Turning 26

Turning 26 (2022)

2020-21 was a rough year. 2021-22 was a better time, some of uncertainity has given way to accepting that this is just the way the world is now. We wear masks and go about our business. This is the new normal that we have talked about since 2020.

Highlights of the year

Trip to Lansdowne

Neel, mum and I travelled to Lansdowne for a few days. It’s a quiet hill town, and there wasn’t much to do. It was a lovely time.

An iPad drawing of Neel and mum that I did on the trip

Getting vaccinated

Getting an appointment was a bit of a challenge in the early days of vaccine availablity, so I was quite happy when the day finally came. I think I expected it to be a huge milestone after which things would suddenly get better, but getting the actual shots felt a little bit anti climactic—life felt pretty much the same. I had a day of fever after the first shot, but the second one was pretty mild. I have avoided getting COVID so far, and I’m hoping to keep it that way.

My brother and I at the vaccination centre. Hooray for modern medicine.

Moving out

I moved out to a small apartment in Noida close to my office and lived by myself for 10 months. This was the first time I’ve lived by myself—living in a college hostel is a much more social experience, most of my friends lived under 2 minutes away from me. I liked the independence of living by myself, but living and working in the same small space started to chafe after a while. I will perhaps share a larger space with some other people as a next step.

This is what living in my office and working in my bedroom looked like a lot of the time

I built a makeshift bookshelf with cardboard and tape

Working from Office

The Microsoft office in Noida opened up for any employees who wanted to work from there. It is a beautiful space inspired by the Taj Mahal, and I was glad to be able to meet some of my colleagues and have a nice workspace available a 15 minute walk away from my apartment.

The coffee station

Outdoor seating

Visitor area

I really liked these plates that are used as wall decoration

A photo taken by a colleague

Trip to Shimla

I took a week off to travel to Shimla with my mom and brother. We stayed with my grandparents, who were also glad to have escaped Delhi after over a year of staying indoors. We decided to stay an extra week and I worked from the mountains for a while.

My mother and brother on a rainy day when it felt like we were inside the clouds

We would walk down to the parking lot to catch a rectangular sliver of the senset view

My grandmother with a pumpkin flower she found

My grandfather and a mother walking up the mountain to the market close by

I spent a lot of time trying to make friends with this cat

Gauri’s wedding in Pune

Went to Pune for Gauri’s wedding. Met all my IDC friends for the graduation farewell we never had.

I wish I could explain what was in the box

Me with my friends Prachi (left) and Apoorva (mid)

I love this awkward photo of Rohan and Dhiraj

I met Rishi after an entire year

Goa with friends

I’ve travelled with friends before or to visit friends before, but that has always involved some kind of work. This was my first vacation with friends, and it was nice to be able to spend a week eating seafood, getting drunk, and watching the sunsets on the beach.

I have one of these beach stock photos now

Another beach stock photo, but this time it’s me with a shirt I bought at a beach shack

Journalling

I bought a Muji notebook on a whim and decided I needed to do something with it, and started journalling. I make it a point to write down what feel like the major things happening in my life. I enjoy the act of putting ink on paper, and if nothing else this becomes an excuse to use my fountain pen now and then.

Things I want to do at 26

• Move out of Delhi
• Learn to play the keyboard
• Take pottery or sculpture classes
• Find more time to do things I enjoy
• Be stricter about not letting work bleed into personal time