I think it would be safe to say that 2021 wasn’t much better than 2020. The recurring surges of COVID-19(and the spread of it’s various demon spawns)has hindered improvement, and more importantly, bringing people together again. Thankfully the various vaccinations being administered across the globe certainly have been doing its job in trying to help keep the surges from reaching more horrific peak. But I’m sure you all already know everything I’ve said up until this point.
We’ve reached an era in which reading the news is a task that takes a considerable toll on our mental health and adds onto the stress already existing because of the pandemic and worrying about our family, friends, and other factors in our individual lives. So I went on a hunt to collect numerous stories from throughout 2021 describing events that had shaped the year-for the better. So here is our 2021 recap. But a little nicer.
The Great Barrier Reef and its steady recovery:
It’s common knowledge that climate change has been affecting our planet in more ways than one. And the plant starting to heat up bit by bit isn’t only causing glaciers to melt. Warming oceans had caused corals to start bleaching, leading to them losing color, and life. Coral bleaching had caused significant damage to the majority of the Great Barrier Reef, but this year, scientists found hope when the corals started to spawn and gaining life once again. This is a good sign for moving towards improving the status of our planet into a better state of health.
NASA’s Perseverance rover successfully made oxygen on mars:
NASA’s Perseverance is equipped with an adorable device(the size of a toaster to be exact)the Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment, MOXIE for short. With Mars’ lack of breathable oxygen, water, and other necessities for human life, this device is the first step for a future involving human research and possible civilization on Mars. According to an article written by NASA in April, Mars’ atmosphere is mostly carbon dioxide, therefore MOXIE’s job is to take these molecules and break them apart in order to isolate oxygen atoms. Although the amount initially produced by MOXIE was fairly small, this is still a major achievement in the process of helping human beings survive on Mars.
Giant pandas are no longer endangered:
In July, China had announced that giant pandas were no longer being classified as “endangered,” an incredible improvement after years of decline of this majestic species. Along with these pandas, rises in various other endangered species populations have been found.
A species of giant tortoise was found in the Galapagos:
What was previously thought to be extinct was uncovered again on Fernandina Island after a lone female was found. Scientists ran tests, confirming that it was indeed the member of a species of tortoise thought to have gone extinct 100 years ago. Scientists are now scouring the island to find more of these turtles as they take the female to be bred. This discovery was crucial in attempting to preserve a species thought to be lost forever.
The 2020 Olympics in Tokyo brought us some very young medal recipients, who dominated the games:
The 2020 Olympics held a number of contenders that made it difficult to choose who we rooting for, each competition shone with the hard work and dedication of each and every person who was competing, no matter if they walked away with a medal or not. One event in particular that made me feel incredibly proud was the women’s street skateboarding event that included 13 year olds Momiji Nishiya and Rayssa Leal. Nishiya gold, Leal silver, and Nakayma bronze. Nishiya and Nakayma, both of Japanese descent, helped push the country towards winning the skateboarding event overall with their respective wins. But that’s not what I loved the most.
I loved seeing the sheer power they held even when competing against people much older and showed so much swagger and grace in everything they did, even when they weren’t on their boards. It made me incredibly proud to see people close to my age bringing so much for their countries and our youth. Their drive, power, and achievements were a spectacle to see and I couldn’t be more happy to see our generation being represented at such a level.
Disney and Pixar had a fantastic lineup of movies that proceeded to make me bawl:
A tradition we’ve had since before I was born was sharing our love for film, one of the many ways we bonded together. The movie could be absolutely incredible, or downright horrendous, but all that really mattered was that we were together and happy.
Being avid Disney fans, my family and I always make it a point to sit and watch the latest animated movies together. But really, anything categorized under Disney or Pixar is always a must-watch in our book, and this past year animations have been being pumped out of studios left and right, and a number of them were bangers. Some my favorites were:
Raya and the Last Dragon – Taking place in a fictional location inspired by south-east Asian culture and geography, our heroine Raya finds herself trying to fight against the forces of a dark evil that had taken over the lands of her beloved home, and those of others, into it’s clutches.
Luca – Set in 1950’s Italy, Luca illustrates the journey of our little, anthropomorphic main, Luca. A little fish/lizard creature who lives with his family in the sea. But, Luca starts to get curious about what lies above the surface of the clear waters. His curiosity is what ultimately leads him to befriend another boy just like him and learning what it means to truly live.
Encanto – Set in what appears to be early 20th-century Colombia, Mirabel Madrigal navigates her life as a member of the mystical Madrigal family in their enchanted house. Almost all of the members of the family holds a unique power, except her. But when the fate of her and her family’s future is at stake, Mirabel takes it upon herself to prove herself to uncover the mysteries of their past, and her own future. as an essential part of the family.
Studios like Disney, Pixar, and Ghibli have become a source of comfort for me no matter how much I grow up. There always seems to be a film I can watch that will bring me pure joy no matter what I’m feeling.
The James Webb Space Telescope was finally launched on Christmas Day after several periods of delay.
The highly anticipated James Webb Space Telescope was launched into space on Christmas Day, the telescope, originally set to launch in 2007, was delayed due to technical difficulties and other factors that could’ve effected the mission in a negative manner. The telescope will be flying roughly a million miles away from Earth while simultaneously changing to its final form.
The telescope itself is the largest and most powerful telescope ever built and will be serving a purpose never given to any other device made to be sent to space. This telescope will be traveling in order to gain information regarding the formation of early galaxies(about 100 to 200 million year olds to be exact). As well as look for information that could help us understand various other things about various galaxies and their formation.
The telescope features a massive mirror coated in gold in order to have as much infrared light as possible. (Infrared light makes it easier for the device to be able to see what source is emitting light from within big clouds of dust.
What makes this mission so sensitive is the fact that anything could happen to the telescope, but no one can go out there to fix it like with Hubble; due to the sheer distance the telescope will be traveling away from our planet. If all goes well, the telescope is predicted to last more than ten years.
(I’ll be making another post about this telescope that will dive deeper into its mechanics, purpose, and history.)
Nearly half of the global population is vaccinated against COVID-19
– In late 2019, there was a number of infections found in Wuhan, China, which were later identified as SARS-CoV-2.
– After the rapid spread of infections across the globe, COVID-19 was officially declared as a global pandemic by WHO on March 11, 2020.
– Summer of 2020 brought the first approval from the FDA for the first COVID-19 vaccine.
As of today, December 29th, 2021, more than 8 billion doses of the vaccine have been distributed worldwide, and 48.3 percent of our entire population has been fully vaccinated. I’d say, we as a society need to applaud the work of our healthcare workers, scientists, and social workers. I want to take the opportunity now to thank everyone in the workforce. Doctor, nurse, teacher, student, salesperson, mail carrier, garbage collector, engineer, writer, artist, everyone. We all managed to pull through nearly two years of something that could only be described as pure torture.
We’ve hit some of our darkest moments these past two years, and yet we continued to fight for the good of humanity, the good of every creature, and the good of our planet. Because this is our home, the people in it included. And protecting what we love in our hearts is an innate behavior that has existed since the beginning.
Before the pandemic, I never would’ve been able to fathom that this could’ve happened in so suddenly in our lives, and to such a frightening degree. Thinking back to early 2020, my mindset was completely different and I held none of the knowledge I have now. Before, I didn’t realize just how sensitive human life really is, and how it can be shortened at any given moment. It pains me to say this but the past two years have helped me realize how precious and beautiful life is.
I have no idea what the future is going to hold, but I’m entering the year with no expectations except to keep my health as it is now.
I hope you all celebrated the coming year with those you love, let’s all walk into this new era together as one.
Before I get into the actual topic of this post, I would like to clear up a few things:
I will not quit being a blogger.
Yes, I will periodically take hiatuses.
And yes, I’ll try(key word is try)to notify you before I take a hiatus so you can have a general idea of when to expect content to be put out.
Now that that’s out of the way, I’m sure you would like to know what I have been doing for the past four months that have been preventing me from posting any content.
Many of you probably have noticed the downward trend of posts since my “debut” as a blogger in early 2017. The amount of writing I was able to put out then was much more than I am able now, due to the increase in workload and all around “busy-ness” of my life as I continue to enter different stages in my educational career and life in general. So I apologize that I’m unable to put out as many posts as I was able to before. I will try my best to improve the consistency of my posts as time passes. And if I’ incapable of doing so, you will know the reason why.
