Yesterday was my last day with my volunteering at Emirates Literature Festival 2021, here in Dubai. As expected we had a many virtual sessions with authors like Malala Yousafzai, Elif Shafak, Thomas Eriksson and Oyinkan Braithwaite and some in person sessions with authors who were able to come down.
Despite all these, it was just not the same because of the less crowd and all the other necessary protocols. The volunteers and the team underwent the PCR test before the event and we all maintained strict social distance.
I am kinda missing it already, even though I am really tired and my voice is coarse because I talked to so many people.
Quick January’21 updates
I am very disappointed to say January 2021 didn’t miraculously make all the problems of 2020 disappear. COVID is pretty much widely spread, the travel bans and social distancing are still there. There are bad presidents and worse politicians even after the new year’s eve.
Anyway what else happened to me personally during the month? Let me give you some of the highlights.
After some really good months, the Covid cases in the UAE has been increasing. But with the excellent mass vaccination programmes around, I am desperately hoping there will be a fall soon.
We had some foggy, winter mornings for exactly 5 days and then I guess we were done with the winter. But the weather is kinda good and pretty.
A pretty good reading and viewing month. More about that follows in a bit.
What I read this month
I read 5 books last month and I am happy that I liked all of them. Yay me!
I am on my 3rd (almost) rewatch of my favorite series House MD on Prime. But this is the first time that I am watching it in order, as a complete series. Needless to say I am loving it. Have you watched it?
I also watched the Idris Elba starring UK crime drama series Luther, which I really enjoyed. It had a Sherlock vibe, without witty dialogues.
Over the last week, the number of COVID cases have shot through the roof at the UAE – about 5000 cases each day. Have been hearing that it maybe because the Government had not stopped the incoming flights, especially the ones from the UK as soon as their cases went up.
Anyway, the UAE is encouraging people to take the vaccinations innovatively. Some restaurants are offering discounts if we have fully vaccinated. But as of now, we are back to the dire situation and we may have to get into the second phase of the lockdown. Fingers crossed.
Despite these, I am so excited for the coming week and especially for the weekend. I will be volunteering at the Emirates Lit Fest 2021 over the coming and the next weekend.
I have to take the COVID tests over the week as a part of it. I will get my final course of vaccination during the week starting the 7th, so maybe I will get to skip the second round of tests for the Litfest.
What I read this week
Last week was another good reading week. I finished two books and I enjoyed both of them immensely.
Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple
Get A Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
I am in the mood of reading some non fiction over the week. What are your suggestions?
What I watched this week
I am back to watching my guilty pleasure House MD, on Prime. I have watched most of the House MD over the years, but I am re-watching the episodes and currently on season 2.
Also I have started watching BBC’s Luther, a British cop thriller starring Idris Alba.
From the Insta-world
Here is what I posted on Instagram during the week. Give me a follow, will you?
I am glad to say I got my first dose of COVID Vaccination done this week and I have not been feeling any different since then. I was warned of some headache or other flu vaccine kinda symptoms, but fortunately I didn’t have any of those either.
My second dosage would on second week of February (21 to 28 days from the first one) and I can’t wait to have that one too.
It is disheartening to hear that people, even my own friends, are hesitant to have the vaccine even when they are free here in UAE. Apparently, they want to wait for more information and time “because these vaccines came too early”. Obviously they came early, because the scientists are busting their asses to get it done for us. Sigh.
As much as I want to not comment about it, it is getting really hard not to.
This week was fairly good to me in terms of reading, though that did stop me from doing other things on my list.
I finished
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
Duke and I, The (Bridgertons, #1) by Julia Quinn
And I am currently reading Where’d You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple, which has been on my TBR for a long time. As I promised to myself earlier this year, I would focus on clearing my TBR shelf rather than adding more to it, so that is what I am doing for now.
What I watched this week
Last week I watched Wonder woman 1984. Despite a few glaring plot holes, I actually enjoyed watching Wonder woman and Gal Gadot. Yay for more female filmmakers and superheroes.
Paranoid on Netflix was another series that I watched this week and it was meh at the best. I didn’t enjoy it as much as I wanted to.
What are you guys watching this week?
On my blog
In case you missed the posts from my blog, last week.
What do you think? Would you be getting your vaccines as they are available to you or what is your logic? When do you suppose you will get your COVID vaccines? Let us talk.
January is a good time to visit Dubai because it is the winter, aka my most favorite season of the year. We had the coldest period of the year in the last few days and I loved it.
Credit: Time and Date
Of course this is still the Covid era and I didn’t go out as much as I usually do. How cold is your place right now?
I finished reading my first book of the year already putting me on track for my yearly challenge of 52 books. I read Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia this week and I will be posting a review soon.
What I watched this week
Last week I watched the Imposter and I had to binge watch the two seasons in just two days. I really enjoyed the first season more than the second.
Earlier, I also watched Collateral on Netflix. What have you been watching these days?
On my blog
In case you missed the posts from my blog, last week.
Also I hope you guys had a wonderful New Year’s Eve and happy New year to you all!
Quick December’20 updates
We began the month with a fabulous five day week end for the UAE national day. The weekend had a lot events happening and a spectacular fireworks show at Le Mer.
December 2020 also saw the beginning of the voluntary mass vaccination program all over the country. I love how proactive and involved the government is in the control of Covid, unlike many other countries from what I hear.
I also met my book club in person after almost a year. It was the first and only time I got to meet them in 2020. Though we had quite a number of Zoom meetings, it was not the same.
Finally about the New Year’s Eve. We stayed overnight at the Crowne Plaza (using some reward points, the prices were sky-high) mainly to watch the spectacular fireworks and not drive home after the party. The fireworks left me breathless and it was fun to celebrate the NYE with strangers. Of course social distancing protocols were followed, though not to the T.
What I read this month
Nothing works like a last moment panic right?
In order to complete my reading challenge of a measly number of 46 books, I went on stupor and a reading spree. Look at the number of books (11) I got to read this December 2020.
Ziggy, Stardust and Me by James Brandon
Quiet Girl in a Noisy World: An Introvert’s Story by Debbie Tung
Semi-Definitive List of Worst Nightmares, A by Krystal Sutherland
Silent Patient, The by Alex Michaelides
Heartstopper by Alice Oseman
Hercule Poirot’s Christmas by Agatha Christie
Heartstopper 2 by Alice Oseman
In A Holidaze by Christina Lauren
Two Boys Kisssing by David Levithan
Heartstopper 3 by Alice Oseman
Heartstopper Mini by Alice Oseman
What I watched this month
Thanks to the long weekend and the holidays in between I spent a lot of time on the Netflix and the other streaming platforms.
Here are my top five things that you have to catch up soon.
The Scam
Delhi Crime on Netflix
The call on Netflix
Flight attendant
The night of
On my blog
In case you missed the posts from my blog, last week.
