2023 So Far

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Hi!

It’s been a while since I published my last blog post, and I know I haven’t been in touch with many of you. But, hear me out.

This year was unlike any other year for me. I was juggling between a lot of different things, adjusting to new changes, and picking up new habits. All of this kept me away from publishing a new blog, but at the same time, got me thinking about all the new avenues I want to explore with Mehtalkculous (more on that later). In fact, you might have already seen some new changes made to the website.

As we need to catch up on a lot of new things, I have decided to pen down my entire year up until now, which might justify why I wasn’t active on the blog.

January

I completed my masters degree in December 2022 and went back home to visit my family and friends. It felt so good to just sit back and relax without stressing over submissions. It was genuinely therapeutic, and I needed it more than ever.

During this time, I made a short trip to Mumbai and, as soon as I landed, I started looking for Viral Bhayani’s paps. I was able to do a proper Mumbai Darshan with a very esteemed tour guide. We went to a bunch of places, but the two places worth mentioning would definitely be Mannat and Galaxy Apartments.

As soon as I came back to Delhi, it was already time for me to go back to the US. I was sad to leave my family but excited for something big that was coming up the following month.

Also, my sister got engaged!!!!

February

I came back to the US and it was time for me to start my FIRST EVER job. Yes, I am a corporate slave now. After my internship got converted into a Co-Op, I accepted a full time offer at TuneIn. I mean I had an amazing time during my internship. I loved the company culture and my manager was extremely sweet and often went out of his way to mentor me. Moreover, this was the industry I wanted to be a part of.

(If you want to learn more about my internship experience, I have a separate post describing my entire experience.)

The first few weeks were definitely overwhelming as I was working on multiple projects this time and had much more responsibility, but eventually, I got the hang of it.

I believe that this was a huge step in my life and definitely something I would consider a milestone.

I also went to a casino for the first time which is an experience I can never forget because :money: :money: :money: (That’s the money emoticon)

March

I spent the entire month mostly with my college friends playing different board games. I also realized how competitive I get while playing board games, and it brings out the worst in me.

March is also the month of cherry blossoms, and what better place to see cherry blossoms in the US than Washington DC? However, we mistimed our trip and just saw trees without any cherries or blossoms :)

Some of my personal recommendations:

• Exploding Kittens

• Unstable Unicorns

• Secret Hitler

• Ticket to Ride

April

April had another big milestone waiting for me. I remember how as a teen I used to associate the US with California, specifically The Silicon Valley, and here I was packing my bags to move to The Bay Area. I was extremely sad to leave Maryland as it was technically my first home in the US.

But, since the move, I have been eating some amazing Indian food, going on hikes, and just trying to be closer to the nature.

Also, I met a really cute dog - Luna.

May

I traveled back to Maryland for my convocation. Yes, your boy was finally getting a really expensive piece of paper (I don’t think I can ever justify this to my parents).

And did you know how uncomfortable a regalia is? I am never wearing that shit again.

June

One of my friends from Maryland came to visit me in California, and we traveled to a bunch of places:

• Lake Tahoe

• Big Sur

• Half Moon Bay

• Los Angeles (Almost)

I also tried Kayaking in Lake Tahoe which is pretty crazy for me as I don’t know how to swim (YOLO?)

July

Well, I can’t believe it’s already July, and I think it’s time to focus on work and some personal goals. I do have a couple of immediate things in mind for Mehtalkculous and also some long-term plans. I am planning on expanding Mehtalkculous from just a blog to all the things I like:

• Streaming

• Music

• Podcasts

I am going to start streaming from next month, and it would be fun if you all subscribe to my Twitch. I will be running a couple of test streams to figure out the logistics as I am pretty new to the platform, but feel free to drop by, chat, and maybe even help me figure out how it works.

Thank you for reading. Until next time. :)