2020 in retrospect Pt.1

Not exactly sure what to round up this year as a conclusion, we all went through a collective traumatic experience, some of us got sick, some of us lost jobs, some of us lost the loved ones, most of us lost a year of our lives that we are never getting back.

As bad as it sounds, if you are reading this then you are probably still alive (or if not, that is sort of creepy), but if you’re alive that’s already a win. Also, if you have access to internet, some sort of device and electricity, that also means you have more assets than people in some countries around the planet. Well,  you have probably noticed from the past, I have a tendency of looking at life from the bright side and I always encourage everyone to do the same (though it really takes some mental stretching to teach your brain to be calibrated to see the positive when the day seems to be very grim). 

So though I didn’t get to shoot many events this year, I did have a few before the pandemic hit the full force, and I got to shoot one event which was the first in the UAE on the easing the regulations and it felt just so special. Hard to explain, but there is something so uplifting about loud music and flashing lights in the venue full of people who are excited to see each other. Receiving awards is also nice, even though they are not for me.

We got to take a break, rethink priorities, go to the dentist, grow out that hair, master or try out a new skill. I got to finish all the Arabic language lessons there are on DuoLingo, and according to them learned almost 3000 new words. I tried watercolor, learned a few tricks on how to make videos, looked closely at things I have just overlooked before and got to shoot a whole lot of art. I didn’t watch a lot of TV shows, as it still felt like a waste of time. I didn’t go on many photo walks to places I’d like to go, but dwelled around my area where it felt safe. 

There wasn’t many international travels, but there was KSA, which in itself was epic, and I am grateful for that one. There was a lot of exploration of the UAE, new roads, new hikes, new skills unlocked for camping and grilling outdoors.

I don’t really hope that things will magically change on their own with the beginning of 2021, but perhaps you can consider getting a vaccine, so that we all stop worrying so much and get past this pandemic just a little bit faster. 

Here are some photos from 2020, which you maybe have seen already, but I felt it was appropriate to round them up over here if there is nothing else to summarize with the wrapping up of 2020.

Stay strong and be kind, you never know what the other person might be going through at the moment.

to be continued….