#438 Book Review : Do Epic Shit

 Do Epic Shit

Source : Google Picture

Author: Ankur Warikoo

Genre: Non-Fiction

Format: E-Book

Number of pages: 146

Star: 4.2/5 (Self)

Published by: Juggernaut

My Review:

A non-fiction book worth reading, this was the 24th book I picked up to read before this year ends and I am glad I did it. The author has compiled his tweets into different chapters as the contents of this book. This reminds me of the book "The almanack of Naval Ravikant" by Eric Jorgenson who has done a similar job. Coincidentally, I got the recommendation of "The almanack of Naval Ravikant" by Ankur Warikoo himself and finished reading it long before "Do epic sh*t".

This book is a complete manifestation of the power of compounding - thoughts into tweets, tweets into threads, threads into chapters, and chapters into the book. Tweets expressing similar ideas are grouped together into a chapter and there are 6 chapters in this book.

Amidst much criticism, the author himself has confessed at the beginning of the Acknowledgments section that the thoughts expressed in the book are burrowed ones and he doesn't take the responsibility of owning them. What impresses me is the way those common thoughts are expressed in simple language which everyone can connect to. These thoughts are raw, honest, and unmanipulated. Ankur doesn't shy away from exposing the stark reality of life. He aims to help people to take decisions from the point of view of awareness and not ignorance, just like the way this book has been written with a lot of honesty and life experiences.

A few of my favorites are written below –

1) "Nothing matters more in life than showing up every day. To work, assume responsibilities, to nurture relationships."

2)"We bring people down because we are feeling low."

3)"The scars that you wear on your body. Don't regret them. Don't hate them. Don't reject them."

4)"Asking is the best thing to do, before making assumptions. It either validates your assumption or you get to understand people better. Either way, you get to be a better communicator."

5)"We know others through their actions. We know ourselves through our thoughts."

6)"We're not average of the five people we spend the most time with. We are average of the five thoughts we spend the most time with. And those thoughts needn't come from people in our life".

7)"How we treat others is a reflection of how we treat ourselves. It is rare, almost impossible, for a man, conniving, hurtful, racist, bigoted person to truly love themselves."

8)"An excuse is a distance between who you are and who you wish to be."

9)"If you don't ask, the answer is always no."

10)"It is better to be busy in the chase of finding yourself instead of being busy in the rat race and never know yourself."

11)"Safe is better than sorry. Nope. Risk is better than regret."

12)"People will help you only when you have helped them understand how they can."

As written by Ankur on page 83, "We may show to the world that we seek something different from what we truly seek. Yet hand on heart, we always know what we truly seek. And the universe has a beautiful system of landing what you ask for, on your plate." I too have sought this book as a gift from the universe before this year ends, lo and behold! I won this book in a giveaway contest before 2022. My belief in the Law of Attraction strengthens.

My favourite chapters of this book are Relationships and Epilogue. I loved the idea of writing letters to the children and to oneself. Something, as personal as a letter, can only be written with a heart full of gratitude and willingness to appreciate the beauty that one can perceive. The book couldn't have been completed in a better way than the way the epilogue has been written. It made me awestruck and emotional when I read those concluding lines that remind the readers of their hidden superpowers and urge to invoke them.

In the end, thank you Ankur Warikoo for writing a wonderful book like this, of course, the title makes it stand out.

All Rights Reserved

Swati Sarangi

22.12.2022

 

#437 I will

I will 

It's a motivational poem. Sometimes, things don't work out the way we want. Plans fail which we thought would work out in future. But, do we have a control over it?

Through this poem, I just want to convey the message to the all the readers that let's not brood over the past, rather envision the bright future. At the end, you matter the most. I am sending the positive vibes to those who are in need.

