I have decided that my new year will officially start in Feb!
January swooshed by and I barely registered it. Where did all the days go? I did not even make any new year's resolutions. It's only fair that I get one more chance at it. So, here goes. I have read about the concept of having a word of the year. Basically, you are choosing a word that sets your intention for the year. My word of the year is Acceptance. There is no point in questioning the past and wondering what could have been different. Life is a journey meant for experiencing and learning new things. The idea is not to dwell but to move on.
Next up are the usual suspects. I feel immense joy and pride when I think of my French course. I started learning French on Duolingo and never expected to come this far. I recently completed 650 days of the course. I am done with Intro to French and French Foundations 1 and 2. I started French Foundations 3 in Jan. It has a total of 35 units. My plan is to finish at least 3 units per month so that I can ace this level by the year-end. As per tradition, I have signed up for the Goodreads Reading Challenge. However, I have set my goal too low. Only 20 books. I don't want to over-commit and feel pressurized into reading average stuff.
I really want to do the Doodle Challenge. I love drawing small cute images and colouring them. The sketchbooks I own will finally attain salvation through this challenge. I am trying to clean out stuff accumulated over the years. The hoarder in me hates parting with things. But this time, I am just going to Marie-Kondo it. I have learnt to be mindful of the things I buy. Now, it's time to let go. Something else I am aspiring to do is travel. I have been bookmarking so many places on Instagram and Pinterest. I hope to visit at least a few of them.
My iPad has been helping a lot in this regard. I found an adorable planner and I look forward to filling it in every day. This helps me keep track of the things I want to do and need to do. Things like planning my meals. I am trying to eat clean and work out. So, I take a lunch box to work. I have also decided not to eat non-veg on Mondays. This is something my mother stressed on to inculcate discipline and self-control in us.
That's the list. I finally feel at peace. Writing down my vision for the year is a ritual I religiously follow. It pumps me up for the days ahead. Now that the plan is here, time to get cracking.
Saturday, January 28, 2023
Sunday, January 8, 2023
Hello 2023!
The first week of the New Year is already done. Time to reminiscence and simultaneously plan for the days ahead.
The highlight of last year is me meeting my darling nephew A. I went saat samundar paar to the USA and had the most wonderful time there. I also tried Froyo for the first time. I am not very fond of yoghurt but froyo actually tasted good! My friends also planned a short trip to Kodaikanal after learning that I had never been there. I couldn't get enough of the chilly mornings and scenic views. My sister is in India for the holiday season. We had to travel to Chennai for their visa stamping. We went to Mahabalipuram for a day. The sculptures there are beautiful. I would love to revisit it someday.
Back home, I really wanted to change the home decor a bit. Give it that cute and cosy vibe. I love plants and flowers around the house and bought a number of them. But I am also a responsible plant parent and have been taking care of them quite well with my dad's help. I also got a swing hung on our balcony. It's my favourite part of the house now <3 And am overjoyed that it's A's fav place too. The aesthetics are not the only upgrade in my house though. Without planning to, I ended up buying an Air fryer, a washing machine, a Robo vacuum cleaner and an AC. I have to admit these things make life so much easier. I love deep-fried stuff but the thought of all that oil turns me off. But with the air fryer, the guilt reduces drastically. Similarly, the vacuum cleaner has helped me avoid the maid during the week guaranteeing calm mornings. I have avoided the AC for the longest time but gave in because of the fluctuations in the Bangalore weather.
Talking about gadgets, I have landed the lottery with Apple goods. My uncle gifted me the iPhone 13 Pro Max and the Apple Watch Series 7. My sister gifted me Airpods Pro 2nd Gen and the iPad Air 5th Gen. I feel a bit sheepish saying I bought the Apple Pencil 2nd Gen which is the least valued item here. But it is what it is. I was never an Apple fan. In my defence, I will just say "If you can't beat them, join them". I was also gifted a Coach bag by the uncle who planned the New York trip. Both my high-end bags - MK and Coach were gifted by him. I also received a surprise Secret Santa gift from my colleague at work. It was totally unexpected and left me with a warm and fuzzy feeling. I feel blessed and grateful to have such wonderful people around me, both family and friends.
