Carpe diem

Where did all the 99 days flew by?  Damn, I have so much to write about in this particular post and I am at a loss of words. A Hundred Days of showing up, even when I had zero energy and creative space, even when I was sick or had exams, even through the tears and happiest days. I did show up for myself. And that is all I wanted from this little experiment. (Okay, I did miss a few days but I will not hold myself against it)  Writing for me has always been the eigenquestion. I put my thoughts down on a paper or in a blog post et voila! Clarity makes its way into my life. Somewhere down the line I gave up on writing and that did mess up my mind quite a bit. But now I am pretty sure I can handle things better. Being consistent does not always have to be perfect, it was all about reminding myself that we only put one foot in front of the other and keep walking without thinking twice.  I used to check the page view count earlier just to see how many are reading the post. The r...

 Sri Rama Navami Subhakankshalu! Now is probably a good time for me to learn to play with the cards you have been dealt,and not crib about my situation. That is exactly what Lord Rama does, right? It is not that easy to stay away from home, especially during festivals. But the show must go on and I did make vadapappu and chalimidi (not as well as my ammamma does, but hey, it is my first time!) I know I have been away from this blog as well. Sorry about that. I guess I was emotionally attached to the concept of writing here every day and did not want it to end at all. Just like all good things come to an end, this too has to. And honestly, writing every day does get difficult, and I run out of topics to write about quite frequently.  What made me come back today? Because there has been an issue that was eating away at my brain, and it could not be a more perfect day than Rama Navami. You must have heard of Padmasri Bapu gaaru in one way or another if you are a Telugu native. If...

Is it just me or the World Cup win this time is not as exciting as it was the last time? Is this the Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility at work? Anyway, we won! And the boys performed really well, Insha Allah. And that's Day 98 for you!

 Since childhood, I was not very good at dealing with silence. I need a constant BGM running in my life, and that is how music has become a huge part of my personality. Add to that my amma and her obsession with the radio. Over the years, I have come to appreciate the words better and have a newfound respect for lyricists. I practically grew up on the elixirs brewed by Veturi, Sirivennela, Gulzar and Javed Akhtar.   Vividha Bharathi has a program specially dedicated to the Indian Armed Forces - Jaimala, and I would listen to it on the weekends while finishing up my homework or studying for a test. Back when I was a kid, there was one song that would be played on that show consistently. Ghar Kab Aaoge from Border. Maybe it was the repetition or the lyrics or the tune or just Sonu Nigam's magic, but that song is still fresh in my memory. Our home in West Marredpally is pretty close to the Army Ordnance Corps Centre (AOC Centre) of the Secunderabad Cantonment, one of the lar...

Low key disappointed that the POTM award was not given to Jasprit Bumrah for being the hero we do not deserve. Not taking away the credit from Sanju Samson though, I almost forgot that I was in Sweden and cheered for him with a lot of fist pumps while he batted. People who saw me doing that would have been concerned, for sure. But what a crazy match it was man! The best part of all was the Wankhede crowd. All heart! I guess, everyone should take a leaf out of that amazing city and keep the spirits high even when the tides are against us. Goosebumps moment. I really hope Ahmedabad will be kind this time and we get to lift the cup one more time. Sunday, I cannot wait for you. And that's Day 96 for you!

Today is the lunar eclipse and I came across something that was interesting. Well, you may not agree with it, in a lot of cultures and traditions, an eclipse is symbol of change. And I felt that today. Could be confirmation bias too, but hey, it was interesting in my head. This is more like a dear diary thing for me. Sweden is not for the light hearted and I am slowly getting accustomed here. In 30 years of my life I have never been truly all by myself for this long. I have always had friends and family around me and that shaped my personality to a major extent. Being alone is not the problem here but feeling lonely is and I was absolutely confident that I can happily deal with it. Boy, was I wrong! There is this notion that you cannot expect your partner to be the one fulfilling all your needs. I have read about it so many times and today I understood what it meant practising that. Running back home every time I feel home sick felt like putting a bandage over a fracture. Building a so...

The whole day I was glued to X 'monitoring' the situation that has everyone going crazy. What a weekend, huh? This is when a question keeps haunting me constantly - "what is the point of all this anyway?"  And that's Day 94 for you!

