Tag: Yearly Summary

  • Namaskaara 2024

    Namaskaara 2024

    ಇಂದು ವರ್ಷದ ಮೊದಲ ದಿನವಾಗಿರುವುದರಿಂದ ನಿಮ್ಮೆಲ್ಲರಿಗೂ ಹೊಸ ವರ್ಷದ ಶುಭಾಶಯಗಳನ್ನು ಕೋರುತ್ತೇನೆ.

    We are well aware that nowadays nobody can read past 1-2 lines because of our declining attention span. Therefore, by writing the 1st paragraph 100% in Kannada and not a mere 60% like a hypocrite, I think my job is done. Continuing further in the language we all love to hate but cannot live without at this point in time, i.e. English.

    This blog is about Time.

    I recently picked up a book called:

    Affiliates Link https://amzn.to/3U1I0YX

    And if you are expecting a joke, here it is: I gave it up after a few pages of reading. I will probably go back to this later but too many things are happening way too fast in the world and one cannot catch up with them all. And still, it feels like nothing is happening. If you go by the trends and fads these days, it would appropriately be called: Millenials are getting old.

    2024 is here. When you last blinked it was 2019. Since I have been just repeating this line every year for the last few years, I am going to stop doing it from now on. I was recently sternly reminded by someone that I am still stuck in the lockdown (mentally) and it’s time to move on and smell the coffee. Fair enough, it is indeed time to move on and accept the reality. Even though some new variants are still lurking around, mostly everyone else has moved on and started doing normal things like living their lives, buying new things, expanding their families, traveling, and creating jams on the highways.

    2023 was a year that also finished pretty quickly, in my opinion. I have been complaining about how time is zooming away for the last few years. The theory of time flying is easily understood by this wonderful graphic by Tim Urban.

    It also boils down to the same old adage. Without new experiences, every day looks the same. Unless one tries to do things differently or try new stuff deliberately, even this year would be over in a jiffy. Hopefully, this year things will be interesting if not dramatically better. After all, our country would go through General Elections (which is also a good hint to stop watching the news and leave Social Media). AI would become more and more popular even if it is still not really AI, but it’s fine, why be a snob? Let’s call it AI. And so on.

    The responsibility lies on us, we have to be the change we want to see in the world. Like many past years, I don’t have any New Year resolutions. I am just going to try to read more books and control bhook (hunger) in general.

    But I am going to sincerely try to be more creative and less of a consumer. I don’t know how long I can do that but I have given up my Netflix subscription already. Prime Video already has everything on Rent or in other words it is useless. Nothing is there to watch on Disney Hotstar and after the debacle on November 19, 2024, opening the app itself gives me shivers. I still have a YouTube Premier subscription but it is mostly used to have an uninterrupted viewing of important channels like Pink Fong and Cocomelon. So, to change a few things, I have started to read more and ordered a few graphic novels (review soon).

    That’s the mantra for 2024 then: Create More, Consume Less.

    Happy New Year to anyone who landed on this page and continued to read till here!

    Header Photo by Ananthan Loggi on Unsplash

  • Hello 2023

    Hello 2023

    I can’t be the only one who still thinks March 2020 was just a few days ago. Many things have changed since then but some part of the mind hasn’t moved on. Maybe it would move on once someone officially says that “Pandemic is over now. Go and enjoy life like there’s no fear!”. I know, I know that 90% of the world has already assumed this and that’s great! Hopefully, 2023 would be the year when we actually move past this and start afresh.

    Also, I didn’t do a roundup of the whole of last year this time. In fact, I did only 1 blog post in the whole of 2022. I usually write when I want to write as a habit. Or when I feel something strongly about something (even if that strong feeling is temporary). But in 2022, I didn’t feel strongly about anything and I didn’t want to delve into a habit that cannot be sustained.

    While sounding bold, here are my predictions for the year 2023, for the world and myself. Humor me:

    World

    Work from Home / Hybrid Work / Regular Office fans would try to stick to what they like and if someone tries to force them to do the other, it would lead to friction and that would generate heat. This might lead to further division in society and an increase in global warming. Blame Modi for this, of course. Meanwhile, choose your favorite while adjusting to what your manager wants.

    Ukraine Russia War will reach its conclusion this year.

    India-China Competition will intensify. India will try to manufacture like China and ‘Made in India’ will become synonymous with ‘Made in China’.

