Nostalgia

Its been a while, eight days to be exact, since I did this last. I seem to do this in fits and starts. When I get going the momentum carries me for a couple of days and then it peters out. The next time around, I have to grit my teeth and start all over again. to me, its a bit like running. I used to jog a while back. It used to follow this same pattern. I think the key word is discipline. Both blogging and running seem to require substantial amounts of it.
I have been away for a while, not that that is an excuse to stay away form the blog, considering the reach of the Internet.I was offshore, which make sense to any one in the Oil and gas E&P business. To the uninitiated, it means a stint at one of the production platforms out at sea. Ours is about half an hour by helicopter from Doha to the North of the coast. It is not that there is no access to the Internet at this location. In fact, it is a very comfortable and connected location, the only down sides being the monotony of the daily routine and the absence of the family. To me it's a bit like going back home , as for about ten years of my life I alternated between an offshore location and home on a regular basis. I am sure L would not like me saying this, but,to me, the occasional trip offshore is a healthy break from familial responsibilities.
The trip was just for three nights and I got back in time for a long weekend as I took a day off, Thursday , on account of time owed in lieu of time spent offshore. Sitting in the helicopter waiting room at the platform on my way back, I ran into this enthusiastic , effusive , young English language teacher on his first trip offshore. He was really excited about what he had seen the last couple of days and was telling me how his first trip on a helicopter was much more exciting than he had expected it to be and how he had never dreamed of being able to travel in a "Chopper" as part of his work as a language teacher. Travelling back and approaching the coast of Doha from the North East at around 500 feet, I shared his excitement. The "Pearl Qatar" is laid out like a jigsaw puzzle being put together. The "U" of Doha bay is laid out beautifully and the new Doha International Airport is seen in all it's skeletal glory.
It took me back to my first trip on a Helicopter in an Indian Air Force MI-17 in 1995. During my days of honest labour as an engineering officer of the IAF, I had the misfortune to be labelled an "Expert" in one of the systems deployed. Before I knew it, I had to attend to maintenance calls in parts of India not necessarily found on a map. Initially the TD (Temporary duty) as they are called, was a break from the usual. As they started recurring it became disruptive. Leaving L and K (Who was just a little more than a year)in Delhi while I went tramping around became less and less appealing. As my trips had to do with equipment breakdown the onward trip was invariably in style. I used to be hustled on to the first available courier out of Palam and then picked up at the receiving end for another trip by helicopter. That was all very well, but once the job was done all the excitement in getting me there would have evaporated and I would be handed a Railway warrant for my return to Delhi.

Trains, my favourite mode of transport.... Which brings me to...............

Train of Life


Some folks ride the train of life

Looking out the rear,

Watching miles of life roll by,

And marking every year.


They sit in sad remembrance,

Of wasted days gone by,

And curse their life for what it was,

And hang their head and cry.


But I don't concern myself with that,

I took a different vent,

I look forward to what life holds,

And not what has been spent.


So strap me to the engine,

As securely as I can be,

I want to be out on the front,

To see what I can see.


I want to feel the winds of change,

Blowing in my face,

I want to see what life unfolds,

As I move from place to place.


I want to see what's coming up,

Not looking at the past,

Life's too short for yesterdays,

It moves along too fast.


So if the ride gets bumpy,

While you are looking back,

Go up front, and you may find,

Your life has jumped the track.


It's all right to remember,

That's part of history,

But up front's where it's happening,

There's so much mystery.


The enjoyment of living,

Is not where we have been,

It's looking ever forward,

To another year and ten.


It's searching all the byways,

Never should you refrain,

For if you want to live your life,

You gotta drive the train!

~author unknown~