As many of you are most likely aware, many countries across the globe have been able to develop or access vaccines for the COVID-19 virus. Vaccine distribution has been going on for quite some time in various countries across the globe. Some of these countries include the United States, Thailand, the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Singapore, India, and many many more.
Of course, I have no authority to tell you to receive vaccinations or instruct you on your own health. That is solely the job of your doctor/physician, and I strongly encourage that you contact them if you are having doubts regarding the vaccine(s) available in your country.
Today’s post is only going to describe my experience while getting my COVID-19 vaccine doses and how my perspective.
⚠️Warning: ⚠️
My experience will not mirror what you may experience when receiving your vaccination, any symptoms mentioned are entirely mine so please do not take this as a sign that your symptoms will be similar. Symptoms will vary depending on each person.
By the time they had started determining which age groups could receive the vaccine, my birthday had already passed so I was eligible for the vaccination. So my dad was able to schedule vaccinations for himself, my mom, and me(my siblings haven’t reached the required age to get vaccinated yet as of now). By the time the day rolled around for me to get the vaccine, my parents and I had all the necessary paperwork and identification ready before my appointment.
It was a warm Saturday, the sun was shining and beamed down on the houses of our little street. My appointment was around 11:00 in the morning so my dad and I decided to leave the house thirty minutes earlier, since the vaccination location was a bit far off from my house. As I slipped on my shoes by the door, my mom handed me the documents I needed in order for the clinic to recognize my age and that I was registered for a vaccine. As I tucked those into my bag, I grabbed a water bottle and a face mask(tip: loop the strings twice before putting them on if you need a tighter fit)
The car ride to the vaccination site was quiet, my dad drove while I fidgeted with the documents in my purse and watched the scenery rush past. It was nice to actually be outside after so long and see a little bit of the community. I filmed the hills that rolled by, slowly, they transformed into little houses and buildings and people walked along the sidewalk. When we arrived though, we were met with a sea of concrete covered with motors.
The parking lot was packed, the owners of the cars most likely getting vaccinated or escorting someone who needed a ride there. Unfortunately for us, that meant we had to park farther away from the location and ended up parking the nearby hospital parking lot. This was a telltale sign that there was going to be quite a few people receiving their vaccinations as well.
The area designated for vaccinations was a large white tent attached to a clinic, and although there seemed to be a lot of people the line was moving much faster than I had expected.
When we entered, there was a hand sanitizer dispenser that we had to use before being greeted by a security guard who gave us a curt nod and greeting. I walked down the line, stepping on a large circle about the size of a dinner plate indicating that everyone should stay six feet apart. I made sure my feet stayed steadfast on these circles and measured a safe distance between myself and the people in front of me. Though I didn’t have to wait long to enter.
Just before I entered the building, I was greeted by two women sat on chairs to the left side of the entrance, gesturing towards the papers in my hand. They looked over the documents and asked for my first and last name, age, and birthday. After that, that handed the sheets back to me and I was allowed to enter the building.
Upon entering the building, I saw desks lined up all across the room in various directions, each desk had one person checking identification papers before letting them inside. A security guard stationed near the entryway pointed me towards an empty spot, I sat in the cubicle which had a large sheet of plexiglass separating either side. Save for a rectangular gap at the bottom that would allow the recipient to push documentation to the other side.
I was received by a kind women who took a look at my papers, confirmed my identity(and my father’s)before letting me into a separate room where vaccines were being distributed.
Upon entering the room, my first impression was how organized and efficient everything was. Patients were asked basic questions regarding their health as of late, prepped for the vaccine, given the dose, then they would be on their merry way.
A nurse gestured me towards an open seat and I gave her my paper. I took of my bag and handed to my dad, along with my wallet and phone. The nurse asked me questions about my personal health and medical history. As well as questions about how I had been feeling, if I was experiencing cold, cough, or any symptoms, and numerous other concerns. To which all of my answers were no. When everything was confirmed, the nurse reached for a fresh dose of the vaccine, sealed away in a pocket of clear plastic.
⚠️ Trigger Warning: ⚠️
The following text may be triggering for those who are disturbed by needles/penetration. Reader discretion is advised.
I took off my cardigan and rolled up the sleeve covering my left arm and allowed her to gently rubbed a little square of paper soaked with what I assumed was rubbing alcohol. Quickly, she grabbed the vaccine and ripped of the plastic with practiced ease before pressed the needle into my arm. Although unpleasant, the discomfort was short lived as she quickly pulled the needle out and a little dome of blood was exposed. Before I could acknowledge it, the nurse pressed a cotton swab onto it for a few seconds before putting a bandage in its place.
The kind nurse wave goodbye and I thanked her and bid her a good day before heading out to the vaccine waiting area.
After getting vaccinated, each recipient was required to stay on the vaccination sight for 15 minutes so the healthcare workers could monitor symptoms and see if anyone had a reaction to the vaccine and needed assistance.
The waiting area was a large tent similar to the one at the entrance, except this was much larger and had rows of chairs with healthcare workers circulating around the room monitoring patients. There were quite a few people seated and waiting, but the chairs were separated at a certain distance to ensure safety. I handed one of the workers my paper which had my identification on it before he led me to an empty chair and gave me a packet of papers.
I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, it felt odd to be in a room with a number of other people after isolating for so long with my family. Although everyone was donning masks and sitting at a safe distance I still felt uneasy with the sudden change in environment after being isolated for so long.
After the 15 minutes were over, we were free to leave the vaccination site. As we got into the car, my arm started getting a tad bit sore but other than that it seemed fine.
By the time we had gotten home, my arm was sore and I was tired from the ride. But I was feeling just fine and went about my day.
The experience stayed relatively the same when I was scheduled for my second dose of the vaccine six weeks later.
The reason I wrote this is because I want to raise a little more awareness about the situation at hand and the risk this poses to so many other people. I’m a small blogger but I believe that even a little bit can create some sort of impact. So please, for the sake of your health and those around you, get vaccinated as soon as the opportunity shows itself. No matter who you are and where you’re from, all of us are suffering in different ways and we need to be able to understand one another to make this.
I hope my experience has helped humanize the situation just a little bit, or provided some reassurance for you.
As always, please stay safe, healthy, and happy. And even if you aren’t feeling that way, it’s okay. Just know that there’s someone here who understands you.
The United States has had 45 presidents in the span of over 200 years. And each has had to face a number of challenges and came out with scars, but a number of accomplishments for the country.
But that doesn’t mean that this country hasn’t faced hardships.
The history of this nation is far from perfect. We’ve had our significant share of violence, and discrimination. And that isn’t going to go away just like that. But we’ve come far since the times when we were all separated just because the shades of our skin was different from each others.
We’ve become a diverse community that can support each other and heal when rough times come. It seems so dark, with how much has changed. But look at how far we have come since last March.
We are currently in the middle of a raging pandemic, struggling through learning and working from home, making sure our more vulnerable family and loved ones are safe and okay, and simultaneously juggling life in such an insane, and sometimes unbearable time.
And yet we have gotten through it.
We are going through this together, supporting each other together. We’ve lost so much but we’ve kept our spirits close. We’ve found ways to work around the obstacles that this past year had set out for us.
And the last few months of 2020 showed just how much power the lines “We the people” holds.
The days leading up to the first week of November were hectic with anticipation and preparation to vote. But with Covid-19, new measures were taken to ensure that people could still vote, but in a safer manner. Which also increased the time in which votes could actually be counted.
When Election Day rolled around, it morphed into a series of days(due to the aforementioned internal conflicts) in which votes kept trickling. The numbers on the glowing television would change as a tired reporter would guide us through an unprecedented plight in our presidential election. That entire week was a push and pull between red and blue.
Everyone was watching the results of the election with the same vigor as someone expecting their final exam test results. And it seemed like all eyes were on the United States with bated breath. But if anyone deserved a break, it was Steve Kornacki from MSNBC and John King from CNN.
Every time I passed by our television with the news on, one of the two men was always pointing at a digital map of a state and breaking down numbers like human calculators. Neither seemed to lose their drive or composure. Especially Mr. Kornacki, who barreled on with his analyzations of each step in the election.
But it got me thinking how he was managing to keep track of all of his notes, stay one step ahead of the voter counts, AND calculate numbers onthe fly. I think this man deserves a prize of some sorts because I’m barely able to function properly for a my Geometry class(on Zoom) in the mornings.