    AI-generated content may seem novel and exciting at first, but it will eventually become just as mundane and predictable as human-generated content. This is because both AI and humans are limited by their programming and experiences, leading to a limited range of ideas and expressions.

    Obviously, the above paragraph is from ChatGPT.

    https://chat.openai.com/chat

    MCU vs DC rivalry (which isn’t a rivalry as MCU has already won) will diffuse and a new superhero movie or series would change everything. It won’t be The Boys even if that seems anti to everything.

    Reels and Social Media – Social media is dead. How long ago did you spend a whole day on Facebook now when you can waste it watching Reels/Tictoc/Shorts. The shortest video snippet-type content would stay and would become the biggest waster of time on the planet.

    Electric Vehicles will become normal. Their charging stations should start appearing everywhere. Outside actual petrol pumps as well as near your favorite paan shops.

    Elon Musk would get tired of his own tweets and start to concentrate on making some things that are actually useful for humanity.

    Personal

    I have to move back to Bengaluru and find a new place to stay. Whatever savings I have done in the past 1 year would be evaporated for the new accommodation. I haven’t watched KGF yet so not sure if Karnataka is open to accepting me again.

    I will definitely visit the office this year while inhaling the freshly stale air of office air conditioning, regret coming back.

  • Year 2021 End Blog Post

    This might be the shortest Year-end blogpost ever on this blog although the year was one of the longest for me.

    Professional

    I am saying this every year since 2018 but I might have put together more working hours than many previous years combined. It felt so, at least. This year brought technological leaps one had to grasp quickly, farewells of people who had been colleagues for half a decade, newer chaos and managerial lessons, and of course, virtual fatigue. To top that, I had to balance all the newer challenges at work with post-graduate studies, upcoming family, and personal health. Out of all of the above, health is the one which has been sacrificed the most.

    I guess I am at an age that marks the onset of sedentary problems a human might face. I genuinely wish that 2022 will be more active physically in a good way.

    Personal

    It was hardly the first fortnight of 2021 when I got to know that I am going to become a father this year. That set the tone of the year and changed everything for me. Each and every step we took was more cautious than before. When the Second Wave of the Pandemic was high and mighty, it was the middle of the term and we had to visit the doctors for routine check-ups every few weeks. This means that the doctors never saw our faces and we never saw theirs. The journey I went through as a father (spectator of pregnancy), was most fulfilling. Although the real journey has just begun but being able to witness the 9 months up close because of working from home was rewarding and educational. I cooked delicious food and made me confident that if in case I have to live alone on Mars, I can survive with not just potatoes. Also, I returned to my hometown and was able to live there for a tenure of more than 2 weeks for the first time in a decade. Still back home for the last 7 months!

    Not sure what 2022 brings, I just hope that it ends the fear we have been living under for the last 2 years. I wish I could say that I will not discuss pandemics anymore but we all know how that jinxes everything. Let’s just say that 2022 turns out as a year of opportunities for everyone who missed it in the last 2 years.

    Now, when the year is drawing curtains, I am going to help my child sleep before 12 and hope that she doesn’t get disturbed by firecrackers if any.

    To a Happy 2020 everyone…

    Update [March 15, 2022]: I meant 2022 above. Heh.

  • Year 2020 End Blog Post

    Year 2020 End Blog Post

    120 odd blog posts this year! Out of these, 100 or more have been published daily for the last 100 or so days. Total Words 41,227+. Average words per post 352. That’s a big achievement so a self-pat-on-the-back is a given. So, I have nothing to sum up as consolidated thoughts today. 2020 has been a year that taught us a lot of things. I will share what I think were the 3 most important lessons we should have learned.

    You

    Your and your family’s health is above everything else. Money is required to keep the health intact as well. But if you are not healthy to earn money, then all the best. In case you fail to keep yourself healthy for any reason, the only thing which can save you is Insurance. If you don’t have yourself insured, then it is like bungee jumping with a rope made of noodles. Take care of yourself. You matter.

    This and That

    So many things are there that we take for granted. Internet and People top that list so thank you Tim Berners Lee and Evolution. But there are things which, if taken away, everything would crumble. To each, his own, but savoring small things should be our priority always. This year showed us if our basic things are taken away from us, we might implode.

