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2025 Year End Review

One of the first things I wanted to do this year was start writing regularly. Post at least once a week. Build a streak.

And, unsurprisingly, the mission failed miserably.

I ended the year with just 4 blog posts. What makes it worse is that I didn’t lack ideas. I started around 10 articles, some of them even crossed 4000 words but I couldn’t bring myself to finish them. And 90% is as good as 0% here. This pattern feels uncomfortably familiar. I do 80% of the work very quickly, and then the remaining 20% drags on forever. Sometimes I eventually finish it. Most of the time, I don’t. When I think about all the side projects I’ve started and quietly abandoned, it’s the same story repeating itself.

The year, of course, wasn’t just about a failed blog streak. A lot happened. So this is me pausing for a moment and looking back, an informal year-end review.

The biggest highlight of the year was relocating to a new place. New apartment, new stuff, new society, better facilities and better atmosphere. It honestly felt good.Relocation itself was a lot of work. Finding an apartment in Bangalore is hard especially when you have dogs, eat non-veg and belong to a particular religion. Rents keep going up every year. Once the flat was finalized, there was packing, unpacking, buying new stuff, replacing old stuff, and getting rid of clutter. It was oddly satisfying, but also very tiring.

The move ended up changing our routine, mostly for the better. I shifted my work schedule, starting early at 7:30 AM and wrapping up by 3:30 PM. That left more time for my wife, the dogs, and things that aren’t work. My wife’s happier because we get to spend more quality time together, and the dogs are happier too - more time outside, longer walks, and regular trips to a nearby dog resort. We’ve also met quite a few new dogs and dog parents along the way.

We also got into board games in a big way -Monopoly, Catan, Azul, Jaipur, Secret Hitler, and more. It gave us a new way to spend time together. Instead of the usual routine of hanging out at a restaurant or café, ordering food, and gossiping for hours, this felt different. You had to show up, think, pay attention, and occasionally defend some very questionable decisions. It brought out competitive sides - winning strategies, bad strategies, and last-minute betrayals. Growing up, we mostly had Uno and a few basic card games, nothing fancy. Board games always felt like something you only saw in movies or TV shows - Stranger Things–style game nights, people crowding around a table, arguing over rules. And now, in our 30s, we’re finally doing that ourselves. It’s funny how much we’d missed this without realising it.

We also ended up celebrating a lot of festivals this year - Onam, Vishu, Garba, Diwali, Eid, and now Christmas. Met new people, rekindled old friendships.Onam, especially, stood out. Meeting at a friend’s place, putting up an Onam pookalam, and having a proper, sumptuous Onam sadhya. It was a lot of fun.

The only proper trip we took this year apart from visits to our hometown was our road trip to Coorg with friends and our dogs back in May. We stayed at a resort tucked away in the middle of a plantation - lots of greenery, long conversations, barbecue nights, and general chaos. It was a really good break. Travel was limited this year though, mostly because relocation and family priorities took precedence.

Work felt better this year. I started working on more challenging stuff - Graphs and LLMs. I was learning more, and owning more things. I believe I got more involved this year compared to last. It’s my second year at Walmart now, and I’m getting used to the people, the process and the culture. That said, not everything was great. Office moved to 5 days work from office starting November, and it’s been hectic and tiring. Honestly, I’m not sure how this is supposed to improve productivity. All I see around me are tired faces, quiet complaints, and people mumbling about how pointless the decision feels.

I feel healthier this year. Maybe it’s because I went to the gym more regularly ( though consistency dipped lately). On days without the gym, it was badminton or swimming. And a lot of walking, especially after moving. Dog walks add up more than you think. I also bought a smartwatch (Amazfit T-Rex) and started monitoring my sleep and steps more rigorously. My annual health results looked much better compared to last year.

Reading didn’t go great, though. I managed only a couple of books Watchmen (graphic novel), Careless People, and a few stories from Exhalation (sci-fi). As usual, there were many books I started but couldn’t finish. I’ll probably have to restart them during this break. That said, I did buy a lot of books this year. There's a particular pleasure in buying books and seeing them on my shelf that I don't know how to explain.

I watched fewer movies and shows this year (compared to previous years). Some standouts are Sinners, One Battle After Another, F1, Wake Up Dead Man, Predator: Killer of Killers/Badlands, Talk to Me (2022), Eko (Malayalam), Ponman (Malayalam) and Stolen (Hindi). Series-wise, The Pitt was my absolute favourite. Adolescence was another standout. Started watching The Bear and loved it. Restarted Mr. Robot (and paused it again 😅). Rewatched Stranger Things S1 to S4 to prepare for S5, now eagerly waiting for S5 part 2. Loved Black Mirror Season 7. Rewatched Akkarakazhchakal (Malayalam) and loved it even more this time.

Music-wise, 2025 was mostly regional for me. I didn’t listen to a lot overall, but these were the tracks that stayed with me (in no particular order): Queen of the Night and Neeye Puchiri (Lokah – Jakes Bejoy), Jaalakaari (Balti – Sai Abhayankar), Hatja and Panjara Punch (Alappuzha Gymkhana – Vishnu Vijay), Kadha Thudarum (Thudarum – Jakes Bejoy), Onam Mood (Saahasam – Bibin Ashok), Hope Song (Sarkeet – Govind Vasantha), Ilakozhiye (Thalavara – Electronic Kili), Muththa Mazhai (Thug Life – A.R. Rahman), Oorum Blood (Dude – Sai Abhayankar), I Lied to You (Sinners – Miles Caton), Run It Up (Hanumankind), Die With a Smile (Bruno Mars/Lady Gaga), APT (Rosé, Bruno Mars), Vazhithunaiye (Dragon – Leon James), Thattathil and Khalbinnakame (Abhilasham – Sreehari K),and Pardesiya. I know it’s not a long list, but these were my favorites. I’m hoping to explore more music during this holiday break.

I listened to only a few podcasts this year. I got into the world of Vayanalokam and really enjoyed it. I also dipped into a few episodes from Dwarkesh, and revisited old favourites like Radiolab, Reply All, The Dollop, Search Engine, and Acquired. I also listened to the dramatized audiobook of 1984, featuring Andrew Garfield, and it was honestly an amazing experience. I was never really into audiobooks, but these dramatized versions are a different thing altogether. It felt immersive, almost like a movie playing in your head. Completely changed how I look at audiobooks.

Not everything about the year was light, though.

We lost Roxy, one of our beloved dogs. She was technically my in-laws’ pet, but very close to us especially to my wife. She passed away due to illness and was only 8 years old. The house definitely felt quieter for a while.

In hindsight, this year was more about settling in than chasing wins. A new home, a new routine, deeper work, better rhythms. Not everything worked out, but a lot quietly fell into place.

So, going into 2026, I’m keeping the goals simple and realistic:

Goals for 2026

  • Write 5 meaningful articles
  • Read 5 books
  • Health: Weekly 5K Run + weights + healthier diet
  • Explore more board games

No streaks, no big promises. Just trying to do a bit better than last year.

Let’s see how that goes.