Sum of Everything

2021 has been an interesting year. I cannot say that it has been the best year I have had yet, nor the worst. But I can say with some conviction that it has been one of the most enlightening, in several ways. I have grown so much in the last year, but more importantly, I have become conscious of my growth, which in itself is a new feeling. 2021 reminds me in many ways of 2012. Both are No. 5 years (the digits in the year add up to 5) and 2012 was a year of a lot of changes for me. 2021 was similar, but while 2012 had a lot of tangible changes with fresh experiences, the changes in 2021 have been a lot more subtle, spiritual. Spirituality has become an irrevocable part of my life this year, and how. I started my conscious spiritual journey last year, during what was the most challenging time of my life yet. It was a time when I felt broken; I had hit an all time low in my life and I didn’t know how I was going to emerge from the depression that had come over me. But I knew that I woul...

A few weeks ago, an old friend I haven't seen in nearly 13 years and her mum came to visit. I had a blast catching up with said friend, and aunty has always been a favourite. We - my sister, mum and I, and aunty and her two daughters, have spent several weeks together at sleepovers, lunches, dinners, trips to random cafes and beaches back in the mid-2000s when both fathers were outstation, touring for work. They're basically an extension of our family, and we love them like that. Last night, after my friend left after her short holiday (she's a medical professional, so no WFH for her) aunty, mum and I sat till late in the night, discussing feminism and women empowerment. A perspective that I had learnt to recognise as being common among my mother's generation emerged… so many women of that generation have sacrificed so much for their families, that they have completely forgotten their own likes and dislikes. Right from cooking their children's/husband's favour...