2022 can be pronounced as 2020 too, but no one’s hoping it’ll be anything like the lost year. Other than the mask wearing and restricted group sizes, the scenes on the streets looked reminiscent of pre-pandemic days even with the dearth of tourists. With the festive season in full swing in the past month, crowds thronged malls and restaurants to soak in the festivities after 2 years of muted celebrations.

A sense of normalcy is returning – trains and buses are packed and seats hard to come by during lunch. The record high daily case counts no longer even incite the doom and gloom that sparked the lockdown of 2020. In fact, as we work towards endemic living, the reverse is taking place with restrictions loosening albeit at a slow pace and the general public not caring as much as they used to.

This year, I’m taking flight again after 2 years of having my wings clipped. No doubt travel is gonna be a little challenging post-pandemic with certainly more hassle but I’m not going to let that deter me. Maybe that’ll instill some form of sanity back into the lost year and I sure am looking forward to it as this trip is going to be a first in many respects. Hope 2022 will usher in a semblance of what life was pre-2020.