happiness and food

Over the last week or so, I have been reading a lot of awesome posts by fellow bloggers on the New Year , what they are expecting from 2015 and related stuff. So, like last year, I too wanted to write about my resolutions for 2015. Even at work, when LP asked me what I have thought about 2015, I replied, “Coming soon in written form”! So, this evening when my back seemed a little better and I was able to sit tight, I started writing this. My words and tone changed and I realized that before anything else, I want to be grateful towards life for giving me a wonderful 2014. A year that will be remembered in my personal history and you will soon know why.

January: 2014 began with VT taking up Oxfam Trailwalker and personally this is an achievement of his I am proud of. In my entire life lived till date, I had never heard of a person walk 100 kms in less than 48 hours. VT and his team completed this task in 27.5 hours which was commendable knowing that none of the four folks were experienced or had received any extensive training. I was a part of their support crew and the experiences I had following them were amazing. All through my life, this is a story I will keep narrating and reliving.

February: I am someone who loves writing to people who I don’t know in real life. When I read an article in a magazine or newspaper that I like, I drop a line or two to the author. Never ever I have got a reply until this one came from NH one late night. A month that is supposed to be shorter (28 days) brought me closer to a lifelong commitment of editing Wikipedia. I read a newspaper article in The Hindu and NH replied back. She holds a special place in my heart and I can never thank her enough for her patience and encouragement to get to make my first few edits on Wikipedia.

March: Throughout Feb and until mid of March, I had made a lot of edits on Wikipedia and I was going happy and strong not knowing that someone else got to know of the contributions. This was the first time ever in my life that I was contacted by a journalist from Times Of India who wanted to do a story on why I edit and how will this help. Clueless yet happy, we had a phone conversation and then one fine morning while I was in deep sleep somebody tagged me on Facebook. The news item was published in Delhi and Bangalore and it was indeed a proud moment.

March end was also the time for a personal travel. Our trip to Goa and Gokarna was a lovely one and the one that will always remain fresh in my memories and pictures. This month also marked a year of our first car and VT and I couldn’t be happier!

April –June: Time with family and friends is always wonderful. These 3 months were time with family and friends and hence a reminder of being in the company of people who make me who I am. I traveled to Delhi, met VT’s parents, attended a friend’s wedding, and also met an old friend NS after 17 years or so. May was the time my parents came over to Bangalore and it was yet another time for retail therapy and Mum ke haath ka khana. June was a rainy month in Bangalore and the lovely weather here made in fall in love with this city all over again. Three blissful months and I was already set to the second half of the 2014.

July: What happened in July was the least expected. After a Yoga class at work, while I was just about to begin my day, UA called me over in a meeting room and what I expected would be a work related update turned out to be the news of my promotion. The news was so sudden and obviously such an exciting one that I burst out into tears along with some sobbing. Later I was so embarrassed that I just shared with my closed ones that my reaction was such a stupid one. Fortunately the incident happened in a closed room and UA being the kind one never spoke of how I reacted. This was my life’s first promotion and in my mind this was like becoming the HRD! Now after 6 months I feel pretty comfortable and I know there is a long way to go!

August -September: During August for the very first time I attended my first day long Wikipedia editing workshop on contributing towards LGBT community and focused on increasing relevant content. It was my little way of giving back to the society and I am going to remember that Sunny Saturday and yum fish curry!

Book reviews and blogging were the focus during these months. Blogadda came up with the Game of Blogs in September and when I applied I had never thought I will be selected. However, I was and then began my experiments with fiction. I still think I am better at writing non-fiction and I will leave this for a later discussion but this contest made me meet (virtually) some awesome bloggers who I am now proud to call my friends. Team Wordoholics – we rock!

These months are also festival heavy in southern part of India and I am glad I got to experience Ganesh Chaturthi, Onam and Golu. I was invited for GC and Golu and LP was kind enough of share her Onam pictures and tell me so much about the lovely festival. Oh yes, I also attended the Red Bull Flug Tag – anything can fly and it was fun too!

Amidst all this, the highlight of September was the birth of my Godchild, the little angel I call “ladki’ and tamatar”. She stole my heart the day she was born and she is in a lot of ways my own baby. Those who are reading these lines, please note that I still don’t have any maternal instincts. Just know that this ladki is the cutest baby ever cos I saw her the moment she was out of her mother’s womb. I am her “badi mummy” and wherever life takes me she will always remain my favorite.

October – November: These two months are my favorite – one this the time of Diwali, the festival I love and two it’s my birthday month. During these months VT and I spent a lot of time at VT’s place looking after his mother who went through the painful total knee replacement. Her will and mental strength makes me respect her a lot. These months I got to see Haryana a little more and I even did my bit by voting. All in all two months that were great reminder of how important it is to take care of one’s health and staying true to our values. Yes – blogging was in full swing during November and I took my first NaBloPoMo during November. The followers and site stats grew and I also hit my 100^th post during November. These were enough rewards for my birthday but I still wish I never grew old! 😉

November was also the time I attended my first AdaCamp. When I say first, I am just being hopeful that I will be invited to future ones! First AdaCamp, the Wikipedia Blog and then this report on The Ada Initiative website made me happy and contended with my efforts.

December: How time flies and see we are in December! The month that just went by. December in itself brings in a lot of happiness about holidays and it’s the time of the year we all look forward too. The mood in the city is light and happy, the mood at home is about packing bags for a trip and the mood at work is to go on vacation. Well, during December we decided to spend time with my cousin and his wife. We explored Matheran, a beautiful beach on the Konkan belt and had a great time relaxing and getting back to embrace 2015 with a lot of hope and positivity. It was a wrap that was perfect to be called one!

So, now you know why they say time flies! My last 12 months were great and I really wish the ones ahead are even better (touch wood). For those who are wondering, let me share that I have a full time job and I guess I do not disappoint UA in any manner. I believe in living every day and that’s why I never forget to do things that make me happy – be it blogging, shopping, talking, eating, walking or spending time with people I love. My hands were full but my heart was happy.

I know 2014 was not a great year when I look at air tragedies and lives lost, kidnap of so many girls by the extremist group Boko Haram, the horrible act of terror at Peshawar, rapes and what not. But the intent of this post is sharing about my own self and I hope you will appreciate it! I also want to official wish all you readers a great 2015 and I wish this year will bring happiness and food to you and your loved ones!!

New Year, New Possibilities. Thank you Readers for making 2014 such a great year and encouraging me to blog. Your comments, likes, shares and tweets keep me going. I promise to write better!