Carpe diem

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...