I usually write a blog whenever I get inspired by an unusual event. As in, an event that no one could have experienced in a way I did. But the year 2020 was way too unusual not just for me but for everyone. You, me and every person living on earth have dealt with such a new normal that my gut somehow knew was coming but not this soon. I take at least a month or a year to write about incidents I experience. Think about documenting my point of view of an experience that's called pandemic!
I was not prepared for it. I believe you weren't either. It was supposed to be the year of flying cars according to the predictions of our predecessors.
By now the word "Corona" is well known than most important things to know in the world.
Why is that I knew 2020 was going to be a weird year? Did you feel that too?
If so, either you are a frequent victim of existential crisis or you are in your 20's like me.
How did I spend my time?
Movies, Books, Webinars, Food, Sleep (Insomnia), Photography, Music, Messages and Stalking my Memorabilia.
(Bonus, scroll way down to the end to find list of books I read and movies I saw)
As you know Jan and Feb was almost normal. Almost.
Then March happened with the world wide stay at home life that was uniformly experienced irrespective of our differences. March did not march like we expected.
March 2020
Come to think of it, I literally took my freedom for granted. In march, I did my last visit to beach and my final weekend volunteering in person. I don't have much to say but here are pictures that represent my March.
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Walk at Besant Nagar
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Riveting lines on Sand
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| Sea and the Crow |
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| Litter preventer |
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Waves & Sunset
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| Full Moon |
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Inking the thoughts
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I volunteered for an annual event of a local NGO that supports livelihood of visually challenged people. This was my first-time volunteering for such a cause. I have never interacted with visually challenged person before and glad for the opportunity to have such a different experience. It was the time where all the news and forwards meekly reminded about the emergence of global pandemic. At the volunteer registration desk, I was asked to show my palms where the sanitizer was sprayed and I was given a mask as a precautionary measure. I found it really an odd ritual but after so many months of 2020 passed by, now I don't find it that amusing anymore. My mom hated the idea that I was volunteering for this cause, as I need to assist visually challenged people and that might require me to hold hands and be in proximity of humans which was told by the news channels to avoid by all means. The event happened at Presidency college near Marina Beach. Fun fact: It's one of the oldest government arts colleges in India. The old architecture and its aesthetics appealed to me a lot.
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| Broken glass panes |
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| Entrance |
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Stone & Bricks
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Entrance again
Because I reached so soon and had nothing to do other than staring at the building |
After a while, few people reached the venue. And the event was beginning to feel like happening. I was given a number card and tasks to begin my volunteering. The first task was to take a group of visually challenged people upstairs. I was mindful of not to get distracted on taking pictures of this historic building and concentrate more on helping them. The thing about being a shutterbug and volunteering with visually challenged is that you need to be really careful. Because you are the only eyes they got. Each volunteer was assigned to person that needs help on reading the book or study material they brought with them. The person I got assigned to was a girl of my age group whose cornea was cloudy. For some reason, I kept staring at her eyes for a while. A sense of wonder and curiosity. It felt different. As a person who experienced a world with people who expect and respond to constant eye contact (apparently major behavioural cue in communication) and suddenly there is no need for that. That was surprisingly anew to me. We went together and sat on the bench. The study material she had was something related to teaching kids and their behaviours that is part of her teacher training curriculum. I read few pages and explained some of the English info in Tamil.
Then we started talking about our lives. I came to know she finished her masters in English literature at the very college we were talking to each other at. She is partially blind and can read anything on paper or screen at 1cm of distance from her eye. I had no idea what to say to that. Thoughts sprung up in my mind: Did she notice my constant stare towards her eyes? Was that rude? I was super vigilant about the words that might hurt her. After a good awkward pause, she said 'Don't worry about how to talk to me. I don't mind at all as long as people talk to me'. It was like 'Did she just read my mind?' moment. Then, I mentioned this is my first time interacting with people with visual challenged and I didn't want to offend in any manner. She laughed and said "Obviously. I could sense that from the start. We all have our firsts and don't worry about offending. I am happy we got a chance to meet and talk to each other." This made me realise she's also a human just like me. And it's okay to pursue unknown possibilities even if it scares you.
The event ended and I pictured the building further.
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Marina beach breeze
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| So many windows |
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Ceiling motifs
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I had one last view at the Marina beach horizon and rode my scooter to home. I didn't know at that time that something as drastic as Lockdown for months would happen. If I knew, I would have taken one last walk in the sands of Marina beach without a mask on my face and sanitiser smell on my hands. What a life we all took for granted!
Just like that, Lockdown came to immediate effect and the general public of India were subjected to a life we never imagined before. I grew up with being at home and with my family most of my life. College and career gave me the sense of need to learn and explore this world individually. I was beginning to understand how much I was missing out on knowing the unknown. My family was broke (still is) so I had to improvise on the experiences I wanted to seek within a budget. This led me on a journey to attend any kind of free learning event, activity or volunteering opportunity in the city. I must have gone crazy on that journey, that life conspired me to slow down and lead stay at home lifestyle before I go awry.
