For most of us 2020 started with hopes, dreams, and probably with some new year resolutions. I see plenty of proof of that when I scroll down the social media feeds of people I follow. Someone pledged that in 2020 he was going travel the world. How ironic! And I was no exception as I myself was gearing up for exploring South East Asia during this year. None of us was expecting, in our wildest dreams, the gloom and doom that the COVID19 was about to unleash on us. We were simply not prepared for it. Before we could even grasp what we were up against, thousands and thousands had died unceremoniously, lonely in unmarked beds with no one to listen to their dying wishes or shed a tear for them. Fact is that many of them were our near and dear and we might have spoken to them just days before they were gone.
COVID19 brought us back to the basics, sending us within the four walls of our home, forcing us to live our life in minimal settings, reconnect with our families like never before…
However, something unprecedented had also happened despite the growing agony arising out of the sudden onslaught of the pandemic. All of a sudden we have time to reunite with our families, the son who is always late for his business meetings finally has time to call his mom, the husband finally has time to say thanks to his wife for cooking a nice dinner, and the girl finally has time to confess her love for the guy she’s been crushing on.
COVID19 brought us back to the basics, sending us within the four walls of our home, forcing us to live our life in minimal settings, reconnect with our families like never before, and understand the undeniable importance of toilet paper. Jokes apart, it is definitely teaching us something, it is literally forcing us to reevaluate our lives, our endless wants, and how they impacts our planet. On the other hand, it is making us rethink our true life-purposes, rather ruthlessly. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of us thought 2020 would be the final year of our life. It is especially true for those lucky ones that survived. It was probably closest to what we call death. Let me not even get started on the widespread job loss that has brought the world economy down to its knees.
However, as a person who has been conditioned to see the glass half full, I see a lot of positive things happening for many arising out of this crisis. Many of us have gone back to the drawing board for a new beginning, to revisit what success means to us, to pick up on our dreams that were left in the cold forever. Some are even contemplating switching to an alternate career. My Facebook feed is filled with people singing, performing, telling stories, reciting poems, starting YouTube channels, and Podcasts for the first time and the list goes on. Something along similar lines has also happened to me and I cannot wait to brag a little about that. And the whole purpose of this journal is to set the stage to share all those wonderful things with you and the world.
Let me begin with this website itself, the reincarnation of 35wonderstreet.com, which died a few years ago when my mentor and friend passed away all of a sudden. Starting a travel journal was my initial idea. Securing an interesting domain name (what’s in the name?) was the next big win. But it was my mentor, who really helped me to see through it. Long story short, I finally thought this was an opportune time, while I am still alive, to revive the phoenix from its ashes. Needless to say it was a massive undertaking wrapped in many unforeseen challenges. But persistence paid off. A lot has changed in the last three years, technology has moved on. So, I appreciate your patience in navigating this website while I keep making small adjustments and roll out user friendly navigations and new contents – one at a time.
While you are here, let me quickly touch upon how to navigate this space for a lack of a better word. The “Home” is where you see a bunch of featured images followed by latest journals and my travel Instagram. The “Journal” section has all the journals and blogs, etc. The “Portraits” includes my portrait photography portfolio and my Art Portrait Instagram. The Music & Video section is reserved for my music recitals and videos. “Events” contains upcoming photo sessions, classes, etc., while the “Gallery” has most of my favorite travel/nature/street photographs. Feel free to subscribe to the journal or get in touch with me if you wish to collaborate or attend any class or book a portrait session with me. Some sections are empty today as I have not yet finalized the contents. Stay tuned though!
Lastly, I hope you have a good overall experience. If you like my website and my work, feel free to spread the words. 35wonderstreet is my way to keep my creativity alive and to look forward to a better future, while the whole world is in retrograde.
