May, to my mind, was marked by the extended ECQ (EECQ?) and MECQ. It was also marked by spending Month of the Ocean without the ocean. But there were other simple joys to celebrate.
Hits:
Work:
Celebrating nine years of Save Philippine Seas! Wowzaaaa. Sometimes I still feel like every year is Year 1.
Our seagrassroots movement infographics, which Gab and Gabs worked on. I love creating communication materials for under-appreciated marine species. Our next challenge may just be to create one on sea cucumbers...
Media:
Becoming on Netflix: I started crying even before the 10-minute mark. I'm a Michelle Obama fan so I enjoyed it, but this review summed up my feelings: "it is an official product: authorized, certified — a statement rather than an investigation." It could have pushed harder, but it served as a perfect pick-me-up.
David Sedaris’s MasterClass! He’s one of my favorite writers and I LOL-d several times throughout the class. I was also inspired to write more.
The “Translate into English” IG filter. It entertained me so much. Clearly.
Books:
Education of an Idealist was my favorite book for the month. I didn’t finish it in January but decided to pick it up again, and I'm happy I did. Longer review here.
Joining a virtual book club! My friend Linh and I sometimes message about books, and in April she decided to get her bookworm friends from all over the world together for a virtual book club. It’s called Shelf Love (and guess who came up with that...). Since the members of the book club are in different parts of the world, there were two schedules: morning and evening that Linh facilitated over Zoom. First book: Such A Fun Age. I love talking to people about books - strangers included.
Reads: Mari Andrew has an uncanny ability to put my tangled feelings into words and illustrations. She had a series of "Things I Miss" for Forge:
I Miss This Time Already: "“Quarantine” is no longer a verb, but a distinct time in our lives. In the past couple months, many of us have experienced contentment or even joy in this new world we inhabit."
I Miss Serendipity: "And it’s easy to miss the possibilities when they arise, swathed as we are in masks, and shrinking back to give each other a wide berth."
I Miss Home as a Refuge:"Being home means I can let loose, be myself, feel comforted. But that comfort was always so sweet precisely because it was special. Home was a refuge, a place I chose to be. Now that most of us have to be there, where can we take refuge?"
Life:
Zoom call with my cousins.
All Care, my healthcare provider. I (finally) bought healthcare this year after two trips to the ER in two months. At the beginning of the quarantine, they provided a three-month subscription to Kitika, a "subscription-based service that provides 24/7 Primary Medical Care through the aide of Nurses, General Practitioners, and Specialist Doctors, all through the convenience of your Mobile Phone." I got myself into another medical issue and needed medical advice. I did NOT want to go to a hospital. I downloaded the app, admittedly skeptical, typed in my symptoms, got a call from a nurse, who then referred me to a lovely doctor. He asked questions and sent me a prescription within a few minutes from ending our call. I also received a check-up call a couple of weeks after.
Deactivating my Instagram and Facebook accounts for about 10 days. It was bliss.
My Tita Georgia’s scones, chocolate tres leches cake, and orange chocolate. She's the only one in my family who whips these goodies up from scratch, and each one is mind-blowing. My domestically disabled cousin and I sometimes joke that our motto in household concerns is "What Would Georgia Do?"
Visiting the family farm in Indang, Cavite. I love seeing where our food comes from and how they grow.
Baby rambutan! I sent this photo to Ike and he said it looked like Koosh balls. I said they looked like COVID to me.
Blooms from wild ginger. We plucked a few and put them in a vase at home. I love this shade of purple.
Dragonfruit starting to grow.
?
Baking for the first time. I wanted calamansi muffins so I made them. Recipe from Pepper PH. It’s a hit because I baked for the first time, but a miss because I overmixed it. The recipe warns "don't overmix" but I didn’t realize what that meant!
Misses:
Not realizing it was Chely’s birthday until she told me. I’ve completely lost track of dates and days. I have no good excuse, and I felt like a shit friend.
The heat. Temperature: 36°C. Real feel: 46°C. REAL real feel: Dante’s 7th circle of hell.
Straining my right hand's muscles, which means no upper body exercises for three weeks and an unpleasant (/painful) way to text/type. Huhuhu.
Comments