I will rise, no matter whenever I fall

I will smile no matter how much I cry

I will stand no matter how much I tremble

I will hold myself , no matter how much I shake

Not the world, as simple as you think

Demanding a bolder version of you every week

Day seems night and night as day

The clock ticks daily all the way

Reminding to forget the past, look ahead

For the glorious future instead

Hey folk, why to halt and worry

When you are yourself to carry

No one gonna do it for you

Unload the traumas and guilt bothering you

Let them point, let them judge 

And let them question you 

Had they ever walked the same route as that of you?

Never mind, who says when and what

But truth always wins at last

Do the best and trust the process

So that you would never regret

Karma is a real bitch, let it work

What goes around, comes back

No effort ever goes in vain

Never stop to try again.

Do you think, it's gonna be easy

Not at all, but it's worth it.

7-11-2022

Sweta Sarangi

#436 Is love really blind?

 Is Love Really Blind?

 

Image Source: Google Images

There have been a lot of changes in my life since my last post on the blog. It’s not that I have given up writing in this blog, I am constantly writing, if not for this blog, then for different platforms. There have been several unfinished articles that are lying as drafts which I will complete soon, I hope so and keep posts coming in this blog.

 

This post is based on a reality show which I came across recently. When I searched for popular shows of 2022, got the suggestion about a show named “Love is Blind -Japan”. On researching more about it, I found that this show has two more versions – Love is Blind: Brazil, and Love is Blind: USA. This show turned out to be a reality show where unmarried men and women have come to try their luck at finding a suitable partner for themselves. This idea of the show was contrary to what I had anticipated from the poster and title of the show. I was thinking it to be fictional series. I thought of trying to watch something different from my usual choices and it was the first dating show for me to watch.

 

The show starts by presenting some women and men in different arenas of a hotel where the hosts welcome them and describe the rules of the show. This dating show is an unconventional one as compared to many other dating shows in the sense that the contestants have to talk to each other through their pods without having a look at each other. That's where the word ‘blind’ in the title comes from. After the hosts explain the rules, there are introductions of the individuals when they speak about their age, the place they’ve come from, their professions, and expectations from the show, in form of a small chit-chat with their fellow contestants. The language used is Japanese. My lack of knowledge of the language made me completely rely on the English subtitles. One of the contestants of the show is Priyanka Yoshikawa, who became the source of motivation for me to continue to watch this show with subtitles. Priyanka’s fluent Japanese made me research her, and I got to know that her ethnicity is Indian-Japanese as her father is from West Bengal, India, and her mother is from Japan. Surprisingly, she is also a title holder of a beauty pageant – Miss World Japan,2016. From her Ted Talk, I got to learn that she is the second one with mixed ethnicity to win this pageant in Japan. In this show, everything about her stays under the veil.

 

There are pods in a row that are completely closed from all sides, in front of this series of pods, there lies another series of pods -closed and isolated. Each series of pods is for men and women. Suppose a female contestant enters the pod, the pod in front of it would be occupied by a male contestant. They would be allowed to communicate without seeing each other. They would just exchange information about themselves verbally. One can see them carrying a notebook where they note down the important takeaways from their conversations with different contestants. You can imagine how difficult it is to even imagine the person they are talking to, simply through their voices. According to the rules of the show, if their vibes match with the other, the man can propose in the pod, and they would get engaged outside of the pod. That will be the first time, they would be able to see each other in person. After the engagement, the betrothed couples will be allowed to spend time like being in a staycation to check their compatibility before taking the decision to marry. However, it’s also possible for the couples to break up if there arises any issue of incompatibility.