As crazy as those few days had been, it had also proven to bring a hilarious situation into our home that I was tempted to turn into a meme.
My dad.
Or as I would like to refer to during that brief period:
Appa the Hermit Crab
During those couple days my dad had started evolving from a human being to a hermit crab.
He waddled around the house wearing a shirt, two sweaters, and night pants(it’s winter here in Cali and my parents can barely handle the weather below 65 degree).
But I can’t say I can really blame him when it’s winter, we can’t go outside, and the fate of our nation was being monitored with every passing second , my dad was completely immersed into the election, even breaking down what was going on to my mom and I.
I’m sure most Americans, and quite a few people around the world, were in a similar state. Watching intently as history happened right before our eyes.
And it did.
The results of the election were announced on a gorgeous Saturday morning, I usually sleep in a little late on the weekends so I took my time getting up and starting the day. After a quick trip to the bathroom to freshen up, I smooshed my glasses onto my face in a haste to get to the living room.
Since the beginning of the Presidential Election, the television was always on in the morning, afternoons, and nights, or kept in the background as well buzzed about the house. Today seemed no different. I tucked myself next to my mother and sister on the couch, staring dazed at the numbers that didn’t seem to have changed since the night before. My dad wasn’t in the house, but of playing tennis, so it was only my siblings, my mother, and I monitoring what position the two candidates were in.
The broadcast seemed to go on just as it had been the days prior, so I wasn’t really expecting results to come until later that day or even later.
I looked out the window, gray clouds covered the winter sky, people walking their dogs briskly made their way towards the field. It was another hazy day staying inside. I thought about various things as I stared out the window, unbothered.
Suddenly, my thoughts were interrupted with a reporter saying
“-And it looks like Joe Biden is projected as the 46th President of the United States.”
I ripped my gaze away from the window and toward the television and lo and behold, the results of the election were plastered onto the screen, the news running on the bottom of the screen in large, capital letters.
I stared wide eyed at the television before telling my mom, who was distracted with tending to my sister.
I frantically patted her shoulder and directed her attention to the television.
“Amma, look!”
I almost started screaming right then and there from pure joy and disbelief. I felt light and overjoyed, and the atmosphere changed from tense to airy in less then a second.
My mother called my dad and told him the news while I scampered off to my room to grab my phone and scream at my friends through very enthusiastic text messages to which they responded with the same amount of vigor.
It was a momentous day for America, and an Election that no one would forget.
On November 7th, 2020, Joseph R. Biden was projected to be the 46th president of the United States.
On November 7th, 2020, Kamala Harris was elected to be the first Vice President of African-American descent.
The first Vice President of South Asian descent.
And the first Vice President –
That is female.
The fact that she’s the first female to take the position of Vice vice president brought me so much pride. But to learn that she is half India made my heart burst. It felt like there was someone, finally, someone who was like me. Someone who’s skin was just like mine, who addresses her aunt’s just as I do, who was tied to the same country, the same region that I was from too.
And that makes me feel immense pride, to be represented in such an incredible way, and to be lead by someone who grew up just like me.
Inauguration Day was January 20th, just a few weeks ago. But it was a historic ceremony.
I couldn’t watch the entire thing due to the fact that I had to attend my morning Zoom class, but even then the Inauguration always surfaced amongst conversation during my lessons.
That night, my family and I had watched the Inauguration performances and it truly made me feel like after everything we had gone through.
We were going to be okay.
The execution of each performance was stunning(my personal favorite was John Legend singing “Feeling Good”)and it was wonderful to be in a state in which it felt like the nation was truly united as one.
I hoped you all enjoyed reading my recollection of the past few months and their events.
I’ve had this post drafted since the day of the Inauguration but school work has left me severely burnt out and unmotivated if I’m being completely honest. But I felt that this was an extremely important topic to write about because we’ve been in the midst of history in the making.
The time we are living in right now is one that none of us will forget. For all of it’s good, and it’s bad. But we will always remember that we will always be brought together under the influence of kindness.
(The image presented above is not mine, credits to the rightful owner.)
It showed promise, carrying the being of a new decade and giving people hope. Even saying “twenty-twenty” seemed to have a lovely ring to it.
I had entered high school as a wide-eyed freshmen, ready to take on the challenges that would hurdle toward me as I prepped for the coming years, and college. After winter break, the year seemed hopefuL, especially after the terrifying California fires the end of 2019 had brought. I was enjoying my classes, made many new friends, and was finding new interests and skills.
But it seemed that the year itself decided to defy these expectations and contradict any hope that we prayed for.
When the news about the beginnings of a new virus rolled around, none of us were prepared for how quickly our everyday lives were going to change. And just how much we were going to lose.
I don’t want to recap everything that’s happened this year because I’m sure that the majority of you are aware of each event that’s led us up to these points. And I’m sure you don’t need someone else repeating the numerous things that we all read or witness in the each news coverage or article.
But I’m not gonna sugarcoat it either. Because-lets be honest- it has been hard, and sad, and just scary. And there are moments where I’ve felt weak and hopeless and wondered “Are we fighting hard enough? Can we come out of this unscathed?”
Before, we didn’t think about whether or not the grocery cart we were pushing around would have germs, or if walking the packed school halls was a potential danger. But now, staying inside and covering our faces is a norm and we must pertain to those rules in order to keep ourselves safe and away from the eager clutches of indisposition.
But enough of all this depressing talk!
Let’s all stay positive and hope for a fresh start in 2021 because we all know we need it.
Speaking of being positive, I want to do a little recap on the good things that I had learned this year, because(believe it or not)this year wasn’t just shrouded with darkness. Because there were little specks of light poking through and making sure all of those storm clouds didn’t take over.
Nothings permanent.
When Covid-19 found it’s way to America, the numbers increased day by day, and before I knew it, I was attending classes online and writing my final essays from my bedroom. Everything had changed so rapidly and quickly that I almost couldn’t believe it. It was surreal in a way, as if I was in a hyperrealistic dream.
But of course I couldn’t wake up.
Quarantine itself isn’t as bad for me, mainly because I spend a lot of my free time at home anyway. But one of the things that hurt me the most during the first few months of Covid was when it was announced that our library was being torn down for good and being replaced.
Of course, the news was well known in our town, plans for renovation and rebuilding circulated for about a year an a half-maybe more-but people protested against tearing down the old library for a long time. But to no avail.
I’ve visited that library since I was little, and it was such a crucial part of me, the smell of books, complete silence expect for pages turning, the big glass windows bringing in streams of light, and the hidden corners in various portions of the building where you could curl up and be with yourself.
The library was there for me when I raged over Algebra homework.
The library was there when I craved a new novel to read and savor.
The library was there when I seeked inspiration for a new contemporary art piece.
The library was there when I needed comfort after a difficult exam.
The library was always there when I needed it most and I will always cherish the countless hours I had spent there.
But the tidal waves of change that this year brought taught me that I shouldn’t be too comfortable in my way of living now, because it can change so fast that your head will spin. But learning that nothing was permanent also brought me to the realization that those little moments from each portion of our lives is like a little gift. A little spark that is shown through our persona and I will forever be grateful for my past experiences, and the fresh starts I’m gifted.
Of course my heart is heavy over the end of our beloved library, but I’m excited for the birth of a new one, and the new experiences it will bring.
2. Take care of yourself physically and mentally.
Now that I’m a sophomore in high school, I have roughly two years before I’m off to college, and this year and next year are crucial times where I have to keep my grades top notch, and take classes that reflect my abilities. So I’ve decided to take classes that are more advanced than the standards. And it’s safe to say that distance learning has made these classes even harder.
My workload for each of my classes has increased substantially. So most of my week is usually spent attending Zoom meetings, suffering, working, and studying for all of my classes.
Each day the teachers assign more assignments than I can keep track of(thus my planner comes to save the day), and by the end of Monday, I have over 15 assignments to finish by the end of Wednesday. And then I get so caught up with all the work that I have to do that I end ups neglecting basic needs, such as eating, drinking water, and taking breaks.
And this bled into mentality as well; what with all the work and zoom classes I’m under, my mood sours as the day progresses, from mental fatigue to stress. So much so that I craved the weekends and off-days.
So I’m learning to relax a little and take it slowly rather then put too much pressure on myself.
But like I said before, I’m working on it 🙂
So those were the two main lessons I had learned this year, there were many many more things I had learned but these were the things that really effected me.
Anyway, I hope you all had a lovely holiday and lets hope we have a lovely 2021.
