The economic and social disruption caused by the pandemic is devastating. It  affected so many lives,  many mourned the loss of loved ones to COVID-19, lots of people struggled with the effect of the virus, some people developed depression and anxiety.

It was around mid-August when I already felt very toxic at work, I was so tired and it was really hard for me to start moving in the morning, I loss a little bit of weight due to anxiety and I became sickly and had aches everywhere.  I wasn’t happy anymore, working became a burden and not anymore an enjoyment.  Then, one day I realized that enough is enough and I can’t do it anymore so I left my job to baby sit my niece, one month after, our whole family was quarantined.

Some of my officemates went worried about me, quitting at work while there is a pandemic, but they knew my decision was for the better.  Maybe because I am a little survivor I started selling facemask online among my Facebook friends, I started with $20 capital which is I loaned from a coworker for my mother’s medical certificate, from the rotating savings among the employees. Yep, instead of returning the money before the one moth deadline, I have used it as a capital.

Selling facemask was the only option I have to earn money at home while looking after my little niece, at first I felt so embarrassed posting my items on my personal Facebook account, because there are a lot of thoughts and what ifs, what would be my teachers, friends, classmates reaction if they found me selling online?  When, I started earning a little and some friends started buying, I lost all of my inhibition and posted my mask publicly instead of privately.

Well, with the pandemic almost ending I know that I have to sell other items soon, as wearing facemask will surely be not be mandatory anymore.

Months after the pandemic started gardening and planting flowering plants became a new trend among homeowners and my mother was among those people who got addicted in planting and collecting flowering plants.

Day by day, my mother’s flower collections is increasing and getting bigger because my sister always bring home some cuttings from friends, members and colleagues. Then barter exchange became a trend in the Philippines, my mother bartered with our neighbors to have more plants in her garden and watering them become a tedious job for me and for my mother so buying an outdoor hose is a must for us, so I search for flexible and quality garden hoses online.  I found many options, but Eley water hoses caught my attention having many good reviews among buyers and users. It is dubbed as one of the best garden hoses as it excels in almost all aspects, strong and durable, light and flexible and can last a lifetime which mean we can save money from buying this kind of hose.

Eley water hose is also safe in drinking water, kink resistant and leakage free. The last garden hose we bought didn’t last long as it was cheap and not dependable.

With the rainy season, a lot of bugs, insects and ants in the field moved to a dry place so it is not surprising to see crawling ants in the corner of your house and get insect bites. I have previously blogged buying a cream to alleviate itchiness brought by insect bites. It was very helpful to avoid scratching and such.

The first time I felt something itchy in my leg 3-4 inches from my sole, I saw a small pimple in it that looks like an ant bite, I started putting cream on it but I have noticed the itchiness gone and keeps coming back until a group of three pimple marks developed. I scratched it from time to time and no matter how many times I put a cream it keeps coming back maybe because I always have my feet dirty when I am outside. One day, I felt uneasy that I keep scratching it, the old red pimple marks was gone but a new itchy red marks grow and when I looked at it closely I noticed something strange after thorough scratching, the red mark is forming like a circle.

[Photo credit: © Biophoto Associates / Science Source]

When I showed it to my sister and mother they said it is “buni” an allergy you get from eating too much chicken, they told me to avoid eating something fishy like sea foods, chicken and eggs.  So for few days I have avoided eating those things, they said I need it to be measured by going to a quack doctor then I will be given a medication.

To avoid the hassle of going to a quack doctor I have searched online for home medication,  I have found out the cause of this is fungi,  yes it was a fungal infection and not chicken allergy like the belief of the old folks.

Ring worm is caused by fungal infection in the skin and can be acquired through dump places like the bathroom and from people having this type of infection; it can also be acquired through pets like dog and cat. I have first thought I have got it from staying outside, in our outdoor faucet where I always soak my feet when washing dirty rags and our pet bowls especially it has been raining lately, and flooding but then I remember every time I sleep at night it was my habit to put a cushion in my feet and when I wake up in the morning a cat is sleeping in the cushion at my feet so I have thought I’ve got it from them.

