Thank You, Next
By: Lisa Low
Tags: Review, Hope, Life Lessons, 2020, Perspective

Photo by Lisa Fotios

Because of Covid-19 many lives have undergone rapid upheavals, in terms of career, relationships, health etc. 2020 might seem to have gone to waste (but hey, at least we are largely spared from the smoke haze!). As uncertainty looms large, demand for insurance products increases while individuals adapt to the environment. Throw human lemons, he makes lemonades. Who would have thought this once made such a perfect birthday gift? In case you are curious about how the past 12 months mean to me, read on.

No man is an island.

Suddenly staying apart became a way to stay together. Love is tough. Everyone is sort of in a long distance relationship with another. To stay connected, people are making and delivering surprise ‘’pick-me-up’’ gifts to the ones they care about (I happened to be one of the many lucky recipients. Teehee!). In fact Phase III would not happen without collective efforts from the public to practice the necessary. The TraceTogether app is internationally recognised and Singapore is one of the few countries that kept the death rates consistently low. Of course I have had my fair share of hearing laments at the beginning about why (do) this and not that. With the lack of perfect information, one could choose to observe and learn how the rest cope, get experts’ opinion or err on the side of caution. These requires social interactions. All in all, we need to learn to trust the right people and get our acts together to do the right things. Otherwise, more lives would be lost.

Photo by Laura Meinhardt

The world is converging, online and offline.

Introverts rejoice! Staying at home is now commendable. Despite “zoom fatigue’’, video calls look set to stay given travel restrictions worldwide. Identifying ways to manage our mental wellness is thus, of utmost importance. Likewise calls to stop climate change, hold national elections and panic buying occurred in many countries. The lack of online presence had caused some of the well-known brands in Singapore to close down. Retail bankruptcy is common too in the United States. Millions of workers have lost their jobs, several gained employment in other industries nonetheless. Linkedin’s and Twitter’s Stories feature are pretty similar to Instagram’s, thanks to Snapchat. Reels on the other hand, become a TikTok clone. With the help of Google’s analytics and shopping tools, Youtube might just be the next big thing in e-commerce like Amazon or Alibaba. In other words, same-same different-different. I have no idea which social media platform offers what anymore…

Photo by Sơn Bờm

Admit it. Internet and electricity are essentials.

One improves entertainment, health, comfort and productivity levels while the other proves to be a vital communication tool. Without either one tend to cause urbanites inconveniences. So please excuse folks (like you and me) that get upset over slow internet speed or a dying laptop battery. Time is super precious in this era of immediacy. Digital content and online streaming services witnessed a rise in consumption and revenue boost as a result of the coronavirus disease outbreak. However overall electricity demand during global lockdowns fell as more and more businesses cease operations. Interdependent and independent, electricity and the internet are absolutely necessary in today’s world to keep routines on track.

Photo by Sincerely Media

Every experience is a lesson learnt. Major events like NDP 2020 and Singapore GE 2020 continued despite unprecedented challenges. Perhaps this year is a time for masses to consider the belief that anything is achievable if they put their mind to it and rethink about priorities — as simple as how a new laptop could enhance workplace well-being. With that being said thank you, next. (I guess) I am ready to move on from 2020 and slay in 2021. Tomorrow will be better.