Now that this challenge is coming to an end my mind cannot stop thinking about the next adventure that I should be picking. But something did pop up eventually. A step challenge. For a 100 days.  The question is how do I make it fun? How do I make it stick for the long term?  The base rules for now are something like this: 1. Start with a doable goal, something like 8k steps. 2. Have an accountability partner, helps a lot when there is no motivation to move. 3. Build a small community that might be interested in working together for a common goal. 4. Post online, of course for accountability's sake again. 5. Move the goal posts gradually and build it into a reward routine kind of a thing. 6. Most importantly, no zero days. You can read about the no zero days concept here -  https://www.reddit.com/cdah4af?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=2 Oh, if you too want in on this little game, let me know. And that's D...

Ta-daaa! That was quite a heartwarming meal (Dum Aloo I was talking about yesterday) and the snow here is melting away. Are we finally done with the winters? I hope so. Would be really nice to take a stroll on Sun lit pathways.  And that's Day 92 for you!

10 more days are left? That is it? I cannot believe I have come this far. It feels like I started this yesterday. Today I convinced myself that it is fun to measure the distance from my apartment door to the grocery store in terms of songs. It took me 4 songs to get there. It had been a while since I plugged in my 'Playlist'. The only one that I guard with all my life. Surprisingly, Tujhse Naaraz Nahi Zindagi soothed me in a surprising way this evening. I needed that song. I got lucky at Lidl and found some cute little baby potatoes on the aisle. So maybe it's Dum Aloo tomorrow. That should make me get out of the bed all excited. That is the best part about winters, fresh produce and great food. The Vampire Diaries has made a come back into my routine and I almost forgot how significant that show was in contributing to that playlist of mine. I may have outgrown the show but one can never get enough of Damon Salvatore, right? Sigh.  Stick around to see what I make of those p...

https://youtu.be/cMx139eTxoc?si=FiE_KhnOQA1MKf-k Why am I hooked on to this?! And that's Day 90 for you!

Today is the start of another module in this semester and I traveled back to Växjö to attend the classes. The train ride was nothing less than magical and I was living my Polar Express dream. Gattiga anuko ayipothaayi moment. It was so beautiful! It also made me sad that it will be one of those last few rides that I will be taking before finishing the course in a couple of months. Here is to hoping that more magical rides are out there for me to experience. As much as I enjoy this short chapter of my life, I also feel something heavily in my heart. Benga. Of staying away from home, from family and everyone I love the most. I know this is for a very short period but this moment, right now, keeps stretching forever. Watch Zakir Khan's Thathasthu if you have never seen it before. For me, no one ever blends the joys of achieving your dreams and the pining for comfort of being at home so well as our Sakht Launda does. And that's Day 89 for you!

I took a break. Which was a great decision, if you ask me, because a lot has happened when I was not posting these little snippets on the blog.  First things first, it was our first wedding anniversary on Saturday and it went exactly like I had ever wanted. A fun and chill day without any pressures to make it extra special.  It was a Tarte Flambée and "did my insides freeze?" kind of a date. Well the climate is the surprise element of the occasion really. Thanks to the snow, my train to Gothenberg was delayed by 2:30 hours and I learnt how to take a cab in Sweden as all the busses were cancelled. I thought I would never make it home that night. Phew!  And today we hosted our first family lunch ever. A few dishes were an instant hit and the pineapple kesari tasted like raw mango porridge. I used extra brain. But it is okay, I am slowly learning. Someday, I will recreate the iconic kesari of Brahmin's Coffee Bar in Bangalore. That is the ultimate goal. We also w...

It is just one question for today.  What really makes you happy? Be honest to yourself and give an answer. Or maybe I should rephrase it. What truly makes you feels alive and content?  I love revisiting this question every now and then. There is even a dedicated page for it on my bullet journal and slowly it is getting filled with the most amazing things that bring joy to my life. Maybe you too should write it down on a paper. Go ahead and do it. And that's Day 87 for you!

It is taking every ounce of patience left in my body to watch Rajasaab. Why am I watching all shitty movies since the past month?!  And that's Day 86 for you!

