On other news, the last week staycation was great and I hadn’t realized how much I needed that. Of course I was (almost “over the top”) cautious and followed all safety precautions. I will attach some pictures for you guys to enjoy!
Now on to the review of the month aka August 2020 wrap up!
Quick August’20 updates
I had a below the average reading month because I spent most of the time reading manuscripts as a beta reader. I think August and July were the most busy months ever in terms of commissioned for beta reading work.
Staying in for most of the summer worked but I still managed to get sunburnt more than once. I am probably a tarnish to all the dark skinned Indians who have probably never used the sunscreen in their entire life.
We finally took our two day vacation at Ras Al Khaimah and spent almost every possible moment on the beach and the pool. Much needed cool off.
What I read this month:
As I mentioned earlier, it has not been a good reading month and am terribly off the Goodreads challenge charts – not to say anything about the A to Z reading challenge as well.
I am still hoping to catch them up in the upcoming months. I just read two books this month and I have already reviewed them both on the blog.
Henna Artist, The by Alka Joshi
Virgin River by Robyn Carr
What I watched this month:
I didn’t watch much this month except for Modern Family, which I loved to bits.
What else should I be watching on Netflix?
On my blog
In case you missed the posts from my blog, last week.
How has your August been? What are you watching and reading these days? Don’t forget to link me to your monthly wrap up post so that I can take a look at them. Let’s talk.
When you are reading this post, I would be enjoying my coffee and the two day staycation at Cove Rotana, Ras Al Khaimah. I know it is still scary to be out in the world with the numbers again slowly rising in the UAE but I think it is a well deserved rest.
When I say well deserved, I want to remind that I have been following the rules, restrictions and the curfew for six months now – yes the whole COVID-19 drama started here in the late February. I have stayed home as much as possible and the very few times I went out, I followed social distancing and with the gloves/masks.
Sure, it is the bare minimum, but staying cooped up in the house and working all through the pandemic is so depressing and sad. And hence the staycation (also because the prices were cheap for obvious reasons).
Anyway I will still be following all the precautions and santization, as required. But I need the beach, whatsoever. So the next time I talk to you guys I hope to be well rested and more fun than usual.
Here are some pictures of the hotel we are staying in for you!
After a long boring week where almost nothing happened, yesterday we celebrated Ganesh Chaturthi, which marks the birth of Vinayak or Ganesh – the elephant faced God in Hinduism. He is our God of new beginnings and thus one of our favorites.
Typically we create the idol with eco friendly products like clay, turmeric or rice flour and decorate with flowers and leaves. After the festival, we dissolve the idol in water, preferably in a lake or beach, which used to be a carnival by itself – hoping our sorrows and misfortunes would dissolve likewise.
Sadly, as things change people are using idols made of plaster of Paris and they are pollutants and a menace too. We are planning to dissolve our clay idol in a bucket of water and then pour it out into the garden later today.
We cook sweet and salt dumplings called Kozhukattai or Modak, pot boiled legumes (usually chickpeas or peanut, called sundal) and pudding (Kheer) among other dishes. So yesterday I had such a big lunch that I promptly slept after that.
So how was your week?
What I read this week
Last week I read Virgin River by Robyn Carr for Maureen’s book club. I can’t wait to join the book club discussions soon.
What I watched this week
I am still watching Modern Family and currently at Season 9. I am already worried that I am gonna finish watching it all.
I also finished watching Superstore on Prime. So what else should I start watching?
On my blog
In case you missed the posts from my blog, last week.
According to the Government rules, it is not necessary to wear the mask while we are exercising alone. That means we were the mask until we reach the gym, where they check our temperature and we sanitize ourselves before we enter.
And then we sanitize the equipment before and after using each of them. So yeah it takes longer than the usual time. But hey, we all gotta do what we gotta right?
How has the new world treating you?
What I read this week
I had to stop reading The Little Teashop in Tokyo by Julie Caplin in the mid way last week because I was not loving it. Maybe I will give it another try later this week.
But instead I picked up The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi and ended up liking it. It is an Own voice that I can get behind. If you wanna read a historical fiction set in India, this one should be your pick.
What I watched this week
I am watching Modern family on Netflix and SuperStore on Prime. I am alternating between them but I am ensuring that I am not binging on neither. I am definitely taking it slow
On my blog
In case you missed the posts from my blog, last week.
I have been speaking quite a bit about the temperature and humidity this summer in Dubai, so here is another fun thing I have been obsessing over this week: the UV index.
As a dark skinned Indian, who had never been worried as a kid about tan or the sun protection (I know I was young and stupid) I had my first experience on sunburns this week. All thanks to walking from the gym to parking lot which hardly took 2 to 3 minutes, and despite wearing a lame sunscreen.
I am currently reading The Little Teashop in Tokyo by Julie Caplin with a couple of my friends. And alternating it with Americanah by by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
What I watched this week
I am re-watching Modern Family on Netflix currently and I am loving every episode of it.
I just started Good Omens on Prime and it seems intriguing. Should I read the book before I watch it?
On my blog
In case you missed the posts from my blog, last week.
In Dubai, we are in peak summer and the temperature is always above the 105 F (43C) and the humidity is 90%. Yes it is the humidity that is killing us! We even had a few mild dust storms during the week.
On the other news, we are having a 4-day long weekend for Eid Al-Adha. The weekend in the Gulf countries means Friday and Saturday, and currently we are having a break from Thursday to Sunday.
Usually this is the time we take a staycation but thanks to Covid19 we are not stepping out of the house during this 4 day holiday, cuz people are everywhere!
Quick July’20 updates
So there goes another month in 2020 and we know it is not getting any better. Let us take a quick look.
I finally stepped out of the house for reasons other than bare necessities. So I went to the beach twice because again, it is so hot and humid and we needed too cool it off a bit.
I started going to the gym last week after the pandemic break (yes, that is what we are calling it now). Well, there is a lot of wiping, cleaning, sanitizing and little of bit exercising. One can never be too careful right?
And I tried a thing with watching the television – I reduced my daytime binging to one hour a day for about 3 weeks this month and it was great. I am not sure if it is a sustainable practice though. There are just too many things to watch!
What I read this month
July’20 has not been a great reading month at all for me. I read only one book and I really loved the homecoming by Yaa Gyasi.
While I read three manuscripts that are not yet published as a beta reader, I do not count them for my yearly reading count.
What I watched this month
Here are my top picks from what I watched during the month of July’20
Line of Duty
Modern family S1 – rewatched
Community S5 and S6
Marvelous Mrs Maisel
The Alienist
On my blog
In case you missed the posts from my blog of July’20
