100 Things I’ve Learnt During Lockdown

1. The pronunciation of a famous Welsh town with a high chance of butchering the Welsh language. The one and the only:
   Llan-fair-pwll-gwyn-gyll-go-ger-ych-wyrn-drob-wll-llan-ty-silio-go-go-goch.
2. How to cube root perfect cubes without the use of a calculator. Because why not?
3. Classic Chinese literature isn’t easy. Currently studying 300 Tang Poems.
4. I do not recommend hand whisking aquafaba (chickpea liquid). It took me 45 minutes to reach stiff peaks. NEVER AGAIN.
5. Chickpea blondies are a game-changer.
6. Cheese is bae and will never let me down.
7. My love obsession for cats is actually a lot deeper than what I had imagined.
8. Cats > influencers. Not sorry.
9. ISTP-T here, anyone else?
10. I’ve become more of an introvert.
11. Though I tremendously miss face to face interactions.
12. Nicol has a different meaning for some. That’s a story for another day or…
13. The contestants on Junior Bake Off are a talented bunch and bake better than me – so inspiring. They have so much sass too. LOVE IT.
14. Next life goal would be to participate in the Great British Bake Off.
15. The second goal would be to earn the oh so famous Hollywood handshake.
16. The alternative meaning of “rake”, thanks to Bridgerton.
17. To at least double the cinnamon measurement in recipes. I love cinnamon.
18. I honestly can’t wait to visit the dentist again.
19. No need to invest in a stand mixer, work those arms instead.
20. Javascript ES6.
21. I can finally tick off SASS and SCSS. They have been at the top of my list for a very long time.
22. Might as well add in Bootstrap and now I know what all the fuss was about.
23. It’s about time I hop onto Github – nicolylw.github.io
24. I want to forever live in lounge clothes. Time to throw out the jeans?
25. Listened more to my body.

26. No churn ice cream. Delish.
27. I need time and space away from the world to recover when everything becomes unbearable.
28. I value alone time much more than usual.
29. My language has been absolutely appalling. I need to reign it in a lot. £10 into the swear jar.
30. I suck at certain things and I’m completely OK with that.
31. Hello cellulite…
32. Cooking and baking are my therapy.
33. So is exercising.
34. I still cannot cook the right amount of portions nor will I ever learn. Overestimating is far better than underestimating right?
35. Leftovers are good and amazing for those lazy days. Sometimes tastes better the next day.
36. I’m a feeder and will overfeed you.
37. Realising 5-6 hours a day of moderate and heavy exercise, 6 days a week is a bit too much.
38. Home workouts > gym.
39. Popping a metal spoon in your mouth whilst cutting onions won’t make you cry. Thank you MasterChef.
40. I have an addiction to gochujang and pesto. Not mixed together but I might be onto something here – an Italian Korean marriage made in heaven or a horror show, you decide.
41. I’m not keen on alcohol anymore. Haven’t had a sip since Christmas 2019.
42. Song’s that were released between the late ’90s and mid-2010s are the bomb. Don’t argue with me on this.
43. Same with K-pop.
44. To be comfortable doing nothing.
45. Having a flexible routine as a rough guide for your day to day is enough even if you don’t follow it whatsoever.
46. Lockdown has actually been a blessing in disguise.
47. I’ve become more anxious on many aspects and it’s been uncontrollable at times.
48. I’m still the cookie monster.
49. Digging deeper into SEO and site optimisation for the blog.
50. Some things aren’t meant to be.

“Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it.”

Albert Einstein

51. Make and pull fresh noodles from scratch. So much fun pulling and slapping them against the surface.
52. Nowadays, I’m easily influenced by TV whenever there’s food on the screen. It kickstarts my cravings.
53. I really need to explore the UK more. But only when the right time permits. Edinburgh first.
54. I’m at that stage in life where I’m like eurgh, TikTok and whatever the kids are into these days.
55. There is definitely a glimmer of hope. You just need to be patient and ride it out.
56. Not entirely sure how to socialise anymore. What is this you speak of?
57. I spend way too long in the snack aisles debating what to buy and checking what’s new.
58. If you open 100 tabs in Google Chrome on mobile, you’ll get an emoji of some sort rather than a number. “:)” in iOS for both normal and incognito tabs, whereas on Android, “:D” for normal tabs and “;)” for incognito tabs.
59. How to waste time productively.
60. Drinking a gallon (roughly 4 litres) of water is so hard. 2 litres is easy whilst 3 is a push.
61. It’s harder to get my 5 a day at home strangely enough.
62. Have a better understanding of the world of UX/UI.
63. I can be annoying and a bit of a dick at times.
64. Can be a little over-controlling when it comes to overwatching others baking and cooking in the house. Back off Nicol.
65. Need to have background noise throughout the day whilst being productive otherwise, I’m constantly overthinking.
66. My natural hair colour doesn’t actually look too bad on me yet am still not used to it. Will probably dye it again once the coloured part has fully grown out and cut off.
67. A very late bloomer to being obsessed with Disney princesses. Take me to Disneyland/World pretty please.
68. LinkedIn is full of toxic positivity. Forever hibernating.
69. Grammarly and autocorrect takes over my life.
70. It’s the same with phone and dates. I’ve lost track as to what day it is.
71. To think outside the box on the spot a lot more than usual.
72. The meaning of desiderium.
73. Octopuses will punch a fish out of spite. This is probably the best thing I’ve read on the internet.
74. Using erythritol as a sugar replacement when baking cookies leaves a cooling effect in your mouth once the cookie has cooled.
75. To stop caring about the minor things and put all my energy, time and focus on what’s actually important in my life.

76. The term model minority.
77. Work-life balance is more important than I had ever thought.
78. The alphabet in British Sign Language.
79. The flour, pasta and toilet roll crisis were actually real.
80. Finally understanding that carbs are not the enemy. It’s made a difference in my workouts.
81. Still detest voice notes.
82. Reading up on world history. There’s much more I have to read.
83. Pokemon is still number 1 and I will never grow up. How is Ash still 10 years old in Pokemon Journeys?
84. Cinnabon exists in the UK! Both branches are in Lancashire.
85. Wallowing in self-pity is normal.
86. Vegan alternatives tickle my curiosity greatly that I love trying them out.
87. Nothing will ever beat actual books. The physical feel and smell of them are top-notch.
88. At times, the most basic and simplest things bring me more joy than ever.
89. Cream cheese frosting requires full fat, not the light versions.
90. Thinking of 100 things was harder than I had thought but am sticking with it.
91. Snow still amazes me.
92. Lockdown is testing my patience every day.
93. Acknowledged that I will never bring myself to watch any of the Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings films. Also, please don’t force me.
94. Adobe Lightroom.
95. The magic of 142857. Math is cool.
96. I’m so done with internet trends.
97. Sleep is good. How did I ever survive on 4-5 hours of sleep every night without any afternoon naps for over 10 years, I have no idea.
98. Age is catching up with me.
99. I can finally admit that I’m immensely struggling.
100. I’ve learnt more in lockdown than at any time in my life.

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