REDSTAR Hangzhou March 2020

广 告 • 生 活 方 式 // LIFESTYLE /
MEET THE LOCALS
By Annie Clover
What have
you been
doing to stay
entertained
during your
time at home?
My housemates had moved out,
so I was left alone in a big house
just as the virus was beginning to
make headlines. At first, I felt quite
lonely then that quickly turned
into boredom. I got a call from
some good friends checking up on
me because essentially, I'd gone
silent. I found solace in maintaining
daily communication with people,
and playing online games with
friends really helped me out of
the one true prison: the mind.
How do
you stay
motivated?
What really kept me
going was having people
I could connect with.
Looking forward to our
conversations on the group
chat and ignoring any online
information about the
problems outside, as if it were
just a rainy day. Not that I'm an
expert, but binge-watching TV
series didn't help. In this period
I had time to finish 2 books and
really enjoyed cooking. The only
tip I have is to keep yourself
busy with something, don't stay
in bed the whole day because
that makes your body lethargic.
Clean, sweep, wash dishes,
cook, do things that require
energy and you'll feel good.
What have
you found to
be the best
way to keep
in touch with
your friends?
A WeChat shared call with
close friends still here
and many outside China.
It doesn't really get
much closer than that.
Any advice to
people feeling
out of touch with
the world and
their friends?
I’ve come to realise that the
feeling is mutually shared with
many other people, and it
starts with one conversation,
anything related to what
you like. Be fully in with that
one person, conversation or
book/movie and slowly let
that reach out to anyone else
you remember and want to
share a similar feeling with.
What do you
enjoy most
about staying
indoors?
Saving money and prioritising
my time. I can't indulge
in random purchases, go
outside to procrastinate, or
eat takeaway food anymore.
Instead, I'm cooking for
myself, and planning my days
to their fullest potential.
What games
do you play
with friends
online?
I found some online card
games, like 'Cards Against
Humanity'. We can kick back
in a group call and have some
fun playing that together. I'm
bad at video games so that
isn't really an option for me;
I just watch and encourage.
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