April 8, 2020
The WFH colleague that’s always asking if you want to go on a coffee break…
What does it feel like isolated from the isolation?
Since leaving my home in the US to travel and eventually settle in Taiwan, I’ve felt a sense of isolation. I even wrote a post about it during my travels. I was constantly in a new place with new people, but it always felt like I was alone. Over the past few years living in Taipei, I’ve built some great relationships and friendships. And I’m so grateful to have found an amazing partner that I can share my life with. But that doesn’t mean I don’t miss everyone back home.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve had more contact with these people than ever before. I’ve had Zoom chats and poker games at 8 am on a Sunday and group meditation circles at 11 pm on a Wednesday. It’s not surprising that people have opened up and started to reconnect. Social distancing and quarantine have eliminated casual human interactions throughout the day. People are scheduling and looking forward to group chats and virtual meetups. I don’t believe it’s out of complete boredom. Sure everyone has a wide-open social calendar. But they are also craving a deeper sense of connection. This existential threat has made us grateful for the people in our lives.
It will be interesting to see how life will be different once this is all over. However, there is so much uncertainty that no one knows how long this will last. I hope this has a lasting and positive impact on the way people look at their relationships. I hope we have a greater appreciation for our healthcare workers and people that can’t afford to protect themselves. Only time will tell. I’m certainly making the most of our virtual gatherings no matter how early I have to wake up on the weekend.
🤞How is Taiwan NOT in quarantine?!!! 😷
We just had a long holiday weekend. As you might have guessed, it was a bit different than other holidays. Normally, we would take a trip to another part of Taiwan or try to go to another Asian country. We decided to forgo any traveling and stick to a few local establishments. We went to a new craft beer bar which was pretty much empty on a Friday night.
No need to distance when you’re the only ones there
Since most people wouldn’t be traveling abroad (Taiwan has a mandatory 14-day home quarantine policy for any person arriving), many of them decided to take trips to popular tourist destinations within the country. In anticipation of the larger crowds during the holiday weekend, Taiwan’s Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) urged people to practice social distancing. The country has even started giving fines for people who refuse to wear a mask on public transportation.
Even with the worldwide pandemic, many people did take this opportunity to enjoy their time off. Larger than expected crowds have led to some precautionary actions by the government. The CECC issued a warning for anyone that might have visited 11 different popular tourist sites over the long weekend. These people should self-quarantine or practice self-health measures for the next 14 days. My partner’s company told every employee to work from home for the next two weeks also as a precaution.
These are examples of some of the measures the country has taken to avoid complete lockdown. The most aggressive has been the system of quarantine for travelers and tracking of potential community spread. This is why there have only been 376 confirmed cases of COVID-19 (52 of which are community spread) and only 5 deaths. Their efforts have drawn plenty of praise from the international community including Babs and Bill Gates!
Links and articles:
1. Citi is offering 10x American Airline AAdvantage miles for online purchases
You can earn up to 2500 AA miles with purchases on retail websites, grocery orders, restaurant orders, and online drug stores.
2. Chase Sapphire Reserve $100 annual fee statement credit
Anyone with a renewal date between April 1 – July 1, 2020 will automatically get a $100 statement credit towards their annual fee. No action is needed from the cardholder.
3. Amex extends minimum spending requirements for new card members
For new approvals from December 1, 2019 - May 31, 2020, Amex is extending the period to hit the minimum spend for bonuses by three months.
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