It’s day…I don’t even know what day it is. I’ve lost count. Do you know what quarantine day number you are on? Even though the Safer-At-Home order remain in place, restrictions are being relaxed and many places are starting to reopen – but with many changes.
Welcome to my furlough quarantine diaries. Yes, it is not surprising that Disney has furloughed 75% of their employees due to the pandemic’s effect on the theme parks and hospitality sectors. It’s been about 3 months since the theme parks temporarily closed and we stoped working on our projects. Most Disney parks, except for Anaheim, have reopened for crowd control regarding guests’ health and safety. Many employees are still furloughed because the parks are not completely opened.
So now the question is, what have I been doing during my furlough quarantine period? Am I surviving and staying sane or have I become insane and depressed?
First and foremost, I am a creative visualizer. One day, my dad said I am “a daydream during the day, a designer at night” so I’ve started using that phrase to describe myself. Though there are times when I get bored of doing one activity for a long period of time, I actually never really run out of things to do. Maybe it’s because I am an only child, so I grew having to entertain myself when my parents are busy with work or when they do their own things.
1. Bullet journal
When we got the furlough notice, one of my senior colleagues and mentor told me to always keep a schedule every day so that I don’t lose track of time or day. I haven’t really counted the number of days in quarantine/stay-at-home order, but the furlough period has allowed me to sharpen my bullet journaling, on an ipad and in a physical bullet journal. I do a monthly spread to help plan out weeks regarding themes* (see Disneybound and Homecafe below). Then, every morning, I write out my to-do list so that I know I want to have to accomplish that day. If I don’t finish the tasks that day, I write it the next day to constantly remind me to get the tasks done. It’s an accomplishment when I can put a color checkmark next to the task. I also answer the prompt of the month every night. It’s the same prompt. For example, the prompt for April what I was grateful for. Journaling is a great way to do brain dumps hence how this blog started.
2. Visual direction
Many people know me as the girl behind her camera. During my study abroad in undergrad, I love carrying my camera and lens and shooting candids. Today, with advanced growing technology and trying to make everything lightweight, I still carry around my Fujifilm XT-20 but I mainly use my iPhone document daily life. I still enjoy taking candid photos of everyone. However, as I’ve started to focus on curating my social media content, I told myself to learn how to be in front of the camera so that I am able to gain confidence in who I am.
To stay creative, I became more curious in the Disneybounding community. I always admired Disney fans who recreate looks inspired by Disney-related themes. Therefore, as a challenge to work with what I already have, I got myself into Disneybounding. Luckily, I didn’t give into the “neutral colors only” wardrobe. It’s been a fun ride and I love seeing what I can create that is both inspired by others and my personal relations with the themes. As I continued to meet many Disney fans through social media, I’m learning a lot about how guests view our company. I’m also learning what guests think of what we’re creating. It’s an interesting way of learning how we can move forward in our company. After all, our guests help generate the happiness and energy that keeps us going.
In addition to engaging in the Disneybound community, I’ve been experimenting with various fun drinks (coffee, alcoholic and non-alcoholic) and documenting the process. I’ve always been intrigued with ASMR, but I didn’t not bother starting a Youtube channel. Instead, I document the process of creating drinks through Instagram stories. I’ve gotten many positive comments, saying that the videos, particular the ones with matcha drinks, are very soothing. Made me feel like I should continue experimenting and documenting drinks and inspiring others to make their own drinks.
3. More green in the life
The safer-at-home order got many people doing DIY home projects. For me, it was beautifying my utility balcony. Management decided to limit the use of the common areas in our building complex, so I decided to create my own sanctuary. I add a storage bench, wall decor, and new flooring to spice up the small open space attached to my bedroom.
I also bought some herb and edible flower seeds to create a small garden corner. The edible flowers started growing leaves so I’m excited for their blooming stage, when the flowers start to appear. The weather has started to heat up, so when the flowers are ready to be harvested, I’ll be making colorful salads and avocado toasts with flowers. I’ll also try making pretty desserts and drinks with the flowers. They’ll definitely cost me much less than what I would pay for in a restaurant. Stay tuned for instaworthy food and drinks created by me! Hopefully I can fulfill one of my dreams of opening a coffee shop gallery with my best friends in 10 years.
just a gentle reminder:
social distance & wear your damn mask.
If you’re in the United States, many places have started to reopen even though the number of Covid-19 cases are still increasing every day. Many hiking trails and public parks are still open. Yes, it is always good to go outside to get fresh air once in awhile when we’ve been stuck at home for month. However, please maintain the 6 feet distance from everyone outside of your social pod. Imagine that we are in our own 6 feet diameter bubble. When outside, everyone should be wearing a mask that covers BOTH the nose and the mouth. Always wash your hands or use hand sanitizer. We need to all do our parts so that we can make going outside for a walk/exploring the city more enjoyable. If you don’t want to wear your mask because you’re eating or drinking, then you should go inside your car or back at home to eat/drink. I think we all want to enjoy the outdoors so let’s be mindful of others.
Lastly, stay safe and enjoy every moment of life regardless of the pandemic. Live and love each day. Cherish the small mundane moments that give you simple joy. Focus on your own weaknesses that should give you motivation to change them into strengths. Remember that we are humans of various colors and personalities and we live in an ecosystem which means we all depend on each other through our strengths. It’s a cycle of working together.
Hiraeth 