It has been around four months since life as we know it now came to be.
Now it all feels like a distant memory—an unimaginable one, but that initial shock shoot my anxiety through the roof. I was in Manila the week quarantine was abruptly enforced, just a few days away from when flights will be suspended. I remember panicking and thinking I wouldn’t be able to go back to the US.
Arriving in Miami where my boyfriend lives, we still experienced a weekend of relative normalcy where most establishments were still open and wearing a mask was just suggestive. We were under the impression that the virus still hadn’t reach this side of the word although people were already hoarding at the groceries—a sight straight out of the apocalypse.
I still tried to go to work until the end of April, although our own operations drastically changed in just a few weeks. It became tremendously difficult to drag myself to work. Seeing deserted airports and empty flights was depressing on top of the scare that I might catch the virus for all I know.
I took our three-month company-offered leave come May to save the remaining of my sanity and also, for my own safety. I have mostly stayed at home apart from running errands once in a while. I think the worst of my anxiety was in March to early May until I have already reached that point of saturation for any Covid-19 related news. I still try to keep myself updated (the journalist in me just needs to consume news on a regular,) but whenever things would get too overwhelming, I would stay off the grid for a few days.
It wasn’t easy deviating from current happenings, especially since I feel like whatever bad news I miss will still find a way to sneak up on me. But during these very confusing times, I realized developing a routine helped me to cope up with all the mayhem. I also went back to long-forgotten hobbies like reading and blogging (hence, this blog,) and kept myself active at least a few times a week. There are some days, of course, where my energy would just extremely drop and I would go back to worrying about my work and life in general.
Another thing I realized is that people have their own ways of coping and what works for one, doesn’t necessarily means it will work for another. But on this blog, I want to share some of the things that helped me push forward and hopefully, will spark some sense of inspiration for some:
1. Dalgona coffee
I admit, I was one of the many who joined the bandwagon when this Korean coffee became popular a few months back. My boyfriend was nice enough to make the whipped coffee for me at least twice until I realized how much work (and cleaning of our hand-mixer after,) it requires.
I’ve learned of a dupe, however, where we still follow the same recipe, except just mix the ingredients altogether. It still comes as tasty as the original version! I best suggest using vanilla almond or oat milk and sweetener for this (I don’t use sugar for my coffee so this is just a personal preference.)
I think my coffee dependency heightened during this pandemic, which is ironic since I’m just at home anyways, but knowing I’d get a good cup of joe as I wake up is something I still look forward to up to this day.
2. Reading for leisure and the magic of Goodreads
I’ve been a voracious reader since I was a kid but haven’t been much now as an adult. Last year, I tried setting a reading goal of (just) six books, which I usually finish on my jumpseat during long flights. I think I fell short from that goal.
Since I have too much free time on my hands now, I first tried reading all those I bought from last year and then later on, bought a few more. At some point, I contemplated getting a Kindle but I know in my heart, the joy of flipping through new pages and seeing my collection grow is still unparalleled.
I have also signed up for Goodreads to keep track of my progress and review books right away, since I think it’s also an effective tool to hone my writing. I can’t believe I slept on Goodreads all these years when it is tailored-fit to a reader like me. I only have a few active friends who update their profiles regularly but even that small community is already an inspiration enough for me to read more. I also love the exchange of thoughts among the readers where I always learn a thing or two.
So far, my favorite quarantine reads are Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng and On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King.
3. Blogging again after many years
I’ve had multiple blogs in the past only to end up letting them go after a hiatus. I think there is at least one that is still up on the Internet, mostly documenting my early 20s drama and life uncertainties. They’re often cringe-y but always a good reminder that I tried to write even through the dullest periods of my life.
My boyfriend surprised me with this blog domain, pre-Covid era—about a year in advance actually. He has been very supportive of my writing and consistent as my avid reader. I mean, getting me a domain as a gift just speaks so much of his love language, and for which, I am truly grateful.
I have put it off long enough until finally in May, I commissioned an art director to design my blog layout. I told her I have an HTML ability of a 13-year old and needed some help. This is partly true considering I knew how to tweak my old Blogspot better back in 2007 than I can now.
It has been two months since my initial post and I couldn’t be any happier. To have an online repository of my thoughts had always been therapeutic for me. I spend days typing away for hours where I truly get lost in time. I am still in love with the whole process of writing even after all these years.
4. The deep (not dark) YouTube
I didn’t always have the attention span for watching videos online but one travel vlog (and algorithm) led a thing to another. I only resort to YouTube before when researching for itineraries and have since then became fond of certain personalities like Paolo fromTOKYO, Mark Wiens, and even the now discontinued ones from Erwan Heussaff.
It wasn’t until some time last month when I first stumbled upon BuzzFeed’s Worth It and couldn’t believe how much I’ve been missing. These two hosts, Steven Lim and Andrew Ilnyckyj, travel across America and even Asia to try certain foods in three different price points and see which one is the most worth it. The videos aren’t lengthy which makes all six seasons easy to binge.
Since then, I have also discovered other BuzzFeed content creators like Inga Lam and Rie McClenny who run their own segments and even personal channels. These vlogs already have a cult following and true enough, I’ve also successfully converted Choco into watching that it now became an essential part of our evenings at home.
5. Cooking and other kitchen mishaps
A couple of years ago, I couldn’t cook to save my life. I’ve been independently living for about four years now but have always managed to get by (healthy-ish) prepared meals from Trader Joe’s or anything I can easily whip off in the kitchen.
I’ve always been interested to cook though and sometime last year, finally got the chance to take it a little more seriously. My boyfriend is still the better cook between the two of us but, now, he can leave me in the kitchen without any help and trust me with most Filipino dishes like sinigang and adobo. Through the quarantine, we have experimented with a lot of recipes—from recreating Ate Rica’s bacsilog, lemon ricotta pancakes (I have the weirdest cravings,) Korean fried chicken, and desserts like tiramisu and banana pudding, we have tried it all. It’s been a therapeutic bond for the both of us although he deserves most of the credit.
Now that we recently just got an oven, I am excited to try my hands at baking. I know there is precision involved in the art of it and that’s still something up in the air for me to try out.
6. Working out and eating mindfully
There are days when I would feel a surge in lethargy, making me unproductive and overall just bereft of life. I guess mentally draining myself from worrying affects the physical aspect, too. I had to curb it through home exercises, even if it’s just 20 to 30 minutes a day. It’s difficult to begin a workout routine more so, for me who is just lightly active. But eventually, I felt how good my body is turning out to be—how light and seemingly energetic I had been that it just became easier to follow through. There are weeks where I also practice intermittent fasting and strict calorie counting which I admit, I really like the result of.
Most days, I would say I’m doing okay. It’s hard to look forward to a future knowing the present is as bleak as what we have, but I’m always hopeful that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Having all this free time for now, I know I will be cultivating more hobbies and interests along the way. On top of my head? Trying my hands at interior design, adopting plants, and exploring more of nature through hiking once it is safer to go outside.