Images of pods. Image Source: Google Images

I won’t be spilling beans about the show in this post as this post is not at all a spoiler for LIB-Japan. The reason for writing this post will be clear soon. While watching contestants talk with one another [It was a one-to-one conversation]in the pod, I could easily relate this phase with that of an Indian arranged marriage system when the first phase usually begins with the conversation with the prospects. These days, mobile has both facilitated as well as misled some communications. Just like the contestants, the girl and boy start talking to each other from their respective pods. Here, pods are their homes, hostel, office, etc. The contestants find it extremely difficult to process information (without seeing the other person) and connect emotionally to arrive at the biggest decisions of life i.e marriage. Having gone through a similar phase myself, I could relate to several emotions like confusion, disbelief, despair, hopefulness, etc. of the contestants. Life in the pods is very different from real life. This is evident from that part of the show when the newly betrothed couples are allowed to go on a staycation where they realize the differences and incompatibilities between them and the fake promises made in the pods. That’s the reason why only a few betrothed couples took the decision to be married in the end. This is something very unlike to happen in an Indian Arranged Marriage as the couples are made to live with each other after the marriage and whatever loopholes come into the picture, are compromised.

What I like about the experiment of this show is that it allows knowing someone in a true sense through a both-sided conversation without getting deceived by physical appearance which reminds me of the famous proverb to not judge the book by its cover. I feel that physical appearance sometimes biases our judgment of the person and distracts us from the depth of the conversation.

The reason for the success of arranged marriage could be a lack of expectations from both sides and a willingness to accept the outcomes. What and how can you expect from your partner when you’ve hardly seen them or spent time with them? There are innumerable sacrifices and compromises to make it work. Bringing up points in favor of arranged marriage, in no way, implies that I am against love marriage. Many successful people of today’s era have chosen their partners themselves and it somehow shows the clarity they’ve acquired in their lives including taking responsibility for their personal lives. It makes me so confused when I hear stories of incompatibility in love marriages where couples, after spending considerable time (several years) knowing each other, fail to make their marriage work whereas it’s the absolute opposite in the case of arranged marriages. In some arranged marriages where the selection process begins with Kundli matching, this Kundli matching process is least cared for, in love marriages. Why such hell and heaven difference in the processes of these two marriages and shockingly opposite results!  

Love is a beautiful feeling beyond any condition. Blind love is unconditional when it considers no color, creed, caste, religion, or even gender. One manifestation of such unconditional love is the one that our parents/siblings have for us. They easily forgive all our mistakes and are ready to accept us anytime in any condition. The door of parents is always open for us and there’s no condition against our entry into it. Another such love is a spiritual connection with the divine which needs no condition. That love doesn’t discriminate against anyone and is supreme bliss. The love, that is felt within, from a sense of gratitude, without requiring someone to love externally, is the love that can love others blindly.

Image Source: Google Images

©All Rights Reserved

Swati Sarangi

06.11.2022

 

#435 A Diary Entry

A Diary Entry

What my heart says

“A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.”—Mignon McLaughlin

Disclaimer: This letter is definitely going to be a long one. Please read it carefully and patiently till the end. You may find answers to many questions you might be searching for.

 

Dear Diary,

I congratulate us for sailing the boat of five months of togetherness over the ocean of life successfully. Whether it was a smooth ride or not I can't say that right now. My hubby has sometimes asked me to pen down an article about him. So, the wait is over now as this piece is completely dedicated to him and our life after marriage. It is just an amalgamation of all the emotions and phrases that I have gone through in this short span of time. This note may not be able to address all of the concerns or worries but will definitely help someone to reach a step closer to my feelings and thoughts that I always want to share. I believe that it will definitely make him to think and ponder about different aspects of our married life and come out with solutions if any glitch arises in future. I believe that there is not a single problem in this world for which no solution exists, it's only up to us how we perceive it and whether we are committed to resolve it together with an open mind.

 

A little bit about myself and my purpose in life

Here are few points about my personality and perception about different aspects of life

I am someone who is as equally ambitious as creative. I don’t get angry easily and don’t like to hold grudges. I try to find positivity in every situation. Music is something that I have been inclined to since my childhood days. Music is like a therapy for me. I express myself better when I sing irrespective of my mood. I always used to dream of entering an institution of national importance and come out of it with a degree in hand, making my parents proud where I would also get an opportunity to perform on stage as a singer in front of thousand people. By god's grace, I was able to get a lot of opportunities at IITK. God always has a different plan which is difficult to comprehend sometimes.  Apart from music, I love to absorb new things quickly. This is the reason which has always motivated me to learn sketching, writing poetry or short stories, blogging, playing instruments like harmonium and synthesizer, learning Karate, learning new language like Germany, playing table tennis, chess, carom and winning prizes at different levels. I always admire simplicity because of the fact that I was brought up in an environment where I have seen people with a lots of awards and accolades in their name yet they are so simple and humble in their demeanor.

