Now it is time to review the year 2020. WHAT-A-CRAZY Year. Don’t we all agree?
This whole year, I felt like a kid learning to walk – who kept falling and required support, who needed to be handled but did not realize it. I always thought I could manage on my own in any situation, but I was wrong. This year has been tough for all of us.
I was in India start of the year. Before leaving, my mom casually read my yearly horoscope from our traditional calendar. The horoscope said –
“ It is going to be an untimely year. You are going to face hardships. You could also be in an accident. But, overall the year will be financially rewarding. “
After listening to this, I smirked and thought to myself that it is not possible. I had so much to look forward to – my graduation, new job, city, friends, culture. Everything was going to change, and I was excited. I could not have prophesied that the suffering mentioned in that piece of paper was real.
The Good and Bad, The Dark and Bright, The Wild and Numb. Here is me rewinding my memories from the year 2020.
Coming back from India 🛩
I was extremely excited about returning after one month trip to India. I was looking forward to the upcoming internship, coursework, and the last few months at USC.
Los Angeles Times internship begins 👩🏻💻
This internship was one-of-a-kind and so much fun. We worked quite independently, brainstormed on project ideas, and delivered high-impact in a couple of months.
Exploring Los Angeles 💁🏻♀️
Last semester at USC meant saying goodbye to LA. I made sure to visit as many places as possible before leaving the city. I miss Santa Monica, Malibu, Sunset Blvd, and Figueroa St 😦
Invading privacy as always 🤦🏻♀️
To my defense, I love taking candid pictures. Also, I never explicitly point my camera towards anyone and ask them to pose. For example, this picture perfectly captures the mood of the place. I encountered a good frame, I clicked.
Please click my pictures… 💃🏻 Ok, Thanks 🙋🏻♀️
I should have actually put a comparison of the pictures *he clicked for me* and the *ones I clicked for him*. We went to see Urban Lights. I literally had to drag my friends to come with me. Not to forget, they were ~later~ thankful that I planned such a memorable outing.
Chai on the rocks ☕️
Seher makes the best chai in the world. I miss my chai dates with her. Just that she used to put a lot of water in it. I don’t know what she did by saving all the milk 😦
Please let me go out 😓
Sometime in March, when they enforced stay-at-home orders. Btw, you see that couch behind? I never appreciated how comfy it was until I left that place.
Getting done with the last exam of my student life 🥺
Knowledge Graphs was an interesting class. I learned many relevant things related to my field in that course. We put in most effort for the project, and received an A+ YAAAAY
Graduation 👩🏻🎓
I don’t think I need to say much about Graduation. People who follow my blog must have already read my post “Graduation Blues”. In the post, I have covered that phase in detail.
Cheers to the Ending and New Beginnings 😸😻
In no time, June arrived. It was time to say good-bye to LA, USC, and my friends. I thought I wouldn’t cry, but was I wrong. To be honest, I haven’t put in enough effort to be in touch with my best friends, I should have. They still mean so much to me. ^^ You know me guys when we meet, I am going to flood you with my new life updates. ^^
Is this adulting?🤭
I lived alone in Sunnyvale for a damn month. Ok, that was pretty bad. I barely saw people in the corridors, or even in the parks. They only came out to take their dogs out for a walk. I am not sure if it’s the pandemic or people here do not like going out.
Salesforce tower Awwwwww so pretty 🤤
After a month of suffering alone, I finally moved to San Francisco. And that is the view from my room. I thought this was enough to distract me from the loneliness of the city-life during this pandemic, but I was clearly wrong again.
Room feels empty 🥱
First couple of months were the best. I was enjoying my new found independence. I wasn’t sharing my room with two other people anymore. I could play music on-loud and eat whenever I wanted. But, slowly the room started feeling sad, dark, empty, and lonely.
Missing my friends a lot 🤧
I was missing my friends. I wanted to just take a flight and meet them. I never understand how people adapt to this sudden transition after the end of student life.
Chatting with your long-distance friend for hours 🐷
All I could do was to have lengthy calls and texts with my friends. Given the pandemic, travelling was risky. Trust me the crap we discuss is completely unnecessary. (See for yourself)
Why is San Francisco orange, eh? ☄️
I usually wake up at 7.30 am. But that morning I woke up at 9 am, because no sun light. The whole city was transformed into an orange ball. It was a once-in-a-lifetime event. I was both mesmerised and scared to be present here.
