We have Become More Domesticated

More than two months ago I started to work from home and it's day 33 of the circuit breaker here in Singapore. Prior to the circuit breaker I was still able to go out for my PT sessions. We made a mad rush to move to a new home and that was a really good decision because things are much stricter now. We did not want to get stuck in our old home. 

Church

Our beautiful church back home. Photo by Kuya June Tupas.

We haven't been going out that much since I came back to Singapore last January. Miggy came with me and we originally planned to explore more of Singapore, but because of the virus we just stayed home. I think the highlight of the last five months for me was Cathy and Mike's wedding (watch Cathy's poem dedicated to Mike here). The last time we went to hear mass in church was in early February and after that all churches were closed. Good thing you can hear mass online now and we've been attending Pope Francis' live blessings also. 

Meals

Home-cooked Japanese-style hamburgers.

When in Singapore we usually go out to hear mass on Sundays, then we eat lunch and buy supplies (actually the same formula when back home in Manila hehe). Some nights on weekdays we also sometimes eat out to break the monotony. Things have changed a lot though and I was telling Sweetie earlier that it took me a year to finish a bottle of olive oil. I finished half of a new bottle in just a month! We've been preparing majority of our meals at home now.  

Entertainment

Meet "plant", our 4-year old plant our former landlord left with us. 

We don't have a cable subscription here in Singapore and only watch content from YouTube, TFC and Netflix. From watching TV shows/series, movies, travel vlogs we're now watching a lot of videos on planting veggies, baking bread, house tours and tiny homes! The reality is we're going to be stuck home for far longer than we expect and we are finding more ways to be productive at home. 

Shopping

You can't imagine how much joy I get now when we go downstairs once a week to buy bread from the vending machine. I was ecstatic when I was able to buy something from 7-Eleven after my check-up at the hospital last Wednesday. I took it for granted that I could go anywhere, anytime I wanted. Who would've thought that we'd experience a pandemic in our lifetime? Now I have to pre-plan everything I need because I can only buy things online. It's good for me because I have now learned to only get what I really need and I haven't bought any new clothes this whole year! 

Home Cleaning

Ahhh, this is where things have really changed. We have someone who comes in weekly to help clean the house and do ironing, but with the #CB we've had to do everything. It's been really hard since we moved and have had to do all the cleaning. My colleague Victor was telling me it's easy since he had to clean his unit every three days when he was an AirBnB host. My lame excuse for him was that I grew up with helpers and I only learned all my home management skills when I got married hehe (thank you YouTube Academy!). And as much as I keep viewing large nice houses, I don't really see myself living in a big house again because of all the cleaning that's required to maintain a big house. 

What about you? What changes have happened with how you live? What do you think you need to adjust more?

#CB33 #StayHome #BeKind

What is Mother Nature Trying to Tell Us?

A few weeks after the Taal Volcano eruption I went back to Singapore. It was right about the time when the coronavirus situation in China blew up and the government started rolling out stricter policies to prevent the spread. I knew right away that all my 2020 plans needed to be adjusted. Stress level escalated and I had slight fever every other week. I was really concerned about getting sick because I know I'm high risk.

What really helped me was when my director advised me to work from home. He said he was concerned about me getting infected. I really appreciated the gesture and it helped ease the stress. It's been two weeks since I started working from home. Stress level has gone down, but it's been busier at work. I only get to go out twice a week when I have physiotherapy. My PT has given me a list of exercises I can do at home since my movement is limited (Sweetie hasn't allowed me to swim for awhile now).

We hurt Mother Nature :'( 

After Pope Francis' urbi et orbi blessing last night (yes we stayed up) I realized that I need to process the situation better. Kuya taught me that for you to move on from a situation you need to learn from it. Papa Pope said in his meditation, “Because this is God’s strength: turning to the good everything that happens to us, even the bad things. He brings serenity into our storms, because with God life never dies.”

What lesson are we supposed to learn?

(Angelus with Pope Francis, October 2018 when we went to Rome.)

I fell asleep thinking about what Pope Francis said. I realized this morning that Mother Nature released this virus that affects the lungs because she is sending a message to us. I've been seeing reports that due to lockdowns/community quarantines the air has been cleaner. In Manila it's been reported that you could see the Sierra Madre mountains and Corregidor Island clearly. Manila Bay's water turned turquoise. In China it was reported they finally saw blue skies. Mother Nature's lungs was very sick. She couldn't breathe anymore.

When Mother Nature is happy.

And that's exactly what pneumonia makes you feel. I think that's what Papa Pope is trying to have us meditate on. History shows that mankind has experienced a number of pandemics. I think it happens when things just become too much. For the coming days I'm going to think about how I could be a better earthling, a better person and better appreciate all the blessings that's given to us.

What about you? What are your thoughts why this is happening to us?