I write this blog as I wait for the last of my downloads to finish before I embark on my trip to Singapore and India. Deeming it unwise to begin such a journey without proper preparation, I have made sure that I use GMapCatcher to cache maps of my destinations so that I have access to them offline.
Today is an appropriate day to begin this blog: some may even call it auspicious. I have recently finished the four years of my Bachelor of Engineering Degree specialising in Software Engineering, I am about to return for the first time in eight years to the country of my birth, and today is the first Sunday of a new Liturgical year by the reckoning of the Catholic Church. The liturgical year begins with the season of Advent, which is a solemn time of preparation in anticipation of new beginnings. Advent extends for four Sundays, leading up to Christmas, which I will be spending with my extended family in Mumbai.
I am looking forward to being in the Northern Hemisphere for Christmas. For me, Christmas doesn't quite feel right if it is not accompanied by a winter solstice. For some reason, the Christmases I've had in New Zealand have always felt different than the ones I experienced in India---perhaps not that much less once you allow for the greater impressionability of youth---but still noticeably different.
It is now time for me to finalise my packing and help carry my luggage outside. I shall write more when I have access to a working Internet connection.
