The last blog of 2017
New Year's eve has a very special significance for me. I've written about it in the past (Read: "My love affair with New Year's Eve") and just like last year, it deserves another post. It marks new beginnings and an opportunity for me to move on from the negativity that piles up on me with time.
Every year, I used to get together with a few of my closest friends, reminisce about all the embarrassing things we've done, and catch up on where we're headed. I haven't been able to do that since I've come to Budapest. However, after almost 2 years, I'll be heading back to New Delhi for Christmas and New Year's Eve. We'll gather together again at Akanksha's place, stuff ourselves with delicious food and cheap alcohol and laugh at the same high school stories that have made us laugh every year.
Around this time, I also like to look back at the year that has gone by and make a few plans for the one that's next to come and in this blog, I'll be talking about the same.
One year from now on, I want to be looking back at this blog, read this section and tell myself - "this task was ticked off even before December started"
New rackets have been bought. I'll be purchasing a good stock of tennis balls and strings for the next year while I'm in India visiting family and friends. I have a "Finalist" trophy on my office desk that I won a few months ago. Hopefully, I can get a few that say "Winner" by the end of next year.
Another thing on my to-do list is to learn how to swim. I think it has been there for a really long time but I really hope I do learn it this year. Fingers crossed.
2017 has been an amazing year for me. I started the year with a bit of a low - I was feeling lonely and dealing with a vacation hangover from an amazing Christmas spent in Prague. I've done a lot over the year. Things have kept me quite busy and I still can't believe the year's over. However, there's a lot to be done over the next year. I feel like it's only going to get busier from now on. So I'm taking a couple of weeks off to just relax at home with my family and spend lazy afternoons playing with my nephew or catching up with my friends. I wish all of you a happy new year and hope it brings you all a lot of luck and joy.
Every year, I used to get together with a few of my closest friends, reminisce about all the embarrassing things we've done, and catch up on where we're headed. I haven't been able to do that since I've come to Budapest. However, after almost 2 years, I'll be heading back to New Delhi for Christmas and New Year's Eve. We'll gather together again at Akanksha's place, stuff ourselves with delicious food and cheap alcohol and laugh at the same high school stories that have made us laugh every year.
Around this time, I also like to look back at the year that has gone by and make a few plans for the one that's next to come and in this blog, I'll be talking about the same.
2017: The happy year
If there's one word I'd use to describe how I've been over the past year, it's "happy". A lot of amazing things have happened and while there have been a few bad experiences as well (for example, being conned in Paris), far too many things have happened to compensate for it. The 3 biggest highlights of the year have been my solo trips, my transition from student life to work life and the return of Tennis in my life.
The trips I won't forget
In my last year's blog, I mentioned a list of the places I planned to see this year. Barring Berlin, I did manage to travel to all of those places. I was in Amsterdam for my birthday weekend, I went to Paris for Roland Garros in the summer, Vienna with my parents when they came to Budapest for my graduation ceremony, and Zagreb on a long weekend in October.
On top of that, I even managed to spend a weekend each in Italy (Venice and Milan) and Belgium (Brussels and Bruges). I met one of my closest friends who was in Venice for a conference and took a day trip to Bruges with the annoying Sri Lankan (P.S. - I miss her in Budapest). All of my trips have given me interesting stories to put my grandkids to sleep when I'm old. Some of the best ones are:
- Amsterdam - The Dutch blonde of Krakow part II
- Paris - Roland Garros. 'Nuff said
- Zagreb - The big spoon from Berlin
The Transition Year
This has also been a year of transition for me. My 2-year timeout from work life ended this summer with a thesis I wish I could've written better. However, it's precisely what everyone who has ever written a thesis will say. Despite writing a "disappointing thesis", I managed to finish top of the class and got my Master's degree in International Economy and Business. This was followed by an amazing graduation party organized by Henry, my Malaysian classmate.
My parents came all the way from India for my graduation ceremony. This was the first time they had ever been abroad and once the culture shock settled in, they fell in love with Budapest. I believe my Mom plans to come here next summer as well (probably to shop with my credit card). A new phone was also the perfect graduation present I could've received from them.