 Burning the midnight oil to prepare for my exam tomorrow and YouTube hit me with an earworm that I used to love back in my college days. The Pistah Anthem. Surprisingly, I still remember the lyrics (which is basically a nonsensical mish mash of words). I want to remember all the formulas the same way. Anyway, look up for that song and enjoy. Just do not ask me what it means. No one knows.   And that's Day 85 for you! 

Mahasivarathri subhakankshalu!  And that's Day 84 for you!

These days I have been watching the Kurukshetra series on Netflix while eating my dinner and today a question pierced my mind and heart. When Lord Krishna already knew Abhimanyu was going to be killed in the most cruel and unfair way, why did He not prevent that poor child's death? This is probably the third time I am watching the Mahabharat and with each revision it feels like a new story, revealing the several layers of human psychology and master storytelling skills. In my eyes, these stories cannot be categorised as mythology. They are weaved from the threads that bind all our souls. They are the evidence that human emotions and thoughts have always been the same and will remain thus. What makes the difference is the lessons we take from these stories and remember that all actions have consequences, both good and bad. I always had trouble dealing with the grey areas in people and their stories. It is easier when things are black and white, right? But life is never black and whi...

Whenever a cricket tournament is around, the advertisement aficionado in me wakes up. I am one of those people who does not skip ads on YouTube or change channels on the TV. It all started with the famous "Boost is the secret of my energy" for me. From Dravid shaving with a Gillette razor to ZooZoos to Dhoni singing Yaad Piya Ki Aane Lagi on an ebike, there is something about these ads that I cannot get enough of. Do not even get me started on the Cred campaigns. Maybe it is the weird (no hard feelings) Swedish ads I see on YouTube that have zero relevance and recall value, I have come to appreciate the entire marketing and advertising industry that we have in India. I still remember how I used to fish through SlideShare for posters and ad clippings to prepare my sets for business quizzes in college. Steve Waugh, Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar featured in a campaign for MRF Tyres and that feels like it happened yesterday. Yeah, I am that old now. Men's T20I World Cup has...

https://youtu.be/dNJdJIwCF_Y?si=htaB8LxrGUVp7UOd And that's Day 81 for you!

I did not realise that there would come a day when I would sit down to write about this. About Upma. I am an honorary member of the Akhila Bharata Upma Haters Sangham since childhood. Even today I detest it with such fervour, it is almost worth writing an essay on that topic.  The only tolerable version of Upma has to be Semiya Upma and all the other variants can go extinct, just like the Dodo. That will be the first step towards achieving global peace, if you ask me. Then there are people who add all sorts of nonsense to make it more "flavourful". I am sorry to break your bubble guys, but if a dish needs supporting characters to make itself appealing then it beats the purpose anyway. So, please come out of the illusion and admit that you too hate Upma. No one is going to punish you, really. But I have to step down the high horse named food elitism today and confess something. Upma may have single handedly saved my sorry and super stressed soul tonight. I still have a lot of ...

Had to dig up the archive today because I honestly have no brain power left to think about anything else. Also, it is in Tenglish, thappulu unte kshaminchandi. Adivaaram. Saayanthram 4:38.   Evevo aalochanalu, oka padella kritham jarigina godavalu, ninna raathri nanna naatho cheppukunna baadhalu, repu ela untundho anna bhayaalu. Ee burra asala nannu okka poota ayina prasaanthanga undanivvadhemo. Nela meedha padukuni alaa soonyam loki chusthu undipoya. Paatha illu anthaga acchiraaledhemo ani pinni chepthe maa amma balavanthanga vere chotiki maaripommani okate gola. Ippatikippude illu elaage dhorikedhi oka moodu nellu chuddhaam melligaa ante vinipinchukolaa. Mondi raakshasi. Aavida poru padaleka pagalenaka raathrenaka 'Mission Relocation' ani thirigaa. Ayithe illu nacchatla ledha inti owner ki nenu chese pani nacchatla. “Cinemallo chesthuntaava? Oho.” anadam, moham lo rangulu maaripodam. Dheeniki thodu bachelor ni kuda ga. Oorlonemo pelli ki pilla ni ivvatledhu, city lo nemo addh...

