5 new things I did in 2020 include starting a blog, making videos, going on a staycation, and even a root canal procedure. I also made a shortlist of 3 new things to try in 2021.
Introduction
The year 2020 had been an extraordinary year for many. While holidaying with my family prior to its start, I had written down a few things I had wanted to do. In spite of, or perhaps thanks to, the pandemic semi-lockdown, I managed to do 5 new things in 2020.
As I start 2021, I look at some of the new things I managed to do in 2020. I also list down a less ambitious list of 3 things I would like to have a go at in 2021. Other than for the record, this will also serve as my own commitment reminder.
5 new things I did in 2020
Blogging
A decade (almost?) after blogging went out of fashion, I finally started one. This was item number 2 on my 2019-year-end list of things to do in 2020. However, instead of starting right off the bat, I only properly started in 2020 April, in the midst of the first wave of the pandemic. Working from home was a new experience for many of us. Having to restrict one’s movements, despite the relatively lenient control measures where I live, was claustrophobic. Blogging became one of the outlets for my inner screams.
It also got me into a weekly routine to reflect and write. The discipline of writing definitely helps me appreciate more of what I read. In addition to looking out for ideas, I also watch out for how to lay the ground and best present the ideas.
Video making
The second of 5 new things I did in 2020 was video-making. No, I am not talking about vlogging. I am not sure I would venture to put myself in front of the camera and start talking about food or self-improvement. All I did in 2020 was taking occasional videos of my daily activities. These included my weekend walks along the neighbourhood praya to get my mid-morning coffee. I also took videos of the hikes my family and I did during the cooler seasons. To take steadier shots, I even bought a gimbal. And yes, I also took videos of the restaurant visits my family and I had, mindful of the ever-threatening closures in the midst of the pandemic.
The videos I did post onto one platform or another are those of my daughter’s musical performance. In fact, we created her own YouTube channel for this over the summer. These are usually for assessment purposes. Such is the norm nowadays. Even centuries-old accrediting institutions will only accept performance exams submissions online.
Staycation
There has been some controversy over the meaning of this word. The strict definition, according to Wikipedia, is
a period in which an individual or family stays home and participates in leisure activities within day trip distance of their home and does not require overnight accommodation
However, like many laymen, I use this word to mean holidaying, including overnight accommodation, at a location outside the usual residence, but in the same city. This activity is now so common that, if ‘staycation’ is not the right word for it, we need to invent another word.
And this is the third of 5 new things I did in 2020. I had booked two stays at two different hotels over the winter season. However, we only managed to check into one before stricter lock-down measures led us to postpone the other one.
It was not quite the same as a holiday overseas. At the same time, it was not the same as staying home either. We got to stay in a well-appointed room, which gave my wife ideas of how she wants her dream home to be like. We also got to know a different part of the city better, after our morning walks around the hotel.
And of course, the Michelin standard Chinese dinner was absolute video-worthy.
Digital KonMarie
Working from home means having to rely on electronic devices and online storage. I had worked on-and-off on the digitization of my papers, CDs and DVDs over the past few years. This year, that work got accelerated. I threw away folders of documents I had accumulated over the past few decades. My tool of choice is Fujitsu’s Scansnap. Full disclosure here – I am NOT being paid for this recommendation.
I also rationalized my online accounts. I cancelled my Evernote subscription, after exporting all my notebooks onto my PC. Unfortunately, not everything can be imported to Notion. Even before Google announced its new policy, I was already on my way to deleting a few Gmail accounts. In fact, I shifted my main email service provider to another Swiss-based vendor, on account of the lax privacy standards of US big-tech.
Root canal
Yes, this too, in 2020. Chronologically speaking, this should really be the first of the 5 new things I did in 2020. While visiting some old pals during my 2019 year-end holidays, my tooth ached so much I could not sleep the whole night. I brought forward my flight and went to the dentist immediately upon landing. It was only then that I realised I had a cracked molar. The dentist performed the first of four procedures of a root canal on that molar. It was excruciating, to say the least. Once back home, I continued the treatment with a different dental surgeon. This one expounded the reasons why he preferred performing such procedures in a single visit, instead of 2 or more. I bought into his approach. However, I only managed to get the crown for the molar installed a few months later when the first wave of the pandemic subsided.
3 new things to try in 2021
A new skill
A new year, a new skill. There are a few candidates I am considering. One is DIY skills around the home. Another not exactly new, but a skill I had not practised for a long time: driving.
Given the ease of public transport where I live, driving had never been a necessity. I am perfectly happy to get around in buses and trains and taxis. With the pandemic going on, however, I am starting to think perhaps having my own transport might make sense, for hygiene reasons. It could also give me a bit more freedom in exploring places I have so far not thought about going due to lack of public transport.
With the increase in the amount of time spent at home, I start to notice things that need fixing. A chip in the wall, peeled paint, malfunctioned cabinet door hinges are some examples. These look simple enough, but I turned out to be quite useless fixing them. I would like to be a bit more useful.
A new habit
Over the past few years, I have established a few good habits. Chief of these is daily exercising, followed by cold showers. I have also started intermittent fasting twice weekly. Since starting this blog I have also started to write weekly.
I would like to build on these further. A couple of candidates: sleep earlier, writing daily instead of weekly, increased frequency of intermittent fasting.
A new challenge
Having been in this industry for a few decades, and in my current role for more than a few years, it is about time for a new challenge. I am thankful for the opportunities that this profession has offered me, to get paid while I learn and grow.
At the same time, I have seen how the sausages are made. I observed the change of personalities at the top over the years. I also notice the increased emphasis on performance, of the theatrical kind, and story-telling. Stories should ideally fit the reality, but deviations are fine as long as investors buy them. That these qualities are now central in this industry, which in my mind is fundamentally about trust, indicates to me the season has changed. Either that or I had been mistaken all this while.
Regardless, I need to decide whether to take the blue pill or red pill.
Conclusion
This piece had taken me a bit more than a week to write. Thinking through the new things to try in 2021 took a while. I wanted these to be a stretch, yet something I sincerely commit to. I am glad I put myself through that process. Now, back to action.