#CoviDiaries

It’s June 1, 2020 tomorrow. Has it really been 77 days?

Never in my wildest imagination that I would spend 24 hrs a day at home nang ganito katagal. Well, maybe i-minus ko na yung 2 hrs for a one-time grocery run last March 21 and a less-than-ten-minute ride from my house to the ATM last April 18. Yes, bilang na bilang and kabisadong-kabisado ko because excluding those 2 instances, I have not really stepped out of the house at all, kahit sa church yard or sa street lang namin. Not even to my mama’s house which is just 5 blocks away.

So what else have I learned during this quarantine period? What shall I do or what do I want to do after we go GCQ starting tomorrow?

I’m not yet asked to report or work onsite. But there’s still the dependency on internet. We have a Globe broadband at home (for everybody’s use) and a PLDT Home DSL (exclusively for Netflix). But for work, I use Smart prepaid mobile data, and my personal Globe postpaid plan. Magastos beshie.  Yung plan ko, doble ang bill LOL I was not able to get the prepaid cards I ordered from our Purchasing last Feb kasi nga nag-quarantine na before they could serve the request. Hopefully makuha ko pa sila after this. Minsan, intermittent kaya frustrating. Nag-e-exam ako, and finished all 20 questions kaya lang…hindi na-submit. Sayang mga sagot ko, feeling ko perfect pa naman. Joke. I miss our LAN at the office. Nakakamiss din mag-office – yung aircon especially. And knowing na andyan lang ang Festival Mall, coffee shops, Manong’s.

I have not been able to cook every Sunday. I thought I would have all the time na magluto. Pero hindi pala. Gusto ko na lang magpahinga pag weekend. I also try to order food pag Wed and Sat (araw ng labas sa barangay namin) para hindi na kami magluto and just focus on errands.  Kakainggit yung mga posts on home cooked meals. I have divided them into three categories: dati na nagluluto or regular na nagluluto, hindi nakakaluto or walang time pero marunong, and yung hindi marunong magluto dati pero ngayon marunong na or napilitan na. 

Akala ko rin I’d be able to binge-watch since nasa bahay naman. Hindi rin pala. Hindi pwede magpuyat because you still have to work the following day. Kaya I see to it na makanuod on Friday nights and weekends.

Ang dami ko na rin nabili online and from online sellers LOL disposable and washable face masks,  our Korean hotpot and grill, prepaid load, vitamins, contact lens, contact lens solution, bath towel, beer, pizza, cold cuts, veggies, merienda, lahat na yata. Cabinet pati cabinet dehumidifier kasi kawawa naman mga bags and shoes. Donations din because we have to give back, share our blessings kahit paano. Pati itong Lifetime table na gamit ko, which I use pag gusto kong lumipat ng puwesto. Nakakaumay din kasi sa home office.

Which brings me to another topic. Dati, 630 pa lang, ready to work na ko. I am used to a 7am-4pm schedule. Kaya lang, inaabot na ko ng 5 or 6pm. To avoid burnout, might as well start a bit late, like 8am.

Oh well, if ever someone will ask me kung ano ginawa ko during quarantine, I wish I could say wala lang. Nagpartey partey lang. Relak relax. Bakasyon engrande. Yung totoo? Proud to say walang naaksayang sentimo sa pinasweldo sa akin. 8 hrs a day, up to 10-15 hrs pa minsan. Holiday, weekend, araw, gabi. Dalawang eStore, an API project, two products at may singit pang admin work. But I thank InLife for being there for us and for caring for us. I still have my job and I need my job more than ever. And yes, I am just 8 months away from my 25th anniversary.  Akalain ninyo yun.

A Blessed Sunday to all. Food delivery for today | T-bone steak, baked cheesy tahong, spicy shrimp gambas, sizzling tofu and beef caldereta from Pepper Chops | May 31, 2020 #lifeandloveinthetimeofCovid #talesofthegoodgirl

#CoviDiaries

Took us more than half a year to wait for Part 4. Shorter para sa mga bagong salta. I was trying to hold back, watching the first 4 episodes first, then stopped as I wanted to hold on to it. Savor it, enjoy it...longer. Ang tagal mo inintay tapos uubusin mo agad. Kaya nagpabukas pa ako.

There were SPOILERS already from FB, wtf. Wala man lang warning. Insensitive jerks 😩😩😩 Akala ninyo bumibida or sumisikat kayo by doing that. But from experience, mas madalas, yung mga gumagawa nito, yung mga wagon hitchers. Baka mababa EQ. Hindi porke 55 o 60 inches TV mo eh ok nang gawin yun. I-pronounce mo munang mabuti ang HEIST. Tse 🤣🤣🤣

But spoiler alert or not, next to The Professor, my go-to guy is Marseille. Lintek, daming languages na alam. Hindi ka pa iiwan until you have come to your senses. May respeto sa leader. Animal lover. May prinsipyo. Efficient. On time and on point. Reminds you to be on track, review the plan, stick to the mission. We all need a Marseille in our project teams. I want! For the win! Pag nakasali nga pala ako, ako si Havana. Havana oooh la la 😆😆😆

Salamat po sa Barangay Chrysanthemum sa pagbahay-bahay at God bless po sa beneficiary ng aming waived relief goods.

