Life indeed is full of surprises, taking unexpected turns, well who in the start of 2020 had the slightest idea of the current situation we are facing. Staying at home, avoiding stepping out as much as possible, not completely dressed without a mask, social distancing is lately the new normal.To be honest, quarantine has somewhat been quite a ride, with a lot of time in hand, we don't always know how to spend it. For starters, binge watching different series available, something which most of us out there are doing, to while away time. In the process I have come to realize quite a few things, like how you can always rely on your true friends, not being afraid to take risks, how family is the most important thing in life, human instincts regardless of their background and looking at things with different perspectives. While we stay home most of the time, we miss a lot of stuff, like enjoying outside delicacies, exploring different restaurants and cafes. Quarantine without a doubt is bringing out the chef in everyone. Social media stories definitely prove how people are experimenting cooking at home. I have baked a lot in this period, at least more than what I usually used to, it's something I thoroughly enjoy. If we pay attention it does teach us an important thing in life, the importance of each ingredient and the right balance of each ingredient to bring out a spectacular dish. It is the same with life too, each moment, happy, sad, exciting, dull, every moment is important for us to understand different things. The satisfaction of baking and eating cakes, rather food is a joy in itself. With this joy comes calories, and with it comes the realization of the need to exercise, which I do on a regular basis, like weight lifting, push ups and walking. Another thing that we all miss is, hanging out with friends, playing pranks, partying, and most of all spending time with them in person. Thanks to social media that we stay connected. A lot of my friend's birthdays happen to be in this period as well, and i tried my best to fill in the void of not meeting on the occasions by making a video message with the group and a video call that lasted very long filled with laughter and fun. Celebrating birthdays and special occasions has indeed found a new way. Friends make life much more interesting, they are definitely a very important ingredient in the recipe of life. A life without these clowns is hard to imagine let alone live, it would perhaps be awfully boring. What also keeps me going is my love for dogs. Just simply the way they are makes me love them unconditionally. Once me and my friends found a bunch of puppies in our society and we couldn't help but play with them. The next day, we got cardboard and made them little shelters, fed them bread crumbs. We took care of them as much as possible for a few days and one day they just disappeared. We only hope that they are in the best of their health. I do spend a lot of time with my neighbor's dog, surprisingly enough she is more friendly with me than anyone else. Willingly shakes hands and gives high fives. It's a bliss to spend time with her. Amidst all these, you really need to have some brain exercises, well it is needed. And an exciting way is to solve some aptitude questions and brain teasers. I have solved a bunch of them and am sure my skills are better than what I had when I was at the first question. They do help us in order to face problems, interviews, exams and importantly build on to our confidence. Being a part of Dexterity school has also helped improve a lot during this period. A leadership development program that has not only helped me build my leadership skills but improve on a lot of other factors. The monthly assignments have made me work on my concentration, listening, writing, critical thinking and analytic thinking. We also have monthly meetings with the CEO himself and are reviewed on our assignments. The meetings have proved to be very helpful, we are guided and taught what to pay attention to and how to improve the quality of the work. Mainly I have focused and learned a lot on my presentation skills, which I realize to be an essential factor. It has also opened a lot of platforms and competitions that I otherwise would have not participated in. The plus point of the whole situation is, we get to spend a lot of time with our families. In the world of technology where when we used to be home after a long day, we would rather sit back with our gadgets and spend time on the internet claiming that's the only time we got to be connected with the world, we did neglect the family time. This lock down made us actually spend time with each other, be it playing games together or just sitting in a room and talking. Makes me realize what we miss out otherwise, creating memories of a lifetime. This is how my quarantine is going, with learning and relaxing both being a part, so far so good.

The influx of regret first hit me by the Plague Column: an exquisitely ornate Baroque memorial with embellished gold iconography. I had been in Vienna for fifteen hours, and the toll of isolation was bearing down on me with a harsh frigidity, instilling in me something I had forgotten in lieu of my wanderlust: I cannot thrive alone. To ache with such despair beneath a bleak, passionless January sky is profoundly demoralising; the absence of light is a sickness to our nature. My limbo was the the Graben, lonesome in its romantic crowds and chilling in its creamy, mint intricacies. I hope I would have escaped this desolation some other way had I not, in my freezing endeavours heard the faint warmth of a jazz piano, followed distantly by the animated vibrations of a double bass. Driven delirious by solitude, something within me was galvanised by such familiarity, and propelled me towards the sound. As if rushing me onwards, the wind began to curl more bitterly, and the air ebb more icily. At first I couldn't find it; the jumbled letters 'JAZZLAND' seemingly lead to an empty, alleyway shrouded in gloom. It was the glowing of a distant stranger's cigarette that suggested there was life beyond the fuzzy darkness, and as dusk gave way to shadows, the jazz grew stronger, drawing me closer. A door marked the end of the trail - a door that murmured with a muffled clamour, thin lines of light seeping through the cracks. A door that, upon pushing open, flings you into a soul-igniting, smokey, vintage effervescence, where jazz drips from the ceiling like rich honey and a golden glow emanates from the lowly-lit lamps. Only yards away, a pianist, double bassist, saxophonist and trumpeter were melting languidly into the groove of 'Fever', perfectly synchronised in their musical whims. I dwell on these happenings, because they illustrate that in the ardent nature of curiosity, we are distracted from the despondency of negative emotion. Fascination, and to a further extent, purpose, drive us. To be aimless is to be lost, and to be lost is to despair. When I arrived in Vienna, the dream was to wander, to gaze and to be enamoured in an enchanting European city. It was to wait for the charm rather than to seek it out. Only in retrospect do I see how senseless that ambition was - if it can even be referred to as an ambition. As humans we crave purpose and destination, henceforth why curiosity is so important and inherent to us. The anonymity of solo-travelling, and the lack of community can feel stagnant, and without the effort to forge a path we are left drifting. However, to actively seek out or create life's charms is revolutionary, not only in solo-travel, but everywhere. Putting this into practise engulfed me into a deep affection for Vienna, and brought my attention to its most captivating intricacies. Upon rising in the morning, a destination was to be discussed and decided amongst the party (myself and a mustard notebook), and left unscheduled so as not to vanquish the unrestricted spontaneity of discovering a city alone. With a purpose, my meanderings of the city did not feel idle, but exploratory and fulfilling. January's greyed skies became silvery and pearl-like; its bitter air became wintry and mystically misty, and its bare trees became gothically alluring. Most frequently, I would indulge in Viennese coffee culture, and take myself to the cafes where red-velvet encases the walls, and delightful jazz floats through from the bar all the way to the cosy fire crackling by the oak table of reading material. One might argue that there is something aimless about lounging in a coffeehouse for mornings on end, admiring the fresh sprinkling of snow from frosted windows, however, the curiosity does not stop there. It is everywhere, from perusing the quaintly stamped menu, to observing the eccentric characters swanning about, to spilling lucid words into your mustard notebook, to deciding on the next destination - be it the clock museum or the honey boutique. To be purposeless is to be lost; it only births nihilism, and futility. However, to be curious is to unveil a whole realm of delights. To seek the charm in life is to stumble on knowledge, to unveil destinations and to delve into the earth. As humans, it is our purpose to be curious.

