New Year New Emz

Day whatever of just winging the new year. Been without kasambahays for two weeks now and it's killing meeeeee! Normally, it wouldn't; however, the parents are sick and aside from making sure we have food to eat (I don't cook so I just buy online in the village marketplace), I have to take care of them. It would also be easier if things weren't happening in the time of COVID. I made myself sleep in the room right above theirs so I can hear them at night. The other night, my Dad had been coughing continuously at 3am in the morning. I woke up right away and went down to their bedroom, asked how he's feeling and made him take mucosulvan- THANK GOD IT WORKED! I tested Mommy pala and she's negative for COVID, tester her twice so it's not COVID. It was Mommy who got the sore throat and started coughing first. Must be the weather or some other kind of flu. Anyway, while undergoing this ordeal, I was able to come up with a short list of reasons why I'm still grateful ☺

• My sisters! They're not here with me physically, but it's such a relief to know I have four more persons to rely on. I have four other persons to ask help from kahit not physically taking care of our parents, but in tending to our needs like meds for Mommy and Daddy, our food for the day, etc. Kahit yung may makakausap ka lang sobrang malaking bagay na 'yun. I am glad I have four ☺
• My new assistant. He's (yes he's a he, but identifies as a she) doesn't know much housework, but he's been a big help pa rin. He helps with a few things in the shop (I don't let him do a lot of things yet since he hasn't been "trained" to do those stuff, so I assign to him very easy and hindi naman kailangan masyado ng skillzzz) and he does the dishes after every meal and he cooks the rice. He's not Manang nor Meme, but malaking bagay na he's here to help me. Ayoko po sana na pumunta siya agad dito kasi feeling ko I can manage the business alone until April or May- galawang kuripot ba. Haha. But yeah, I'm glad he's here now. Kahit he's going back to school on June and I have to find a new assistant before he leaves. I just hope I do find a new one before he leaves and I hope that the new one will be masipag, mabait, may kusa and honest. 
• Manang, Meme and Nonoy may not be perfect but I am so grateful for them for making our lives SO MUCH EASIER. As in. I swear, God didn't give me a family of my own or kahit children man lang, cos he knows I can't handle it. He knows my time management skills is zilch. Ang dami kong reklamo sa kanila, but right now I realize how much convenience they're providing for our family. I sort of realized that before during our first bout with COVID here in the house, but this time I feel it's more difficult cos my sister's not here.
• BTS. Tama yung sinasabi nila na you don't find BTS, BTS finds you just when you need them the most. Well, as for me, I've been a fan since April 2020 (I just made it May para isang celebration na with Mommy's birthday), but it's only now that I feel the comfort of being their fan. Their videos have been keeping me company, making me laugh in this sorta-mej sad period of my life. I love the boys so much and I really wish I can see them perform live in-person when they all finish military service on 2025. I'll be 43 then. Hehehe. 

That's it for now. I wrote down three things I'm grateful for everyday but I can't remember it all now and I'm sure not everything I can write down here. So anyway, it's past my bedtime (yes, I've been sleeping earlier now- bagong bisyo ng tander me) and I have to bid you adieu, my online self. 

It's Been A While

In today's post, I aim to write about:

• general life updates
• my (non) reviews of k-dramas I've finished 
• life's worries

Entonces, vamos a empezar...

My last post was last September 6, my birthday, and just a few days after my dad tested positive for COVID. The next day, it was AC who tested positive. A couple days after, it was Meme. Mommy and Manang tested positive the day after that and I was the last to test positive in the household. Meanwhile, in other households- AD also tested positive and Hen and the boys. In other words, we're all in this together. Haka-haka namin was we got it from an Uncle who had colds at the time of my birthday dinner. We could've gotten it from V pero if it was from her, then Hen and the boys would've gotten it earlier than Daddy did. We're just thankful that we only had mild symptoms. I guess thanks to molnupiravir. I was worried when Daddy tested positive cos then we wouldn't really know how it would affect him- he had fever, coughs and colds. Maybe it helped that he took meds right away. My only symptoms were super super slight body ache, colds and I only coughed at night- no fever, no sore throat. Thank God. 

After our bout with COVID, we're a bit braver with going out and eating in enclosed spaces- take advantage of our natural immunity, LOL. Had I known that I'd contract it early September, I would have tried my luck at the BTS Busan concert. Hindi nga siguro ukol. I'd see the boys on 2025 then. Patience is my virtue. Ha. 