I know this Halloween is strange because of the global pandemic but we can still try to make it an enjoyable day, safely of course.
This year I’m dressed up as a Hogwarts student, with the robes, scarf and everything. I admit I put a little bit more effort this year for a costume(unlike every other year)because I wanted to make this(otherwise depressing) year a little bit better, one day at a time. Since we obviously can’t go out to trick-treat, my parents came up with the idea of having my brother and sister go “door to door” in our house for candy. Going to each room in our house and then receive candy from our parents or me.
I think we should find safe ways to enjoy these holidays, or just do something a little special on any given day, to spice up your time at home. For Halloween, why don’t you eat a little bit of your favorite candy? Draw a spooky picture, or watch a Halloween-themed movie. Just enjoy the little things to make life enjoyable in these harsh times.
It seems there is a significant lack of stories on this blog now so I’m going to rectify that now. In the spirit of Halloween, I decided to write a short story with a spooky setting and a twist.
So grab your favorite blanket, a cup of tea, or a bit of Halloween candy, cause this story is gonna be something you wanna sit down and immerse yourself into.
Now, on to the story! Enjoy.
You wake up, your eyes adjust to the darkness swallowing the interior of the room as sweat drips down you temple. Your hands shake, your heart beats so fast that it feels like it’ll break through your chest. You push the covers off your body, feeling so hot that it feels like you’re suffocating. You heave yourself off the bed, bare feet meeting chilled wooden floorboards. The bed groans from being relieved of the constant pressure it endured second before. Your feet pad along the floor as you keep your eyes trained on the entrance to the bathroom, refusing to rest your gaze on the dark form following you, visible in your peripheral vision.
When you enter the bathroom you shut the door and lock it, turning to the sink and turning it on the faucet, you splash cold water on your face, cleaning the sweat that collected under your eyes and on your brow. Suddenly you hear a noise that sounds like scriiiitch, scriiiitch, long and slow. Stiffly, you turn your body to face the direction of the sound, opening the door and looking down. There are fresh scratch marks on the bottom of the door, a new addition to the numerous identical marks it was added to. Accustomed to this, you ignore it, since this has been happening for the past few months.
You trudge back to your room. Reaching the bed, you find a small animal. On closer inspection you find that it’s a rat, or a formerly alive one. Grabbing some disposable gloves, you remove the carcass and go outside to throw it out. Once that’s been done, you get back into bed, eyes heavy and mind drowsy. But before you succumb to your sleep, something climbs onto the bed, slowly making its way toward you, the pressure of its hands and feet make you shiver.
The creature growls when you try to move, so you’re left unmoving while the creature moves up and down your body, until it settles on your just. It purrs when you reach up to scratch between it’s ears as it slumbers on.
The creature is your cat.
So, how was it?
I know I said it would be spooky with a twist so their you go! I’m not a fan of horror or anything remotely scary because I’m a big scaredy cat and can barely handle scary movies or stories. So this story might not scare most of you. But if it brought you a few laughs then that’s enough for me.
Anyway, I hope you all have been having a good Halloween! Stay safe everyone!
Last month, my dad said that we would be going to Yosemite on the 22 of July. For those of you wondering,
“But we’re in the middle of a pandemic, how did you go to Yosemite at a time like this?”
Well, in order to get into Yosemite, you must make a reservation in advance(about a month or so)and it’s highly likely that you won’t be able to go on the date you were expecting. But on a different date. You aren’t allowed to enter Yosemite unless you made a reservation online previously. If you don’t then they won’t let you in. And the park is open between 5am to 11pm. And you can’t be in the park past 11pm. Also, please wear a mask and protection, and of course stay home if you are sick or feeling ill.
With that, my dad had gotten a date for us to go, this is what’s it’s like traveling to Yosemite during the pandemic:
I woke up at 6:15, my dad rushing in and out of my room to make sure I didn’t go back to sleep(even though I desperately wanted to). My mom had spent the night before and the morning of our departure prepping for our day trip. It took me about 15 minutes to completely function properly. But my eyes were threatening to close shut and my bed looked so welcoming…
But no!
I had to wake myself up and get ready, so I stumbled clumsily out of my bed(my warm, empty bed ), and went to brush my teeth and shower. I came back out, still really sleepy and tired. But out of bed nonetheless. I grabbed my glasses and put on my watch before heading to the living room where my dad was sitting on the couch while my mom bustled around the kitchen. I picked up a book and read while we waited for my brother to get up.
My brother had risen and was showering, while my mom finished up our meals for our trip, and my mom being, well, my mom packed the following for us to eat:
All this for one day. ONE. But hey, it’s food so I’m not gonna complain.
My sister woke up about 20 minutes before we were supposed to leave so my mom went and got her ready as well before we all stuffed ourselves into the car and started the three hour drive to Yosemite.
Now, I would tell you, my lovely, dear readers, an extremely detailed, description of the morning drive, but unfortunately;
I was asleep nearly the whole time.
Haha oops.
When I opened my eyes every now and then, the scene changed. Tall buildings that gleamed in the sun, transformed into rolling hills, which flattened into vast fields.
At one point, my dad received a call from our across-the-street neighbor.
“Hey Hari!”
“Hey John! What’s up?”
“Well, your house’s alarm is going off.”
Oh dear.
Turns out that my dad had been tinkering that morning with our settings of our security system and ended up making the alarm react to the most mundane things. Like a leaf blowing in the wind, or the rustle of bushes. Which would then proceed to set off the most annoying alarm sound ever.
Our neighborhood is usually pretty quiet, not too loud but just right. Unless there’s a huge event or something happening nearby. So the fact that our house would cause such an abrupt disturbance to our neighbors made me feel sorry for them. But also made me laugh a little bit at the prospect of the obnoxious siren piercing the quiet air.
By the time we stopped for breakfast, we were in a location where buildings and people seemed to be sparse. We drove around for a a couple minutes to find a spot where we could sit down and eat. There were a few houses here and there, and a school house too, but there wasn’t really a place where we felt was right to sit down and eat.
We continued driving around for a bit more, until we finally found a building that looked like a sort of office, and there was a parking lot. So we parked in a shady spot near a couple trees and my mom took out our breakfast and some paper plates.
Since I’m prone to motion-sickness, being in a car or plane doesn’t really do well for me. I don’t get seriously nauseous, but I always end up feeling slightly uncomfortable. So I leaned against the side of the car for about a minute to regain my composure and drank some water before walking back and sitting with my siblings.
My mom had brought a sheet to put on the ground and we all sat down with a plate for each of us. My mom then got out a container with which she filled up with the idlies she made the same morning and gave each of us a few, along with the spicy tomato chutney. We ate and talked for about 30 minutes before we clambered back into the car to finish our ascent to Yosemite.
I felt much less tired and sleepy after eating a good meal, and was a bit more energetic throughout the car ride.
The scenery around us was slowly turning from fields of yellowed grass to countless trees and deep valleys. We drove deeper into what soon was Yosemite. The road was caressed by the dips in the lowland. The road twisting and turning and bringing vivid green into our vision.
The trees stood like a never ending army, some fallen, some burned, some with scars but standing tall, or some with scars but broken down. The larger tree’s looked on proudly, while the little saplings tried to reach their branches up high. The entire valley was covered with tree’s of miscellaneous conditions. Giving the entire landscape the look of a massive green porcupine.
What surprised me the most was the fact that there was literally no one else on that road except for us. Usually, it this point there would be a significant number of cars in front and behind us, causing the drive to be anything but smooth. But that wasn’t the case during Covid-19.
The road was absolutely clear as we drove, no other car was in sight. And the only other cars we saw were one or two in front of us waiting at the entrance.
When we arrived at the official Yosemite entrance, we went through the booth to where a ranger asked us for our reservation paper, once we were clear, she gave us a pass to stick to the car window and bid us a good day.
The plan was to go straight to Glacier Peak and then ascend down and into Yosemite Valley and visit the waterfalls. BUT, that plan would slowly start to change as we traversed through Yosemite.
We first stopped at “Washburn View Point” which was about an hour into Yosemite and showed a great view of Yosemite’s Half Dome.
While we drove, I started thinking about how hyped up both El Capitan and Half Dome are, and how they are usually the most anticipated landscape in Yosemite. Which I find completely understandable, both are quite unique and and defiantly a sight to behold. But we also have to understand the history of how they were formed.
