Pretty Days

// Dear Diary Series — WEEK 10

16th November, 2020/ Monday

• Just INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT Formative Assignment. Didn’t look up from table/laptop till midnight as I worked on my essay. I am just glad I submitted it 20 minutes within time.
• I love my EDP 2020–21 cohort. Some of the most supportive and kind people I’ve ever met, who pulled me through the essay, and all the stress I was building.
• Cooking is not necessarily therapeutic for me but I do need a lot of stress busting food, and that’s what I have been doing on and off! Cook some filling almost-yummy food!

17th November, 2020/ Tuesday

• Tuesdays are my most productive, most eventful, most hectic days of the week, but I just love them for all the learning and interaction!
• Two classes- Governance & State Building and Global Environmental Governance, followed by Weekly Tutor Group Meeting along with all the socializing I do all day long! :)
• Met Eleni after long and went on a night walk on campus. One of my favorite things to do!

18th November, 2020/ Wednesday

• Didn’t get a lot of work done. Mostly rest and recharge. If I don’t take the occasional break, I feel so burnt out!
• Christmas vibes everywhere. Wonder how it would be walking across London now!
• I did some cleaning and decorating the room. It’s my space and I love for it to be warm & welcoming!
• Travel FOMO is getting to me. I may not be able to go to Europe during the Christmas break but I sure want to explore a lot more of UK during the winter break.
• Also, a little sad that due to lockdown, I am unable to shop for my birthday. Lockdown officially ends on the 2nd of December. Gah!

19th November, 2020/ Thursday

• Interviewed VegSoc, the Vegan society of Guild of Students for this week’s episode of the Praana Cafe Podcast followed by trailer video short at the Guild building.
• Meeting friends on campus for random strolling is good too. From no-cooking to sharing my meals with friends has been a strange, unexpected transition. Made a quick vegetable roll for Emily.

• The Toffee Nut Latte in Starbucks (basically any of the seasonal specials)- I love those. Also, I end up paying 20–50 pence extra for non-dairy milk. This is where you realize how subsidies matter. This also makes it difficult to promote as it is factual that some of the basic non-dairy alternatives are more expensive than the dairy ones (though I still feel overall Vegan food costs less on an average monthly expenditure)
• Making use of Teacher Office Hours. I spent a long time talking to Dr. Matt (Global Environmental Governance) about the pros and cons of Kyoto and COP26.
• My commitment to daily walking continues. Today was the most beautiful golden sunset which lasted for a few precious moments, followed by a downpour of heavy rain. Ah! The infamous English weather. But guess what, I still love it. I love it all!
• All of this followed by an impromptu home dinner catch up with Martin & Anirudh.

20th November, 2020/ Friday

• There was a Barking Deer in my garden. I manifested this room with this view and so close to nature. I see the days and seasons change. So grateful for this!
• I made an innovative upma for breakfast which is a mix of both semolina and vermicelli. Mom said it looked like langur but the end result was pretty decent. So yay to that!
• Comfort food is basic home food — Rice , dal and the most delicious fried potato.
• The only thing better than a Birthday gift is an early Birthday gift. Received a Vegan Quote Coffee Mug from Ben and I was so happy to receive it. Even better is a note that was in it, which I have been told not to open before my Birthday. I love notes. I love letters. I love handwritten thoughts. Those are the most special!
• Endlessly recording, editing podcast. It is tiring but commitment is also a thing right. And that’s my forte!
• Oh! the joyous supermarket runs. I bought many many lights to maybe give away as gifts! Making more plans for December. Hoping and wishing it will be the best time yet. Look forward to it with all anticipation.
• The aim is to step out at least once a day. Don’t want to cook up in here all day long. Of course there are things to do, there are ALWAYS things to do. But it’s important that I have no-screen, nature, physical and me-time. Me-time doesn’t include binge watching or mindless social media scrolling.

21st November, 2020/ Saturday

• HOW in the world time spent so quickly! I feel like I am the most productive, organized, accountable person in the world but yet the hours slip by. And I don’t think I will ever understand the woes of a person who is bored and has nothing to do. How is that even possible! Well, I am happy just the way things are for me.
• Walked to Harborne and saw the first Christmas tree of the season set up in the market. Yay to that!
• Proud of my upping culinary skills. Eleni gave me a simple Tomato soup and I did a level up by adding corn, peas, spring onion, coriander, basil pesto & bread. Who is this new human who can innovatively cook! Still falling short on taste. Maybe that’s because I don’t know all the ingredients and tastes. I still don’t want to know.
• I need to sleep better. The numbers of hours I’m sleeping is the best timing of my life but the quality of sleep. I like to have night time routine and prepare for bed, but this week has been about passing out tired after a whole day’s hustle. Will work on it.

22nd November, 2020/ Sunday

• Am I a politician in the making? This very thought popped in my head this morning.
• Spent the morning attending to many pending projects and feeling productive.
• Another Chevening Scholar from Namibia, Abel, it’s his birthday today. No one needs to spend their birthday alone. Took him out for a walk and sang loudly on the streets.
• Eleni, Noto, Abel and I went to Damascena. Got some delicious hot mocha with almond milk (paid extra for the non-dairy milk), walked around, laughed, clicked pictures and just lived the best moments we can!
• Finally, got to writing my Governance & State Building Essay on Good Governance. Is it just Good Enough Governance and can we do better!?