I went on lockdown on January 23. I remember walking back from the ALDI with about $50 worth of groceries. I thought, "Is this the last time I'll be going out this way for a while?" And sure enough, it was. They closed down that particular gate in and out of my community the next day, which is a bummer because it was the gate closest to my apartment, the shortest route to the subway, the shortest route to the best malls and shopping areas. Two months later, it's still closed.
But not all is bad about lockdown. It's not like you can't go outside. It just means that when you go outside, you can't talk to anybody. You can't purposelessly linger somewhere. It's best if you have a patio or a yard while on lockdown because there is really no point in going outside all that often since there's nothing much to do anyway, except buy groceries and go to the pharmacy.
These days Shanghai is feeling pretty safe. With each passing day, the traffic jam that queues up outside my apartment building in Shanghai gets longer and longer. More and more people are re-joining the hustle and bustle that is China. People are feeling more confident that a semblance of normalcy can somehow be achieved here in the coming days and weeks. It won't be the same as it was before, but at least we'll be able to go outside and enjoy some time in the sun. Maybe even go to the park as a community.
At least in this most important of world financial centers, that's the emerging feeling. At the same time, other financial centers of note - namely New York and London - are plunging into the depths of dealing with the coronavirus. The โghost townโ vibe that plagued us here in Shanghai just one short month ago now moves on to more fertile grounds in the West.
How long will the effects of the virus last in the West? Well, dear reader, that depends on you. Do you have the will to #StayStrongStayInside or do you just gotta head down to the pub for a coupla pints? Maybe hit the town for one last hurrah with your buds...
Well, in the past few days in Hong Kong, we have found out just how costly such a night can be. 16 new cases were found in the Central entertainment district.๐ฅ
In combination with the rising threat of imported cases from the shitshow that is now Europe, we are now looking dead on into the potential for a "second wave" of coronavirus infections. This threat makes it paramount that you chill out with your social gathering for just a little bit longer. Yes, we should go out and about and enjoy whatever freedom of movement we have. But, please, do your drinking together online via Zoom like a concerned citizen. It's cheaper anyway!
Instead consider taking up these hobbies while you are stuck at home in self-isolation:
Read a book.๐
Write a novel.๐จ๐ปโ๐ป
Get fit.๐๐ปโโ๏ธ
Start a side hustle.๐คน๐ปโโ๏ธ
Learn to cook.๐ฉ๐ฝโ๐ณ
Launch a startup.๐ฏ
Learn a language.๐ค
Do whatever you want. Just do it at home. Iโm here to tell you, to SHOW you in fact, the answer to this ๐ฆ is pretty simple. And itโs not ๐งป!
If the whole world stays in for 1 month, itโs over. Finit. ๅฎไบ!
How hard can that really be?