Everyday Life Archives - Page 2 of 3

6 Things I Like, as a Result of Quarantine; 5 Things I Don’t

I woke up one day to a WhatsApp video sent by my dad about a sighting of Hornbills in Altamount Road. I don’t remember last when I jumped out of bed with such rapid enthusiasm to watch a video. But when I did play it, my first thought was HORNBILLS IN THE CITY? Could this be real??!

When I finished watching the video – the realization then sunk in, I had been in a self imposed quarantine for nearly 23 days; 30 days counting today. And the fact that those hornbills could stray into the city so freely was – in a way – a reminder, nay, a result of it: this new way of living; humans retreating into the indoors.

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Coronavirus Chronicles: 7 Women Tell Me How They are Dealing with this Pandemic

Ever since China reported to the WHO of a mysterious pneumonia-like illness spreading amongst its vast population on Dec 31^st, 2019 – the world has been in a constant state of upheaval. Then, on Jan 7^th, 2020 – this lung jarring illness was finally identified with a name: SARS-CoV-2 medically referred to as Covid-19.

In close to three months of its existence – as Covid-19 made its way around the globe – it has caused widespread chaos and fear in its wake, with thousands of lives hanging in the balance. And as the world retreated into a 2-week lockdown, the news of this deadly virus has syndicated its way into our lives through a number dedicated channels. Be it those unending WhatsApp forwards, un-muted Google alerts, social media, phone calls or your next door neighbor who can’t stop talking about it.

While this has resulted in a ‘man-vs-virus’ war-like scenario, with man on the constant defense, always looking for our next hopeful victory – there is one primal question we forget to ask our fellow comrades: How are YOU personally dealing with it?

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Changing your Hairstyle Does Make a Difference (In Life & Otherwise)

I haven’t really given much thought to styling my hair for most of my life. When I was a child my mother gave me the ‘fringe cut’ with straight hair at the back. It remained my haircut for years.

The first time I really took charge of styling my hair was in my early adolescence: I grew out the fringe and started to center part my hair. The second time was after graduating school when I got myself the ‘layered cut’. It was the rage. The third time was at the end of Junior College when I started to dislike layers and got myself the ‘Victoria Beckham’ bob.

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3 Days of Unfamiliarity – Everything I Felt During My Mini Holiday

I’m sitting on a lounge chair overlooking a vast swimming pool. The sun is out but the giant umbrella above me is keeping it at bay. Basking under the cool shade, I slide further down into my chair. My eyes are shut, but somewhere in the distance I can hear a child-like laughter.

I’m lost to my surroundings: the calm, the breeze, the laughter, the peace. I wouldn’t say I’m living in the moment though; given how I’m imagining it – the moment is living in me. Continue reading “3 Days of Unfamiliarity – Everything I Felt During My Mini Holiday”

A Saturday Lost in Tardiness & How to Deal with It

I learned early on that I have a bad affliction of not making concrete weekend plans. Usually I’m just lazy, but when I do, it’s mostly a one-on-one with a single individual friend who I can speak to at length about life.

A couple of weekends back, I made exactly such a plan. I reached out to an old friend after nearly 2 years, and to celebrate our union we decided to meet for brunch at quaint little café on a hill on a sunny Saturday afternoon. The location was a mid point between both our houses – symbolic of our mutual excitement to see each another.

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