LIFE AS IT IS

P eople have now resumed international travelling, although cautiously. With the emergence of a new, more contagious variant, Omicron, however, countries are placing new restrictions on travellers, making international travelling even more uncertain, more hectic. If you are planning on going abroad, plan well and plan well ahead of time.  The Daily Star link I have recently been to Bangladesh on a two-week trip to see my family. An earlier summer travel plan had to be canceled because of a COVID-19 lockdown that was imposed on Bangladesh to stem infections and deaths. In our case, it cost us a cancellation fee at the time. Because change is the only constant now more than ever, bear in mind that your travel plans may have to be changed or cancelled in the fluid situation of the world we live in today.  COVID-19 test You need show proof of a negative COVID-19 test to travel internationally. Please check with your airline and also read the entry requirements of the country you a...

If you are like me, someone who jumps at the idea of exploring a new place, but have not travelled in the last one year, you will understand my plight. On some days, I so want to catch a flight and visit another state or country, inhale the air of a new place, and try a new cuisine. A year without a \"vacay\" has not been easy, but when endless hardship and suffering stemming from a pandemic continue to affect so many millions every day, planning a holiday is not a priority. However, on lazy afternoons, I daydream about happy times of the future when we can travel far and wide, when I will not have to wear a mask or remind myself to practice social distancing in public places. I have not been on an airplane in more than a year. While flying was something I never eagerly looked forward to, in these days, I wish to catch a plane and swoosh to a holiday destination. I have kind of forgotten what it is like to go through security checkpoints, answer an immigration police officer’...

It is a life measured in numbers. If something is not countable, it merely takes a back seat today; the front seat honor is reserved for things to which numerical values can be attached. Today, we want to be able to measure everything that goes on in life! The Daily Star link We count everything - from the size of the paycheck deposited to our bank account to the number of likes on our last Facebook post. We count likes, follows, and views  on our social media accounts. The more likes, comments, follows, and views our posts get, the more acceptable and popular we become, or that is what the countable world would have us believe.  Our friends have become numbers. We count our friends --  five-hundred, eight-hundred or more. The more friends and followers we have online, the greater the likelihood of pocketing more of those intangible ‘heart’ and ‘thumbs up’ ideograms. It’s all about number, you see. We count seconds, minutes, hours, days, and months. “I had...

Picture yourself standing in half-darkness amid naturally-forming calcite columns, cascades, stalactites and stalagmites sixteen storeys under the surface of the Earth. It is eerily beautiful down there. The ambience is primitive, and your surroundings feel uncanny, because your mind keeps telling you that all of this had formed over an estimated span of four million years. The limestone formations you see around you are still forming and changing every day.   The Daily Star link Luray Caverns, in Virginia, USA, is an active cave system. Located in the lush Shenandoah Valley, to the west of Blue Ridge Mountains in Luray, Virginia, Luray Caverns was discovered in 1878. Today, it is a registered National Natural Landmark (NNL), visited by some 500,000 people annually from all over the U.S. and the world. Before we decided on visiting this awe-inspiring feat of nature, we had to find out if it would be too cold in February. We found out that the caverns' temperature remains...

In the West, “it’s the most wonderful time of the year,” because the holiday season is knocking on the door. Here in the continental U.S., where I live, from Thanksgiving until the New Year, the entire country dons a festive look. People shop, travel, donate, watch holiday movies, bake chocolate chip cookies, drink hot cocoa with marshmallows, get together with families and in the colder states, play in the snow.  The Daily Star link There are so many reasons for me to love this season!  Holiday decorations and lightings As the holiday season nears, families get into the holiday spirit, adding glitz to homes, making them merry, bright and beautiful inside and out. Like many others, we drive around cities and neighbourhoods just to marvel at Christmas decorations that make everything so bright and beautiful.  The holiday fever also touches our family  — we bring out our holiday table runner, snowman-themed mugs, bowls, dishes and pillow cases, and light...