Why I'll miss the circuit breaker when it ends and how this CB has changed our lives - for the better

Being stuck at home has given us the opportunity to find out more about our spouses and family members, be it the good or bad.

As someone who's more of a homebody, I confess I have no qualms about staying home for such a long period of time. In fact, it has given me the opportunity to explore areas of my life that I never knew I'd take joy in if not for this CB. 

As we enter into phase one after the end of the circuit breaker, my colleagues and I took some time to reflect upon the last two months to find out if we've emerged as better versions of ourselves, as well as what we'll miss and continue doing even after CB has lifted. 

Turning into domestic gods and goddesses 

Pre-circuit breaker, I was spending about 90 per cent of my time outside the home — there were social gatherings to go to after work, I had church and other commitments to attend to and family members to connect with over the weekends. 

On weekdays, due to the long commute I wouldn't have the energy to cook for dinner and my husband and I relied mostly on takeaway food, which is quite unhealthy.

Now that we're made to stay home, I find myself having more time to be adventurous in my cooking, especially with many home recipes and easy how-tos shared online.

Inspired by my colleague, I also tried making my own gnocchi from scratch after seeing him post about it on Instagram.

Apart from cooking, there's also the trend of baking, with enthusiastic "circuit bakers" causing some ingredients to go OOS (out of stock) in many supermarkets. 

ALSO READ: Are you a circuit baker? Here are more easy recipes and hacks to try

While we're definitely going to have less time on our hands once the CB is completely lifted, this experience has made me want to commit at least one day of the week to cook and have relatives come over to make up all the lost time. The last time we've had a gathering was probably during Chinese New Year in January. 

What my colleagues say:

"Like many other circuit bakers, I spent time in the kitchen and went through the highs and lows of various items like yeast, baking powder and vanilla essence running out of stock. But you learn to make do, sometimes omitting, sometimes substituting." - Kai Lun

"I’ve started cooking more with fresh ingredients and recording the process on social media. People have really responded to it and they like getting ideas and inspiration on what to make at home. I will continue cooking and might even start my own YouTube channel or something." - Ilyas

Finding a new passion

Since we have nowhere to go during this CB, instead of bingeing on show after show, I thought I'd put my time to better use, like dabbling in craft, or more specifically, making felt toys resembling food.

The idea came about when McDonald's and bubble tea shops had to shutter temporarily, and I thought I'd turn them into memories. 

This is just like keeping a journal, except in the form of felt food, which I can look back on as a reminder of these trying times. I even created an IG account just to document my whole journey and to keep me disciplined in coming up with new creations.  

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While others find baking therapeutic, I find stitching these felt creations my little escape; it helps me to disconnect from the Zoom calls and other sources of distractions at home.

Exercising more, and for free

Now more than ever, with the convenience of working from home, I find myself being able to exercise right after work as there's no need to spend time travelling to the gym. 

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At the start of this year, I set a fitness goal not knowing how I'd achieve it, but the CB has helped in a sense, as I get to carve out some time twice or thrice a week to break out into a good sweat.

With the abundance of free online classes and fitness YouTube channels, I'm not sure if I'll ever spend money on gym membership fees again. After all, I've always loved exercising from home even pre-circuit breaker.

What my colleagues say:

"I used to pay for workout classes because I lacked the motivation to push myself at home. But I’ve learnt that I just needed to find the right activities. I’ve been having a lot of fun with the many free yoga and dance tutorials available online. There’s nobody around to judge even if you look absolutely stupid and you save on expensive fitness memberships." - Kimberly 

"Before the CB I absolutely hated running. During the period, however, I realised that I can actually jog for long distances. I will probably keep this up for better cardio." - Ilyas

"As there are no gyms or studios open, I find motivation and guidance in other ways, be it on YouTube or Zoom calls with friends. I’ve learnt to dig deeper and explore more ways to do things, in more ways than one, during this period of circuit breaker." - Kai Lun

What we'll miss about this CB period

I'll miss spending time at home greatly after CB, because when am I ever going to get this amount of peace again once life goes back to normal?

One of the joys of staying at home is finding comfort in confiding in my husband immediately when something bad happens during the day. A lot of times, we don't have the time to type a lengthy message, but at home, I just have to call for him and he's here in an instant. 

With CB in place, we haven't been able to see our friends and relatives in the flesh. I'll definitely miss all the sweet and creative gestures that we've had to do to bridge the gap between us, be it through ordering food for each other, or playing online games together.

These moments "together" are less taken for granted, especially knowing that it takes effort to stay connected with each other. You know who your best pals are, if you've kept in touch with them during this CB.

No matter if we're happy with the status quo or aching for normalcy to resume, there's something we can look back at and remember fondly during this period. 

What my colleagues say:

"I'll miss the massive amount of time saved from not commuting and the very healthy bank account from not having to spend much from going out. I will probably miss seeing my cats 24/7 too after working so closely with them daily for months." - Ilyas 

"Being able to dress like trash and have pimple cream all over my face while working from home, LOL. I’ll also miss being able to hang out with my kitty at home. He’s a huge source of stress relief." - Kimberly

This period has definitely also got some of us in an introspective mood and given us a new perspective on things we never noticed pre-circuit breaker.

"Staying at home has taught me to reexamine the reasons why I’m out of the house in the past and be more intentional with how I spend my time. I started to look deeper in how I used to use my time now that I have more of it on my hands since taking public transport took up a large chunk of my time." - Kai Lun

Same old, same old

While many of us have become circuit bakers and chefs while being cooped up at home, it seems like some of us weren't in a hurry to pick up new skills. 

"CB lifestyle is my lifestyle though, there's not much of a difference. If anything, I think it’s sad that people finally think gaming is normal now, and how everyone rushed to buy Switch and Animal Crossing, artificially raising prices. SMH (shakes my head)." - Bryan

At the end of the CB, if we haven't changed one bit from it, there's no need to fault ourselves. I've also learnt that living through this pandemic is just as stressful as entering into any other major transition in life.

If you've managed to stay home all this while for the sake of stemming the spread of coronavirus infections in Singapore, it is already something to be proud of. 

Has the circuit breaker changed your life? Let us know!

Click here for AsiaOne's Circuit Breaker Survival Guide (CBSG). 

For the latest updates on the coronavirus, visit here.

melissagoh@asiaone.com