If you think about it, those two are kind of like siblings. El Capitan is the bigger more regal one, being nearly 220 million years old, while the Half Dome is 65 million years old.
El Capitan was formed when North America had collided with a nearby tectonic plate located under the pacific ocean. The constant friction triggered the rocks below to become blistering magma. The molten rock clambered up through the sears in the Earth’s crust. For millions of years, the Merced River weaved through Yosemite Valley, and shaped El Capitan to it’s best form, before the recent ice age(three million years prior)added the last bits of glam to the towering form that stands now.
The Half Dome was created some hundred million years later. With a process similar to my buddy El Capitan. You know all the molten rock flowing up through the Earths crust and making it’s way to the surface and blah blah. You know, all that jazz. But the attraction with this one that seems to be entirely different from El Capitan’s, is it’s unique curves.
Trust me, I’m just surprised as you are to be writing that a solid mountain is as curvy as a melting bowl of ice cream.
When someone says the word “mountain” your first instinct is to probably think of one. Like Mount Everest. The jagged lines and peaks, unforgivable surfacing, and the classic picture perfect dusting of snow on it’s insta-worthy summit. The picture perfect norm that we’re all used to seeing. In retrospect, Half Dome, is quite literally a dome(thus the name)but contrary ]popular belief, it was never whole in the first place.
Even though it looks like someone decided to take a butter knife and sliced it’s other half clean off, like a hunk of cheese. The massive rock was formed in that shape, so the “Half Dome” had never been the “Whole Dome.” The name is just misleading.
But it does make it fun to imagine the entire mountain as a massive slice of cake.
Great, now I want cake.
In our past trips to Yosemite, we always found a way to connect ourselves with the water, playing in the element and rejuvenating our skin. Whether it be to visit, the waterfalls, rivers, or even little streams. So I wasn’t surprised when the whole ride to Glacier Peak consisted of my brother asking when we would go to the “Mini Lake.”
The lake my brother was referring to was in Yosemite Valley; it was a body of water with patches of sand in various places around the perimeter, with a boardwalk as well. We had gone there the very first time we went to Yosemite with some close relatives, and immensely enjoyed it.
But I think my favorite part of the evening spent there was watching a mother duck leading her young ducklings while they trailed behind her, one or two faltering slightly but quickly finding their pace once again. They seemed unafraid of the constant trespassers of their environment and payed no mind.
But my little sister seemed to take a completely different approach to what my brother had said and interpreted what he said as “the Minnie lake.” You see, my little sister is an avid lover of the Disney character Minnie Mouse, so it was inevitable that she would meld together the two words “Mini” and “Minnie” into one thing she is familiar with. The unfortunate part of all that was soon made clear with my sister’s constant babbling of now wanting to go to the “Minnie Lake”.
When we arrived at Glacier Peak, we expected that it would take about 10 to 15 minutes just to find a decent parking spot. But we had seemed to find one right away! It seemed that the parking lot gods were smiling upon us that day. But really, it was the fact that Yosemite doesn’t want too many people in the park at once. But either way, we were happy that we didn’t have to waste time finding a parking spot.
We all grabbed our masks and sun hats from the trunk because it was quite sunny outside and the sunshine assaulted our eyes. Personally, I thought I looked a bit odd wearing a sweatshirt and a sunhat at the same time, but there wasn’t much I could do about it so I was stuck that way.
I was pretty excited to go to the Glacier Point mainly because the views are amazing, plus there is also a little walk that you have to go through in order to get inside one of the best viewing points. Plus there’s always little critters scurrying around and between the rocks and sizing up the humans that come in.
The little trail that lead to the view point was a quite steep so it took a bit of effort to get up their quickly without brushing up against anyone else. But breaking a little bit of sweat was definitely worth it, as we were met with a view we felt blessed to see.
The view is absolutely insane when your a significant height above the ground. Glacier Point has an elevation of 7,214, thus the protective railing all around the cliffs and such. We first went to a little corner where you could look over Yosemite Valley.
The meadow below looked like a child’s play mat with toy cars running in and out of it. Even the massive trees looked like playthings rather than giants. Of course, we tried not to lean over the ledge too much, because that could lead to very dire consequences.
After admiring the view from the railing, we went to the main viewing area where there were numerous boulders and concrete, in the center. Our family always sits in a little nook with our back against this massive rock like a family of little critters. But it’s always there waiting for us, bare of anyone else, as if it know’s of our presence. Plus, you get an undisturbed view of the Half Dome and it’s gorgeous surrounding landscape. When we sat down, we immediately set our eyes onto the familiar picture before us, completely nestled into the valley’s bosom.
Many people came and went, admiring the mountains or just taking pictures. Some only took pictures and then left, though I have no right to judge them only after mild observation. They have their reasons. Many stuck around for quite a bit of time, just like we did. Unable to remove ourselves from the comfort of the warm, sun-kissed stone, and the enticing view before us.
As much as we wanted to stay longer, we couldn’t with the amount of people continuing to trickle in and out. And we didn’t want to expose ourselves even more to other people. (Even if everyone’s wearing masks, it’s better to still keep your distance at all times when you are in public and avoid contact. )
We left our little spot on Glacier Peak and slowly made our way down the little trail before heading back to the car. While walking, we discussed where to go next, since we saw that Yosemite falls didn’t have that much water(it was only a trickle due to it being summertime here in California, and temperatures are rising). I was a bit disappointed because seeing Yosemite Falls is always one of my favorite things to do when we visit Yosemite. Though I hate to admit this childish perspective, the prospect of not seeing the beloved falls in the flesh until our next trip; hit me harder then it should have. But it couldn’t be helped, so we had to kind of create a trip plan as we went along.
By the time we reached the car, my dad said there was a place called “Mariposa Grove” that was close by and we hadn’t gone to before, so we all buckled up and drove there.
Since the word “mariposa” literally translates to “butterfly”(from Spanish to English). I assumed that the place we were going was a butterfly grove inside Yosemite. Or perhaps a walk through a garden or little grove. But when we arrived there, my assumptions were completely contradicted.
We parked in a shady spot near some fencing that lined along what seemed to be a grove of massive trees, possibly red woods. After parking, we ate a bit of lunch, which consisted of vegetables, tomato rice, and some snacks so we could fuel up. After that, we walked to what appeared to be a little visitor’s center with a massive display of a tree’s cross section. We walked over and took pictures against it, the wood was sanded down with no course texture to beseech it’s adherent’s. There were hundreds and hundreds of rings, impossible to count if I let my mind wander too long. But just from looking at the bark on it’s side, you could tell that this was one tough tree before it had been cut.
My dad and I both looked at a map that showed the expanse of Mariposa Grove and what it contained. But it wasn’t exactly what we were expecting.
There were three trails, each increasing in difficulty and length. I read about the “easiest” trail and apparently it was roughly 1 to 2 miles. And my immediate thought was
“Haha no.”
But my dad said we should at least see what the trail was actually like so we could go again some day fully prepared. With that, we all just went with it. We went back to the car to grab Thulasi’s stroller, water bottles, bug spray, and hand sanitizer, before making our way.
…So…
It wasn’t exactly what we were expecting.
Obviously, we aren’t professional hikers or anything, but we knew for a fact that it wasn’t exactly a good idea to go in a completely isolated area where bears and other freely roaming animals could be close by and ready for it’s next *friendly* meeting and your completely under prepared for a long walk.
The trail wasn’t exactly a trail. It was more of a road with free spaces to walk on the sides. I think if we had gone farther into the “trail” then there would’ve actually been a grove of large red woods for us to see. But where we were walking was a bit scary, especially knowing that it really was only us walking(quite slowly)on the side of a road.
We had walked quite far off from where we had started, but we weren’t getting any closer to any type of grove, and if we continued walking it would start getting too dark. So we bailed and decided to go back to the car. But before we could, we had to get my sister to put down a stick that was literally 2 feet taller then her, that she had found while we were walking. She was trying to use it as a walking stick, but it was so tall that she had to drag it along the road instead.
While going to and from that road, we saw plenty of people geared up with bikes and set to go on a ride through the trees. I envied them for coming up with the idea for bringing bikes. But then I remembered that I don’t know HOW to ride a bike.
Yup, that’s right, I can’t ride a bike. You can stop reading this now. I’ve disgraced you enough with my inabilities.
I’m kidding, please continue reading.
