As Forrest Gump’s mama said,

‘Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.’

But nobody knew the year 2020 would open a Pandora box for us. There were lockdowns which derailed economies. But to some lucky ones like me, it gave a lot of free time and I was too bored, so I tried everything. Here are the things which I learned this year :

  1. Cooking : From only knowing to make tea to preparing lip-smacking paneer butter masala on Diwali, is a giant leap for me(maybe a small step for mankind). I was living in a rented flat in March. Lockdown forced me to learn cooking. With free time and youtube tutorials what cannot be learned.
  2. Concept of once a week exercise : I read Body by Science by Dr. Doug Macduff and John Little. It changed my view point regarding strength training. I found the exercise program described in the book beneficial and it fits with my priorities.
  3. Kernel development : I started learning about OS development from MIT 6.828: Operating System Engineering. It is the most difficult thing I have ever done this year. It was fun and frustrating at the same time. Doing it alone without much lecture material made it more difficult. I could only complete it half but it exposed me to so much new material. Looking back I am still proud of all the homework and lab work I did for the course.
  4. Note making technique called Zettelkasten : It is a ever-growing personal Wikipedia of your knowledge on postcard size papers. It can also be implemented digitally. I am still unsure whether to have a digital or physical zettelkasten. You can know about it more here.
  5. Chess : I knew the basics of chess but it took covid to get past it. I started by learning from the books Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess and Winning chess by Irving Chernev and Fred Reinfeld. I only solved tactical puzzles on lichess. and have a rating of 2033 in it. I still don’t play full games due to time constraints and have low rating of 1346 in classical.
  6. Home management : Surviving lockdown in a flat has made me a perfect house wife err… husband material. I now know the price of vegetables, can manage groceries, cleaning, etc. This year I transitioned into adulthood way faster than I had imagine.
  7. Podcasts : This year I discovered some great podcasts while continued listening to my favorites Radiolab, Planet Money and The Knowledge Project. I highly recommend Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green. Dr. Rhonda Patrick, Dorian Yates and David Sinclair appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast changed my viewpoint regarding health and nutrition.
  8. Books : My top 5 books I read this year -
    • Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
    • Body by Science by John Little, Doug McGuff
    • Discovery of India by Jawaharlal Nehru
    • One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
    • The Art of Doing Science and Engineering: Learning to Learn by Richard Hamming
  9. Health : Having learned about nutrition and health I have become more conscious what goes inside my body. Inspired by Rhonda Patrick on Joe Rogan’s podcast I have started taking Vitamin D3 and omega 3 supplements. It’s been only a month and it may take time to get the results. I have also started following a basic skin care routine.
  10. Online articles : These are the articles which I loved reading and thinking about.

Apart from it I also learned some random facts like “Snakes are allergic to milk” and realized some obvious things like “Everybody gonna die”.

Seeing the world reeling under covid19 made me realized how vulnerable and resilient human civilization is at the same time . I am grateful to make to the year end with sound health. I am hopeful of the coming year, looking forward to make some new friends and keep my curiosity alive by following the mantra “Stay hungry, Stay foolish.”