2020 has been a long year, and thankfully it is all coming to an end soon! We cannot stress enough on the number of people who have been affected physically or mentally by this pandemic especially since we were unable to celebrate the festive seasons with our loved ones. Thankfully, with today’s technology, we are beyond blessed with the existence of video calls. Though it definitely isn’t the same as physically meeting your loved ones, is it definitely a lot better than mere voice calls where you can’t exactly see the person. Keep reading to find out the few reliable video call apps that you can use to connect with your loved ones virtually!

ZOOM
Zoom has become something most of us turned to during the first-ever MCO in Malaysia where close to all meetings were scheduled to run online and nobody was allowed to go to work. Zoom has become one of the leading video conferencing apps which have been extremely successful for social events too. It has become an essential tool for small, medium and even large sized teams looking for a way to keep in touch while continuing their daily work with minimal disruption.

You can join these meetings via a webcam or your mobile phone would do too! If you’re hosting a conference online or just to catch up with extended family, which leaves you the option to use the FREE option of hosting a video conference for up to 40 mins for 100 participants. It’s especially beneficial for students if you’re attending an online class, and you have the ability to record the entire session by audio or video for your easy viewing later.

HOUSEPARTY
Why limit yourself to just empty talks when you can engage the entire family into games organised by houseparty where you can get all creative and divide teams for different age groups so they can play together since houseparty caps it’s game limit to 8 people. With more and more people needing to stay home at this point, it makes it close to impossible for us to host or even attend fun parties on the weekend. Houseparty is a cool app that allows you to party with up to seven of your friends from your phone. Keep playing and never worry about stopping with Houseparty. Oh and did we mention, you can video call your friends too while playing.

SKYPE
Back to classic ol’ skype days where it allows you to call anyone and everyone via video or audio call. The number of participants can vary from 3 to 50 depending on your device and system requirements. Skype is completely free of charge and would be ideal if you are looking to connect with the rest of your loved ones via a classic video or audio call.

WHATSAPP
Whatsapp has been around for a while now, and while they initially used to provide audio calls, they now provide both the option to video call or simply to audio call. Due to the pandemic earlier this April 2020, Whatsapp has decided to double the number of participants from a Whatsapp video or voice call from 4 people to 8 people at a time! 
 
With all these new apps in the market, it makes it easier to connect with your loved ones from near and far and even from all over the world. The pandemic shouldn’t be a reason to create a distance among yourself and your loved ones. Where there is a will, there definitely will be a way. Till next time!
 
#staysafe
 
Xoxo,
Your Pixies

This year has probably been one of the most challenging for the bulk of us. With the announcement of the Coronavirus earlier in the year, to experiencing the first, second and third wave of clusters and cases, we can’t deny this year has taught us a very hard lesson in priorities.
 
This year has taught us to slow down, refocus and rethink what matters to us. Reconnect with friends, family, and mostly, with ourselves. We’ve seen hidden talents in us pop up - that we have never knew existed – from DIY handcrafting and painting, to cooking and reorganizing. We got into a healthier routine with exercise and diets, too.
 
We feel for all our local small businesses and we’ve seen a huge wave of support from everyone for them. We (as in Malaysia) started #SapotLokal and we’ve all chipped in, buying from smaller establishments rather than huge corporations. Local media have also done their part in shining the light on smaller businesses and using their reach and influence to help.
 
What. A. Year.
 
We are no stranger to the wave that hit this year, and have also faced challenges of our own. It is tough running your own company and we are truly grateful for our amazing clients and friends that have kept us afloat during this time. We’ve definitely gained a few white hair this year (not kidding).
 
Guys, the best you can do for your friends' businesses and other smaller establishments, even if you can’t purchase to support, is SHARE them. You have no idea how far your one share (that took you 10 seconds to do) will go – and how much it will help them.
 
And we heard this amazing podcast on BFM earlier today about how to sum up your 2020, what it meant to you, and how you can set goals for 2021 – why not try it too!

BFM - 20 Questions To Review Your 2020

Stay safe, fam.
 
Much love, XOXO,
Your Pixies

Before the coronavirus pandemic hit Malaysia, most of us were up with resolutions of keeping healthy both physically and mentally. We signed up for gym memberships, yoga classes and etc. keeping ourselves busy by self-loving ourselves. However, since the pandemic hit us, we’ve been very careful in our activities, some of us discontinued our gym memberships as they weren’t allowed to even operate during the very first MCO.

During this difficult time, it is important to continue looking after your physical and mental health which not only will help you in the long-term, it will also help you fight COVID19 if you are infected. Some of the important key pointers to always keep in mind include eating a healthy and nutritious diet which will help your immune system function properly. The consumption of alcohol and sugary drinks are also to be limited. If you are a smoker, you should think of quitting (we know it’s super hard-  but reducing it at least will help a little bit) as smoking can increase your risk of developing a severe reaction if you are infected with COVID (even if you aren’t infected, you are still more at risk at developing different types of lung diseases).

In this article, we would like to share some simple tips and tricks on how to take better care of your physical and mental health during the pandemic. We hope it’ll help you! 😊

PHYSICAL HEALTH CARE

World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends approximately 30 minutes of physical activity per day for healthy adults staying at home, and approximately one hour for children (to be fair, this is such a small amount of time, and we are sure there is at least half an hour in a day where we end up scrolling on our phone – so why not do something that benefits your health?). There are many videos on YouTube who teach you step by step how to do a complete workout at home without the need of any special equipment, all of which are completely free of charge. Some gyms also have resorted to posting a couple of workout styles you can try for yourself at home. If you want to have engagement with other people, join an online fitness class, or if you love to dance, turn up the music and dance away! Walking up and down your staircase is also good workout. But, what matters most is you continue doing stretching a couple of times a day.

Just a short break from sitting makes a difference. If you remain in one position without moving for too long, it may give you aches here and there. Just three-four minutes of light intensity movement, such as walking or stretching can help you improve your blood circulation and muscle activity, as per what World Health Organisation has shared.

MENTAL HEALTH CARE
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This is something that everyone should shine some light on and take seriously. This pandemic is an addition to some people’s existing worries and problems, and can take a painful turn if you don’t identify the symptoms quick enough. In fact, just a couple of weeks ago, we did a full article just on mental health care which also included a support system you can go to if you’re looking for one. Remember, that we are only human, and it is okay to feel down sometimes. If you know someone who is going through a rough time, offer a helping hand and to be their support system. Sometimes, all they really want is a listening ear.

One super effective way to take care of your mental health during the pandemic, is to not bottle it up with worries. Talk it out or rather look for a safe space for you to let your worries out. There are so many listening ears here in Malaysia itself who are very professional in keeping things confidential too, if you find it difficult to confide in your family and friends. This is the time we should be supporting one another and getting through difficult times together. 
 
Wipe your worries away and never think that you are going through anything alone. Anything and everything is curable and has a solution. Look out for visible signs or talk to someone if you suspect they’re going through a difficult period. Let’s get through this together!

Xoxo,
Your Pixies