2022 - Year in Review

blog Dec 31, 2022

2022 was a year like no other - a roller coaster ride, a humbling, chaotic, tumultuous, yet significant year.

From another round of lockdowns due to the pandemic, a war, social unrest, and political upheaval - we saw it all from a geopolitical point of view.

Reflecting on the past year, I feel the same monotonous feeling I had last year. Yet again, we are wrapping up this year, anticipating getting hit by another COVID-19 wave. It is like watching the same movie three times with three different casts - Delta, Omicron, BF.7.

Some Updates

One of the major highlights from 2022 was undoubtedly the Kubernetes certifications. I passed the Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) and the Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist (CKS) exams with flying colors.

Personally, I spent a lot of time learning new things. For a change, I wrote more posts this year.

Professionally, it was a slow year for me because of the "anticipated" global recession. However, I had enough time to pick up tasks that challenged me. My mentors guided me throughout the year.

Travels

I did not travel much this year.

In October, I moved to Bangalore for work - woot woot 😭

Finance

Since I started my experiments with investing last year, I have gathered around 14% to 18% XIRR (Extended Internal Rate of Return) on my investments. So I plan to play it safe and continue experimenting with the market.

I have built some automation that helps me time the market. More on that later in a different post.

Books read

I have to admit I did not read many books this year. But these are some of them -

So Good They Can't Ignore You - Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love
by Cal Newport
Container Security (Link)
by Liz Rice and Michael Hausenblas
Kubernetes Security (Link)
by Liz Rice and Michael Hausenblas
Web Hacking 101 - How to Make Money Hacking Ethically
by Peter Yaworski

Things learned

Kubernetes Administration - I spent a lot of time accumulating hands-on experience for CKA/CKS exams.
I did some Capture The Flag (CTF) style events around Web Security.

Animes watched

As I am compiling the list for this section, I realize I have watched much more anime. These are some of my favorites -

Jujutsu Kaisen (+ Jujutsu Kaisen 0 movie)
Tokyo Revengers
Attack on Titans
Demon Slayer - Entertainment District Arc
Cyberpunk Edgerunners
My Hero Academia (Started in December)

Games played

God of War (2018)
God of War - Ragnarok
Last of Us - Part 2
Grand Theft Auto Online - I finally picked up GTA Online and liked it. Although, I have to admit that it is a bit of a grind.
I started Elden Ring - My first Souls-like game 🤞

2022 could not have been better. Few exciting news awaits next year! 😉

Here's hoping everyone finds happiness, health, prosperity, and dexterity in whatever comes our way!

I hope 2023 will not stop us from advancing into a brighter future. 💪

I wish you all a Happy New Year 2023 ! 🎉