with out any injuries though my car needed to go to the body shop for repairs. This is the first time we got God to be on our side this year and little did we imagine it would not be the last....
In mid July I received a call from Abhishekh's school informing me he met with an accident wherein he had been injured by a glass shard from the window pane he had run into when he was being chased. The injury I thought was a scratch till they told me he would need plastic surgery and that got me rushing to Chennai. Fortunately we had the best surgeon in Stanley Medical College operate by the time I landed and he was back to his normal self. Apparently he had been playing catch with his school buddies and when being chased careened around a corner and to support his speed and balance he leant on the glass window which shattered and pierced his wrist. The wound healed quickly though he lost a month before he could write as it was in his dominant left hand which was totally plastered. Through God's Good Grace he is back to normal and we thank all the people who were concerned and prayed for his healing.
2012 was the year in which Abhishekh also grew suddenly and was taller than his mom and a few inches away from me by the end of the year. It was also the year my belly probably grew an inch as I moved into Shirt size 46 from 44. Viji pretty much remained the same and it would be safer for me to not go down the road of fleshy prosperity.
In August Leo ( my 3rd sister's son) was to get married and we drove to Trichy and Madurai and the wedding to Sharmilee was tastefully done. Leo who works with Infosys is planning to go to US and taking Sharmilee who works with Google in Hyderabad.
Towards the end of the year Jeremy (my 2nd sister's son) was also married to Divya and they will be in New York where he works in the Hospital for Special Surgery.
The family seems to be adding new members almost every year and I guess my dear departed parents would have been delighted to see the new entrants.
So another year rolls by and work at Akzo Nobel with my new Execution Excellence portfolio has ended and we hope the new year brings us more joy and we wish a happy new year 2013 for our friends and relatives reading this annual letter ( my first attempt to chronicle our years on this planet).
With best wishes,
posted by joltin joe at 12:13 AM
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