Tips for a non-boring and safe summer
With the still-surging infection rates, the hot girl summer we’ve looked forward to since last year might be far from possible.
It’s frustrating to think that an entire year (and a half, and counting?!) of our lives was spent indoors creating cute resin keychains, solving jigsaw puzzles, and sitting in on hours-long Zoom meetings.
But as infection rates continue to rise and as our hospitals (and frontline health professionals) are very much overwhelmed — not to mention the mishandling of this panini — it is with a broken heart that we announce: Hot Girl Summer has transferred its venue… indoors.
Sure, you can risk it all for a most-coveted beach picture on your Instagram feed by taking an RT-PCR test and hopping on the cheapest flight to Palawan or Boracay, or Siargao. But there’s nothing that screams Hot Girl Summer more than being kind enough not to travel across oceans and risking the lives of everyone you come in contact with.
No matter what plans (or non-plans) you have for the summer, keep it in mind to remain safe and healthy, without compromising on the fun.
Whether we like it or not, it should be an act of broader kindness to keep the spread as minimal as possible, seeing that our government isn’t batting an eye over the continued infection of a million people as of writing.
Now even though we’ve probably exhausted all our creative juices and coping mechanisms within the past year and have done every TikTok lockdown trend imaginable, there’s still a trove of stuff to try! They might not be necessarily “on trend” or credited to TikTok as such, but you best believe that this handy guide on how to spend summer safely indoors will up your summer hottie game.
Buy or borrow an inflatable pool and set it up in your backyard
Summers in our beautiful tropical country consist of profuse sweating even when we’re wearing as little clothing as possible. Having a body of water near will remedy that, as well as the concurrent headache or irritability that might arise.
Keep your chill and set up an inflatable pool in your backyard, front yard, or any open space you have within your home vicinity. And elevate it by wearing a cute tank top or bikini, or — better yet — lounge in your birthday suit. (Just make sure you’re safe and comfortable, k?)
Pick a random friend’s name on your contacts list, choose a gorgeous selfie from their instagram, and...
Paint their face on a canvas! Choose a particular style of art/famous painter you’ll base your painting style on. Then seal and dry it; gift it to them when they least expect it (e.g., when you’ve just “randomly read” their message and have not replied for six-ish hours).
Book a socially distanced (or online) ceramics class
Commemorate a whole year of staying indoors (as much as possible) by making something tangible out of it! Though the lockdown might have sparked our arts ‘n’ craftsiness, this suggestion is particularly aimed at those who shy away from exercising their creative muscles.
If this is an activity that tickles your fancy, visit @kibostudioph and check out their online class that’ll mail you the basic tools to get you started on hand-building.
Look up recipes of alcohol-free (or not) summer cocktails and battle it out with your roommates/family members/pets, MasterChef-style
In my lockdown mush brain, the equation goes: summer = cocktailzzz. If your town doesn’t have lockdown restrictions involving liquor and drinking, take this opportunity to look up zingy summer drinks! Battle it out with the fam and you can even appoint judges who can taste test the recipes.
Set up a Clubhouse for your best friends and dedicate every Friday night to celebrate each “angel person” in your circle
Each of you can take turns being the host every week/whenever your schedules match. Up the appreciation-fest by setting up a trivia game tailor-fit to your friend’s admirable qualities/fave One Direction or BTS boy or set up fun rules like “no crying” and see who buckles in the end.
Create playlists for your SO/friends, burn them onto CDs old-school style, and make playlist art
(Re)live your romantic movie fantasies by doing this old-school trick. It’s the oldest in the book but it always works. Forget your Spotify subscription for a moment here, okay, and dive into the analog era — the era of mixtapes and physical CDs, of Walkmans and wired earphones, of Heath Ledger singing his heart out in the bleachers in 10 Things I Hate About You.
Bake all day
If baking is something you consider “fun and light” and if you’re one badass gal who loves household activities, this is for you. Call it a bake fest, if you will. Bake cupcakes for your pets, bake muffins for your parents, bake cakes for your girlfriends. The thing about this suggestion is that there’s no limit to what you can do.
Camp in your back/front yard for the night and stargaze
A scorching summer day can sap energy so if you’re a night owl, this is the activity for you. Download an app, like SkyView (or something similar), which lets you point your phone to the sky to find constellations.
Plan a fitness/health/workout plan with your best friends
Anything is fun when done with like-minded people. Plus, when it involves something like moving your body and staying fit, it becomes motivating AF.
Find fitness fiend friends to create workout routines and fitness plans with. It can pan out for weeks or a month, depending on everyone’s commitment and then track your progress in an Excel sheet or on Notion. Get that summer bod, hot girl!
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Now, no matter what plans (or non-plans) you have for the summer, keep it in mind to remain safe and healthy, without compromising on the fun. Do it for you, your family, your best friends, even your pets!
Art by Kristina Valera