Weeknotes - 2025-W34
After the insanity that the previous week was, this week was an utter contrast - with a lot of happy things happening. And all of it happened around friends - coincidence? Yes please. Am I complaining? Abso-fucking-lutely not.
Letās get the mundanity out of the way. I played badminton for 2 hours this week. We were only 4 of us, so we played the entire 2 hours and was I tired by the end. Not to mention - hungry as a hippo. But I was so glad that I could sustain it even though I fizzled out by the end.
Lots of improvement in the gym too. I was able to execute a LOT of negative push ups and really control the way down. Makes me so happy that Iām able to get one part of the movement ironed out. Also very humbled by the knowledge level of the coaches to break down a single movement (pull up) into separate movements that can be addressed and worked on, independently. Super cool stuff! I graduate to a lower weight band for the assisted pull up from this week, so Iāll report back on how that went, in this weekās note. It will be hard, but what wasnāt at the start?
The mentorship that I briefly mentioned in W32 is going really well. People are super intelligent and Iām really glad that Iāve put in enough work to be able to make a small difference to a part of how they want to present their work. Canāt wait to see these talks in person. Its going to be a lot of fun.
In 2010, after my undergrad at Loyola College, I moved to Bangalore to be a part of the Scholar@SAP program (now seemingly renamed to STAR) and here, I found my nakama (One Piece-ers will get the reference). A bunch of 5 people who ended up becoming the backbone upon which I (re)built my adulthood. We all dispersed to different workplaces one after another in 2014 and 11 years later, we met on Friday evening.
There is something about friends that youāve shared history with, that makes you feel like you hit āplayā on a record that was forcefully āpausedā all those years ago. Weāve all grown in our own (really amazing) ways but when we met, it just felt like we were back in the cafeteria all those years ago - as 20 somethings, pulling each othersā legs. Only love.
They bring such a sense of peace to my life, and I think its safe to say, that it is because they are, that I am. Each of them brings a value to my life that the other doesnāt, and through all their presence, mine gets brighter.
As I was on my way back home, the morbid side of me woke up, and I was pondering how that day would look like, when I lose one of them, or they lose me. I shudder to envision such a day but at least until then, I have 5 more wonderful people to share this earth with. I hope to never take for granted, their presence in my life. Its a choice each of us makes each day - a choice that Iām very grateful for.
IC
Sunday evening was a wonderful evening. Prasanna and I went to Maltās Pizzeria with 2 dear friends and we had a wonderful time driving down and back - sharing stories, life experiences, counterfactuals, pizza and ice cream.
Some people are easy to be friends with. Unassuming, unfiltered, easy to burst into a laugh with and just an absolute blast to be around and have conversation with - they fall into this category. Enroute back, we were playing songs in the car and singing along - really such a wonderful evening to wrap the week up.
A year and change ago, they showed up within 30 minutes of knowing that my FIL passed away. That night would have been 100x harder without them around. Since then, weāve stuck around in each othersā life - and Iām darned glad that we have.
Last, but not the least - I have finished the Bobiverse series - 5 books of utterly amazing sci-fi. I felt only one of those books was longer than it shouldāve been, the rest I felt were shorter than it shouldāve been.
I know that Dennis is working on Book 6 (Revelations?) and there is a 7 & 8. I canāt wait! What a brilliant investment of time this has been.
Have I found something I love more than Project Hail Mary????? š±
This week is going to be short - with festivals in between. Till next time šš¾