As we say a big goodbye to 2020, it is fair to say this was the most challenging year in most of our lifetimes. A lot of us lost a lot and fell a lot, cried a lot and laughed and loved a lot, but we didn't fold.
With the measures that needed to be brought in introduced, our day to day lives changed, with new habits and new routines. Some of these we will take with us into 2021.
Here is a little lighthearted look at some of the things that became part of the "new norm" and also one thing that became totally useless.
Face Masks
Face masks have been the thing that we have depended on a lot this year. Whether it was to go grocery shopping or to work, or just pop out for a walk, they became mandatory very early on and are one of the most important things in our arsenal. We'll be needing them for some time to come we are sure.
Hand Sanitiser
Along with face masks, our need for hand sanitisers took a massive leap and quickly became our reliable companion. They are everywhere, in malls, at restaurants, in the supermarket and no one now dares leave the house with ourt a handy little bottle of their trusty hand sanitiser.
Electronic Devices
This year saw us heavily rely on electronics. Whether it was to work from home, for the kids to attend online classes and to order our daily groceries our already high use and reliance on technology increased even more. It also helped keep us up to date with he constant changes here and around the world as well as bring us closer to the people we love in different countries that we could not meet.
Zoom
Zoom was the lifeblood of the way we communicated this year. Webinars, meeting, classes, quiz nights, family gatherings and even birthday parties all happened on Zoom. Life kept moving forward because of Zoom.
Comfy Pyjamas
Thanks to lock down and #WFH, it became fashionable to dress up from the top up and to style our comfy pyjamas since most of our calls were done online. No more uncomfortable pants.
Staycations
With so many travel restrictions keeping a lot of us in the UAE and limiting the number of people able to come in, the local hotels dropped rates, put deals together and made sure we could still enjoy ourselves and get well needed rest and relaxation and breaks from the day to day pressures.
And one thing we relied on that became defunct ... face recognition to unlock your mobile phone
Since we all have our face masks on whenever we go out, face recognition has become redundant. Gone are the days when we could unlock our phones or open an app with our face. It is officially time to bring back passwords and touch ID.