So, here we are. A woosh, a swoosh, some good moments, a few horrific cases of rapes reported, casual sexism on an everyday basis and just like that the year is gone, right?

We stay put, and time keeps moving ahead, doesn’t it? It baffles me that come May, I will turn thirty, and I am already done with half my life on this planet. It’s good because maybe the worst is over. It’s bad because OMG it is over! I am never gonna be 15 again, carefree and naive, waiting for a fucking prince to come and rescue me. From the world, and from myself.

2019 wasn’t just super fast, it was super eventful for me. A quick recap because I pay a hell a lot of money to Hostgator for this blog, and it makes sense to write this here, y’all.

January – New Job, New beginnings and all that

I began my year enthusiastic about my writing, cooking, work, doggo all of that.

Learning #1 There is no freedom without boundaries.

New job saw my foray back into the tech industry, this time much wiser, and much less tolerance for bullshit. After spending twelve months here, I guess it is safe to say that I made the right choice, and I am so far liking the work. I am actually at that rare breed of company, that lets you be free, at the same time doesn’t drive you insane in its chaos. That brings me to my first learning.

In any creative or even good work for that matter, the freedom lies in charting out a course you want to take to achieve your goal, and not in not having a goal at all. It takes some maturity to understand this. One has to rebel against boundaries to actually understand the value of it.

February – A revisit to Kochi

Visiting Kochi after almost four years, as a different but still, the same person was wonderful to experience. I went there to cover the Bienalle, but very little art happened and I naturally gravitated towards lazy around and eating brilliant seafood. I discovered something about myself.

Learning #2 I travel to connect with the world through its culture.

I do not travel to see places or just eat food, I travel to understand unique cultures, backgrounds and how it translates to their table.

March – Work and Play

March helped me settle busily into my new workplace, and make some friends, try string art for the first time, fall in love with a cupcake, and go on a weekend getaway with beloved doggo.

Learning #3 Every moment with doggo is priceless and is to be cherished.

Whenever I think of losing doggo, my world spirals, and over the last two years of having him, and yes, there have been times that I thought were close. But here we are, growing stronger together with unconditional love, and affection and my only learning from those tough times is that I must appreciate and celebrate every moment I get with my precious baby. 🙂

April – An unexpected long-distance tryst

This April, my partner went on a three-month stint to a faraway land, awakening my deepest fears of abandonment and long-distance relationships. I have always been so certain I do not want to be in this position, and yet, life throws you a curveball when you least expect it. Everybody said it is just three months, but no one understood time is experienced differently by different people, and people grow at a different pace than one another. I am someone who feels safe when my partner is around me, and I can touch and talk to him eye to eye. So obviously, this was hard for both of us, well, I don’t know about him, but definitely for me.

Learning #4 You cannot control your path to love. You only have to trust and see where it takes you.

The more I let loose when it comes to matters of love, the more I find myself in peace. Love, I guess, is much like life, and one should be open to exploration and be filled with positivity and hope. Even if that means fighting your demons constantly, every day.

May – Get Creative

May is usually the month of birthdays, with mine and doggo’s being only two days apart.

But this year, as my introvert self takes over, I was determined to spend most of my breathing time within the safe confines of my home. That coupled with my long-distance status, propelled me to dive into a whole lot of creative pursuits. I baked a lot, I dabbled with painting, and I read a lot. A dull birthday maybe, but a very productive month for sure.

Learning #5 Time is a gift, and I can never get enough of it.

Over the years, I have realized how much I love spending time with myself. It is the single greatest gift you can give yourself, once you realize how precious it is. I don’t know how times will change, and life will evolve, but I am super grateful for all the time I got with myself, doing and not doing things.

June – A visit to Hyderabad after many years, and a busy busy month

June had me travelling to Hyderabad on a work assignment, after almost four years. While I loved meeting my friends, some really close ones!, I did not like the long stretching dusty city one bit. I did go on a food trail of sorts and had some mouth-watering food though. It was an exhausting yet extremely satisfying trip.

Learning # 6 -old really is gold, when it comes to friends.

I am so choosy when it comes to making friends, and there are a few people in my life with whom I am at ease, and myself. Hanging out with those idiots after a long time, really warmed my hearts and made me realise how much I miss them.

July – Waffles and more..

July saw my addiction to the BUBBLEWRAP WAFFLE co on KNK road. I can say I have been a regular ever since I first stepped into that place. 🙂 Those waffles make me go weak in the knees and I am not even a sweet tooth. Just look at my face.

Also, I started getting out of the house again, because my partner came back. My cooking experiments continued along with my relationship with waffles.

Learning # 7 I love eating savoury things more than sweet things, and there is nothing more delicious that comes out of an oven than a fresh baked jalapeno Foccacia.

August – Solo trip to Goa and such

Adventures galore were in store for me on my solo trip to Goa this August. I am so glad I went there all by myself to get lost and find myself, and that exactly what I did. I found my writing voice in all that solitude, and for a hot minute there, I was an excellent writer. I think. You can read more about Goa here.

Learning #8 Wild is you. You are wild.

I am happiest when I embrace my spontaneity, my fears, my intuition and my wild. And all of these things come together only when I am alone, with a lot of space to think and be. This trip taught me once again, that all the solutions to all your problems lie within you, and you should never lose connection with yourself

September – Falling head over heels while on a warm- up

So this year, I started learning the Israeli self-defense form Krav Maga, and it was going well, until one day during a warm-up drill, I fell headfirst and injured the side of my head, causing a large bump and uncontrollable panic in my family for weeks to come. Thus began my series of hospital visits for the year. Although, I must say I went back after a week and took my grading exam, and I am incredibly proud of that.

Learning #9 – Some things are hard, so is life.

It’s better to be prepared than not. Most often we may not be able to control what happens, but some times we can, and on those occasions, all preparations will come in handy.

I also got specs, y’all 😀 I have always boasted of the perfect eyesight and life screwed up over, and gave me power.

Oct – I feel bad about my neck and other things.

My long-time neck pain came back to haunt me, and I decided to get down the bottom of it. An MRI revealed a cervical disc bulge, due to my poor posture and the lack of any kind of exercise. So I began to visit many doctors and started taking my body seriously. I even have a desktop app that reminds me to stretch now and then. Huh!

Diwali came and went. I met some relatives who pestered me about marriage, and about the weight, I have put on. I wrote a whole rant about it on facebook. All went well! 😀

Learning #10 Social Media is not evil.

People who judge other people on social media are morons. It’s perfectly okay to voice out how you feel. You have a voice, use it wisely, and use it for whatever you want to stand up for.

Nov – Family scenes and Kathak feels

The whole of November was about running from pillar to post at the hospital. We had a lovely road trip with doggo at the beginning of Nov, and then began a series of illness at my home.

On the brighter side, I started kathak lessons which were beautiful and highly exquisite.

Learning # 11 – Go after beautiful things, things that you bring you joy.

Dec – A baking project and a whole lot of cheers

2019 was pretty much good to me, and I had the good fortune to do so many things I loved and enjoyed. Of course, there were dark times, terribly upsetting episodes of anxiety and a whole lot of rage, but despite all of that I would say it has been a great year compared to the last few ones before that.

Learning #12 – Be brave, and fail bravely

This year, I started a project (@thetravellinganacondawrites) of writing a short note on something every day, to bring some disciple into my writing, and to push myself. Have I always kept at it? No. Am I gonna complete the challenge, I don’t know!

Let’s just say, I love the thrill, and I want to aim bigger everyday. I also have some exciting baking projects for the year-end, and I only hope I muster up the courage to take the first step. The rest is a “Cake”-walk! No