2011

1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?

became ABD. gave in to *every* impulse. hitchhiked. walked 10+ miles in a single day, along cape cod. joined a gym. got stoned, thrice. kissed a guy on top of a lighthouse. swam in an outdoor swimming pool in india. took pictures for a fashion blog. internet dating. made friends with a great dane. let someone literally pick me up and carry me around. attended an american thanksgiving dinner. drove a manual transmission car into a wall. drove an automatic transmission vehicle without any untoward incident in an empty parking lot. hunted for decent assisted living facilities in calcutta, which was a soul-parching experience. did the whole running-around-in-short-slinky-dresses-and-high-heels-in-sub-zero-temperatures-downtown thing. got to explore competition yachts. watched a sailing competition.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

no, and no. i resolve to do things as they occur to me, without waiting for another year to pass by.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

well, bodhi did.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

not anyone close.

5. What countries did you visit?

i split my time between india and the US, with long layovers at dubai in between.

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?

love of work.

7. What dates from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

all those enormously fun dates with chris! 

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

ABD.

9. What was your biggest failure?

inability to make any headway on the dissertation.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

nope. i imagined i was severely injured in the beginning of the year. but that was just plain rage and negativity.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

my dutch oven!

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

my roommates' and rohit's and ragini's and devika's and chris' and aisha's and of course, shion's!

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

adhiraj, early in the year. through no fault of his i suppose.

14. Where did most of your money go?

travel, dining out.

15. What did you get really excited about?

ABD! travel! sriraka's biye! new people! new house! hypersociality in summer! roommates! dating! chris! partying like an undergrad! i was excited about everything!

16. What song will always remind you of 2011?

my body is a cage-arcade fire.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

– happier or sadder? happier.
– thinner or fatter? fatter? i am always expanding.
– richer or poorer? poorer, but only financially.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

dissertating, gym, swim, hiking, traveling, dancing.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

dine out.

20. How did you spend Christmas?

woke up at noon because i'd returned at 3 after the christmas eve bonfire at hungerford. had a lavish lunch left by baba. met arjun and priyam. took a long and hilarious cab ride to park st, where we were met with an ocean of humanity, nodding santa and elephant figures, an overabundance of twinkling lights and particularly overzealous policemen, but no momos anywhere. luckily we'd had phuchkas in front of vardaan, and after being borne on a tide of humanity towards allen park where usher uthup was singing koi yahan aha nache nache, we decided we'd had enough and wrangled a cab back to golpark (thanks to argon's mad skillz) to indulge in some food-nostalgia at grub club. we ordered mounds of meat and left happy and replete.

21. Did you fall in love in 2011?

less falling, more soaring.

22. What was your favorite TV program?

american horror story! no wait, game of thrones. was that this year? 

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

no.

24. What was the best book you read?

cronopios and famas- julio cortazar.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

dubstep. i know, right?

26. What did you want and get?

ABD, the ability to let go and just cruise.

27. What did you want and not get?

dissertation, drive, fatloss, good posture, true stoicism.

28. What was your favorite film of this year?

nothing comes to mind.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

i taught, took myself out to dinner at a fancy place, shunned company, like every year. i was 24.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

it was perfect the way it was. just what i needed.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?

girly. lots of skirts and dresses and tights and soft cardies.

32. What kept you sane?

oh i fell off that wagon several times and then decided to walk instead.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

asma mahfouz.

34. What political issue stirred you the most?

nothing stirred me. that's the problem.

35. Who did you miss?

not a person.

36. Who was the best new person you met?

i met so many wonderful people, but i think it's a tie between ragini and chris.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011.

learn to be stoic.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

Où sont tes héros aux corps d'athlètes

Où sont tes idoles mal rasées, bien habillées

Dans leurs yeux des dollars

Dans leurs sourires des diamants

Moi aussi un jour je serai beau comme un Dieu