It’s Been A Year Already- A Retrospective In Memes
It’s been just over a year since the World Health Organization declared that there was a pandemic, and boy, how the world has changed, indeed! We’ve lived through 365 days of memes about people fighting over toilet paper, we’ve heard the news about people hoarding items from the groceries, as well as countless zoom meetings with people we once worked with whom we can barely recognize now. A year after, and here we are. It’s like celebrating a baby’s milestone because just like caring for a newborn, we spent sleepless nights full of worry, and more than once, we reached for the wine bottles in the cupboard. And just like parents, we’re just happy that we’re still alive and breathing despite the many challenges we’ve faced. It’s been a year since we closed our doors and retreated into our corners of the world. It’s only fitting that we summarize the pandemic a year after it took over our lives.
Yup, we’re pretty feral at this point
Yup, it has been a whole year since Covid-19 affected all our lives, and a lot has changed since then. With all the lockdowns all over the world, it wouldn’t surprise us if people start becoming feral, just like this lady.
We’ve all been cooped up in our houses and working from home for months now. It’s been ages since we have gone out to mingle with people. Most of the time, we just go out to buy groceries and food, and even then, we don’t interact much with people.
Hurray for our livers
If there’s one good thing the pandemic did to help our bodies, it’s closing down pubs, bars, and clubs. The pandemic had us all locked up at home, and even if we wanted to go out, there’s nowhere to go as entertainment places were all closed.
However, many people have taken up day drinking at home as a hobby since this whole thing started. And our livers have been working overtime, and even though some of us haven’t had to show up at the office for the last while, our vital organs definitely have been putting in overtime.
Working from home for a year now
During the onset of Covid, people didn’t think much about it. Nobody knew that it would become what it is today, and nobody knew then that it would greatly change the way we live our lives. Nobody thought of the ‘new normal’.
This perfectly sums up what has happened during the past year. People thought that they’d only be working from home for 2 weeks or max a month. Nothing could have been further from the truth. We’ve been working from home for what feels like a decade already.
Spending your hottest years in quarantine
Being in quarantine is no fun. You can’t wear your sexy outfits, nice heels and use your branded handbags. Jewelry? What’s the point? You’ll only be at home for most of the year. We can’t even tell one season from the next.
We understand that it’s doubly hard for millennials. They have all their youth but nothing to do. They’re raring to go out, meet new people, and maybe even meet a prospective partner, but it’s been lockdown everywhere. You might as well live like your grandparents.
Groundhog quarantine
If you’ve watched Groundhog Day, then you know what we’re talking about. We’re like reliving the same day over and over again, and there seems to be no end on the horizon. We can only pray that the next time we wake up, people won’t be wearing masks everywhere we go.
It’s already been a year, but who’s counting? We’ve been stuck in the same time loop for so long that we can’t even tell the date anymore. 2021 is no different from 2020. We’re putting our hopes on the vaccine and that it would make 2022 a lot better.
Our social skills have eroded
When we look back on March 2020, we can see ourselves spending time with friends, going to social events, and interacting with people in the office. After March 2020, it all went downhill. We took to isolating and not leaving the house for days on end.
March 2020 and the year that followed just became one big blur. We wouldn’t be surprised if we had to go to school after this pandemic to relearn socialization. There’s a big chance that we’d also look just like Gary Busey.
Socks seem to be interesting
After time spent in isolation, we can’t even imagine ourselves socializing with people. Where do we begin? How do we break the ice? Do we say hi or hug people? What do we talk about? We’ve been left to ourselves for so long that interacting with people seems like a very difficult thing to do.
We all need to relearn how to socialize after situations improve, and we can all go out and mingle with people, and we sure do hope that will happen within this year with vaccinations being rolled out all over the world.
Don’t be afraid to talk to experts
We are living in unprecedented times, and we have never seen a virus affect people globally in significant proportions. This hasn’t happened for over 100 years, and we hope that it never will ever, ever again. Nobody wants to live their whole lives behind a mask.
