I was still singing praises and being grateful for how nice, peaceful, organised and discipline my work-from-home lifestyle is just two weeks ago and then life started to bitch slap me right after.
Today marks the 15th day I haven't step out of my house. I wouldn't lie to say I wasn't shocked by this but given my introverted, homebody, probably even reclusive personality, it's not exactly surprising I'm still coping really well, if not for the hectic life with only 2-4 hours of sleep for the past week, not even on weekends :(
To be fair, it's isn't just the bump in workload towards the end of May. There's also mixed factors of personal commitments, unexpected responsibilities, procrastination, things I rather do and a large swing between 'ultra-focused and spent long hours throughout the night analysing and optimising stuff' and 'because of that I didn't get to rest much and now I'm having a terrible headache and can't really focus'.
Before I know it, I'm already a hermit not seeing the sun for a good two weeks. After having a good >8 hours of rest today, I took some time to reflect on the past two weeks and consolidate some of the enlightenment which I will share below.
- I definitely overbought my groceries
One of the reasons I'm still alive is because I have loads of food at home so I don't starve to death despite not buying any more groceries
In my family, it works in a way that everyone is responsible for their own meals because everyone has different schedules and preferences, which means that we buy our own groceries, cook our own meals, or buy back our own food. We share condiments and eggs and occasionally we will ask for a couple of ingredients from each other or just scope off some jams or rice without consent but that's it.
Ever since the circuit breaker starts, shopping at the market became my favourite past time outside, and I usually do it after a run in the evening when I'm tired and hungry. Cooking more often at home nowadays also makes me more alert of the various deals and learning how to cook from the YouTube tutorials educates me on the different ingredients I can add to my meal plans. On a side note, my proudest deal is to get 800g of frozen Hokkaido scallop at $19.90 instead of $36.90 (46% off )
I also discovered the wonders of frozen food. I know this sounds really suaku, but prior to circuit breaker the only frozen food I have bought is probably just chicken kaarage, ice cream and instant meals (those that you put in the microwave for minutes), and even those are just once in a while items. In the past when I cook, my staples consist of mainly fresh veggies, mushrooms, fish/meat, which I will buy on the day I plan to cook. There's always eggs at home and the processed food that I would get is noodles and canned tuna.
So imagine the awe when I discovered the variety of frozen food which is tastier, cheaper and has a longer shelf life. I think I went into multiple shopping sprees that my Mom complained that I'm taking up too much space in the freezer (which she finds really unusual because the only thing I used to have in the freezer is ice pack for my sports injuries).
The concrete evidence that I overbought my groceries is the fact that I'm still having frozen fillets, gyozas, siew mai, buffalo wings, and cheese tofu in my freezer despite the fact that I have been whipping up meals from the frozen stock for the past two weeks. - Broccoli, celery, cabbage, and all those wonderful to keep
I haven't seen any frozen veggies, and even if there is, I still prefer to have my greens fresh. Broccoli, celery, and cabbage were bought earlier and they lasted much longer than the leafy ones.
In the roots department, I strongly root for carrots (lame puns) because they are cheap, have a long shelf life (the last carrot in my fridge is still fresh) and are a good source of vitamin A which promotes good vision, especially for those who strain their eyes all day, and essential for immune functions
I also recommend snow fungus. It has the same amount of collagen as bird's nest for 50 times less the price. The portion is also large ( at least double in size when you soak in water) and it is prized for its nutritional benefits. - Food delivery is ultra marked up and sometimes unreliable + Review on Food Panda
There are still times when life was so busy that I don't have the time to cook. My parents usually buy back their food but since we work on different schedules and have different diets it's hard to ask my parents to help me to get food.
Eventually, I fell to the temptation of deliveries and almost screamed 'Scammers!!!!' when I first look at the price difference. Even for the eateries places I used to visit, there is already a notable marked up in the prices for each food item on top of the delivery charges, so any promotion less than 30% isn't really that attractive.
Another downside of the delivery app is that it may be unreliable. I have only tried Food Panda and I already lost 2 deliveries within the past month and some occasional missing food items. I ordered delivery because I needed food at a particular timing since I'm too busy to cook or too lazy to go out and buy. If you can't fulfill your obligation as a business, the very least you could do is to provide a decent customer service
Even though the money was refunded, I still couldn't get an explanation on where did the food actually go (I don't even need the address, at least just let me know if the food was sent to the wrong address, or was spilled etc), the app is buggy on queuing for live chats and the customer service is awful with poor English and empty promises on a callback. They don't even bother with simple customer service tactics like giving a compensating voucher >:(
It's just apparent to me that they are earning enough money in the pandemic that they don't bother to retain users.
To be fair, other than these two blunders, it is still very convenient to and smooth to order food, but that's what delivery apps are for, and other apps are doing an equally good job. It's really in competitive times like this we get to see what the company is made of.
One perk that I really like in delivery apps, though, is that sometimes there can be some really good deals that are cheaper than if you were to buy it from the restaurant itself.
Also, convenience and adaptation scary. While I initially cringed at the markup prices, it did not take long before I got so used to the prices and the luxury of convenience that it was deemed as 'normal price'. I don't think that will last long given that my life is more on-track now and at the end of the day I prefer my own cooking. - My savings rate could go higher.
For the past two weeks, the only things I have spent on are cakes slides delivered to two friends on their birthdays and some necessary food deliveries.