Anyway, the medication that is useful for this type of fungal infection were coconut oil, turmeric, garlic and etc.,

Calmoseptine cream was also good for fungal infection as written in the packaging, since I have started putting cream in the infection in my leg it alleviate the itchiness and redness, but since it still occasionally itch and I have found more alternative medicine for it, I have tried it in different days. I first tried garlic, by cutting it in half and rub it through the mark, then the next day I tried rubbing salicylic acid which is a bit painful but surely the itchiness stops and faded a little. To take care of the skin and have the mark to disappear completely we cooked coconut milk to make coconut oil as a new alternative medicine.

Originally published on Herzline/ Sep 2, 2015 at 02:45

A friend had contacted me this morning asking if I want to work a sideline job, he operates a courier service in Tablas and he needs an operator. Answering queries from clients and working with the riders. Actually, beforehand we already joked him to hire us (his friends) when his business prosper in the island, so I guess that is why he offered me a sideline job.

We talked about the operation, the service charge and etc., then when I accepted it, he asked how about my job which I replied the service is still new so it is not to busy yet, not too many client requesting for riders so it will not be a problem since there will be no meeting yet in the office too and I seldom stayed inside the office as I run various errands outside. He then said, he wanted someone to work just from home, to focus in the operation since he has no office yet, which I replied that he is needing full time operator and not a sideline job, which made him laugh (lol) for his mistake.

In the end I declined the job, since he can’t figure out yet how much I am going to earn being an operator and what he need is actually a sideline fulltime (lol).

Early morning today, while an officemate and friend brought the incoming communication in the office, aplogizes and asked me not to feel bad for not being allowed in their office, she said they were also told not to standby, before I was told by MJ not to do be there. I just smiled and says it is nothing. It was actually nothing, but then I felt something in my gut.

That day, before I was told. Big Boss saw me inside the office using my phone connected to the office wifi. I was there because my boss instructed me to open her email, download the proposal, their utility bills and have them printed,  I was there working and not just sitting like most normal workers do in our workplace (lol). I admit, that it is my norm to standby upstairs, but I only do it after working my ass of and when I am not busy or during lunch break, and even if I stayed there, I don’t just sit and scroll. When I am requested upstairs to do something like going to other office to pick-up or bring documents I followed, and most of the time I offered to answer the telephone.

Anyway, my early errand for today is to do some grocery shopping and when it was completed brought them to my boss house together with the incoming communications they need for the zoom meeting.

When, I went to their home. My boss handed me an ecobag with six Chicken Luncheon meat inside, I was instructed that two of them was mine and then other four goes to the regulars, which made me thankful to her for the little gift.

I just seated in my seat when I received a new text on what to do, I combed my hair first and wipe my sweat before going outside again, I have been perspiring because of the hot weather outside.

It is lunch break right now and I am able to update my blog, I decided to buy and subscribe to magic data offered by Smart Communication so I can browse the internet without going and being connected upstairs when my boss asked me to do something online, and so I will not be mistaken too dilly dallying upstairs. Lol

The local transmission and on-going contact tracing resulted for us to work in skeletal schedule; we worked three (3) times a day per week. At first, I didn’t like my schedule because my friend and I have a different work schedule, but upon realizing I will have a long weekend, I was happy with it.

The first two weeks was very tiring, because there are a lot of things to do on and off the office. My office mates, initially avoided being in contact with me, because they said I go out a lot running errands, so I might be a virus carrier without their knowing. To make things worse I was banned or asked not to go upstairs and stayed in the upstairs office too, it was fine because I can still go upstairs when Mam N was not around (lol), but just a week ago the office was totally closed for everyone with VM’s advice just to be safe, because two (2) government offices were in lock down because of positive cases among the employees.

We did some repacking of goods in the office, actually we helped. Everyone received a sack of rice from their bosses that day, except for me and as expected my office mates teases me a lot and I just smiled with them.

Almost a year after the pandemic the town of Odiongan recorded its first case of Covid-19. It was imported, and there was no panic because the positive case was isolated right away, but everything change almost a month ago when a local transmission occurred in the neighboring town, and then spread like a little fire in Odiongan town.

[Photo courtesy of Bong Gabutero de Villena]

There were already 86 cases, one death and lots of recoveries so far, but since the local transmission started government and other private offices were in skeletal work, some work from home as well, but those jobs that requires collecting of money and meeting a lot of clients everyday was halted until further notice while the contract tracing is still on-going.

[Photo courtesy of Jessa Famero Solano/Bulig sa Tabobo-an]

Filipinos are known to be hospitable and known to be resilient, with the current situation of the Philippines a community pantry emerged in Manila, neighboring cities and now even in Odiongan. Every barangay in the town has their own community pantry where anyone is free take food or household items they need and anyone could drop off whatever food/items they could donate.