I began to do the things every twenty something began to do. Post random stuff on social media.
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Trial and Error at Composting
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| Sunshine amidst the gloominess |
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| Dad's vertical garden keeps growing |
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| Admiring the hidden patterns |
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Tried making ice tea
(Surprisingly came out well) |
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| Poetry |
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| Making clouds at home |
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Photographing cloud is not easy,
thus the clipart |
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| Flipping through old photo albums |
(Little me at Valluvar Kottam)
April 2020
The month we all realised staying at home, sleeping in late, doing daily chores in different time slots is not fun anymore. Basically, April evaporated in hindsight worrying about when this lockdown will get over. My parents were binge-watching all news channels and special mention to the Telugu new channels that shared info mostly intended to sensationalise instead of making sense made them worry too much than required. I felt like there is more chances for them to get health ailments from worrying before the virus attacks us. Some noteworthy activities of April in pictures below:
I have no idea why all the text from April to July 2020 is in bold eventhough they are not in bold in my editing site. Tried multiple ways but that remains the same. Oh well, one more example for murphy's law I guess. This made me delay posting this blog months ago because I wanted it to be perfect but it's the story mattered more thus published.
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Came outside the room after being inside forever
Met a Nine Spotted Moth |
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Dad and me were arranging Aloe vera, Cactus,
Pebbles and soil in this bowl
Felt like Ikebana without flowers |
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Then did the same with twigs of Karpooravalli
Also known as Indian Borage & Mexican Mint |
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| Dad and his knack for plant scaping |
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People started doing innovative stuff on social media
I got my name calligraphed by my college junior |
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| Dad jokes |
May 2020 When you check the meaning of May it says expressing
possibility or hope. May 2020 may not have given much hope on normalcy but it
did gave me lots of time. Lots of time in hand that I finished reading over
five books on career, psychology, humour, joy and women within a month. It may
not be a big deal for some but to a person who picks movies over books. It's
pretty much a big deal to me. May had such unusual possibility for me.
Lots of time and everything became virtual. What could have
gone wrong? Well, I went haywire on attending online events and meets at all
times thinking it gave me new opportunities to learn, meet people around the
world and believing a lie that being active 24x7 means productive. The moment
of truth: It gave me dry eyes. I could not close or open my eyes. It was
itching a lot. Felt like as if my eyes were in a baking oven with no tears left
to rescue. I had to keep a moist kerchief at all times to manage my vision. The
ironic thought that passed by was at my twenties itself I am about to do
injustice to my name (Sunayana) which means good (Su) eyes (Nayana). After some
deliberation and seeing my family worried, I went to hospital for eye check-up.
Turns out my eyes were so stressed up that they were not able to produce enough
fluid anymore. I got eye drops and the doctor for some reason added medication
for fever, cough and cold too. That's what happens when you visit a general
doctor instead of ophthalmologist during corona times, I guess.
Sometimes taking care of health can be productive. Take some
time off to stabilise. The world can wait but your body cannot bear it all at
once. Sleep is important. Screen time off is even more important. When I
was a kid, my mom used to make me sit 15 feet away from TV as the news tabloids
constantly reminded that TV screen rays can damage eye vision. Look how far we
have come. We now constantly interact by messages and do multiple digital
things using our phone and laptop just 2 feet away from our eyes. Reminder to
rethink that all the modern world habits does not mean the best way of living.
In this fast-paced world, taking rest may sound primitive but it's the most
logical thing to do.
 | Artificial tears to tackle my parched eyes
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Dear readers, allot time to relax
 | Two-year work anniversary
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| Dry bamboo leaf + mold covered wall
= Graffiti by me
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 | Became a barber to my brother
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 | Received a greeting card
A real card, not online one!
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 | And the message
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 | And there was a tiny card
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 | | Scribbles |
 | Facing my fears
I am afraid of birds yet photographed it
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My dad decided to do repainting of our home for no apparent reason. When the world was afraid of random strangers entering the porch of their homes out of fear thinking anyone has the potential to carry corona virus. My dad took the decision of inviting bunch of amateur housepainters he acquainted out of nowhere. They were painting at the speed of snail. It almost took a month for them to finish, as we were paying them per day, they took advantage of it. All the things at my home were piled from one room to another. Oh, the agony of paint smell everywhere, no freedom to roam as you wish, fear of theft, and energy drain to move the household things. We bear it all.
 | Household things piled in one place
Looks like a scene out of burglary
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 | All the plants in one place
Our mini forest
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When all the paintwork got over and we were finally glad until my dad expressed his dismay. He did not like the finish that was done and he blamed it on the paint company instead of the bunch of random amateurs he bought out of nowhere. He made me call the call centre number of the paint company and asked the person in the call to explain why he is seeing "Grey hell" instead of white walls. I am not making this up, he literally said "What is this I am seeing! It looks like grey hell to my eyes instead of clean white walls" Me and my brother thought it was funny but could not laugh at our dad's silly agony. Of all the things to worry about during a pandemic, my dad was worrying about the colour shade of the walls. Meanwhile we resumed with our routine.
 | Note to self:
Take a good picture of the moon very soon
What a month filled with possibilities! And my work from home life shortened. I began going to office three days a week.