Before I became a two-week hermit, my savings rate was already high. Even though the circuit breaker has ended, I'm still able to work from home, so it is highly likely that I will retain my currently low-cost lifestyle at least until the end of the month.
Given that I have reflected on my grocery spending, I should be more conscious of it going forward, and will most likely cut off deliveries since I now have the capacity to cook more often.
I have a good feeling that my savings rates will push beyond 90% this month, especially when I don't have any debt and my bills are low :) - You can really do almost everything from home
From working to communicating with people to entertainment to managing all the administrative procedures to getting food or groceries to attending classes to taking exams to working out to shopping for anything, it is entirely possible to carry out all of these from the comfort of your home.
Thanks to the advancement of technology and the trend for business to go digital, I'm starting to think how much does someone really needs to get out of the house if you are not working in essential services. Perhaps my imagination is limited, but the only reasons I could think of to go outside are just for medical needs, outdoor/water sports, and stargazing.
I also think it would be feasible for more people to be location independent of their job in the future, and that would give them more flexibility in their lifestyles and life choices. - There are many things, and therefore many things to do at home
I love staying at home. I was never bored for the past two weeks. Other than the fact that the workload is piling up to keep me occupied, there are so many things for me to do at home.
First of all, I have many things, and many things mean many things to do because things not only take up space, are hard to get rid of but also requires maintenance.
Since it's usually nightfall by the time I ended my work, I wouldn't feel like heading out for a run at all. I turned my attention to my house: the kitchen (since I'm the main user), the working desk in the living room, cabinets, bathroom, and my bedroom. Started off with an overdue spring cleaning, I cleaned out the dirt, grease stain, and dust, repaired some of the appliances and things, do the laundry and mended my clothes, polished the cookwares, cleared out useless documents and stuff and attended to neglected stuff that requires maintenance.
Thereafter, I seek inspiration from Instagram on one-room apartments to decorate my room and tips from the efficient Japanese housewives to organise the kitchen and my mountainous load of stuff.
Even though it is time-consuming and requires a lot of effort, at the end of the day I was left with a cleaner, neater and cosier house that brighten up my mood because it is just so comfortable to be in it. Productivity at work has increased and I enjoyed cooking more. I also adore every corner of my room and feel relax and blissful in it.
The environment is important. It can influence us and affect our mood.
Trust me, renting or owning, it always pays to make your home a little more comfortable. - Things aside, there are still many things you can do in the comfort of your home.
Working out, doing yoga, playing games, reading, watching movies and dramas, trying out new recipes, re-designing your home, writing, drawing, painting, DIY home spa, and massage, planning for the future, playing with pets and training them, portrait photography with your loved ones, chatting with your friends, attending online parties, picking up skills online, practising an instrument, and there's still a long list to go.
What's your pick? - Cleaning is therapeutic
Honestly, I'm not sure how many people would agree with me in this.
To me, cleaning is therapeutic and it relieves my stress because it's something that is easy to do and can be completed in a short time frame. You can do without much thinking and you get to see the fruit of your labour instantly. It also gives you a more comfortable environment and a sense of satisfaction when you see the amount of trash you have taken out or note the before-after difference from cleaning and polishing.
Then again, I'm not a fan of regular house chores, I think it's therapeutic and a form of relieving stress when done spontaneously, but house chores become just a chore when it starts to knock on the door on your to-do list - Don't let your mind sabotage your body
This is more for my own mental note. Humans definitely cannot function well with only two hours of sleep. Not only is that detrimental to your health and gives you migraines, but it also causes more stress and poor focus and wrong judgment.
In my case, it set off as a mental project in which my friends and I started a discussion on various strategies and potential in different aspects of life. It was interesting, intriguing, and opened our minds. Whatever nonsense we were initially joking, as usual, ended up sprouted into a big plan when we put all our nonsense together and iron out the nonsensical stuff, leaving something more rational, feasible, and exciting.
Being someone who specialises in thinking a hell lot I started to consider the project at a deeper level, including the budget, risks, contingency plans, ROI, any obstacles I could think of, how it can benefit all stakeholders, how to optimise it and how can it be sustainable. One of my weaknesses is unless there is external interference, I can't pause my task at hand I must complete it before I move on to the next one. I was so eager to get this plan sorted out and was only satisfied at 4 am. Thereafter, the excitement still contains in me and I couldn't sleep for the rest of the night.
But just like bills still have to get paid, I still have to get up and work in the morning. I'm still a salaryman after all and I have my obligations and responsibilities. Work was still going well, and I napped for 2-3 hours after work before continuing the discussion with my friends, sharing my thoughts. I was already about to doze off at 10 pm when another nonsense came in as an extension of the project and before I knew it the whole process started again.
I only put a halt to this cycle a few days later when it started to show an effect on my body and work. Not only was I starting to make careless mistakes and take a longer time to comprehend words, but I was also losing focus easily and taking a long time to get things done. It didn't help that I became cranky, less patient, easily irritated, and extremely sensitive to light and sound that I realised I was having migraines from sleep deprivation. So this had to stop.
I stopped letting my mind run wild before sleep but by then my body clock was screwed. I started sleeping right after I ended work and woke up in the middle of the night, so I started writing blog posts which explains why my past posts were published after midnight.
To sum it up it's a matter of lacking self-discipline and poor self-management, which I plan to make corrections.
So for today I'm making a switch, to focus on writing first so that I can sleep in at a more normal timing. It's 11:58 pm now and the perfect time for me to go to bed.
Good night and have a nice dream ;)
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