Day 32 Extreme Community Quarantine

How are you all? I hope you are comfortable and in your best health while reading.

My mornings always start with "sun worshipping"....

Twenty minutes of Vitamin D, good for fighting off the deadly Covid_19 virus. 

The supposed to be 4 weeks "lockdown" imposed by the government was extended for another two weeks. A lot have happened since Day 1. We cannot go out anymore without a quarantine pass because the number of persons infected are increasing daily, 200+ on the average. The number of deaths are alarming, too.

Some of the past weeks' highlights below...

• I usually go out once a week to buy fresh produce. I go to our neighborhood wet market and mini groceries. I visited Hypermarket twice and Landers Superstore once. 

Of course, we always do the necessary precautions like donning face masks, using alcohol spray and social distancing. Before we enter our home, we wash our hands thoroughly with soap and water outside in our dirty kitchen, remove our shoes and sanitize them, too. I take a bath and disinfect afterwards everything that we bought. Mabuti na ang praning kesa magsisi sa huli.

• We were given aid twice by our local government. I promised to give all of our family's share to my cousin who needs it most.

 

from the baranggay captain...

 

from our Mayor...

• My son works from home while our small business isn't operational during this time. Alongside others in the business sector, we are suffering a huge loss because of this pandemic. Naaawa din ako sa mga empleyado namin. Tapos ang dami mong makikitang pasaway, may nagsasabong at nagpapa-boxing o kaya naman parang namamasyal lang sa mall sa kalye yung iba. 

• My routine pre-Covid didn't change much since I'm a stay at home Mom, bukod sa di lang ako makapag-grocery at gym anytime I want to. This is in contrast with my husband who feels restless and anxious minsan. Ako din naman nai-stress, but I always try to brush the negative vibes off kapag nararamdaman ko na lalo na kapag naglalabas ng daily updates about Covid-19 here in our country. In addition to that are the non-stop bickerings and politicking about the current situation. So, how do I address it? For my mental health's sake, I usually stay out of social media or any news on TV, cook, watch my Korean dramas(finished Itaewon class, Black Knight, Single Cunning Lady), tend to my plants, listen to music, exercise via Youtube, and most important of all, pray to avoid unnecessary anxiety. 

I do understand him because he has a lot on his mind regarding his work and all. Hindi rin siya sanay na hindi nagtra-trabaho. Most of the time he keeps himself busy watching series on Netflix, de-cluttering, doing cardio exercises 2x a week, or cleaning our backyard. He also gave a fresh coat our house's roof by spray painting it three weeks ago. 

He also goes to the market for some errands using one of his trusted bikes.

He even gave himself a haircut last week. I gave him a hand to trim the hair beside his ears and at the nape part. Today, he cleaned his collection of action figures by vacuuming them one by one.

• I celebrated my birthday last Monday Quarantine style. I thank God that my family and nearest kin are healthy and Covid free. Yun lang masaya na ako. My husband went to Landers early morning and endured the long lines just to buy me a cake, a big pizza and a few groceries by himself. I cooked Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta in addition for my birthday noodles.

Cranberry cream cake...

My son ordered KFC chicken thru Grab food. Yun na daw ang gift niya. He later on paid for the pizza, too. Thank you, anak.

My birthday wish is that this pandemic will be over soon and wish that the families who lost their loved ones will be embraced by God's love and grace for them to endure the sadness and grief they are experiencing right now. 

Day 1 Community Quarantine

March 15

The capital region of the Philippines was put into community quarantine today. It is not a total a"lockdown" which is like that of Hubei province in China and the whole country of Italy. 

Napansin niyo ba mas magastos at madaling maubos pagkain sa bahay kapag 'nakabakasyon'? Feeling ko tuloy yung pang two weeks na food supply namin pang one week na lang.

I went out briefly to buy some fresh produce. It' s a Sunday kaya siguro kapansin pansin na halos walang tao nung lumabas ako, around 3-4 pm. We are lucky that the wet market, mini groceries and supermarkets are just five minutes away from where we live. I bought bangus, gagawin kong daing para mas matagal ang 'shelf life'. Sa grocery, I bought spaghetti sauce and Zonrox bleach. 

