Mar 27, 2020 What's On
With New Zealand on Level 4 lockdown from Wednesday night for at least the next four weeks, the main question (apart from “how do I keep my children from murdering each other” or “how do I earn money now”) is “what the fuck am I going to do with at least a months’ worth of nights in on my hands?”. Well, every morning we’ll bring you a little round-up of fun or interesting things we’ve been doing to help pass the time at home.
READ MORE: 5 Good Things to look at from the world wide web | Things to do day 1
Things to do today: Day 2
Something to cook: Today I made these kumara doughnuts (above), known in Malaysia as kuih keria. They’re totally vegan and somewhat healthy (at least, compared to regular doughnuts) and taste the best straight out of oil, all warm and gooey. You can adjust the meltiness by adding more or less flour. The flavour is similar to kumara chips but sweeter and a lot doughier. I like them as an afternoon snack, and seeing as they’re really simple to make, it’s also a very good #isolationeat. I use the recipe linked above, except halved (so they make about seven minis) and a bit less sugar. – Jean Teng
Something to do: Technically I’m in lockdown with one other person – my flatmate, Maddie. But, every day I’ve been hanging out with a third person (and her dog). Don’t worry though, nothing’s popped. Adriene, of Yoga With Adriene, YouTube star and my close personal friend is very much a part of our bubble. I love hanging out with my best friend Adriene because she is so comforting to spend time with! She’s gentle and warm and calming and she never makes me feel bad about my pathetic flexibility and inability to hold a side plank. She’s the human equivalent of watching an episode of Gilmore Girls; wholesome and American. I imagine it’s always “fall” (NOT autumn) where she is.
Adriene’s calming presence is needed more than ever right now – it’s only 2 days into lockdown and I’m so ratty from being cooped up all day long; yoga is an instant pressure-valve. It’s calming, vaguely exercising and helps release the pent up tension and energy accumulated throughout the day. 45 minutes with my dear pal Adriene and I feel good as new! Like and subscribe, IMO. – Tess Nichol
Something to watch: Sometimes it feels like the Netflix algorithm is spitting out content which are just rote mash-ups of what won the People’s Choice Award for Best Show the year previously (last year it was Stranger Things). When the trailer for Feel Good rolled around, the tone felt familiar to other shows I’ve watched recently: Please Like Me, Fleabag, Russian Doll, Master of None. But I love all those shows, so what did I have to lose? So what if it’s obvious? Isn’t it nice to have shows that are, in some ways, directly made for you? In fact, Feel Good was in a lot of ways directly made for me.
It is quite a charming rom-com and very blithe and breezy with how it handles the characters’ vulnerabilities, which is not to say it doesn’t address their issues, but rather approaches them in that very self-aware manner that is so easy to watch. Lisa Kudrow guest stars. For some, that could be enough reason to click play. So it’s semi-autobiographical, created by stand-up comic Mae Martin, which is obvious, but very funny and, joy of all joys, if you’re not a stand-up fan, you’re subjected to very little of it. It’s only six episodes (perfect lockdown content – going through a marathon of 24 episodes of the same show can really make you feel grossly unproductive, in my opinion) and true to name, although the only thing I hate about it is the two main characters are Canadian and British respectively and their flatmate is American. The mix of accents is deeply unsettling. – JT
Something to read: “?Just Give In to Alison Roman“. The title says it all. Alison Roman is a best-selling millennial cookbook author and NYT columnist that inspires cynicism in many for her Instagram cool and declarative personal brand. But now is not a time for cynicism. Now is a time for deliciousness. Now is a time for Alison Roman. (Full disclosure: I have not yet knowingly cooked an Alison Roman recipe, but I enjoyed this piece and now plan to.) – Henry Oliver
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