My friends were able to watch the concert. Super happy for them but at the same time I'm sort of inggit for missing out. However, I've been working on this motto- what's meant for you won't pass you by, so it's maybe it's not meant for me. I just got to carry on and hope for my turn to come. For now, I'm happy with my pasalubong- sandamakmak na photo cards!

Love it! 

*DNF* 

22 for 2022 (Awaiting Completion)

I think I won't be able to complete my 22 things to do for 2022. We are again in a state of semi-lockdown. Self-imposed. Omicron kasi. I don't think I'll also be able to do a 40 things I want to do before I turn 40 because... pandemic. Oh yeah, I turn 40 this year. Blech. But my sister taught me to see this as a blessing- not all people are given the opportunity to live until their 40th birthdays, so now I almost always see getting older in a positive light. Ayun lang may mga downsides like white hair, triggered hyperacidity due to the littlest of things (such as but not limited to not eating or pooping on time, TMI, harharhar), takes time to catch up on sleep when I make puyat, 

So here are my sort of resolutions this year and also what I want to do/happen ☺

💜1. Track my expenses RELIGIOUSLY. I started March last year- I was able to list down my expenses and also make an excel file of my cash flow- but come November and December which were my busy months, I failed to write everything down. I need to train myself to write all expenses at the end of the day. 

💜 2. Start reading books again. YA na nga lang hindi pa ako makarami, harhar. And to think I kinda have a lot of time in my hands because there weren't many orders coming in. Well, I have BTS and kdramas to blame for that. My resolution for this year is only eight books and I hope I get to accomplish that.

💜 3. Eat healthy. Which means less Coke, less chips, less sugar, more veggies. It's relatively easier since I can't go out and eat whatever I want when I crave for it (like samgyup, for example), but we still have our friendly neighborhood sari-sari store that sells Coke and chichirya and also village marketplaces that sell merienda (kwek-kwek 👀) and have it delivered to our doorstep. Dahil nga tumatanders na ako, I need to somehow lessen my intake of these sinful food. I need to make a conscious effort to eat healthy para pagdating ko ng 50,60, I will still be able to enjoy life. 

💜 4. Exercise more. At the start of the pandemic until October last year, I was religiously exercising in the morning with my father at the balcony. Medyo mandatory yung attendance but come Nov/Dec when we were busy with Christmas orders, I stopped. And until now I haven't started again. Late December, I got sick and isolated myself for more than 10 days, so naunsyami na naman ang aking dapat morning routine. Because of omicron, I also avoid being at the same spot as my parents. Mahirap na. I need to exercise inside my room or at least do stretching but, you know, my mind is willing but the body is weak. I hope I muster enough discipline to do this again. 

💜 5. Take my vitamins/supplements everyday- not to be kunat with my money and buy the needed meds. Health is wealth after all. Bakit kasi ang mahal ng Liverprime!

💜 6. Post more photos on Instagram. I take lots of photos but only a few make it on Instagram. Or Facebook. Most of these photos end up in my computer memory or external storage and I get to see them only when I look for some photos or when I try to organize my files. I want to post them on IG because when it's there I see it more often- I'll be reminded more often of the memories that come with the photos. 

💜 7. Plan ahead. Be less of a procrastinator. A N G H I R A P N I T O ! ! ! Bilang isang master procrastinator (and a good one at it 😉), I always wait for the last minute to do things. Lalo na ngayon na you can't really plan things. We make orders, a surge happens, customers cancel or postpone their orders. But with regard to life in general, I should train myself to not wait for the last bottle of whatever that is to be opened before I buy a new one. I want to put this quote a saw on Twitter- If it takes less than five minutes to do, do it immediately. Your life will instantly become much more organized and productive.

💜 8. Try watching Goblin again. Haha. Pang-ilan ko nang attempt ito. 

💜 9. Start journaling on paper again. Ang limit ko na mag-blog at hindi na ako nagjo-journal on paper. Sometimes I read my old posts and I'm reminded of things or events that I would have never remembered had happened if it weren't for those posts or journal entries. Pero gusto ko this time, with more photos, with washi tapes- mas may art eme. Hihi. Let's see if I can actually do this. 

