They say time flies when you’re having fun. And if that’s true and you’re stuck at home, with no work or classes, for three weeks now, time probably moves slower than Internet Explorer.
But Filipinos, particularly the younger set sure knows how to pass the time even when there are no other places to go, so long as they have a smartphone with Internet connection and lots of imagination.
Time for TikTok
The peer pressure is real as social media sites have been recently inundated with TikTok videos of people dancing, singing, lip-synching, and acting. They’re everywhere—Facebook, Instagram, Twitter—as the world is at a standstill and people are required to stay put.
Apparently, if you have nothing better to do, you might as well join the TikTok flock.
For the uninitiated, TikTok, which is owned by Beijing-based tech firm ByteDance, is a social media app where users can watch, create, and share short-term mobile videos—many are funny, some are entertaining, and others are educational.
Anyone with the app can post anything they want, editing skill is not required. It could be a reenactment of iconic movie scenes or a lip-sync to a song or a dance entry. There are organic videos as well as replicas of popular entries. It has also spawned other trends such as the viral Dalgona coffee which many have tried at home.
Browsing through hundreds of videos could help alleviate boredom and distract the user from what’s on the news and happening—or not happening—outside, perhaps the reason why many have downloaded (over 100 million, as of this writing) the app.
Playing chef in the kitchen
(Photo from Wikimedia Commons)
It might be because many restaurants are close or food deliveries take longer than usual or that we need to be a little creative with our meals, but the quarantine period has indeed brought out the chef in many of us.
First, there’s your “trending” frothy Dalgona coffee which requires a few ingredients and a lot of arm strength, and the tuna pie alternative—with spicy version, too. Aside from trying out viral recipes, many pass the time experimenting in the kitchen, tweaking or coming out with new dishes (Creamy Pancit Canton and hotdog sinigang, anyone?)
Sardines study and 3-in-1 coffee
While others are busy inventing new dishes, others are occupied studying their groceries.
Facebook user Diuvs De Jesus, for instance, did a “comparative analysis” of local canned sardines brands—because he can. He broke down 555, Ligo, Mega, and Young’s Town based on quantity, length of the sardine, calories, price, and sodium content. The marine scientist also included short description of the sardines’ flavors.
“I only sampled one can per brand and only the regular green flavor. Taste test is based on perception of three respondents (including me),” he said in the now viral post.
Truly bored and curious people, meanwhile, are doing the nation a favor by separating the content of 3-in-1 coffee. Props for the patience!
