There is a maybe after may. Maybe? Well, now that I wrap up Project May, and as we are officially entering the mid-month of the year, the time calls for look-back look-ahead theme. My theme for June is ‘Review’. Review as in re-view. To see the view, same view, in alternate perspective. I am keeping this as a resolution considering my on-going internship and how best I can make use of the month I have.
Here are my goals for this month:
1. Sleep well and continue to exercise 2. Travel and explore 3. Formulate research question and complete the data collection for internship 4. Read 4 novels 5. Write and submit 2 abstracts for REES 6. Prepare 4 research questions for REU 7. Complete the detailed design for DSA PBL delivery 8. Complete first 4 chapters for PhD thesis 9. Read 4 text books on qualitative research 10. List 100 steps of Knit Engine design
The finest of days, as well, come to an end. Few years ago, I started this tradition of having ‘project may’ where I make sure that the entire month goes marking every day as a celebration. My definition of celebration is a little different than the one from the dictionary, for mine celebrates even the pain as much as pleasure.
May has been insane amount of travels. It has been about insane amount of reading. It has been about insane new explorations. It has been about meeting loved ones. It has been about everything that makes every day alive. I have travelled across Hubli, Bangalore and Hyderabad in the last one month. And I am super happy that all I had was one college bag, in it was a laptop, 3 set of clothes, 2 extra tee, (no jeans) and basic essentials. Life is easy with minimalistic approach.
Waving a ‘bye’ to security uncle, to ‘hello’ to the canteen manager, every day, to being stopped by while running by a random guy to compliment, to thanking siddu for the water, knowing people has been a soul satisfying expedition. Life happens to elite professors and directors and also to the ones who bring water to them. While one of them sits in AC offices and crafts vision and mission, other toils with the basic conditions to make them happen. The question is how much justice is each making to their role. I would say that the learned one has more responsibilities as everyone else has trust on them.
Streets of Hyderabad
From watching a movie in country’s largest screen with 3D experience, to a friend who kept postponing meet all month and did not meet, I have lived it. From running 5kms almost every day to having cup of tea with good music, I have lived it. From sitting with a friend watching a soothing lake to roaming all night with a friend, I have lived it. From being cared by family to care them back, I have lived it. From eating stomach full to sleeping with just the curd, I have lived it. From sleeping with troubling mosquitoes to a comfortable bed, I have lived it. From exploring city alone to a friend traveling 30kms to see me off at a station, I have lived it. Being in a seater bus for 9 hours to sleeping in one such I have lived it. From listening to stories to sharing them, I have lived it. That is why, ‘May’ is beautiful.
From talking to people I love to missing them, it has been a journey. From missing people to meeting them, it has been a journey. From arguing to silliest of things to settling silently with nods, it has been a journey. From doing insane amount of works to doing nothing, it has been a journey. From watching RCB do magic to lose after performing, it has been a journey. From attending a wedding to freelancing, it has been a journey. The 30 beautiful days of May, has been nothing but an implausible journey. I wonder if it was a year or month that went by!
I would not hesitate to say that I cried madly at cousins home because it felt like the right thing to do. No one else was home, it was already afternoon and I was hungry. I had travelled a lot and had leg pain with irritation because of too much travel. Then there were life things adding up (ask what not). It just felt like crying to music and falling to sleep was the only possible thing to do. Then I happily did that.
Here is how one of the days looked like: walk for 3.5kms to catch a bus. Take a bus for around 10kms to reach a metro station. Metro is much faster in Bangalore, hands-down (anywhere I guess). Reach majestic and take the bus to Hyderabad. Reach Hyderabad and take a Rapido to reach nearest metro (4kms). Two lines, change two metros to reach Uppal. Take a bus for another 10kms to reach township. Then walk again 1.5kms to reach hostel. Well, that’s just start of the day. You then get to work after all that. From asking directions to guiding people in their local language, it has been one amazing journey.
While I worked on to get an internship under only expert in India for qualitative research, working for that has not been easy. Everyday feels like step one. The food, the climate, being a maid (I would call that) after long time again isn’t easy. It’s just not been research, but the journey has also been about cooking, cleaning and managing everything else along with daily chores.
While, being away from home for 25 days, I pen this down on a long train journey, with hours away from being there. Home, is where you want to be, while you keep another step closer to forty. To be precise, only one more remaining step to call it big forty! That number scares me. While there is still dreamy number of goals to be achieved from my to-do list, like getting a Turing award, I am very much up for it. After all, isn’t age just a number? What is life without all the crazy dreams and ambitions?
So, what happens on day 31? Nothing. The day I eat, sleep, dance and keep myself happy. ‘May’, makes me feel every part of it. I am sure I will be more fearless and meaningful going ahead.
Alert: A lot of the text below might not make sense at all!
And then you want to sit and write about so many things that are swirling up your head, but you don’t know where to start and what that everything could be! You think and doubt if those five hundred-ish words would really capture that fearless and meaningful ‘you’ who is wandering in the carless lanes of a meaningless world. Project May, one of them for me, is all about finding the true meaning of my favourite song lines while my head hymns them and my eyes cry them out.
Well, I must say, this may have definitely been exceptionally serving me the true meaning of what I must look out for ahead. Every single day has been exceptionally meaningful. While I limp and walk for a few days in pain, the same pain is the fruit of the soothing satisfaction that is coming no later.