** to be continued **

Almost Christmas Update

 Christmas is still 69 days away but on my clock it's already almost Christmas. Hindi ko lang siya masyado ramdam this year because- covid, and there aren't much orders coming in this year. Not sure if wala talagang order or late lang papasok. I just hope late lang sila papasok. Dali, ngaragin niyo na ako please! Haha. 

I ordered pa naman a lot of bottles- asyumera kasi. I just hope sales pick up soon kahit sa Shopee lang. However, there's a spattering of orders of souvenirs for baptisms and weddings so that's a good thing. My only fear is that once the cases start going up, the government will again impose lockdowns which could halt operations again. Sana lang mas careful yung mga tao. Looking at photos online, parang wala nang covid eh. Crowds gathered at the dolomite beach, at the Marikina River Park, at a coffee shop in in Taguig- ¡Que barbaridad! Paano tayo matatapos nito? People, not because you can doesn't mean you should.  

Anyway... just distracting myself from reality with BTS, kdramas and webtoons. BTS muna tayo. 

It was Jimin's birthday last October 13. His 26th in international age, 27th in Korean age. Gosh, I can still recall my late 20s which was pretty angst-ridden mostly and wala pa akong pera noon. I just make do with the little allowance I get from the nail spa (no matter how I seem to hate that nail spa, I'm still grateful for it cos it led me to what I'm doing right now). So anyway, back to Jimin... wala naman kaming prepared celebration. We just ordered last mintute from our suki online meriend shop- beef spaghetti, Japanese siomai and coke. I wish things will be much better (aka may pera ako) this Nov and December para I can prepare for Jin's and Taehyung's birthdays on the 4th and 30th, respectively. I still regret not celebrating my unico hijo's 24th but I mean to make bawi (Comcalc, LOL) on his 25th. I hope by then tapos na ang pandemya. 

So again- BTS stuff... yesterday I watched In the Soop S2's first episode and I am in awe of these boys. Super. How they stay down to earth despite their worldwide popularity is beyond me. Of course I'm not 100% sure if they are really like that behind the camera, but it seems that they are. 

watching ITS2 ep1 while on quarantine
happy, because:
1. I'm watching the boys being themselves (sort of)
2. There's hipon for breakfast!

How can you not fall for or like those boys? Hay. Nakakatuwa sila, I swear- a ray of sunshine during this pandemic. 

So far I like this season better cos Taehyung's happier here. Parang medyo sulky siya last season. I'm just happy he's overcome his sadness and is back to his old, kulit self (but of course I really don't know for sure if that is the real Taehyung).  

And Jungkook being such a softie for Bam, his pet dog- OMG! 

this scene reminded me of my sister brushing his son's teeth LOL

That boy, I swear- Mom's very proud of you (he's my son in an alternate universe, okay?) Chareng. Seeing Jungkook waking up early to feed Bam, cleaning up after Bam and patiently potty-training him- endears him to me more. Okay Jungkook, Mom's okay na with your tats and piercings. LOL. Hibang ang loka. 

Seeing the boys do the chores, seeing how they look like when they wake up in the morning (correction: tanghali na sila magising, literally), seeing them take care of each other- makes me happy. I really hope they are like that in real life, that they're like that to each other off-camera too. 

Another distraction I have are webtoons! It started with True Beauty which I actually stopped reading cos it has become annoying, will give it a try again soon- I can't believe I haven't read it in four months already. Age Matters has recently concluded and while I enjoyed most of it, medyo naging so-so na lang siya towards the end. Hindi na siguro alam ni author anong gagawin sa story, ergo the decision to end the series already. My favorites these days are Secret Playlist, Romance 101, Odd Girl Out and Yumi's Cells. Those are the series I'm currently heavily invested in, but there are also tons I'm enjoying. 

As for the kdramas, will make another post as soon as I'm done watching Hometown Cha Cha Cha. 

Ending this post with BTS' newest collab with Coldplay ♥ Me gusta muchoooo

Still Grateful at 39

Family and close friends know that I like celebrating my birthday. Pagkatapos pa lang ng Christmas, I always say, "malapit na birthday ko," which is actually on September, nine months after Christmas. But alas, this wasn't the case this year. 

Around a month ago, one of our house helps, Mimi, told me she wasn't feeling well, that she had a sore throat. Since we don't really go out, I dismissed it as one of her "episodes" since this girl would always not feel well most especially if it's her monthly period. So ayun, binigyan ko lang siya ng Lola Remedios. That was August 9. 

