Memories are the boats that sail us through, each day and every week that quickly passes by. And before you even know, months have passed and the whole year breezed through!
Just before writing this, I read what I wrote in my Memories of the Year - 2017, I realized that even 2018 has been a year that quickly passed by, even though it was a milestone year for us. Sitting at writing about it right now, I might think I don't know how each day passed away. However, I would be lying. I can still recollect major events that passed over the months. The first thing being Konda passing from school and enrolling in Engineering. While it's been just short of four months that she is in college, it already feels like years.
Then the regular random things that have happened. For the boys, it's been the regular things at school and for us, as parents, it's been quite challenging. Guess, it's the same for all parents. My brother and his family visited us during the mid-year and it was such a wonderful thing how the kids spent their time together.
Personally, for me, it's been a time I realized certain things that are hard to voice and yet hard to suppress. The time I am right now, I have learnt to just put those thoughts under the table. While I have always wanted some time to read, sketch, and write, there is never enough time other than planning for topics and posts for blogging. I had ventured into blogging for Mega BM on this blog as well. So the year beginning was so hectic.
On the blogging front, I had shared about 150 recipes on Cooking 4 all Seasons and 120 on Spice your Life! We had two very interesting Mega Marathon months. During April, the theme was "Explore the Flavours" where I had listed a handful of subthemes. This was most challenging as I picked up four subthemes and opted to create 26 Flatbreads in A to Z. So AtoZ International Flatbreads was my favorite. On SYL, it was A to Z International Street Foods.
Next came the September Mega BM and having already set a precedent, I can't drop away from doing a Mega BM on C4AS, so this time it was the chance for Flatbreads and I decided to make A to Z Dosa Variety and A to Z Indian Flatbreads. What I love the best is the trick of making AtoZ, which is really so challenging!
I was happy and glad that I could observe the Navaratri special that I do every year. I prepare special neivedyam for Goddess on all these Nine Days of Navratri followed by Dasara. This year it was Millet special. Maybe in 2019, I would invite my friends to join me.
Another group activity I have is the yearly Bakeathon, where a group of bloggers join and showcase any baked dishes. This year the group had 22 bloggers. As with each year, I have a subtheme, which was loaf cakes. You can check out the different Bakeathon we have had over the years.
Spice your Life completed 10 years and I hosted the Anniversary party in the Kids Delight event.
Writing about ten years of blogging with Eleven years on this blog, along with another incident that triggered me about thinking what's next?
One of the most important results that came about this blogging is my friends. The Blogging Marathon group is very strong and the support that comes from it is important to many of us. This is the only set of friends with whom I am in touch in person. Sometime back when we had dined out and something came up, which I ponder on things that are important. Blogging naturally features on top when I think about things that are important.
I know all of us put in insane time on this activity to get a post online. When we think back on the returns, we may sometimes feel it's not enough. I have never thought of that of course because writing is impulsive to me and I need to write all the time. Food has now become an integral part of me and so food blogging is natural.
Nobody is averse to laurels that come our way in recognition of our passion. If it didn't, it doesn't matter anymore. So instead of now thinking about how much I have progressed, it would be on what are the things I am going to learn. One of the things I wanted to do from this month was to update my personal space, which hardly gets written. Then there would be a list where I wanted to make note of things I learn new on regular basis.
One of the biggest Events I am looking forward to this year would be the BM#100 Meet we are going to have. I can wait to begin the preparation for the meet and the meet to happen. Will keep you posted on that as it happens.
This is the collage of some interesting dishes that got done in Cooking 4 all Seasons.
This is the collage of some interesting dishes that got done in Spice your Life!
So that almost covers what the plan is for this year. Hope everybody's got a great start. So when I announced the yearly Best of the Year post, I got delayed in sharing my thoughts.
I will be soon doing a recap of this event with what my friends had to share!
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