June 2020
Back to routine in a world with less traffic and using scooter after a long time made it stop suddenly while driving. Meanwhile became self-taught host and organiser for webinars as part of work. Eventually, I have seen more webinars than proper sleep routine.
 | | Digital tantrums |
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 | | Reminiscing four phases of life |
 | | Tried Vegan Pasta |
 | Went for a heritage walk at George Town
along with mask and sanitizer |
 | | Attended hobby & leisure webinars |
 | Learnt to watercolour this Mosaic art
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 | | Kitchen Experiments |
 | Bioinspired poetry
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 | Mango smoothie
I attempted more than one recipe in a month |
 | Meek paw prints of a kitten
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 | | A new visitor |
 | | Ambiguity of my mind |
July 2020 Birthday month!
I was vibing to this Tamil song: June ponal July kaatre...
I get weirded out by birthdays, like it's some form of grim
reaper reminding that death is near and possible. But also, some people have
made me realise birthdays are once a year chance for most people to remember
you exist and share that thank you for living in this world and making a
difference to their world as well. Am I too philosophically invested in this?
Not really. Am I going to eternally rummage the purpose of birth, death,
existence, life and birthdays altogether? Oh yes.
Easiest recipe so far
Chilled ripe mango + soaked chia seeds
 | Attempted Aquafaba -
Vegan alternative for egg whites to make baking stuff
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Aquafaba did not happen
Got salty chickpea concentrate
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Virtual volunteering feedback
that helped me to tolerate lockdown
(Akka means big sister in Tamil & Telugu) |
And somehow magically the following text were not bold. I still got lot to learn about blogging.
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| Summer was never-ending |
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Interviewed by a local NGO on why I volunteer
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| Shadow fascinations |
My dad is a person who loves to help people he meets, even if the favour surpasses his moral values. So, a particular people he acquainted recently who were rumoured to have done criminal activities in Chennai wanted a place to stash their liquor boxes which later they will sell at higher prices suiting to demands occurred because of lockdown and temporary closing of TASMAC shops. Guess which place they found? My dad's bedroom. My dad let them use it as temporary liquor storeroom. One side news was spewing the importance of social distancing and the other side I am seeing random people coming in and out of home. But who am I to object an uncomfortable activity going on at my home when the very home was not in my name but my dad's. I felt like I was also just a visitor to this house like those boxes. Later my dad was telling enthusiastically that he heard from the local news a Tamil actress was carrying bulk amount of liquor bottles in her car seized by Tamil Nadu police. Hypocrisy much? I tried telling him he did almost the same, but he got offended. Oh well, I tried and learnt a lesson: Everything is metamorphic to situations. Be it liquor, home, dad or moral values.
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Laundering liquor
An incident that scared me
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Checking Instagram Archives
was a fun daily activity |
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I actually took an online poll to write this blog or not
78% made me believe in humanity again
22% said No - I hope you read this and
came to know 2020 was not all about Corona |
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Apparently, I am good at vocabulary and bad at reading English
Try online tests when bored, rediscover yourself |
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I loved this session on Digital safety
Learnt about Echo chamber, Fake news, Bias, Filter bubbles,
Emotional manipulation, Scapegoating, Labels and Hate speech |
A trend of spiritual MLM was happening in WhatsApp groups by some spiritual/religious brand. You get to join a WhatsApp group, administered by a person that shared the invite. Each day a new task was revealed which felt like school homework, if not done the person has to exit the group and slowly some tasks showcased cult like symptoms. One such task was each person in that small group needs to create separate WhatsApp group, invite people we know to join this activity and the agenda is for us to repeat what the admin did to us. And all the tasks are hidden or kept secret till each day happens for 21 days. I know super shady and confusing right? Interesting marketing strategy but unpaid manipulated labour. I personally felt it had transparency issues as in there was no particular contact person to catch hold of if there was any misconduct but I was lured to join, just to know what the hype was all about.
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21 days of something that I quit within 4 days
It's okay to try new things but it's also super okay
to be precarious and quit when needed |
While the world was finding ways to keep themselves entertained, sane and alive during lockdown. I did an activity, that I wanted to do for a long time. I cut my own hair, not too short but chopped some of it. Since childhood, my mom sent me to a local men's hair saloon to get short haircuts like the ones they do for boys, up until I was at the age of 12. I wanted to grow long hair so badly because it's what I saw as a norm among my girl classmates, women portrayed in media and my own mom. It was just a random low-key wish until I encountered an incident. A teacher at my primary school did not add my name to participate in the school festival dance on stage because I had short hair. I was not allowed because it will look odd and not good for pictures. The next day I see one of my classmates who also has short hair got included for the dance practice as her mom bought her a wig. My mom didn't do anything about it as she saw it to be a silly problem and buying a wig to join school dance practice sounded unnecessary for her. It's no big deal now but to a six-year-old it was telling me that the length of my hair determined where I belong. Phew, I am glad I have grown wise enough to know that world has innumerous avenues to explore and participate in irrespective of the length of my hair. Just remember, when you see problems in your way, think of it as an obstacle course and enjoy the adventure it has in store for you.