    The Off Switch

    Beginning with the start of this year, till at least October end, I worked more than I have ever worked in my life. I took up more responsibilities than I have ever had. Then I took on some more challenges. I experienced a few things that were life-altering. What did I achieve out of that? Nothing as of now. Probably, the results would show in the next few years. But one big lesson learned is the missing Off Switch. I spent all my time this year in front of a screen and kept my eyes closed only when I was sleeping. This is unsustainable and impractical. It fast forwards you to old age. An Off Switch needs to be found and that’s going to be my focus in 2021. One cannot get back the lost moments (and people). So, spending time rightly is to be cherished.

    Wishing the millions and millions of the readers of this blog the best for the upcoming year. For rest of the world, read more people! Let’s hope 2021 acts as the start of a wonderful decade for humanity. Do the due.

  • Year 2019 End Blog Post

    Year 2019 End Blog Post

    So, the fastest year of life is over in a jiffy. I went to Goa in Jan 2018 and it feels like it was just a few weeks ago. That’s how fast the last 2 years have gone by.

    There were many learnings this year work-wise. I have now completed more than a decade of working. It went pretty smooth for me for the first 7 years but the last 3 years have made me work as many hours as I worked in the first 7. There were numerous late nights and weekends. The amount of knowledge gained was also enormous. I also completed 5 years working in the same company. So, I have spent more time in office than in the rented house I am living in. Does this mean the office feels like home? Dangerous sign.

    And, as much as you want to avoid, but someday politics catches you. But it is fun and challenging and as part of life as it can be. Bring it on!

    As I observed, I have been the heaviest this year. Time to look into it in 2019. Better to go into new year with some aim.

    Below are the things I enjoyed this year, like a normal human being.

    Movies (In theatres)

    The least number of movies I watched in Cinema this year.

    TV

    Movies

    • Movies by Edgar Wright – Scott Pilgrim and Trilogy of Ice-Cream and Blood
    • Article 15 – Dark and brilliantly shot
    • Section 375 – Gripping!
    • A Quiet Place – Goosebumps, silently. Brought back memories of Spielberg era

    Series

    • The Office – I haven’t laughed as much I did while watching this in ages. I’m seriously! All hail Michael Scott and Dwight Schrute combo. Things do get weird in S8 but still so much better than all those shows with a laughter track after every 10 seconds. Each and every character in fact make you chuckle. It will be hard to miss. That’s what she said!
    • The Family Man S1 – Superbly made. I think all the things by the creators of this have been amazing.
    • Fleabag – Some 4th wall breaking done really brilliantly, the writing and the acting by the eponymous Phoebe Waller-Bridge is something else!
    • Stranger Things S3 – Still one of my most favorite shows. The ‘Never ending story’ part was the best.
    • Veep S7 – Cannot think of any other show which has so many jokes crammed into every dialogue that before you finish your laugh at one, another one comes which is even meaner. And this was the final season. Elaine, I mean, President Selina Meyer, what a performance!
    • Chernobyl – Highly recommended

    Books

    The following are the books I read this year. I had targetted one book a month but I ended up 2 short. Currently, I am reading Thinking Fast and Slow but it is not going to get finished in the next 3 days.

    One thing I regret about the following books is that in spite of them being definitely life-changing, I didn’t change my life. I will have to read some of them again because they are definitely worth re-reads. Some of them tend to appear a bit lop-sided about growing old and understanding the world more. But then as I said I didn’t let them affect me in any positive or negative manner. One way to actually implement the learnings from the books is to go through them again via a book review which I didn’t do at all this year and that has to be corrected next year.

    https://amzn.to/39oDM3t
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    * All the above links are Amazon Affiliate Links.

  • Year 2018 End Blog Post

    Year 2018 End Blog Post

    *cough*

    What a year 2018 has been! I mean, seriously. This year, I had some experiences which I have never felt in my life before. Most of the experiences were life-altering. I will come back to them later in this post but first, let us look at the so-called resolutions I had promised at the end of the last year. And their outcomes, of course. I don’t make resolutions-resolutions per se but everyone has some things in their minds they want to tick mark every year.

    Here’s the breakdown of how my objectives of the year fared.

