It’s week 2 - we made it!

It’s been a tough week, I’m not gonna lie. It was Hari Raya this past weekend, and being away from family, the timing merely amplified my solitude and loneliness during this period. I called a friend who’s in a similar situation, fasting and ‘celebrating’ alone in Amsterdam, and broke down. The emotional release helped.

There’s still no clarity on how long “Phase 1” will be. It’s frustrating not to have a sense of control over future plans, but I also recognise that there’s nothing I can do about it except do the best with what we’ve got right now.

And guess what helps with recognising the present moment? Yes, you got that right - it’s practicing gratitude!

This week, I’m grateful for:

1. Spotify and Youtube and its recommendation algorithms in aiding music discovery.

2. Follow up to #1, I discovered Khruangbin in their NPR Tiny Desk Concert. They’re a 3-piece band, and the perfect mix of soul, funk, and apparently “global influences” (I Googled this, they’re hard to place).

3. Kind and talented aunties who’ve sent over really tasty Hari Raya food (sayur lodeh, sambal goreng…)

4. Eggs. They’re such a versatile food

5. The Razer x BIGO DJ livestream! It was a lot of fun being a (clean) cam girl/digital siambu for a night lol

6. My friends for tuning into the livestream; for engaging and sending me gifts. I hope I entertained you for a moment there :D

7. Good talks with Calm Collective, on Mindfulness with Erin and Parenting with Shan & Jolene

8. Having a safe and peaceful space to call home. I’m so grateful that I moved right before the circuit breaker happened, it would have been a nightmare if I hadn’t!

9. Having a conducive environment to WFH from. Ditto above

10. Being an introvert. I think it’s helped me keep relatively sane during this time of social distancing

11. All the amazing livestream concerts! There’s so much great content online these days, and I love that it’s taken on a more personal, authentic slant since they’re mostly home-produced. Now we get to see artistes, celebrities, as real people too :)

12. This week’s earworm, Lady Gaga x Ariana Grande’s Rain On Me. Empowering lyrics, seriously catchy tune, and loving the classic bassline sample <3 “I’d rather be dry, but at least I’m alive - rain on me”

Alright, I know I said I’d do 20, but that’s all I’ve got for today - and that’s ok!

What are you grateful for this week?