A lot has happened in the world since my last post. And I’m having a bit of a pickle trying to figure out where exactly I should start. But you know, like always I’m gonna wing it and start from the beginning.
Friday, March 13, 2020 9:20 am
Around this time, the Coronavirus(or Covid-19 as they now call it) had already been a rising concern amongst various countries around the world. Some schools had already been shut down until further notice. But our school hadn’t done that just yet(keep note that the date listed above was a while before now, just to give you some perspective). My friends, teachers, and basically the entire school population wanted to be at home rather than being jostled into classrooms and intermingling with other people’s germs.
I was sitting in biology, finishing up with correcting my latest test(98% woohoo!)my friend was sitting next to me as we were getting packed up for our next classes. I was reaching down to grab my pocketbook to jot a reminder down for myself when the principal’s voice boomed through the loudspeaker. That being a rare occasion, the entire class perked up to hear what the principal had to say:
“Teachers, please read to your students the email that has just been sent to you. Once again, teachers, please read to your students the email that has just been sent to you.”
The email stated that all students, administrators, and faculty would not be coming to school on Tuesday of the next week(Monday was a Teacher-In Service day). And a set date hadn’t been confirmed for when we would be on campus once again.
My friends and I looked at each other, our expressions disgruntled and asking a thousand questions.
“When will we be back at school?”
“1/2 of the second semester is ending, how will we turn in our final assignments?
“Will our grades go down?”
“How will we do assignments and takes classes?”
The classroom had reached a soft hum, everyone was distracted. Emotions were tossed about the classroom like a volleyball; confusion, relief, irritation, fear.
The only emotion you could see on my face was this:
…
(￣ᗝ￣) r u serious
As soon as I left the classroom, I bolted to the nearest bench so I could put down my stuff and pull out my hand sanitizer, which I proceeded to vigorously on my hands and in between my fingers. Which was a habit I had since elementary school; but every since this virus broke out, it was done with new purpose. I rushed to my next class, eager to discuss this with my friends who had the same questions I did. That we all did.
The rest of the school day was a blur, everyone’s mind focused on getting things out of lockers, collecting the necessary material to keep at home, figuring out ways to get classwork done when not set in a classroom. And we all left with promises of seeing each other whenever school would be open and safe again.
It is March 26th, 2020, and quite a few days after the “Shelter in Place” order was put upon California. The overall experience thus far has been nothing but odd. I myself am a pretty introverted person as I have emphasized on multiple occasions. I like staying home rather than frolicking about the city wearing sunglasses and having a selfie stick as my partner in crime. I’m not a social butterfly but I’m not necessarily a hermit either. So you can imagine my surprise when the Californian government is telling me to stay home. Like what?
Self-quarantine, social-distancing and maintaining self-hygiene seems to be the best way to keep this virus away from touching more people. So if you see the streets empty in your favorite hotspot, or a line of stores and buildings empty. Well, in this particular case it’s the best thing to do. But these changes have made our ordinary everyday lives, not so ordinary anymore. So let me give you a little peek into my daily routine in quarantine:
8:30am: Wake up. (And proceed to roll around my bed like a ball of mochi until I have the motivation to get up. Which takes 30 minutes).
9:00am: Get all the hygiene stuff done and eat a breakfast.
11:00am: Sign into an online video chat with my Algebra teacher and classmates on Zoom. A math lesson that will proceed for roughly 60 minutes.
12:00-2:30: Get all my work done and turned in for the day. The assignments usually aren’t due until a few days after they are posted and assigned, but I always try to do work ahead of time to get it out of the way.
2:30-Bedtime: The rest of the day is left to leisure, I can chill out and watch videos on YouTube, binge movies, hang with my munchkins, draw. And just keep myself from getting bored.
Looking this schedule over, it seems simple, and not as elaborate as a usual day. But this virus has changed so many things for so many people that it’s brought on new experiences and habits to even the busiest of us.
