The Month that was August!

August turned out to be a better month than the previous one. We took care of our health last July and last month was quite chill. Stayed home a lot. I managed to cook and bake. Baking though saps so much of my energy, hopefully that would improve. 

I think the highlight of the month was seeing our friend, Marcus, again. It was a quick visit for him, but I'm glad we were able to catch up after 3 years! I think the last time I saw him was when the office was still open in 2020. I'm glad we were able to meet up!

We also worked on further decluttering our home. We finally saw our living room floor after almost 2 years of being filled with boxes! There's still some and we're aiming to clear that up so we can decorate for Christmas. Also starting to plan now what to do with Mom's things. It will still take awhile, but it has to be done sooner than later. 

Here's the August 1-second everyday video

Of course, August is my birth month! We planned something that's on my bucket list. I'll blog about that soon. I preferred to stay home for my birthday. Luckily, Kuya and Ate Joy send this ginormous porchetta! It was so delicious! The serving though was so huge, it took us four days to finish (hahaha!). I think I'll get one for Christmas! 

The kittens have grown a lot too. Brimsley moved them around a lot and eventually settled in the laundry area. That was the first time we got to see them properly. Soon enough they escaped their box and started walking around.  They are now almost two months old and are due to be brought to the vet. The little rascals are now trying to climb everything. We had to close the side garden for safety. Let's see where this goes, so far Brimsley hasn't weaned them away. 

Someone asked me if I get bored just being home. I don't! There's so  much to do and I try to keep busy. I do things based on the available energy I have for the day. I think I was more active in August because of the meal plans. I got the right nutrition and was able to control what I eat based on my needs. I slept much better too. I stopped though for my birthday and plan to get back on it soon.

How was August 2023 for you?

#BeKind #StaySafe

Throwback Thursday: A Look-back at The First Quarter of the Pandemic

We were in Singapore when the lockdown started to happen. We were trying to extend Miggy's stay, but since things were getting fuzzy our application was denied. He managed to get home just a few days before the lockdown started in the Philippines. The strict movement kept us apart for almost 2 years. We've always done things together and those 2 years were very hard. I jumped out of the van to hug him when we finally arrived. 

Work from home era

I started blogging daily in 2020. It was supposed to be a one month challenge. I extended it because of the unusual circumstance. I looked back at my posts that marked how things were during the 2+ years when movement was restricted and our lives changed completely.

1. 
   February 13, 2020 - Re-aligning Plans
2. February 16, 2020 - Did You Panic Buy
3. February 17, 2020 - Mad Monday and Thinking About Immunity
4. February 29, 2020 - Living in the Time of the Coronavirus
5. March 11, 2020 - How to Enable Distance Learning for Your School
6. March 12, 2020 - How to be a Homebody
7. March 13, 2020 - The Situation in Our Homes: Manila and Singapore
8. March 16, 2020 - We Will Bear this Cross Together
9. March 18, 2020 - Your Survival Guide to Working at Home
10. March 19, 2020 - Online Grocery and Online Medicine Delivery Service
11. March 23, 2020 - The Last Stretch of March
12. March 24, 2020 - I Did the Dalgona Challenge
13. March 28, 2020 - What is Mother Nature Trying to Tell Us?
14. March 29, 2020 - Keeping Safe: Staying and Working from Home in Singapore
15. March 31, 2020 - Goodbye March, Hello April

Just before movement was restricted, I was still able to attend a friend's wedding. It's the last celebration I attended before the lockdowns started (called circuit breaker in Singapore). Mask wearing was soon required and we were advised to work from home. I didn't know that last day at the office would be the last time I'd get to go inside it. 

I was grateful though to work from home because I was having breathing issues and working in a huge office was challenging. Sweetie and I had to work out a dynamic on how to work at home together. I was pretty noisy all day with so many meetings, so he used Miggy's bedroom. We were also bent to move to a new place and spent the month of March looking for a new place. 

Thought I'd look back at what transpired 3 years ago. Things seem to be going back to "normal", but while people are adjusting back to pre-pandemic norm, I'm still at the fork of the road, thinking about what my next steps would be. 

Have you gone back to pre-pandemic norm or are you following the new normal?

#BeKind #StaySafe