Happy New Year 2025
Wishing you a Happy New Year! I didn’t really celebrate New Year’s Eve in any particular way. I was hoping to celebrate it with friends, but that didn’t happen. A little disappointed, but what made me feel okay was spending the time at home resting, watching something nice, not eating junk food, and avoiding alcohol. This gave a fresh, clean, clear, and sober start to the very first day of the year. I mean, look at me writing this post at 1 PM on the first day of the year; had I gone to the party, I’d probably still be catching up on my sleep right now and maybe feeling guilty about all the calories I ingested.
2024 was good. I got really comfortable at work, which isn’t actually a very good thing. After a long travel plan in August, I gave myself time to enjoy the rest of the year and also feel okay about not saving significant money for the rest of 2024. That happened, but I also traveled a lot and did a variety of things, all while managing work on the go and most times ensuring I completed work in advance so I could chill and simply enjoy my time.
The good part is that I’ve now seen enough of some places to know how to navigate better when I visit anywhere. In general, I’ve had a great time during all my travels, except for occasional issues when I caught fever or stomach issues. I now know that I’ll have a good time during future travels as well and will be able to travel better, knowing specifically why and what I’d like to travel for — like a quiz fest, a metal gig, or probably an international trip this year.
I also wish to focus more on my career and make sure I earn more money this year. That’s going to take some sacrifices, and I’m okay with that because I’ve spent enough time goofing around. I know I won’t be missing out on much because I’ve already done a lot of things to not feel attractive about some of them. But then I realize I could be wrong about this assumption — something might catch my eye again this year that will derail my plan to be career-focused. There’s just so much to see and do in this world that I don’t yet know about.
In the rest of this post, I’d like to write a little about 2024 and share some thoughts out loud about my recent observations.
About this point, I won’t go into detail, but there were some things I was in a dilemma about: “Do I keep this, or do I let it go?” Some of those things are gone, and I’m glad. Those things, which consumed my time and attention, are no longer occupying my mind — thanks, in part, to all the travel plans that kept me busy and distracted.
In terms of people, interactions, and connections, I am now a lot more specific and know what I’d like to talk about and learn about. Especially in the second half of this year, I’ve connected only with a like-minded set of people. Some connections are not as strong as they used to be, but I feel it’s a natural and organic progression over time. I’m still meeting new folks, as I have been since college over the last decade. Honestly, I do find some old connections to have stagnant personalities and to be plain boring at this point. Some got busy dealing with life’s usual challenges and the standard System 1 issues. I’ve also realized some people haven’t grown or learned anything new — they’re not doing anything interesting in life. I find that pretty devastating. Naturally, the distance has increased, and I’m not as much in touch with them anymore as I used to be.
I’ll even say that my city, Nagpur, has disappointed me in many ways — whether in terms of people or even something as simple as transactions. Things don’t work here, and it hasn’t served me well compared to other cities. However, I do like that it’s not as crowded, the pollution is manageable most time of the year, and the weather is generally nice compared to other cities. Since there aren’t many things to do, I also end up saving a lot of money. For these reasons, I’d like to keep my base here in Nagpur for this year. Plus, my mom is here, which makes things easier. Her presence indirectly keeps a check on me, like not coming home drunk, ensuring I wake up at a reasonable hour, and not staying out too late. But if I get a chance, I’d like to move to a different city. For now, though, I enjoy the freedom and time I get here.
A lot of time this year was consumed on Instagram. It had its reasons because, by default, it’s the place to learn about anything happening in the world. But short-form content is destructive, and you can’t escape it. I miss the Twitter days — it was great until Elon’s acquisition. I had predicted Twitter wouldn’t lose its charm, but it did. Most of my Twitter connections feel the same way and aren’t actively using it anymore. That’s unfortunate. I’m sure my life would’ve been more focused if Twitter had remained the same. Sadly, because of Instagram, I couldn’t read much in the second half of the year — only around 25 books compared to 69 in 2024. But I think this is a phase and you only come up after you’ve hit the bottom. I wish to turn off Instagram this year, limit its usage, and actively read a lot more. Since you can only write as well as you read, I couldn’t write anything significant either. But it’s okay — I wrote a few pieces when I felt like it, and that was enough for me. It never happened that I meant to write something and I didn’t, so that’s cool.
The travel plans this year wouldn’t have been possible without trains. I loved them — had a lot of food on them, enjoyed the rides, interacted with many people during my journeys, and traveled cheaply most of the time. One of the happiest moments this year was when I got upgraded to a 2AC-tier seat from 3AC-tier. I was frustrated when the train was late or overcrowded. One memorable journey took me just a few meters away from Pakistan; I was literally on the ‘Train to Pakistan’. I even cried listening to a song during my last train journey.
