2024 Leaps List

what I learnt this year

some of my sketches from 2024

“Midlife is when you reach the top of the ladder and find that it was against the wrong wall.”
— Joseph Campbell

’Tis the time, friends! Instead of making a wishlist for the year ahead, I like to take a moment to appreciate the things I have learnt this past year. It’s a way of being grateful to what’s happened, instead of being constantly future-focused (my tendency).

For my leaps lists from 2013 to 2021, please see my book, Seeking and Belonging. Here is 2022’s list. And here is 2023’s.

1. 2024 was the year I “closed” out India from my life and made room for Italy. The decision was not quick, and the road to it was bumpy (India had been a part of my life for more than 25 years; Italy sporadically for only two or so). It felt very much like leaving one partner for another (places and people – they’re very similar to me). This decision proved once again: we’re allowed to change our minds any time. We can try new things even when we’re not feeling brave. And when it’s time to let go, it helps to do it decisively. Dithering only prolongs agony, fear and self-doubt.

2. When I get two pieces of contradicting advice, I check to see what each party has at stake. Sometimes they’re simply making it sound difficult so I will throw more money in their direction.

3. I’m so proud of the people of Bangladesh for overthrowing an authoritarian government. Viva la revolution!

4. A daily routine is better than one I do a few times a week. Daily takes the thinking/decision-making out of the equation and ends up being far easier.

5. I used to thrive on being minimal. One of the nicest gifts I gave myself this year was to stop limiting myself to what fits into only a carry-on bag. I don’t know what emotional baggage (har, har) that I was holding that made me think it was a moral failing on my part to want more. Now I’m fine saying it: I do want more! (Especially art supplies, a kitchen and a chandelier or two.)

6. I can decide that a convoluted situation will be easy, and it miraculously bends to become so.

7. Airport hotels are an odd, liminal space, physically and metaphorically. I used them a lot this year, especially at Gatwick. It began to feel familiar to roam cafes at 4am and see planes take off and land right outside my window.

8. I brought out two books this year, My Illustrated Camino Diary and Camino Francés: My Illustrated Camino Diary 2. Both were written live in previous years as I walked in Spain, but this is the year I brought them out as books to share with the world. Doing this forced me to redefine myself in ways I hadn’t expected. The part of me that wanted credibility and external validation (the same one, I suppose, that got a degree from Harvard and worked at Disney) used to find the idea of self-publishing a demoralising choice. But the more I looked at it, especially from a long term perspective, of owning my work and choosing how/when it’s presented, and what options I can offer people, I decided this was the more squeamish, yes, but also potentially more rewarding route. It’s a long road ahead, but I’m supremely ambitious about where I want to take this, not only for myself but for other artists/makers too. More soon!

9. My life is made much easier when Past Me makes notes for Future Me (so considerate!).

10. I am still not as embodied as I wish to be. But this year I saw direct correlation between my mental anxiety and its manifestation in my body, time and time again. And when I worked on clearing the mental part, the body healed too. Woo…!

11. Do I want a mentor or do I want an assistant? I debated this throughout this past year. They are both ways of investing in myself. The former provides guidance; the latter helps me execute my vision. The mentor appealed when I thought I needed To Know All before starting something big/new/different. Getting an assistant appeals to me more now because I’m trusting my vision and would like practical support to get there.

12. Colour: wear more of it, eat more of it, and paint more with it.

13. The greatest adventure of my life could be right around the corner. But I have to move myself over to it.

14. This year, I was in India, Bangladesh, Italy, UK, Netherlands, USA, and Spain (then cycled through a bunch of them again). I have used up my carbon quota (and then some), plus all the energy I had to be constantly on the move. I’ve loved it, especially getting to spend precious time with loved ones (my 30th Harvard reunion; visiting Camino friends in Florida and Georgia; a family holiday), though now I can’t wait to stay still. Like, for years.

15. Decide if you want to surround yourself with people who do what they say they want to do, or who make excuses. (And decide which one of these you are or want to be.)

16. When doing a body scan (or meditation), I’ve imagined universal light pouring in. Another way to think of it is that we are universal light, and to allow it to pour out. It feels at times as if my inherent light is clouded or covered in part by culture, fear and social conditioning (“don’t be important!”). So I tell myself to simply wipe it clean, blow off the cobwebs and allow the inner light to shine bright.

“The distance between dreams and reality is called discipline.”
— Paulo Coelho

My Favourites of 2024

Note: some may have been released in earlier years, but 2024 is when I first experienced them.

