The farewell month

End of another year.. So many unexpected things happened this year. And am glad to say that I feel liberated and stronger than ever.

At the beginning of the year, I watched a show called 'Emily in Paris'. It inspired me to pick up learning French again. Now, am ending the year watching season 2 of the same show :) One of the most enjoyable shows I have seen. The lead Emily is a treat to watch.

The biggest news of this year and probably my entire life will be the birth of my nephew - Aarav. Our family was going through a rough patch and this little guy appeared like a ray of sunshine. I could be addicted to watching his videos randomly. His antics keep us laughing all the time. It's unfortunate that I haven't met him yet. But I know I will be the best maasi ever!

I have a running list of things I want to do in my life. I don't plan for it but somehow it gets checked off. Ever since I saw the blue Tiffany box, my heart has been set on owning a piece of their jewellery. To my surprise, my sister gifted me Tiffany's bracelet!! I am yet to wear it but I keep looking at it because it feels really special. The next event triggered a lot of bucket list checks. Remember, how in June I whined about travel being out of the question? Never did I expect to travel abroad and that too to South Africa! That means I completed four of my bucket list items - Visit a new country, Visit a new continent, Ride first-class and Visit a UNESCO world heritage site. Who would have thought 2021 would be the year which will check off the max bucket list items!

2021 has also been a year of learning for me. Sometimes, I feel like I create a box around me and restrict my own abilities. Now, I strive to get out of my comfort zone and try new things. Be it in my cooking or wardrobe, my social circle or my thinking. This has helped me get in touch with myself. I am also trying to adopt a Minimalist lifestyle. I see it as a natural progression. 

Every year, I reflect on the months gone by and plan my bucket list for the next year. However, I love the list I compiled in January, 2021. There's still so much more left to accomplish. So, I will be continuing the same list and fingers crossed, I may have checked off all of them by the end of 2022.

Gangavathi

Looks like every post now will have a mention of the pandemic. Me and cousins were sick and tired of staying indoors, waiting for things to get better. Hence, we did not think twice when we were invited to the quaint town of Gangavathi, close to Hampi. We drove to the place and as were entering it, we could see people roaming without masks. Small groups of people were chatting in abandon with no concern for social distancing. My cousin looked around to see if there was at least one person wearing a mask. Upon spotting such an individual, he remarks "Look, that guy is wearing a mask. Marle (crazy guy)!" The joke was so on point that we couldn't stop laughing!!

That's the reality now. Anybody abiding the law or following rules and regulations are frowned upon for not being smart enough to outwit the authorities. Anyway, we moved on as per the location pin sent to us and landed in the middle of nowhere. No sign of the resort. After asking around we observed, true to its name, "The Hidden Place" was hidden amidst thick shrubbery. We went into a large expanse of land with a natural stream from the Tungabhadra river flowing by.

What followed is a refreshing experience amidst nature. Gangavathi is a mix of the old and the new. It has a fusion culture. Thanks to Hampi, it has a constant influx of foreigners. You can find several cafes dotted along the path that cater to continental food. However, the decor of these cafes is rustic, lending an old-world charm to the whole setup. I learnt to enjoy a steaming cup of coffee in the chill weather of Gangavathi.

The cousin who hosted us is extremely nice! He wants people to have fun. There would be a large spread of food for every meal. The day's activities would be planned in advance. Our every need was taken care of. And even after coming home, the party wouldn't stop. There was an impromptu karaoke session and someone sang "Ae zindagi gale lagale..". At the point where the lyrics goes "Humne bhi tere har ek gham ko, gale se lagaya hai, hai na?" my cousin would go "Ha ha ha..". It was hilarious. The host's wife is named Vaidehi and for the most part of the night, we kept chanting "Vaidehi Vaidehi..". These memories are going to live with me forever.

