WUHAN, CHINA Covid-19 - My Life under Quarantine PART 3

It's DAY 28 of the lockdown as i write this. I can't believe a month has passed already since the community quarantine took place. I have sort of adjusted to my new life now living under quarantine, but everyday it still feels like i'm in some sort of a disaster movie. I hope the happy ending will come soon. 

For someone like me who plans his days, weeks and months ahead, this has got to be a huge adjustment. About an hour ago, as i was writing on my journal diary like i always do, for the past 5 years, i seriously couldn't write much. I have all the blank spaces in my notebook, damnit. Because i haven't gone out of the house except for a few errands, my life has revolved around my home. It's not actually boring. It's just that i pretty much don't have anything "adventurous" to do. Thankfully, i live comfortably, with loving people, under quarantine. This made the lockdown so much bearable. I cannot imagine the feelings of those who live alone, in their flats or those away from their families. While it's good to have a place of your own, and enjoy your privacy. It's another, to be stuck in it, for days, weeks and probably months ahead. I cannot fathom.

As a cinephile, it's good that i can watch as many movies and series as i fancy without ever leaving the house. Although i miss the smell of a movie theater with a pop corn and soda on the side, Netflix and downloaded movies would do for now. I've set up my small mini theater area in my bedroom, where i have connected my Apple TV to my television set. This made watching Netflix so much easier. I've probably watched more than a hundred movies since lockdown, with an average of 2-3 movies per day.  All of which, i must say, are good choices. With my Apple TV, i can also browse through my old travel photos since 2016 (thanks to iCloud). Gosh, I miss Morroco, Mongolia and Russia. These photos made me miss traveling a lot, but it also made me realize how fortunate i am that i have travels to look back at.  

I have been training Muay Thai for the past three years already. I even fly to Thailand twice a year to train at Yokkao Gym. I seriously miss the training but my KRU is also on lockdown in his city, and i couldn't even extend help to him because we both cannot leave the house at all. I just feel it's the one sport i think i will be practicing for a very long time. I used to play volleyball, table tennis, badminton but it is through this Martial Arts that i've gained the confidence to protect myself. Boxing is closely related to Muay Thai, and i miss it, too. This comes in handy for a traveler like me, who's always in an unfamiliar destination, and meeting numerous strangers. Instead of wallowing in this despair, i am using this lockdown to still activate my metabolism. I run 3-4 a times a week within the compounds of our private subdivision. Afterwhich, i either do calisthenics or HIIT training, which always make me sweat in minutes. Obviously, the quarantine made me gain a couple of pounds but that's the least of my worries now. Having a strong immune system is key to fighting of this virus, and a lockdown doesn't mean lying in bed all day, and being stagnant.

Since the lockdown, i have been quite productive with my days. I have a whopping 40,000 photos and 10,000 videos stored on my iPhone iCloud. Since two years ago, i have stopped using my Fuji XM-1 to shoot, instead i just use my iPhone 7. Once this is all over, remind me again to upgrade my iPhone so my photos have better photo quality. I don't like carrying too many things anymore when i travel so using my handyphone to take photos seem more practical. With that being said, i have thousands of photos that need to be downloaded so i have actual copy of it. It's also the reason why the photos in my recent blog posts about BATANES and BILIRAN are shot using iPhone 7. For about a week and a half, i was able to download all photos from iCloud and upload them on my hard drive. More than 200 gigabytes later, i am officially done. This book "Likable Social Media" by Dave Kerpen has been sitting on my desk for weeks now. I bought it about a month or two ago so i can read it supposedly on my cancelled Cambodia trip back in February, and i just started reading it already. I've also cleaned my bedroom and bathroom. Sorting out all of my stuff was quite hard because i do have a lot of stuff from all my travels. I haven't even unboxed yet my shopping haul from Japan, and that is from December 2019. I've just finished unboxing my haul from South Korea last February 2020. I also have a couple of stuff i bought for my trip to Bali, which got cancelled because of the enhanced community quarantine. That, i have to unbox and unload. For weeks, i've browsed through and read my magazine collection which is a delight, because it has always been my go to for inspiration. And of course, this blog. PINOY BOY JOURNALS has been dormant for years now, and because i have so much time on my hands now, i could literally write stories almost everyday. It's good to have an outlet where i can share with everyone my thoughts, hopes and dreams. This blog is it. Looking back, i was right to not end this blog, because reading through my old posts made me realize how beautiful words are to tell stories of triumphs, defeats, and my adventures around my beloved country the Philippines, and asia, and the rest of the world. 

My life under quarantine has been great! I see the silver lining in things now, that's why. We all know how unfortunate this situation is already. Believe me, it's harder for me. I travel every single month, and is outdoor almost every single day of the week. And right now, i couldn't even go out and have a haircut. For a traveler and adventurer, it's already taking a toll on my mind and body. I am not used to a sedentary life, but i cope with it. Through the love and support of my family, i just like to think that i am in a vacation. Sooner or later, we will all adapt to this. As they say, this, too shall pass. Hopefully, this will not be the new norm because i yearn already for the life i am used to, the not-so-perfect "perfect" lives we all used to have.  This should remind us all to be grateful for our lives, and appreciate what we have, because these are the only things that matter. But right now, we don't have any choice, do we? Let's make the most of our current situation. Spread kindness to one another, and pray. We'll get over this soon. We always do. 

Photo sourced from HERE.