It’s been a year since the coronavirus took over the world, and it has got people feeling a wide array of emotions, from fear to sadness to anxiety. If you’re one of these people and you need someone to talk to, don’t be afraid to contact the professionals.
Yup, this extension is badly needed
Ah, we miss 2019. We felt like we could anything, and everything and nothing could stop us. Nothing like harsh reality such as a pandemic to deal is with the hard truth that life isn’t all roses and rainbows.
It’s about masks, sanitizers, and people fighting over tissues too. It’s also about spending your twenties looking at the four walls of your home. What’s the point of being young when the best time of your life is spent at home? This extension is badly needed.
Our ears have been working so hard
Besides from our livers, another part of our bodies that has been working so hard since the pandemic started, is our ears. We have been wearing masks every day, at least for people who were considerate or needed to work onsite.
We’ve felt our ears hurt because of the masks’ tightness at times, but at the same time, they also had to support our earrings, our ear pods, and glasses. Life is hard out there, and we feel sorry for our ears during this difficult time.
It would only be for two weeks, we were told
When people were told that they would have to isolate in their homes a year ago, they were advised that it would only be for about two weeks. However, it’s been a year now, and we’re still at it in many places around the world. When the lockdown was announced, some people bought a few things while others hoarded stuff.
A group of people bought only the bare necessities while another group stacked trolleys full of toilet paper, sacks of flours, and kilos of frozen food. Initially, people thought that they were crazy because, after all, it’s only gonna be for two weeks, but time has proven them right a year after.
2020 and 2021 could pass as identical twins
Before 2020 started, people were very hopeful, and they had planned their vacations. Nobody saw Covid coming and how it would change the entire landscape of humankind. When 2020 was ending, people were hopeful that we’d gain a little semblance to normalcy.
However, that doesn’t seem to be the case. We’re just in the first quarter of the year, but it seems like 2021 is going to be just like 2020. Yup, we were told it would be different, but we don’t see that happening as of now.
Yup, a year has accidentally slipped away
Time is precious; we’ve been told this several times. However, at this age, time is nothing. We can’t even tell what day or date it is because the days have just blended into one another since we’ve been caught up in this pandemic.
When we were told to isolate for two weeks or a month, we didn’t know that it would last for a year. We’ve spent an entire year at home in our pajamas, and the only excursions we’ve ever had were from the living or the bedroom to the refrigerator.
March, here we go again
Yup, March is like a boyfriend with whom we’ve had an acrimonious relationship after it left us high and dry. And just like bad boyfriends, it shouldn’t be allowed to come back and barge into our lives again because it’s not gonna bring anything good with it.
The only problem is, we don’t have any choice now, do we? So, we have to put up with it again, just like how we put up with it a year ago. But we know better now, so we should take things seriously so we can get rid of this bad boyfriend permanently.
Shopping for sweatpants is so exciting
We never thought that going shopping for sweatpants can be so exciting! Prior to Covid, people would have never gone anywhere near sweatpants. What? That’s not stylish enough. They can’t be worn to the office or parties. Although, in fairness, going shopping for anything has become an exciting excursion these days.
Nowadays, it’s the only thing people wear. Going to work? Grab some sweatpants? Talking to friends and family? Get your sweatpants. After all, you don’t have to go anywhere to do either of those things anymore; you can do them at home. We never thought we’d be wearing sweatpants most of the time.
It’s too early to book that 2025 vacation
If there’s one industry that’s been greatly affected by the pandemic, it’s tourism. Many countries that rely on tourism have been struggling, and hundreds of thousands of people have lost their jobs. Countless numbers of planes have been grounded.
At this point, there’s just no saying when we can go on normal vacations again, without the need for masks and swab tests. Booking a 2025 vacation right now does seem unrealistic. You can take the risk, but we all know how lengthy the refund process can get if things don’t push through.
Want in? Must Zoom
Before Covid, Zoom wasn’t really a thing. As a matter of fact, only a handful of people even knew of its existance. It wasn’t in our consciousness at all. It’s a different story nowadays. Zoom is one of the only things people talk about.
