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Action Replay + Gratitude List: October 2018

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Poof! That's how October went for me. I swear, I still remember writing the gratitude post at the end of September. October was chaotic to say the least. I do not remember anything that happened throughout this month. The days started and ended, and nothing substantial happened during the day. At the end of the day as I lay in bed, I felt exhausted to the bone, but nothing felt accomplished. The whole of October was like this. The whole month revolved around work, so much that it was heavily taxing for me. There was so much work to be done that the weekdays merged with the weekends and I was working non-stop, morning, noon and night. As much as I love my job, sometimes it does take a toll on me and that is exactly what happened this October.

If I could describe October in a phrase, it would be "gone for a toss". Thanks to my busy schedule at work, everything else in my life went for a toss. My diet went haywire, I barely had time to workout, read, write or do anything else for myself. I read eight books last month, but this month I did not even touch one. Same with writing blog posts, I barely got time to do it. With multiple releases looming at work, it needed more than 100% of my attention. There was so much work to be done along with dealing with people and their fragile egos. Honestly, the latter was more tougher. While this work will continue to spread across November and December, I'm learning to take it slow now. Not having me time in October, drove me up the wall and got me terribly cranky. I survived the month thanks to a vacation that was planned earlier.

Rajasthan was as beautiful as expected. As a city bred girl, I seldom like smaller towns. Apart from Bangalore, the only other city in India that had impressed me was Hyderabad, that too only the area around Banjara Hills. But Jaipur blew my mind! The city is so beautiful, so clean, so well planned and so modern! While it does house historic forts, the night life in the city is one of the best that I have seen. People are so friendly, transport is so cheap, food is so delicious - what's not to like? We spent three days each in Jaipur and Jodhpur and this temporarily took me away from the stress of work. It was a much needed holiday and it sure did what it was supposed to do.

As stressful as October was, it did come with its share of gratitude. Here's what I'm thankful for:

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~ Job: Stressful, exhausting, tough. But, at the end of the day it gives me a sense of satisfaction and contributes to the lifestyle I chose. I feel blessed.

~ Health: With barely any time to focus on my diet or workout, I thought my health would go for a toss, but strangely it held on. The immunity and strength I had built over the past few months helped me, I guess. While I did come back from Rajasthan with a nasty cold and cough, thanks to a drastic weather change, I managed to heal myself without any medications.

~ Books: While I did not get time to read, I did buy quite a lot of books to cheer myself up during tough days at work.

~ Travel: Nothing like travel to make you forget your mundane life for a few days.

~ Sewing: I stitched two dresses for myself before I could travel. Most of the dresses I have are short and much suited for Bangalore, so I wanted some comfortable cotton dresses for my travel. As someone who loves designing clothes, I always have fabric at home. I picked a couple and the dresses turned out to be gorgeous!

~ Food: Rajasthan is a treasure trove for wonderful food. From kachoris and lassi for breakfast, to authentic Rajasthani dal baati choorma for lunch and dinner, it sure was a epicurean fest.

~ Ideas: Since I couldn't write much and I wanted to say so much, I got quite a lot of ideas for blog posts. I have noted them down and hopefully in November we will see some interesting posts.

~ Love: Love makes the world go round, yes, but it keeps me grounded too. My husband brought in the much needed stability in my life and continues to do so.

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November will continue to be busy, but I plan to sneak in at least some me time so that I can read, write and workout. All the time management skills that I had acquired in September seemed to have gone for a toss in October. But then again, work was twice as much as it was last month. I'm not fretting too much over it, I'll try my best to manage the time I have in my hand, along with my work and other passions.

How was your October?

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Linking this post to Vidya's Gratitude Circle for this month.


Comments

  1. Busy, busy, busy hottie girl.

    Good you had the vacation break - loved those photos on insta. I am so impressed by your dress making skills. I love to experiment and can't wait to try a couple of things. Sigh. Yet to get my sewing machine serviced.

    Take good care of yourself. Variety is the spice of life, but only so long as we are in good health.

    Thank you for linking up. I hope November is fulfilling for you! Hugs!

    (Oh gosh, I commented and then clicked the older post on the right where I expect the publish button to be. Sigh)

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    1. Thank you my fellow hottie! <3

      Let me know if you need help with the sewing machine, I can have someone come service it for you :)

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  2. How I ENVY your dress making skills - I have no patience for stitching even though I did a one year course to learn it..

    Your vacation sounds like quite the highlight- did you know Jaipur is my hometown; I just love Rajasthan to death and have visited about 50% of its main destinations. My parents moved to Jammu in mid 80s and ever since that Jammu has been home but Jaipur holds a special place in my heart. I havent been there in a while and your pics have made me rethink that! Maybe just maybe I should hop onto a bus and head there this winters!!!

    Wishing you a great November ahead Somz - will try to catch up with you over a phone call soon!! :-)

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    1. Thank you my darling! Maybe one day I'll make one for you :)

      Wishing you a great November as well. We'll talk soon :)

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  3. You have been busy and I know that. Glad to know travel was good and I am looking forward to hearing more stories from you. Your dresses, Soumya are super smart and I have told you that :) What a talented star you are.
    Sorry about the cold! Good to know you are better. Wishing you a happy November. Hugs! :)

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  4. Wow, you have been a lot busy! Yet you made two dresses, which I loved (saw one on Instagram). I want to learn to make a dress someday. It's such an useful skill. We also took a much needed vacation at the beginning of last month.
    It was lovely to read your gratitude list, Soumya.
    Wish you a great month ahead! :)

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    1. I'm glad you got a break as well, Vinitha!

      Wishing you an awesome November as well :)

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  5. These gratitude/monthly round up posts are some of my favorite ones to read. So much like a personal catch up, albeit virtual.

    It sucks when we go through these crazy busy phases, but what helps me is knowing that that's all they are - phases. I hope you have a much better November, and find balance, and time for all your priorities. Hugs.

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    1. Thank you so much, Shantala.

      These round-up post helps me connect with so people and I'm so glad about it :)

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  6. I'm still in awe you can sew complete dresses! I can barely sew a button. Sounds like a busy but still fulfilling month. And the fact that you managed to fit in travel would've been awesome. Hope November gives you some much deserved me-time

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    1. I have a passion for creating stuff, so I picked this one up :)

      I'm hoping the same from November. Wishing you a fab one as well :)

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  7. I love Rajasthan. One of my work trips before marriage was to Rajasthan. I traveled solo, took buses from one town to another and met some lovely folks. Very safe too. Then a couple of years back, we did a family vacation which was so beautiful. What blows my mind about Rajasthan is how amazing is the architecture. Kids absolutely loved them. And then G and I would take off and explore stuff on our own. It really is a spectacular state and I could go back again and again. The food is definitely not conducive to waistlines though. :) I loved your pics on Insta. Helped me reminisce. And your dresses are gorgeous! You are so talented, Soumya. I am in awe. Now looking forward to meeting you soon. Hopefully, it will happen in November. And November has to be a better month, after all it is my birthday month!

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    1. I loved the state as well. Such a pretty, colorful place! And the food is super! We ate so much :D

      Wishing you a very happy belated birthday! I'm sorry I missed wishing you, work was killing me!

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