Hello readers and welcome back to my blog. Long-time no read.

May I just say before we get into it, to quote a fellow Twitter user (whose name I cannot recall), may we all have a very precedented year.

2020 was a complete shitshow, but you don’t need me to tell you that. In fact, that’s pretty much why I abandoned this website for most of last year.

I got to a point where I felt writing about anything other than what was going on around me didn’t sit right, but I also didn’t have the right words to express how I felt about it all without making people feel even more shit.

Everyone seemed to be glued to their TV screens and other devices while being stuck inside all day, as news flooded in by the hour about fires, the pandemic, elections and everything in between. I suppose everybody was getting news fatigue, who was I to add to that?

Even I was getting sick of the news, and I’m a journalist. This is what we do!

But at any rate, it’s a new year so time for another much-needed fresh start.

Now, unlike most years, I haven’t made any resolutions. That’s not to say I’ve gone cynical. I’m just keeping my expectations at a reasonable level, or at least trying to.

As far as plans go, this year there are only two things I think I will definitely achieve; one, is to continue blogging again (and reveal a special surprise) and the other, is to graduate university.

If I can achieve these two things well, then this year will have been a success.

That being said, upon reflection on last year, I came to the conclusion that I actually did really well, and I turned out to be one of the lucky ones.

We avoided COVID, my parents avoided losing employment, and despite being locked down for most of the year, at least we were all together under one roof which is more than most people can say.

To my own surprise, I managed my mental health for the first time by being proactive about it which is probably why I was able to get through the year.

I got to keep studying and despite the inevitable complications of online study, I got decent marks and finished the year on a high note. Plus, I managed to secure myself two internships before third year has even begun.

So, there you have it, I had an alright year last year and as I sit here now enjoying my summer holidays, I can safely say I’m in a really good place in my life; mentally, physically and emotionally (a very unusual place to be, for me).

I can appreciate however that not everyone is as lucky. Many people will even be suffering in the aftermath of 2020 for months, maybe years to come.

It really causes me great pain to see the collapse of entire communities during these times. And to feel so helpless in the face of all of it… breaks my heart.

While I am managing my expectations, I still remain optimistic for this year.

At the very least, things cannot get any worse than they have been. But at the most, I think we could bounce back from 2020 better and stronger than we’ve ever been as a human race.

Last year was the ultimate test of resilience and compassion. If we can get through that having learnt at least a few lessons, we can surely get through anything.

To 2021, I say, bring it on!