The good things about COVID (at least in a banana country)

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60cycles60cycles Frets: 72
edited March 2021 in Off Topic
Because in civilised, modern countries, who knows, lol

- I can be a vampire again.
Sun's coming up!? OK folks they're kicking us out, straight to bed and soo long.

- Dog's happier than ever.
Always an audience when he rips a new pillow to shreds, always a human toy (me) to play with! Immense joy. And somewhere in there, it kinda rubs off on us too, we're happier too i think. A few more laughs than your usual average for sure.

- You're reminded of what it was or may have been like.
When 'life' didn't entail a constant run run run, 24/7. When that midday nap was actually a thing, when she was there to cook properly ('cause when i get to cook folks are in grave danger or so the shitter would testify if it could only speak), when you were inhouse long enough to actually feel bothered about a lamp going bad, or that mark on the wall you just never masked and repainted; and you now finally have.

- You have an excuse to not pick up the phone, even if it's from work.
Working from home, right? So you can always say you were on a conference call (uh huh) with someone on the other phone, in the midst of sending that important email, etc etc, so very sorry i didn't get to catch that one, really. Why, sure, i'd have called back as well, but work you know?

- You can work in your PJs/jogging pants.
Just.. awesome! Been awhile since i was 15, lol, this is fun ^^

- You can, albeit only so infrequently, give everyone the finger and take a break no matter what or when. My connection's really bad in the house, honest, oh that power failure, thank God it came back up, right? Am here now though, tell me.

- And you can post in forums at 05:17 with a narry a worry.
Much to your horror am sure.

P.S. And i can smoke whenever i want!!!
Take that you health nazis, listen to me inhale over the phone! Oooh yeah, imagine that tar sweetly clogging my arteries while you bore me to death, how's that for a change, lol
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  • TanninTannin Frets: 5275
    • Practically no colds or flu going around!
    • People have realised how much more sense it makes to work from home. Less traffic, less crowding on public transport, less time wasted commuting, more time actually working or at home with family.
    • No tourists! OK, zero is too few, we welcome visitors, but there were way too many. 
    • Rediscovery of many forgotten good things: cooking, making your own bread, growing your own vegetables. (We did all those things already, now everyone is trying it. Good!)
    • More locally made products, more self-reliance.
    • No immigration! Don't get me wrong, I like immigrants, but a quarter of a million extra people every year into this small country was insane. Schools, roads, hospitals, water supply, trains can't cope. Massive new suburbs steamrolling over agricultural land, lower living standards every year - just a little bit less bit it adds up, and significantly lower quality of life. Don't even think about the damage relentless population growth is doing to our few remaining wild places. And now it's stopped. Maybe, just maybe, it won't ever be as bad again.
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  • jonnyburgojonnyburgo Frets: 12258
    I'd take freedom of movement any day. Have to say I'm really bored of it now, I've been working as normal throughout. I'm sick of it. Life should be expansive, whereas our lives can now fit in a matchbox. I understand the little things, simplicity etc but had enough. 
    "OUR TOSSPOT"
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  • jonnyburgojonnyburgo Frets: 12258
    Tannin said:
    • Practically no colds or flu going around!
    • People have realised how much more sense it makes to work from home. Less traffic, less crowding on public transport, less time wasted commuting, more time actually working or at home with family.
    • No tourists! OK, zero is too few, we welcome visitors, but there were way too many. 
    • Rediscovery of many forgotten good things: cooking, making your own bread, growing your own vegetables. (We did all those things already, now everyone is trying it. Good!)
    • More locally made products, more self-reliance.
    • No immigration! Don't get me wrong, I like immigrants, but a quarter of a million extra people every year into this small country was insane. Schools, roads, hospitals, water supply, trains can't cope. Massive new suburbs steamrolling over agricultural land, lower living standards every year - just a little bit less bit it adds up, and significantly lower quality of life. Don't even think about the damage relentless population growth is doing to our few remaining wild places. And now it's stopped. Maybe, just maybe, it won't ever be as bad again.
    Too many tourists And too many immigrants crikey but yeah I like immigrants too, all of em, love em all, brown ones, yellow ones, half n half, doesn't matter to me. 
    "OUR TOSSPOT"
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  • SassafrasSassafras Frets: 30273
    What's a banana country?
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  • 60cycles60cycles Frets: 72
    edited March 2021
    Sassafras said:
    What's a banana country?
    If i go etymological, folks will find me pedantic, if i don't, it looks like i'm ignoring you

