Spending My Birthday in Quarantine

What day even is it? The question I ask myself every now and again. If you told me that I would be spending my birthday in quarantine whilst the country is on lockdown last year, I would have stared at you with a baffled expression then laughed it off. And look at me now. It’s actually a weird situation to be in.

I don’t know how to describe the emotions I’ve been feeling. Confused? Helpless? Anxious? Emotionless? Lost? A combination of everything? Every day feels like a long Monday, endlessly dragging on with no foreseeable ending. That’s probably the reason why my birthday feels like a normal day.

If you’re spending your birthday in quarantine, I wish you a happy birthday in advance and to turn it into something memorable despite the temporary limitations. Be sensible too. Try and find the silver lining.

I’m been trying to find a different silver lining of each quarantined day instead of the typical “grateful with what I have” cliche. 11th April 2020’s two silver linings would be one, this cat video I’ve rewatched countless times, putting a smile on my face every time. Thinking about it, I have a higher chance of owning 5 cats before I’d get into a relationship. Am I actually going to turn this into reality? Maybe. And two, was baking one of the best carrot cake cupcakes with a cinnamon cream cheese frosting I have EVER baked. I’ve used up the last cup and a half of flour I had left but it was 100% worth it. Moist. The excitement of tweaking the recipe to turn it into an orange spiced carrot cupcake is exhilarating. The hunt for flour will soon commence. Are people still panic buying?

Cooking, baking, exercise, cat videos and humour are my coping mechanisms through this odd time. I hope you guys have found yours whatever that may be. I’ve seen many comments such as why is everyone baking banana bread/sourdough bread, everyone’s a baker/fitness bunny/chef/TikToker and many comments alike which aren’t needed. Finding, trying and learning new skills and hobbies are what we’re constantly doing throughout life. There’s no need to put people down during this critical time especially when these comments rarely existed before this pandemic even happened. So why all of a sudden now?

I’ve been thinking a lot about adding recipes to my blog as I’ve been spending my time in the kitchen a lot more than usual. I’ve even got a few already saved as drafts right now! From cooking up traditional Chinese dishes to baking cakes, there’s a lot of items on my to-make list which I’m dying to test out e.g. dragon beard candy. The perfectionist inside me still needs to make tweaks and adjustments, no matter how minute and trivial they are.

I thought I would create a mini banner for the blog to show my support and appreciation for the NHS, key workers and to those around the world battling this pandemic. As well as a kind reminder for everyone to abide by the lockdown rules.
“Staying at home isn’t easy but it will protect lives. Please think about others and not just yourself. The NHS are risking their own lives, fighting to save ours so do your bit to help protect them. A massive thank you to our incredible NHS, every single key worker out there and to those around the globe too. #StayHomeSaveLives”

I hope everyone is doing OK and coping well through this. It will be over soon and we can return back to normality. If anyone needs someone to speak to, my inbox is always open [email protected] or even tweet me: @yuk_lui. I’m all ears.

UK Helplines:
Samaritans: 116 123
Childline: 0800 11 11
Mind: 0300 123 3393
Calm: 0800 58 58 58
Papyrus: 0800 068 4141
Shout: text Shout to 85258