Hey blog space! I can't believe it...did I really leave you for 2 whole months to collect dust by the corner of the world wide web? The answer is sadly yes - I best believe I did just that. The fact is, Covid-19 isn't slowing down one bit so we're back to being locked inside our homes for the greater good. While this isn't something that the government of Netherlands has imposed on us, my other half and I thought it may be best to stay away from the outdoors anyway. So what have I been up to since June-ish to July?  

Well here's an update to Life in Lockdown: Part 2. 

June

It feels like June is so far off now that I can hardly remember what I did aside to playing Animal Crossing. I'm assuming that it was also in June that I finally achieved 5-stars on my Animal Crossing island, so that has to count for creativity points! For what it's worth, my Instastories didn't reveal much of what I did either aside to Netflix uploading Full House and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai so that must have been my June in its entirety.

July

August

August actually became the month I finally decided to get my own bicycle because I felt like I wasn't going anywhere with my other half's bike. One of the biggest challenges was the fact that I was very new on bicycles and I'm too short for most of the bicycles in town. In the end, I found a good deal off this website called BikeFair (Not sponsored!) and picked out a foldable bicycle some 10 minutes away from home. While I'm not a 100% confident when crossing traffic junctions these days, I've actually cycled into town twice so far. Most of my trips on the bicycle has otherwise been to take me to the train station or to KFC as you can see in the picture above.

On work, August also became the month when I picked up a new client off Upwork so I could do more than just buy groceries with what I'd earned. I could also afford ice-creams and other snacks if I wanted to. Of course I could have done all that earlier but I've always been the type that would like to save for rainy days so I tried my best not to spend everything in one place. Or at least I tried not to.

September

As you can see with the emergence of my jacket, September brought some cold winds to blow away the months of heat we've had. We also decided to visit a city called Haarlem some 15 minutes away from home and absolutely fell in love. Unlike Amsterdam, Haarlem felt a little more Dutch in its entirety and had less rowdy tourists along the streets. We're planning to go back and walk a little more someday but until then, I'll just keep thinking about that ginger ice-cream I had at Garrone Gelateria.

September was also much busier for me what with Upwork and not, but honestly it's keeping me on my feet and be less lazy. I'd have to say I'm enjoying how busy it could get but sometimes...just sometimes I'd like to stay in bed.

October 

October hasn't come yet, and we're still about a week away from it but I'm psyched for every reason possible. For starters, I'm going to be turning old(er) and we've made all-day plans to remember this birthday by. I also managed to score some mooncakes from the Asian supermarket, so I'm definitely looking forward to having one of the coolest birthday cakes in town. Or something like that.

But until October comes, hopefully I won't be abandoning this space for another two months!

We've done it, blog space! Netherlands is slowly opening up post lockdown, with newer restrictions and rules to follow including wearing masks in public transportation and keeping a safe distance between one another. Granted, not many people are doing the distance thing but baby steps are better than no steps! It's also nice to see that shops are reopening and we could go shopping again *cough Uniqlo cough*, and everyone's got hand sanitizers now!

For the travel hungry like myself and my other half, it's nice to see that the Sprinter trains are now back on track (pun not intended) so we took the opportunity to enjoy what's left of summer for us and set off to...

This is it, blogspace! We've officially hit the half of 2020 although it did feel like the months April and May didn't exist. It just came and went without a sound - literally because it was so quiet outside thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic. But here I am, trying to piece together what I've been up to in the past months, especially since I've had to quit my job for my own safety. This is something I'd love to look back on as I grow older and remember that this too, shall pass.



April marked the first official month of lockdown life, and most of my friends experienced breakdowns because they found it hard to detach themselves from work. It became the month where most people graduated from being instant noodle novices to MasterChef wannabes, and pictures of Dalgona coffee (or whipped coffee) took social media by a storm. If you must know, the trick was a 1:1:1 ratio in instant coffee to sugar and water, paired with a whole lot of patience.



As I've mentioned, everyone became MasterChef wannabes - myself included. In April, I learned to make the burnt cheesecake that miraculously became one of the most popular desserts through the lockdown period. It included a lot of cream cheese, some milk, and a 1-hour step-by-step tutorial via video call with my brother who's a professional chef. Thank God for WhatsApp video calls.

I think the most of my month was spent on beautifying my island before I realized that I didn't have half the artistic mind that all my friends have, so I've resigned to accepting my 3 star island forever. In the words of my other half, my island just looks like a blob of green. I'll take it. This was paired with bits and pieces of Upwork assignments that I'm very thankful to have because with every article I write, I'm reminded that I could still afford groceries. So has it really just been work and play through the month of May? I guess so.

I do think however that the lockdown brought out the best in my other half and I, simply because we had no choice but to be stuck together 24/7. We've learned even more about each other in these 2 months, having to work and make what little of our space work for us. We've officially set up a home office for him now, while I still work off the couch on my makeshift laptop table. It's the lifestyle everyone has been hoping for - to work from home, but I don't think anyone's really wanting it anymore. So when exactly will we all get back out there into the real world and into a new normal? We may never know, but hopefully when things get better...so will it be for my job hunt situation. But until then, I'm just going to pop back into my blob of green.