Now, I've transitioned to working full time in Budapest and I'm loving every bit of it. I'm involved in projects that I find extremely motivating. The icing on the cake - my salary funds my travel, shopping, and tennis quite comfortably.
One reason for the smooth transition has also been the fact that I had been interning at my current firm for more than a year along with my studies. Over this time, I managed to build a good rapport with my colleagues and adjust to the work culture prevalent at the firm. I just received a peer review at work last week and it seems like my colleagues are glad to have me around as well.
Tennis made a comeback
Last year I played a lot of football. This year has been the year of Tennis. Watching the best tennis players battle it out at Roland Garros made me realize what a fool I had been to stop playing it in the first place. It reminded me of the pure joy and bliss I felt whenever I played Tennis.
My parents got my tennis rackets from Delhi and it was all the push that I needed to start playing again. Soon, I got myself a pair of brand new Babolat Pure Drives and since then, I've just been playing tennis weekend after weekend.
Next spring, I'll also be playing for a club in Budapest's amateur league and I can't wait to start working on my fitness and tennis again once the holidays are over. I'd also like to mention that I haven't abandoned football. I still play football at least once a week. It has just never been my first sport in the past and it seems like it'll remain that way for a while, now that Tennis is back in my life.
Plans for 2018
2017 was a year of change, fun, and transition. It was like driving along the coastline with your roadster's top down. Your motive is to enjoy it - driving at a comfortable pace, soaking in the views and stopping by every now and then to relax on a random beach.
However, 2018 is going to be a year of racing forward. It's like you're driving on a straight highway and in Robert Frost's words, you have miles to go before you sleep - so you roll up your windows, bring the roof back up, push the car into a high gear and drive as far as the engine (or the speed limit) permits.
However, 2018 is going to be a year of racing forward. It's like you're driving on a straight highway and in Robert Frost's words, you have miles to go before you sleep - so you roll up your windows, bring the roof back up, push the car into a high gear and drive as far as the engine (or the speed limit) permits.
Work Hard
This year at work has been quite rewarding for me. I've received good feedback from my seniors and my colleagues, gone through my first major learning curve and I've really settled in at my workplace. The next year is going to be about speeding ahead. New learning curves for the next year have been defined and I'll be looking forward to making significant progress on them over the next 12 months.One year from now on, I want to be looking back at this blog, read this section and tell myself - "this task was ticked off even before December started"
Play Harder
I started playing Tennis again in the second half of 2017. From dying after 15 minutes of hitting to training for 2 hours with 4-5 breaks, I've come a long way. This year, I look forward to playing in amateur leagues and tournaments and get better.New rackets have been bought. I'll be purchasing a good stock of tennis balls and strings for the next year while I'm in India visiting family and friends. I have a "Finalist" trophy on my office desk that I won a few months ago. Hopefully, I can get a few that say "Winner" by the end of next year.
Another thing on my to-do list is to learn how to swim. I think it has been there for a really long time but I really hope I do learn it this year. Fingers crossed.
And soak in some sights
Last year and I managed to see all of the places I planned to see but one (Berlin). In addition, I also managed to take a trip to Brussels and Brugges, which weren't on the list. While I don't plan to travel a lot this year, I have compiled a small list of places I would definitely want to do this year.- Belgrade, Serbia - I've heard Belgrade is really cheap and has a good party scene. I think it'll be worth checking out for my birthday in March.
- Ljubljana and Lake Bled, Slovenia - The place is awfully close to Budapest and it's a real shame that I haven't managed to go there in all this time. I think it deserves a place on this list now.
- Berlin, Germany - This place gets carried over from last year. I think that city has a lot of history and some amazing party vibes that I'm dying to discover.
- Athens, Greece - No reasons necessary.
2017 has been an amazing year for me. I started the year with a bit of a low - I was feeling lonely and dealing with a vacation hangover from an amazing Christmas spent in Prague. I've done a lot over the year. Things have kept me quite busy and I still can't believe the year's over. However, there's a lot to be done over the next year. I feel like it's only going to get busier from now on. So I'm taking a couple of weeks off to just relax at home with my family and spend lazy afternoons playing with my nephew or catching up with my friends. I wish all of you a happy new year and hope it brings you all a lot of luck and joy.
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