 

My take on marriage

Marriage is an institution where two souls are tied together to spend their life by being with one another in their thick and thin. It may not be as simple as it may seem from outside because it needs the regular and sincere efforts from both the partners involved in the process. For me, marriage is more of love, compassion, care, loyalty and innumerous sacrifices rather than gifts and material possessions. Below, I have mentioned few points which are necessary to build a strong bonding.

 

-View points

There will be differences in viewpoints, there is no doubt about it. These differences are due to the fact that ours upbringing, values and beliefs are different. What do we need to do here? We need to understand that as we have not spend these many years together, we need to take a look closer at how the other person feels when we say or do a particular thing under a particular circumstance.

 

- Expectation

It is not at all logical to expect that we both will behave in a particular manner in a particular situation. The reason is that we are still knowing each other and studying each other like a book each day. And this book can't be finished in a single day, it has to be read and understood by each chapter one by one over the time. It's not at all justified for one partner to expect that he/she does everything perfectly within the stipulated time in an environment where he/she has neither brought up nor accustomed to. We need to shade all the unnecessary perceptions and try to stick to the reality. Most of the time, fake and one sided expectations become the root cause of misery.

 

- Acceptance

The main ingredient of marriage is acceptance. We don't simply marry the other partner because he/ she is just good or perfect or match our perception. We marry the other partner in its entirety. Here, entirety means the whole personality. And the whole personality comprises of both good and bad qualities. We can't simply get rid of the bad qualities of our partner so easily which he/she has acquired over the years. It's simply impossible. We just need to understand the other side with equal importance and accept as it is to build a healthy relationship.

 

- Compromise

It is the most important and key aspect in any relationship to continue longer. As per our values, marriage is considered as sacred bond created for eternity not for a minute, hour, day or year. Without compromise and sacrifices, nothing has ever worked out in a smooth manner. We both need to come out of our comfort zones to accommodate the other one. Till now, I have tried to compromise over my sleep and food habits. Rest of the things will be taken care of accordingly over the time.

 

-Patience

Generally, it is observed that we have a habit of getting angry quickly without knowing the fact and show our disapproval without fully aware of the fact or analysing it properly. Lack of patience in such a situation could land a relation to a very critical position which we never prior visualise.  Sometimes we also behave awkwardly without listening to the entire story which irritates others. There should be some hours in a day when one can relax with his/her partner together and listen to each deeply before reaching any conclusion. It gets developed over the time as Rome is never built in a day.

 

-Communication

A healthy and deep communication can resolve any kind of conflicts in a relationship whether that is love, professional or conjugal, this is what I always feel. If we don't communicate with each other freely or express what we feel in a particular situation, how would we get to know what's going on in other’s mind as we are not professional mind readers. To know each other's like, dislike or mind set, we will have to communicate on a regular basis, not thinking the process to be obvious or shameful. Communication often clears out the preconceived notion we have for others as well. It lets the other partner know you deeply and understand your emotions. The most important channel of communication is to have one to one discussion without the involvement of any other interest group as interference.

 

-Respect

Respect is a positive feeling which is shown towards someone/ something considered important or held in high esteem. It conveys a sense of admiration for good or valuable qualities. It also shows that a partner is caring and concerned about the needs and feelings of other. We need to respect each other by valuing each other’s opinions and needs.   