Here's a fun exercise that I just saw on Instagram. Try it. 1. Move your right foot in a circular motion and in a clockwise direction. Say about at least 10 times. 2. Draw the figure 6 in the air with your right hand. Did you notice something? Try with your left side limbs too. Now go read about neuroplasticity. And that's Day 78 for you!

I today's episode of "This blew my mind away!" - at first I did not understand why I am learning about fractal geometry in finance, and then I did the most obvious thing a girl with her Corporate Finance II exam in the next week would do. I dug deeper, read papers and watched videos about it. It is funny how interdisciplinary studies are not so complex as schools make them out to be, but something really simple that is happening right in front of our eyes, and we often do not appreciate or even acknowledge it. My cousin once told me that most PhD fellows in Physics end up devising financial models for a living. I thought he was joking. But apparently not.  This is what makes all those efforts I put in study absolutely worth it. My dopamine menu definitely has "learning" on the main course section. Seeing patterns, realising what causes us to behave a certain way and make a few choices, reading about how nature too takes decisions and slowly works its way to crea...

Surprising news for today is that I killed a mosquito here a couple of hours ago. A mosquito. In Sweden. In -9°C! How the hell are these pests surviving the cold?!  I also wrote 5 items on my grocery list and came back home with only 4 things because old age effects are starting to show their signs. Uff. And that's Day 76 for you!

 I missed a day. I know, I was not supposed to, but I passed out like a baby after watching Bhoothakaalam. Yes, I can sleep peacefully after watching horror movies. Borderline psychopathic behaviour. But damn, I have reached another milestone. 3/4th of the journey is done! Not bad, Soumya. Not at all bad. Only that I have nothing interesting to tell you, my reader, today. It was snowing all day long and I did not dare to step out of the house. Then there is my best friend, MS Excel ready to fry my brain up in less than the time it takes to make Maggi. Truth be told, I think writing blog posts is a thousand times easier than writing project reports. Maybe I will start writing my project valuations like a blog post. Could be a fun idea, no? Will explore soon. By now I think the fascination with snow is slowly turning into frustration. I mean, I would have had a more realistic approach if I watched Mani Ratnam's and Yash Raj's heroines trudge along the snow covered roads to go buy...

The stars have misaligned for me today and the entire day was pretty meh. Do not ask me why. I will tell you anyway. Matinee Show: Krishna and his Leela Honestly, I think I liked that movie. But the mess that it has created in my head. Ufff! Took down the rabbit hole of commitment issues and boy, was it crazy! Yes, it is complicated, but so is life and the pentalu that keep happening no matter how hard you try to stay in the zen mode. I will remember this movie for life. And of course, Bangalore! Now comes the best part.  Second show: Tere Ishq Mein WHY?! My two last and dying brain cells after watching this movie screamed so loud that even Mahadev could have heard them. Why romanticise childhood trauma and spin nonsense stories around it. Why, Anand L Rai, WHYYY?! Banaras pe kasam, kabhi maaf nahin kar sakthe hain hum iss wahiyad kahaani ke life.  Just like my friend said, suddenly Dude and Thelusu Kadha seem like much better movies. I liked their albums at least.  Moral...

Please follow, maybe? Okthnxbye! And that's Day 73 for you!

No wonder my amma used to hit me with a sharpener too while studying Maths. Yet the kukka thoka remains vankara after eating tons of bendakaaya and amma pette rendu mottikaayalu. Sigh.  Seethaapathe, naa pai neeku abhimaanamu ledha? And that's Day 72 for you!

The universe or the algorithm is taking me in a certain direction these days. And I am not complaining. So, today I watched this. https://youtu.be/Eu29v5jPVMU?si=jQwX2MzHJ7EbYzAa   Right from childhood, as far as I can remember, I was an active and curious child, venturing into the unknown without any qualms. Not sure what took a backseat, but I started living more in my head than facing reality as it came.  ** Enter anxiety from the right side of the stage ** Questions, doubts, fear, it can be daunting to start something new. And I hate dealing with uncertainty. Over time, I have learnt that committing mistakes very early on in the journey is the fastest way to gain confidence. Sadly, no one teaches us that. Even when you try to cycle, your focus is on not falling down. Maybe, just maybe, if someone tells us, "fall as many times as you can", you would learn it quicker. At least, that would have worked in my case. I was so scared of hurting myself that I never actually learne...