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I tried learning embroidery
Amazing activity but
needs lot of patience & practice |
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Entered a hypermarket after a long time
It has a total of seven floors and this was the view from there |
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Laptop repair
Because of lockdown restrictions had to wait outside
the repair shop, staring at the shutters of other shops |
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Monsoon started
Mushrooms grew at home |
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| Mentoring school girls became virtual |
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Monsoon comfort food:
Noodles + Veggies |
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| Gravity defying vines |
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One's loss is another's gain
Insects having a feast |
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| Some birthday wishes are nourishing to soul |
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So bored started cleaning the house
and found my parent's wedding card |
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Scribbles for Coping up
with online meetings
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I almost believed that my laptop could sense anxiety and can go on self-destruct mode
Using screens all the time did not just affect my health but the health of my gadgets
But also got to experience how remote laptop repair happens |
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Visited a school friend because I started missing people IRL
We had conversations and a samosa amidst the
open terrace filled with so many plants at her home |
August 2020
I finally got a bank account for myself. This was one of my to-do things for a long time but got procrastinated because of office work, need to take leave on a weekday, my parents never thought I would need one, and many more factors. How it happened? Because of lockdown I had to take permission and use my parent's bank account to pay bills online. One fine day, I was so restless I mistyped the account number to transfer money from my mom's bank account to my mobile wallet and panicked. The call centre people said immediately go to the bank's branch near you and inform to resolve. It was 8 PM. Which bank is working at 8 PM? Weird incident that motivated me to decide then and there to get a bank account of my own ASAP. Next day, me and my mom went to the bank, resolved the issue and added myself as their new customer. Now I am an owner of a bank account. It's so liberating to get something that you have been rooting for a long time. My financial independence happened during the month significant to celebrate India's independence.
Also, I received my very first invite to view live wedding reception sent by my college junior. But the link only broadcasted recorded video. Bit disappointed but had something new to binge-watch.
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| Faba bean flowers being all fab |
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| Crayon art attack |
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I understand I have an atypical name but
anyone who spells it right, makes me feel valid |
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Neighbours got Corona
Anyone who gets Covid-19 will receive a free
printed flex sheet from Tamil Nadu Government |
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I don't even remember what Origami this was
but it turned out to be Yoda head |
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Got a new mole
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Office got new Infrared thermometer
And I daily got to say:
I have normal temperature! Yay! |
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| New visitor to the garden |
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| A frog!! |
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So bored I decided to do KonMari cleaning
to my mom's closet full of sarees |
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| Another buddy at home: Spider |
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I don't have open terrace at home,
so this is how I watch sunsets |
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| Seeing constellation in leaves |
September 2020
My dad's birthday month and my maternal grandfather's death month. September has a duality like that.
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Google Maps being concerned of my travel halt
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| Guess what! |
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| I devised a recipe |
As I was still new scooter owner, I was not aware there is something called engine oil. On one fine day, my scooter had few troubles to start. I informed my dad and he finally remembered to mention that a scooter needs an oil change to work better. As a person who was used to receiving user manuals that automatically comes with any gadget or electrical appliance's purchase. I was wondering how come there is no care manual for a scooter. I started watching videos on how to do oil change until my dad said any puncture repair shop or petrol bunk will do it. That's all. All my video research about this machine is simplified to that's a service that can be availed outside instead of becoming an amateur scooter doctor. On my way to office, I asked the petrol bunk person about the oil change, for some reason everyone at the bunk became enthusiastic and started saying this in Tamil "Ahh Kandipa Madam! Inga panuvome. Inga vaanga, vaanga.. scooter kudunga! Dei antha sanitiser enga daw! Madam kai ku spray panunga, madam ku chair podunga!" - It means: Definitely Madam! we do it here. Come here Come here ... Give us the scooter! Oi, where is the sanitiser! Spray it on madam's hands! Give madam the chair to be seated!" They gave me a chair to sit and let me watch my dear scooter being operated. I guess no one came for oil change for a while and they liked the fact there is a change in task for the day other than filling fuel. The lid for engine oil tube was twisted, some black charred liquid was drained, the socket was cleaned and new engine oil was filled. My scooter became alright again and I found the incident to be amusing.
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A change in routine for me
Change in engine oil for my scooter |
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They gave us motichoor ladoo at office
I forgot the occasion though |
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| Plumeria blooms at home |
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| Insect munching away the leaves |
Remember a while ago I was telling September has its own dualities. However, amusing the days felt, a completely new revelation in me kind of shook it off. One fine day while bathing, I discovered I got a dark lumpy pea-sized patch under one of my breasts. Being a zillennial girl whose knowledge about breast tissue was acquired solely from internet and high school biology book, my first thought was "Do I have breast cancer? Am I going to die?" Morbid thoughts racing through my mind which made me realise how quick our perception about the world changes when you get a sign that indicates your time on earth is now even more finite. I started checking and comparing symptoms mentioned online, there were all sorts of conclusions: Benign, Malignant, Fat Necrosis, Hidradenitis, and much more. I was more confused to confirm what's happening to me or what's killing me.
