Rinse & Repeat

It’s been almost 2 months at my new place now and 5 months since we started working from home and clearly, things have gotten into a nice little pattern for me. Having my own space has been positively delightful even if it means I have to do all the cleaning and feeding myself but I honestly wouldn’t trade it for anything else.

And really, even with COVID-19 still going on in the world, I’m so lucky to be in Singapore where things have settled back into a ‘new normal’ that everyone loves and hates referring to. I’ve seen some friends in restaurants! And though I still limit my outside exposure, it’s really good and heartwarming to know that things are available if needed.

Still, I’m a creature of routine and having my own place has just solidified that more. From knowing what kind of physical activity I’ll be doing everyday of the week to knowing what part of the house I’ll be cleaning or what chore is to be done on a specific day, it’s been pretty swell to have all of this and boy do I feel lucky to be able to experience this. So welcome to the mundane life I lead and the things I do to maintain the house.

God knows I’m definitely missing ten million other things, but I’ll live in blissful ignorance until then.

Plant Person

I am an unwitting Plant caretaker because my ex-flamtate and friend, Erica gave me a plant for Christmas. And because we used to live together, I felt the immense pressure of keeping this plant alive lest she think I’m not taking care of her gift. But I’ve grown to actually really like this plant. I don’t know what it’s called or how much water it actually needs but it’s a hanging plant that I don’t hang and instead water every Tuesday morning before I go for my run. So far, knock on wood, it’s survived (and maybe even thrived) since December so I’ll take it.

I also took it upon myself to take care of the team plant we kept in the office. Back when the office was a thing, my team of four had a plant we shared together, in between our four desks. When we all got sent home in March to work from home for an indefinite period of time, some folks brought their monitors home, I took the team plant home. This plant, I also cant tell its name or needs but if it survived with very little care in the office (cause you know when everyone is in charge, no one is in charge) so I’m hoping it manages to breathe while it’s under my temporary care at home.

On Wednesday, we do Laundry

Not my most favorite chore because it seems like I never run out of laundry to do — but then again, that’s the essential nature of chores, right? It never runs out? Still, I’m glad that most of my laundry these days consists of sports attire — running clothes, cycling clothes, yoga clothes, swimming stuff. I know they say you should follow labels when you launder but I don’t use the dryer, and instead I hang stuff outside, so I guess that should help prolong things?

The only “trick” i do is I wear all my like colored clothes on the same week so that every batch is somehow already color separated. So if you see me every day (not that you would, cause again, we’re all just stuck at home), and I’m in white all week — it’s probably because it’s the week I would do all my white laundry. Hey, it works for me!

Clean House

I take it back, I like the laundry compared to cleaning house. And guys, the house isn’t a mansion, it’s literally one bedroom so it’s not like there’s a lot to care for. And yet, the act of sweeping and mopping (I know, there are gadgets called vacuum cleaners for this!) just is not my jam. There is a nice zen afterwards of clean floors — free of the hair I seem to shed so much of now that I have much longer hair. I’m so tempted to get a robot vacuum but I already acquired WAY too many things for this move and don’t want more.

Then there’s the bathroom which I really don’t like to clean but know I must especially now that I am the sole user of this bathroom. It feels less gross knowing all that goes on in there is my doing, so it’s not as bad as it could be.

Grocery Runs

A surprising favorite of mine now is my weekly grocery run. As you probably know, I never quite knew how to cook. I never had to feed myself and just generally relied on the lovely hawkers that have sustained me in my now 5+ years in Singapore. However, that all came to shit when the Cholesterol thing hit me hard and they say it’s 70% diet so circuit break got me to cooking.

And with cooking comes grocery runs! I’m shocked sometimes at the contents of my basket — I don’t do a cart cause how will I possibly carry all of that home! I look down and see so much produce and fruits and veggies (and my always and forever salmon)! Who knew! Who is this person!

I’m no saint though, I’ll always get tempted by some chocolates on my way to the counter — my latest find being a Reese’s Peanut Butter cup bastardisation with some pretzels. How can one say no! The grocery is a dangerous place and I love that I get to go every week.

Weekend Meal Prep

And because I am a creature of habit and can literally eat the same thing every day (well four times a week), I have now come to prepare my weeknight dinners on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon — depending on my laziness level. And at first I started out pretty simple with some white fish and one vegetable but now I’m getting a bit more adventurous with my choices.

Honestly, I’m just surprised that I’m able to feed myself! Who is this person! I guess living alone does have a way of forcing you to survive and hopefully some day thrive. I can’t vouch for the taste of my cooking but at least I don’t have to think, what will I eat tonight? Or what will I eat for lunch (oatmeal, blueberries, walnuts and honey!) And hey, one less thing to think about is always good.

What are your COVID-19 habits and routines? Tell me I’m not the only weirdo who’s gotten so much comfort from the repetition.