After imploring my mother to watch Dhurandhar several times she said something that triggered a train thought that I cannot seem to shake off now. She said she does not feel like watching movies anymore. I felt the same way since the past week. There a lot of new releases on the OTT platforms but I just cannot bring myself to watch anything. Is this a sign from the brain that long format content is tiring to sit through? That is pretty scary. I am not able to read a book for more than 30 minutes too. Please do not tell me that is the effect of doomscrolling and instant dopamine binging. Earlier I used to finish watch an entire season of Bones or Dexter over the weekend but now I am not able to watch 2nd episode of Demon Slayer without picking up my phone to see what is new on Instagram. Oh boy, it feels like I am living through one of those Black Mirror tales now. Is it all happening inside my head or do you feel the same too? If so, how do we battle this?  The other day I heard so...

I have nothing to write today. Not even silly lists. And I do not want to push my brain today. It is okay, I guess. Just ran out of ideas maybe. But a few lines made me realise words do have a great ability to change your mood. It goes like this... Ishq ka tu haraf Jiske chaaron taraf Meri baahon ke ghere ka Bane haashiyaan Take my heart, Irshad Kamil. And that's Day 69 for you!

My best friend and I may have started something exciting. https://www.instagram.com/adhyaaya26?igsh=dnRmbDU1NGg3c3Jj Go check it out and support us. And that's Day 68 for you!

The sun was out today! Phew! I cannot remember the last time I saw the sunlight streaming through the clouds and hitting my face. Oh, it was such a joy!  All these years whenever Ratha Sapthami was celebrated at home, I never really paid much attention to it. Even when I learnt the Aditya Hrudyam formally from an acquaintance who very kindly accepted to teach it to me, I did not completely appreciate the hymn. Now here in Sweden the Sun disappears for days altogether and then it hit me like a brick. Winter blues are for real. Mental health is not a joke. See, I am not Batman and yes, being in the dark feels cosy. But please do not fool yourself by equating staying at home in the dark to comfort. What seems like the easiest thing to do slowly sucks away your life. Get your blood checked for Vitamin D levels, if you do not buy this. And it is a vicious cycle, your physical health takes the hit because your mental health is not great; you are feeling low because there is something wro...

 How about another list? Of the essays and papers that I thought were interesting to read? Honestly, the last time I read an essay was while preparing for UPSC. And that is almost a decade ago now. Time to slide away from the doomscrolling, I guess then. 1. https://aeon.co/essays/sure-ai-can-do-writing-but-memoir-not-so-much 2. https://www.harnidh.xyz/p/why-do-women-making-money-piss-us 3. https://share.google/b4QeymULb1rLq97Tc   This of course is a non exhaustive list and I will keep adding things to it. Stick around to see some more of these or you could send me some sources as well.  And that's Day 66 for you! 

"The biggest damage to valuation comes from how analysts and investors react to uncertainty, not its presence. Instead of facing up to uncertainty and using the statistical, financial and probabilistic tools that we can use to deal with it in a healthy fashion, the more common responses seem to be denial i.e., acting as if uncertainty does not exist, or paralysis, where you stop valuing companies during crises, or if the companies are young start-ups, with the excuse that valuation is pointless in the face of uncertainty. We believe that the payoff to doing valuation is greatest when times are darkest, and when uncertainty looms, since even an imprecise valuation is better than not doing valuation at all!" - Ashwath Damodaran, Investment Valuation, 4e, pg no 41-42 This is not about valuation. Think harder. And that's Day 65 for you! 

Did I ever tell you that I live right next to a castle here in Sweden? Seems like a scene straight out of a fantasy novel, right? And that's Day 64 for you!

Shitty camera but an amazing experience! And that's Day 63 for you!

