Vacation - what else could I name it?

For the first 17 years of my life, the word vacation had only one meaning – the onam ,Christmas and summer vacations from school.

Then came the 4 years in college where vacation meant the rather long and lazy breaks between semesters where I would forget all that I learned during the previous semester and start afresh.

The next 5 years in Delhi , the 2 X two week long breaks every year came in. 2 weeks sounded awfully long to your manager but terribly short to your parents and all I could remember were the excitement before it and the “shall I just resign and go back?” brooding during the return flight .

And there was 2010 when I got married and was forced to be in a long-distance-marriage for a year. Then vacations were the trips to Pondicherry and jaipur and kumarakom and many others we planned over phone and never got to execute, because we had too much stuff to take care of.

It was after coming here that I actually started taking vacations, not that we would take days off from work to travel but we make sure that we make maximum use of the weekends and holidays. Of course, the ultimate vacation would remain the whirlwind trips to India. Yet to take one , but already there seems to be a hundred items on the to-do list.
You see people around you taking vacations – my colleague went on a 5 week vacation, people go camping, the lady at the motel I stay on-site went on a 3 week trip to Thailand etc. And being in a new country means that you have lots to explore. And Australians in general seem to love being outdoors. It all rubs off on you I guess.So much that I spend quite a lot of time searching for places/events to go. And the anti-socials that we are (I don’t really make friends that easily, at least not the let-us-spend-weekend-together kind of friendship; neither does the husband), we need to pass time after all :-D

This and That

Don’t have any subject worth a whole post, so jotting down a few random stuff

 Had the first encounter with the Australian medical system. Thanks to my wisdom tooth which decided to do a cameo for two days, spoiling my birthday plans.
 Oct 3 was a holiday here. Didn’t make any plans coz of the toothache but come Friday evening I was perfectly alright and spending 3 days inside didn’t sound like a very good idea. Even though it was predicted to be a rainy weekend , we made some last minute plans for Kiama & Jervis Bay. All motels were booked out and we finally managed a place 1 hour away from Jervis Bay. It was in the middle of nowhere , difficult to spot even though it is situated right on the highway but turned out to be a rather lucky find. They had private access to a beach which was quite nice.The room was all wooden panelled giving it a vinatge feel.
 Not having a car and having to rent one for trips has its advantages. You feel like being in a cheaper version of Top Gear :-) Not that we possess enough knowledge about cars to come up with the verdicts that we deliver.
 Junior Masterchef – Are these kids for real? They are just 10 or 12 ,but act and speak with so much maturity. Its unnerving at times. As to the cooking, each episode gives me a serious “Am I really cooking in my kitchen?” feeling.
 I am still uncomfortable with the fact that everyone –from the salesperson in the store to the bus driver to everyone I see in the office- greets me with a “How are you?” or “How is it going?”. A “good morning” or a simple “hi” would be easier to handle than a question which requires me to give an answer and then ask about the well being of the other person and then wait for his answer. Hmm. Maybe I am lacking in the social etiquette department :-)
 Another Aussie thing- Maccas for McDonalds. Isn’t McD cool enough? :-P
Though I quite like “Brekkie” for Breakfast
 Saw an ad for a car insurance that gives 15% discount for those drivers who don't claim. Makes sense rt?