Apurva Chaudhary

Weekly Notes: February 2025

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Life Update

Okay, so I’ve been MIA for about three weeks. Guilty as charged. I had every intention of maintaining this weekly rhythm, but you know how it goes—life swoops in, motivation takes an extended vacation, and suddenly it’s been almost a month. But hey, I’m back! And despite my silence, I’ve actually been surprisingly productive.

This past month unexpectedly turned me into some sort of hospitality guru (who knew?). My home has been a revolving door of visitors, and I’ve made a delightful discovery: my humble abode is actually pretty great for hosting! Even when it’s bursting with people, it somehow maintains its comfort factor. Mental note: throw more dinner parties.

Side Projects

  1. LTCG Tax Calculator: My Battle Against Financial Confusion
    • I built this calculator out of pure necessity when trying to figure out I’s taxes and the CA flat-out ghosted. Seriously, wtf?
    • It’s basically my digital financial advisor now, analyzing transactions and suggesting ways to optimize tax liability (because who doesn’t want to legally pay less tax?)
    • I wrote up the whole journey here if you’re curious or equally confused about LTCG: Building an LTCG Tax Calculator
    • The calculator is almost ready for public consumption. Just a few tweaks and I’ll unleash it into the wild.

Watched

My screen time has been… substantial. No regrets though—here’s the run-down:

  • Severance (Season 1) – Cookie kept insisting I watch this, and I finally caved. Full disclosure: I’d attempted it before but abandoned ship because it starts slower than my morning routine. This time I persevered and—wow—worth it. Currently holding off on Season 2 until I can watch it with I.
  • Pride & Prejudice – How did I make it this far in life without watching this masterpiece? The dialogue is wickedly funny (“You have bewitched me, body and soul” had me FEELING THINGS), and now I’m questioning all my previous life choices that didn’t involve watching period dramas.
  • Ocean’s 8 – Navya hangout selection. Second viewing for me, but might as well have been the first since I remembered approximately nothing. It’s like fast food—enjoyable in the moment but utterly forgettable. Sorry, Sandra and Cate!
  • Death on the Nile – Those are hours of my life I’m never getting back. Moving on.
  • Running Point – Classic case of Netflix roulette. Hit play, then later discovered it’s Mindy Kaling’s creation. Perfect “folding laundry in the background” content—not demanding enough to require full attention, not terrible enough to turn off.

Experiments

  1. Coffee Exfoliate: From Waste to Wow
    • Aggy visited and dropped a casual “what do you do with your coffee grounds?” which led to an impromptu DIY session
    • The magic formula: used coffee grounds + fine sugar + coconut oil
    • Used it today and MY GOODNESS. My skin feels like I just spent ₹5000 at a fancy spa. Where has this been all my life?!
    • Sustainability win + budget beauty hack + actual results = possibly my greatest discovery of 2025 so far
  2. Basque Cheesecake: The Airfryer Miracle
    • Watched Sahil whipping one up and immediately had dessert envy. Borrowed his airfryer cake mold
    • 30 minutes of prep time for something that tastes like it took HOURS. The burned top is apparently intentional which means even my occasional baking disasters can be rebranded as “authentic”
    • Recipe from the baking gods: How to Make Basque Cheesecake in an Air Fryer
    • Fair warning: this will become your go-to impress-your-friends dessert.
    • Check my Instagram:
      https://www.instagram.com/p/DGqSMZRSstwii3vJidygxH4SpagbLdzkyeQkZQ0/

Next Up

  • Birthday Month Extravaganza – Since travel plans are off the table this year, I’m brainstorming the perfect self-gift. Any suggestions?
    I’m thinking of getting a Coffee Carafe for my V60. And maybe more crochet supplies? Still undecided, but leaning toward these small joys rather than something extravagant.
  • Cuppadata.com Transformation – Time to drag my PHP creation into the modern era by converting it to a PWA. The goal: let people install it directly on their phones before I start bombarding them with shiny new features. Mobile-first or bust!
  • Finally putting the finishing touches on my LTCG Tax Calculator before releasing it to save fellow investors from spreadsheet madness