I am not sure since when I had it as I don't check out every area of my skin that often. There is some sort of veiled shame or awkwardness instilled in the minds of women that more people like me hesitate to self-assess our own body. Even saying or writing breasts out loud feels so unusual for a thing that's been there near the heart since birth and throughout most of our lives. And it's not even a vulgar or swear word. Just a plain human anatomical feature. Imagine the amount of people could have been saved from breast cancer and other morbidities if they had done their monthly self-examination of their breasts without the embarrassment clouding their mind. Makes us think where our priority leans into. In practical sense, we are supposed to take care of ourselves but often that doesn't happen because of our own limited beliefs acquired or absorbed from people we come across in life.
A few days went by and it became tender, pus-filled cyst. The stingy me avoided hospital bills and also afraid of catching covid at a hospital visit. But a phone call with a friend and a conversation with my mom led me to better check it up soon than die being frugal. I was confused whether to consult a dermatologist or a gynaecologist or is there a doctor who specialises in breast diseases and treatments? Who knew? Internet search seemed futile as it kept bombarding me with the info that it could be cancer. One fine Sunday, me and mom went to a multispeciality hospital at Vadapalani where my maternal grandfather died. Got an appointment from a gynaecologist who is a long distance relative to my mom and sat quietly at the waiting room. Then the doctor's assistant told us the gynaecologist has lots of people to consult for the day, please visit the general doctor who is the husband of the Gynaecologist to avoid long waiting time. I was already not comfortable to talk about this health problem out loud and on top of it she directs me to a male doctor to check it up. Such an ironic move.
So, I went to the male general doctor's room. The doctor asks me to show the problem area in the presence of a guy and a lady medical residents or Interns. I half pulled my kurta upwards and then the innerwear while covering the areola to show them this is what happening, while anxiously thinking stop staring and please help. The main doc wore a glove, poked it with his index finger once and said it's an infection due to blocked sweat gland or hair follicle. They prescribed me an ointment and told me to bath often and wear innerwear made out of cotton or breathable fabric instead of synthetic ones. I was not sure if I should be happy that it was not terminal illness or should I be shocked that there were very fewer female doctors available to consult with in my vincinity. Oh well, one more life incident to showcase why gender gap is evident and addressing it matters. Also, WFH is not an excuse to skip bathing.
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| Hospital visit and the epiphany |
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Yeah right, my name is Unayanaa. S
I lost the count of times my name got misspelled |
My brother started writing his engineering exams at home. He had a mock online Test for the university to examine if the place is secure and cheating proofed at the student's home. Apparently, some AI tech is used and there were bunch of unusual guidelines. Like there should not be any background noise, only plain backgrounds allowed, shirts with printed texts are not allowed, eyes should only see the screen, and much more. I witnessed Exams from home (EFH) along with WFH.
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Meet Liza the Lizard
visits me every evening
bad poser for pictures |
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| A mushroom grew at the restroom |
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| Picked it up to observe |
One of my work colleague's dad died, and I felt envious that her dad died when she is well settled. I was envious because I may not grieve but worry after my dad's death. He gave us lots of debts to repay to sources unknown and to think the unknown who will come by to ask for money after his death is not really a pleasant thing to think about. My brother said, now I am a sinner. He explained that according to seven deadly sins, envy is one of them. Don't get me wrong, envy is portrayed as a villainous emotion but it is an existing emotion and acknowledging it will help us understand what we feel like lacking or which new direction in life one needs to take.
I began volunteering with a local NGO to teach children about eco-friendly practices and sustainability. It was fun and nice to see and listen to young minds about the topics we grownups find tuff to understand and adopt solutions for. The questions and solutions they brainstormed were so amazing I did not want the sessions to end. Nowadays kids are too brilliant for their age. Also, want to share that if you take care of the environment, it will take care of you.
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Beach visit
Went for outing after months |
October 2020
The month I got introduced to sisterhood. Not in 2020 but in October 1998, I became an elder sister to my brother. In 2020 though, October was eventful in other ways for my mind, body and spirit if that exists. My dad forwards a WhatsApp message saying that a fancy number happened on the date 10102020. Most WhatsApp forwards are annoying but this one was fun to know I was alive on this fancy date. Then, a part of my molar tooth broke after trying to bite a watermelon seed. My mom blamed my weak teeth because I quit drinking milk in an attempt to be vegan. Truth is milk is for infants or emergency health food. It's not necessary to consume it daily when I am getting similar nutrition in plant-based foods. I could not give up meat but did stop consuming milk as much as possible. It's truly a personal choice and not forced upon me. But was guilty that I was not able to practice veganism as much as I thought, then I came across the word flexitarian which pretty much sums up my current diet pattern.
