WRITING PROMPT | LOCKDOWN | SELF-DISCOVERY

My Answers to Lockdown Situation Related Questions

This is how I’m adapting to the current situation and trying to get the good out of it.

In this post, I will be answering 12 questions (plus 1 bonus question) regarding the current quarantine/lockdown situation. I was tagged by Timothy Key from ILLUMINATION and this series of questions was known to be originated from Keno Ogbo. Thanks for this writing prompt!

I would like to start with the last bonus questions. This is in order for most of the readers to actually visualize the place/country I’m currently in and get the whole picture more accurately for the stories which I’m about to tell.

Where are you?

Singapore (GMT+8 / UTC+8)

I’m currently living in Singapore, a southeast Asian country. The place I’m staying is surrounded by HDB blocks (apartment buildings) and all I could see from my window is this view of the driveway in & out of our HDB compound. A bit dull, right? But I love the view when it’s raining though.

Here, in Singapore, this situation is not called lockdown. They call it Circuit Breaker, which is like partial lockdown (maybe like 80% or 90% lockdown).

1. What have you missed the most during this lockdown?

Many things that I didn’t like doing before (or) get tired of doing before.

Visiting my parents, eating my mom’s yummy food, and dining-out dates with my husband. I also miss meetups with my best friends and window shopping with them, which they like and I don’t. But now, I’m missing even the things I used to find boring.

But I haven’t reached the point where I miss getting up early and going to work (my honest answer).

2. What’s the best thing about being in lockdown?

Oh, the sleeping-in and staying up late, for which I’m truly guilty but a little bit enjoying.

(I guess I’m getting too honest and personal with my answers here.)

And, since I have all the time in the world now, I get to catch up with my writings for my on-going fanfictions on Wattpad.

Another thing is that I could try cooking different kinds of cuisines. I just tried out the Western, the Korean, the Japanese, and mostly the Burmese (Myanmar, which is my native country).

3. What has been the worst thing about being in lockdown?

Finding jobs!

It has been more than a month since I become in between jobs and even though I’ve been sending out my resumes and looking for jobs actively, I wasn’t being able to get any reply from the employers. I wouldn’t say this is entirely due to this pandemic, but since it is affecting the economy, it is also affecting the need for manpower in non-essential sectors and fairly affecting my chances of being employed during this time.

Anyway, I’m not giving up hope and I believe that I can land a suitable job, anytime soon. (Good luck to me!!)

4. Who would you have liked to host in your home during the lockdown and why?

Sadly, I guess no one.

Because I’m kind of a self-aware (or self-announced?) introvert who is very uncomfortable around people and rather likes to be left alone or being only with my parents or my husband (who is also one of my best friends). I would be really awkward with anybody (even with my closest friends) if I have to be with them 24/7.

5. What have you discovered about yourself in lockdown?

This should be interesting!

• First of all, what I’ve discovered is that I’m enjoying this stay home situation, a little bit more than I should be.
• Second of all, I always thought that I like cooking, and I would never get tired of having the food I’ve made for myself. But I was wrong. I found out that I like cooking but NOT every day. And, I love my cooking, but I COULD get tired of it.
• Then, there is this positive discovery. I always thought spending 24/7 with my husband would lead us into quarreling a lot (like my parents do), but surprisingly “NO”. We are living in harmony, sweet and loving, for all the minutes we are stuck together at home for about 2 months now.

6. What did you eat (or drink) the most during the lockdown?

Rice and instant noodles.

That’s normal for Asian countries. On the days that I feel like cooking, I would be cooking one dish of vegetables, one dish of meat and some side dishes, then we eat with rice. On the days that I don’t feel like cooking, I would order food deliveries or just cook and eat instant noodles.

Water and Milk

As for the drinks, I drink water (my favorite beverage of all time) and milk (in the morning). Since I don’t like coffee and I cannot drink tea (even though I like tea), I do not have that many choices.

7. Apart from sleeping and working what activities did you undertake the most during the lockdown?

Quite a lot, actually. But, I’ll be listing down a few only.

• Reading & Writing. I would be writing scripts for my on-going webcomic (on WEBTOON, and the title is “Fateful Moon”), writing fanfictions on my Wattpad, or reading e-books which I borrowed from the library.
• Watching dramas. But these days I cannot binge-watch anymore like I used to. This is probably due to the so-called guilt that I have since I’m in between jobs. My perspective of binge-watching drama is not considered “productive” for me.
• Learning. So, I try to spend some time (like 2 hours a day at least) with learning new skills in programming, which could be helpful for me to land a good job later on.
• Soduku. I also spent my time playing the only game in the world that I enjoy, which is sudoku.
• Photo editing. Looking through old photos and editing them to post on my Instagram or Facebook has become one of my interests.

8. Will you come out of lockdown heavier or lighter?

Definitely the same as usual for the past few years.

I have a condition (which everyone would envy but which I, myself, really want to get out of). No matter how much I eat, no matter what type of food I eat (either junk food or healthier food), I never gain weight. (Hey! It might be because I love drinking water.) Actually, I’m just trying my best not to become underweight again like during my early twenties. Because now I’m always running on the BMI margin here.

9. What resource has helped you most during the lockdown?

The internet, for sure.

YouTube (for music), NETFLIX (for international series and movies), VIU (for Korean Dramas), Libby (for reading borrowed library books), and Google, which has been providing me a bunch of online learning websites.

10. What is your top tip for other people in lockdown right now?

Learn new skills and find your hobby.

Now is a good time to be learning new things and acquiring new skills via online platforms. And, find hobbies that you would enjoy, for your time to pass by pleasantly.

Recently, I have written a medium post on keeping ourselves sane and guilt-free during this period of time, based on my experiences.

11. How has lockdown changed you?

On the bright side, it has made me write more and get creative, which I’m very grateful for.

And on the downside, it has made me confused about my days and nights. I’m still having trouble regulating back my sleeping schedules.

12. If you were to leave a ‘message in a bottle’ for the future, what would you say?

“Always be grateful for everything you get in life and also for the things you luckily didn’t get.

Love yourself. And, be kind.”

I kept writing and it is already too long, now. Thanks for reading till the end.