happiness and food

I was confused – Gratitude List for December or 2015 round-up on this space like last year. Heart won over logic and here’s how my 2015 went by. In a jiffy, right? I feel that speed every year and I also think that the present is an exception. In reality, it is not. The pace is always the same for every single one of us. It is just relativity into action.

*Long post alert!*  

Why? As I am typing each word, I know 2015 was very kind and an awesome year. A year I can say will be missed and a year that will not come back again in my life. 2015 made me scared, made me laugh and dance, travel and see things I had never seen before and it brought a lot of good food and beautiful times.

Reflecting on the year gone by is an exercise for the heart. The moments of joy make your heart pump faster and you smile thinking of the blessing called life. Would you not say so?

January: I attended my first ever Blogger’s meet during the first month of the year and Indiblogger did a fabulous job of hosting us all. I met bloggers who I had just known virtually and today I can proudly say that we are all a big gang of friends. BAR – thank you for having me on board.

VT and I also started our long walks in January. We walked and then ate all the calorie-laden food. All in all a zero sum game.

February-March: Two months of writing and the start of the #100sareepact.

March is the time of the year I focus on Wikipedia and my most edits of the year come from this month. So, when I got the fabulous opportunity to curate “We are Wikipedia” for a week, I felt honored. To handle this twitter account during the International Women’s week celebrations made it even more special and a thing of pride. Firsts are always remembered.

April: Another first came during this month. I participated in April A to Z Challenge for the first time and it was a great learning experience. I had planned for this event so I had scheduled my posts and thought topics I would write about. I wrote about women issues and the theme was loved by readers. In terms of the blog readership and support, the bar was set higher. I am determined to attempt the challenge again in 2016.

In April, I went back to Yoga and I also started noticing a shift in how I looked at things. We don’t need big events to make us happy. Sky-watching, clouds, rainbows and appreciating the little things around has been my focus since then.

May: I started penning my monthly Gratitude Lists since May and found the routine very uplifting. I feel blessed and I now know that happiness is a choice. Even when the clouds are dark, Sun rays try to sneak in to give us some light. This May, VT and I finished 9 years together. We met in 2006 and since then we have been holding each other’s hands in good and bad times. Love is freedom and it is also a life long friendship.

June-July: Lot of photography and family time. My parents came over for a week in June and we spend some good time chatting and sharing. Happiness and food in the most literal sense. New friends and new ideas were the focus of these two months. I attended my first Women’s Web meet and also roamed around during Ramzan for good street food. I also took up learning Kannada this year as a mark of respect for the 10 beautiful years (and counting) Bangalore has given me. I am still practicing but it’s fun to speak and understand the local language a bit. I took Yoga a step further by signing up for monthly Yoga in Cubbon Park. A couple of office friends also joined and it has been fun since then.

August-September:  Another two months of happiness and I also wrote a ’99 things I love’ list for the first time. We had a chance to travel to VT’s place for a quick 2 days visit and it was good to meet family. Raksha Bandhan, Ganesh Chaturthi, clicking some good pictures, time out with friends, discovering a new restaurant and also a lot of ‘me’ time to walk and shop. We also wrote letters to our blogger friends and it was a great way to get to know people.

October: October brought many surprises. I met blogger buddies over a casual get to together and it was a fun day. With VT being in Hong Kong, I got to visit him and work from there. So I had a great time around the city, absorbing the culture, getting used to working from the hotel room, walking over 10 kms on most of the days and checking off places to visit from my list of touristy things. I also got my first most expensive gadget and I am still in so much love with it. I have been to New York but it was a short trip and we did not get to see much. Things were different with Hong Kong and that’s why I wrote a lot about my visit to this city.

I also self hosted this online space. I am still learning things and building the reader base but it’s good to be in control.

November: Birthday, Diwali month and being back home was good. Distance makes hearts grow fonder and it is so true. With my friend’s wedding, I was busy as a bee but writing did not take a back seat. I almost completed NaBloPoMo and it was great to connect with other bloggers. Stretching to write everyday is good once a year and second year in a row was a good experience. Birthday was good too – a bit quiet but friends and family left no stone unturned to make it special.

December: Over a twitter chat, I met Richa who is my college junior and it was fun connecting dots. That’s how December started and throughout the month I met many people. My close friend got married and there I had the chance to meet some old friends. I laughed and danced and woke up early to be with her on her big days. I closed #100sareepact and it was an accomplishment. I also received two lovely mentions by Nandhini and Jen on their blogs which was a big delight and I am so grateful to both these lovely women.

I flew to Hong Kong again and this time it was for the holiday season. I am penning this from Hong Kong and it remains a great host like my last visit. We discovered new routes to walk home, a gurudwara to eat when craving for dal-roti for hard to fight, shopped a bit and yes, celebrated 5 years of marriage our way – walked hand in hand, gambled in Macau, got a couple of memorable clicks and explored a country park. 

I love how in spite of distance I am connected to my parents, VT’s family and friends. Technology has made things so much easier. Social media overwhelms but how else was it possible to share little things with my parents over Facebook or share pictures from Hong Kong with family over whatsapp.

As I pen my 2015 round-up, I realize that with a full-time job and managing house – the regular writing wasn’t possible without VT’s support and encouragement. I am grateful for having found a friend for life in him. I always wonder how he brings out the best in me or do I bring out the best in him? 🙂 Life’s too short to hold on to things and not willing try what you love to. With that note, give yourself another chance to make your heart smile.

Share with me how was this year for you. 

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I’m sharing my #TalesOf2015 with BlogAdda.

Before I sign off, here’s a very Happy New Year to all of you! May 2016 shine in our lives and may there be happiness and food 🙂