    Resolutions 2018

    • Write daily. This is really important. Seth Godin, here I come.
      • Outcome: 33 blog posts. About 300 posts short but highest blog posts in a year by me, ever!
      • Verdict: Fail
    • Take more photographs. Edit them better. Make better stories. Be a better photographer, better editor.
      • Outcome: About 150 Instagram Posts. I crossed 1000 posts this year. And I didn’t use Photoshop this year at all.
      • Verdict: Pass
    • Be a better storyteller. Better speaker. Better. And don’t let anything distract you from that.
      • Outcome: I completed by Toastmasters Advanced Communicator Bronze which included Storytelling. So technically, yes! Still a long way to go.
      • Verdict: Pass
    • Indulge in Video making and editing. Tough task but time is now! Casey Neistat and likes keep inspiring and sharing new people to get motivated from.
      • Outcome: Video editing is a tough job. I didn’t start a Vlog yet but getting there slowly.
      • Verdict: Pass (barely)
    • Learn something new every week. New technology, science, history, word, technique, skills, something! And write about it.
      • Outcome: Huge scope in this task. I certainly could do a lot more. I will consider myself failed.
      • Verdict: Fail
    • I didn’t have an actual big cycle when I was a kid. I had a small kiddy bike until I was 13. But then my younger brother got a proper bike. So I used it. But not as much as I wanted. So, if all goes well, I will buy a Bicycle soon and just ride it.
      • Outcome: Big fail.
      • Verdict: Fail
    • Overhaul the overall brand. Come up as a person people should look up to. Learn from others. Teach what you know to others. Learn more, be more!
      • Outcome: Long way to go. It is better to stay perpetually fail as this.
      • Verdict: Fail
    • Basically, just do. Don’t complain. Don’t indulge in politics. Don’t share irrelevant details. Don’t consume bad stuff.
      • Outcome: Subjective thing. But I am still sane.
      • Verdict: Pass
    • Don’t intake negative vibes. Just do your thing and be better!
      • Outcome: Same as above
      • Verdict: Pass

    Experiences

    Chanakya wrote,

    A man is born alone and dies alone; and he experiences the good and bad consequences of his karma alone; and he goes alone to hell or the Supreme abode.

    Karma is a funny thing. It is certainly the outcome of your actions which you deliberated yourself or someone made you do it. Nevertheless, you must face them at some point in your life. The year 2018 left me with some experiences (which were not my doing necessarily but still I had to face) which were quite new. I am going to jot down these experiences in the classy Health-Wealth-Wise trio format which made me ponder about life a bit more than I would have. This is going to be somber like all previous year-end posts.

    Health

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Bd_v0oFjfpq/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

    I traveled to Goa in the beginning of the year and needless to say I was not interested in sharing my beach pics. I have put more pressure on the weighing scales this year than I ever have. Some of this could be blamed on me living alone for 5 months and using Zomato, Swiggy, and FreshMenu to the fullest. I was, in fact, happy to note that Google Pay got me a lot of cashbacks. But then I fell sick later in the year so the medicines evened out the cashbacks. The silver lining was that I was able to keep the clothes still fit my waist. This sounds all negligible experience actually. This is not life-altering by any stretch of the imagination, to be honest. In more seriousness, the truth is that most of us take health for granted. Only when either we ourself or someone close falls ill, then only we understand the importance of taking care. Some of the people around me kept on falling sick or fell into the trap of diseases which are life-threatening. Even if when you are not suffering yourself, when people around you suffer, that hurts a lot, if not equally. And the fact that one cannot do anything about it, is a tough bullet to chew. To say the least, healthwise 3 of the major experience happened to me this year was:

    1. Having to take someone to a hospital in an ambulance when they had just collapsed and getting to know that it was the case of D.O.A.
    2. Still dealing with the ongoing ordeal of a close one suffering from the monster called Cancer. It sucks the life out of one in all possible ways but you still have to deal with it.
    3. Got to hear about someone giving up on life due to Depression. Enough said.

