So…if my grumping in my first delight (what a contradiction that is!) didn’t give it away, Malaysia’s in it’s 3rd lockdown and has just announced tighter restrictions, which, given that we’re only allowed to go to the grocery store and school (with all our students online), I’m not really sure how it could get much tighter (that is not a challenge, Malaysia!).

As a couple of my friends and I debated what this lockdown would be like, we started talking about hobbies we’ve picked up over the course of the lockdowns. I.E. – spots of happiness in some rather tough times.

The first lockdown I experimented with all sorts of cooking/baking activities – cookies, soups, cinnamon rolls, all that jazz. I also decided to do headstands….and though I was successful, I have firmly decided that, with my penchant for headaches and migraines, headstands were not for me.

2nd lockdown, my friends introduced me to Move with Colour, Australian dancer Nathan Short’s channel, where he teaches quick 10-20 minute dance lessons. And we were hooked. We ran through nearly all of the videos (some of them more than once). It was a great way to relieve stress in a socially distanced way after a long day of work.

This 3rd lockdown has been a mix of kickboxing with Les Mills (don’t mind me, I’m just dying over in a corner) as well as trying my hand at learning some Kpop dances.

During one of our dance ventures, my friend and I tried this “Festival Banger” tutorial from Move with Colour. There was a lot of fast-paced footwork involved, which resulted in both of us flailing around and kicking our legs in a desperate attempt to keep up. At one point, Nathan Short paused and just started bopping, saying something about how this is what guys like to do when they’re trying “assert their masculinity” on the dance floor.

“That’s it, we just have to assert our masculinity!” I shouted.

My friend threw her arms and legs out at the same time, “I’m trying!”

I don’t know if we succeeded at pumping out the masculine vibes, but it was a good time.

We’ll definitely have to try that one again…I absolutely could not get it on the first go around. I’m rather doubtful I can get it even on the tenth try.

But we press on, sweating it out, heading towards that finish line.

And hey, I kinda/sorta figured out NCT’s Make A Wish dance chorus.

Little accomplishments.

Small joys.

We’re hanging in there.