I can’t believe half of the year has passed, with a large part of it spent in isolation. I can’t believe that I haven’t taken any annual leave yet (working non-stop!) and I also haven’t travelled anywhere this year. I miss travelling SO much, in fact I consider it an essential part of my life where I can spend quality time with my family, as well as to refresh and rejuvenate myself.
I’m sure many of you miss travelling too. Sad to say, the era of peak travel is over. COVID-19 changed the world’s jet-setting ways in the blink of an eye. Even when the travel restrictions are lifted, it could take years to return to normal. Social distancing on airplane, more expensive airfares, health declarations and wearing mask onboard are some of the things that I’ve expected. But still, my biggest worry is the rise of xenophobic incidents targeting Asians around the world.
Do you feel safe to travel again? Honestly, I don’t feel safe until the vaccine is available. For now, I can only look back fondly on those happy days. And in the short term, perhaps drivable short trips or staycation can help ease my travel itch. 🤣
When will this be over?
What will the world be like when COVID-19 is over?
What lessons have we learned from COVID-19?
More often than I care to admit, these questions always pop up in mind. Staying home during this long isolation period does many things to my mind. It forced me to look at what’s essential in my life and what’s not. If I tell you this, you might laugh but it’s true. My essentials now are to be able to eat well and sleep well. As long as my meals and sleep are not compromised, I’m a happy woman.
Like many people, I hit the pause button in many aspects of my life too. As a result, I have SO MUCH free time on hand. On the bright side, my desire to learn is on an upswing. When the Circuit Breaker started, I took two online courses on Udemy – Excel VBA and Excel Power Query. I completed both by the end of CB.
Now, I’m learning Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, I’m loving it! Using Photoshop has always been a daunting experience for me – there are so many tools I’m not familiar with, and I don’t know how to work with layers. Now that I have a good grasp of it, I’m so impressed by its creative capabilities. I should have learnt it earlier!
On the not-so-bright side, staying at home for a prolonged period has its negative effects too. Putting on weight is normal (I don’t really care!), but I also see the “dark” sides of my neighbours. My next-door neighbour smokes in his balcony almost every hour. While he is enjoying his puff, we scramble to close our sliding door and windows to avoid the secondhand smoke. Occasionally, there is someone banging the rubbish chute when his/her trash get stuck in the chute.
I hope that everyone can learn to be more considerate of others during this crisis. By doing so, we make our home a great place to learn, to work and to stay. The world is only beautiful when the people is. Do you agree with me?
Thanks for reading and stay healthy! ❤