At dahil hindi pa rin ako magpo-post ng Sunday lunch namin, PM ninyo na lang ako or visit my IG kung gusto ninyo malaman kung ano niluto ko. At pasensya na rin po, you may tag me (no problem, thank you for remembering me) pero hindi po ako makiki-challenge ✌✌✌

Blessed Palm Sunday to all | Cooking (and Life) Lessons from #talesofthegoodgirl

#CoviDiaries

Sunday na naman. Wehhhh di nga??? Happy Fiesta to Chrysanthemum Village...it's the Feast of our Mother of Good Counsel. Tahimik ang villagers, bawal lumabas pag Linggo. Usually pag ganitong oras kabi-kabila na ang videokehan! 🎤🎵🎶🎙 salamat at tayo'y nagkasamang muliiiiiii salamaaaaattttt 🎤🎶🎵🎙
Had our hair cut yesterday. Thanks to Richard, our resident unisex stylist na may pa-home service. 💇‍♀️ 💇‍♂️
Sa mga suki kong online sellers and riders, hindi kami magugutom sampu ng villagers dahil sa sipag ninyo. 💪💪💪
Sa mga colleagues/ka-opisina ko, stay healthy. Alam ko marami nang stressed out, burned out, high blood, malapit na bumigay. Lagi po sana natin tandaan: ang WFH po ay hindi 24/7 ✌✌✌ break-break din ‼ inuman sa kitakits, pramis!
In the same breath, kaway-kaway sa mga LDR diyan. Relationships are put to a test. But love, in this time of corona, should survive. Hold on to the hope that you will be together again soon, and that nothing has changed. If love is true and real, it gets stronger with time. Awwwww 💕💕💕
A Blessed Sunday to all | Visit my IG for cooking (and life) lessons from #talesofthegoodgirl

#CoviDiaries

So my son's school finally announced that the SY officially ends on May 4, 2020. Ganun-ganun na lang. Babay, tuition 💸💸💸 Glad though that I did not avail of the early enrolment.
Been paying our bills online. Mahirap pag magpatong-patong. If you have the capacity to pay as they fall due, please do. At wag na umasa na iwe-waive ni Meralco ang charges. Subject to abuse rin kasi yan. Gumamit ka ng kuryente, you need to pay. Extension lang ang ibibigay, pero bayad ka pa rin.
Missing our fam's Saturday/weekly date...one good thing that came out of it though was natuto na rin mag-grocery si Alex 🤣🤣🤣 before, kahit kasama namin yan, tagatulak ng cart lang yan, dedma 🤣🤣🤣 pag wala ako, kailangan kasama si Caehl. Or sina Ev na lang. Ngayon, pasado na. After 27 years 🏅🏅🏅 downside, alam na nya lahat ng ATM PINs ko 🤑🤑🤑
Lunes na bukas. If I thought WFH was easy, noon yun. Di na ngayon. Kaya pala dati, sinasabi na ang trabaho ay dapat sa opisina lang at hindi inuuwi sa bahay. Dahil ang mga bagay-bagay ay may kanya-kanyang lugar.
A Blessed Sunday to all (late na hahaha) | Visit my IG for cooking (and life) lessons from #talesofthegoodgirl

#CoviDiaries

Pasensya na po, first time ko po uli makalabas after a loooong time. Had to make an ATM run, naubos na po cash ko sa kakapadeliver 😄😄😄
Tama pala sila, iba ang excitement pag nakakita ka na uli ng mga tao at activities. Bawal mag-judge, schedule po ng Barangay namin lumabas. At nasa loob lang po ang Donya. Peace✌ I would like to congratulate my husband at pasado na, after 27 years, bilang official Grocery and Errands Guy 🏆🏆🏆pati personal effects at pangkilay ko, tama ang nabili! Corrected by ✔✔✔ #talesofthegoodgirl