The morning of August 12 she was coughing and my sister heard it. I told my sister that Mimi wasn't feeling well- may ubo at may sipon. Sabi ni Ate sa kanya, "eh bakit andito ka pa sa baba?" She was sent to isolation right away at buti na lang, because after two days she told me that she had lost her sense of taste. At this point I was still in denial. Hindi naman nga kasi kami lumalabas. Sobrang dalang. So I messaged her and asked her where she thinks she could have gotten it, if it was it. Sabi niya a day before the ECQ (Aug 6), she was asked to buy gata and sago in the market when she accompanied Nonoy to the apartment. Tinanong ko siya, "Maraming tao?" Sabi niya, "Oo." Sabi ko, "Eh, bakit ka tumuloy?" Natakot daw siya na baka magalit si Mommy at Daddy sa kanya. Sentido comun diba? Pero siguro napangunahan siya ng takot.

The morning of August 14, our Manang already had a case of the sniffles. And so she we asked her to go up her room and isolate right away. This was when it has sunk in- that our household may have been infiltrated by the virus. Pero in denial pa rin ako ng slight. We wanted to make sure so we booked for a home service swab test on August 15, Sunday. The results came in August 16. Positive si madam. Hindi na namin pinatest si Manang. If Mimi was positive, for sure Manang also was since they share a room. This was when my brain went into overdrive. Overthinking galore. We had to practice social distancing inside the house and wear masks because at that time we didn't know yet who else had it. Bawat ubo ng tatay ko, parang tumatalon ang puso ko. Nung isang gabi na sumakit lalamunan ng nanay ko, parang hihimatayin ako sa kaba. We consulted my Dad's pulmo on what to do since we had a positive person in the house and we're close contacts. He gave us meds to take and instructed us to get swabbed on the 7th day after last exposure. Eh hindi ako mapakali. We scheduled a swab on the 5th day instead. Not following directions si ako. Hay.

And since Mimi and Manang were on quarantine, Ate and I had to do the chores ourselves. Hindi ako marunong magluto at si Ate naman WFH. Our arrangement was she'll cook and I will do the dishes. Nangyari most of the time was we just ordered cooked food from the village marketplace, pay via GCash and just get the delivery para less interaction. But a few days after Mimi and Manang started quarantine, Ate started not feeling well. She always gets dysmenorrhea on her first day but since these are not normal times, we can't be too sure. OMG grabe yung anxiety level ko! Ang pulse rate ko ay naglalaro between 104 to 116. I slept in the other room kasi nga diba para sure. But in the other room I can hear my Dad coughing at night or in the wee hours of the morning. By the way, he has COPD so he has been like that even before the pandemic started but I feel mas naging worse dahil andito lang sila sa loob ng bahay for 18 months now. Pero alam mo yung feeling na simpleng ubo nga lang ba siya o ibang ubo na? Ayayay! Ang babaw ng tulog ko. I'd wake up at 2am. Sleep again. When my dad would cough again at around 4, magigising ako ulit. Tapos I had to wake up at 6am to cook rice. 

N AP A G O D  A K O  M G A   B E S H! I think if it was just the manual labor, kaya ko eh. Pero kasama yung anxiety, sobrang napagod ako. And I lost 4 kilos! On normal conditions, that would be cause for celebration pero dahil nasa pandemya tayo at merong positive noon sa bahay namin, hindi ako masyado natuwa. Eh paano kakaunti lang tulog ko tapos wala akong ganang kumain. The last time I felt that was when I was in law school for two weeks- so anxiety nga siya. 

And while our household was on quarantine, my other sister broke naman her news to use that she was positive too. And her son had just underwent a heart surgery just a few weeks before. So dagdag na naman sa anxiety ko. 

After two weeks (a little over two weeks, actually), we scheduled Mimi and Manang for a saliva test to confirm lang that they're negative already before we let them come down. We got Mimi's result on August 31 but we let her come down Sept 2 pa, just to be sure. We didn't get Manang's result right away, kaso mabubuang na daw siya sa kwarto nila so we consulted our dad's pulmo na lang ulit and asked if we could let her come down na after three weeks. Safe naman na daw. So ayun.

But even after three weeks of isolation, I still was praning. We're still practicing social distancing and double masking inside the house. No going out unless very necessary. 