So, in order keep safe, let us all:
- Wash hands thoroughly with soap for 20 seconds or more
- Disinfect constantly used objects
- Stay away from people who look sick or are sick
- Cover your cough and sneeze to avoid transmitting bacteria to people surrounding you
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth
- Wipe down all surfaces
- If you want to hug someone, give them an air-hug instead 🙂
Take this time to do the things that make you happy and calm. And avoid reading the news too much, it’ll agitate you and your mind to the point where you get paranoid.
With all that said, I will be sharing with you, the things that have been keeping me occupied and happy through this odd period of time. And hopefully can help ease the feeling of being in an unfamiliar territory in this icky situation our world is in.
(Disclaimer: NONE OF THIS IS SPONSORED. I OWN NONE OF THE PLATFORMS, LABELS, OR NAMES LISTED IN THIS POST.)
Music:
I’ve been listening to BTS’s new album Map of the Soul: 7. Which came out late last month. Personally, it’s one of my favorite BTS albums to date and every song has incredible lyrics and vibes. My favorite songs from the album were:
“On”
“Filter”
“Friends”
“Black Swan”
and “Louder than Bombs”
I encourage you to listen to this album because it touched both my mind, and my persona in a whole new way. Plus, the whole album just gets you to feel things. And opens your senses, blocking away the serious thoughts clouding our minds.
I’ve also been working through Selena Gomez’s latest album Rare. My top two from that album so far are, “Ring” and “Look at Her Now.”
Books:
Recently, I binge read through the entire Japanese manga series “The Girl from the Other Side” and fell in love with the soft art and detailed story. I also recently finished the book “Moon Chosen” written by P.C. Cast. Which is a compelling fairy tale-isque story. But of course, I’ve also binge-read through the entire Harry Potter series. Again.
Television/Media:
To keep myself entertained, I’ve been watching movies on Disney+ and watching cooking videos on YouTube. I’ve also been gaming quite a bit and reading web comics. The apps I do recommend are the following:
Webtoons – You can find tons of comics and manga written and drawn by incredible artists around the world, and you can find works based on the genres you prefer best.
Alto’s Adventure – Alto’s Adventure has probably been my favorite game to play on TV and handheld devices for the past couple years. The game is really simple and calming to play. The graphics and the design are soft and aren’t heavy on your eyes. But the artistry is minimalistic yet stunning. The music is also very mellow and comforting.
Tasty – Tasty is actually a YouTube channel that came from Buzzfeed. The channel itself has many how-to’s and recipes and cooking and baking tips. But now they’ve put it all into an awesome app-form that leaves your tummy rumbling. You can save all your favorite recipes so you can go back to them. You can find tons of different meals, snacks, and desserts to prepare at home. And there are lots of recipes from around the world. Like India, Japan, etc.
Animal Restaurant – Animal Restaurant is a sweet game where you are helping a little crew of animals run a new restaurant and work as an employee. It’s a fun, relaxing game, but it can be a bit addicting!
Hidden Folks – Hidden Folks is basically a search and find in an animated app form. The levels get increasing more difficult as the layouts become more intricate. You will have to find people, objects, and animals.
Music Tiles – This is a game where you can tap into your inner musician and unlock different songs to play on tiles that represent piano keys.
Essentials:
Cozy clothing – I don’t think I’ve worn anything except pajama pants and a super soft sweater ever since school ended and I could care less. It’s make me happy to be a living mochi everyday.
Tea – I’ve also been drinking lots of tea lately, it warms me up and it’s really yummy! (Except when I’m the one brewing it and not my mom).
iPad Pro – This is where nearly all of my schoolwork and communications have been happening constantly. From my Zoom calls to schoolwork. And gaming too. The Notability app has been my favorite app to use for productivity and written digital notes.
Sleeping – I just love sleeping in general. And being lazy.
Cuddling – Just cuddling on the couch with a cup of tea, pajamas, tons of blankets, and the TV on or a good book is my ideal way to spend every day. I recommend that all of you do this at least a few times. Take this opportunity to just stay home and laze around and do nothing. Melt into the couch cushions, indulge in your favorite series, catch up with an old book. Because what’s worse than any virus, is losing ourselves to the panic.
I hope all of you will stay safe, healthy, and happy. And let yourself be brought into the embrace of soft cuddles with your blankets, and a good movie on. That’s an order!