Beauty lies in the eyes of beholder. There are few qualities I would like to mention here, that I admire in him. Despite the differences we have between us, he doesn't hold any grudges for long. I have seen his dedication towards his professional career. Being a person of today's generation, he doesn't possess any bad qualities such as drinking or smoking. At this age, being conscious about health is not that obvious. He is aware of healthy lifestyle and you try to incorporate healthy food habits in your life style too which is commendable.

My purpose of marriage was to get a life partner with whom I can express myself better, enjoy everything around, explore new places, learn new cultures and most importantly advance in my career. We have already spent half of our lives with doubts, fear and insecurities. The rest half of the life is so crucial because it will be full of responsibilities, challenges and uncertainties, which will also demand the great level of emotional support from a partner. Why not to forget and forgive whatever has happened in the past and start afresh from now on, to witness a brighter horizon. Life is very beautiful when there is an understanding partner who can walk besides you in every phase of life.

 

I want to end this letter with a quotation of Dave Meurer who is the famous author of several non-fictions books, “A great marriage is not when the ‘perfect couple’ comes together. It is when an imperfect couple learns to enjoy their differences”.

 

Yours truly,

Sweta

25-10-2022

 

P.S: I will be more than happy if this diary entry is evident enough for the readers to understand the key points that are crucial for a marriage to sustain longer and help them to know some one deeply with whom they are in a relationship. I have started writing this article at 1 AM at late night and this is the time when I get many ideas and contemplate on life usually. Last one and half year was very difficult for me to survive due to lots of unexpected hurdles in my life along with COVID restrictions. I am happy that he is one of the reasons for which I have started writing again and back to my blogging arena after a gap of almost two years. 

If we focus on good things, we can only see the good memories when we look back to our life after 20 years.

  

#434 Poem A Day Challenge -May 2022 by Story Mirror

 

Story Mirror Profile

I successfully completed this challenge of composing Poem A Day for the month of May. I received the participation certification along with a book of Poetry in Hindi by Story Mirror. Thanks a lot, Story Mirror for that. 

#433 Bloganniversary : Celebrating 9 years of its existence

Bloganniversary ; celebrating 9 years of its existence

The day has come to celebrate this special day; that special day is the anniversary of this blog. I’m so glad to share that my blog turns 9 years today and I can’t be happier. When I started publishing my articles in my personal blog 9 years ago, I had never imagined that it would be instrumental in inculcating a life-long habit of writing in me. This blog proved to be a faithful friend of mine whose friendship developed during the sophomore year of my college life. It feels unbelievable for me to realize that this blog still continues to reflect my innermost thoughts and ideologies while I travel through different frames of time and space.

Source : Google Images

 

This blog documents the journey of my life by witnessing various stages of my evolution. In 9 years of its existence, it has been successful enough to garner 6-digit-views of people across the world. It has stuck to me during adverse situations and provided me immense support. It’s strange to believe that this inanimate thing has occupied the most important part of my life. It has witnessed me completing my graduation, post-graduation, working in the corporate world, exploring different places and then countries, entering into married life, and striking off many things from my bucket list. When people came and went in my life, it stayed constant. During college days, when many relationships formed and broke off, I feel proud to have invested my time and energy in this relationship which still continues to be with me.

 

Source: Google Images

This month is important for me not just for the anniversary of my blog but also celebrates the second anniversary of my marriage. Unlike this blog, I entered into the relatively early stage relationship for a life-long partnership which evolved through the days of struggle of lockdown and following the passion of life amidst all uncertainties. It was then I learned that every decision taken during the phase of uncertainty provides its own rewards but only those who get the privilege to enjoy these rewards have the courage to face these uncertainties. We can never enjoy a movie when we know its climax beforehand and the same concept applies to life as well.

 

During the last 9 years, I had never pledged to write only in my blog. I grabbed the opportunity to write on different platforms and experimented with different forms of writing such as long and short forms. Not posting in my blog ever implied that I was not writing, in fact, I was always writing, sometimes in my diary, other times as comments for my fellow writers. Whenever I got any idea, I would right away draft it on my mobile. Recently, I have been documenting my journey as a software developer in my technical blog – coding concoction in Hashnode. I never shy away from complementing fellow writers there from whom I learned a lot.

