Lockdown diaries: #pambahayootd
What people are doing to make time at home productive and meaningful
(Fourth in a series)
Luke Jickain, law student
I want to stay productive. I am still convincing myself that I am making the most out of this situation. I have been taking advantage of this time to catch up on some reading.
Our midterm exams were scheduled on the third week of March, but due to this lockdown situation, they were moved to a later date. I discovered the amount of reading I can do in a day when I just sit down and isolate myself.
Now, it got me thinking and rethinking about my life. If I used my time wisely, I could have been that guy now sending stuff to Mars.
Maan Chua, singer-songwriter
I’m a singer-songwriter by profession and I am also into bead weaving and jewelry making. Mostly I do household chores during this lockdown. I do beadwork in between chores and late in the evening.
I am also into photo books because I love compiling our travel photos.
Being a mother of two boys, I encourage them to help with the chores. My other artist friends and I have this online #coronachallenge where we dress up and wear a corona using anything, even the most ordinary stuff, and we post our photos online for good vibes.
Kooky Tuason, spoken word artist/educator/ radio host, JAM 88.3
The change did not seem like much because I am naturally introverted. Being home makes me feel “at home.” I guess the only difference is that this serves as an internal reset. A call to shift my mindset.
I have become more introspective and also appreciative of every single moment. Lately, I’ve been catching up on my reading and writing. Currently drafting a book for publishing sometime this year.
I also record from home episodes of my show on Jam, choosing carefully the poems I include on the playlist. In my own little way, I try to give good advice to those who need it.
Noreen Capili, author/scriptwriter
I normally write with commercial value and deadlines in mind, but being in quarantine has allowed me to focus on my passion project. I finally have time to sit down and work on my long-delayed novel, which I started writing three years ago. Ironically, self-isolation also gave me the opportunity to reconnect with old friends through social media and messenger. I reached out and checked on my friends who are in the medical field and reminded them to stay safe and take extra care. The first week was really tough because my normal day revolved around deadlines, creative meetings and frantic phone calls, but I hope to use the rest of the quarantine period to be productive and beneficent, at the same time.
Last week, I ordered packed meals from a friend who’s a caterer and had these meals delivered to doctors and nurses in a hospital in Davao.
Tanya Maria Aguila, cofounder, Onelife
My husband and I are trying our best to stay busy while we’re at home. Besides continuing to work on our businesses with our teams via virtual meetings and regular messaging, we are trying our best to help coordinate donation efforts for our medical front-liners.
We’re also trying to stay healthy and active, so we’ve been religiously doing the home exercises that Onelife posts daily on Instagram, as well as experimenting with healthy home-cooked meals.
Shelly Lazaro, TV host, “Going Live With Shelly Lazaro”; chair and CEO, Cytherea Global; cosmetics/ social entrepreneur
I’m making the best use of my time at home. Since my son’s yaya had to be with her family, I’m on mommy duty 24/7. We’ve been watching a lot of movies and TV series.
We also got into the habit of unearthing his baby stuff and found plenty of long-lost toys. We never really run out of things to do. When he’s asleep, I check on my staff. Video-conferencing apps come in handy.
I spend a considerable amount of time on social media, my source for the latest news and information. I know prolonged isolation can lead to anxiety and depression, so I make sure to keep myself busy and entertained.
I also discovered the healing wonders of a quiet moment in the garden. It gives me a mental break. It’s very important to do things that will give us a sense of normality and productivity.
Dimples Balaguer lao, entrepreneur
I’ve been enjoying my time with the kids, homeschooling my youngest in the mornings and making time to work out.
But when all is done, l find myself feeling anxious and afraid: Afraid for the future, for the health of my loved ones, for our business and if we will survive.
But because of this lockdown, I’ve been able to spend more time with my kids, gotten to know each one better, and been able to cook their meals,
play badminton in the garden or pingpong tournaments at night.
There’s so much to be thankful for. I’m thankful that right at this moment we are healthy, we have food on the table, we sleep on a comfortable bed, while most of our country is experiencing the opposite.
Here is a devotional that has completely touched me and I’ve read over and over when the anxiety kicks in—hope it helps those going through the same thing. (See pic)
Ian Carandang, sorbetero, Sebastian’s Ice Cream
Apart from going through my Netflix list, eating and procrastinating, I’ve been spending more time cooking. It’s a welcome distraction to break up the monotony of the day, and the more steps a recipe has, the better. You immerse yourself in the process, and tiny acts like slicing vegetables or making an omelet become therapeutic and quiet your mind. It’s like tending to a Japanese rock garden, except you get to eat the rocks when you’re done.
If the quarantine lasts longer, I have plans to break out my weights and try to come up with a strength training routine using just dumbbells since I can’t go to the gym.
I’ll also try to start making music again, since that’s a hobby of mine I’ve kind of let slip away.
Aina Cruz, brand head
My work has been occupying me during this period of enhanced community quarantine during the weekdays, so it’s business as usual. But during the weekend and after work, I’ve been finishing things I never seem to finish before: reading books (now reading Trevor Noah’s “Born a Crime”), finishing my interior design course, and can’t deny, spending too much time on Netflix!
I’m also enjoying the live workout classes online, especially by Beyond Yoga and it’s been very helpful (I especially love Sara Black’s meditation sessions).
I actually made a list last weekend of the things i want to accomplish during this period, and some of them are learning Sketchup, reading more books and decluttering my room.
Jimi Marquez, singer and actor
To cope with the lockdown, I take time to read (in my case, rereading some of my faves as I haven’t bought new books lately) and do some indoor exercises to counter my weight gain because I’ve been eating a lot. Luckily, I share the house with three other people so we convene and play tong-its either in the afternoon or in the evening. I also watch movies or series and I drink wine on some nights.
My friends from “Rak of Aegis” and I look forward to doing this #pambahayootd challenge every Tuesday and Friday where we set different categories like #couturetina (curtain chic) or #kwartokavogue, and require all the participants to use stuff around the house like curtains and comforters or bed sheets as outfits and post photos on Facebook. We do this purely for fun and surprisingly, we’ve been featured a couple of times online.