Through these experiences, I learned more about trains, stations, local food, and more. I became an expert at making a bed in the train and tucking myself in for a good sleep. At times, people helped me, and sometimes, I helped others. I explained food options, the pantry system, overcharging risks, and safety tips to new travelers. It was quite a ride, literally. I once made spontaneous plans— deciding at 10 PM to board a train at 5 AM the next day. Trains became a topic that lit up my face; I’d ask everyone about their journeys. I even guided people at platforms, including sometimes on Bombay locals, which made me proud. Thank you, Indian Railways — this year wouldn’t have been possible without you.
I feel like people are falling apart these days. What they truly crave is peace, freedom, and time to relax. Unfortunately, they’re stuck in life’s trivialities, which is not healthy. Around my circles, intolerance seems to have increased. “Brainrot” was the word of the year for 2024. Smartphones — and their use and misuse — have replaced genuine human connections.
While traveling, I met a lady in her 50s from a European country. She shared story of the political scene in her country, where the right-wing is in power and recently won the presidential elections. She also spoke about how misinformation has become rampant and how confidently uninformed people spread conspiracy theories, which she said wasn’t the case a few years ago. Dunning-Kruger effect. I wonder how things will be for the coming generations. Their heavy internet usage and lack of moderation are concerning. Kids now spend more time on smartphones and tablets, exposed to problematic content without safeguards. It feels like there’s been a mass dip in global IQ and it reflects in the daily interactions that you have.
I didn’t date anyone or pursue any romantic connections in 2024. After my father’s passing in August 2023, I had promised myself not to focus on that for a year and spend time with myself to heal. By September, I was busy with traveling and work, leaving no room for it. I grew more comfortable in my own company. I would still like to keep an open mind about this aspect of life in the future, but if nothing happens, I’m content being alone. The stories of some couples I know — both singles and those in relationships — are haunting. Marriage, too, seems like a serious deal, but people keep a hush-hush about their real struggles. There’s no guidebook for navigating this part of life, which makes it more challenging for me.
This year was big on music. I attended local gigs, discovered many artists, and explored post-rock and metal — two significant finds. I even traveled specifically for music, which was lovely. Seeing bands like Maroon 5 and Bryan Adams made a younger version of me happy. Next year, I plan to attend more gigs, discover more music, and meet interesting people along the way. Towards the end of the year, I realized that mainstream concerts aren’t always worth it. Indie concerts and gigs offer richer experiences.
The fiat currency system we know is a sham. It’s slowly revealing its flaws with currency depreciation, and one day, it will collapse. While I’m not an activist to fight for it, I need to safeguard myself. The disparity in purchasing power becomes a lot more evident when I saw foreigners spending weeks or months in India without worrying about money. Despite working and saving for four years, I can’t dare to plan an international trip due to time and financial constraints. I hope I can overcome this someday because the travel bug has bitten me hard and you sure need money to travel worry-free.
Plane crash incidents were in the news in the last few weeks of December. I flew to Goa recently and reflected on people in tourism, entertainment, and food industries, who work harder during peak seasons while I and most people enjoy their vacation. While they might earn more, this doesn’t hold true for everyone — like fast-food workers or ground staff at airports. I also took a flight to Amritsar in August, I noticed this time that the air hostesses weren’t as welcoming; could visibly see that they too wanted to spend time at home during the holiday season.
During the recent Goa trip whenever going out I was with a group of ladies as well as guys most times. While dancing it was pretty common for a random guy to just show up and chat-up with the ladies. Quite honestly it kind of feel very creepy as the conversation was a forced one as opposed to a natural one. It always happened that the ladies would return back to the original group and after a while we would see the guy hanging in disappointment. This was irrespective of any nationality, pretty sure the ladies actually smell the vibe in the first three seconds and know whether to swipe right or swipe left.
Backpacking comes with its bittersweet moments. You meet amazing people, connect instantly, but eventually, they leave the time your trip ends. Maintaining bonds after a trip is tough. It’s not about time but the effort, and the energy fades. Most connections simply come down to occasional holiday greetings. It feels like a privileged problem to have, but it’s still a tough one to battle without a clear solution.
Anyway, these thoughts have been on my mind, and I’m glad I took the time to pen them down.
Thanks for reading, and happy new year to you!
You may check out everything I wrote between June 2022 and November 2023 on this page; I then moved to this platform.
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