The Witherly Heights Quarantine Yearender

To commemorate a year in quarantine, Witherly Heights is putting a spin on our annual year-ender to share some of the shows, songs, and books that got us through this socially distanced year as well as the experiences we gained and those we missed out on due to COVID. 

What was your favorite show to binge-watch during quarantine?

“Demon slayer” – Vibhav Darsha

“Community” – Aaron Cruz

“I watched Attack on Titan because a lot of my friends encouraged me to watch [it] and it’s one of my favorite animes.” – Abel Kora

“I didn’t watch any shows, mostly because I didn’t feel like paying for Disney+. I finally saw The Lord of the Rings movies though, that was fun.” – Siddharth Chavan

“Me and a few other friends binge-watched a lot of The Legends of Korra following my completion of Avatar: The Last Airbender.” – Ayush Hindocha

“Bojack Horseman was my favorite show to binge-watch because I had nothing better to do.” – Luca Barbacioru

“Probably Succession! That was fun” – Anonymous

“The Office got me through the first few weeks of change” – Parsa Basseri 

“New Girl” – Avani Sethi

“I don’t really remember what I was watching a year ago but I enjoyed Bridgerton because of the clothing and duke. ” – Anusha Sharangpani

“Elite” – Nitya Sharma

“Mob Psycho 100” – Malia Eugenio

“I rewatched New Girl about three times in the last year ” – Mallika Saoji

“Grey’s?” – Amrita Guha

“The Good Place” – Anya Patri

“Gilmore Girls for maybe the 3rd time and Grey’s Anatomy. ” – Ayesha Ashraf

“At the very beginning of quarantine, I finally got around to watching Gossip Girl which I thoroughly enjoyed. But more recently I would say The Queen’s Gambit and Avatar: The Last Airbender have been some of my favorites.” – Diana Barbacioru 

“Would be a tie between Demon Slayer, Mob Psycho 100, and Firefly. All really great shows that I would recommend to anyone!” – Ram Charan

What was your favorite album or who was your favorite artist to listen to throughout quarantine? 

“Lyn Inaizumi” – Vibhav Darsha

“Neil Cicierega” – Aaron Cruz

“I listened to music Josh created during quarantine because they sounded really good.” – Abel Kora

“It’s a tie for me. On the one hand, I can never go wrong with my favorite band, Mutemath. I strongly recommend anyone who hasn’t heard their music before to give it a listen. But on the other hand, I also really enjoyed listening to Dua Lipa’s new album Future Nostalgia. The instrumentation on that album is top-notch, and it’s got a unique sound that I haven’t really heard from any other artists. Not to mention her incredible vocal range.” – Siddharth Chavan

“Over the quarantine, a few friends of mine introduced me to some of J. Cole’s music. I really liked the style of music he creates and I have been listening to him a lot. ” – Ayush Hindocha

“I would have to say either Kanye or J. Cole as I started listening to their older music and I have just gotten addicted in a way.” – Luca Barbacioru

“I thought my favorite album in quarantine would be ~how i’m feeling~ but then I thought maybe it would be Folklore but then I think it ended up being Evermore.” – Anonymous

“Taylor Swift: Folklore, Role Model, or Ruel” – Avani Sethi

“Lana Del Rey but I am at heart a barb. ” – Anusha Sharangpani

“Harry Styles and Wallows are always a go-to for me. I have also been getting into Early Eyes and enjoying their fairly new album Sunbathing.” – Diana Barbacioru

“The Strokes ” – Nitya Sharma

“Folklore and Evermore.” – Mallika Saoji

“BTS: Be album ” – Amrita Guha

“Cavetown” – Anya Patri

“I listened to a lot of Logic, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Miles Davis, J. Cole, and Kendrick Lamar. I really liked Section 80, No Pressure, Under Pressure, and 2014 Forest Hills Drive as albums.” – Ram Charan

What is your favorite book that you have read during quarantine?

“I don’t read books, who do you think I am?” – Aaron Cruz

“12 Rules of Life was one of the few books I read but also the sequel.” – Abel Kora

“My favorite book that I read during quarantine has to be Foundation by Isaac Asimov. This book is a pillar of science fiction literature and is honestly one of the best books I have ever read. It’s really barebones, there’s no fluff or flowery language, but it’s still able to explore scientific and political ideas in a way that a lot of other sci-fi books fail to do. I strongly encourage everyone to read it at some point.” – Siddharth Chavan

“Foundation by Isaac Asimov. ” – Ayush Hindocha

“The Catcher in the Rye was an extremely riveting book that I read during quarantine; however, I haven’t read a book outside of school.” – Luca Barbacioru

“I finally read Romeo and Juliet and then I realized a song I listened to one time was literally referencing it and I connected the dots and impressed myself. ” – Anonymous

“Foundation” – Parsa Basseri 

“Six of Crows, Vicious by VE Schwab, or the entire Dorothy Must Die series” – Avani Sethi

“The ACT Red Book” – Anusha Sharangpani

“My dad got me this Danish murder mystery novel called The Chestnut Man. One of the best books I have ever read. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a book that keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire time.”  – Diana Barbacioru

“Purity by Jonathan Franzen” – Nitya Sharma

“Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens or Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare  ” – Mallika Saoji

“Six of Crows” – Amrita Guha

“Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, The Sicilian by Mario Puzo,and A Scanner Darkly would be my favorite three books. All great books but each is a very different read.” – Ram Charan

What event or experience canceled by quarantine made you the most upset? 