    The term's banana republic, we use it still. This is a spin off if you will.
    It's a country where nothing really works, where most stuff is up for grabs, gone to shit or left unifinished. The kind of country where it's great to go to as a tourist and then happily fuck off, but not very good to live in proper. Unless you're well off of course, then i suppose it really is heaven.

    As to jonnyburgo's post, so so..
    On a surface level i'd agree, but for me there's more to this; i think that for most people, escapism had become the way, for all things. I see this so often, people rushing to escape the very reality they've made for themselves. Being gradual and in small doses, some fail to realise the true extent of this.
    This whole situation allows one, should they so be willing, to see clearly just how they've made up their lives, how they spend their time/occupy themselves; and why, or more importantly, to what end. Take away their toys, let them see what -if anything- lies beneath.
    Put differently, when one needs escape so much and this often, there can be other matters at hand; one is thus better served if they take this time to.. re-consider shall we say? Just my thoughts.

    (doesn't necessarily apply for everyone mind, but this does go way beyond the social [ie missing seeing your friends; it too being relative, social animals we might be, but.. have we developed our own selves enough? Because when you do, you find the social is a bonus or privilege, not a must])
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  • BrioBrio Frets: 1789
    We built a racing lawnmower out of an old ride on and ragged it around the garden and into the meadow up the back,
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  • RaymondLinRaymondLin Frets: 11814
    What’s immigrants got to do with Covid?
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  • GrumpyrockerGrumpyrocker Frets: 4118
    edited March 2021
    Tannin said:
    • No immigration! Don't get me wrong, I like immigrants, but a quarter of a million extra people every year into this small country was insane. Schools, roads, hospitals, water supply, trains can't cope. Massive new suburbs steamrolling over agricultural land, lower living standards every year - just a little bit less bit it adds up, and significantly lower quality of life. Don't even think about the damage relentless population growth is doing to our few remaining wild places. And now it's stopped. Maybe, just maybe, it won't ever be as bad again.
    Sigh. 

     









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  • TeetonetalTeetonetal Frets: 7801
    The biggest win is just more time.

    I am working longer hours but I still have more time than when I commuted.

    Spending loads of time with the kids.

    Working outside on the balcony, enjoying the sun was great last summer.

    That said, there are things I miss from office life... I haven't seen any colleagues for 5 months now and I miss that interaction.
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  • thecolourboxthecolourbox Frets: 9654
    edited March 2021
    The only benefit of this current pandemic situation, for me, is that my mental health has spiralled downwards very quickly and I'm probably teetering on the brink of a breakdown. I've

    Why is that a benefit? Because it's made me do something about it rather than floating down the river thinking it'll be ok, only to find it won't.

    I've worked out a lot of things - I hate working from home and will prioritise not doing this in future. I hate my job and my job hates me - I'm just not suited to it on a fundamental level. So I'm trying to get out. I've learnt that family are not helpful in times of mental breakdown, and as a consequence I've learnt to not include them in talking about it. Likewise with the wedding we have been trying to hold (now on our third date due to covid), people don't really care about family weddings so there's no point including them in the discussions about it.