And I still wasn't in the mood to plan anything for my birthday. I wanted to sana but I couldn't. At that time I was still imagining all the worst-case scenarios in my head. I couldn't even get to distract myself with BTS and my Kdramas. I'm grateful for my sisters and cousin who sent food and cake ayuda- Thai food and Mango Bravo cake from Conti's from AD, chocolate cake from Dodoy and Jungkook bento cake and Borahae pillow from V and family. 

Little things ♥ I'm so grateful for the food and cakes! Tom yum, pad thai, pineapple rice tapos may Coke pa ♥ I hope and pray by next year things are much better para I can say 'Life begins again at 40!'

So it's exactly a month after Mimi's positive result. Mas okay na ako ngayon- eating and sleeping well. I gained a kilo already hoho! And I started watching Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha ☺ I still wake up at 4am but I use that time to pray instead. I also hear mass via YouTube at 6:30 in the morning. Kung meron man akong habit na na-acquire this pandemic, eh mas naging madasalin ako and I hope (and I will try) to keep it. 

So there, our COVID ordeal. I pray that would the first and the last time. I pray for the pandemic to end soon. I pray that things would go back to normal or at least some semblance of normalcy- pero sana we keep the lessons we learned because of the pandemic.  

Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10💓

Believe. Trust. Surrender.

 Kumusta naman ang araw niyo?

Ako, eto, stressed. Nag-positive lang naman yung kasambahay namin for COVID. 

Hay, 

I'm worried for my parents who are both senior citizens with comorbidities. Good thing is we're all vaccinated. With Sinovac nga lang but better than nothing. 

We are on Day 4 of our home quarantine. We're getting swabbed tomorrow afternoon. 

I pray for negative results most especially for my parents.

Please, Lord God. 

Sinovacc'd

 So... as of today, I am fully vaccinated. YAY ☺

With Sinovac. 

Not really my vaccine of choice but it's the one available to me now and since I am scared of contracting the virus or at least the severe version of it, I settled for it already. Better safe than sorry. 

There are articles saying that we might need an mRNA booster vaccine after this. 

Anyway, congratulations to me! 

That Year That Was: 2020 in Retrospect (and My Resolutions for 2021)

2020 was one helluva year, wasn't it? 

We all thought 2020 was going to be an auspicious year kasi nga 2020. 20/20- perfect vision. Hahaha. Ha. Akala natin yung pagputok na ng Taal ang pinakamalaking dagok natin noon (puede ring ang hiwalayang James at Nadine kung ikaw ay hardcore fan). Pero ika nga ni 2020- but wait, there's more. Maybe we all thought COVID19 would skip the Philippines on its tour around the world, like SARS did. Eh this time wala daw special treatment. 

Remember when we thought that the lockdown/quarantine would only take a month? It's almost a year since the announcement was made and here we are still in quarantine- less stricter but still on lockdown. And maybe living with Super Seniors (both our parents are 75++) made us more praning, so going out was and is still is definitely a no-no. AC and I ate at a restaurant once during the lockdown and we realized that the risk wasn't worth it. We only go out to do grocery, pay bills and errands. Also our househelps are not allowed to go out unless it's important. Maybe it was unfair for us to not allow our househelps and also our parents to go out unless essential, but the cons outweigh the pros. 

So how was 2020 for me?

(-) Business-wise, not so good. We had to stop operations after all when the ECQ was announced. Siguro swerte ko lang na I still live with my parents, but when this all started I had two stay-in employees and I still had to give them their salary despite non-operations. Maybe it also helped that I was able to save for the rainy days- nagbunga din ang pagka-kuripot ko. It also helped that one of my sisters got Employee #1 for the time being, she stayed and helped them for four months and came back na lang September, just right before Christmas season. Employee #2 went back to her province when travel restrictions were eased a bit. When MECQ was announced, we started getting orders again albeit for personal use lang since events and gatherings weren't allowed yet. Better than none. At least there's money coming in. Operations normalized maybe around November when people started ordering for Christmas, but still it wasn't like how it used to be and I did expect it naman. 

(-) Although I feel I adjusted quicker than most to this whole quarantine thing because I'm an introvert and even before this work-from-home shizz, I prefer staying home and I was already working from home- in other words, it wasn't very different from what I was used to. However, what I definitely miss is seeing my friends, my sisters and most especially, my nephews and niece. Even if my sister and her children live in the next street, we didn't allow the kids to come over and vice versa. We are strictly following the restrictions in order to protect our parents, most especially that V and H report to work on a daily basis. I miss my persons. The kids have gotten so big already and it's so sad that we don't get to see them as often as we'd like. J1 is already taller than me (at 11 years old!) and maybe the next time that we see each other, he'd be a lot taller pa. 

