People Share the Ways They Messed Up in 2020

It’s almost a cliche to say at this point, but 2020 has been pretty fucking trying for most of us. Besides bleak major happenings around the world, the year has also seen us dealing with personal fails — whether while attending Zoom classes, upping your culinary skills as a home cook, or finally getting on that #healthyliving train. In the spirit of not taking ourselves too seriously, VICE asked people about some of their worst (or is it best?) flops in 2020.

Sometime in March 2020, like many people around the world, my friends and I started baking more than ever before. We were living in Denmark, and the baking aisle at the supermarket had tons of options that only fueled our obsession. One night, we were feeling quite ambitious, so we bought some pre-made pie crust dough and decided to try our hand at a luxurious pear pie. We made a pear filling and even put hearts on the top! 

Little did we know that we had actually bought pastry dough, since none of us understood Danish well enough to realize. And we clearly weren't proficient enough at baking to know the difference in the first place. What came out was a slightly burnt puff pastry “pie” that we couldn’t even take out of the dish, let alone cut the big beautiful Insta-worthy pie slices we were hoping for. It was super flaky, but not the right kind. We were forced to eat humble pie, quite literally, and we did, once we managed to scrape enough of it off the bottom. — Snigdha, 23, Netherlands

Motivated to start #healthyliving in quarantine, I decided to go for a run in April — my first time in years — despite being on my period. The first kilometer, I felt invincible, but once I stopped, I started to feel seriously sick. This was when things started to go wrong. Overcome by a wave of nausea, I dry-heaved into a drain by the roadside and was also paralyzed from a tummy ache. As if things weren’t bad enough, it started raining then. I hobbled my way home, thinking I might just pass out. Against all odds, I made it home — soaked, nauseous, and dangerously close to unleashing serious diarrhea. I proceeded to spend an hour in the toilet spewing from both ends. Worst. Run. Ever. I’ve had better experiences with running since then. — Min, 21, Singapore

I go rock climbing at least once a week. In November, I injured myself attempting a move called the “dyno” — it’s kind of hard to explain, but you jump from the wall to catch a tile. I ended up with badly bruised legs and hyperextension in my arm, which is going to take a couple of months to heal. I’ve been struggling to touch my face or use a spoon or chopsticks with my injured hand, but at least I have my other hand. Hopefully, I’ll be able to rock climb again next year. — Sam, 23, Singapore

In September, I got the chance to interview at one of my dream companies, which happened to be during one of my Zoom lectures. So, I logged on my Zoom class with my phone while prepping for the interview.

I didn’t know it then, but my phone somehow unmuted while I was rehearsing my interview responses. To focus on preparing for the interview, I had logged out from all my communication apps — that meant none of my friends could reach me to inform me of my major faux pas. So, I continued in a world of my own while my classmates and professor tried to ignore my relentless talking. I even swore a few times during my preparation, all of which brutally coincided with silent pauses in the lecture. Things quickly got tense as the professor repeatedly told me to behave myself or leave the class. I stayed on, of course, blissfully oblivious to the disaster unfurling. To this day, I still cringe at the memory of that unfortunate Zoom class. I have been on my best behavior during Zoom meetings since then.  — Wilks, 24, Singapore

I wanted to start exercising more this year. It was going quite well and then lockdown happened and I couldn’t train with my friends anymore. I planned on using my ergometer at home, but I just lost all motivation and couldn’t be bothered. Now, the machine acts as a plate tray in my room, with clothes strewn across it. — Karby, 22, South Africa

Because the barbers are closed, I bought my own hair clipper online. My dad was excited and wanted to cut my hair so I let him. He went on to shave my beard with it afterwards too. He saw something wrong with my hair and meant to fix it, but forgot that the machine was still on shaving mode. That left me with a bit of a bald spot on the side of my head. — Baris, 21, Germany

I have a Christmas get-together I’m going to tomorrow and I made Rice Krispies Treats. I was trying to cut them into fun Christmas shapes and put sprinkles, but the melted chocolate separated the Rice Krispies and now I’m having a breakdown. — Jess, 20, United States

My worst fail this year was getting locked in the emergency staircase of my office at 2 a.m. I was taking a shortcut to my locker and forgot that my pass was only active for the previous day (or until 12 a.m.) because of COVID measures. I ended up getting trapped without my phone, wallet, or mask. After going down a lot of stairs, I exited at the ground floor but couldn’t get back into my office. I found a security guard watching the lobby’s CCTV. He gave me a mask so I wouldn’t get COVID — clearly the top on my priority list — but couldn’t help me otherwise. Then, we saw a lady from the neighboring office who was on her way home and I asked her if I could borrow some money to get home. It turned out that she lived close to me, so I shared her cab home and paid her my half the next day. I also left a drink and note to thank the security guard. We still text a bit here and there and are enjoying the better work-life balance that comes with December. — SJ, 23, Singapore 

Responses have been edited for length and clarity.