Farewell 2013…

As I sit and look back at the year 2013, I see a stark similarity between it and 2012. Both these years have been kind to me in their own way. This year like the one before it, was partly spent overseas. So, maybe I will structure this post like the one for 2012 (HERE) and divide 2013 in segments spent in India and US.

JAN – FEB 2013: The dry winters in North India weren’t doing any justice to my routine and I was mostly working from home and spending time with Riddhie and juggling between social obligations. The dearth of any posts made during this period is a fair indication that the creative sap in my veins had nearly dried up. A good thing happened during this period – I managed to book a flat and at least bring down one item from my to-do list from earlier years. Apart from that there wasn’t much that I achieved and the only other highlight from this period is a photo-shoot I did with Riddhie on my Pulsar 220, a week before I sold it off. This set came out pretty well and I am secretly proud of the results that were achieved.

MAR – NOV 2013: This was the period when I travelled back to US and was stationed again at New Jersey. The country and the setting was same as before but having had the experience of an extended stay earlier, this time around we were better equipped to deal with it. The only regret I had was not carrying my DSLR along and almost on all occasions that we stepped out of the house for sight seeing, I cribbed about using a humble pocket camera. However, this period saw me achieve a lot more than I did in last few months. To begin with, I changed the look and feel of my site tandonz.com and put wordpress to good use. I experimented with my culinary skills, resumed working on riddhie’s blog, visited a few new places and a couple of old ones (NYBG, Bloomfest –2013, Sandy Hook, Seaside Heights, Central Park and Bronx Zoo, Philadelphia and Niagara to name a few), tried hand at strawberry and pumpkin picking, caught up on a lot of movies, did some sketching, re-initiated Filum Chillum and even tried a new venture with DigiArt House. The fall of 2013 was splendid and we were lucky enough to enjoy the beauty of it all during our stay there. Riddhie started on her play-school during this period and improved on her social skills and basic etiquettes. I will probably put in a detailed account of her activities during this period on her blog. To sum up, this period of around 9 months during 2013 was a wonderful journey and one I thoroughly enjoyed.

DEC 2013: We reached India on December 2, 2013 and it turned out to be quite an eventful month. There were friends and family to meet, Arnav’s arrival and a religious ceremony for him, a trip to Jim Corbett, birthdays and reunions to attend and it all culminated at Chandigarh with a wonderful New Year Eve’s bash at Taj. It was probably the hardest I had ever partied. The morning after was again spent in company of close friends and driving back home.

Summing up the report card for 2013, this is how it looks like:

Booking done for Flat Riddhie’s biker shoot Riddhie’s play school Revival of Filum Chillum Initiating DigiArtHouse Philadelphia & Niagara Arnav’s Arrival My Weight Loss (YES) New DSLR New Laptops Party at Chandigarh	Trainings stalled LIC Loan Issues Jerk @ Office Missed targets for Blog Riddhie’s blog stalled again Lost pictures set Laptop Woes No formal photo-shoots or photography sessions I planned to take

THE YEAR AHEAD

I can foresee a couple of family gatherings in the early part of 2014 already. There is a Lohri function for Arnav that would be followed by a wedding in Gurgaon. Riddhie should begin her formal schooling and there are greater decisions to be made about our settling down somewhere where work and personal life can be balanced out. There is some turmoil at the work place and maybe I will have more things to plan and decide. The previous year gave me a lot to be thankful about and I hope and wish things settle down soon enough. I guess, I will know soon enough.

 

For now, just like last year here’s wishing everyone a Happy New Year 2014. May you have the best of seasons, life and love all through next year and all times to come.