FILMS

Top film of the year for me was Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall. Outstanding drama where the wife of a dead man is accused of killing him. I can talk endlessly about this layered film (and I have) – it’s a great one to nerd out on. Stunning performances, especially by the child.

I also loved Challengers, directed with supreme confidence by Luca Guadagnino. Intense, sexy and visceral, Zendaya, Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist in a perfectly played three-way drama,

And for sure: C’era ancora domani, directed by Paola Cortellesi. Set in post-war Rome, and shot in black and white, I found it extremely powerful, and it made me a bit teary.

Also enjoyed: Hit Man • Perfect Days • CODA.

DOCUMENTARIES

A very engaging four-parter directed by Fisher Stevens called Beckham. I was living in London through much of David Beckham’s heyday and he was part of the public consciousness, though I never much cared for him. This made me see what was happening on the inside, and now I rather adore him. I love how much he kept saying he loves Victoria’s power, and what he likes about his children (that they’re not little shits).

A stunning documentary, as low key and subtle as it is: All That Breathes, made by Shaunak Sen. A moving look at two brothers who rescue distressed kites in Delhi, expertly woven in with the ever-increasing polluted skies and protests against an immigration bill revving up in the background.

SERIES

I watch very few shows because they take too long. These deserved my time:

Colin From Accounts. This Australian romantic comedy-drama (written by its two stars, who are also a couple in real life, Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammall) is great. The first episode of S1 had a bit too many pee and poo jokes but by the middle of the first season, I adored them. By the end of the second season, I cared for them like close friends. It’s touching and extremely funny too. I’d happily rewatch this.

The show I do keep rewatching is Only Murders in the Building. S4 was out this year and it just keeps delivering. I love it all, especially Martin Short’s extravagant declarations, Selena Gomez’s deadpan delivery (and wardrobe) and the all-star cameos (Meryl Streep! Melissa McCarthy! Countless others). The plot is secondary so I keep forgetting what happens, which is why I find reasons to watch it all again…

The Bear. I know S3 is out already but I’m only up to S2 and it blew me away. As the restaurant is being renovated, so are the lives and ambitions of the individual characters. I watched it all in awe-struck admiration: the episode in Denmark; the episode about Cousin Richie being a stage; the episode about the Christmas dinner (this one rocked my world). Can it get better than this? (Perhaps goal for the final week of 2024 will be to try to watch S3.)

BOOKS

I read a lot of thrillers and murder mysteries this year, which I will put in a separate dedicated post soon. I have to give a special mention to my current favourite series, The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman and the latest (4th) that came out this year: The Last Devil to Die. A fun, speedy, easy read with lots of laughs and thrills.

PODCASTS

The Godfather: A Film We Can’t Refuse. I listened to all 8 hours and 27 minutes of it on a free trial of Audible. I’d love to do a dedicated post on this film (as I have it memorised since I was 17…), but in the mean time, this deep dive satisfied my nerdy adoration for it. We get the perspective of its stars, including Al Pacino and Robert De Niro; we hear the stories behind the making of it; we learn about the symbolism of oranges in the film (it’s there whenever someone gets dies), to the stories behind the stories; and much more.

Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me best episodes this year:

• Jason Isbell (15 January 2024)

• Sleater Kinney (17 February 2024)

• Claudia Goldin (9 March 2024)

• Laurene Powell Jobs (23 March 2024)

• Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson (14 December 2024)

Smartless favourite episodes this year:

• Josh Brolin (4 March 2024)

• Steve Martin and Martin Short (6 May 2024)

• Sarah Paulson (13 May 2024)

• Hugh Grant (18 November 2024)

• re-release of episode with Maya Rudolph, who is THE BEST (12 December 2024)

New podcasts I discovered this year (though they’ve been around for longer):

Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus, where she interviews older women and asks them great questions. Favourite episodes include Ina Garten (17 April 2024), Billie Jean King (24 April 2024) and Isabella Rossellini (20 November 2024).

And I love What Now? with Trevor Noah (also on YouTube). Sometimes it’s a commentary of current events, sometimes they go on their eccentric journeys. Good ones to listen to are Revenge of the Tourists with Rajan Datar (19 September 2024), and Tight Values, Loose Ideas with Malcolm Gladwell (14 November 2024).

My goal for next year is to finish two new books filled with art! (And ground myself in Italy. And my body.) What’s your goal for 2025?

For the coming year, I wish you peace, joy, love, light and a giant hug. HAPPY NEW YEAR, ALL!

xx Nupu