2020: The year that went by and the 30 notable things that happened

1.  I discovered that sharp fade on me looks amazing, short hair with sharp fade, the classic 'fucboi' look is killer on me.
   
   
2. Uniqlo rocks, their design sensibilities match mine, the sizes are designed for somebody with a body like mine, and their vibe is pretty great. And I look great in the clothes. From the nice cool denim jacket I bought in Singapore to the Corduroy shirt I bought here in boston, to their masks that I wear every day, the store is a total win. Great discovery, and something I'll keep sticking to all the time.
   
   
3. Two of my first cousin had a kid each this year, which means I'm an uncle to three young girls. Wild, wild wild. Haven't got to meet any of them properly though, such a bummer.
   
   
4. East Asia rocks with regards to diseases, when I was in Singapore in February, the level of alert and maskwearing and awareness they had everywhere was greater than they have in the U.S. right now, at the height of the pandemic with each day bringing us multiple 9/11's worth of deaths and nobody caring still.
   
   
5. Actually America is not as shit as one would have believe, relatively speaking, the realization came after the rest of the world totally bungled the response, and the better states in the US have handled it quite well. And most people, a very large percentage I'd even say have been so very careful, and they do care for their health and wellbeing. Also, the portion of Americans who are absolutely batshit crazy and insane is lower than I originally thought, so hurrah!
   
   
6. Walks, I started going on regular walks exploring my neighborhood. Interesting thing, there's never too many people walking around, the lights are barely turned on, makes me wonder if these are all empty houses, where are the people, something I'll never understand. But you go to Cambridge or by the river and there's barely a place to walk, so confusing.
   
   
7. Related to the previous point, but I did start really really walking, as in using my feet for functional purposes, the way our grandparents and their ancestors did. I've been going to my friends' places on foot, even if that means it's going to be a 2/2.5 hours of journey time. There's so much free time, with nothing else happening and nobody doing anything or if they are not showing it to your face, that you don't really care what you're missing out. You can be all by yourself and do what you enjoy the most.
   
   
8. Pandemic the board game is a lot better than I imagined it was. That is all.
   
   
9. Poetry books make great holiday gifts, and some contemporary poetry is actually really good.
   
   
10. Spent many months in DC crashing with PN and S, and later in Philly with SL and NG. Learned many things, had fun times, really connected with everybody. Which leads to my next point.
    
    
11. Realized if I want to be productive, or have independent thought or ambition or really interested in my personal well-being I need a lot of personal space, it's actually quite important for me. I need my own desk where nobody will disturb me, a place to sleep where I can nap anytime of the day without being disturbed, and generally need my own hours. Again, this is to be productive. If I'm on vacation and don't need to worry about other things, none of it matters. Except, writing and meditation are going to be a part of my life forever, so it does matter, sorta.
    
    
12. Which makes me realize...came to the understanding that writing and meditation will stay with me for the rest of my life, there's no way around, and it's all for the better. It's not something worth worrying about, but taking pride in, that I can muster enough self-confidence and discipline to get that far.
    
    
13. Sometimes I feel bad yes, but generally this was the year I discovered I GOT ittt. Made so many new friends, who're going to be with me for the longer term.
    
    
14. Discovered my love for art drawing and poetry, and how I want to start collecting Japanese woodprints.
    
    
15. Tried a thousand different new foods, the most interesting ones being koshary, and couscous, and all different sorts of pancakes.
    
    
16. This should have been way way up, but discovered I'm into fermentation and 'growing' things in general, whether it be winemaking or yogurtmaking or brewing kombucha, or fermented grains, or even growing mushrooms.
    
    
17. Worked towards technical engineering solutions to the problems I discovered working in point 16, which has helped me understand how human problems and engineering solutions are related.
    
    
18. Learned even greater humility, and greater love.
    
    
19. Had a lot lot lot of chocolates, without gaining any weight.
    
    
20. Couldn't lose any weight below the average I have had for the last five years, despite trying hard, and sometimes not at all. I don't even care about the weight, it's just the shape that bothers me!
    
    
21. Realized that besides close family, all of whom don't want to be there long term either, there is not much in Nepal to go back to, friends are all here or distributed across the world, and same for family. And it's really quite hard to make friends, unless I want to go about like some sort of weirdo creep.
    
    
22. Started listening to so many new awesome podcasts.
    
    
23. Taskmaster. One word.
    
    
24. Explored for the first time, the option to buy a house, and seriously evaluated the options. I'm not there yet, but it's close I can feel it.
    
    
25. Got more into nerdy things like 'shop' and 'diy' etcetera.
    
    
26. Didn't see any SS. Ouch. It's painful. Hope this changes. Such a wonderful person.
    
    
27. Discovered people have 'conspiracies' among group of friends or acquaintances, and how it can be quite easy to take sides.
    
    
28. Maybe I should start a youtube channel?
    
    
29. Wrote so much!
    
    
30. Had long holidays all by myself, and loved them, without feeling like a loser!