Is it just me or do you also feel subconsciously that you need to master all the required skills and be on top of the game on Day 3 of starting something new? There is a long list of things that I have begun only to leave it the middle and run crying "this is not happening" even before I totally understood what I got into. Recently I fancied on trying my hand at crocheting and bought a kit too. Here is a fun fact: I have never crocheted ever in my life. And the difficulty level of that kit is intermediate. Where do I run now? It sure is fun to dabble in a lot of interests but sometimes not being able to finish up all the supplies for something useful hurts my pocket and makes me question why am I like this?! When will this vicious cycle end? Oh and by the way, a pack of oil pastels are on their way. Did I ever use that medium before? You know the answer. Someone please tell me that making shitty art is okay, failing sometimes is okay. *runs away* And that's Day 62 for you...

Used up my limited brain juice on thinking about an anniversary gift.  And that's Day 61 for you!

The day that was... ... Absolutely amazing! Buying/getting flowers was actually on my vision board too this year. Little things that put a wide and nice smile on my face. I also got the result on my last exam. Totally deserved it. And that was Day 60 for you!

I open Instagram or X and have to close it immediately because of all the posts about the Northern Lights. Rameshwaram vacchina Saneshwaram thappaledhu mari. It is foggy and super Cloudy (without the chance of sighting the Lights) where I live andthat makes me incredibly frustrated and sad.  Today I realised why people hate filling up forms after I had to sit and fill one for my visa. Adult life and paperwork are things I cannot run away from nor make them interesting no matter how much I try. Ugh! Anyway, I saw more reels on the Japanese yoghurt + biscuits cheesecake hack. Should I try it? Maybe? Let us see. I still have some of that Raspberry jam leftover. Oh, I can make a PB&J sandwich! Time to source some great bread tomorrow then.  And that's Day 59 for you!

Looks sadder than my jada but tasted yum! Wish I joined a pastry school instead. Maybe someday I will. Never say never, Soumya. Life is for learning how to bake your way into happiness, eller hur?  Also, meet Mr. Robert Plantsson. A gift for myself because I did well in exams. And that's Day 58 for you!

Lazy Sunday that was whiled away in sleeping and making a raspberry chia seed jam. And that's Day 57 for you!

 Today I am at peace. It is a rare feeling that I get to experience, but I know it is quite familiar. I have done enough, worked hard enough, and prepared myself well enough to take the exam. Not bothered about the grade or the marks. At this point, I am more bothered about the narrative that is fed to my brain and the dopamine that hits me when I truly understand a concept. That feeling is unmatched! After practising the questions for weeks now and figuring out why it is the way it is, studying Finance is probably one of the best decisions I have ever made because I am still figuring out logic in the exam hall with a pen in hand and eyes going back and forth between the cells on Excel. No matter how times I cry about Maths not leaving my life, the moment things click and I get to solve equations (with a lot of mistakes, of course), arriving at the answers definitely puts a smile on my face. Absolute bliss! Today I wrote this on my formula sheet. Hope there is more to this learning...

Please pray that I pass the exam. Kthnxbye. And that's Day 55 for you!

I watched People We Meet On Vacation last night and it was 'cute'. This is probably the 2nd time I am watching something without reading the book it is based on first. One of my reading goals for 2026 happens to be reading a genre that is out of my comfort zone, aka romance. Let us see how that goes. Time to dig up more lists? Oh boy, how I miss going to bookstores and libraries to browse the titles there. Maybe I will take a library card soon. Hmmm. Got to plan for that soon.  Happy Sankranti folks! And that's Day 54 for you!

I know I missed a day.  Because I passed out. I had a crazy, crazy day yesterday, and boy, it is the kind of story that has to go on this blog. I had my Corporate Finance exam yesterday, and thanks to the holiday mode, I did not prepare as well as I would have otherwise done. All along the holidays, I kept telling my husband that I did not want to write the exam at all, (because for me, not attempting seems like a way better option than failing) wishing that there would be a really bad snowstorm across Sweden and everything comes to a halt because it did get pretty bad in here. Borderline psychotic. And the other day, the husband got an email from his university saying that all the exams scheduled for that day would be held without interruption. When I was in school, they would declare a holiday if it rained heavily.  Days before the exam I hit the nitro mode and studied all day, all night. Had to give up on my precious sleep too. Had to because my visa processing depended on ...