    Wealth

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BkXkOejHNEh/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

    Till July of this year, I went to the Airport every month. Sometimes, more than once a month. I am not at all a frequent traveler but circumstances made me do it. That also brings me to the fact that, one, everyone knows how painful it is to travel to Bengaluru airport so many times, and second, the amount of money which gets consumed in traveling is immense. People get so much impressed by Travelogs but what about unplanned travels? Who budgets that? So, the first experience was to think about money. Frankly, I have never paid any attention to it. I have been privileged enough to not to worry about it, yes! But also, how much more do I need to be more responsible and be ready for the unplanned things. I finally started investing. Nothing fancy but even investing in FDs and RDs was the first time for me. (I am so posh or what?). But seriously, I should have started this a decade ago. The one thing nobody teaches properly is how to use your money. Those who actually professionally teach have ulterior motives I guess. One important thing I did this year though was to travel to Shravanbelgola and attend the once in 25 years Mahamastakabhishek in proper attire. I don’t know if I will ever get a chance like this.

    Wise

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BlQavjrnW1x/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

    With all of the learnings from above, the only take away is that we don’t really have much time. How we spend the time we have makes us who we are! We can get bothered about the events on social media or politics, or we can try to make small differences in anyone else’s lives. We can either Netflix and chill (and that is important too to stay sane but in limited quantity) or we can try to boost confidence and morale of someone by sharing a good positive quote or just talking and listening to them. We can stay in one place or travel.

    All in all, 2018 was a somewhat unusual year which sets the tone of future too. But since we have less time in our hands, we can try to be optimistic and just do something about it than letting life happen to us.

    The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails.
     
    – John Maxwell
    (more…)
  • Year 2017 End Post, or is it?

    Year 2017 End Post, or is it?

    New Year Resolutions are something which I never pay attention to. They’re not for me. I stopped thinking long-term a while back and took life as it came. That worked most of the time but there are times for which one should also be prepared. But if I have to rate no-long-term-thinking-theory, it would still be one of the best decisions I made to stay happy. Fewer Expectations, Better Life.

    This time, however, I am thinking of taking a Strong New Year Resolution which requires full-time dedication. We will come to that in a minute or so. The year 2016 was a fine year by the way. Although I changed my ‘status’ that year, still I lived alone for 8 months. The latter part of 2016 was not good though. I got to know that Depression was something real when it happened to one of my close ones. Also, I had a motorbike accident which left me with not being able to use my right hand for more than 2 weeks. Plus, in my journey to be a more confident speaker, I came across an obstacle which made me question my decision itself to become a more confident speaker. Long story short, as I was entering 2017, I was not in my best state of mind and body.

    So, let’s have a thorough look back at the Year, Twenty Seventeen was.  Did it turn out okay, did it turn out alright? Boom! Here we go…

    • Firstly, I am very proud of this year. I learned a lot of things, both professionally and personally. The thing which was bothering me at the end of 2016, I took it head on and instead of running away from it (Public Speaking), I decided to confront it. I got my Competent Communication module of 10 Speeches done by May 10th. And that was the time (January-June) when I was peak busy at Work. This taught me a lesson that when one is super busy and focused at work, that is the time when the brain is at its optimum energy level to do things which can give you a break from work.

    Lesson Learnt: If you’re busy with work, that is the best time to do things which are totally unrelated to work. Break the monotony

    Break Monotony
    Break Monotony

    • I also gained enough confidence to recite poems (in my case, these are just words put in an order to rhyme, after every line) in front of a live audience. Although, the audience was known me, reciting a rhyme, in public, is a feat.

    Lesson Learnt: Let some skill, which you always have been shy about, come out in public. Some might like it. Overcome inhibitions!

    overcome inhibitions
    overcome inhibitions

    • For the first time, I traveled to Kerala i.e. Kochi, Alleppey, and Munnar. It was such a wonderful trip which left us wanting for more.

    Of course, needless to say that the lesson here is travel more. Anyone has anything to say against travelling?

    Some pics here:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BXuwwKzDHrj

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BceviXVD0-3

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BcKc35_DrwR

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BYDIXZEjaPS

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BYANGJdjZy_

    • I took over as the President of a Toastmasters Club which had 31 people when I started and my term ended (will end on Dec 31) with 24 people. Heh! Now, have I failed? Have I embarrassed myself? Have I lost the cause? Well, actually no. This experience of serving so many people is a humbling experience. This isn’t managing people. This is more like leading people to something they want to do, but they probably aren’t as enthusiastic as you are. I would say, being a President of a corporate Toastmasters club is a difficult task. But I am proud to say that I didn’t give up at all. I didn’t fail because I kept at it. I, with the help of some other people, always kept my members on their toes. Surely, we could do a lot better but I hope the wheels of motion are now set. I was commended by few people for the job I was doing. I was also praised by some that there won’t be anyone like me in future. But I would like to believe that at least one a couple of people would have taken some inspiration and would continue to work for others. Working for others give a pleasure which is immeasurable.