 

Source: Google Images

I neither have any agenda nor any plan to write in this blog, I will keep writing whenever or wherever I can or when I am completely overtaken by the urge of writing. Writing, for me, is the ultimate form of expression and I will continue to do it as long as I am alive.

 

I will write whenever I can

Even under the scorching heat

Holding a pen with my hand tanned

Or trying to write my emotions

With my frozen hands

I will write about the beauty around

During spring in a foreign land

Like leaves of autumn, I will wait

 For thoughts or ideas to be reborn

 

I will write whenever I am happy

Singing and dancing merrily

To appreciate the life

I will also write when I am sad

Not willing to share my grief

With the world around

 

I will write whenever or

Wherever I can

To help my words to reach

Those unvisited clans.

 

All Rights Reserved

Swati Sarangi

27.03.2022 

#432 Published in Eyes - 61st Issue , Feb 2022

Published in Eyes Magazine - 61st Issue,Feb 2022

I am very glad to share that story of my Quarantine entitled as “My Quarantine story of 21 days” has been published in 61^st Issue of Eyes( Feb 2022) which is a Newsmagazine of IIT Kanpur’s campus. I am very grateful to the editorial board to publish my article.

#431 You're in our Prayers

 

 

Source: Google Images

I got a mail from Team Poetizer for writing poems to support Ukraine which would be distributed to those suffering in Ukraine. Thanks to Team Poetizer for launching this initiative to support those in Ukraine as well as giving poets a chance to express their concern against war.

 

Here's my poem

 

You're in our prayer

You're in our prayers,

Oh! Yes, we're praying 

With all hopes to make

You free from this war.

We might be strangers for you

 Or we might never meet

but our hearts can feel

the pain that you're experiencing 

Because it's this war 

that pained our ancestors

So we want no more war.

We might not fight in 

the battlefield like soldiers

But we're standing with you

To oppose this war,

because we can feel the 

Pain that you're experiencing 

 

Let tomorrow's sun shine 

so brightly spreading 

Positivity and a ray of 

Hope for a bright future.

 

All Rights Reserved!

© Swati Sarangi

03.03.2022

#WeStandWithU

Source : Google Images

Sharing the reply mail from Team Poetizer 

Source : Inbox of my gmail

Find my poem collected in the PDF on the official site of Poetizer. You've to just click on #WeStandWithU and you'll get a PDF to read all poems from.

#430 Published in Anthology- Lost in Love

 

Get your copy here

#429 Reviewing Year 2021

  

 Reviewing Year 2021

Google Images

How quickly this year passed, just like any other year. This feeling is so common and is experienced by almost everyone as the year approaches its end. I wish the year would have stayed still for some more days. The world is still battling with this phase of pandemic and entering another year with a fear of the mutants of this notorious virus named COVID. It's hard to believe that COVID-19 as the numerals in its name suggests, has very easily wiped off 2 years from our lives and made us confined to the four-walled-room. At the same time, it has helped us to look into our lives with a deeper perspective.

 

As a customary ritual, I've been reflecting on the bygone year during its last days and deriving important lessons from it. What could be a better act for walking through the memory lane than documenting (it alongside)? This year was no less than a rollercoaster ride for me. It’s going to be a nostalgic moment to recall all events that happened in my life and for having been survived different phases of uncertainties during that time. So, here I dive into my flashback and retrieve all my memories. 

