I remember Chinese New Year, almost a year back.
The news of a mysterious virus overtaking Wuhan flooded the news. Someone had eaten a bat and fell ill. Very ill. What followed was a global pandemic and hysteria, and some clownery in the U.S.A..
The world was being united and divided at the same time…
This was how the Phases felt for me...
Circuit Breaker (CB): Fear and Paranoia. I kept telling my elderly parents to stay at home but they wouldn’t listen. Work From Home (WFH) was fun… maybe for a week. I became a Zoom-bie, hopping from meeting to meeting (Asian zombies / vampires hop). I heard of friends in the “other” company who spent hours in mundane meetings.
Phase 1: Window Shopping. Through my Chrome windows. All the taxi money saved from CB became an enabler to buy everything I wanted from Lazada and Shopee-pee-pee-pee-pee-pee-pee-pee. Extra monitor for the laptop. Ergonomic Chair (but no Secret Lab cos it’s too ex). Even got a UV steriliser because lift buttons were still too dangerous to touch.
Things seemed to normalise but we failed our migrant workers.
Phase 2: No more excuse to be fat. All the feasting and Grabfood from CB and Phase 1 culminated into a single fat belly that refuses to go away (just like the coronavirus). No more get out of jail free cards, “Oh the gym is closed!” Time for me to get off my butt and exercise.
The Red Army aka Safety Distancing Officers (SDA) took to the streets, snapping pictures of any one who flouted Safe Distancing rules. In Singapore, there is no social distancing because we are still very social, right?
Also, more shopping. Bought so many masks.
Phase 3: Huat ah. Groups of 8. Auspicious Number. Vaccinations begun. We’re all ready for Chinese New Year. Clownery in U.S.A. has come to an end, crossing my fingers.
Or maybe not. Clusters are back. Teo Heng closes down. :(
Ok. Don’t mess this up, Singapore.
Don’t. Mess. This. Up.