Is Facebook Dating a thing? Let me try 🍻
I was both curious, and isolated. I heard that FB Dating had an option to make friends as well. I decided to give it a try. I didn’t make any friends, but I was glad to at least meet new people through this medium.
Fuck it! let’s go to North Carolina 🚀
I gave up. At this point, I just wanted to go and meet my friends. I won’t say I did not care about Covid anymore, but my creeping anxiety was over-powering and I decided to take the risk. Thankfully, I tested negative after I reached NC.
Meeting-new-people anxiety 🎡
After quarantining for almost 4 months straight, meeting new people was an uneasy experience for me. I don’t know how many people would relate to me, but I felt burdened to talk and interact with them. (It could be because of my introverted nature as well.)
Diwali Vibes (Felt happy after-a long time) ❣️
I didn’t go home during Diwali since I came to the US. I was delighted to spend it with a family this time. It was much needed, especially during this pandemic.
Back to San Francisco … 🙍🏻♀️
Obviously, the trip came with an end date. I had to come back. SF is among the best places to live in the world. But I may have arrived here at the wrong time. I needed to see people.
What to do now 🛌🏻
Many readers may find my reactions to be quite extreme. It’s because they are. I am sensitive and have anxiety. One thing I have learned in the past year is that I am not alone. There are many people like me. Writing about it makes me feel better.
Please try to focus on your work 💆🏻♀️⛔️
Yes, after coming back I decided to focus on my work. I prioritised my pending tasks, and planned to deliver some impact by the end of this half.
Why do I not read books? 📚
I started reading books. This, undoubtedly, is one of the most satisfying hobbies to have. You just have to find your genre. It’s not as easy as watching a movie. You have to bring those characters alive in your head, and be curious about their journey.
Stop ordering from Amazon 💸
I need to stop gifting myself stuff every second day. Given my rate of ordering, I was not surprised looking at Amazon’s quarterly earning reports this year.
No, I will just watch K-Dramas and waste my time 🧏🏻♀️
Have you watched the Parasite? That movie won Oscar. It had a universal appeal, despite being based in South Korea. That’s the magic of the Korean film industry, they are relatable.
Am I in Love? 😍
This guy is Kim Seon Ho. Yes, I am fully invested in the K-Industry now. Look at that innocent-looking face. I instantly fell in love with his character in “Startup” His acting is so real – you will be able to feel the emotions and turmoil the character is going through. I will stop writing about him here, or else this post will go on for four more paragraphs.
Should I go to Denver? ☠️
Yes, I was again considering to meet my other friends in Denver for Christmas and New Year Holidays. I did not go. I sure made my roommate tensed by telling him about the plan.
Nahhhhh… Make new friends 👐🏻
Instead of going and meeting my old friends, I made new ones. They are fun. This is me on Christmas Eve. We made a one-pound cake and ate it too. I’d say – Food is the one ingredient that binds us together… 😀
Is the year still not over? 🙇🏻♀️
The end is almost here. I can’t believe I am a year old and wiser. I have spent one entire year of my life quarantining.
Stop crying already 🥲
Why do I feel like this was needed for me to grow? Usually, you stay so busy chasing your dreams that you forget to spend time with yourself. You forget to reflect on your thoughts and behavior.
Awaiting 2021 👀
I picked up some good habits this year like – exercising every day, giving up on sugar/snacks/junk food, maintaining work-life balance, meditating, writing more. Most important was to understand my pace. Every person has their own pace in life. Some people run, some walk, some crawl, you don’t have to follow someone else. It is essential so you can let yourself breathe and not be burdened with overwhelming work.
Grateful 😇
Extremely grateful for what was, what is, and what will happen. Looking forward to a bright new year 🙂
I hope you found my last 12 months of picture gallery interesting. Stay Strong and Keep Fighting, you guys. The anxiety and stress are real. Feel free to reach out to me if you want to talk 🙂
. . .H.A.P.P.Y. . . N.E.W. . .Y.E.A.R. . .
Shraddha's Blog 