WHERE shall I spend the day?
In front of the computer in the study? In bed reading a book on the OverDrive app? In the livingroom watching a movie? Or in the kitchen experimenting on one of the Whip It Up! recipes?
It’s the fourth day of the two-week Stay Home Notice (SHN), but there’s been enough to keep us occupied without thinking about what’s beyond the front door.
And of course there’s that faithful phone call from ICA that could take place at any time. Having a chat with an NS man or an ICA operative is not an issue, especially since they always seem genuinely interested in my well-being…before checking if I’m at home.
Sure, we miss the walks and the drives, and I have no idea what bills are lurking in the letter box, ready to pounce at my wallet, but for a couple of weeks, I’ll leave the world, and COVID-19, outside.
You may lose touch with the real world, but I thankfully missed the disheartening crazy queues and empty shelves, and the constant needle in my brain reminding me to douse my hands with sanitizer in public. Use too much and your fingerprint doesn’t work on your smart device!
It’s a good thing I can accomplish most tasks related to the storm-asia site from home. Communication with colleagues and contacts is easily accomplished with a variety of apps online. While the events, like JOBS20XX and Keep It Going are on hold, of course, we will find new ways to keep them going.
Staying In Touch
Social media keeps me in the loop, with an array of current, humorous and ridiculous posts. But more than Netflix, which is heavily tapped at this time by those quarantined, I find the National Library’s OverDrive app a good way to catch up on my reading.
There are emails about businesses suffering from the lack of customers and are trying to engage customers online. Cocoa Trees is trying to clear stock and are offering stocks at discounted prices before the expiry date. Louis Vuitton is willing to make home calls, so the connection with their affluent customers is not lost.
Globally it’s good to see clear skies over China as a result of the factory shutdowns, and fish are appearing in the Venice waterways after the lockdown in Italy. More endangered species get a fighting chance as a result of the ban on their trade since the coronavirus threat emerged in the market in Wuhan, China.
And while there’s no live sport to watch on television with most sporting activities postponed, I wonder why Japan hasn’t cancelled the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Does Japan know something we don’t? Do they think COVID-19 will be contained by July? Even if that were the case, surely countries would still be recovering from the aftermath. Most of the major countries would not be willing to risk travel, so maybe it could be a chance for also-rans to send teams and athletes that could get a podium spot in a depleted field.
While the world limps along out there, it’s great to read about the rise of humanity. People singing from balconies to keep each other company, helpful strangers delivering necessities to neighbours and many other acts of kindness.
We experience it here, too. It’s wonderful to know that we have so many friends ever willing to grab groceries and other necessities and unnecessaries for us.
We are well-stocked for the weekend, which will feel like all the other days we’ve had this week.