 

The new year 2021 got me an opportunity to appear in the interview for the course that I had applied for. I also tried my luck in two competitive exams which did not turn out in my favor. What is destined to happen will find its way and what’s not, won’t happen in any way. All my failures have taught me to explore options that I am born for as aptly stated by Dalai Lama, “Remember that sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck.” I met my best friend after a long time and got quality time to spend with her. It was during that time I started applying for my VISA to go to Hong Kong where my husband had been living for the last couple of months. I did not have any strong plan then to go to Hongkong as it all depended on the allowance of flights by the HK govt from India to HK, I made preparation to go to my native place to spend some time with my family. I stayed at my in-law’s house for a month where I celebrated my first marriage anniversary. I got to know my in-laws better as it was for the first time I got such a long time to stay with them after my marriage. Soon after that, I got the news of charter flights going to HK from Delhi and I had just a week in my hand to plan everything, right from booking tickets to reserving a quarantined hotel in HK. You can read more about my Quarantine Story here: my-quarantine-story-of-21-days.

 

After my quarantine got over , I was ecstatic to meet my husband after 6 months and so was he to meet me( I guess so :P ). He had managed a lot last year from traveling to a foreign country during the pandemic to starting everything all alone. I acquired my HKID card which was essential to revoke a hefty medical bill that was the result of my treatment of COVID at the hospital in HK.

 

My pre-birthday eve was well spent watching symphony of lights(a musical light show) in the Tsim Tsa Tsui Promenade, followed by a treat at an Indian Restaurant. Not many days after my birthday, I got unfortunate news of the demise of my grandmother who was battling with COVID. All the memories of moments spent with her flashbacked in my eyes. She was bedridden when I left for HK, with a hope that next time when I see her she would be hale and hearty but this did not happen.

 

I slowly started to adjust to this new country, culture, and people. I started exploring different places in this country on my own to be comfortable and get the feeling of being home. Thanks to the very convenient public transport system and google map which became my guide in this process. This exploration helped me, invariably, in my job hunting. I would so optimistically apply for thousands of different positions based on my skillsets in various job portals of HK and managed to get interviewed for three-four recruiters. It was the fourth one, I settled for as other roles didn’t appeal to me much. At the end of the year, I successfully completed my probation period.

 

In the latter half of the year, I witnessed another form of mine which was capable enough to manage everything, getting up early in the morning to prepare breakfast, lunch for work, commuting two hours for the job, walking 5-6kms daily including climbing 600 stairs, I had never imagined that I could ever do this. My husband always stood as a rock by my side, motivating me whenever I lost my fighting spirit. During weekends, we would plan to travel different places and I created a YouTube channel to document my travel experiences - Around The Globe . There’s another YouTube channel-Swati Sarangi I created for collecting my selecting recordings from Smule at one place [which I wanted to do in 2020 but couldn’t]. As a part of my exploration, I visited various temples such as SaiBaba temple at TST, Kowloon Hindu Temple, Hindu Temple at Happy Valley, ISCON temple at TST and got a chance to celebrate various festivals there and sing in the public. I felt to blessed to receive the token of love from the Hindu temple, Kowloon. All these events transported me to those days when I accompanied my mother to celebrate various festivals at Shiva temple on the campus of IIT Kanpur and Jagannath Temple, Bithoor, Kanpur.

 

During my days of quarantine, I had started learning German in DuoLingo App to ward off the boredom which later became a habit. I successfully continued the learning streak for 200 days and received the report of being in the top 1% of the users to achieve this feat. I also started teaching English voluntarily to underprivileged students of Odisha online. I got an opportunity to be part of online events like Toastmaster HK and book clubs. I could complete reading 8 books this year.

 

2021 gave me myriads of experiences to revisit and I could strike off many from my wish list like a solo trip abroad, getting an iPad, working abroad, starting a youtube channel, working with an NGO, being a local guide in google and starting a technical blog -Coding Concotion. It gave me the confidence to pursue my hobbies and tap into my unexplored potential which I had always ignored. I had to deal with minor health issues. 2021 exposed me to two spheres; where there was an excitement of exploring a completely new world, there was an uncertainty to return home and meet the family. It is how life is and the greatest blessing during this phase of the pandemic is to be healthy.  

 

Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year,2022!

Google Images

 

All Rights Reserved

©Swati Sarangi

30.12.2021

P.S : I got late in publishing this article which was planned to be published before the new year.