How Not to Be a Bored RAMpunzel
By Nethaniah Lim
We now know how Rapunzel must’ve felt being locked up in a tower. A year has passed since Covid-19 landed in The Philippines, and by now you could sigh and sing along the lines of “When Will My Life Begin”.
Nine a.m., the usual morning line-up; Start on the chores and open Teams. This cycle could get pretty bland for a lot of us as we sink back into our chairs and think about the next set of assignments, but boredom is only a sign that there are other things to try to spruce up your time. The following hobbies and activities suggested by our Feature and Literary Writers of RAMpage could help you do just that.
1 . Reading and Writing
- Like Danielle, maybe you can BOOK another flight with literature if you’re bored of visiting SALA Lumpur. Let your frustrations, happiness, and other emotions run wild by writing. Let the pen in your hands be a form of escapism besides being an outlet. If you’re more of an auditory learner, you could try audiobooks or story readings. You’d be surprised to see all the fantastic story narrations from content creators on Youtube, just like how Julian likes to spend his late evenings listening to amateur Reddit submissions from r/nosleep.
2. Arts
- If books aren’t your thing, Jaime and Abby suggest that exploring art is an excellent choice for materializing your emotions. Some interesting styles are soft pastel, sketching, pointillism and calligraphy. Meditation can also be a fantastic stress reliever.
3. DIY project
- Maybe you can show a whole new world to someone by sharing your creations or simple project ideas. You could knit a sweater for you and your pet, try your hand at felting or even make your own special blend of Dalgona to share online. “It’s a silent love language that the person you love just unconsciously shares with you. Let’s spread the love instead of Covid,” says Angeline.
4. Blogging and vlogging
- If you prefer simply sharing thoughts with people, be they abstract, theoretical or even political, you could take your knowledge online to forums or gatherings. Has quarantine stirred any new ideas? See if others think the same way. If you’re like Joseph who grew interested in the western works of philosophy, facilitated discussions and debates are out there for you to dive into.
If quarantine has taught you a thing or two about cooking like it did for Lemuel, you could test your skills with your own personal food blog. Whether it be a more structured set of content on Youtube or simple Instagram stories, grab a camera and get those angles going and views rising.
5. Adopt a plant
- Plants purifiers to boot. Some plants like succulents can survive long period without water and are lower maintenance than others, but the styles, colours and layouts are all up to you. Caring for your plants can feel a lot like caring for your pets, so adopt a plant right away!
6. Learning to play an instrument
- There are some of us with some not-so-fond memories of being forced into violin or piano class, but sometimes a more personalized schedule to your own liking is more fruitful for learning how to play music. The tutorials out there are diverse, and you could find yourself with a starter-level tool like the Ukulele before progressing to the Guitar. We can all agree that music does wonders for relieving stress and bringing positive vibes, so these instruments could be very instrumental in your free time.
7. Travel (virtually)
- Websites like Google Earth make it possible for anyone connected online to browse the farthest reaches of the globe, in some cases even capturing moments from historic events, so why not leverage these features with friends? Go on group call and take a trip to Paris, Egypt or the Himalayas. Maybe try to go through random, uncharted pieces of land and see what little quirks you can find with a little scavenger hunt. The options are limited to everything you can think of and type into a search bar, so let’s get packing.
Covid-19 has dampened a lot of our spirits, but that should never stop us from pursuing new hobbies to enrich our minds and soothe our thoughts. At the end of the day, boredom may just be a sign of laziness with all that’s out there waiting for you, so get up off your bed and take a crack at some of these options; Your mind would be all the better for it.