    Lesson Learnt: Experience Selflessness. Do something for others and enjoy their success.

    experience selflessness
    experience selflessness

    • Now some selfishness. I bought a new phone after 3 years. I was using Moto X2 since October 2014. The only issue with that phone was Battery. I had no issues otherwise and quite enjoyed the phone. But there was one caveat. The camera quality was not very exciting. So, I got myself a new One Plus 5t and since then, I am spamming Instagram almost daily. And I feel good about that kind of spamming!
    • I read more numbers of books this year than I have ever read in my life. Isn’t that awesome? This number also included so many superb books. I have written some reviews of those too. Kindly check them out here.

    read more
    read more

    • One important thing also happened this year. I didn’t miss Twitter. I didn’t miss TV news. That reaffirmed my belief that most of the social media and other media I have been consuming is a farce. I deserve much better and my time deserves the much better use of media. I don’t even want to spend any of my words here about how Twitter and stuff are full of crap. I would rather suggest a Chrome Extensions here: Nudge. This extension helps you to unfollow everyone and everything on Facebook. And block Twitter and all addictive social media sites. I installed and did exactly what it was supposed to do. Unfollow everything. Now, that’s something you should try!

    So that was mostly it! Enough about 2017. Now, it is time to share

    Thoughts on 2018

    Day One
    Day One

    The above poster is inspired by this post by Ryder Carroll: https://www.instagram.com/p/BSeYbRPhDNs

    There’s one thing I have been meaning to do for a long time. That is to write daily. There is also a HUGE GAP in my usage of Adobe Photoshop this year as my laptop had crashed. Plus, this year I discovered vlogging and scope of me learning video editing. Also, I also have started to indulge in jumping on to the bandwagon and sharing ‘Stories’ on Instagram. So, I am looking at following things this year:

    1. Write daily. This is really important. Seth Godin, here I come.
    2. Take more photographs. Edit them better. Make better stories. Be a better photographer, better editor.
    3. Be a better storyteller. Better speaker. Better. And don’t let anything distract you from that.
    4. Indulge in Video making and editing. Tough task but time is now! Casey Neistat and likes keeps inspiring and sharing new people to get motivated from.
    5. Learn something new every week. New technology, science, history, word, technique, skills, something! And write about it.
    6. I didn’t have an actual big cycle when I was a kid. I had a small kiddy bike till I was 13. But then my younger brother got a proper bike. So I used it. But not as much as I wanted. So, if all goes well, I will buy a Bicycle soon and just ride it.
    7. Overhaul the overall brand. Come up as a person people should look up to. Learn from others. Teach what you know to others. Learn more, be more!
    8. Basically, just do. Don’t complain. Don’t indulge in politics. Don’t share irrelevant details. Don’t consume bad stuff. Don’t intake negative vibes. Just do your thing and be better!

    My Mantra for 2018 is going to be: JUST DO. If I get some more motivation, I will probably get a T-Shirt made out of this.

    Just Do
    Just Do

    On second thought, I think Nike has already done something similar. Nevertheless, I am going to follow-up on this motto and show up more often here.

    I am psyched!

  • Year 2016 End Blog Post

    Year 2016 End Blog Post

    2016 is almost about to end, finish, over, poooof!! YAY!

    Now, for some reason, I don’t understand what the hoopla was about. Bad things happened this year, sure, but that happens every year and this is going to continue to happen next year as well. Probably, I don’t feel as impacted as supposed to, by most of the things which happened this year, as I transitioned from being, how to put it mildly, Sngl to Mrrd in January itself. Once you have made that change in your life, every other impact feels like falling of a 1 KG metal ball or a feather in space.

    So, as goes the tradition, this is the year-end summary blog post for 2016. Some major things are summarized below so that I can read the same 10 years from now (if all goes well):

    • January was something. Apart from the D-Day, I also stepped outside Indian soil. And landed on a semi-Indian soil. And it was fun.

