LIFE AS IT IS

The day the World Health Organization officially declared COVID-19 a pandemic, the world as we knew it changed in the bat of an eye. We do not know when this pandemic will be over, so we have more or less accepted the situation. However, this new normal will significantly impact the way human lives are going to be post-pandemic. TELECOMMUTING This pandemic has taught us that in the age of technology, working from home is not an unachievable reality. Yes, the work-from-home model comes with its unique and inherent challenges, but it is also saving us our commute time and cost. There is also no need to dress for work and we can also create our own custom environment at home. As more and more people and companies accept and adopt this model of work, the offices of the future might occupy smaller spaces, because a significant percentage of the future workforce could be working remotely. The competition for prime office spaces in urban commercial centres is expected to drop. PEOPLE FLEEING ...

"For a working mother to be able to successfully blend and balance work and family lives, the key ingredients are planning, planning, and planning. Even during normal times, this involved setting out a basic routine for myself and the kids for weekdays, and even weekends," said Nadia Tabassum, regional manager at Unilever Bangladesh, and mother of three boys aged 11, 7, and 3. "I thrive on routine and for me, a single unplanned day can truly create havoc!" So, one of the biggest hurdles that working mothers like Tabassum faced, especially in the early days of the pandemic, was the complete meltdown of all established routines. The Daily Star link Career women have always shouldered a heavy burden of responsibilities and social expectations, long before COVID-19 was a thing. A working woman was already juggling work, family, and life, but at the onset of the pandemic, their responsibilities suddenly increased. Overnight, a working mother became a teacher and a childc...

  Okras grown in our garden This summer is our first summer, vegetable-gardening. Well, we actually began in spring. The initial investment was in soil, seeds, seedlings, and pots to start seeds. Doing something for the first time has elements of excitement as well as doubt - you do not know if you will become successful. There are so many factors that are at play - seed quality, soil quality, rainfall, temperature, light intensity, et cetera!  Here in this post, you are seeing a photo of freshly picked okras. When our okra plants first bore flowers, we were over the moon but only to discover that the flowers withered and fell to the ground. I do not remember exactly when I saw that the flowers were turning into vegetables, but you can guess that it was the day when my husband and I began to believe in ourselves and that our hard work would to pay off. If you did not know, okra is a self-pollinating plant.  We have four okra plants in our backyard now - tall and healthy w...

These are the books 📚  my 7-year-old finished reading in this lockdown...  Here goes the list:  ~ The Famous Five series by Enid Blyton ~ The Secret Seven series by Enid Blyton ~ Amelia Bedelia chapter book set ~ Roald Dahl complete collection ~ The Secrets of Droon book series ~ Magic Tree House book series  ~ Junie B. Jones book series These pictures here do not include, obviously, the couple of hundred e-books that she read on Epic! I want to congratulate myself on her achievement, even if no one else congratulates me on this. But the truth is, a lot of people did praise me and congratulated me when I shared with them these photos. As a parent, I would like to encourage you to sow the seed of love of reading in your child. If that seed ever germinates, your child will never get bored easily. I know every child is different, but I also know that when we were kids, all my friends and cousins loved to read. Reading was our favorite pastime. And that helped most of u...

On a countless number of couples worldwide, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought on unprecedented marital challenges. China, the country from where all of this began, experienced a spike in divorce after the country began to lift the lockdown. Having said that, there are also couples for whom the lockdown has opened new opportunities to bond like never before. But no matter what, this pandemic surely has pushed us into a situation we did not foresee. When two people live under one roof and see each other 24/7 month after month with no end in sight, conflicts are inevitable.   The Daily Star link “We are living in a highly anxiety-provoking environment,” said Nusrat Siraj, a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC) of Bangladeshi origin, who practices in New York City. “Social isolation, financial stress, loss of loved ones, and health concerns have all led to an increased marital conflict globally.”                  Photo: Sazzad Ibne Sayed ...

Habanero pepper is one of the very hot varieties of chili pepper. It is believed to have originated in the the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico.  If you love hot and spicy food and sauce, this flavorful and aromatic variety is a right kind for you! But the heat could be too much for some people to consume and direct contact with skin can result in what is called pepper burning. I personally have experienced this last week when I broke a tiny bit from a habanero pepper. I soaked my hand in cold water but that did not help much, so I googled to find out what could give me some relief and applied everything from rubbing alcohol, cold milk to castor oil and dishwashing soap. I don’t know which one of these worked but the pain subsided after two hours. I am not writing all of this to discourage you - if you love hot and spicy foods, you will definitely love habanero pepper, just be careful about how much you are adding to your dish.  We bought a small seedling from Home Depot, a home im...

Painting flowers has been a pleasure and a subject that has had a calming effect on my nerves during these turbulent and struggling times.