On a cold November morning, after attending an exhilarating youth conference in Strasbourg, I was on a train on my way to Paris. My heartbeat was mimicking the rhythm of the rails. I was only 19 years old and blessed with the opportunity to visit one of the most beautiful cities in the world, Ville des Lumière or ‘the city of lights'. As a young woman from India, raised in a traditional family, most of my choices were made for me. This was my first step into an independent life and it was all very unnerving. An hour into the journey I met a young man who, to my surprise, was also from India. We exchanged life stories as the beautiful French landscapes of freshly cut grass, fauna and wineries painted our windows as they raced by. He invited me for a walking tour in Paris taking place in a few hours, telling me how we would explore the city guided by a tour manager who would narrate to us its dynamic history. Possessing an inherent love of the past, I readily agreed. After reaching Paris I rushed with my heavy suitcase to find the subway and caught the train that lead to my accommodation. Reaching just in time to leave my luggage, I ran back to the street and caught a bus to Saint Michel, where we were supposed to assemble for the tour. On my way, I realized that I was so intent on not being late, I navigated easily through an alien city with a language I didn't speak. A little proud, I smiled at my ability to adapt so quickly to an environment so different from home. Indeed, I was growing up. The tour was very enjoyable as I carefully observed the interiors of Paris painted with flora and Gothic architecture. We were walking along the Seine, the river which holds the spirit of Paris within it, when the sun was engulfed by thick clouds. Soon, I could feel icy droplets of rain on my skin. Each raindrop felt like a sting, reminding me that I was turning twenty soon. We ended the tour in Tuileries Garden, as the sun interrupted the rain, blessing us with its warmth. My friend and I then walked to the Eiffel Tower. Coming from India, a country with a rich heritage, I firmly believe that historic monuments that have witnessed the ravages of war and tranquility of peace are the most precious. They have a story to tell. And so, I always felt that the Eiffel Tower was merely a metallic structure unworthy of praise, much like the French did in earlier times. But I was wrong. The Eiffel Tower emitted magnificence. It was like an anchor of the city, holding it from sinking into the blue skies. We sat on a lonely bench placed on a pavilion just behind the tower, surrounded by green trees slowly rustling in the cold air of the twilight. I was evaluating the photographs I took of the Eiffel on my phone, when my companion reminded me to appreciate the moment I was in. “But we have been here for over an hour” I replied, “there is nothing new to-“ I stopped short in my words as I looked up once again at the majestic tower. It was lit up with a golden light, almost as if with a thousand candles, against the backdrop of the slowly brewing night sky. Suddenly, I could not feel the chill on the tip of my nose or the cold air in my lungs. I felt warm from the glow of the Eiffel, as if someone had tucked me in a cozy blanket with a hot cup of tea. I went to sleep that day feeling like a changed person. On my last day in Paris, I visited the celebrated Louvre. Its high ceilings that housed tremendous artwork made me feel small and insignificant. I visited the intriguing Mona Lisa painting and felt that I could never be as famed as its maker, Leonardo Da Vinci. So what was the point of even trying? The best or worst part about accepting mediocrity was the comfort it provided. I found myself walking once again towards the Tuileries garden behind the Louvre, but this time on a warm sunny day bustling with people and energy. Yet somehow, I was more alone than ever. I felt that independence was equal to isolation. I was walking beside an intricate fountain in the garden, when my melancholic thoughts were interrupted by an old man, just like the sun had interrupted the rain in the very same place on my first day in Paris. The man was in his mid-sixties with grey hair and a thick beard. He muttered something to me in French and grinned. My first instinct was to walk away but his compelling eyes held me back. I looked at him questioningly, signaling to him that I didn't understand French. He happily repeated in English with a thick French accent, “Are you thinking deeply?” I was shocked. He continued, “You should not indulge in your thoughts so deeply, enjoy the present”. He walked away immediately after, but I was transfixed. It was as if God had come to explain to me that the meaning of independence was not isolation, but the pure enjoyment of moments in life you have created for yourself. In those few seconds at the conclusion of my sojourn, I was finally ready to embrace my 20 year old independent self.