Jitters. Jittery jitters. Lots of jitters. Have an exam tomorrow.  Hope I pass. Please pray for me. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!! And that's Day 52 for you!

Born to go zoom zoom on a snow sled but currently sliding between ten different Excel sheets. Not complaining though! But brain is fried and the eyes are drooping.  Go and play outdoors, kids. And that's Day 51 for you!

50 already! Reached the half mile and I did not even realise. Guess this is how it feels like when you do the things you absolutely love. I am not sure how many are reading these random posts everyday. I know my mother is definitely reading. (Hi, Amma!) Anyway, I stopped checking for the number of views long long ago. This is not about how many are reading and how brilliantly I am writing. It is a small challenge that I took up to slowly build a habit of showing up for myself and trusting the decisions that I take. Small wins, you see. It is a pretty big deal for me, especially as a serial procrastinator and a monkey who cannot sit still. Pat on your back for coming till here, Soumya. Also, this reel has been on my mind for a couple hours now and it did make me think hard.  https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTSxCDogf6n/?igsh=MWJwajBlMGxwZmlwbA== I need to sleep now. See you through the other half mile then. And that's Day 50 for you!

Biryani_ICVGIP2025_main.pdf https://share.google/dtfm9xyfqpbUF99XC I swear to God, these are the kind of papers I would like to read for my course work.  And that's Day 49 for you!

With the orange alert and a snow storm that over Göteborg in the past couple of days, there was so much snow around our apartment! The neighborhood turned into a winter wonderland and everything looked so pretty (and freezing!) For the first ever in my life, I even built a snowman! Making snow angels and free falling into heaps of snow as a girl hailing from regions in tropical India too counts as a win, right? And that's Day 48 for you!

We did not come all the way to Sweden just to sit at home while it snows now, did we? And that's Day 47 for you!

His way of saying bye. Pretty much like one of the pictures on my vision board. I guess manifestation does work after all. And that's Day 46 for you!

Today the husband showed me around his university and the labs he is working at. Science-y and all. Happened to pocket 2 tiny little boats that were 3D printed.  Winters in Sweden are great and pretty scenic when you are sitting inside the house sipping hot chai. And that's Day 46 for you!

Kind of busy narrating the raju gaaru, onte katha to my husband and slowly occupying his side of the bed. BRB. Also learned how to make these flavourful Enoki mushroom fritters. That Air Fryer better be delivered quickly to our home now. And that's Day 45 for you!

Things to do in 2026 1. Try oil pastels. 2. Bake a Danish pastry 3. Build a snowman. 4. Solve 100 crossword puzzles. 5. A double digit streak on Wordle. 6. Try 6 different tea flavours. 7. Read a Swedish storybook. 8. Pet 12 dogs. 9. Do not break the Duolingo streak. 10. Maintain a junk journal. 11. Build a time capsule. 12. Collect 6 postcards. The list goes on. And that's Day 44 for you!

Today I wanted to talk about the concept of dwiteeya vighnam. As far as my understanding goes, it is the term used when you give up on the second day of taking up a task.  How do I finish my 10k steps if the temperature is at -6° C and the real feel is -12° C?! I miss the winters in Eluru now when the fan speed would still be at the maximum level and slept through the night like a baby without knowing what cold felt like. The views from my balcony here in Sweden are absolutely worth it though! Anyway, do come back here tomorrow for an eggless blonde recipe. Or maybe to see if I did hit my step goal. And that's Day 43 for you!

First day of 2026 and for the first time I walked down my street while it was snowing. It was freezing cold but boy, was it amazing! Hopefully I get to build a snowman soon.  For this year, I decided to take it one day at a time and let go of all the things that mess with my mental peace. Yeah, like that is definitely going to happen. Still worth giving it a shot, right? One thing that I am going to do for sure is dividing both my tasks and feelings into the smallest chunks possible and try to sit down with uncomfortableness. Does not sound fancy, I know. Well, if not now then when?  Even when I was walking through the slush on the pavement post dinner I kept repeating under my breath - "one step after another" That is all it takes to get to my home that is uphill or even I little hike that my husband is planning to take me along with him. One tiny step after another, one small task after another, one sentence after another, one paragraph after another and page after another....