     And the events that followed after Jan’s main event, have been fun alright! For the first time in my life, I got to live alone. Like actually alone. Sounds very weird after the first 2 points but that is how it was. I lived alone for about 8 months, with occasional visits from friends and family. But living alone gives you some perspective in life which nothing else does. I recommend, everyone should live alone for a month of two, at least. I played a whole lot of Pokemon Go for 1 week, before those idiots took it down. Around mid-year, I joined Toastmasters. One, to slow myself down. Second, to become a better public speaker. The journey has been super exciting as having an aim in life, a purpose, gives you a lot to look forward to. Also, the club gives you an environment which one craves for in a job, that it is not just rewarding, but also competitive and that school-college-classroom feel is there. However, I don’t know how much have I improved as a public speaker, I surely have become more open to talking to any number of people. I would go in more confident now, as compared to past. There are still many glitches to overcome, but we shall do that in 2017. And yeah, I have completed the CL Manual, and very soon, I would be a Competent Leader officially. Yes!

    I got the opportunity to visit Gokarna for the first time, and Ooty for the 2nd. But, I couldn’t give myself much time to click photographs, so there is one things I missed out on. I should have clicked more.

    I moved to a new place. After spending full 6 years in the most North Indian part of Southern Bengaluru, I moved to Eastern Central Bengaluru. I am going to totally miss, Bun, Tea and Momos. And the people there which made the place worth living. Last but not the least, I had my first ever and the most severe, Bike accident. I had forgotten that Bengaluru’s roads have potholes and I drove in to one. Bike toppled, as did I. Luckily, only bike’s headlight got broken and my right hand got muscle sprained. Nothing bad happened. But my right hand is still recuperating. I got to wear that protective sling thingy for the first time ever. Hopefully, I will remember how to ride on roads in this country.

    Have I changed? Yes, to a certain extent. I have realized that time doesn’t stay the same always even when it seems to have frozen for some time. And most importantly, life after marriage is fine. It only seems dangerous till you haven’t done that.

    2017, bring it on!

  • One year of being 99%* Nihilist

    One year of being 99%* Nihilist

    So today is 16th December 2015. One year since that tragedy occurred in a school in Peshawar, Pakistan. The tragedy which, as a matter of fact, approved my belief in non-believing in some beliefs which I believed in earlier. Also, the same day when that Delhi Rape Case happened in 2012. So reaffirmation happens on 16th December day it seems.

    Anyways, as the year draws to a close, I embark on this space again to jot down some events/experiences/thoughts from the year 2015.

    • I had an opportunity to visit Hampi in Northern Karnataka earlier this year. I wanted to write a full-length tour diary but then it would have been apt to write it in Hebrew, considering how Israel has taken over it unofficially, I ended up just uploading few pics on 500px, Flickr, and Instagram. Although, it was quite an experience in History. Also, it was unintentionally funny as I saw things written in Hebrew on a Poster of Lord Hanuman. There was no English, Hindi or Kannada on it, which was perplexing, to say the least. And it turned out to be a laundry shop. I should have paid attention to the washing machine on the right.

      Hampi
      Hampi
    • After a hiccup on Social Media, when I tweeted something which got my name published in a newspaper, in full detail, all details being taken from LinkedIn, this time for a negative reason, I had to change few stuffs online in order be safe than sorry. That included username. If you have a username which has been with you for more than a decade, it becomes personal. So letting that go is slightly uncomfortable. Uncomfortable feeling like buying something you like to relish, but it falls on the ground. But you can’t eat it because there are people around. (Of course, you would have eaten in solitude). But things happen, and we learn. And what we learn, is the 2nd point.
    • Growing up, reading literature, watching movies and in usual storytelling, we are generally told about how evil the political class is. And how honest media-persons are. It took some time but finally realized this year that the media, is not as milk-washed and honest, one would have liked to believe… Blowing things out of proportions, taking things out of context and presenting them as totally different, sensationalism, creating adverse environments, biasing, etc. are some of the traits which always hung around them but this year helped in understanding this more clearly that they keep indulging in these things as it was not a big deal.
    • So I overcame this weird predicament of not having the access to pure unbiased news and reportage, I started writing my own news for my own happiness. If they can make things up, why can’t I! Obviously, it draws huge inspiration from likes of The Onion, Crank News and life in general. Thinking of using that space on Medium (which is turning out to be just right for a blogging platform) more in 2016 when I take another major step in this joke called Life.
    • Talking about joke called Life, few things happened in life which people call Life Changing. But I reacted to them like a nihilist should. Which is to act like it doesn’t matter and just chillax, if I may. Also, I completed a huge milestone in life, which is a transition from youth to professional Uncle age. This transition, however, depends on the age you consider based on your own mindset. Now being an Uncle, I promise to never throw back the ball which comes into my living room, from the kids playing in the street. The sad part is that kids don’t play on the streets anymore.
    • Being a part of 22 Whatsapp groups (and numbers are on the rise as we speak), I am planning to go Lorne Malvo to all of them. I don’t understand the need of sharing jokes anymore. And being an Uncle, I don’t find those jokes funny. If you want to make me laugh, you have to try harder. This is 2015 ending and some people are still trying to be funny. Please don’t. I have stopped trying to be funny and believe me, it works. Also, I somehow can’t handle typing on touch phones while lying down. My phone fell number of times on my nose than Rupee falling against Dollar on the usual basis.
    A word or two about the new year

