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.
- Joker – enough said
- Avengers: Endgame
- Mission Mangal
- Bala
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.
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