How are you holding up through this lockdown?

COVID-19 numbers have been sky rocketing over the past few weeks in India and i've been quite happy to stay home. It's the safest option even as India comes out of lockdown prematurely.

But, I've kept myself rather busy and focused on trying to build some new skills for the future and potentially try and create a new income stream by end of this crisis situation. Suffice to say it's not been very easy but challenges are not supposed to be easy are they?

But once every 1-2 weeks I've been visiting a couple of my favourite spots on the coastline close to my city during the hours we were allowed to move freely here.

I come to this place quite often. I find it very relaxing to take a walk on the beach especially since not many people are around these days. There's no risk of COVID-19 outdoors on a beach with or without social distancing generally.

With so many bad things happening this year things have been quite stressful for everyone. So this was a good getaway of sorts for me.

Some of friends have lost their jobs, others have taken salary cuts. Some businesses have shut down and incomes have taken a hit for everyone.

In early February, I was trying to help some of my friends land a new job but no one was hiring even back then as our economy had slowed down even before COVID-19 lockdown happened and things have only gotten worse since. Everyone is so worried lately and these are some legit concerns.

But there's not a lot you can do but focus on what you have left and work towards the future. I tell this to my friends: If you have your health intact through this pandemic, you can sort out the rest of your problems one by one. My city isn't very badly hit by the virus so far. So far so good!

I generally focus on solutions because there's no point worrying beyond the bare minimum amount on a situation we don't and can never control. Better not to worry at all sometimes but as humans it can't be helped.

But I really like long walks on empty beaches and this beach is interesting. This is the Arabian Sea off the coast of Mangalore-my hometown. There's a lighthouse nearby and I visit that place on weekdays when no one visits.

It's a beautiful area and now with the monsoon set it, the skies look pretty magnificent with all these amazing clouds. So dramatic!

The weather was just perfect, not very humid but quite cool and windy when I went there. I was hoping it would rain but it didn't. Next time I might take a quick dip if it isn't raining and especially if the water stays a bit calm. I miss going for a swim.

I went to other nearby spots on the weekend and it was packed with locals but this and a few other spots I know aren't jam packed and perfect if you want to just chill by yourself.

This is a breached dredging ship Bhagvati Prem off our coast. Last year's monsoon was pretty rough for it. The monsoon tides were strong enough to flip the direction of the ship from facing North when it breached to South-its current position.

It was supposed to have been removed by January, 2020 but it remains here as nothing gets done on time in India. It's been a major concern for the local fishermen as it cuts through the line they use to reach the coast where they park their small motorised boats.

I really like the following picture of the ship. Suffice to say I had a good time walking around for an hour or so. I also called some old friends from my school to check on them and if they are doing okay and had a good time catching up as well.

I love these short drives around my city in my old Ford Fiesta 1.6S. It's aged quite well for a car that's going to turn 11 this August but it's so much fun to drive that I always look forward to the next one.

I've been reading a few blogs every day on Hive catching up on what many people are doing. But I know this is a difficult time and I can only hope that you are doing well through these hard times. There's not a lot I can do to help your situation but I hope you have your own ways to stay calm and relaxed through these difficult times.

In a densely populated country like mine, social distancing in the city is hard to come by especially when you are off your personal vehicle and shopping for essentials.

So, I thoroughly enjoy these little moments away from the crowd and also away from the four walls of my home where I spend most of my time working away at my desk.