One fine weekend I was so tired and I slept 12 hours straight from 9pm to 9 am IST. But equivalent to that I received sudden recurring thoughts on am I living my life to the fullest or why am I alive? I am pretty sure this is daily mental dosage experienced by most zillennials. So, much that I feel like if there was a book published about me, it should be named as 'existential crisis!' How do I cope with it when being broke and funded by my maternal aunts for basic necessities? Memes! Especially the MBTI memes I read online keeps me sane and quite frugal relaxation method.
My college best friend whom I haven't met for years, informs me she's getting married and invites me to join the celebration. I felt pretty emotional but also felt little void that am I a bad friend? I never got to help her with wedding arrangements and all. These thoughts quickly became minuscule of worry when my parents subtly started discussing about the topic that I detested: My marriage. I am may be at eligible age but certainly not wise enough to get married.
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Was showing kids about reusable things at my home
for the online class on eco-friendly practices |
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Walking to scooter rides
Umbrella to raincoat times
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While on errands got myself an extra pair of chappals because
it's not always easy to get right footwear for tall women |
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| Dad upcycled this paint bucket to cacti basket |
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Bad recipe alert: Never mix orange pulp with
chocolate flavoured malt powder |
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| Ant on an edge |
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| Garden visitor at home |
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One more vegetable to harvest
Ridge Gourd |
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| Spot the insect! |
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| It's a dragonfly in camouflage |
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Unusual things at home garden
Butterfly wing |
I started taking medicines for the skin infection on my bosom. Then, I had to buy new innerwear that is made of cotton, sweat wicking and breathable. It really took me a month to actually buy them even when my health is on the line. The thing is it is such a hushed topic at my home or I assume in most Indian households, we don't buy it often. Also, it has a stigma of being a vulgar garment than a garment to support the body and keep its wearers comfortable enough to resume with their daily activities. The stigma is so strong, I have only purchased it once and that was a decade back. So, it felt like a new experience that I have no idea about. My mom was not helpful either because she and I are on the same boat when it comes to non-routine purchases. All this led me to start reading info about it on Reddit and Quora on how to measure the size, pick fabric, types, brands and everything else that felt like mini market research to purchase the right one for my comfort's sake. Glad to know I live in a time when internet is affordable to learn about things humans hesitate to talk about. The downside was I was bombarded with innerwear ads on my social media for a while. Data is indeed the new oil, I guess.
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Medicine for the skin infection
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Found a mystery flower
at home garden |
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It was flower bud of Roselle
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Was showing kids on colour coding the bins to segregate home waste
as compostable (green), recyclable (blue) and bio-hazardous (red) |
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And had a fun pop quiz on plastic numbers
for recycling in domestic products |
November 2020
Liza the lizard who was peeping through the bedroom window and a distant introverted companion of mine was gone. And never returned. Sometimes I do wonder what happened to Liza but maybe that's beyond me to realise. It was best to be departed this way, I guess. As time passed by, I was part of an online professional global conference where thousands of people attended it in support of more women in STEM. It was my first international virtual conference both as an attendee and as an organiser. It was almost like a digital Thiruvizha (Tamil word for fests) with scavenger hunts, photobooth, and more. Then, I got to mentor two international students from USA and an executive director for an NGO at Uganda. I was glad my imposter syndrome has been subsiding as I age. My younger self would not have the ounce of strength to admit or believe I can do it or if I did it the courage to accept my efforts for something I did that is really important to me or for others. Acknowledging your deeds are important even if you are experiencing it for the first time. You were part of it and that matters the most. Even when it was successful, even when it was a mistake to learn from.
Every month, I witness a twist in routine and sometimes I am astonished by it. But sometimes it petrifies me. My 65+ year old boss became sick, fainted suddenly and we were all worried if he got Corona Virus. Ironically it happened on 17 November 2020, the one-year anniversary of first known case of COVID-19 in the world. He was admitted to hospital. I became wary of the thought what if he dies and I lose my job. Turns out, it was a bacterial infection most likely to be caused by a bacterium present in soil. Transmission could have been from food or gardening. We were all bombarded with the words such as virus and covid that we forgot other microbes exist.
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Drawing as many round objects that comes to mind
I drew 8 round things |
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Drew favourite foods, Country I live, Giraffe with wings,
and a self-portrait. Each under 30 seconds |
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| Drawing a recipe to make ham & cheese toast |
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Using one circle and 4 lines
Draw a smile, cloud, tall and short person
My brother helped, my mind was clueless about it |
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Homemade Gulab Jamun
No experiments, store-bought mix, made by mom |
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The art: Deepavali trash
The artist: My Parents
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Picturing shadows
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| Checking out Snapchat filters |
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Online volunteering class kids started calling me Aunty
Gone are the days I was called Akka (Elder sister) |
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Different shades of Mango leaf
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Seeds germinating towards sunlight
Me and my dad has a brief garden audit, turns out
We were nurturing 42 different plant varieties at home
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And, I received my driving licence for gearless scooter. It has been a long time wish of mine. Bus rides morphed into scooter rides. But it came with other responsibilities such as driving without hitting anyone, being brave enough to park the scooter in unknown spaces and most importantly not get stressed out with the people who don't follow rules yet ready to advice about it. On the flipside, I am just grateful to wear a mask and sing or swear while riding the scooter. Also, scooter rides are totally a game changer, they save time, I had to worry less about curfews, less tired, and no more worries about getting groped which are most likely to happen in crowded public transport.
