I used to write consistently, but that has declined this year. One of the main reasons I think is that some days I talk a lot, while on others I withdraw completely and avoid conversations. I still blank out during calls more often than I would like. I am also consuming far more than I am creating. Whatever energy I do have mostly goes into work these days.

  • Inktober is not far off. The group has already been alerted, and we will be sketching again through October. I did try sketching one of the weekends to see if I am still at it.

  • I stumbled upon a few journaling videos and kept nudging my friends around to journal more. They reminded me of my college days, when writing felt more natural and frequent.
  • I am still not a phone-call person. If anything, am becoming more introverted. I am comfortable when there is a topic to discuss, but I find myself avoiding small talk more and more. Even making plans to travel or meet people feels like effort sometimes, and I have grown a little distant in general. I know why and I hope its a phase.
  • A boring life is often a peaceful one. There is a quiet satisfaction in planning something and then actually following through on it. Perhaps that is a sign of growing older. At the same time, planning everything can be exhausting, so I try to leave room for days with no agenda at all.
  • I have been thinking about joining Toastmasters and hope to do so sometime next month. I also want to regain my physical strength. I planned to start this week, but we now have another dog, Eva, at home, and that has shifted my schedule around. Hopefully before the year ends. Instead of a gym, I am leaning towards something more playful like parkour or calisthenics.

  • These days I spend more time on project management than coding. I have still worked on plenty of small projects and experiments only through vibe coding, but most of them remain within the tech space. I did try to teach now and then but that is not very consistent either.
  • At Generalist meetup, I met Syamthika, the author of The Darker New Moon. This is the 2nd time and I enjoy hearing about her interests and projects. Some of the conversations made me want to set up a homelab. Like most things this year, time and budget are the main constraints.
  • I watched Motha Rathiri. Many people found it entertaining and emotionally moving. I found it beautifully dark. Maybe the characters resonated with me deeply. The writing and screenplay were very good.
  • I have also been working through Alphonso Dunn's workbook, slowly getting back into sketching and fundamentals.
  • I am still curious, still excited by science, and still creative every now and then. The difference is that I seem to run out of energy sooner. September has been quite warm in Bengaluru, with a few rainy days in between and I often feel too drained to make the effort to travel. Work and deadlines keep me occupied. So I happen to spend less time pursuing some of the interests I had hoped to make room for.