The world's biggest earthquake this year...

Well, our little country here has been blessed with this distinction. Early this morning (dec 24), we had a little X-mas present from Mother Nature.

An earthquake measuring 8.1 on the Richter scale, off the coast of the South Island. The only one this year to go above 8, apparently. Lucky we were that it happened 800 km below the surface, otherwise the results would have been disastrous, even in quake-ready NZ.

Here, in the shaky isles, we are used to quakes. Small and big ones. But the first one I felt reallly put the shakes into me. It happened 3 months after I landed here.

Now, I am used to the fact that quakes happen here all the time. But even then, when I feel the bed trembling and the crockery rattling around in the cupboards, I still go a bit pale. And we all of us run for the doorway or under the table..... have to teach Nandita this one, she's still too young to know.

Statistically, we are ripe for a really big one to hit one of the country's cities. Any time now. But hey, what place is safe? We've had one in even Singara Chennai. Take heart my friend, it't not yet pralayam.

Hayfever horrors!

I was a perfectly ordinary and healthy person in India. Well, average at least. But I was good for my first 3 years in Aotearoa. Then some long-forgotten genes started showing up. That and living in NZ make a deadly combo. Called allergic rhinitis (Commonly called hayfever).

Horror of horrors!! It has me in its grip thoughout the year. Not just in spring when the pollen is doing its rounds. It's not just hayfever. It's anything fever. Folding clothes, cooking, eating, walking, going into another room at home _ anything can set it off!

I sneeze, and sneeze and ......... My eyes start itching, my nose starting watering. I start wheezing. Quickly pop a pill in. It is supposed to have instant effect!! Ha. Whatever. I try my nasal spray, still no effect. The wheezing becomes bad and I reach for the inhaler.

Nothing works. My whole day is ruined. So y'day, I popped the second pill, against my doc's wishes. Still it was night time by the time I was ok.

I had taken off work on Wednesday and Thursday to take the kids out. On Wednesday, my hayfever wasn't too bad. We went shopping and then we went to Avalon park to feed the duckies and play. Had a picnic there. Not bad at all.

But Thursday was disaster. Went out for a walk with Lalitha. Her kids and Nandana went cycling. Nandita walked with me. I got it bad then. Got back home and after lunch, much against my better judgement, went to Queensgate shopping mall to pick some clothes for Nandana. That too by bus, as I had promised to Nandita (and anyways, this time of the year, parking is a pain in Queensgate) God, it was AWFUL!! I couldn't even enjoy my icecream!! Miserable. I spent more time trying to breathe fully and not to rub my eyes too hard (with my eyes being what they are!!) than I did shopping. Finally, I did pop pill # 2 after I got back home. But by the time the effect kicked in, it was night. I had a very good night's sleep. And I know I will be ok the next couple of days. Till the next attack.

Gosh, this is one of the things I HATE about NZ. But gotta live with it. After all, it's only here that you can take your kids with you to work during school hols (Nandana is with Shiv, at his work now). And all said and done, I love this place.

Jingle bells and all that jazz

Well, we are shutting down here for the season. NZ Inc will wake from slumber only on Jan 5.

It is nice and wonderful, and makes up for not having a holiday for Deepavali, Vinayaka Chaturti etc.

Even nicer, tucked into my bag is a cheque for my X-mas bonus. Hurrah! And again at work, Mark's just been in with a huge crate of beer cans. We've already had a couple of wine bottles in. Not to mention the cookies and cake and lollies and what not that all the other chocolates and cakes. If I fancied a drink, no place like work. But being a well-brought-up gal (ha ha), I refuse to be tempted by all this.

What does tempt me is the fact that I have no work till Jan 4 (spl shift at the DomPost, being a newspaper they will have to work through the holiday).

So no more rush to leave Nandita at the caregiver's. No more rushing Nandana to this auntie or that auntie's house till the hols are over. I can nap afternoons when I am at home. And not have to get up early daily (not that I do now, it's never earlier than 7 am)

We don't have any major projects lined up for the hols though. As we moved into this house hardly a month ago, we still have to sort out all the extra stuff in the garage. And move some more stuff into the garage.

And set up one more room, as my Periamma and Perriappa are going to be visitng us for a month, in the third week of Jan.

We might go picnicking for a day trip, maybe to the Staglands. Or to the Te Papa museum, where they have a good exhibition on space. Or someone where else, or just catch up with friends.

But by the time we know it, it will be back to the grind.

But till then, all you wonderful people out there have a great X-mas and New Year!!