What started off as a fun experiment escalated quickly into long work hours, pitching in house maintenance activities, being fatigued by end of day - only to wake up to the same routine every single day. Whether you are a social butterfly or a social raccoon- being confined gets to you physically, emotionally, mentally. It is about not having the option to step out, not having any social situations and interactions. It has left a gaping void that cannot be filled as zoom meetings, VC's, hangouts are just not the same experientially. History will recognize this as a defining moment - all events will be described as pre-corona and post-corona. Things have changed permanently; there is no going back.
For me, my priority was to ensure I'm taking care of myself - physically, emotionally and mentally. I started home workouts early on 5-6 days a week to ensure I was getting enough exercise. The endorphins released post a good workout are definitely a bonus. Thanks to my coaches Munir and Jessica who later planned out regular sessions over Skype, I have been able to workout more effectively. Tech has definitely played a major role this lockdown in every aspect of our lives.
We have access to the terrace as we stay on the top floor; every evening my entire family would come here to walk, cycle, play cricket or just sit and enjoy the sunset. I particularly enjoyed playing cricket; batting, of course. And we had similar rules as we did during our childhood - whoever hits the ball out has to go down, search for the ball and get it back up. I ended up hitting so many off the terrace to the ground! My spouse was kind enough to get the ball on most occasions. You realize the joys of life are in the simplest and smallest of things.
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| On my 5 yo nephew's cycle |
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| With a plastic bat here; we later found a nice wooden bat we had got from Kashmir |
I've been married and living here for 6+ years, and for the first time we all went to the terrace together to spend time as a family and at this frequency. I'm a sunset person; just fall in love with the colors of the sky changing dramatically at twilight. Was a pleasure to view so more sunsets during this period than I have cumulatively viewed in years.
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| One of the many sunsets..look at the clear skies |
On my birthday, I put on a nice red dress and my spouse did a photo shoot on the terrace coz he knows how much I love to be clicked and there was nothing else he could do to make my day special.
On my spouse's birthday, I realized he badly needed a haircut. I volunteered my services and did a pretty decent job. Post that, I got requests to provide a haircut to my 1 yo and 5yo nephews. My chopping skills improved with every cut; I finally got the confidence to chop off my own locks. And I'm truly proud of myself! I also pluck my eyebrow regularly to ensure I look presentable in the absence of access to salon services.
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| Before |
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| After |
I have been working from home throughout the lock down. What I realized over time was, my breaks were much shorter and I barely took 1-2 breaks the entire day. In addition, I was putting in more hours and working around 12 hours everyday as a routine rather than an exception. I started scheduling in breaks to ensure I have some quiet time to myself. Also, I missed dressing up for work. On some days, I would just dress up as if I'm going to office and sit home and work. That really helped me psychologically.
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| Enjoying drinks with the team virtually |
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| Dressing up for myself |
I have saved the best part for the last - food! There were a lot of special occasions this lockdown - birthdays, anniversaries and we made it special with food. From making middle eastern delights to first time baking to trying new dishes we love but have not cooked before. This has been an exciting culinary journey where we cooked, baked and ate together :)
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| Enjoyed variety of pakodas with masala chai on the terrace |
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| When #Dalgona was trending |
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| Masala Khakhra |
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| Mangoes from our tree |
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| TIL this is how pretty a ripe bitter gourd (karela) looks like. We planted some of these seeds |
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| My first attempt at hummus |
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| Marinated chicken |
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| Pav Bhaji |
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| Hearty Cream of Mushroom soup garnished with crisp potato peels |
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| Chicken Chilli with steamed rice |
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| My very first bake item - Choco walnut brownie; and they were so perfect! |
Ragda pattice in the making
I have only stepped out twice, with a proper mask and followed all social distancing protocols. Once for grocery shopping and once to visit my doctor when I have having a terrible pain. Both instances felt very strange. The Bombay I know- buzzing, vibrant, constantly on the move was not there; instead there was a deserted city with closed shops and people walking around like straight from some dystopian future. It really saddened me to see while I was focused on my life in quarantine, my city had changed completely.
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| Pre-Corona this was a buzzing market wherein you literally had to make your way through a sea of people, cows and hand carts. Now wears a deserted look |
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| We are no longer allowed to enter shops and pick up items we need. We stand in a line as per norms, ask for what we want and purchase whatever the employees are able to fetch |
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| May seem relatively more crowded but is a shadow of what it once was |
As of today, I'm mentally prepared to face this new world with its new rules. We have to adapt if we are to survive.
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