Fab Feb

February has been very busy at work. I haven't had time to go out and have fun. Nevertheless, I made the most of my time at home by watching some web series 😛

I have been watching Anne with an E. I loved the book. The Netflix adaptation is great too. I did not expect to but am already on the second season 💁 There were a couple of web series that I had downloaded but never found the time to watch. I am done with 'Never Have I Ever'. I binge watched 'Emily in Paris'. Now, I can't stop dreaming of going to France (especially for those croissants!!).

I have also been learning French using the duo app. It made 'Emily in Paris' more enjoyable I think 😛 I am thrilled to know that I still remember what I learnt way back in 2008 😎 I am making steady progress with the theory. But the spoken language is too fast and I can barely keep up.

Am getting better at cooking. I made prawns chilli-pepper fry and a Hyderabadi style chicken curry. Both dishes had favourable feedback 😀 I am short on cash this month. I submitted the wrong proof for the home loan and now am being heavily taxed for it. Also paid the overdue property tax with a penalty! #AdultingSoTaxing

The whole month, we have been preparing for Dithu's 10th birthday party. Finally, it's done. It was so much fun!! We even had a magician who performed quite a range of tricks leaving both the kids and adults amazed.

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 - Completed a 1000 piece jigsaw 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 - Visited many in Scotland
🗸 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 - Attended a stand up comedy show with the girls in Edinburgh
🗸 Travel Solo - Went on a day trip to Dundee
🗸 Go on a picnic - Went to Queen's park with a friend's family
🗸 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 - Did this with the JYHO group
Skip non-veg for a month
🗸 Visit a spa or wellness retreat - Visited HLC

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 - Noting it in my journal
🗸 Shop small businesses - Ordered bridal shower gifts

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 💖

Random Acts of Kindness

I was at the metro station and taking the lift. There was a mirror in it. As soon as the door closed, I started checking my hair and makeup in the mirror. Without warning the door opened and a middle-aged man entered the lift. I felt embarrassed and gave him a self-conscious smile. He smiled back genially. After a couple of seconds, he said "You looks very beautiful!" Aww... Thank you, stranger, for making my day :)

Always your home

Hi Maa, today we complete one year of moving into our own house. Can you believe it? For ages, we dreamt of setting up our own place, a major part of the 'we' being you. Your vision fueled our drive. I hope the house is very close to how you wanted it to be.

We had a small Gana Homa at home. I have been missing you even more throughout the week. You would have prepared so much for the Puja. Not necessarily excited, more anxious I think :) You would have washed all the silver utensils and puja items. Fussed about the number of people being invited, cleaning the house top to bottom. Selecting what jewelry to wear for the occasion would have been a ritual in itself.

When we were getting things ready for the Puja, I was so proud of your collection. You had every item ready right from the 'deepa's to the 'mane's. When the priest asked for bigger vessels for the prasada, I could easily reach into the shelf and give him exactly what he needed. Papa was as restless as ever, moving around and saying a hundred things at a time. I wish you were there to calm him down. When the priest asked for our raashi and nakshatra, I looked for you, our database.

I miss you every day. I want to come home to you, lay my head in your lap. I want to see you sitting at your favorite place on the floor, eating food or drinking tea, despite us repeatedly asking you to sit on the chair. I long for your signature chicken curry and also the regular comfort food you make. I want to call you mumma-dumma, ambade, amtekai and many other names I reserved only for you. Every other day, I absentmindedly think of ordering your medicine and giving you insulin. I want to take you on walks, buy you your favorite food, take you shopping, play your favorite songs.

Nobody is immortal. But you still had so much life in you, Maa. You were yet to experience so many joys. I hope you have moved on to a much better life. And yet, I wish I could wish you back in my life.

2020 - A new decade

We are at the end of one more year. I have seen a lot of highs and lows in the past twelve months, much like the entire decade. However, life is all about looking forward and filling it with memories and experiences. There is something about the new year which makes me feel fresh and renews my enthusiasm for life.

This year I will not be listing my goals here. I am going to try the old fashioned way of journaling. I also intend to blog more about other things. Last year was so hectic that I did not have time even to jot down my experiences. I will be backlogging some of them to enjoy reliving them in the future.

Always remember, every day is a new start, a chance to live life to the fullest. Do not despair. Hope is what feeds the soul. Sometimes, the weight you need to lose isn't on your body.

Happy new year!