Here I am, ending my first 20 days of the month with a long deep conversation with my most favourite person in the world, which I needed the most to keep me going ahead, no matter however arduous the further path takes it forward. We have this convention never to say ‘bye’ as it hurts and then say ‘see you soon’ because it has the hope of soon; I still know he secretly cried too, after we departed. Though we are not allowed to use the word ‘miss’, I guess it is the most abundant one along.
Well, what I want to say is I am stronger enough to live the remaining ten days coming up ahead. I wanted to be grateful for the most filling first 20 days of ‘Project May’ of 2023. The take away? Whatever matters to you, will matter to you! When you know it all, nothing else matters.
Project May is my yearly secret project which happens all through the month. The month where I make the best of every single day. It’s the project that is close to my heart. The whole objective of this project is to live. To live in the true essence of it. Like I always say,
Other than travels, food, movies, meeting people, unexpected and living it out, May is so much more than that. May is about knowing that there is more than what we think there is. May is about making new moves. May is about every feel-good. May is about being self. May is new. May is a celebration. May is May.
Well, I am really looking forward to see what this year of May has in the basket. I will be moving to a new city for my internship and I hope it will open me every and more new possibilities. Well, there is something as well that I am about to explore. More, in my diary that I log everyday!
1. Complete A to Z challenge with two themes. (Look up for next post for theme reveal) – completed
2. Complete Camp NaNoWriMo (Novel Editing) – Could not work on and complete
3. Work out on internship proposal – Worked
4. Submit comprehensive document – Not yet
5. Read 3 Novels – Completed
6. Travel to one place – Done, two.
7. Exercise atleast 24 days – Did as many and I could not in last one week because I got a tattoo. Yay!
8. Surprise thy-self and live it out – Did that amazing!
Apart from this, I did do many other things. Many which I am proud of. The best of all was to get the long due tattoo. Well, every tattoo has a story and so does mine. And its it shall remain with me.
What a month! Being the seventh year and with the theme legendary creatures from cultures and folklore and an eight line poem along, here I wrap my challenge successfully with a happy dance.
Every day was a learning exploring different country cultures and their legendary creatures. X was the toughest and had too many to pick from for the letter K. I cannot pick one favorite, for all those 26 were. Every day was a learning and I am happy that I did not miss a day!
My heart felt thanks to the blogging community for making this journey amazing. Special thanks to all those who read the posts and tagged along for the entire month. Hurray!
It’s April of 2023 and Day 26 (Finale) of the A to Z challenge. This year, I am doing the theme legendary creatures from cultures and folklore and an eight line poem along.
Day 26: Ziz
Culture: Jewish giant bird
Description: Ziz is a griffin like bird which is described to be large enough even to block out the sun with its wingspan. They protected the earth from the storms. Stories have that God had sent the Ziz to help Noah load the animals onto the ark. Ziz represents the sky.
Ziz
A feather Another Can fill the sky, Infinity and high. There is always A large Than the larger. A happy Dance.
However big, there is always a tiny that can show the bigger or make it smaller. Together, it’s a happy dance. We live in a harmony of little big things!
It’s April of 2023 and Day 25 of the A to Z challenge. This year, I am doing the theme legendary creatures from cultures and folklore and an eight line poem along.
Day 25: Yale
Culture: Antelope from Medieval Bestiaries
Description: Yale is a goat like animal with swiveling horns. It has tusks like a boar and large horns. These horns can spin in any direction which can be used for offensive and defensive attacks. It is a heraldic beast used by Royal British Family.
Yale
People are rigid. They like rigid. Complications. Offensive. Defensive. Everything beyond Is nothing rigid. Simple and Royal.
Sometimes when we don’t know what is necessary, we keep adding unnecessary. We add so much of it that all we have is a pile of unnecessary. Then, there is no coming out. We die in unnecessary.
It’s April of 2023 and Day 24 of the A to Z challenge. This year, I am doing the theme legendary creatures from cultures and folklore and an eight line poem along.
Day 24: Xingtian
Culture: Chinese headless giant
Description: Xingtian is a Chinese deity who fought against the supreme divinity. He did not give up even after decapitation. Being headless, with a shield in one hand and battle axe in another, he continued to fight. Xingtian symbolizes the unconquerable soul who upholds the determination to fight no matter the misfortunes one may undergo or encounter.
Xingtian
There is an Excuse, So much not like One. There will always Be one. Then there are Doers.
The history in the past has proved time and again that people with determination have done everything that they wanted to.
Image Reference: By Jiang Yinghao – Originally drawn in the 17th century by Jiang Yinghao.Reproduced in Ma Changyi (2001). The Classic of Mountains and Seas: Ancient Illustrations with Annotations. Shandong Huabao Chubanshe. Page 439.
It’s April of 2023 and Day 23 of the A to Z challenge. This year, I am doing the theme legendary creatures from cultures and folklore and an eight line poem along.
Day 23: Werewolf
Culture: A worldwide wolf-human shape shifter
Description: In ancient Greek, they were wolf-human who used shape shift. They are either by purpose or by curse. The transformation occurs on the night of a full moon. Witches and werewolves have evolved together. It’s widespread in European folklore. They have healing factor and they are immortal.
Werewolf
On a full moon, In the shine, A werewolf, Who loved a wolf, Healed, In the scars, Made the moment, Immortal.
The destiny what we think really is, might not be the one at all. The path to get there, might be the destiny and might be everything that we ever wanted.
Its PH 