We joke about death and dying. But it’s hard to accept when it actually strikes. It happened earlier in the year when a close friend lost her husband. He was in his 30s. Two young children. She’s never worked in her life. One day, he had a stroke and he was gone. He was traveling in another country. Just like that. I asked her then, how she was coping. “I don’t know,” she replied, “I still can’t believe he’s gone.” Now, of course, she feels it and all I can do is wonder how she’s managing since she’s in another city and I have little except a few words to offer. On August 26, I received an SMS from a dear friend in Mumbai informing me that our former colleague from rediff.com, Anjum Nair, passed away the day before. He used to sit about 2 desks away from me at work. He was suffering from stage IV cancer and fought a year long battle with the disease. I met his wife Patcy a few times …

I’ve been enjoying the weather the last few days. Kit Kit too is finding it much cooler compared to Mumbai and can often be found perching on my lap, or cuddling up under the blanket (which she would never do there!). I’ve been in a good mood too. Even the reminder from my professor about my overdue assignment has not dampened my spirits. The ‘thinking’ cleared up my mind a bit. Finally managed to take a few decisions I know should have taken a long time ago. Talked to a few old pals and there’s nothing like a nice heart-warming chat to make one feel better. The last few mornings the drive down to office early morning has been really pleasant. I’ve been advised not to swear so much while driving so I’ve been keeping my patience and not using my horn as much as I usually tend to do! There’s a cool breeze blowing and it drizzles a little sometimes. I usually let the window down just to feel the rain. At times like …