Busier you are, more quiet time you need!

🌈 1310 – Wednesday, 05 February 2025 23:47

Hyderabad

It’s 27 degrees and pretty warm. Right now, I’m sweating under my laptop, but I’m not sure if it’s from the heat or my stress.

My days are packed—one thing after another, barely any time for myself. I didn’t sleep well last night, waking up multiple times to check on my mother. She had her 5th chemotherapy session yesterday (February 4th). We left home at 8 AM for her 9 AM appointment and didn’t get back until 9:30 PM. It was an exhausting day for all of us—Mum, Dad, my sister, and even my niece, who came along as a potential blood donor. In the end, they didn’t need to use her blood.

I woke up at 4:30 AM today to check on Mum. She was awake and asked for some rice blended with yogurt and a pinch of salt because she was hungry. Dad was asleep, and I hesitated to get out of bed, but I was glad I did. It’s strange—after chemo, her hunger is unpredictable. She eats a little, then gets extremely hungry again.

For over a month, my sleep has been disrupted. First, it was jet lag, and now it’s the habit of waking up every hour or two to check on Mum. The hardest days are usually two days after chemo—it’s when the real struggle begins. She deals with acid reflux, mouth sores, and ulcers that come and go overnight. Each session brings different side effects—one time it was head and arm pain, another time it was throat pain so bad she couldn’t swallow. I just hope the next few days go smoothly. Even though it’s exhausting, I’m grateful to be here for her and Dad.

This morning, I got out of bed at 7:45 AM. It was already warm, but with the ceiling fan on, it wasn’t too bad. I stepped out to find Dad reading the newspaper. He asked if I had brushed my teeth so we could go out for breakfast before Mum woke up. She had some milk earlier and went back to sleep.

Dad insists on riding his motorbike, so I sat behind him as we went to a South Indian restaurant in Uppal, Hyderabad. This has become our little routine—having breakfast together. We had puris, idlis, wadas, and bondas, and we brought back some idlis for Mum.

When we got home, she was awake and had her breakfast—just a couple of idlis. Around 9:30 AM, I made her apple and pomegranate juice, carefully straining it to remove any small particles that might irritate her throat. She took her medications—one for nausea, one for acidity.

After breakfast, I tried to take a short break, but I used the time to change her bed sheets and tidy up. Before I knew it, it was already lunchtime. I made soft, overcooked rice with vegetables so it would be easy for her to eat. She refuses most food, but with some convincing, she eats. She doesn’t like the food our cook makes, so I prepare separate meals for her until her sense of taste returns and the nausea subsides. For the past few weeks, she hasn’t been able to swallow solid food, so I’ve been blending her meals into a drinkable form.

After lunch, she had fresh coconut water straight from the shell, followed by more medications—B12, multivitamins, calcium, and paracetamol. I let her rest while Dad and I chat, joke, and try to keep the atmosphere light. Around 5 PM, she has tea, followed by carrot and beetroot juice, which she reluctantly drinks when I sit beside her, hold her hand, and gently convince her.

This has been my routine for the past eight weeks—taking care of my parents, managing a big house, and juggling responsibilities. It’s frustrating that they never downsized or rented out the unused space while they still had the energy. Now that they’re older and tired, I’ve had to travel from overseas to handle things for them. I just hope that when I reach that age, I’ll be better prepared.

Still, despite the exhaustion, I’m grateful. I’m here, looking after them, making sure they’re not alone. There’s so much love to give and receive.

That’s my story. What about you? Are you managing your time better, getting more done, staying accountable, and keeping yourself happy?

Around the rest of the world today –

• 1. Israel and Hamas Agree to Ceasefire

Today, Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement to end the prolonged Gaza conflict. The deal, mediated by the United States, Egypt, and Qatar, is structured in three phases:

• Initial Phase: A six-week ceasefire during which Hamas will release 33 Israeli hostages, primarily women and children, in exchange for 30–50 Palestinian prisoners per Israeli released. Israel will permit increased humanitarian aid into Gaza, facilitate the return of displaced Palestinians, and commence a phased military withdrawal.

• Second Phase: Negotiations for a permanent ceasefire, with Hamas releasing remaining civilian and military hostages in exchange for additional Palestinian prisoners.

• Final Phase: Release of the remains of deceased Israeli hostages.

This agreement aims to establish lasting peace and initiate the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.

2. Russia and Ukraine war – Drone Operations: Both Ukrainian and Russian forces are engaged in a “hidden electronic warfare battle,” utilizing jammers, signal scrambling, and GPS spoofing to disrupt drone operations.

3. Russia and Ukraine war – Chinese AI startup DeepSeek has garnered significant attention for developing cost-effective AI models that rival those of major tech companies. Their AI Assistant, utilizing the V3 model, has become the highest-rated free app on the iOS App Store in the United States as of January 27, 2025. Notably, DeepSeek achieved this with substantially lower training costs, spending approximately $5.58 million- about one-tenth of what U.S. tech giant Meta invested in similar AI technology. This development has been described as a “Sputnik moment” for American AI, highlighting China’s rapid progress in the field.

3 things I felt grateful for today –

• So grateful that I was able to perform all five Salah on time today.

• Grateful for my little Hero Honda bike – it’s been with me since my college days, sitting at home all these years and still running strong.

• Grateful and appreciating the invention of ceiling fans—while they might go unnoticed in some parts of the world, in hot countries, they’re an absolute necessity.

What would it take for me and for you to wake up 10 x times bigger, thicker, stronger, more muscular, energetic, happy, confident, focused, calm, have some sort of workout in the morning, get work done, everything to be okay with family, friends and everyone around, then have a relaxing, relaxing, relaxing yet a productive day tomorrow?

Sign-up to the montly letter below..

Goodnight, good luck!

Ash Khaleem