A quirky and fun newsletter to lighten up your day a quarantiny bit.
INTRODUCTION
This week, I find myself being divided by two key emotions. On the one hand, I am insanely proud of how, as humans, we are continuing to find the energy to get through every day, support those around us, and more importantly, support ourselves. This is reflected in the comfort we are starting to find in our daily routine at home, with whatever or whoever is around us. Whether it is the daily avoiding of morning conversations with the parents we are suddenly back with, the friendly neighborhood dog who barks alarmingly loud every day at the same time, or the daily walk to the living room office.
As humans, after a while we are sure to hold on to something that we recognise and we create a feeling of comfort around it. Finding comfort in the crazy- we’re all capable of doing it, it's reassuring and it’s kind of nice.
HOWEVER, the other part of me feels that I am so comfortable sitting around at my ironing board desk (I’ve revamped the style- my chair is now majestically padded out with a fluffy throw for extra comfort and extra jazz) that I need to find something new, a snippet of a challenge, a sprinkle of la vie en rouge, know what I’m sayin? I personally would not define a challenge as something that takes months to work up to, overcome and then leave you feeling exhausted yet exhilarated. A challenge can be a tiny step in a new direction, a minor change to the daily routine, using a new ball point pen (you must have a preference between blue and black ink) changing from low pony to high bun. It’s something we can do for ourselves. There's no definition or someone’s expectation you need to meet (t r u l y). À chacun son goût.
Sooo, I thought it could be fun to switch things up a little for this edition of Notez. This week, each horoscope (head to the brand new designated page!) will feature a tiny “challenge”, or rather a random activity for you to engage in. If you want.
P.S - Thanks for reading this, you’re pretty damn amazing.
Nomz by Naomz
Food is F U E L. Personally, I love love love breakfast. L - o - v - e. Big, beautiful breakfasts are what I adore and look forward to every day. I took the liberty of researching some hearty breakfast recipes and have shortlisted some of my favourites below. Only because cereal is easy and satisfying does not mean there's not an abundance of alternate options out there.
Baked Eggs and Spinach in Sweet Potato Boats
Peanut Butter Baked Oatmeal
French Toast- slightly different
Chocolate Beetroot Muffins
Tunez
BENEE- Glitter
The Kooks- Chicken Bone
I know that he’s mine - Caro Emerald
Frank Sinatra - Somethin’ Stupid
All in- Bakar
Fun anecdote to accompany the Tunez section- Commonly heard in Casa Naomi & Nephele:
"ALEXA. PLAY SOME MUSIC"
"NO ALEXA, NOT THIS, WHAT AM I, 12?"
"ALEXA...NEXT"
"ALEXA!!! VOLUME"
"ALEXAAAA DAYUMM"
"ALEEEXA!!! THIS IS MY JAAAAM"
"NO ALEXA NOT THIS ONE"
"NEPHELE. ALEXA IS NOT LISTENING TO ME"
"Naomi. STOP abusing Alexa"
So...what’s everyone up to in…?
We are humans. We are curious, we are adventurous, we get intrigued. We want to know what everyone else is up to: around us, behind us, in front of us. Let’s think about how many times a day we start a sentence with ‘What’. To help satisfy the craving for information, I’ve spoken to some friends in different cities, to get an insight of what everyone is up to during Covid-19 season 2020.
How is your city taking measures against Covid-19?
“In cologne it is no longer tolerated to spend time with more than one person in public. Masks have to be worn when using public transport and entering any kind of stores. Retail stores recently reopened under strong safety protocol (max. Ppl in store/employees wear masks and gloves/ everyone entering has to sanitize their hands/cashier sit/stand behind plexiglas)” - (L.E.O, Cologne)
“In Dubai, the entire city went through a sterilisation drive which was conducted by the government. The governmentt limited movements and people that had to leave for essentials like the pharmacy, or supermarket had to apply for permits and could then move between certain times. You’re also fined if seen without a mask anywhere. Over 1m tests have been conducted (which is great because we have a population of 10m), and just a few days ago, rules have been eased up a bit. By that, I mean that restaurants and malls and officers are allowed to reopen; but can only be at 30% capacity at all times. It’s also great that they’ve built a drive through COVID rest centres.” (D.C, Dubai)
“Spain is very strict. You can only leave your home to buy groceries or something at the pharmacy. If you get caught taking a walk for any other reason you can get a fine starting from 600 eur.” - (M.D, Madrid)
“In Rotterdam, law enforcement strictly monitors social distancing rules: Keeping 1.5m distance between people, no more than 2 people outside together that are not from the same household and no house gatherings of more than 3 guests. Especially during these sunny days, many people still go outside and gather in public spaces. Failing to abide by these measures and risk a fine of up to 400€.” (R.D.R.V.A, Rotterdam)
What’s the general trend of home activities you and your friends are taking part in?
“Two weeks ago my university started again, so I spend a lot of time attending online lectures. In my free time I try to be creative. Since I just moved I have a lot of projects in my apartment. With chalk paint you can easily give old furniture a new look.” (C.B, Frankfurt)
“Our favorite activity to do together is and has always been sports. Our current faves have been playing basketball at the local school playground, going for bike rides in the beautiful Swiss country-side, running in the forest or workouts on the terrace. When you spend so much time at home, things seem to just get messy so quickly so another activity we’ve been doing, sadly, is cleaning and re-cleaning the apartment.” (C.M, Zurich)
“Zoom calls, apéro drinks, baking, CATAN, making tiktok videos, reading books!” (L.S, Brussels)
“The classic quizzes where everyone brings a round to the table. Memory card games. Themed nights! Had a Japanese night and Indian night is coming soon.” - (J.J, Singapore)
Are you ever bored? If yes, what do you do?
“A lottt of Netflix, the other day I found myself watching an English dubbed Icelandic show ( it's actually really good if you're interested check out the Valhalla murders) and lots of games!” - (D.W, Ottawa)
“I usually go for a walk or a run in the park, or online shop …” (E.S., Brussels)
“Yup sometimes when you don’t feel like scrolling through Instagram endlessly! If we’re bored we play board games with our parents!✌🏻 Our current favourite is Scattergories!” (R.K, Mumbai)
What restaurant do you miss?
“Miss going to COMO in Singapore, but good news that Jim Thompson Thai delivers!” (J.J, Singapore)
“Tough question, I didn’t go out to restaurants often, though I definitely miss the boneless ribs from Dodo Café in Rotterdam. I really miss de Witte Aap, which is a Bar around the corner of my house that was always a nice place to go on Friday.” - (R.D.R.V.A, Rotterdam)
“VAPIANO. They went bankrupt at the very beginning of the crisis” - (L.E.O, Cologne)
“No particular restaurant as such, probably just eating out! Be it a nice sushi place or a fast food joint!” - (R.K, Mumbai)
Congratulations for taking it to the next level! Impactful, incandescent content, as always