Happy 2007!

No, that is not a typo. It was a fairly happy 2007, until it started winding down. Then it hit a bit of a blip and, after a deep breath, started up again to end in a rush that sent me headlong into a hectic battle with deadlines, personal and professional, with what felt like revolving doors installed in my home, my work and my psyche. But all in all, it was fun, a whirlwind of life, love, longing and laughter. Some people dropped off my must-email list, others got erased from my mobile phone, a few did their own vanishing acts, leaving me rather bewildered and eventually vaguely amused, mostly because I am of the ilk to find vague amusement in almost anything, given the time and the space to do so. And a lot of people made their way into my must-call, must-email, must-meet and must-know-better lists, just because they seemed to know who they were, what they wanted and where they were going, which made them far more interesting than those with no clue and no interest in asking me to be part of the great adventure to find out.

At my age and stage in life, I am no longer interested in egos. If they exist, fine. I have mine, other people can have theirs, it’s all matter no mind for me. If they bring me some kind of stimulation, great; if not, great, too. There is a certain degree of intrigue, a special curiosity I have in getting to know people, especially those who add value to my life and who do not cause any untoward disturbance in my world – if they do, they soon make a less-than-graceful exit. For me, it is academic, for the most part; after all, the ‘best friend’ I had in college wandered off into her own horizon some years ago and I have never really been too wrapped up in knowing why she went or where she went to. It is the story of ships that pass, sometimes at night, most often during a special time in your life, that you remember with a slight nostalgia, once in a while a fondness, rarely rancour, at least not after the hurt has been washed away.

Time is just like that. It passes, no matter how much you want to stop it and keep it tucked away into your memory basket. Slowly, inevitably, you start to forget; details blur and faces tend to become softer, less real; words are forgotten and contexts reinterpreted. Meals you ate become better…or worse. Clothes you bought are always worth the effort and the money. That pair of shoes you did not buy is always the one that fit best in all your life. And the person you never kept in touch with is always the one you should have known better.

There are so many whom I ‘met’ this year that would be fun to know better – some in person, some over the phone, others on email. There is a girl who works with an international auction house, for one; we keep making plans to meet and never do, even if we work in the same city. There is a chef who lives and works in New York, who is said to be the Next Best Thing to stuffed parathas, but our contact is on email and sporadic, if that. There is a lady who works with an international content syndication service – we met briefly in the office and she had a wonderful smile; best of all, she remembered, even after just about four minutes, just what I wanted and has been indefatigably sending it to me since. And there is a fashion designer whose work I revel in, whose work I buy fanatically, who sounds like a woman with ideas that so match my own; we have occasional email contact, but I am one of her staunchest fans.

Maybe 2008 will be a year of more faces to match names, more conversations to match reputations. For me and for mine, I certainly hope that this will be a time of change for the better in every way – more love, more life, more laughter.