(-) Umm, so Tannie the new dog lightly scratched my forehead with his teeth. It was a super light scratch, it didn't even bleed. BUT for my peace of mind, I decided to get anti-rabies vaccine. Nagpunta kami ng center (because kuripot si ako), but since the bite/scratch was on my forehead, I had to get not only the regular anti-rabies shots but also the ERIG shot. They didn't have stocks of the ERIG and the anti-tetanus so I had to get that from the hospital. We went to Mission Hospital along Ortigas Ave Extension and buti na lang meron dun kaso I had to spend 10K. Ang bigat ko rin kasi leche. So there, goodbye 10K. Moral of the story: 'Wag makipagharutan sa aso. LOL. 

(-)  Typhoon Ulysses. Thankfully, the rains stopped just in time. Floodwaters didn't enter our home, but unfortunately for my sister- the floodwaters did get inside theirs. So they had to vacate their house and transfer here, which was super risky since our parents are also here. Santong dasalan na lang na walang may sakit and this was just a few weeks after my brother-in-law recovered from COVID. Buti na lang we're all okay. Other people weren't as lucky when Ondoy proportions rains flooded nearby cities and also other provinces. Sana eye-opener na ito sa mga tao na we have to take care of the environment, plant more trees, conserve our resources. I'm really for waste segregation and composting. If everyone does his part, malaki rin ang mababawas sa mga dumpsites. That and I pray someone discovers plastic made of plant-based material.

(-/+) AB had COVID. This was during the early days of  the pandemic. She and her boyfriend went to Germany for a vacation and came back to the States around March and after a few weeks she developed flu-like symptoms. Since she's all the way there in the States, we can't do anything but pray for her healing and quick recovery. It was scary, I tell you. Pero wala ka na ngang magagawa kundi magdasal. Buti na lang she and Mike were able to recover from the virus. At gala ng gala na sila ulit ngayon. Hay.

(+) Developing the ff healthy habits- exercising every morning at the balcony with Daddy and sleeping early (well, earlier than what I was used to) at night. At the start of the pandemic, I also stopped drinking Coke or very minimal lang, but balik-bisyo na kami ngayon ni AC. 

(+) Lost weight! I didn't know how much I weighed before because, honestly, I stopped caring. Baboy kung baboy. Plus, both persons who borrowed our weighing scales didn't return it. But I noticed I did lose some weight because FINALLY I CAN CROSS MY ARMS ACROSS MY CHEST AGAIN AND I CAN CROSS MY LEGS AGAIN! I'm so happy ☺ I'm now at 67 kilos or 147 lbs. Still overweight for my height the last time I checked which must've been a few years ago, I was at around 160 lbs. Not bad. I want to lose some more weight. My BMI says I'm obese so I'm working to get my weight at a normal level. Also, I should keep in mind to not let go of myself again. 

(+) Discovering BTS. Hahaha. Siempre, isa sa silver lining ito ng taon. Early last year (pre-pandemic) I wrote a post about needing a crush, someone to fawn over. Sabi nga nila be careful what you wish for, kaya ayan- pito sila. 

image source

BTS is my little ray of sunshine these days. And being a new fan means there's so much material I can binge on in the internet ♥ And I have the time! We celebrated the boys' birthdays with cake and food cos, you know, you got to make your own ganap these days. I swear, watching BTS live in concert is definitely in my bucket list. Next birthdays to celebrate are J-Hope's and Suga's ☺ Then on May 4 I'll be celebrating my first anniversary as an ARMY. LOLOL. 

(+) Hindi ko alam kung + ang fact na I was able to finish 25 series last year. But I guess that's a + na rin cos it means I had time. Precious time I could have used doing something more productive pero I don't want to push myself into doing productive stuff. Darating din ako diyan. Haha. 

(-) I lost my Uncle, my bestfriend lost her mom, lots of friends and acquaintances lost someone close to them. COVID sucks talaga. 

(-) This government. 