I dropped by at Mercury for my husband's maintenance meds pero wala pa ring stock. I noticed that they don't have alcohol/disinfectant at the entrance, unlike sa ibang stores. No thermal scanner either. Ironic because it is teeming with people most of the time. Afterwards, I bought Halo Halo at the adjacent Chowking branch and Chicken Nuggets, McChicken at McDonald's. Good thing, these fastfood chains are practicing social distancing and provide alcohol and disinfectant for their customers. Sorry, I didn't bring my phone kaya walang pics for proof. 

When I got home, I immediately took a bath so that whatever germs I caught, I hope natanggal lahat. Better be safe and clean than sorry. 

Samsung Galaxy A71

February 29

It wasn't intentional. We came from our weekly work Southern part of Manila and dropped by on our way home at Estancia Commons in Pasig for lunch. Also, my husband needed to change his reading glasses na after two years in his favorite Owndays branch. We ate at Pepperlunch, Salmon Pepper rice and the Beef variant for him. We proceeded to Owndays and for some window shopping afterwards. We decided to have merienda later on at Mary Grace. 

Fortunately, I had this last shot from my almost five year old Iphone 6(this May) before it died on me.

My husband may have pitied me that much that he accompanied me to the nearest Memo Express branch(buti na lang meron!) and asked me to choose what Samsung phone I would like to buy. I chose Samsung Galaxy A71 in the end. It costs p22,000+($440) and just came out last February 15. Not bad na with its specs. If you're curious, click this...

Actually, we nearly bought one last November but due to some circumstances that I don't remember na, hindi natuloy.

 

Since I find Iphone now impractical(says the frugal side of me), I caved in to the Android world after a decade. At first, I was ok na with Oppo. My son has a two year old one and he keeps on raving about it. Naniniwala ako sa kanya because he's an IT graduate. Why Samsung? Maybe due to my Korean drama series exposure? Hehe. Kidding aside, maganda naman ang reputation ng Samsung in terms of gadgets.

February 2020

Every year the month of February always seem to pass by swiftly. Ang bilis ng panahon. Most especially this first quarter of 2020. But the turn of the decade seemed to be very stressful for a lot of us in terms of disaster. Hindi pa tayo nakakahinga sa Taal Volcano eruption dito sa Pilipinas, heto naman ang Covid 19 disease. Lahat affected worldwide. I just wish everyone to be healthy. 

I refuse to be stressed over things na I don't have total control of. Instead, I try to be proactive. I took advantage of the cool weather temperatures of Feb. I decluttered, did general cleaning in my entire home and re-potted my plants after a year of neglect. 

Bought new ones, too...

Apart from my regular zumba classes for my me time, I still watch my Korean drama series(one series a week for me). I told my husband to end our cable subscription because wala na naman NBA channel and most movies na pinapalabas sa cable we can watch na on Netflix, plus, I don't have to go to Greenhills just to be able to download my Korean series. Honestly, we don't watch local shows anymore. It would be a total waste of money if we still continue with it. Eventually, we downgraded our subscription to basic from p690 to p290 a month and subscribed to Netflix. Now, everybody is happy.

Vertigo hits

My curse decided to visit me again. I woke up last Thursday with a headache and spinning visions. I couldn’t get out of bed like I used to. I stayed in bed the whole day with bathroom breaks in between. Haist, this is in contrast naman of how I was during the past few days; I did zumba last Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Good thing I did my grocery shopping na rin last Wednesday. Plus, my son was with me all night because he’s on a break from work after working over times the past few days. My husband took care of me during the day.

Yesterday, I was feeling much better and did the laundry and cooking for lunch and dinner. I don’t know if my menopausal period has got to do with this also. Luckily, I didn’t experience panic attacks this time. This, too, will pass.

