…is rejuvenating. At the end of a 16-day “staycation”, I am feeling rejuvenated and energetic enough to go back to work and last in it for another year. This is perhaps the first time I am talking about work in this blog, but better late than never. I don’t know if any other organisation has this concept, (I am assuming they do), but BNP insists that every employee take at least ten days off in a year. This is called compliance leave, and in office parlance, “mandy”: mandatory leave. And yes, I do mean ten working days off in a year. Counting all my weekends, I ended up with a good 16 days of leave. Seeing as I pushed this leave until the last possible minute, I did not have a real vacation planned out. Added to this was the fact that none of my friends were available to join me on a vacation. So, all in all, I ended up with a “staycation” instead of a vacation!
That said, I seem to have gotten a lot of things done in these two weeks. Revamped my blog template, revived a long-dead food blog with a new URL and a brand new WordPress theme, and of course, read a lot of new blogs, commented on them, watched a couple of movies and of course ate and slept until a put on a couple of kilos I could have done without! Having freelanced my way through college, university and later, this is the first time I took a real break. As a freelancer, you always have something in the back of your mind: that translation that needs finishing touches, that new class that needs a brand new lesson plan, the new method that required extensive preparation. This time, it was a real break: a break when I shelved all thoughts of office, except for the occasional reply to an SMS seeking a clarification. Even with the few office friends I did speak to during this break; I spoke of everything but work.
On the whole, this break has been a creative satisfaction. On a very personal level, there can be nothing more satisfying than sitting back to study all that you have managed to accomplish in the three years since this blog started. This started out on a purely experimental basis. But for the impetus given by Sankhya (who promises to open his blog to mere mortals like you and me very soon and has been promising this for almost 8 months now), this would never have seen the light of the day! So, thanks! 🙂 I don’t know if this blog is anywhere close to being what I wanted it to be. I also don’t know if what I say is worthy of being heard. But I will still continue to say it. I can only hope that the momentum I managed to sustain for three years continues over the next few as well.
Hey, all investment banks have mandys 🙂 I guess more to check if you are cooking up something than for the sake of resting the employee. 🙂
Coming back to your break, nice to know that you enjoyed it. I too took one some 4 months back, a long one. Read lots of books I had always wanted to read, roamed ard some places & visited relatives whom I hadn’t seen in a decade. It was refreshing !
Welcome!! Welcome!! (Beating drums and red carpet! :-P) I wish I really were cooking up something! At least then, it would be worth it…but yes, the break was fantastic! Ate, slept and acted lazy basically…the relatives bit…thanks! But no thanks! 🙂
i remembered you blog by the template and dint realise at first..and how exactly do you freelance your self thru college..doesnt seem to work..free
Blog by the template? Didn’t get that! I freelanced as a teacher. Worked for the Alliance francaise while I was still studying. Does that seem ok? Or not?
yup . u r right .. a break is always rejuvenating :):):) I envy u . Wish my company gives me a 0 days leave and a all paid package to GOA :P:P:P