Attending Zoom meetings is the only thing they do, too, especially for those who are working from home. If you haven’t attended a Zoom meeting yet, you’re not in. It’s the new rite of passage that people have to go through.
We can still remember the day
We can still recall the exact day when the World Health Organization declared Covid-19 as a global pandemic. Within a week of the announcement, people stockpiled groceries and went into panic mode. They wanted everything they could get their hands on.
The most important thing during the first few days was not food, surprisingly. It was toilet paper. People hoarded toilet paper, and in some places all over the world, people were fighting tooth and nail over it. Now, we have plenty of toilet paper, but unfortunately, we have also had plenty of cases and losses due to Covid-19.
We wished 2020 came with a free trial
If we only knew what 2020 would bring, we would never have welcomed it. We would never have waited until the clock struck 12 and celebrated. We would have just gone to sleep, seeing as it’s what we’re all doing nowadays.
Now we understand the importance of free trials. We’d like to return 2020 to where it came from. 2021 hasn’t started much better either, although things are starting to look up now that we have vaccines. 2020 and 2021 are looking very similar to each other, and we want them both returned to sender and refunded in full.
Endless lunch breaks
When everyone could still go to the office to work before Covid-19, we looked forward to the weekends when we could sit back, relax, and forget about work. Then the weekend would just pass by so quickly as if it never happened.
Weekends felt like 30-minute lunch breaks, and this has never been truer and more applicable than in today’s times. Tuesdays melt into Fridays, and Saturdays become Wednesdays. Frankly, we honestly don’t even know what day it is anymore. They all seem to blend into one.
What a difference a year makes
Do you still remember how you were in March 2020? What a big difference a year makes, right? We can hardly recognize ourselves either. We used to be stylish with your eyebrows on fleek and a face full of makeup. We also exercised religiously.
When we look into the mirror today, we can’t help but ask, “Who’s that guy?” we no longer care about how we look, and we’ve been isolated for so long; we feel anxiety when we even think of other people coming near us.
It’s already been a year?
Ah, anniversary gifts, everyone loves receiving them. When you get married, it’s one of the things you look forward to. For the first year of marriage, the traditional gift is paper. For the second year as a married couple, the traditional gift is cotton.
The more expensive traditional gifts only come during the 25th and the 50th wedding anniversaries, which are silver and gold. It’s only been a year since the pandemic began, but it feels like a long time, so we feel like we deserve a reward.
Working from home for a year
There’s one thing that the majority of the population has been doing since the beginning of this pandemic, and that’s working from home, and we’ve been spending most of our workdays in our pajamas. How has your routine been?
Ours is pretty much like this. You can find us in the home office, but most of the time, we’d be in bed and on the couch with our laptops, answering emails and sorting things out with the rest of the office staff via Zoom.
A long time going, the pandemic has
Covid-19 has a lot of implications on mental health. The pandemic has been brutal on everyone, to say the least. We’ve all had to do things we’ve never done before, and we’ve been away from our family for some time.
We can’t even hug and kiss our loved ones anymore unless they are from the same household. If you have been dealing with a rollercoaster of emotions and need someone to talk to about mental health, don’t hesitate to seek a professionals’ help. As Yoda would say, “Looking old, you don’t want.”
What have you been doing?
We’ve all been going through the motions since the pandemic started, but we’ve also been trying to do new things just to ease the boredom. Things can quickly get old when all you do is go to the kitchen to check the fridge, sit on your couch to work on your laptop, and get drinks.
Kudos to people who have used this time to learn new skills, start new businesses, and spend more time with their families. Always wanted to learn calligraphy? Now is the best time to do so. Always wanted to bake that perfect chocolate cake? No better time than now.
Our hearts will go on
Where has the time gone? What did we do last year? It’s just a year after Covid-19 hit and changed the world, but it already feels like millennia since the last time we could go out of our houses without wearing masks.
We’re looking forward to the time when we can have celebrations and parties safely and when we can take pictures without having to cover our faces. We feel you, Rose. Near, far, where you are, You have to wear a mask.