(+) Webtoons! Had so much fun and kilig feelings while reading my webtoons. Ang dami kong nadiscover na pansayang ng oras because of the pandemic, but as they say- Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time. Huzzah ;) 

So there, the highs and lows of my 2020. Hope this year will be much better for me, for all of us. Let's pray for a better year. For better days to come. My takeaway from this whole COVID shizz is life is short- make the most out of it while staying home. Hahaha. Iniisip ko na nga kung mamatay ako dapat may access mga kapatid ko sa bank accounts ko at sa stocks ko. Sayang kung hindi nila makuha. But anyway, I'm still optimistic about the future that's why here are my resolutions for this year:

1. Lose weight. Little by little does the trick. The hardest part, always, is starting. Naumpisahan ko na and now I know it's possible so I'm inspired to lose more weight. I have to be mindful of what I eat, exercise and sleep on time. 
2. Read books. With all the free time I have last year, I only got to finish one book at re-read pa siya. So this 2021, my goal is at least one book per month. Which reminds me I only have until tomorrow to finish reading Maybe in Another Life.
3. Learn how to do castile soap. I already enrolled myself in a castile soap-making online course and just waiting for the supplies and the tutorial videos. Sana I will enjoy making liquid soaps more than bar soaps. 
4. Full force with the personalized flat note cards. I was supposed to start it last year but COVID19 happened kaya nawalan ako ng gana. I have to maximize the membership fee I'm paying for my image-sourcing site. 
5. Be more proactive with the businesses. I was pakipot before. Well, we were much busier naman talaga before and can't answer all queries and messages right away, but starting this year I want to be quicker to reply to my clients. 

Wala naman ako masyadong plano for 2021. I just want to get out of it alive, me and my family and friends. I wish for COVID to magically disappear. I pray for safe and effective vaccines. I pray for safe and effective cure against the virus. I guess, good luck na lang sa ating lahat and may the odds be ever in our favor ☺ 

22 Days in Community Quarantine and Counting

I must document this very memorable time in my life, in our lives. And looks like I have the time. Ha.

This COVID-19 pandemic has caused so much stress, panic, loss and damages. Ang sarap sisihin kung saan nanggaling 'eto, yung source kasi they coud've nipped it at the bud or at least less damages when they've quarantined themselves earlier. Eh nag world tour pa sila! Ayun wala nang silbi ang sisi sa ngayon. Although I still believe that they should be fined.

I am in a state of panic cos I live with my parents who are both in their mid-70s. Both are super makulit at matigas ang ulo. Pre-community quarantine, they refused to stayput at home. Buti ngayon at wala rin naman silang choice, they stay home. But they still handle money coming from outside which should not be done kasi nga diba- virus carrier ang pera. Hay stress.

Aside from the community quarantine, we're also implementing a household lockdown- no one is allowed to leave the house, even to the sari-sari store, to minimize interactions to the outside world where every trip could pose a risk. I do the grocery run. I used to love doing the grocery but now, I dread it. I'm scared of the possibility of bringing something inside. Ayoko na.

Instead of worrying, I will instead channel my energy into doing a to-do list when this is all done.

La Traidora's Post-Pandemic To-Do List:

1. Offer a thanksgiving mass. My sister based in NY caught the virus and THANK GOD she's much much better now. Still praying for her full recovery. Bawal makampante. Baby, it ain't over 'til it's over.

2. Eat. Unlimited samgyupsal. Viking's. Frankie's Chicken Wings. Unli samgyup and especially Viking's I consider as luxury and only for special occasions. But after this, I will pig out. Kung may pera pa pala ako LOL.

3. Stock up on food. My sister made a go-bag for emergency purposes with a few canned goods, a pack of Skyflakes crackers and instant noodles. Ngayon alam na natin na hindi yun enough. At the very least, isang go-bag per person. Not one or two for the whole household. I realize that it is important to keep stock of food, alcohol and meds at madaming stock.

4. Take container gardening seriously. Never thought something like this pandemic would happen in our lifetime. Started container gardening just because there's a sense of fulfillment one gets when you've successfully grown something from scratch. Now, I see the importance of keeping a garden of edibles. When the coast is clear, I will buy lots of potting soil/mix and start trying to grow tomatoes, green leafy veggies and kung ano pang puede mapatubo dito.

That's it for now. With three more weeks to go before this extended community quarantine ends, in the event that it doesn't get extended further, I'm sure I'll think of more things to start doing.

Here are a few photos I've taken while in quarantine

night sky

growing these from scrap

sunset from my window