My mentor asked me one question this week.

What are you going to do after ISDM?

I opened my mouth … … ... Not because I have nothing. Because I have too many half things. None of them ready.

I sat with that question all week.

Operations Management ran six sessions this week. Same idea every session. Time. Capacity. Which step is slowing everything down. In computers I knew this as time complexity. In management they call it the critical path. Same thing. New room. When a familiar idea shows up somewhere new, it means you actually understood it the first time.

New group for the assignment. I expected it to be hard. We finished before the deadline. Simple people. They understand the work. They start. No long talk about how to begin. Just people who show up and do it.

Wednesday, grandfather's place. Temple. Family deity. I don't always understand why I go. I always understand after I am there. The roots don't ask you about the future. They just remind you who you are.

One school friend. Works hard for his family. Doesn't say much about it. Then a call from my diploma batch. They still remembered my name. Eight years and they thought of me. That lands differently when you are sitting with an unanswered question.

Through all of this, me and Arya kept the same loop. Morning food. Go out. Coffee. Class. Study. Prep. Kutty sleep, both of us. Evening coffee. Go out. Night food. Go out. Sleep. When you don't know what is coming, a simple loop keeps you honest.

Peak sambavam is still loading.

I don't know what it is yet.

Staying steady while it loads is the work right now.