I miss touching my face
We are constantly reminded what to do and what not to do to keep ourselves safe from the dreaded coronavirus. We have been advised to wash our hands frequently for at least 20 seconds. Wearing a 3-ply surgical mask is now a requirement in most places all over the world too.
We have also been told to keep our hands away from our faces. But what usually happens when we are told to do something is, we end up doing it even more, such as touching our face with our hands. Just make sure to have plenty of sanitizers on hand.
The tardiest Clorox ever
To safeguard ourselves from Covid, we were told to wash our hands frequently, sanitize our homes, wear masks, and stay at home. We were told not to go out unless absolutely necessary, such as when we need to buy essential items.
One of the products that often ran out in groceries, aside from toilet paper, was cleaning materials like Clorox. People wanted to wipe high-touch surfaces to prevent getting infected. This guy’s order getting delivered after a year proves just how in-demand they were.
Feeling unwell?
If there’s one good thing that Covid-19 did, it’s that it ensured that people who are sick are not forced to come to the office to work. Before Corona, we all knew of bosses who still asked employees to report to the office even if they had something possibly infectious.
Nowadays, there’s no need to go to the office even when you’re well. However, if you’re considered an essential worker, just getting the normal flu will ensure that you get to stay at home. Just a single cough would send people scrambling to get away from you.
Before and after
In December 2019, people in Wuhan, China, had flu-like symptoms but back then, it wasn’t considered something serious yet. It suddenly spread thanks to people traveling and crossing borders, and before we know it, it became a global health emergency.
At the start of the pandemic, people were terrified to go out and kept to themselves in their own homes. However, times have changed so much. Nowadays, people can’t wait to get out of their homes. Some have thrown caution to the wind resulting in more Covid cases and a drop in obsessive cleaning.
What a difference a year makes
Do you still remember how you were in March 2020? What a big difference a year makes, right? We can hardly recognize ourselves either. We used to brush our hair and put on makeup every day- now we are rocking pajamas and fuzzy slippers when we walk the dog.
When we look in the mirror today, we can’t help but ask, “Who’s that guy?” we no longer care about how we look, and we’ve been isolated for so long, we feel some sort of social anxiety about having to go back to socializing with people for real.
Lonely celebrations
We’re not sure if people actually celebrate it, but Pi Day falls on the 14th day of March. It’s when people eat lots of pie in honor of the mathematical constant pi. If you celebrated Pi day last year, you’d know how different it is from Pi day this year.
If you ate lots of pie with friends and family last year, guess what, you’ll be eating it all alone this year, no thanks to the pandemic. Pi Day is just one of the many holidays that will probably be celebrated in isolation this year.
We’re gonna get married
Since coronavirus started taking over the world in March 2020, most events from sports to entertainment had to be either postponed or canceled. People were told to isolate themselves, and their plans for weddings, vacations, celebrations, and gatherings of any sort went, poof!
Gatherings, in most places, had to be limited to only 5 people. Couples who wanted to get married and have a big celebration chose to postpone their big day until everyone could get together. We can bet that once the pandemic is over, there’ll be hundreds of thousands of weddings taking place.
Vaccines are coming for you Covid
The situation seems to be looking up for everyone, thanks to vaccines being made available to the general public. Although only a fraction of the world’s population has been vaccinated so far, pharmaceutical companies are busy producing much-needed vaccines in bulk.
Experts say that the coronavirus might still infect people who have been vaccinated, but it will only result in mild symptoms. It won’t be as deadly as it once was. We’re looking forward to that day. Go on vaccines, slap the virus in the face.
Bye bye Covid
We don’t know about you, but we’re sick and tired of being isolated at home, unable to be with our friends and family, and unable to do the things we’ve always wanted. We say it’s time that Covid is stopped dead in its tracks.
It might take longer than necessary, but we’re looking forward to that day when the majority of the population is vaccinated, and we all get herd immunity. We can’t wait for what you see in the picture to translate to real life.