Logo with initials
Click me x5 ↓

Now (August 2021 edition)

This a now page, inspired by Derek Sivers. Last updated on August 4, 2021

I’m fine and feeling incredibly grateful for it. That’s mostly what I’m doing now. Revelling in being in good health. Enjoying life by going on walks, sitting outside with a book or a podcast, and eating great food.

Personal Website

I kept my monthly writing cadence, except for that time when we uprooted our lives, again. It was hard but it was for the best. Our lives are nice and simple right now.

Apart from that, I keep improving the site, little by little. I do my best to keep the site faithful to the idea of the Whimsical Website Club. Fun, functional (works without JavaScript), fast, independent, personal.

My page views are still an absolute joke. I know it’s a result of “not having a niche” and writing about a variety of topics, but it’s disheartening honestly.

Remote work is still everywhere. It’s the future, here are more good stories:

  • The building society Nationwide has made remote working permanent for their 13,000 office staff in the UK.
  • LinkedIn is now a hybrid company.
  • The University of Manchester will keep lectures online, with the default shifted to “blended” learning.

Small businesses have adopted deliveries and it’s fantastic. It works really well. Now they can operate without their local constraints. It gives the owners a direct-to-consumer relationship with spread-out clients they didn’t have before.

Mindset

It’s okay, it’s okay, I’m okay, I’m alright again — Maggie Rogers, On + Off

I’m trying to spend less time doomscrolling. It comes and goes, and it’s directly correlated to how often our leaders make everything worse in the worst possible way.

I miss my local library. I miss Canada.

I’m one of the somewhat-global expats who felt at home in many places.

Despite the distance, I feel that my connections with my friends around the world grow stronger. I miss them more than ever, and as a result, cherish the little (virtual) time that we spend together.

Time is a funny thing in 2020. Some weeks appear to stretch longer than ever. Every day is a Tuesday, then decades happen in weeks, then nothing. By contrast, fleeting, simple moments like an evening stroll or a good song seem more vibrant. Moments that resonate, ripple in a new way.

Stay safe,
Alvin

Share