In 12 months, newborns can learn to sit up -- and wobble around -- on their own.
An adult learner can earn an advanced diploma during that time frame too.
And, also, some 1.5 million people around the world can die from the wretched COVID-19 virus in the span of 365 days.
It's been one year.
And I know I'm not alone when I say this -- 2020 whisked by really, really, really quickly.
I guess when things go downhill, gravity makes sure the slump is fast and furious.
Also feeling very furious is Stanley my sex bunny friend.
"I feel very robbed," he said over a WhatsApp video call with me and Carl the other day.
"In 2019, all the Fengshui masters and guruji astrologers predicted that 2020 would be a fantastic year for those born in the year of the goat. And just as we 1979-ers are about to step on stage and enjoy the divine spotlight, in floats this dark cloud of COVID that overshadows our glory. WHY?!!"
Carl the dense one, who up till today still has no idea exactly where COVID-19 originated from, nodded fiercely in agreement at his favourite and most commonly used word.
Indeed, the year had sped us by, marked by grim milestones depending on where we are.
In Singapore, they include the moment first cases were detected. And then the spike in numbers in our workers' dorms. That's followed by the various stages of lock downs in the city. And subsequently the easing of those measures. And then, the pilot cruise to nowhere... followed by the whole ship being lock downed due to one COVID case.
In between those events, we saw changes we never thought we would see in our garden city.
Lesser traffic, cleaner air.
More food panda cyclists, more joggers.
Stanley would often quip sourly at the increase in sportsmen in Singapore.
"All these fatties, who have their entire lives to go for a run but chose not to, are suddenly fitness fanatics when Singapore is under lock down!" he would say.
Right on cue, Carl the gym rabbit flexed his python sized biceps, patting them lovingly like they were oversized melons that would win him a prize at the farmer's carnival.
Carl was one of those who had adapted during the last 12 months.
When gyms were shut, he turned to home videos to continue pumping his muscles.
Stanley would later reveal that during the lock down, he too had resorted to various home videos for his fair share of pumping action.
As I look back at my own 12 months, I realise how the worst of COVID-19 had brought out the best in some of us.
My sis for instance, was one of those who lost her job during this period.
During her transition from one tech giant to another, the pandemic hit and although she had already signed a contract with the hiring company, she was told of the change in plans and was thus left jobless.
That didn't entirely break her nor her piggy bank.
Years of saving like a hamster had prepared her for this cold, biting downtime.
She's got savings that can last her for 5 years and she doesn't depend on her monthly income to pay for some of her recurring expenses.
But she immediately bit the bullet and cut back on her spending.
Though she was at a relatively high level in her previous job, she had no qualms taking on various part-time jobs while eagerly seeking her next big break.
On some days, she worked as a data analyst that helped healthcare institutions sort out admin work brought by COVID-19.
On other days, she was a mystery shopper, getting paid while buying groceries for her own use.
After seven months, 32 job applications and three rejections from companies which initially promised to hire her, my sis finally secured a job, getting paid higher than her previous position.
But it hadn't been easy, she confessed later.
She had broken down quietly during those difficult months, not so much because she was tired or couldn't get used to a frugal lifestyle, but more because she couldn't handle not one, not two, but three job offers only to be turned down later on.
Yet, she put one foot in front of another, making small steps towards brighter days ahead for her.
Of course, my sis' experience is but a fraction of what others have gone through.
My partner J's aunt died during the COVID-19 period (from cancer, not COVID).
It was a particularly difficult time for them, given that visiting her during the pandemic was restrictive, and managing a wake amid tight safe-distancing measures wasn't easy.
I can only imagine the grief Aunt Nora's children felt during that period.
But they managed to pull through together during this tough time.
And then, there's my NS friend.
My NS buddy Roger, whose main business is events planning, was nearly bankrupt by COVID-19.
With school-going children to feed and a fast-dwindling business, he was nearly at his wit's end.
Eventually, he diversified and made sure he didn't put all his eggs in one basket.
Not wanting to be left out, Stanley too, has learnt to diversify.
Grindr, Tinder, Growler, Scruff, Gay Romeo -- any gay social app you can name, Stanley has.
Not only that, he has taken to trawling IG and Facebook to make friends in the last 12 months.
"Just because I can't meet people physically yet doesn't mean I can't do headhunting activities now," he said the other day, giving the word head extra emphasis.
Besides, I'm determined to put my eggs in many, many, many baskets when the time is ripe, he adds.
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