Down and Under

I thought I was going to be able to keep up the writing habit, but unfortunately I've been too busy with other things. I will try to explain over the course of this blog post. But what I won't do is promise that I will go back to being active on here and writing regularly. I just know if I write something down right now I'll forget about it. I'll come back to it when I come back to it and be like damn I was capping again.

wooimabouttomakeanameformyselfere

• Gambit(Channing Tatum)

Life Updates

The first big change and probably one of the most consequential, is that I've hopped over the ditch. I'm now living in Melbourne, which is both far and not too far from home back in Wellington. I've visited Melbourne a few times before moving over so it wasn't like I was going to experience this great unknown. But nevertheless visiting a place and living there are two different things. So I'd say there has been a period of adapting and getting used to things but I'd say I'm pretty used to things now. I think the comparison of Sydney being an upscale Auckland and Melbourne being an upscale Wellington is apt. I can confidently say at least for now, that I don't regret the move one bit. In hindsight I should've probably dipped earlier but I ended up here anyway.

Change in Country

Why I moved, the answer can be distilled into 3 main reasons:

1. A change in scenery and vibes.
2. Chasing the Pesos.
3. It felt right.

For 16 years of my life, I was based and setup in Wellington. I grew up and became an adult in Wellington. I think the "coolest little capital" self proclaimed title is actually an accurate way to describe Wellington. But that's the thing it's little, and after having done more travel in the past couple of years, coming back to Wellington was nice and refreshing. But it felt too little for me, and every time it just felt like I was coming back to the boonies in the sense that it seemed backwards and less just exciting to be there. I began to want to travel more as a way to escape the mundane, and it was at that point I decided for myself I just needed to change and needed to leave. Fortunately for me the opportunity arrived at work, where I was able to transfer internally to Melbourne, but not only that I would get to stay in the same team. Which was awesome and the cherry on the top was that they were able to adjust my salary to be in line with the salary ranges in Australia. Which if you weren't aware are higher than in New Zealand.

So I got to stay in the same team, change location and get paid more (have to now pay rent, bills, real life expenses so am I really getting paid more?). It seemed like a no brainer to not change. As my birthday was nearing as well, at time of writing I have since turned 25. It felt like this eagle needed to take a leap and leave the nest.

Feelings around work

I'd say right now, I'm at this weird crossroad when it's come to work. I feel really fortunate to one have a job in this economy, and two be in an environment where I'm still learning where I really like the people I am working with. The thing is that I just have this nagging feeling that I could be doing more or that there could be more interesting work available. At the moment I need to take some time to assess whether another leap is the right move for me. Again I'm fortunate to be in a place where I can take a jump rather than be pushed.

Age++

Since the last time I've written something my age has incremented by one. I'm not normally one to do a big birthday celebration or make a big deal. In fact I kinda detest it, for some people I can understand it, but for me I just feel weird about it. I don't like the attention and I'd rather have people be happy and treat me well everyday. Rather than have an over the top, exuberant celebration of myself. Idk if that makes sense but that's just how I feel I guess.

I think also after my trip with my brother, potentially my prefrontal cortex may have started to mature. As I'm writing this I feel lot more at peace with myself now. I don't feel any rush to make decisions like I did before and I'm happy where I am right now and the person that I've become. That's not to say that I've stopped grinding, don't worry I still got goals that I want to hit and achieve. I just feel a bit at ease to take a moment to smell the roses. Again I'm not entirely sure that just came from aging up but maybe it did?

Random Future Blog Post

Another update since the last time I wrote, I went back to the land of the free, the USA, with my brother. This feels like ages ago given that I moved countries as well but that experience proved to be truly eye-opening in numerous ways. While I am American, my formative years and the person I've become were shaped outside its borders, so returning felt both oddly familiar and somewhat distant. Nonetheless, it was a journey I thoroughly enjoyed, and I plan to share more about it in a write-up soon.

Gratitude

I think another big lesson and feeling I have that is welling up inside of me. Is of gratitude, I'm thankful for:

• the people who have I've met
• who've been with me on various journeys
• who've I've gone on different pathways from
• who are still with me today
• who I'm yet to meet
• and all the opportunities, help, people, places and anything else past and present that I've interacted with

Idk I find it hard to express just how grateful I am for everything. And in a way when I look back and reflect on my quarter century of life lived so far. Yes there have been some amazing ups and some even more horrendous downs. Wins, losses, celebrations, disappointments and everything in between. Certain things I prayed for never came true and yet I was still blessed in ways I could've never expected. I think as I look back I am where I am, and it's almost poetic in how things just found a way to work out for the best.

Naveen