December 2020All that online work included lots of typing and texting which lead to thumb ache. My right-hand thumb became sore to the extent I was not able to hold my phone properly. I was concerned for a while, but it recovered after few days of giving rest to it. The idea of thumb paralysis is not great way to end the year with. Glad my thumb recovered after soaking in lukewarm water and rest from texting.
I had a candid conversation with my mom. Through that, she shared in-depth intel about the debts (few crores in INR), court cases and liabilities my dad incurred because of his unfortunate business decisions and people he got deceived from in the name of friendship. I knew my dad was at a loss decade ago but now I have a grown-up mind that can understand that my family is insolvent which means I am daunted by the fact that I don't have the financial stability to live life on my own terms. This had made me stingy and started treating every income as savings for emergency and retirement fund. I stopped indulging in purchases even when it meant buying something to eat, drink or take care of myself. The plus side is now I am a minimalist with lesser carbon footprint than I used to contribute.
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Guilt free snack platter by mom
Featuring Almonds, Banana, Dates, Guava, & Cucumber
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Featured for what I am most passionate about
Volunteering |
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Home garden
Felt like backdrop of Miyazaki's anime |
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| Girth of greens |
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| Parakeet flower |
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| Growing microgreens |
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First offline volunteering after so many lockdowns
Kids and I got to upcycle used water bottles
into self-watering pots for plants
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| Compliments from the kids are the best |
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Braided banana peel
Bored musings |
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Supposed to be an aerial shot
of a spider |
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Nothing can compensate the feel
of seeing my students enjoy learning
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Idly revamp
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Lehsun ki Chutney
Smitten by it at Jaipur,
replicated it in Chennai |
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| Office Corridors |
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| Office plants |
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Christmas time means time for free cake
from my dad's Christian friend |
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| Peekaboo with nature |
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Binging on movies + ready to eat snack
Day well spent |
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Felt like trying unusual foods
Water lily seeds
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People asked me what special plans for
new year celebration (Dec 31, 2020):
It was a weekday, working at office was the plan |
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But change of plans happened, after office
me and my colleague visited a chaat cafe
on the occasion of 2020's final day
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Ending the year with one more new thing to try: Teriyaki sukha puri
To my surprise Teriyaki sauce sounds spicy but tastes sweet |
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Received office diary for 2021
Denoted end of my 2020
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And that's it. Poof! A year was gone. Some missed their college & school moments, some missed their milestones in person, some postponed weddings, some were glad this happened to see how the nation responds to an apocalypse. I found it unusual and even though the year 2020 was filled with many incidents, it made me feel a void. The void of missing vacations, exploring places and temporary reset that we all had the privilege to without using facemasks, sanitisers, lockdown rules and much more. Good thing is now vaccines are available and restrictions are reducing. But to make it work, everyone needs to get vaccinated. If you are yet to be vaccinated, please go book a slot and get the jab. If you are avoiding because of some random conspiracy theories such as government jabbing nano particles of spyware into your bloodstream, I can only say that you are being an impediment for the welfare of people. We are all interconnected and if we all don't take action for crucial things like getting vaccinated, it gets reflected in the quality of products and services you use for your life's sustenance. You get to choose and influence how human race has to be taken forward.
Phew! It took around 8900 words (98 A4 size pages) worth of content to summarize my life in 2020. A lot can happen over a year, I guess. The feeling of finally complete something that was started is indescribable. Writing this blog was particularly unique as it gave me a sense of relief, purpose and introspect things in my own pace. I guess this is my Hygge (interesting Danish concept) and compensates the temporary reset I was missing in 2020. And also, I made an impromptu audit for the places I went to, books I read and movies I watched in 2020 that shaped me who I am right now.
32 Places I went: Besant Nagar beach, Presidency
College, Kottivakkam Beach, Taramani, Nungambakkam, Teynampet, Alwarpet,
Roypettah, Thyagaraya Nagar, Pondy Bazaar, Thiruvanmiyur Beach, Guindy,
Kotturpuram, Vadapalani, Adyar Eco Park, Little mount, Saidapet, West Mambalam,
OMR, Anna Nagar, Fort St. George, Mylapore, Napier Bridge, Marina Beach, Neelankarai,
ECR, Alandur, Purasaiwakkam, Sriperumbudur, Ashok Pillar, and my Office + Home.
Seems like a lot of places, right?
I was roaming within Chennai seeking vacation in tiny trips around the city.
