Life Lately: Quarantine Edition

Hello! How are you doing? These past few months have been so difficult for everyone. We are living in such unprecedented times; I still cannot believe we are experiencing something like this in our generation. I really hope we can go back to our normal lives soon.

It has been a long time since I blogged a Life Lately post. I have been meaning to write this during the early days of quarantine, but laziness got the better of me.

Anyway, here in Singapore, the lockdown or the "Circuit Breaker" period, which started on 7th April, has been lifted for more than a month already. We are currently in phase 2 where restrictions have been further eased. After more than two months of being cooped up inside our homes, we can already go out and visit friends and family, but of course, with precautions and safe distancing in place. Some have gone back to working in offices, but for my case, my company has decided to let all employees continue working from home. It is still uncertain when we will enter phase 3 as it is dependent on when a treatment or vaccine is available.

———

Let me share what transpired in those weeks of being in lockdown, and the things that kept me occupied (and sane).

Work From Home

On 3rd April, the government has announced that all non-essential workplaces must be closed from 7th April. A day before the closure, I quickly went to office to just pack up my stuff, and went home to setup my workstation.

Initially, I had a hard time adjusting in this kind of arrangement. My productivity has dropped significantly. One of the reasons is that multiple calls are held in a day which prevents me to do actual work. To compromise, I am forced to extend my working hours. It took me a couple of weeks to get the hang of it, but unfortunately, I still extend my working hours. Sometimes, work is busier working from home, no?

Food!

This entire period of quarantine, my Facebook newsfeed is filled with food! I think everyone has become a cook or a chef already! One of the foods which became really popular is Ube Pandesal. I love everything ube! I was so surprised that ube suddenly became famous when people used to hate ube in their ice creams! A friend recommended a seller, and we bought one box right away! It was so good!

Another food which became extremely popular is Sushi Bake. I have to give it to the person who invented this, it’s really good and innovative. I am salivating just by thinking about it.

I wonder what kind of food or snack will be popular next?

Video Calls

Times like these really emphasised the importance of video calls. Lots of events happened during the quarantine period which were celebrated over Facetime and Zoom calls.

Animal Crossing

The release of Animal Crossing could not have come at a more opportune time. Since everyone is stuck at home, this game allowed people to experience the beach, travelling, and basically going out, albeit virtually.

I actually started playing on release day, but I lost interest just after a few days because I was playing alone. At that time, no one from my friends were playing. But after a month of hiatus, I found out that some friends are already playing, so I picked up my Switch and played again. I have decided to restart my island to start anew.

Through this game, I was able to spend time with my friends, and also, I have gained new friends.

If you are playing, let me know, and let’s visit each other’s island!

———

How’s the situation in your place? I hope it’s getting better already! Please always stay safe, wash your hands, and wear your masks!

See you again on my next post!