    Basically, covid has taught me my life is shit but at least it's given me a kick up my arse to find a way to improve my own little world
    Please note my communication is not very good, so please be patient with me
    soundcloud.com/thecolourbox-1
    youtube.com/@TheColourboxMusic
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  • TanninTannin Frets: 5275
    What’s immigrants got to do with Covid?. 
    Everything. With the borders closed here, there is no immigration. That is one quarter of a million fewer people than the expectation pre-Covid. Every four years, an extra million people. Fastest population growth rate of any developed country. It is unsustainable. 
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  • SUNBATHERSUNBATHER Frets: 85
    I'm glad some people are getting some good from this. For me, I had two weeks isolation for a flu (possibly covid, but I doubt it) in March 2019 just as all this was starting, but since then my life has been work/sleep/work and it's utterly relentless. 

    I love my job. I'm outdoors all the time doing what I always wanted to do, but when it's literally my entire life it gets hard. Even taking annual leave is boring, since my options are severely limited and the thought of tidying the house again, or painting the spare room on my time off makes me wish I was just at work instead. 

    I'll openly admit I've bent the rules somewhat. I've traveled 10 miles to see a friend for a walk and chat, I've let my mum into my house, and been in friend's gardens, but I've been careful and employed common sense over law, which I don't see a problem with. I don't think anyone can really be expected to follow the law to the letter when it's so inconsistent and nonsensical. 

    I can't wait for "normal". I'm one of the group who's been at work through all this and had no way to let off steam and all my regular lesiure activities have been stopped. I don't expect my vaccines to be coming any time soon either, I'm 28 with no health issues. 

    This has been the most boring plague I could ever imagine. 
    Maximum volume yields maximum results
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  • RaymondLinRaymondLin Frets: 11814
    edited March 2021
    Tannin said:
    What’s immigrants got to do with Covid?. 
    Everything. With the borders closed here, there is no immigration. That is one quarter of a million fewer people than the expectation pre-Covid. Every four years, an extra million people. Fastest population growth rate of any developed country. It is unsustainable. 
    You do know immigration is good for economical growth right?

    And Covid or not, there’s Brexit to deal with immigration, Covid doesn’t stop people coming in, Laws does. 

    You do know that right?

    ps our borders are not closed, if it were like Japan, we wouldn’t have the same number of deaths. It’s actually very open and very lax, when I came back from Korea last year at the start of the pandemic there wasn’t a single form to fill or any checks at the border such as IR temperature checks.  I know people came back from Japan last summer and only had to fill in a form and “asked” to quarantine but no checks were ever done, like in those countries where they had strict border closed were people had to quarantine in hotels for 14 days.  In Hong Kong you need to wear a braclet and using that going round the perimeter of your hotel room when you first check in.  The app then know you are within it.  If you cut the bracelet or go outside that perimeter you are then arrested and it’s 21 days in HK.

    We only started hotel quarantine that like a month ago, a full year after everyone else.  

    This border “closing” really has only been going on this year in 2021.

    you do know that right?

    I think it’s very ironic that the UK has invaded all but 22 countries on the planet yet think negatives of immigrants.  That is hilarious to me.
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  • 60cycles60cycles Frets: 72
    edited March 2021
    @thecolourbox
    Feel free to ignore all this entirely, we don't know each other and all, but since you have the courage to type all this, i'm taking a liberty myself here; again, feel free to discard it, by all means no offense meant.
    Your stating it twice in barely a couple of paragraphs does denote something..

    It might be folks do care (be it for your wedding or any other event of personal import to you), only you don't see it; or do not allow yourself to acknowledge it. Sometimes we find it easier to shift some of the weight to others, be they or be they not responsible for our woes.
    It might be family offers the best and most direct, impactful help you could ever hope for; if you're willing to allow it. Help need not always be another showing you the way or solving your issues for you; help (and usually the best kind at that) is giving you space to breathe and love to fall back on, the best and rarest crutches you can ask for.

    Now obviously you might be aware of it all, but that doesn't necessarily mean you factor it in when evaluating. Or relating it to others.