We had planned our trip only for the weekend. Soon, it was time to leave. Before heading to Bangalore, we made one last stop. It was a huge estate with the Tungabhadra river flowing just beside it. The view there is beautiful. We were amazed to hear from the owner that the place transforms during different seasons. During summer, the land turns dry and one can ride vehicles on it. With the advent of spring, sunflowers blossom in the same fields. One can also see flamingos flying in. As the rains start pouring, the plants get washed away and the river marks its path. And the river brings along the seals with it. Imagine seals climbing up to the shore. What a magical place!

The estate also had a dragon fruit plantation. Farmers are getting many exotic fruits to India and cultivating them here. This just shows that nature and science go hand in hand. The trip served as a good break for me. We don't have to travel far to experience different cultures. There is so much to explore around us.

Movie Marathon - The Disney edit

I love taking up challenges because it exposes us to different genres and activities. Doing even half the challenge, will make us a better person. Not to mention, completing it is extremely satisfying. Reading challenges are my favorites. Though I love movies, I don't like to watch them alone. This means I have missed out on quite a lot of the classics. The time has come to set it right. So, here I am taking up a movie marathon! I know, I know, a challenge is not a marathon. But watching so many movies is a huge challenge for me and I am sure I will drag it out like a marathon :P Now, let's dim the lights and get that popcorn poppin' baby!

Disney Movie Marathon (30/60)

✔	Classics (28/34)	✔	Others (2/26)
✓	Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)		Saludos Amigos (1943)
✓	Pinocchio (1940)		The Three Caballeros (1945)
	Fantasia (1940)		Make Mine Music (1946)
✓	Dumbo (1941)		Fun and Fancy Free (1947)
✓	Bambi (1942)		Melody Time (1948)
✓	Cinderella (1950)		The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949)
✓	Alice in Wonderland (1951)		The Sword in the Stone (1963)
✓	Peter Pan (1953)		The Aristocats (1970)
✓	Lady and the Tramp (1955)		The Rescuers (1977)
✓	Sleeping Beauty (1959)		The Fox and the Hound (1981)
	One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)		The Black Cauldron (1985)
	The Jungle Book (1967)		The Great Mouse Detective (1986)
✓	Robin Hood (1973)		Oliver and Company (1988)
	The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)		The Rescuers Down Under (1990)
✓	The Little Mermaid (1989)		Fantasia 2000 (1999)
	Beauty and the Beast (1991)		Dinosaur (2000)
✓	Aladdin (1992)	✓	The Emperor’s New Groove (2000)
✓	The Lion King (1994)		Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)
✓	Pocahontas (1995)		Treasure Planet (2002)
✓	The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)		Brother Bear (2003)
✓	Hercules (1997)		Home on the Range (2004)
✓	Mulan (1998)		Chicken Little (2005)
✓	Tarzan (1999)		Meet the Robinsons (2007)
✓	Lilo and Stitch (2002)		Bolt (2008)
✓	The Princess and the Frog (2009)		Big Hero 6 (2014)
✓	Tangled (2010)	✓	Encanto (2021)
	Winnie the Pooh (2011)
✓	Wreck-It Ralph (2012)
✓	Frozen (2013)
✓	Zootopia (2016)
✓	Moana (2016)
✓	Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018)
✓	Frozen II (2019)
✓	Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)

Ju-lyke it?

Hello July!

Can't believe the year is moving so fast. With all the misery spread around by the pandemic, I had forgotten that it's hike time in our company. So the unexpected salary increase took me by surprise and made me feel happy. I am grateful that I am at a point in life where I don't have to fret too much about money. God has been very kind to me.

Talking about small mercies, my cousin's wife is due in December. They lost their first baby and have been hoping to have one more ever since. I am so soo happy for them! We girls hosted a small baby shower for the soon-to-be mommy. We had fun games and yummy food. Everybody had a ball.

