Can’t Live Without These 10 Essentials

Inspired by Simon Dillon’s article

After reading an article written by Simon Dillon, it gave me ideas to write my essentials. But it’s actually Eric Piercece's idea inspired by GQ on YouTube.

We think about our essentials quite often. Since we were children.

Going on a field trip, staying at our grandparents’ place, moving into a dormitory/apartment/house, and so on.

We all have asked ourselves similar questions many times:

• What to bring to be able to survive
• Where to go to buy those essentials and if the store is nearby

We realize that we can’t bring everything from home to somewhere. So we need to assess how to survive. Everyone’s assessment and essentials are different.

So here are just ten essentials of mine in random order.

1. Sports games

Now that the Olympic games are all moving towards their final games. I became more excited to watch some of the games, thinking who and which team will win.

Any games in your mind?

I’m planning to watch basketball and baseball games today and tomorrow and other games interchangeably.

I get so excited because I used to play basketball and other sports. And I get excited just because I see some players whom I used to cheer for while they were playing for their professional teams.

When players make great shots and score them, those are just beautiful!!! I feel joyful. So, for me, watching sports games is necessary.

2. TV (programs)

I may be able to live without TV… but it didn’t work out well when I tried for a year or so in the past. So, the conclusion is, I need a TV.

I know these days you can find some live news and past news online, but it’s not as easy as TV. When I prepare for a meal, eat, fold my clothes, do some Internet searching or typing, I can press the power button and listen to the TV programs I like.

It can bring a few hours of great entertainment. But, it also brings some terrible news. And there is news you don’t want to miss.

It keeps me updated with what’s going on around the local areas and the world. So, yes, I need a TV.

3. Movies

I enjoy some old but not so old movies like movies of the 90s and new ones.

I don’t enjoy scary movies. Some people do, but I don’t. Simply scary. I do watch Sci-Fi ones, and some are good and make you feel like it’s real, and some of them make you feel sacred in the middle of the movie and leave you the feeling even after watching the movie.

Probably around one movie per week. I own some DVDs, but now I’ve been enjoying watching movies on TV or online for over a decade.

So, yeah, watching movies is what I need regularly.

4. 3 Meals (Veggies) + snacks

Some of you may eat more than three meals every day, and some of you may just have two meals because of your workout routine or some other reasons.

For me, I typically eat good three meals. By good, I mean a good amount, not expensive meals. Either they are freshly cooked or leftover, as long as I did it, I cooked the way I like. So I simply enjoy them. And enjoy them with others.

I eat veggies but I am not a vegetarian.

Recently I was told, “No meat in it!?” The message made me smile, at the same time, that made me realize I love and eat lots of veggies. I guess since I was a child I was told to eat well and balanced meals at school. And I was also told by my parents and grandparents the same things. So I try to eat veggies and with other ingredients.

What have you been taught by your parents or by your grandparents?

I love my snacks. From healthy ones like nuts to tasty ones such as banana cakes and donuts. I need them when I take a break, when I finish one task, and when I’m a little hungry.

Three meals + snacks are THE ESSENTIAL.

5. Physical exercise

I guess I’ve been doing physical exercise all my life. The walking exercise was always part of my life when I was a younger school kid, and when I was a full-time worker from early morning to late night.

Walking exercise is simply easy to do.

I also love to play some sports. I don’t train my body like bodybuilders, so I knew from younger ages that I’m not able to compete at professional levels. So I just love playing sports, basketball, tennis, racquetball, badminton, volleyball, table tennis, golf in the backyard or indoor with a fake hole.

So as long as they are fun events, I’m happy with them. If anyone wants to play a bit seriously, I can always handle it in my way as well.

6. Learning

What do I learn these days? If you’ve been reading my articles, you probably know that I learn about artificial intelligence and creating 3D objects (and 3D rendering).

I’m planning to write about it again soon. Or you can have a little peek at my previous article (here).

And this is what I created two days ago. A geometric snail after 3D rendering.

7. Adorable photos and videos

How can you resist them, right? I also wrote about adorable images, mainly associated with dogs. Any animals that make me smile, I love them. Either in animation or the real ones.

Here is one scene of the black and brown dachshund from the movie The Secret Life Of Pets. If you haven’t seen it, enjoy it.

I even watched the show called Funniest Animals online once in a while. Some may know that it was a pretty famous show. I don’t think it’s continuing. Anyways, these days, I just hop on to the Internet, YouTube, whenever I want to watch cute ones.

8. The TPs

TPs. Yes, the Toothpaste and Toilet Paper.

Something like a toothbrush is what we use every day, but it never really runs out within some months. As long as the shape of the brush stays the way it supposes to be, it’s fine.

But not TPs. I need them every day. A package of toilet paper and a tube of toothpaste don’t last for 6 months. Even I know I only need 1/3 of the toothpaste of the brash, they run out much faster than a toothbrush. And I can’t live without them. So they are my essentials.

9. Accessories

There are my daily pairs and pairs for special occasions. I wear pierced earrings, but no rings, simple ones like two natural stones or manmade stones.

If I somehow forget to wear them, I’m like, “Oh No! I FORGOT to wear them!” I don’t usually turn back to just wear them, but it’s like a small shout in my mind.

But if I turn back and wear them, I suddenly feel cheerful! I’m not talking about power stone or anything. They have just become part of my life, so it’s natural to wear them, feeling secure.

10. My Drinks

Oh, my lovely drinks.

Coffee and tea. No question about these. I enjoy a variety of coffee and tea with and without milk. For coffee, I like both flavored and non-flavored coffee. For tea, I like black tea (e.g. Darjilin, both English and Irish Breakfast), green tea, and herbal tea (e.g. mint, camomile, rosehip).

And there is another one. Hot chocolate when it’s cold outside or when I catch a cold, I need it.

One day I learned about the history of chocolate on TV that people in the old-time used to drink it as medicine, and since then I usually switched to hot chocolate when I got cold.

On other days, I just enjoy the taste of chocolate.

Conclusion

Sports games, TV (programs), movies, three meals + snacks, physical exercise, learning, adorable photos and videos, TPs, accessories, and my drinks are the ten essentials I came up with here. Of course, there are many more I need in life.

Like Simon said, it’s not like a creepy thing will happen to you, but it is a great opportunity or topic to write about it. So I’ll pass it on to you.

I’m tagging some of my followers here.

Chris Tavner , Aldric Chen , Liesl Baumann , Olivia Dunn , Jonathan Townend , T Mann , Bruce Stambaugh , Jennifer Dunne , Trudy Horsting, Elena Kosourova, Ryan J

It’s all up to you to write 10 essentials or not.

Enjoy your writing today or this weekend!!

And thanks for reading!

The author writes about humorous stories, writing life, what she learned from others and through online materials, tech (3D, AI), etc. Find her recent article here.