“Release of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” – Aaron Cruz

“The delaying of Marvel Movies like Dr. Strange 2 because I was really hyped for it.” – Abel Kora

“I was really let down when the English Premier League was halted since it happened right in the middle of the season in which Liverpool was set to win the title. It’s alright though because we still won when the league restarted.” – Siddharth Chavan

“The New York Ex-term. It would have been so LIT.” – Ayush Hindocha

“My soccer season and my trip to England was canceled by quarantine, which made me quite upset as I was excited to compete against teams that have beat us previous years.” – Luca Barbacioru

“Concerts maybe? My parents got Hulu and then canceled it so that’s something that got canceled but it doesn’t really have anything to do with quarantine” – Anonymous

“The Ex-Terms and not going to physical school” – Parsa Basseri 

“New York Ex-term, Christmas in LA with family” – Avani Sethi

“I was going to go to LA with Kimia for her 18th birthday. ” – Anusha Sharangpani

“I would definitely have to say the New York Ex-term trip. I was really looking forward to traveling to the best city ever with my friends.” – Diana Barabcioru

“Getting to go to a new school and meeting new people” – Nitya Sharma

“Ex-Term cancelled 🙁” – Malia Eugenio

“Death valleyyy” – Amrita Guha

“I wasn’t able to visit my cousins in Michigan for Christmas” – Anya Patri

“The cancelled New York Ex-Term Trip, not booking plane tickets to New York, not being able to stay in Times Square, not taking a tour of NBC studios, and not going to New York…” – Ram Charan

What is a new hobby you picked up during quarantine?

“Streaming” – Vibhav Darsha

“Making music” – Aaron Cruz

“Waking up around 5 a.m. for good habits.” – Abel Kora

“Playing the guitar. I’ve wanted to learn the guitar for a long time and I was lucky enough to finally get one right before the quarantine began. I’m nowhere near Eric Clapton level but I’d say I’m pretty decent at it.” – Siddharth Chavan

“If driving is a hobby, I picked it up by getting a license.” – Ayush Hindocha

“There hasn’t been any new hobby that I picked up, but I have been biking a lot more than I did before quarantine started.” – Luca Barbacioru

“I can put in my contacts really fast now. ” – Anonymous

“I have taken to biking more often although it isn’t really something new” – Parsa Basseri

“Skateboarding, cooking, got back into reading” – Avani Sethi

“I eat a lot of parmesan cheese ” – Anusha Sharangpani

“I went through a lego phase for a little bit during the very beginning of quarantine. More recently, I have made it my 2021 New Year’s Resolution to read one book a month. So far I’ve surpassed my goal. For anyone who is getting tired of trying to find new shows or movies to watch, reading is a very enjoyable alternative.”  – Diana Barbacioru

“Long distance running ” – Nitya Sharma

“I haven’t done anything productive since March 2020 lol” – Malia Eugenio

“I started crocheting again which I used to do a lot of in elementary school but stopped during middle school. I’m really glad I had the chance to pick it up again.” – Mallika Saoji

“How to rip stick” – Amrita Guha

“Watercolor painting” – Anya Patri

“Got into online gaming through one specific game: Valorant. I am pretty terrible at it, but spending time with friends while playing the game is one of the reasons I continue to play it.” – Ram Charan

What are you gonna do as soon as the world completely reopens? 

“See friends ” – Vibhav Darsha

“See outside” – Aaron Cruz

“I’m going to the gym so I can take a gym photo.” – Abel Kora

“Meet up with my friends, both the old ones and the ones I’ve made during quarantine.” – Siddharth Chavan

“Go watch a movie in a theatre, go to a theme park, go on a plane without a mask, go on vacation, hangout with friends without masks, drive people places. It’s gonna be really fun when everything reopens.” – Ayush Hindocha

“I’m probably just going to go and watch a movie and eat at a restaurant without having takeout.” – Luca Barbacioru

“Of course the only thing I look forward to is my return to Alsion Montessori Middle/High School” – Anonymous

“Meet up with my friends without any limitations” – Parsa Basseri

“Spend time with friends, travel, go to as many events as possible, eat out, ENJOY LIFE” – Avani Sethi

“Go to LA” – Anusha Sharangpani

“I am not a very affectionate person, so me saying this shows how much I miss normal human interactions. The first thing I will do once we are allowed to is give all of my friends a hug. Also, you will be finding me at the movie theater for the next several months trying to catch up on everything that was pushed back while drinking an ICEE.” – Diana Barbacioru

“Go to Portugal” – Nitya Sharma

“Sit outside” – Malia Eugenio

“Go to the movies ” – Mallika Saoji

“Go swimming or bowling” – Amrita Guha

“I’ll probably meet up with friends or family.” – Anya Patri

“ I really want to go to the east coast again. I have only been there once and am really excited to possibly go to college there if I am provided the opportunity!” – Ram Charan