The community pantry was a powerful idea of Maginhawa Community Pantry with a theme “Give whatever you can, take only what you need”

I have been working as job order in the local government for more than a year already, but I have no worker’s ID.  It wasn’t required at work, and there wasn’t a memo saying we should get one or a memo requiring us to get one.  I have remembered one time, we went to the HR department to ask about it, but we are told the ID template has to be change so we should just wait for the new template. Then, there was a time we are allowed to get an ID after getting our employee number. I went to the photo shop one afternoon, but I wasn’t catered since I think the owner is already feeling lazy turning on the equipment, I was asked to return the next day, but given my busy life in the office running around for errands I never had the chance to return anymore especially the shop is not a walking distance from my work place.

Pandemic came, still no ID. A year after pandemic started, still no ID and then suddenly again a quarantine pass is needed to go to town. Having no ID I have asked my sister to get me a Worker’s pass if she get hers, but unfortunately she wasn’t able to get me a pass, because whoever releasing the passes in our barangay doesn’t believe I don’t have a worker’s ID. If you are government worker, an ID is enough to pass through the check point according the memo from above.

With this, we decided to rush an ID from the photo shop in town where our LGU is tied up. It was closed and currently not receiving clients, but since one of our workmate is their neighbour we just did it the easiest way, we send our details and photos online, as well as our e-signature. Guess, what my disappointment when I received my ID? The details at the back were wrong, my birthdate, parent’s address and phone number and the signature at the back was not mine.  I have told my workmate about it, and he was told that the shop will give me a new one, but when the new one came instead of being happy I feel so stress out even more, because it has the wrong Employee number! Seriously? The minor errors at the back of the new ID is bearable, but having the wrong Employee number stresses me out  tremendously, so I asked my sister if he can message the shop owner if he can print another ID for me and I will just pay for it, since there was a mistake on the new ID I have received.  Call me vain, but I can’t accept the fact that I have a wrong employee number; it was like I stole someone’s identity or license number if we are talking about a professional identification.

Anyway, I was given a Worker’s pass in our barangay before I am able to rant in my Facebook account. No replied yet from the shop owner. He might be busy or cannot be bothered with my problem.

Last Saturday, I woke up early and went to town before day light to help in the bike marathon sponsored by VM in celebration of his 50^th birthday.  It was a 50km bike race with five (5) categories; they were based on age group.

My office mates and I has their own designation in the marathon, I was assigned at the registration of the younger bikers (19 below) together with an older office mate.  We started the registration as soon we’ve done setting-up the tables and canopies. As expected from the pre-registration done a week ago, 19 below has more joiners,  I think we have around 45 young bikers.

Well, the bikers left five (5) minutes apart by category, and when everyone left to race we move our tables to the finished line, and since we still have ample time left before the bikers returned some of us went to the office to have a breakfast (a cup of coffee and pandesal with peanut butter) courtesy of an older office mate. The bikers returned early than expected, I had a trouble recording some of the bikers time in my category, not because they are too many, but because some bikers lost their numbers and it was hard to know who they are. You know what, I have raised this problem at the orientation asking if it is possible the bikers will also have number at their back, but we are told it will not be a problem because the bikers group will be there to help us, they will announced the number of approaching biker so we can hear and your guess is right as mine, it never happened when some bikers number were lost along the way.

There was instance I have to kneel just to see the number of approaching biker, that’s how hard to get the bikers numbers. Well, don’t ask for my partner because she is doing her own thing. Initially, she told me that she will record or video everything, but in one minute we all saw her becoming a medic, someone’s assistant and a caterer eerrr server, giving snacks to the bikers.

Anyway, the marathon ended well. We had a group picture, and when I returned to the table where left my documents they were nowhere to be found and then I overheard one of my office mate saying all the folders were keep in the container. The inner me is saying to check if my folder was there, but I am too tired to be bothered.

Monday came, and I was asked for my records as there are some bikers wanted to know their travel time, it turns it wasn’t in the container. Yep, it was missing and nowhere to be found. I already asked everyone, but no one is voicing out. It was a good thing, I have the habit of taking pictures of every important files. It was late in the afternoon when I was called by an older office mate, it turns out he has my folder, maybe he accidentally took it.