    - It's a common symptom with depression, the self flaggelating (figuratively mind), the denial, the feeling of isolation. Lacking a certain degree of self awareness or a healthy degree of intellectual stamina, it's wise to seek some professional help.
    - Even if none of the above stands? Don't forget that often times depression can be debilitating to those around you as well; they will often keep their distance or downplay your problems simply as a means to protect themselves. We all have our limits. Should they have surpassed theirs, you need excuse them rather than tell yourself they've stopped caring.

    All put aside, i hope you sort everything out
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  • thebreezethebreeze Frets: 2797
    The only benefit of this current pandemic situation, for me, is that my mental health has spiralled downwards very quickly and I'm probably teetering on the brink of a breakdown. I've

    Why is that a benefit? Because it's made me do something about it rather than floating down the river thinking it'll be ok, only to find it won't.

    I've worked out a lot of things - I hate working from home and will prioritise not doing this in future. I hate my job and my job hates me - I'm just not suited to it on a fundamental level. So I'm trying to get out. I've learnt that family are not helpful in tones of mental breakdown, and as a consequence I've learnt to not include them in talking about it. Likewise with the wedding we have been trying to hold (now on our third date due to covid), people don't really care about family weddings so there's no point including them in the discussions about it.

    Basically, covid has taught me my life is shit but at least it's given me a kick up my arse to find a way to improve my own little world
    Have you got any levels of support at all?  I imagine your fiancé is one obviously.  However, I know it's hard to access different types including friends as well as the professional services etc.
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  • 60cycles60cycles Frets: 72
    edited March 2021
    BTW, a funny story about "immigrants"; like myself, as i've lived in London for many years.

    Cell phone's acting all weird, i go to the nearest store with the intention of leaving it for repair, happens to be a local repair one, no major brand branch.
    I walk in, go to the counter, tell him i have an issue, describe it, finish up by telling him it's not a depleted cell, as i have measured it with my multimeter.
    He goes "de-wuh mate?"
    His assistant..friend..? goes "it's fucked mate"
    "aaah"
    (both natives, their accents assure me of that)

    You get all kinds Tannin, all kinds
    And as long as they pay your taxes, uphold your laws and do all the crap work you'd never be willing to do yourself? I'd say count your blessings.
    Labour in 2021 is nothing like "labour" in, say, Thatcher's days. And most of the "advanced" countries are by now in dire need of it, only as mentioned, we no longer do it as we find it below us.
    (by the way, you'd be happy to know i eventually left the UK. No polluting your gene pool or anything. Even though i'm white and a Christian myself, but who knows right? Best be safe and all)

    Irony aside, you have a wonderful country. Remind yourself how it was built; or rather, on whose (plural) backs.
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  • thecolourboxthecolourbox Frets: 9654
    edited March 2021
    Edit (removed post) - Thanks @60cycles and @thebreeze but it's best I don't derail here
    Please note my communication is not very good, so please be patient with me
    soundcloud.com/thecolourbox-1
    youtube.com/@TheColourboxMusic
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  • 60cycles60cycles Frets: 72
    I hope you do.
    My best wishes once more man :)
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  • underdogunderdog Frets: 8334
    edited March 2021
    Tannin said:
    What’s immigrants got to do with Covid?. 
    Everything. With the borders closed here, there is no immigration. That is one quarter of a million fewer people than the expectation pre-Covid. Every four years, an extra million people. Fastest population growth rate of any developed country. It is unsustainable. 

    What country is this? And I hope your descendents are indigenous to that country or you're going to look a bit silly.
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  • Emp_FabEmp_Fab Frets: 24210
    edited March 2021
    Hell no!  We can't have all those people coming over here, working and paying taxes!  That's an outrageous suggestion!  British taxes for British people I say!  I mean, it's completely unsustainable - we already inhabit 2.27% of the land mass of the UK.  There's just no room for anyone else!
    Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine.
    Also chips are "Plant-based" no matter how you cook them.
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