As we went back to the car, we finalized our next destination in Yosemite, which was the little beach that I mentioned a few paragraphs prior. I was excited for that of course, but I hate to admit that I was also terribly exhausted. Being in cars for long periods of time really does things to a person.
Once we reached the visitor’s center again, we took a couple pictures with the massive tree cross-section before strapping ourselves into the car and going down to the beach near Yosemite village.
It took quite a long time to climb down the mountain, but thankfully there was no traffic for us to rage over like we usually did. So it was quite smooth sailing, er – I mean – driving; from there. It was quite soothing to watch the tree’s as I listened to music, it was therapeutic in a way that made me feel like everything in the world would be okay soon. That like many things in life, this too will pass.
Before I continue on with my recollection of this recent trip, I would like to add on to what I just said about the world right now.
Everyday when we wake up, something new seems to have happened. Completely unpredictable, but predictably breaking our hearts and darkening our minds further. That darkness in our day overshadows the little things that make up for the bit of happiness that we lost. We may forget to savor in the taste of our favorite tea, or seldom our appreciation for the new blooms rising in their pots. Or perhaps we spend more time dispiriting ourselves more with the day’s news rather than visiting the deep undergrowth of our favorite books.
Going to Yosemite made me realize that the world won’t be like this forever. That sunlight still streams through the tree’s like stained glass. That water still runs fiercely. That the birds will sing, and scream if they so need to. We will rise, we will fight this, we will support each other even when it feels like nothing will support us.
This pandemic, these disasters, it makes all of us feel sad and helpless. But it’s going to make us stronger, and it’s going to make us realize that we are much tougher then we give ourselves credit for.
It’s just gonna take each of us some time to realize it.
When we reached the beach, we decided that we would play around a little bit before coming back to the car and eating our dinner while driving back home as it was getting a bit late into the day. So we made our way through the spaced out trees and onto the bridge that looked over the river. Which was shallow now that it was summertime. But there was quite a lot of water nonetheless.
I excitedly walked through the bridge(carefully to avoid people of course)and carefully clambered down a steep step of stairs before I heard the distinct crunch of sand and pebbles move under my feet. The air felt wonderful and the breeze was like something out of a dream. Soft and mellow, but rough enough to tousle your hair at the edges.
My dad and my siblings had gone ahead of me already and were my siblings were dipping there bare feet in the shallow water. My mom laid a blanket on an empty patch of sand and she and my dad sat down.
I proceeded to take of my shoes, socks, and started to rolled up my jeans until they were below my knees, before dipping my feet into the very cold water. At first, it was absolutely frigid, and the pebbles and rocks underneath my feet felt like tiny little knives stabbing me with each move and I had immediately regretted putting my feet in. But then, the water felt absolutely euphoric.
After a whole day of being the car and walking, it felt like heaven to dip my feet into the refreshing
cool water, while the pebbles and sand massaged my sore soles.
Soon enough, my siblings and I started collecting rocks and pebbles within the waters, and my parents made me in charge of making sure my siblings didn’t go to far into the water. Which was a bit difficult when I kept tripping and stumbling among the uneven floor of the river.
There was quite the variety in rocks color-wise. There were dusty blush pebbles, and deep greys, some were a muddy brown with specks of white and black, and reminded me of chocolate. And there were many other hunks of chocolate just like that one scattered everywhere.
Our individual rock piles were becoming bigger and bigger on the blanket my parents were seated on, each mound containing different kinds of rocks, either in color or shape. But unfortunately my parents deemed that it was time to get back to the car, after about thirty minutes of playing in the water.
I clumsily made my way back to the beach blanket and dried my legs and feet, before putting on my socks and shoes. Patting out any sand that got in it before slipping them on. Then we ushered the other two children out before we gathered up all the rocks we had collected and started the little trek back to the car.
When we got back to the car, my dad told me and my siblings to wait while my mom prepped our dinner. I assumed that my mom had already pre-made them before we left, but what I was met with told a completely different story:
My mom started to pull out little tubs of diced tomato, avocado, onions, plain yogurt, olives, and other ingredients, along with homemade tortillas. Then my mom pulled out a knife and cutting board(a small knife don’t worry)and started to rapidly mix and dice everything.
Right in the seat of the car.
My emotions right then were a mix of awe and being flabbergasted at the sight. For one, I didn’t expect an entire farmer’s market to tag along with us on our trip. I also questioned why I was surprised in the first place when this was a completely predictable thing when it comes to my mom. If I going to be completely honest, I think my mother would bring along our entire fridge and pantry if she had the capability to.
Anyway, since we had to get on the road soon to head home, my mom transferred all of the food and cooking utensils into the front seat, which is where she usually sits. I asked if she was going to make them all at once so we can eat them in the car. But she said she was going to be making them IN the car WHILE we were driving. On her LAP.
Am I the only one who is appalled by this?
My mom is a superwomen, that’s all I’m gonna say. Her dedication to keep those she loves healthy and and happy is on a whole other level.
While she did that, I drank a bit of Gatorade to ease my throat from being so parched, while my dad and siblings hung out near a couple of huge trees. And can I just say that trees growing in forests are insanely huge. Sure, we’ll see trees in parks or nearby by open spaces, but the tree’s that grow naturally in preserved places and other natural parts of the world are a stellar height.
I walked over to one of the tree’s and pressed my front against, craning my neck so I could see the top. But I couldn’t. My neck started to hurt and I was losing my grip on the rough bark. And even touching that bark felt like I was touching something that held more wisdom then anything else. Even with the course texture rubbing against my cheek, I couldn’t resist giving the tree a hug, even if my hands couldn’t even reach the other side, it was a fulfilling hug.
Once my mom finished setting everything down in her spot, we all climbed into the car, bidding goodbye to our tree brethren as we drove out of the picnic area and onto the road leading out of Yosemite. And just as promised, my mom made the burritos in the car. But what was amazing was that she was making them on the fly. All the while feeding my dad spoonfuls of a burrito bowl while he drove. The burrito itself was super good as always, and I polished it off after about five minutes because I was quite hungry.
The heavy food also made me feel very drowsy so I dozed of in 30 to 40 minute intervals, which was okay since the drive back home was around 3 hours. The entire car ride for me was the drowsy state between being asleep and being awake, to the point where I could barely process the scenery that rushed passed the window with each blink of my eye.
At around midnight we arrived back home, without a word, I walked straight into my room, grabbed pajamas, and went straight to bed. I slept so deeply that night as I dreamt of trees glowing with sunlight, and rivers gushing with freshwater.
Here’s a video my dad took from one of the viewpoints:
(Hello, I hope wherever you are in the world, you’ve been having a lovely morning, evening, or night. And if you weren’t, then I hope reading this will bring your mood to a better state. Because you are worth it, and deserve happiness. 🙂
Before I start today’s post, I would like to address the little issue that came up when I had published my post last time. There seemed to be a some technical difficulties. You may have received multiple emails/notifications indicating that I had posted. Which was NOT intended. The bug has been fixed so hopefully it won’t happen again. Sorry if this caused any trouble.)
Recently, I’ve been spending a lot of time drawing, writing, and animating. It’s been a continuous process of coloring, shading, distorting, filming, and frame calculations. All while figuring out if what I made looks good or if I should throw it into the garbage.
As you can see, I handle failure very badly.
You see, as soon as I get really hooked on a project, I don’t rest until it’s reached the point of perfection. And when it isn’t, I get really frustrated and try again and again to make it look the way I want it to. Sometimes it’s really difficult to reach that point.
Creating things is fun of course, but it also can be mentally draining.
As an artist, you will be subjected to praise and criticism; just like anyone else. And in many cases, most of the criticism comes from the artist themselves. Someone else may say that it looks good, but there is always something that you may find to be wrong in whatever you’ve created. You might think:
“Why didn’t I ink this better.”
“Why did I use this marker?”
“Why did I only use this many frames per second?”
“Why is my voice so out of pitch?”
You might look at another person’s pieces and wonder, “Why can’t I do it like they do? Why is theirs so much better?” But in hindsight, thinking like that won’t make you feel any better. It’s going to discourage you from doing what you do best. Which is being the person you were born as. And that also means doing what you want to do in life. Don’t constantly criticize yourself harshly. Constructive criticism is good, example:
“This part looks good, but maybe I could use a different medium next time.”
“I’m proud of this! But what could I do to make it slightly better?”
