Monday, January 25, 2016

Monthly Rewind(s): December & January

I AM ALIVE! I went to India for two weeks in December, returned in January and then went to Seattle for four days and have been in California for the past week or so, touring with my choir. Needless to say, I haven't had a chance to blog in a really long time--sorry!--but here's a quick re-cap (with pictures!) of my past two months!

3 Things About My Life These Months



1. I went to India! So I usually go to South India to visit both my sets of grandparents but this time I went to North India essentially as a tourist. I went to Delhi, the capital, Agra, home to the Taj Mahal, and Jaipur. Delhi and Agra are surrounded by Mughal architecture while Jaipur possesses remnants of Hindu kingdoms so the contrast was fascinating, from a historical perspective. It's also so different to live in these cities and see constant reminders of the rich history of India, both its past and its colonial background. These are ruins that don't exist at all in South India so I really, really enjoyed this trip. The weather was beautiful and the food was AMAZING. I easily gained twenty pounds but I don't even care because, let's be real, Indian cuisine is the best.

2. I went to Seattle! Admittedly, I was realllyyyy jet-lagged in Seattle but it wound up being a ton of fun because I was reunited with my friends from this past summer at my internship and we attended the Joint Math Meeting conference together. I presented my research on Saturday, the 9th, so it was just an incredible opportunity.

3. I went to California! Choir Tour is essentially a week where you eat, breathe, sit, and sleep with fifty other girls. You're with them constantly and it's such an incredible bonding experience. Last year we went to South Korea over Spring Break which was amazing because it was a foreign country but California is much more familiar and so the experiences were made incredible by the people. I really became close with so many members of the choir that I didn't know too well before and though we had to re-route our flight to avoid Juno, or Snowzilla, Boston is pristine and snowy but not too bad. :)

Best Book I Read This Month 


I read a looot of amazing novels this month so I'd have to say it's a tie between Gayle Forman's I Was Here, which I know wasn't popular with quite too many people, and a recent romance read that's been all over my newsfeed, Act Like It by Lucy Parker. I also read Fool Me Twice by Meredith Duran and Brown-Eyed Girl by Lisa Kleypas and adored those two as well so look out for these reviews in the immediate future!

3 Things I'm Looking Forward to in February 


This is SO hard because I'm not looking forward to classes, Valentine's Day, or the snow that is usually headed our way in February. But, I'll be positive so...

1. Working Out! I'm finishing up my PE requirement this semester with badminton and I'm excited to get in shape and work out, despite the snow on the ground. I always feel so good when I'm working out and generally being healthy and strong but it can be really hard to motivate myself to go out when it's so cold so I'm looking forward to my class mostly because it means I'll already be at the gym and can do the work outs I want to do after badminton practice.

2. Choir! My choir is performing at ACDA so I'm excited to spend more time with them and really perfect the music we've been performing on tour for this competition. Plus, like I said, we're all so bonded now that spending time together is absolutely ideal! ;)

3. Reading! I genuinely want to spend more time reading this school year and I have a ton of books I'm really excited about so I'm hoping to be able to actually make time for them. I think I'll have a liiiitle more time since my extra-curriculars aren't nearly so time-consuming this semester and I won't be continuing my research from the summer anymore, so that should for sure clear up a few hours of time to really focus on ME. My health, both mentally and physically, because self-care is NOT selfish.

How was your Holiday Season? Any resolutions for the New Year? Did you do any travelling? Do you have exciting plans for the month of February? I want to hear about everything so let me know in the comments!(:

12 comments:

  1. Oh my. Hearing about your travels has sparking some serious wanderlust, girl. India's our neighboring country and we share a lot of things like the language and cuisine. And of course, South Asian cuisine is without contest the best (pani puri and channa masala for life!). ;)
    I read Brown-Eyed Girl a couple of months ago too and found it to be pretty good.
    Yay for working out! That's something that I need to ease into this year so fingers crossed.

    Hope Feb brings joy & sunshine! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  2. You went to India, Seattle, and CA without picking me up first????! *gets puppy dog face*

    I'm glad you had fun, but I bet you are tired! :) I still need to read the Gayle Forman one. Ugh. I've only read the first book in that series. Glad you are busy and you are right... self care isn't selfish!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow! I would have loved to gone on any of your trips but especially India!! I can't find anyone to eat Indian cuisine with me!! I love it!! And the sites (sights?)!!! My niece is in a choir that is getting ready to start traveling for a week or so. I applaud you for your commitment- I know how much she practices-I imagine you do too! And how did your presentation go? Presenting research? Aren't you a freshman or did I miss that year? Sounds like you are doing amazing things and enjoying life!!! That's what it's all about!

    ReplyDelete
  4. That's awesome you were able to visit North India and do the whole tourist thing. Yay for all your other travels too. Very exciting! I'm planning a trip to London right now - it will be in September. I've never left the country, so it should be exciting.

    Yay for presenting your research. I'm sure you were brilliant! I got a copy of Gayle Forman's book for Christmas from a friend, so I need to read that.

    I do want to try being more active and being healthier. I'm already trying eat healthier so now I just need to find active things I LIKE to do.

    -Lauren

    ReplyDelete
  5. You've had quite a month despite you not being around the blogosphere! See the world, see your friends...what could be better? :D Have a lovely week, Keertana!

    ReplyDelete
  6. YEAH! Welcome back Keertana! It sounds like you had a nice break, and how awesome that you were able to travel so much! Thanks for sharing, and here's to a great February! ♥

    ReplyDelete
  7. Keertana, I'm glad that you had such a fantastic break, the last time I visited India was over 5 years ago, but even then we didn't really explore much. I actually have Kleypas' first book inn the Travis family series, so I really can't wait to get stuck in with that. I hope you have lots of good books to look forward to in February! :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Wow Keertana! You've been crazy busy these past couple months! So glad you had an amazing time in India and got to see a different part of the country as a tourist. That's always so much fun:) And yay badminton! I'm terrible at most sports, but I'm decent at badminton (although the birdie does tend to get stuck in my racket more often than not - at least it doesn't hit the floor, so I consider it a win).

    ReplyDelete
  9. Sounds like you've had an exciting and eventful couple of months. Seattle is amazing, right? I love downtown. From the restaurants, shopping and beautiful vistas, the city is one of my favorites in the US.

    I want to try Kleypas' contemporary romance series. I look forward to your review of Brown-Eyed Girl. :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Looks like you had a busy couple of months, Keertana! Glad to hear you had such a great time. And I can’t wait for your reviews on all amazing books you’ve read. I’ve seen Act Like It around, but your best book of this month? I hope all your plans for February comes to life.

    As for my holidays, unfortunately my son got a nasty cold, so we had to stay at home. On the positive side we had a quality family time. I finally moved my blog to WordPress; it was a lot of work by I love my new blog.

    ReplyDelete
  11. India to visit both my sets of grandparents but this time I went to North India vist essentially as a tourist. I went to Delhi, the capital, Agra, home to the Taj Mahal, and Jaipur. Delhi and Agra are surrounded by Mughal architecture while Jaipur possesses remnants of Hindu kingdoms so the contrast was fascinating, click here to from a historical perspective. It's also so different to live in move page these cities and see constant reminders of the rich history of India, both its past and its colonial background click

    ReplyDelete

I love hearing from my readers and I read, reply, and appreciate every one of the comments I receive!(: If you're a fellow blogger, please leave a link to your blog - I'd love to drop by!

Unfortunately, this is now an award-free blog. I simply do not have the time to respond and forward on the award, but I truly appreciate the nomination regardless.