Cafe 80’s

I thought I’m done reconnecting with friends over the holidays. You see, when my Mom died last April 2019, I wasn’t able to see them. After eight months, I came out of my unintentional self-imposed hiatus. I met most of them in different occasions last December.

When the Camellia blooms review

Last week, I just finished watching this 2019 Korean drama series(Netflix original). Sometimes during the course of watching it, I would say to myself pang Mother’s day presentation dapat ito. Heart tugging ang scenes for a parent and even for a child, 

When the Camellia Blooms is a must watch. It shows the struggle of a single Mom, who is also an orphan, thereby labeling her instantly as an outcast in a small town in the countryside known as Ongsan. 

what a perfect shot! an ep 2 scene when Hyeung sik(a smitten police officer) was trying to persuade Dongbaek(Gong Hye Jin) to allow him to follow her for protection

I enjoyed the series ‘coz how they present the story iba talaga; beautifully written melodrama with an injection of a comic relief and a detective sub-plot. I was hooked from the beginning. When I say I enjoyed it, it means I wasn’t bored, it isn’t too dramatic, story isn’t a giveaway(twists and all), great setting and the cast’s performance is 100% well-portrayed. The main leads have an on screen chemistry. Tawang-tawa rin ako kay Kang Ha Neul(as Hyeung Sik) as a goofy, goody, goody police officer who is head over hills in love with Dongbaek. He was a revelation and he became an instant fave of mine. This is his first male lead role, unlike in The Inheritors/The Heirs where he was only part of the supporting cast, alongside with Lee Min Ho and Park Shing Hye.

How could I forget Gong Hye Jin, one of my fave Korean actresses, both in comedy and drama. It isn't a surprise anymore that she delivered another masterpiece of a performance. This is her latest back from her 2016 series Jealousy Incarnate. I liked her even before in Pasta, The Master's Sun and the Producers. Parang all her Korean dramas are worth watching, script and acting-wise. So whenever I spot a drama wherein she's a main lead, I knew it would be worth the binge. 

The supporting cast also, ang gagaling din, especially Pil-Gu as Dong baek’s son, Kim Sun Young as one of the ahjummas that sells crabs and often picks on Dongbaek being a single Mom, and Lee Jeong Eun as Dong Baek's mother.

Go ahead and watch it for yourself. You be the judge if it is a typical Korean melodrama or not. 

Korean drama fan

You know what one thing that made me sane during my grief journey after my Mom died? Watching K dramas or Korean novelas. I was a fan na before of Meteor garden and Lovers in Paris but never in my wildest imagination that I will really succumb to my weekly binge watching that really eats up a lot of my waking hours. :) Instead of being depressed and lonely, I entertained myself by watching how a beautiful story unfolds before my eyes. Yung dialogues nila para ka minsang nagbabasa ng libro, beautifully written. I wonder, what more in their language no? 

Reply 1988

Reply 1988

UP Chapel on a Sunday

For a long time I never set foot at the UP Diliman campus. My husband goes there at least once a week just to bike around or meet his biker friends. I used to be with him when I was that active pa in biking and running. I must say those days also were the times I was in my thinnest. But when you reach a certain age, there will be aches and pains that you get due to wear and tear. I stopped running and instead biked for a while. Then nung naging hardcore na yung husband ko,meaning he didn’t confine himself anymore just biking around the area, he went on exploring Antipolo, Batangas and even Baguio. That was the time I stopped. Ayokong masira ang balat ko. Haha. Kidding aside, it is too much for a woman like me. Maybe kung bata-bata ako. I’m happy nowadays indoors exercising, and that is going to the gym.

       

2019 Personal expenses

Saving up is always on top of of my major goals every year. And it is where I also miserably fail. I would list all the necessary budget for the week(food mostly), and health, travel plus miscellaneous expenses. Yung personal ko nakalista din. Medyo nag-overboard ako sa paggasta considering I have additional funds last year from May to December because I paid up my SSS personal loan after two years, pero ayun nga I still failed.

