Written by AJ Avecilla

It has been eight months since day 1 of the lockdown in response to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in the Philippines that began last January this year. Since then, the form of Filipinos’ lives and lifestyles had shifted slowly all at once. Now that this year is about to end, here is a list of five things that might have been a bit much different as we adapted to the so-called “new normal”.

Some Black Mirror stuff

Who needs season 6 when we are living in a Black Mirror episode in real-time? If you have not watched Black Mirror, it is one of the most popular and well-crafted series that presents a disturbing yet creative and interesting perspective on the power of technology. This has been proven true for most cases in the new normal, such as virtual audiences for talent shows as seen in Season 1, Episode 2 entitled “Fifteen Million Merits”. Aside from that, we might have seen how Twitter residents went wild after the recent Anonymous hacking PLDT incident. Also, we would most probably relate to Season 3, Episode 1 entitled “Nosedive” where everybody seems to be on their phone and social media all day and every day- forgetting the consequences of the online platform.

School’s out, Zoom’s in.

Despite the call for “Ligtas na Balik Eskwela” by most student bodies and councils, the Department of Education pushed through with resuming classes for S.Y. 2020-2021 by adapting virtual online classes until further notice. Because of this, students were obliged to cope up with online learning including the rise of new terms like synchronous and asynchronous classes and learning modules. The “get ¼ sheet of paper” is now a virtual recitation randomizer and you could only hold your breath for so long until you are lucky enough to be not called by your professor. Moreover, Zoom has been almost everyone’s best friend- from virtual group meetings to virtual thesis consultations, we could all put a finger down if we have ever said “None from my end, thank you!” at least once this quarantine.

GRWM for nothing

Whether it be for a Tiktok video or a mirror selfie, we might have done this after not being able to go out and dress up for a long time. Aside from our favorite Shopee finds and the latest Lazada 11.11 sale, people have been trying to cope with being in quarantine by wearing makeup, presentable clothes, and daint accessories even just for a short Zoom call. Studies say that these are among many of the things that you could do to have a sense of normalcy as well as to keep yourself motivated for the rest of the day. Besides, what’s the harm in feeling cute anyway?

It is a MASK!

Aside from our love-hate relationship with Zoom and other work-related applications, another new normal necessity are masks and face shields. Since the Coronavirus can be transmitted through saliva, people were expected to wear their masks and face shields at all times especially when running errands in public places and establishments. However, people have realized that wearing masks is a potential threat to animals and the environment itself due to their non- biodegradable nature. Also, online shopping platforms and the generally heavy amount of plastic needed for each parcel mounted. Fortunately, Filipinos once again showcased their creativity and innovativeness by making more eco-friendly face masks and even transforming plastic face shields into bamboo-based ones. Local stores have also started producing cassava bags for packaging, which are 100% biodegradable and durable for all kinds of items.

Time and things, timing stings.

We know that being stuck at home could be heavy for most of us, especially that all of us are struggling in different ways- may it be being in a toxic household, losing a stable source of income, or developing social anxiety because of the recent changes that have occurred in a year. As we are continually calling for accountability, we might have taken this time to think and re-think about our lives and the relationships that we allowed to develop pre-pandemic. We might have learned more about the things that matter, like love in its many forms that we could still receive even from afar, or perhaps a new hobby or hidden talent that have been finally given the chance to work on to cope up. No matter what it was, hopefully, we have learned to value the things that matter the most and together, continue to demand for a better response from our leaders to help ease this pandemic as soon as possible. May we take this time to reflect and assess our personal goals and lives as we are about to end what seems to be the worst year of our lives: 2020. How about you? Are you still the person that you were in January? I, most certainly, am not.