Welcome to the side of me beyond academics and work.. ☕

This page is a collection of habits, hobbies, and experiments that keep me grounded outside research, things I am learning, unlearning, and enjoying.

I put them here just to keep myself accountable. 

Physical Discipline

A few years ago in India, I made it a point to bike every night, pushing myself to stay active and explore the city. After starting my MSc, that intentional practice paused, and I went through a long period of dormancy until a setback reminded me to refocus on myself.

By late 2025, I’ve started moving more consistently again. I make time for biking around the city and hit the gym regularly. The funny thing is, I used to be a night owl, but now I am an early bird.

This change feels much needed. I am learning to prioritize myself again and my well-being, and it already makes a difference in how I approach each day.

Creative Practice

I’ve always been drawn to deep thinking and capturing my thoughts through poetry. While I’ve been writing for a long time, it was only a few years ago that I started putting my poems together on my blog. Writing helps me reflect on the things I notice and process my observations.

During the lockdown, I wanted to learn music. After trying a few violin classes, I realized it’s easier imagined than done. I’m not a pro (yet), but I keep practicing, currently on the guitar, at my own pace. With limited time, I juggle writing and music, hoping to one day reach that "flow state" I’ve heard so much about.

Lifestyle Experiments

These are some of the ongoing experiments I am exploring to see what improves my focus and well-being.

For the first time, I’ve managed to stick to a consistent, clean diet (avoid processed food, stop sugar, limit carbs, more protein). Surprisingly, it’s not as hard as I expected, and it has helped me maintain a more stable circadian rhythm (a causal effect I hadn’t realized before). Of course, the first few months were challenging. I lost focus, adjusted, and repeated the cycle until it felt right.

Lately, I’ve also been distancing myself from social media and influencer content. I still stay updated on current events through other sources, but I want to reduce external influence on my choices. 

For me, this is an experiment in reclaiming some measure of free will. While it’s impossible to be entirely uninfluenced, I aim to reduce the noise around my decisions and approach them more consciously.

Data Sovereignty

I firmly believe that individuals should have full control over their data, both physical and digital. A few years ago, I didn’t think much about this, but when Notion announced it would delete certain users’ data due to geopolitical reasons (discussion), it made me pause and reflect. While I understand that companies must comply with regulations, I realized I wasn’t comfortable with my data being subject to forces beyond my control.

I was a Notion freak for years, but this experience made me question how we treat personal data and how much control we truly have. My stance today is simple: if it’s my data, I decide who has access to it.

This perspective led me to start hosting my own digital services, from personal cloud storage to my own Git service (and many more in-between). I am already loving the self-hosting community, and am enjoying the learning process.

I recognize that no setup is completely impervious, especially given today’s sophisticated tech. But taking control of my own data, even imperfectly, is important to me. I am learning to make my systems more robust, one step at a time.