2020 Goals

This is an excerpt from my post last year. I specifically crossed out the ones that I was obviously able to accomplish.

For 2019, I want to accomplish the following with flying colors...
* save, save, save!
* travel to a dream destination on my 50th. locally, to a beach destination I've never been  to
* post regularly here on my blog(weekenders, not daily para mas achievable)
* buy a dining table or a lazy boy
* follow religiously a healthy diet
* more bonding with my Mom
* to be more tolerant with my husband and son
* be kind to myself(ok lang hindi perfect at times)
* attend a formal cooking/baking class
* minimize shopping for teacups, tableware :D

page 1 of 2020

Another reason why we chose to go to Subic on New year’s eve was my husband was nursing his cough and colds for almost a week na. We don’t want pollution anymore, so we chose to stay by the seaside where the sea breeze and saltwater could cure his illness. Proven na iyon. 

Welcoming 2020

My son was in Baguio from Dec. 31 till January 2 with his friends so I opted not to cook anymore for the  New Year’s eve. Well, to be honest, it was more likely, I was too lazy to prepare just like what I did last Christmas. Over the years, I noticed kapag Pasko masipag pa ako mag-prepare and all, but come New year’s eve, medyo tinatamad na ako. This year we decided to just watch the fireworks in SM MOA and eat dinner na lang sa resto since it was just me and my husband. 

Goodbye bittersweet 2019

It’s been months since the last time I posted here. I would always would like to jot down or update my space here so that I could reminisce the old times in details how my normal day(or impt. events) went by in the future. One reason was I can’t gather my thoughts into writing because I was just too sad. It’s quite unexplainable. Another thing, my 11 yr. old laptop gave up on me. I don’t want to buy a new one because it’s impractical. Back then I need it badly for my powerpoint presentations and all the word documents a teacher needs to accomplish to survive. Hehe. Third, the blogger app on my phone isn’t helpful either. Bugs on their app keep popping up every now and then. I’m typing now on my phone using the Safari’s desktop version.

Bahala na basta I want to document in details. Nakukulangan ako sa Instagram and FB. Sa IG mostly beautiful photos lang ang posts ko about my trips, nature, etc. Sa FB pag gusto ko mag-erase ng videos and photos on my phone to have more space, I update it but limited lang audience, because I don’t want to flood my 600+ ‘friends’ out there na wala naman paki masyado sa buhay ko. Iba pa rin dito sa online diary ko.

Anyway, I lost my Mom this year(she’s 77 yrs. old) unexpectedly. It is the most painful journey we had to went through in 2019. She was hospitalized for a month due to mild stroke and water on her lungs. On her last day(April24), I was the only one beside her. I always tell my siblings that it was like a ‘curse or a blessing’ because it was traumatic for me at the same time I had the privilege to attend to her during her dying moments. We(with my siblings most especially), are still grieving and constantly uplifting our spirits whenever we miss her. We all have our own coping mechanism. Basta andyan lang kami to support each other. My single sis who lives with my Mom is the most affected. Understandable naman kaya whenever she asks me to accompany her and I’m free, I readliy accept her invitation. My single brother naman who is fond of travelling, doon niya inaaliw ang sarili niya. He’s been to Batanes and a Euro trip(Paris, Amsterdam and Spain) this year. My youngest sis(married) naman is the cry baby amongst us. I guess madami din siyang guilt because she was not always present whenever we go out for a simple bonding like sa mall, Sunday eat outs and yung Boracay trip namin magkakapatid a month before our Mom’s unexpected death. 

We got to celebrate happy events din naman this year despite our “big loss’. I got to spend my 50th birthday in my dream destination without a hitch. Yung Mommy ko nasa ospital na noon, but she gave me a go signal still because knowing her as very selfless, sabi niya ituloy ko daw dahil pangarap ko yun. But I was hesistant at first. I made sure muna na ok ang vitals niya bago ko ituloy. Fortunately, during that week her condition was improving. Half-heartedly, we(with my husband) proceeded with the trip, but we were constantly updated by my siblings when I was in Tokyo.

