April lasted about five years. I'm so relieved to be writing this in May!
Here we go:
Hits
Work:
We missed the ocean so much so we made our our own Zoom backgrounds. We also uploaded the mobile wallpapers we've created before!
Apparently my teeth and my oily forehead blend in with the off-white wall
Joining/organizing a few online events to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day: Dark Seas Netflix Watch Party, Aveda's Show You Care webinar, The Story of Plastic watch party and panel discussion, YSEALI's #1Earth series with Dave and Deign, and Global Changemakers' Planet panel.
The Need for Seaweed, put together in time for 4.20
Crazy Rich Oceans tote in Rustan's supermarkets nationwide. Yey!
Media
MasterClass: I've been getting the ad on my Instagram for months but found it too expensive. But they had a buy-1-take-1 promo (well they didn't call it that haha - it was branded as "buy one annual membership, share one free"), Chely and I decided to split a membership. My first class? Bobbi Brown's makeup class. Second class? Gardening by the Gangsta Gardener Ron Finley. Read about his work here.
Alo Moves: So much variety for at-home workouts. Still looking for a good yoga class that suits my level but I've enjoyed the barre classes a lot.
Lea Salonga's concert on Bayanihan Musikahan. I always die a little inside when she sings "Sana Maulit Muli." SO GOOD.
Bea and JLC's (staged) IG Live catch-up. Even if it was scripted, nakakaihi parin sa kilig.
Hillary on Hulu. Four, solid episodes that made me angry and made me cry. The impact of what Hillary has accomplished - whatever your opinions are about her - is undeniable. She has cracked the glass ceiling many times. More than a docu-series about her, it was a contemplation about feminism, the price you pay for wanting to break the glass ceiling, and resilience. Read the review here.
Books
Favorites this month were Unnatural Causes by Richard Shepherd and Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty. I wrote about all the books I read in April here.
Reads
"I am COVID-19 Patient 2828" by Howie Severino
"The First Big Quarantine Fight and a Face Dive on Howard Street" by Leandra M. Cohen
"Embarrassing Photos of Me, Thanks to My Right-Wing Stalkers" by Bill McKibben. This was published in 2016, but I only stumbled upon it recently after reading his response to Planet of the Humans. My favorite part:
But environmentalists also live in the world we’re trying to change: We take airplanes and rent buses for rallies; we make a living, shop for groceries. None of this should demand an apology. Changing the system, not perfecting our own lives, is the point. “Hypocrisy” is the price of admission in this battle.
And despite what the industry and its advocates insist, that does not make us all equally responsible for the climate crisis.
We’re fighting for policy changes that will make it possible for us to have better choices: utilities that offer us renewable options, electric trains that make short-haul flights obsolete, public transit.
Life
Seeing my one-year-old niece on video gives me so much joy. (And no, I still don't want to have a kid! Lalo na ngayon!)
Seeing my best friend Gold who made (!) taho and brought it to me through a five-minute rendezvous
Deactivating my Instagram during the first week of May. A spa for the soul.
Being interviewed by Patch's six-year-old niece, Alie, for her homework on climate change. I was so nervous!?!??! Pinawisan ako ha. There is always so much more pressure when children ask me questions on my work or on environmental issues.
Omakase opening for deliveries. O M G.
American Dream has been my go-to order in Omakase since I was in high school. This brought me so much comfort.
Misses
McDonald's offering McNuggets without BBQ sauce. Bakit pa?
Early morning/late evening online meetings due to different timezones. I always feel only half alive.
Seeing my best friend Gold and not being able to hug her or be close to her, and realizing that this physical distancing will go on for awhile.
The reality of organizing/participating in online events hit me hard this month because of all the Earth Day ganap. Speaking in front of a laptop and all the awkward silences and connection issues misses so much of the human connection that I crave and thrive on. I don't want this to be the "new normal."
Little Fires Everywhere (TV adaptation): I wrote this under "Hits" of my March Roundup, but the remaining episodes fell flat for me. Kerry Washington's lip twitch school of acting became consistently annoying.
The New Normal Bill that mandates disposable menus (among others) for up to three years. Some policies are warranted, but some are too much. I hope our Senate is more sensible. Will be watching this bill closely.