Pre COVID, I was someone who enjoys being outdoors, meeting up with my friends, exploring areas of Singapore I haven't been to before. Being with the presence of my friends energises me. Novelty excites me. I was someone who couldn't stand being indoors for more than 2 days because I always thought it's boring at home.
Post COVID, I'm thankful to have my job and am able to continue work as life was as before though we're all working from home now. Contrary to what I feel previously about staying at home all day, I actually enjoy it. I picked up a number of new hobbies that I probably wouldn't have started if I wasn't spending so much time at home.
- I bought an ipad, along with apple pencil and began my digital illustration journey.
- I exercise regularly with Ring-fit Adventure now
- I picked up playing the piano
- I bought a toaster oven and can cook some meals with it. (Probably not a big deal to people cos everyone I know can cook something)
One of my new favourite activities these days's watching my favourite Youtube channels with with/without my brother. Particularly this piano one called LOL笑哈哈 that plays all my favourite final fantasy and anime tunes on the piano. The more I watched the more I thought: this is the most wonderful piano pieces I've ever heard. So cool. I want to play like this too. Hence I started on my piano journey. Never in my life has it even cross my mind I'd wana try learning piano, seeing my half-baked interest in my erhu. Nor seeing how my brother actually wants to learn something new that is not gaming. This was really unexpected.
So my routine on weekends go around like this, I wake up, watch some shows, go back to nap again. Switch on the keyboard to practise playing something, go to my room and maybe do something with my ipad, more random surfing. These days when I'm bored I'll just switch on the keyboard and start practising with my ipad. It's definitely a long journey before I can hit my first goal, which is to play Zanarkand. 2 months ago I had a goal to illustrate a picnic scene on my ipad too, but much procrastination has postponed it indefinitely. We'll see how this goes.
Other things I've been thinking about:
Ways I can increase my chances of serendipity.
I was watching this video by Ali Abdaal and got inspired by his reason to move to the US. It wasn't the money, it wasn't because being London wasn't good. He was just interested to increase his surface area of serendipity – More different random nice things that can happen spontaneously when you're in a different place, or doing something new. A sense of adventure.
Well, not meaning that I'd like to work or live overseas in my case but wondering if there are other ways I can do that. I think I have already unconsciously been doing – like with volunteering, hosting sketch events and joining sketch groups. These communities have definitely broaden my exposure to things and got connected with more people whom I otherwise won't be exposed to. But thus far but I haven't been doing more. So yeah, something to think about the rest of this year.