21 Books I read: Escargot for it!, Cinderella and the Glass Ceiling, The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter--And How to Make the Most of Them Now, The Adventures of Johnny Bunko, Dear Girls, I feel bad about my neck, The bad mood and the stick, Nothing rhymes with orange, Wangari's trees of peace, the tiny book of tiny pleasures, Unfuck Your Brain, Notes on a Nervous Planet, I owe you one, HelloFlo: The guide, Period., Who moved my cheese?, Out of the maze, Three thousand stitches, So now you know: A memoir of growing up gay in India, Tokyo: Travel Sketchbook, Pandora's Lab, Birthday girl, How to be interesting
222+ Movies & Series I saw: Second act, Marriage Story, Chopsticks, Capharnaüm, Hibiscus and Ruthless, A Simple Favour, Judy, A beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood, Ford Vs Ferrari, Dangerous Minds, Shubh mangal saavdhan, Pressure Cooker, Gypsy, Lost Girls, The clapper, Varane Avashyamund, Ee Nagaraniki Emaindhi, The mind explained, Good Will Hunting, Thappad, The Promised Neverland, Absurd Planet, Thappad, Young Adult, Hindi Medium, Angrezi medium, 7 khoon maaf, Birds of prey, The midnight gospel, Talaash, 18 Regali, Article 15, The man without gravity, The platform, The president's barber, Escape room, The wrong missy, Enter the game, Rilakkuma and Kaoru, Aggretsuko, Upload, The package, Into the woods, Shatamanam Bhavati, Vijetha, Otha serupu size 7, Ponmagal Vandhal, Human Nature, Hospital Playlist, Murder Mystery, Sharkers, Becoming, Eeb Allay Ooo, Carrie Philby, Diagnosis, Phantom thread, annihilation, genius of the ancient world, a suitable girl, weird city, undone, ride your wave, weathering with you, axone, Maudie, a secret love, so b. it, Hichki, The Kitchen, A league of their own, feel the beat, Moonrise Kingdom, Once again, Seven, Bulbbul, the vast of night, looks that kill, The assistant, Gattaca, Ship of Theseus, Won't Back Down, Sila Samaiyangalil, the Half of it, The intervention, I don't feel at home in this world anymore, It's kind of a funny story, Minimalism, Life overtakes me, One Day, Stuck in love, Mentalhood, Tholi prema, Dharala Prabhu, Feminists what were they thinking?, The Change-up, The little prince, Thoroughbreds, Operator, Growing up Smith, Indian Matchmaking, Good Boys, Fasten your seatbelt, The incredible Jessica James, The imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, #Shreelancer, Misbehaviour, The Flu, Shakuntala Devi, Dark, Showbiz Kids, a kid like Jake, Honest Candidate, The last conception, The Villainess, A taxi driver, Who is Alice, History 101, Brochevarevarura, unwell, H is for happiness, Soni, Close enough, Lucky Grandma, Kota factory, Adopt a highway, The sun is also a star, The Addams family, Masaba Masaba, Class action park, Exit, Terrarium locker room, Midnight runners, Bluff master, Troop zero, Generation wealth, Duvvada Jagannadham, Three identical strangers, Avicii True stories, Then came you, Human zoos, The strange name, Gone Kesh, Soulsathi, RBG, Abominable, This is Paris, Enola Homes, Into the wild, The social dilemma, The Glorias, Dick Johnson is dead, Serious Men, Bigg Boss Tamil, Don't F**k with cats, David Attenborough: The life on our Planet, Princess Mononoke, June, Fantastic fungi, Hubie Halloween, Swallow, Palm springs, Inception, My octopus teacher, Putham Pudhu Kaalai, Luka Chuppi, Dearest Anita, Not quite dead yet, Usagi drop, The dude in me, Scam 1992, Perfume, Humanimal, Picture a scientist, Send me to the clouds, Monster, The game, Level 16, The banker, Soorarai Pottru, Green book, Ludo, Mookuthi Amman, Over the Moon, Miss India, Bad boy billionaires: India, Dream big: Engineering our world, Ask for Jane, Hunting for Hedonia, The chaperone, Majili, Forgotten, Honey boy, The little comrade, extra ordinary, The queen's gambit, Ekkadiki Pothavu Chinnavada, How to with John Wilson, The money pit, Half the Picture: Women Directors of Hollywood, K-12, Super intelligence, The fabulous loves of Bollywood wives, Bhaag Beanie Bhaag, But I'm a Cheerleader, The inventor Ecotherapy getaway holiday, The high note, Lady Maiko, Cafe Funiculi Funicula, Crazy not insane, Going clear: Scientology and the prison of belief, Baby god, The croods: New age, Oh! My Gran, Taxiwaala, Memories of Murder, Paava Kadhaigal, The Vow, Luck-Key, The girlallergic to Wi-Fi, Jamtara, Samjin company English class, AK Vs AK, (some more but forgot to note down)
People who follow me on Instagram, hehe sorry I couldn't compile the whole list of movies I saw. But like everything in life, human brain especially mine is super forgetful and can only share the ones I remember to note down spontaneously. To people who asked what are you watching: This! This is what I have been doing :)
It was fun making this life audit of things I did in 2020. Now need a break from all the nostalgia and will amuse you with another blog with fleeting moments of life. Thanks for being part of it some way or the other. A piece of you has been impacted and reflected somewhere in this blog.
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