I am just going to skim over the last few things, not because they are insignificant. Writing about them will need posts of their own. One of my favourite cousins got married last year and it was a full-on Bollywood-style wedding! On the heels of it came the Rajyotsava celebrations in our apartment. I was a part of the Treasure Hunt Organization team and also the MC for the evening where we had Prof. Krishne Gowda as the chief guest. A couple of years back, I was gifted ICICI bank cards worth 15k. They had expired during the COVID situation. After a lot of follow-ups, we were finally able to get new cards issued. Ever since the COVID scare passed, we have been asked to report to work every day. The long commute made me take to Audiobooks. I have been able to meet my Goodreads challenge only because of listening to books during the cab ride.
Finally, the best news of the year. I have started driving independently!! Woohooo!! Years after getting my license and free taunts from almost everybody I know, here I am zipping around the city in a four-wheeler. Every day, I appreciate it better.
The highlight of last year is me meeting my darling nephew A. I went saat samundar paar to the USA and had the most wonderful time there. I also tried Froyo for the first time. I am not very fond of yoghurt but froyo actually tasted good! My friends also planned a short trip to Kodaikanal after learning that I had never been there. I couldn't get enough of the chilly mornings and scenic views. My sister is in India for the holiday season. We had to travel to Chennai for their visa stamping. We went to Mahabalipuram for a day. The sculptures there are beautiful. I would love to revisit it someday.
Back home, I really wanted to change the home decor a bit. Give it that cute and cosy vibe. I love plants and flowers around the house and bought a number of them. But I am also a responsible plant parent and have been taking care of them quite well with my dad's help. I also got a swing hung on our balcony. It's my favourite part of the house now <3 And am overjoyed that it's A's fav place too. The aesthetics are not the only upgrade in my house though. Without planning to, I ended up buying an Air fryer, a washing machine, a Robo vacuum cleaner and an AC. I have to admit these things make life so much easier. I love deep-fried stuff but the thought of all that oil turns me off. But with the air fryer, the guilt reduces drastically. Similarly, the vacuum cleaner has helped me avoid the maid during the week guaranteeing calm mornings. I have avoided the AC for the longest time but gave in because of the fluctuations in the Bangalore weather.
Talking about gadgets, I have landed the lottery with Apple goods. My uncle gifted me the iPhone 13 Pro Max and the Apple Watch Series 7. My sister gifted me Airpods Pro 2nd Gen and the iPad Air 5th Gen. I feel a bit sheepish saying I bought the Apple Pencil 2nd Gen which is the least valued item here. But it is what it is. I was never an Apple fan. In my defence, I will just say "If you can't beat them, join them". I was also gifted a Coach bag by the uncle who planned the New York trip. Both my high-end bags - MK and Coach were gifted by him. I also received a surprise Secret Santa gift from my colleague at work. It was totally unexpected and left me with a warm and fuzzy feeling. I feel blessed and grateful to have such wonderful people around me, both family and friends.
I am just going to skim over the last few things, not because they are insignificant. Writing about them will need posts of their own. One of my favourite cousins got married last year and it was a full-on Bollywood-style wedding! On the heels of it came the Rajyotsava celebrations in our apartment. I was a part of the Treasure Hunt Organization team and also the MC for the evening where we had Prof. Krishne Gowda as the chief guest. A couple of years back, I was gifted ICICI bank cards worth 15k. They had expired during the COVID situation. After a lot of follow-ups, we were finally able to get new cards issued. Ever since the COVID scare passed, we have been asked to report to work every day. The long commute made me take to Audiobooks. I have been able to meet my Goodreads challenge only because of listening to books during the cab ride.
Finally, the best news of the year. I have started driving independently!! Woohooo!! Years after getting my license and free taunts from almost everybody I know, here I am zipping around the city in a four-wheeler. Every day, I appreciate it better.
So that's a wrap on my 2022. Looking forward to an amazing 2023!
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