Having no major illness among my immediate family, a cousin’s wedding, my son’s career, going on quick trips whenever we want to, smooth relationship within the fam(plus extended famiilies), having food on the table, are considered blessings that I’m still thankful kahit na medyo one of my loneliest years ang 2019. Overcoming this melancholic episodes is one of my major goals in 2020. 

Weekender: Cavite roadtrip

After a few months of hiatus from travels(my last was Tokyo in April), we managed to have a quick visit to the province of Cavite this week. We needed to go to a wake in Manila Memorial Park in Dasmarinas, where a sister of my husband's friend died due to breast cancer at the young age of thirty-five. We also planned to visit a longtime friend's cafe. It was hitting two birds in one stone kinda day.

40 days

Today is our beloved Mom’s 40th day after she went back to our Creator last April 24. We miss her terribly every day but we are slowly accepting the fact that we will never see her, hear her voice or touch her physically again. 

Nakaka-miss talaga. I wish as early as a teenager alam ko na my parents are my cheerleader  and the only persons that could give  me unconditional love. I’m very lucky that they gave their utmost love and sacrifices to provide us food to eat, comfortable home and education. Ang swerte namin magkakapatid dahil may napaka responsableng magulang meron kami. They even tried to give their support in their own extended families even with minimal resources. Mabait silang Kuya at Ate. I do confess I could never be that selfless like my parents. Kahit super strict sila sa amin(three girls and one boy) I’m grateful that they are my parents. It turned out na those values that they inculcated were vital to our own “adulting”.

my Mom gave me this plant from her garden a year ago yata.
surprisingly, this flower bloomed just this month only. 

If you have read my past posts, I usually visit my Mom on a Thursday. Naiisip ko lagi yun. Parang feeling ko mayroon akong nakalimutang gawin on a Thursday. And whenever I drop by, it is always a sure thing na may food akong iuuwi from her. 

We had a mass offered for Mom noontime and went to the nearest Shakey’s branch for our lunch afterwards. Usually, when we had gatherings like this, our Mom will pay for it. I told my husband, “wala na kaming financier”. But more than that yung feeling na para kaming orphans magkakapatid is beyond comprehension. Iba ang lungkot kapag nawalan ka ng magulang. If you have them still with you, hug them and do your utmost ability to show you honor and love them for raising, supporting and loving you unconditionally.

Bear with me

I have almost three months worth of blog posts/thoughts.  But, how to ‘write’ again?

I’ve been meaning to post about our Boracay trip, my Mom’s hospitaization and eventually her demise, my Tokyo, Japan trip for my 50th birthday, my grief journey and everything in between.

Ironically, the first quarter of this year was very eventful but I’m loss for words to put it into writing. Life is a mystery indeed.

Sunday shopping and Cafe Via Mare

As I've mentioned in this post, one of my goals this year is to have more bonding time with my Mom. She is 77 years old and still healthy but we all know what old age means. I lost my Daddy almost ten years ago to Liver cancer after four months of going in and out of the hospital and up to this day we all miss him so much. The void that he left in our lives is irreplaceable. That was an eye opener for all of us. Life is short, we should live our lives not only to be happy, but with meaning or purpose. Life becomes meaningful when we give a part of ourselves, be it tender loving care or our precious time to others.

Weekender 05: Procastination ends + Pleasant surprise

Last week was quite eventful. It started with my long overdue dental prophylaxis last Monday. Looking back, I'm glad I stopped procastinating about it because I went to the clinic just in time I needed one. Nasermunan ako ng doctor slash brother in law ko. Haha. I saved a lot of money just because I decided to came by. It caused me a few sleepless nights, actually.

antibiotic for one week

Intermittent Fasting conclusion

I attended another zumba session on Wednesday, again struggling with just water, coffee, banana and three spoonfuls of shredded sweet corn. Parang nabubusog agad ako. One thing I observed from this fasting was it curbed my appetite. Hindi ko na na-eenjoy kumain. Ang sad di ba?