Self-isolation blogs: Bhanu Balusu

Bhanu Balusu

This is part of a series of self-isolation blogs, written by students, staff and Fellows during the coronavirus pandemic so we can learn about their experiences over the coming weeks.

To view other blog entries, take a look at our main self-isolation blog page.

Bhanu Balusu is a second-year Engineering undergraduate.

Bhanu Balusu

Week 6

Hello again!

I don't know what to talk about this week. With every week spent in quarantine, life becomes more and more boring. And this week was exceptionally dull. Nevertheless, I will try.

I have embarked on a quest for health this week. Having bought myself a nutribullet, I have started supplementing my cake intake with something rather healthier. So I've been concocting some "healthy" fruit smoothies. I don't know if they're healthy but they sure do taste good! 

There has also been a cat visiting occasionally, its visits becoming more frequent the more we feed it. It's going to be a shame no one's going to feed it when I go back to Bahrain, but till then, I will continue feeding it.

That is about all that happened this week. Staying inside is beginning to get to me so I will be looking to find more ways to spend my time and retain my sanity. Perhaps it is time to finally catch up on lectures from last term? I don't know. Read next week's post to find out if I manage to find a good use of my time.

That's all for this week!

4 May 2020

Week 5

Hi again!

This week has been an exciting one. First of all, Ramadan Kareem from Saudi Arabia (to all those who observe this holy month)! The beginning of Ramadan has brought some regulatory changes to the coronavirus measures.

I stepped out of the house for the first time in two weeks, which was refreshing. We had to buy water, which for those unaware, is what you have to do in a country where oil is cheaper than water (although oil is cheaper than water everywhere, these days). Anyway, that was my journey into the concrete wilderness.

Things at home were quite a bit exciting as well. I baked my own birthday cake. I must say, despite how disastrously it turned out, it felt better than the fanciest and most expensive cakes I've ever had. That being said, I will definitely be buying a cake for next year. It was a one off experiment and I will be terminating all attempts to bake when it actually matters. Don't worry! My regular baking saga will continue.

This week has ended with good news! Restrictions on the lockdown have been eased, with most commercial activity resuming for a two week period. The lockdown has brought out a lot of innovation, including home delivery of supercars, but I truly am glad for this brief period of respite before an eventual second wave of control measures. I hope to make the most of this two weeks, safely and precariously of course!

Thats all for this eventful week!

27 April 2020

Week 4

Hi again!

The past two weeks have been interesting. In the outside world, everything seemed to have settled into a routine. My news feed, as I had been accustomed to by now, was filled with coronavirus-related news. As someone who fancies neither grocery shopping, exercise, or sunlight, I have been indoors for 10 days straight. But I still found ways to keep busy and almost sane.

Most things remained the same since the previous blog. Lots of minecraft and Netflix, some exercise, and no sleep. The majority of my week has been taken up by the innumerable shows and movies on Netflix and I do not regret it. For those of you that haven't heard of it, Money Heist is definitely a show you'll want to watch (Thanks Maciej, for the recommendation!).

I also spent this week trying to correct my sleep schedule after much insistence from my parents that my sleep habits were abnormal. This is the one reason I miss being in college the most. With no one to tell me when to sleep, I had the freedom to be "abnormal". Still, I embarked on a weeklong journey of "correction". I had planned to go to bed progressively later throughout the week, sometimes going to bed at 3 in the afternoon. Writing this at 4am, I can confirm that this did not work.

The discovery of my baking talent continued as usual. I tried a recipe which I first attempted during week 1 of self isolation, with much better results this time around. I wish I could tell you what went right this time but I'm afraid I'm not that good yet.

As the lockdown gets extended, things are no longer as exciting as they were during the first few weeks, but I still find ways to survive. And so far, it seems to be working. 

Until next week!

19 April 2020

Week 3

Hi again!

This week was yet another exciting week, albeit not as eventful as the previous. The most exciting thing to come out of this week was the alternative exam arrangements email on Tuesday. This email set the tone for the rest of the week. Apart from this, the week passed without much to note.

