Zoom Session with Friends: Is This The New Normal?

Has it led to this? Last night, i had a zoom session with my closest friends - one of the very few that i attended to. You know why? Because it leaves a bitter taste to me knowing this is the only way i can see my friends and know how they're doing. Is this the new normal? It's supposed to be a drinking session, but getting drunk physically alone (but with friends via video call) is weird for me. 

It is Day 77 of the lockdown here now in Manila. In a few days, a general community quarantine will take place which means easing all pre-existing protocols. As much as this is good news to me, and i can finally go out to run my personal errands and err hopefully meet up with this gang, i would still wait it out. This Wuhan Covid-19 has probably given me a bit of trauma in a way. My interpersonal skills have been compromised big time. Last night, i was having an early evening run and i chanced upon a Grab driver asking for directions. What the hell? I don't know if i should respond to his question or run away. I have always been good with people. I have changed a bit, but i can carry a conversation and make boring discussions exciting and meaningful. Now, i don't know anymore. You see, this pandemic has brought out the worst in people. I am just trying my best to look at the bright side of things, and make the most out of it by learning to adapt and do the things i've been meaning to do. Zoom is cool for now, but heck i don't want to keep on using this app when i get bored and when i miss my friends. I want to ride, even if it means traffic, and hang out with friends and have a drink. I want to go outside. I want to travel alone. I want to travel with my friends. I want a shared experience.

Don't get me wrong. If you follow this blog, you know how i find serenity and peace doing things on my own. I travel solo, probably 90% of the time. I have solo trips that lasted almost three months straight, so i can get by. But there will be moments, when a funny conversation with an old pal or getting a serious advice from a beloved friend, is golden. I've learned to treasure these moments and begin to appreciate these things. 

I hate this new normal. In my previous blog entries, you know how much i despise using it. There's no new normal. We will go back to how it was before and just become better people.