#CoviDiaries

Two things na nakikita ko ngayon na dati hindi:
1. How my son participates sa class (altho online nga lang) and how he does his home work, projects. Dati kasi, pag-uwi ko, pipirmahan ko na lang diary niya. May pagkaOC at perfectionist, kaya madalas mafrustrate pag hindi pumapasa sa standards niya ang output niya. Naiinis agad. Ayaw ng paulit ulit. Isang basa lang, isang pasada ok na.
2. How my daughter works. Patient, magaling magexplain (in English, kasi outside the country ang clients nya), altho dati ko nang alam na masipag ang anak ko magtrabaho. Hindi pala-absent. Kahit may nararamdaman, hindi ginagawang excuse para mag-sick leave. Or magimbento ng dahilan para umabsent. Which I can't say for some millennials.
Masaya ako na may similarities ang mga anak ko sa akin in more ways than one when it comes to studying and working.
Which leads me to say na itong ECQ and WFH, naging daan para lalo mong makilala mga tao sa paligid mo - mga government officials at leaders natin; mga kabarangay; colleagues / co-workers; family; friends. Kumbaga, if you're in a relationship and first time ninyo na ganito ang situation, I guess malalaman mo kung talagang nagmamahalan kayo o nagbobolahan lang. Tama ba na minahal mo siya? At dapat bang mahalin mo pa rin siya hahaha yung character, values, work ethics nila, after almost a month, litaw na litaw. Sad to say, may mga hindi pumasa. Yung iba, alam kong sablay pero lalong nareinforce ang feeling ko. Lalong nakakadisappoint. Yung iba, pasang awa. Pero in fairness, bumilib ako sa iba, hindi ako nabigo 😁😁😁
As promised, no posting of food muna. Hindi ako nainform na may pacontest ang FB 🤣🤣🤣 kanya-kanyang paandar sa kusina! Master Chef lahat! Kaya ito na lang, mga librong binabasa ko uli, from my beloved Lawrence Sanders...at dahil purnada ang Easter Egg Hunt, Kinder Joy na lang muna para sa minis.
Maligayang Pasko ng Pagkabahay, este Pagkabuhay! God bless us all! Cooking (and Life Lessons) from #talesofthegoodgirl

#CoviDiaries

Thank God it’s Friday! And it’s been two weeks. The days have been excruciatingly slooow. Kelan kaya matatapos ito. Hindi lang physical ang impact eh, but also on our emotional and mental state. Challenge talaga ito especially for over-thinkers and yung madaling ma-stress like me, kaya a few pointers lang to maintain your sanity:

1. You may want to stick to your normal routine. Para mabawasan yung feeling na abnormal itong mga panahong ito. Kahit nasa bahay lang, I still blow dry my hair and prep my face as if lalabas ako. Hindi ko nga lang magamit mga bags ko 🤣🤣🤣 Kaya tingnan ninyo yung ginawa ko sa Quarantine Pass, nagpictorial 🤣🤣🤣

2. Same pa rin yung paggawa ng weekly menu. Para hindi kayo mahirapan mag-isip ng lulutuin every day at para naka-allocate na yung contents ng ref mo.

3. Bawasan ang screen time. Minsan, set aside your phone. I have started re-reading my favorite books. Wag din puro Netflix. Buti na lang we still have free TV and cable TV. Watching The Voice S18 like crazy, and my favorite HGTV channel. Nakakamiss din ang PBA. I manage to catch din Bluff City Law, starring Jimmy Smits na favorite ko sa LA Law when I was a young girl dreaming to become a lawyer. Hanggang ngayon, lawyer pa rin role niya. 🥰🥰🥰

4. If you’re working from home, stick to a schedule. Pag break, break. Pag uwian na, uwian na. Ako pa naman itong kahit beyond office hours, at may emails pa, hindi ako napapakali. I tell myself now, may bukas pa. Kalma lang. It’s also nice to talk to colleagues once in a while para maramdaman mong hindi ka nag-iisa sa workload.

5. Maintain communication with your loved ones na hindi ninyo kasama physically. My siblings and I have a GC, pwedeng video call, pwedeng chat.

6. Be updated with what’s happening in your barangay. I was able to join a few public groups in FB, and it’s interesting to note how some people in the neighbourhood react, comment or act on issues and concerns. Mas nakikilala mo yung mga tao sa ganitong times. Kaya next election ha, alam ninyo na ang gagawin. Maraming ghosting na nagaganap ngayon 👻👻👻. Sana madala na tayo. Hindi naman sa umaasa kami sa “bigay” ng LGU. Pero wala kaming naramdaman dito. Although marami din namang masisipag na ka-Barangay. Mabuhay po kayo.

7. Rest. Get enough sleep. Exercise. Kung hindi man masunod yung eat healthy, at least sa ibang bagay bumawi na lang. Wala tayong salons for now, kaya dapat maintain pa rin ang beauty. Sa mga walang beauty, now is the time to work on it 😜😜😜

8. If someone in the family has to go out, make a list para hindi siya magtagal. If hindi sure sa bibilhin, download or save images of the products and send these images to him / her para guided. If you have more than enough, you can share with others who need them. Wear protective gear – mask, cap. If you have a mud room, dun dumaan bago pumasok ng bahay, iwan na yung footwear and gear sa labas para malinis muna before using them again.

9. Take note also of the things na gusto ninyo gawin, food that you want to eat, places that you want to visit. Mga taong gusto mong yakapin. Yung mga bagay that you used to take for granted. Count your blessings. That we still have food on the table. A roof above our heads. Be thankful for the good people in your life. Yung mga tumutulong sa ating lahat ngayon – frontliners, couriers / riders, delivery staff, guards, garbage people, etc. Stay safe po and maraming salamat.

10. Pray.

Hang in there. Matatapos din ito. Magkikita-kita tayo uli. God bless us all. (Rest in peace, Coach Aric Del Rosario 🙏) #talesofthegoodgirl