Now that it's the New Year, I want this year to be better than the last. Sure, it's not going to be easy with ongoing restrictions and the pandemic (and the threat of Omicron), but should things go to plan, then this year should turn out better than the last. And unlike the previous years, I will try to be as realistic as possible, given the pandemic and travel restrictions resulting from it.
This year, I aim to strive to be happier, healthier and fitter. One of my goals is to get a job and perhaps become a model and even get into fashion design (if possible)*. I also aim to meet new people, be more social, and hope to start travelling once the restrictions are lifted. I will strive to eat healthier, be kind to everyone, and be more organized and. I will also support businesses, try and do new things that I haven't done before, explore new places and be more active in my hobbies - and possibly take up new hobbies as well. And spend less unnecessary time on social media if possible. And most importantly, I will do my best to be a positive person, and live life to the fullest with having fun, doing what I do best, and try my hardest to achieve my goals and resolutions for this year. *Disclaimer: While, I am noting that it may be possible to become a model and a fashion designer, it may also not be possible under the current circumstances - which is why I used perhaps in my sentence. Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash
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As 2022 begins, I would like to reflect on what has been quite a challenging year to navigate. The year 2021 has been what will be described as a rocky rollercoaster. There were ups and there were downs of 2021. There were moments that history was made and witnessed. There is one thing that was definite - the whole year was revolving around the coronavirus pandemic. One of the most memorable moments was the Americas Cup - and that was a part of New Zealand history as well. We celebrated with champagne and ate at a high end restaurant (which, unfortunately, has permanently shut it's doors as a result of the ongoing pandemic). I also went to Six60 with tens of thousands of other concertgoers - in Eden park, which was a first time for any concert . I also had my first bungy jump ever, in Queenstown. I also explored new places, and did new things - and experiences. And finally, I passed my university papers. There were many things that did not go well at all. First of all, it was the first full year without my dad, who passed away from his illness. Then there was the Delta outbreak in August (which is still ongoing), which saw my region being in lockdown for a couple of months (which had negative consequences on me, those who are close to me - and some of my friendships). And I was a casual contact of a case that attended the university that I went to on that day - although the case wasn't in the same class with me, thankfully. Bearing in mind, we also had a lockdown at the beginning of the year due to the Valentine's Day cluster, which also added to our misery. This is also the year that I found out I have PCOS (more on this later). I also wasn't able to celebrate my birthday with my friends and family as I had wanted - and neither was I able to have the Halloween that I had wished for either. The lockdowns had also brought back memories of my dad's death as he died during the very first nationwide lockdown, which was really tough. I had also put on a lot of weight due to the fact that I was cooking and eating a lot during the lockdown as I was bored and had to find something to occupy myself with and I wasn't able to hit the gym as I would have liked due to the lockdown. Then there were global and national events (such as the New Year disorder in the Waikato region of New Zealand) - such as the US Capitol Riot - that made the year even harder to deal with. The lockdown was also a nuisance as it had an impact on my hobbies - my ability to do photography was limited as we were confined to our own region and many places were closed and there were other boundary restrictions. I wasn't also able to seek out adventure and adrenaline as much as I would've liked - I was supposed to go skiing for the second time in 2021 but that was cancelled. In fact, our trip to Queenstown that was supposed to go ahead in August was moved to December, as are events that I was supposed to attend in August, which have been postponed to other dates (and one in November which has now been moved to April this year). Planned catch ups with my friends were cancelled due to the lockdown, which was frustrating and had a huge mental health impact on me.
Overall, the year was tough, challenging and difficult due to lockdowns, covid and the fallout of it. Moving forward, here's hoping for a better 2022 and this time, I am excited for what this year awaits, although cautious at the same time. Yes, we are still in a pandemic, but, let's hope that this whole pandemic will come to an end this year. Photo on blog cover by Nadi Whatisdelirium on Unsplash |
AuthorI am Natalie Dunn. I am a feminist who believes in gender equality and rights for everyone. I have many passions in life such as fashion, beauty, adventures and travelling. Archives
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