As vaccines are being distributed across the world and news on new strains have made us all go not again, I wonder how people are coping with the extended lockdown. I am sure many people are just thankful to be spending a lot of time with their families (with an overwhelming amount of work seeping in, of course), taking a vacation for a solo trip has been on my mind since I can last remember. But lockdown woes have made my parents give me a big fat NO for travelling, so I took a sabbatical from writing for a while and got into ruminating about what should I do next.
Unlike last year, I did not make any resolutions list for this year because the uncertainty of the situation made me realise this is a good time to slow down and spontaneously learn as you go. So in this post, let me share some of my ideas, thoughts and projects that I am currently working on and hopefully will bring to fruition in the upcoming months.
1. Start a section on culinary fiction and food memoirs.
If you have read through my book blogs, I usually get very excited if the story has strong themes of food and cooking. I enjoy trying out different cuisines, watching food and travel documentaries, and learning about ingredients and cultures that influence the food which local people eat. What better way to showcase my learning through writing? *winks*
2. Write my experience with pilates, jogging and meditation/stretching.
The one activity that I have managed to do more frequently during lockdown is workout at least 4-5 days a week. I try not to take more than 2 days of break in between and do a mix of running on a treadmill, pilates by Blogilates and meditation/stretching to keep my body moving on days I am too sore. A complete blog post on the changes I have seen in the last 6 months is a writing in progress.
3. Annotate/summarise self-help books and classics by Shakespeare.
Now, this I find will be challenging my mental capabilities to their fullest. Annotating or summarising self-help books is easier than stories written by William Shakespeare. And I am reading selected classics in an abridged version meant for grade school children (hey, classics are hard and it is never too late to dip your toes in this genre or any as a matter of fact). The only book that I have read by the author is Macbeth, and it was a part of my English literature syllabus during college. And why read these classics? Because you shouldn’t die without knowing the essence of these famed stories. No promises though!
4. Expand my bookstagram account to incorporate food and travel.
I am slowly and steadily gaining followers on my instagram account (98 followers, woot woot!), and it is a delight to I sit down and focus my creative energies into writing, designing and taking photos. Though it is a long way to go, I believe this is a good start. And because I enjoy creating, expanding my posts about food and travel feels like my next big step.
5. Learn the native language from my maternal grandfather.
Since I grew up abroad and stayed in many different parts of India, learning to read and write in my native language (Odia) has been challenging. I speak the language fluently, but I am not literate in it. I suppose any child who has grown outside their native place can correlate this experience where you learn a language implicitly. Learning it will bring me closer to my roots and culture, and it will give me more quality time to spend with my grandfather every Saturday.
Thank you so much for reading this post. Cheers!
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Eternally Bonkers 