( I use the term “artist” very loosely. Art itself manifests into a countless number of forms. Not just traditional painting and drawing. I’m talking music, film making, photography, sculpture, writing, fabrics, and so much other amazing things that I don’t have enough space to list. Everyone is(and can)be an artist in any way. )
Art is not a weak subject, far from it actually. It can move you to tears, or make you happier then you were moments before. And the process of creating something iseuphoric and is kind of like a meditation for the mind. No matter what medium. When you are creating art, you are taking a piece of yourself and letting it reside in what you’ve created. You’re trying to convey a message through something else, so the person who will eventually view it can feel something from it.
But it can be a frustrating process to figure out how to do that.
Painting?
Words?
Drawing?
Sculpture?
Photograph?
Film?
Fabric?
Music?
Etc. Etc.
There are endless options when it comes to expressing yourself and what you would like to convey. But you also have to think about how your going to find the following things:
Tools.
Materials.
TIME.
The first two can be acquired physically or digitally, and there are many materials that you may already have at home. But if you’re a pretty busy person, it can be hard to fit in a certain recreational activity or hobby. But then again, you shouldn’t spend all of your time working. You’re going to stress yourself out and I don’t think you will even be able to function properly if you just work all the time. You’re only human right?
Anyway, I think that part of the reason why art is so important, is because it gives you the freedom of creation and versatility. There are no guidelines or rules for art that strictly say what it should look, feel, or sound like. That’s why it’s can be so calming and atmospheric.
Atmospheric?
At-mos-pher-ic.
Is that the right word for this?
Right, back to art.
I strongly suggest that you take the time to do something artistic in your free time. It could just be coloring for 5 minutes, or playing around with a music app. Whatever it is, you don’t need super-amazing-extra-fantastic-beautiful-gorgeous-complicated skill. As long as you’re having fun and relaxed, that’s all that matters.
The reason why I went on a whole rant about not criticizing your art and just flowing with it and yada yada, is mainly because we as humans can sometimes have the tendency to overthink things. And with all the chaos our world is in right now, all of us could do well with some calm I’m sure.
Don’t think too much about what you’re doing and just flow with it. You’re a leaf that has fallen off a tree and you have now fallen into a slow running river. Trust it. Let the water flood around you and guide you along a peaceful journey that leaves you breathing steadily and your mind free of thought.
When your doing art in order to relax… DON’T STRESS OUT OVER LITTLE THINGS. It’ll only make you feel even more mentally drained. So try to forget about everything that’s going on in your life and just make art. It doesn’t have to be perfect, it doesn’t have to be shown to anyone. You’re doing this to make yourself happy and at peace. And that’s all that matters for now.
I hope all of you artists out there found comfort in today’s post, and even if you aren’t an artist, you don’t have to be one in order to pick up a brush or start some wicked story just on your phone. You don’t need special skills to make yourself happy.
Stay safe, stay happy, and make some art you beautiful people!
On Monday I tagged along with my dad to Costco because I needed to get new glasses because my prescription changed. And if I told you that everything seemed okay and normal would be a complete lie.
To give you some background, I haven’t gone outside since mid March; which was nearly five months ago. There were some cases where I absolutely had to go out but only for very short periods of time. Like returning my school textbooks. And with a mask on of course. But I didn’t go to places where there were tons of people, but rather where everything I had to do was in seclusion. So when I was suddenly dropped into a place with so many people, after not being in contact with anyone for 5 MONTHS, it can really do things to you.
On Monday, at around 3 or 4 o’clock, my dad and I hopped into the car and made our merry way to Costco because we needed to buy groceries and place an order for my glasses. My dad and I both wore our masks as soon as we arrive at the Costco parking lot and climbed out. My dad said we had to go to the tire center first because he needed to replace two tires on our car.
While my dad placed his tire order to the man at the counter, I looked around the interior of the building. And I noticed signs around the register and doorways that said that you were required to wear a mask by state law. And everyone we had seen so far in Costco was wearing one.
Since we are on the topic of masks, may I mention that no matter which one I wear, it never fits me properly? Either my face is to small, or every single mask I wear is just too big for my face. Which is a problem because then they leave open gaps near my eyes or under my jawline, which will then end up bringing in even more bad germs into your mouth and nose. Not only that, but it’s downright uncomfortable! So I try to position the mask so it fits snugly on my face.
Anyways, we left the tire center and headed to the Costco building.
I thought I was mentally prepared for seeing a lot of people when we reached the building, I mean come one, it’s Costco. Of course there will be a lot of people! But like many things in life, I had underestimated just how overwhelming it would be to be dropped into a massive crowd of people when you haven’t interacted with anyone for nearly 5 months.
As soon as we walked in, I instantly wanted to run back to the car and skedaddle out of there.
There were hoards of people pushing carts, talking on the phone, and the entire atmosphere of the store itself was overwhelming to my senses. It was too loud and too claustrophobic. But I pushed all of those thoughts to the back of my mind and continued with my dad to the Optical’s center.
The glasses are usually displayed on a large wall, and once you choose which pairs you want, you bring them over to the counter to place your order. It was essentially the same concept now, except every sales worker in the entire store wore masks, and the employees that worked in the Optical center wore gloves, masks, and those protective plastic shields that can protect your face. As well as constantly wiping down all surfaces and objects touched and handled by customers and employees. They also had everyone put glasses in a bin after you tried them on so they could be disinfected and sanitized.
I picked two pairs of glasses, one metal and the other was a different material, but both were glasses that I really like the style of. One was a bit rounded on the the bottom(which is a style I’ve been wanting to try for a while)while the other was similar to the previous model but a bit more rectangular and defined.
Once I had picked my two pairs of glasses, my dad and I made our way to the counter to place the order for the glasses and gave them my prescription. After that, a women from the counter came and asked me to sit down in a chair so they could get the measurements of my face.
Before I was told to put my eyes in and peer inside the binocular looking thingy, they had disinfected the whole thing, which I thought was great. But what I didn’t like was the fact that the smell was literally burning in my nose since I was so close to it. It was sterile and I thought I was gonna pass out from inhaling it so much. But I tried my hardest not to wrench myself away from the device that was supposed to measure my face and run outside to get some fresh air.
So there I was trying not to cry for a few seconds while I stared a fluorescent green dot the size of a grape.
After that horrific experience(though I appreciate the effort to clean everything so thoroughly)my dad had the same women(who helped with my order), loosen his glasses because they were too tight on his face and wouldn’t fit properly.
After that was done, my dad and I grabbed a cart so we could get groceries. And we finished grabbing all of the things we needed.
Well, actually, that entire sentence that was written up there is way nicer than what actually happened.
It was more of my dad dragging me around while I had to push the cart and make sure I didn’t bump into anyone or anything. Which is pretty hard when my dad has long legs and can walk really fast, while I have short legs and small feet. Not to mention small hands, which made it really hard to control the massive cart that was loaded with a ton of items waiting to be purchase. At some points my dad would drag the cart behind him while I held the handlebars, but then, he would run off to quickly grab something that was on our list, and then leave me to stand there awkwardly and try to give other people room.
When we went to the register and got everything paid for, my dad said he wanted to get something price-checked. So we went to the little area designated for that. But there was no one there to help us. So my dad went to an employee and asked he for help. She came over to where we were standing and waiting. She was a bit old, and had a kind demeanor, instantly apologizing for the inconvenience. She told us she was going to call someone over here to help us, but I wasn’t expecting from the kindly old women was for her to do this:
“51!”
My dad and I stared at each other in shock as this women bellowed across the entire store to her colleagues, signaling that the station needed someone. This goes to show just how relevant the phrase “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover” is. When she was done screaming(in very high octaves mind you)a man came to help us and everything went smoothly.
After that we clambered back into the car and drove home, and as soon as we got home, I kicked off my shoes and smushed myself into the couch while I tried to regain a sense of relaxation.
That was too much social interaction for me to bear so soon…
I hoped you enjoyed this mini story time, and can somewhat relate to all of this… Mess. Anyways, stay safe, stay happy, and wear your face mask!
I hope we all still remember what real-life trees look like.
I’ve mentioned many times before that our house was a fixer-upper and we had to do a lot of work before actually moving in. Of course now it’s been a few years since then so there aren’t any major changes and fixes we have to do. But we’ve been adding new elements to our home like new plants and crops, or benches and seating areas around the outdoor area of our house. I think our house has changed very drastically since these three stages:
Renovation
Moving In
After Moving In
There are a variety of things that can make a place feel like home to you.