When we bought our house, we did not have much time to work on the interiors. Now that we have settled down, I am trying to make small home improvements. Going by my idea of a home for all, I got a mop stand installed which cleared the clutter in our utility. I had shelves installed in the kitchen cabinets into which went things that were on the kitchen counter, more space yayyy! My cousin helped me in getting a foldable work table. I also bought a monitor and keyboard to have a dedicated work space. No more bad posture.

I also like my home to smell fresh and clean. So, I may have splurged a bit when I got diffusers from Bath and Body Works. Oops! But you have to agree that they look oh so pretty! I also got reed diffusers for the washrooms and don't regret it at all. Not to be left behind, my father had the hall and puja room upgraded with a false ceiling. Although, I was skeptical initially, the final result blew me away. Now, when we switch on the warm lights everywhere, the house transforms into somewhere ethereal.

I have also been cooking and baking. And I am enjoying it so much. However, after being bitten by the most deadly bug of the century, I started experiencing severe hair fall. It was so bad that wherever I went, I would leave a trail of hair behind. Finally, my dad took me to a doctor and he prescribed some zinc tablets and hair tonic. And just like that, the hair fall stopped. I couldn't believe it. Note to self, get medical advice whenever necessary.

Halfway through

I can't believe how quickly June has flown by. I can't even remember what I did the whole month!

Quick update on this year's bucket list. The creative list looks a bit lonely with just a single tick. But I have actually worked on most of them, just not to the level I want to. On the learning front, I am quite happy with my French course and culinary skills. Time to focus on other things during the second half of the year. Oooh yes! I have been having a lot of fun. My most ticked list haha.. Good to see that!

Personal growth is not quite there yet. I haven't had much time to myself in the past few months. Will be trying to get on to more of it now. Travel is out of the question due to the pandemic. I will have to make do with online shows and virtual tours I guess :( I am dreading the next section. I have done absolutely nothing for my health. In fact, I have gone backwards with poor sleep and acute hair loss. Getting into a routine will hopefully help.

Organizing is a continuous process. One cannot organize everything and stop there. I have been cleaning out the closets and decluttering. I think twice before purchasing anything. This has taught me to respect my needs and curb my wants. Needless to say, it is saving me a bit of money as well :) I have been trying to do my bit for the community as much as possible. Staying at home is, in fact, a service in itself :P Jokes apart, I donated some more money to people in need. I hope it is of some comfort to them.

Another noteworthy task that I did is get my broadband connection changed to ACT. I have been struggling with the poor BBNL service for quite some time now. But my even worse 'standing up for myself' skills held me back. Finally, I mustered the courage to get the service changed and I was amazed at how easy the whole process was. Hello, superfast net speeds :D

That's it for June. But, wow! Are we at mid term already!

May or may not

May has been a terrific month for me. The best month so far this year, I think! 😀 Despite the lockdown, I have accomplished a lot of things. First and foremost, I donated money to some organizations which are helping to fight the pandemic. I had been wanting to do this for a long time.

Nykaa had this huge summer sale. Bath & Body Works had Buy 2 Get 2 free on their entire range 😍 I love their products and this was a great offer. I have also been eyeing some products from Kay Beauty which is a cosmetic line by Katrina Kaif. I spent a whole day looking up offers, combining products and reading reviews. But, my conscience told me that I already own similar products and do not need any more cosmetics during the lockdown. I made a list of my stash and decided that I won't buy anything new until I finish at least half of them 😑 I went ahead and emptied my cart. I am so proud of myself for resisting the temptation.

I also did something very unlike myself. I had a political debate with my cousin 🙈 I am not politically inclined but his messages were ruffling some feathers. I saw the need for an open discussion. Most of the elders in the family are staunch supporters of Modi. The cousin thinks Modi should have taken stricter measures to curb the pandemic instead of focusing on elections and personal agenda. I do agree that Modi did not do a great job of handling the second wave, but it is not right to blame one person for the current situation. India does not have a good leader in its wings and Modi seems to be doing a good job, although he gets carried away at times. The citizens should provide constructive criticism in ways that can reach the right people instead of fighting over sensitive topics on WhatsApp.