    The new year is going to bring more changes than one can imagine to my life and this can lead to anything including unexpected social behavior.  I’ll try to be as close to staying whom I am at the moment, but who knows what happens. Hopefully, it will turn out to be good. Otherwise, who cares!

    * 99% – Because even the best disinfectants kill only 99% germs.

    Featured Photo by Matthew Brodeur on Unsplash

  • Roundup 2014

    Well, 2014 is over before you could even spell it out. It got over as quickly as your weekends get over if you sleep a little extra. Here’s my round up of 2014 just for the sake of documenting my life for future biography and also for blogging’s sake which I am continuing since last 7 years or so (Don’t know why).

    I know you weren’t able to follow through on your resolutions, as always and same way, 2014 was quite an eventful year for me as well. I ticked off a few things from my bucket list as completed and deleted (moved into Sour Grapes Category) a few. Putting them into bullet points to make the post look longer and more readable:

    • Things like buying a motorcycle and getting a new job in a company which was my favorite company during a particular week in 2005 (since I am working here now, masha-allah, it still is) was successfully accomplished. This sounds like very archaic but it is not.
    • Apart from the usual yada yada, we all became more Cynical (High 5! Wait no, Low 5!), gained some more weight and pissed off more people than getting pissed off by.
    • I also got into Twitter debates (Yes, this was the all-important polarizing, divisive election year so I have made it large finally but still as a faileb) and got called names, one of which rhymes with the phrase ‘ You are so Cute yeah!’.
    • Got my name published in some newspaper/website for posters (again), which is a surprisingly good thing that it is still going on like 2012.
    • Got into the act of hitting and getting hit on to reassure my belief that I am still a human. (Who was the idiot who devised this act of flirting to be called as Hitting? Weird.)
    • Talking of the point above, I did manage to ruffle some feathers by not giving in to the process of spamming FB with photos of weddings and honeymoons. Yet. So you still have a chance. But you had this chance for years, no? Useless fellows.
    • Although, I couldn’t go on any world tour because of my busy schedule of sleeping on weekends (what have I become!), but I did sneak a 2 day weekend visit to Pondicherry, which was a good pleasant time and gave me a lot of pics to Instagram.
    • Also, I met Sidin Vadukut (who doesn’t want to meet him and ask about Whale joke, which I did ask BTW) at Bangalore Literature Festival. Also, I attended a concert by Shreya Ghoshal which I left midway because it was dinner time while she was singing and everyone knows what our priorities are. I met many other Twitter/Blogger friends too and got into lovely chit chat which could have gone for hours and hours but that can happen some other time too.
    • Talking of dinner, I am giving up all my hopes on Vegetarian food. Man, can’t we think of anything else than Paneer. I am fed up of Paneer. Seriously you guys. Potato which used to be my favorite food item on Earth, is being seriously under-used in this part of the world and mostly my household.
    • I am bored of Acche Din, already. I mean, whatever Govt. is doing good, that would not show results in at least 2 years. And whatever Govt. is doing bad, like not shutting up so-called-Nationalists is getting more attention. And, fed up of seeing Mr. Narendra Modi on TV, Newspaper, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Radio, Roads, etc all the time.
    • I am not going to promise myself the same thing I am promising myself since these last 7 years to blog and write more but I will just say that I will try…

    This sums up the year 2014 for me. Let’s see what 2015 brings!