One of the best feelings in life is being able to connect with a person quickly, and confide in him or her something that is on your mind.

And there is something to be said after all in the "family" connection as well. You know that quick conversation you have with a cousin or distant aunt, whom you don't really speak to that often, but who somehow completely understands your reasons for doing a certain thing. It's refreshing not to have to explain oneself a million times.

It's good...

When I grow up, I want to be ....

I'm finally doing it. Making something out of myself. The next step, no matter where it takes me, won't be a backward one.

A lot has changed since I last wrote. I am engaged for one. Or not-quite engaged, but what's in a phrase? I am now also making concrete decisions and taking conscious action towards a future that I want to be proud of.

I am pursuing writing. And then from then on, journalism, editing, publishing... whatever. I've discovered my passion for words.

Take a minute...

I wish I was in India right now. I wish I was there yesterday! I wish I had never left!!!

I think I finally understand what the saying "it's in my blood" means. Because cricket is. In my blood.

It reminds me of my dad. And lazy Sunday afternoons spent watching test matches and ODIs. I would curl up on the couch beside my pappa, and incessantly pepper him with questions. As far as I remember, he was always patient. And I was always curious.. and a little stupid about the game. To this day I don't completely understand how an lbw works. Does the ball have to hit the bat? And does it matter if it hits above or below the knee? What a weird rule. I wonder who came up with it.

I was always my pappa's pet. Curled up next to him in our living room, curtains drawn, watching men chase balls was one of my most comforting activities on a weekend. I could never sit through an entire game, but pappa wouldn't mind. Sometimes, if the match wasn't live, or if India wasn't playing, he would give in to my appeals and change the channel. And we would watch an English movie. If I got bored of that, then he would change the channel again. Those afternoons would usually end in him falling asleep, while I watched reruns of Tom and Jerry, or Bugs Bunny.

In those days for me, the highlights of watching cricket would be the time I spent with my dad. Now, it seems I have absorbed pappa's enthusiasm for the sport, and don't often fall asleep when the team is making magic on the pitch. So, thanks pappa, for giving me cricket.