I woke up on Tuesday morning with great anticipation of the contents of the email. This email would decide my life for the rest of the academic year- it would decide whether I'd while it away playing video games or I'd eventually develop a sense of responsibility and work towards the exams. The replacement of exams with an online exercise was greeted with much joy from everyone, myself included. This was the start of a week of all play and no work. Ecstatic, I spent the whole of that day relaxing.

Come the next day, however, I was beginning to question whether I really liked my exams being cancelled. Nevertheless, I ignored this feeling and had a fun day doing nothing. Several days passed. But as time goes by, I do start to miss having exams. The sense of purpose and the challenge that exams provide has always been enjoyable. Seeing exams as a puzzle rather than a burden has always helped me find the motivation to do well. And with this year's exams being cancelled, I only bid them a heartfelt farewell.

Now, onto the regular list of items. Unfortunately, I have not had the time to procure the ingredients for my next baking adventure, so there will be none for this week. I have focussed my creativity into the virtual world, however, joining my friends in building and crafting great structures in Minecraft. Feel free to join us on the Camfess Minecraft server and follow the progress of a virtual New Court!

That's all for this week!

5 April 2020

Week 2

Hi again!

Welcome to the second installment in this literary adventure I have taken up. Notable things this week include a curfew, more baking, and minecraft!

The first half of this week was quite unremarkable. The only events of importance turned out to be me enjoying the fruit of my baking labour the week before, feasting on some blondies that surprisingly turned out okay. Turns out the secret to baking mastery lies in one ingredient: sugar, and lots of it. If anyone is looking to put on weight for the next rugby season, probably in about 2 years time when everything settles down, there’s your answer to that.

The most notable news of the week came on Monday the 23rd, with a nationwide curfew from 7pm to 6am, for a duration of 21 days. This wasn’t of much consequence. I had already gotten used to the hermit lifestyle. The truly fascinating news, however, arrived on the 29th. Two missiles had been intercepted a mere 400km away from my place, which begs the question, how do people find time for conflict in the midst of a global pandemic?

Anyway, onto more local news. I have continued my baking adventures, making some cookies this week. But with even more time to spend inside, I had to look for some more inspiration. Exercise turned out to be a good choice. A mixture of body weight strength and power training is helping me keep in shape and burn off all the calories from the delicious treats I bake. Cardio is also a good way to achieve this, but those that know me know that I do not do cardio. A more enjoyable way of spending my time has been the CamFess Minecraft server. This activity has seen me spending several sleepless nights mining and building stuff with my friends. If you too are stuck inside with nothing much to do, I’d definitely recommend Minecraft. My recommendation for finding time to exercise will not be as strong as my recommendation for Minecraft.

That’s all for this week!  

2 April 2020

Week 1

My full name is Bhanuram Balusu. I am currently in my second year at Cambridge, reading Engineering when I'm not playing sports or video games. I am also the International Students' Officer of the JCR. I am from India but currently reside in the Middle East, moving between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, when I'm not at Cambridge. I am currently residing in Saudi Arabia with my parents, until the situation cools down.

As an international student, the past two weeks have been intense and interesting. To start with, I had to leave Cambridge before term ended to avoid being stranded. But now that I'm confined to the walls of my home, I've taken up this new hobby to entertain those of you in a similar position to me.

Staying indoors for the major part of a week has been interesting. It was unfortunate that I could not enjoy my favorite Middle Eastern delicacies, because this is most often why I come back home. I have managed to find ways to pass my time though. Quite surprisingly, studying became a favourite. It is greatly enjoyable, but only as long as someone isn't forcing you to do it. Baking is also a great discovery I've made this week. The upside of baking is that you're left with delicious goodies at the end, which can do miracles for your morale.

That's all about me and what I've been getting up to since being back home. Times are tough for everyone right now and I hope this blog series helps cheer you up throughout the coming weeks! If you ever feel like you need someone to talk to, you can contact me on Facebook. Please also feel free to suggest themes for future posts

Thats all for now!

See ya next week 

27 March 2020