Head start

Well well.. The first month of the year is already done! How and why is time flying so fast? 🙆

A quick recap of the month so far. On the work front, we have had a major reorg and a new manager. At present, this seems like a good move for us. We still have to go to work once in three weeks. I board the cab from my new place now. The commute takes only 30 minutes. But if I am honest, I miss the hour-long drive along the scenic NICE road. It used to be my me-time when I would clear my head and plan my day. Alas, good things don't last forever 😔

I have made a good start on my bucket list. I have created a vision board but couldn't print it out. I have pledged on Goodreads to read 20 books, which is by far my lowest target. But I have so many other things planned as well 😃 I have tried 3-4 new recipes with hits and misses. The cheesecakes, kori ghasi and dosa turned out really well while the white chocolates not so much. But hey, practice makes us perfect 😊

I haven't started learning anything new so far, but I am working out regularly. I have started intermittent fasting and that is helping my metabolism. And I visited two libraries! Howzzat! I enrolled in one of them and have been reading a lot. I plan to read at least one Kannada book every month and write detailed reviews on Goodreads. The Kannada section is lacking in this aspect. I haven't ticked off "Visit a library" because I want to visit the State Central Library near Cubbon Park. And in between all that, my plants are beginning to grow new leaves 😍

Jan has been a bit stressful too. I try to indulge in a bit of TLC for myself, whenever I can. A couple of Insta reels with my fam brought back my josh 😛 Hoping for an eventful Feb. I have some events lined up! Shhhh..

2021 Bucket List

I have bought my first planner and to be honest, I think I was better off without it 😛 I have made a list of small and big goals for this year, some of them may be habits. I organized my bucket list for the year into different categories. As much as I love pen and paper, I love journaling in this blog too. So, I am putting up my things to do here as well which will help me check on them even if I don't have my planner in hand.

CREATIVE
Make a vision board
Make a photo wall
🗸 Take up reading challenge - I have taken up the Goodreads challenge and also plan to read at least 12 non-English books.
🗸 Take up doodle challenge - Joined a group at my apartment. It's only my first week but am killing it! (in a good way)
🗸 Try new Pinterest recipes
Create a new felt project
Have a 'creativity' day
Plan monthly surprise

LEARNING
🗸 New language - I am learning French on the Duo app.
Photography
Calligraphy
Skillshare class
🗸 Dance class - I will check this off because I joined one for 3 months.
🗸 Cooking class - Attended a baking workshop online.
🗸 New restaurant - Visited URU resto-pub which had huge trees growing right within
🗸 New cuisine - Had sushis for cousin's birthday.
🗸 Experience something new - Offroading in Mudigere.

FUN
🗸 Watch Disney classics - Steaming ahead on this one with 50% done.
🗸 Enrol in a library - Enrolled in a local library today. Just being amidst all those books is so exciting. Hope to utilize it well.
🗸 Make a music video - Made a couple of reels with cousins.
🗸 Nail art - I got it done twice and flaunted it extensively each time :P
🗸 Karaoke night - Did this at Gangavathi, super fun.
Colour hair
🗸 Game Night - All cousins got on a zoom call to play our fav game - Antakshari!!
🗸 Listen to a podcast - Listened to Little things on Audible!!
🗸 Watch a TED talk - Watched many but enjoyed SRK's the most!

PERSONAL GROWTH
🗸 Practice driving - I would say this is covered since I was consistently driving on NICE road when car pooling.
Publish an article
Publish a blog post every month
🗸 Take care of a plant - I ordered some plants for myself as a birthday gift. They look lovely.
🗸 Read a Kannada book/novel - I read a collection of humorous short stories at a time I needed it the most. Hope to keep reading more.
🗸 Add 25L to my savings by end of the year - Early retirement, here I come
Complete a puzzle
🗸 Buy a luxury item - Bought a couple of bags at Malaysia.
🗸 Check off a bucket list item - I am finally able to solve the Rubik's cube on my own. So thrilled!

TRAVEL
Visit a library
🗸 Weekend getaway - Went on a short trip to Sakleshpur and had a ball!
🗸 Visit a beach - Went to some really lovely beaches in SA.
Road trip
🗸 Girls trip - Can't believe this happened twice - Europe and Malaysia.
Attend a show/concert
Travel Solo
Go on a picnic
🗸 Go on a shopping spree - Bought a lot of necessary stuff at Decathlon and Pantaloons.

HEALTH
🗸 Lose 5 kgs - I fell sick and lost weight. I think this is the only way I was going to lose it :P
Complete 1000 km on foot
Run 5k
Meditate
Gratitude journal
Skip non-veg for a month
Visit a spa or wellness retreat

ORGANIZING
Create a capsule wardrobe
🗸 Baking supplies - I have a tiny little store now.
Stationery

COMMUNITY
🗸 Volunteer - Volunteered in the Rajyotsava event.
🗸 Donate blood - Did it once more and am so happy about it.
🗸 Donate clothes - Thanks to the shopping haul, ended up giving a lot of stuff to my maid.
Random acts of kindness
Shop small businesses

New Year = Still the same me, but better

The New Year has already begun and I am in mid-transition. It's a long weekend and I am alone at home. This gives me a lot of freedom. I can do anything and maybe that's why am doing nothing 😮

We are in the middle of a pandemic. The unexpected COVID-19 attack put the whole world into a frenzy. Some countries handled it well especially the smaller ones. India is on the path to recovery. The vaccine is a ray of hope. A lot of people were severely affected by the restricted lifestyle. I did not believe I would be one of them. However, today I have come to accept it.

For a long, long time I knew that I was emotionally vulnerable. I was not coping well with all the mental stress. I tried to put up a brave face and believed that I was strong enough to overcome it. I was even quite proud of the fact that I had not broken down completely. But that's the thing about health. It's never straight forward. You focus on one thing and you are hit elsewhere! My coping mechanism was to take out all the negativity from my system and dump it elsewhere. This can be so toxic, especially for the people around me.

I am a perfectionist and I have forever longed to live a good life. I have an image of a happy future and I have been trying to manifest it for years together now. Just when I settle down and get used to a routine, the universe shakes up everything again. The frustration of it has affected my core. I find something to complain about anything and everything. I try to make positive changes but get pulled back into the same black hole. I assumed that 2021 will make me a better person. The truth is that we have to work hard at being a better person every day. And this change has to be holistic, all-inclusive. I cannot pick and choose to be kind and empathetic.

This year, I hope to keep myself busy doing things I love. Mistakes happen. Accept it and move forward. Live and let live. Find/create my own happiness. Be grateful for what I have 💖