Maybe it’s the decor, or the people who live there with you. Or maybe it’s the location that makes you feel relaxed and at ease. Many people have different preferences when it comes to making themselves a/o their families comfortable. And it can be a few or a lot, but whatever it is, in the end if it makes you happy then that’s okay. For me, home is where I can curl up in pajamas all day, hair in a messy bun, and cuddle with my family and hang out together no matter what time of day.
Like I mentioned before, you can get homey feels from objects that make you feel happy and at peace too. Which can be plants, pillows, paintings, anything really. But in order to make our living space into a home, we had to make some changes to our house as well.
Obviously, it didn’t all happen at once, thus the different stages that I listed a few paragraphs before. Everything that was done for the house was done gradually and at the time when it felt like the right time. Nonetheless, my parents both underwent a lot of hard work to progressively make our house into more of a home. And there were definitely a lot of difficult things to do with each new addition or movement that was done around the house. Like moving our planter boxes, which are extremely heavy built.
This house has undergone many beautiful changes, interior and exterior. But I think the most gorgeous parts are in our front and backyard, where we have a copious amount of plants.
Many of the plants that we have, were grown from seeds or bought when they were still young, and there are also very old trees around our property that have been here for a number of years, quite possibly a couple decades. But of course, my dad being the big lumberjack he is(I’m kidding, he’s not a lumberjack), decided to go out and buy a bunch of trees!
I know what you’re thinking,
“Kanmani, they’re just wee little baby trees, what’s the fuss?”
NO THEY WERE NOT “WEE LITTLE BABY TREES.”
As you can see from the font size, this triggered me quite a lot.
My dad had spent four days. FOUR. Getting various different types of trees and planting them in our side yard. And they weren’t full-grown adult trees, but they were about 6 or 7 feet when my dad had brought them home. One of them being a maple tree. Either way, those tree’s were way bigger than I expected them to be. And i was okay with that part obviously.
However, what I wasn’t expecting how arduous it would actually be to plant these awfully heavy trees. So I assumed my dad would call someone, or maybe a professional, to help us put the tree safely and properly into the ground. Seeing as that was much more logical and harmless.
But my dad being the person he is goes with the complete opposite and decided to do the whole thing by himself. Which made both my mom and I go absolutely bonkers. While my dad is a very hard worker, and is always stubborn to do things by himself. He also has this incredibly constant knack to end up hurting himself physically in the process.
There have been countless instances where my dad would waddle into the house like a guilty child who ate a forbidden sweet in the kitchen, while cradling his hand, finger, or ankle with a scratch or cut. While he would receive an earful of scolding from my mother and me while my dad listened to us sheepishly.
Anyway, the reason my mom and I always go ballistic when my dad does another major project without any other person’s guidance, is because my dad will end up getting hurt. But it’s not like my dad listens to us anyway. No. He just barrels forward with whatever he had his heart set on doing
And this time was no different.
So there he was, paint splattered jeans, working gloves, and a massive shovel reading to disembowel the ground and burying the roots of a tree into it. Which is very laborious work mind you.
And if you think that’s hard, before my dad could even start planting them, he had to get them out of the car. Which was also super complicated and difficult. I mean, imagine taking a tree nearly the size of a basketball player out of your car while it’s laying down. Your gonna get slapped by some branches and get scritchy scratchies all over your arms and legs. But did that stop my dad?
Apparently not!
My dad spent four days planting four different trees in our front yard by himself, with little to no assistance. And each day he would have to transfer the tree out of the car before going over to the front yard to get it ready for planting.
After that, my dad would start digging subaqeuous holes in the spots where he wanted to plant the trees and let them grow. The dirt in our front yard isn’t, by any means, soft either. It’s good but it’s very hard to just scoop out in once go. So my dad had to go through like a bulldozer through that dirt because of how hard it was. While in the sweltering Californian sun.
But in the end, with all that hard work my dad had to do, we ended up with our front yard looking really gorgeous and fresh. And I think we’re all happy with the results.
I really wanted to do a post that was more focused on the natural aspects of home design before I start going into interior design strategies. And I hope this also helps to give you ideas on things you can do around your house or if you wanna try something new.
Stay safe, stay happy, and keep your plants(and yourself)happy!
Recently, I’ve read through most of my collection and re-read books I haven’t read in a while. Honestly, it’s really nice to read books from a while ago and reconnect with them. It’s like catching up with someone you haven’t conversed with for a long time. And if it’s amazing to experience the same emotions you felt while reading the book the first time, and maybe even experience heightened instincts and anticipation.
While befriending my old books again, I was also able to revamp my list of my all-time favorite books. As an avid lover of books, my list of favorites is always changing and growing, but some books still stay on that list even after years of reading it. Now that I’ve mentioned it, I’ll share a little portion of my list with you guys.
“The Little Prince” by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
“Mirai no Mirai” by Mamoro Hasoda
“The Martian” by Andy Weir
“Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”by J.K. Rowling(But all of the “Harry Potter” books are really good)
Each book that I listed has a different theme, moral, or purpose. And each one hold vastly different characteristics and standpoints that can reside differently depending on how you interpret the author’s words. These books are one that I hold dear to my heart and mind because I loved the concepts, metaphorical standpoints, and the pure artistry from the author. I feel like there are a lot of people who don’t realize that books aren’t just pages that hold nothing but boredom.
Not to mention that there’s this exceptionally stupid stereotype that every book you pick up will be like a book you picked up in the past that you found boring.
Even if you don’t remotely like books, I recommend you don’t use the excuse, “Oh, there just aren’t any books that really attract my attention.” The great thing about books is that there isn’t just one person creating them. There are hundreds of thousands of people who write books based on something they are an expert at, or have had an idea planted into there head that they want on ink and paper and share with others.
There are so many different kinds of books tailored for different types of people. So there is an incredibly low chance that you won’t find something that even momentarily grabs your attention. And if you don’t like reading tons of words and paragraphs globed together(it’s okay, sometimes I do too)there are plenty of mind-blowing comics, manga, and graphic novels to choose from.
But there are time where we can’t just read books that touch our own pleasures. Like fantasies and such. But rather, more informative books to strengthen our awareness of a subject. It may be because you have to study for a class; or are in dire need to pass it. In those situations, we often begrudgingly sit down to pour over the book to strain out some cohesive knowledge.
And I understand that. Sometimes I find it difficult to sit down and focus when I could be studying something I enjoy learning about.
But the great thing is that there are so many incredible authors who realize this and tailor there work to be written in a way that makes a topic that doesn’t catch your eye at first, but then becomes completely mesmerizing. Sometimes it isn’t the subject, but how it’s written that will help you keep it in mind.
One such book is, “The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up” by Marie Kondo.
The first time I read was when it released 2014. My dad had brought the book from the library and handed it to my mom for her to read. But my didn’t get around to reading it herself so I ended up reading it instead. As the years passed, I progressively started to understand the methods in the book each time I re-read it. And I love Marie Kondo’s perspective on tidying, and her procedures for improving your lifestyle through tidying properly.
Her methods focus around discarding the things that you don’t need or “don’t spark joy” and keep the things that do. Rather then cluttering your life(literally and figuratively)with things from both those categories. Not only that, but you must thank your possessions for the hard work they did while serving you, and thank them when you use them everyday.
But you aren’t supposed to just go barging through your house and throw away everything you think isn’t useful. You have to go through each category of items:
Clothes
Books
Papers
Komono(Miscellaneous)
Mementos
Marie Kondo designed this method to help you realize what you need and don’t need. As well as learn along the way how to store everything properly. Rather then giving you rock hard phrases of, “Do this and your entire house will be clean!” or “Do this, this, this, and your done!” Marie Kondo takes all of her methods and backs them up with logic and very simple yet deep philosophy that really changes your perspective on you lifestyle.
I also wanted to point out her incredibly way of writing. She’s written her book in a way that was welcoming and understandable for any type of audience. Even if you aren’t a huge fan of cleaning up after yourself, this book teaches you how to enjoy it. And learn how to identify what you need and don’t need. And it’s all written in a way that is simple, concise, and deep.
This book was really eye-opening and taught me to look at everything with the utmost attention and perception; and think of every possible outcome rather than making one-sides decisions. Plus it’s such a calming book to read, I can completely flow with the words and understand them. I really recommend this book even if you aren’t looking to do some tidying.
As always, stay safe, stay happy, and get off your device and go outside and read a little bit! 😉