I have been obsessed with Carrom and Duolingo this month. I don't know how I made time for these two amongst all the other things I have been doing this month. I justify them by saying am learning a new skill. The Carrom game has a special carrom pass which has higher rewards as we level up. I love arcade games, so it was right up my alley. Same with Duolingo. They have levels named after gemstones. The diamond league is the highest and if you end up on top of the leader board, you earn an achievement. Safe to say, I fought hard to stay at the top and bagged it! 🙌

It's more than a year and a half now since I saw Akka. We have never gone so long without seeing each other. So, we have been trying to do things together. We read a cool book about tidying up. It's called 'The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up' by Marie Kondo. It's the KonMari method explained as a comic. Her methods make a lot of sense. But, I may have got a bit carried away when I cleaned up the shoe closet and trashed my cousin's expensive sneakers! Oops!! 🙆 So, I was saying that Akka and I have been trying to go minimal. Not only that, we did a happiness challenge and signed up for a masterclass too. Thank God for the internet!

I and cousin have been watching a lot of Masterchef - the 'Back to Win' S12 and the ongoing S13. No wonder then that we have been cooking a lot too. Sweets and savouries, veg and non-veg, healthy and junk - everything is in there. I am not only inspired by the food on the show but also by the judge Melissa Leong's wardrobe. Her outfits are amazing! Makes me want to revamp my wardrobe. We have also been catching up on movies and web series.

Last but not the least, I officially reached the 10th year milestone of my career. Wow! Has it been that long? 😀 I got monetary recognition from the company as well. I have so many gift cards that I need to use up! However, I am being conscious of the environment. Along with lifestyle changes, I am also working on decreasing my digital footprint. I cleaned up my inbox and unsubscribed from unwanted promotional emails.

Phew! That looks like an exhausting month and I want every month to be like that! 💃

Happiness challenge

It's said that happiness is found in little things. And, all of us are in need of some hope and joy now. The lockdown has made life boring. I have not stepped out of the house for three weeks now. To add to it, Akka and I are not able to talk as frequently as before. So we decided to do a challenge together which will help us feel connected. It's a happiness challenge wherein each day we perform a small activity that brings us joy. Here is the entire list!

Here's what I did on each day of the month.

May 01 - Donate (Hemkunt and Give India)

May 02 - Make your bed

May 03 - Eat a piece of chocolate (silk oreo red velvet)

May 04 - Write 3 things you are grateful for

May 05 - Cook a healthy meal (Stir fry chicken)

May 06 - Buy a meal for someone (Bite sized doughnuts)

May 07 - Exercise (I did warmups and stretching while watching TV)

May 08 - Read (Resumed my book. I was falling behind on my reading challenge)

May 09 - Clean out your closet (did other nooks and corners too).

May 10 - Go for a walk (after 4 long weeks of being cooped up at home)

May 11 - Enjoy a glass of wine ( had refreshing lime pudina juice instead)

May 12 - Sleep in or take a nap (been doing too much of that these days)

May 13 - Bake 

May 14 - Write a poem or draw (doodled)

May 15 - Write in your journal

May 16 - Pay someone a compliment (all the time)

May 17 - Bake cupcakes (chose to do buns instead)

May 18 - Have a cup of herbal tea (chamomile tea)

May 19 - Meditate

May 20 - Watch a classic film (Winnie the pooh)

May 21 - Phone a friend (had to call for something but ended with a good chat)

May 22 - Take a masterclass (from MCA on TV)

May 23 - Dress-up

May 24 - Yoga (did the basics)

May 25 - Dance to your fav song (always up for it)

May 26 - Get a plant/flowers (just got one from the garden to complete the challenge :P)

May 27 - Go outside (couldn't go out due to lockdown, visited my cousin's house in the same apartment)

May 28 - Put on make-up

May 29 - Light your fav candle 

May 30 - Listen to a podcast