my favorite corner of the room by Michi Dumlao
And sometimes I just stick to the computer or phone, youtube and a lot of downloaded stuff I watch and re-watch on and off and some fiction and fanfiction writing on MS Word.
Dull, easy to get sick of, highly repetitive routine...yes. I've been operating this way for a while now. Some people may, too. Maybe more. It's hard to tell. But it seems to be the usual thing now with so much to keep tabs on, especially on the news lately. And with most news contents being on the negative, they're definitely quite stressful to think about and to ponder upon. It's just one bad news after another as the global pandemic problem rages still. Much of the world try to get back on their feet and open themselves to some semblance of normality but something always seems to hit and blow those tiny strides away, somehow. Now, old normal is even more out of reach, the familiar normal we know can just never anymore be. A New Normal is, instead, forced upon us although transition to it continue to be unpredictable, unstable and shaky still---all of which are hinging at this moment on how the virus dictates things in every community, every nation all over the world. This pill is just so difficult to follow for someone trying to settle into this "new normal" to the likes of me who's just here to mostly watch the news when I can to make sense of the world around me.
But the news contents aren't all bad. Most headline are, however, disappointing. There's a glimmer of light and hope sometimes, that tuning into the news brings. News of people innovating, helping each other out, still moving, striving to keep themselves afloat and these, THESE, for one, keep me going and keep me still on my toes. Resilience. It's not the time for us to give up and lose hope. Somehow.
Poetic opening? I tried.
I'd meant this post to talk about what I'd been doing lately and what had changed overtime. Or more like, what really didn't change because there are a number of things on this front as well.
What Hasn't Changed: Love for Everything Local
I'm still steadfast in my advocacy of staying sustainable and supporting our own. It's very much...no...rather, it's very direly needed right now that we have the global health crisis that's only been going from worse to worst with every high number of active cases added to an already sky high number with each passing day. Right now, I believe what we need is to have have faith in our countrymen, the local industries that use local resources (the least non-local resource used, the better applies here) in production processes resulting to our own local produces to keep our economy beating...breathing, rather. This health crisis does affect the economy greatly here and all around the world. And if we care to look into the international news reports, we'd have heard of a lot of countries and these many countries' economies plummeting to the red at an alarming rate and them, closing their doors to outsiders coming in as we, collectively, as one Earth, continue to figure out how to have less lives lost to the SARS-COV-2 virus that's right about everywhere now. There's just so much uncertainty around us right now and we don't even know how long this pandemic will be with us. Years maybe, decades even, or a century or two as it is with most virus-caused diseases. What really matters now is that we're wise enough to support one another and supporting the local businesses we have now is the most I can think of. I've been an advocate of Human Heart Nature products for so long now for this reason and even if I weren't, I'd still continue to patronize their products.
In line with this, I've been playing with the idea of putting up a shop of only locally made skincare and beauty products, think, make-up that are organic and vegan, that I try to source and edit tirelessly from everywhere in my country, the Philippines. I have tirelessly been working on this on work-free weekends. Now that my last day of work at my current employment is fast approaching, it's going to be on August 7 so...yeah! I'm soooo excited to share this one with all of you. YAAAYYYY!!! Well, I don't have an online store yet for this one and I'm looking at opening one but yes, it's coming along fine on three social media platforms I currently use: my facebook page: @treasurechesofsorts; my official instagram: @treasure_chest_of_sorts; and my twitter: @kristagrace_s. Also, if you notice, I've been advertising my mum's Oatmeal Malunggay Cookies as well on the page because it's such a huge seller these days. I'm also going to add some other food and beverages here and there on these three platforms along the way. This is another thing I've been playing with along with the skin care and beauty stuff. I'm soooo thrilled, so excited with all of these, are you? I sure hope so.
Resilience and patience and focus---these three things are some I'm looking to put into practice once I'm free-er in 5 days, starting Monday next week. I've always liked the idea of social enterprises and social enterprising in general. In my opinion, it's a highly sustainable model that can thrive even now that we're very much affected by the global pandemic on all sides.
So if anyone asks what my advocacy is: it's being sustainable all throughout and while helping other people, fellow countrymen whose products have integrity and whose products are, above all, trustworthy. Simply put, social enterprising.
Aside from this shop I'm trying to put forth into real fruition and one that I want to keep going for a long while---at least while I still have more free time to spend on it as I also try to apply for another current career-related job (which is really even more on teaching)---I also have other moneymaking ideas in mind. Yes. It's good to be busy and distracted the whole duration of this global health crisis going on.
What Has Changed a Bit or What Will Change More
I'm still a homebody and at times a home maker beside my mum and a reliable house help and often times, sister figure.
This pandemic had made me re-focus on a lot of things, namely...that I want to be more hands-on in home making which mostly are cooking and baking or non-baking and just food making or creating because I'm really too lazy to really learn how to use the oven and I'd rather just throw things together and call it that: food, or beverage. That, and I also like to blend things together, maybe may get used to throwing stuff together in a food processor and assembling them to form an attractive, sumptuous dessert or some other edible kitchen-created thing. Boiling, broiling and stir-frying are probably the most basic things in the kitchen I can do so I'm hoping that with more free time, I can explore more on cooking techniques and maybe expand more into baking. I did touch on this one earlier in the previous section seeing as I have a family member that bakes stuff.
And yes, for more context, my mother bakes...A LOT lately. I re-sell the healthy Oatmeal Malunggay (Moringa) Cookies that she bakes to my co-workers and other acquaintances in and around the neighborhood, or the city in general. Also, a handful of my co-workers and friends also bake or cook when they're stressed or when they feel like and they make really good stuff to sell to others in the work place and out. So I'd like to take up the mantle in guise of providing food and drinks culled from the office homemakers I'd like to modify to serve the tastes of vegans and vegetarians. Reason being---and I'm not YET full vegan, mostly just flexitarian now with an obsession with vegan and vegetarian concoctions of sorts---that vegans and vegetarians are the least catered to when it comes to food and beverages in our city. And we're even far from Manila, the National Capital Region and Cebu City where those are more abundant and easily accessible. Maybe this will push me more to embrace the vegan or even just the vegetarian lifestyle all the more! I'm excited for this. I've also devoted some of my free time over the weekend, really away from work, into sourcing products to be used for these things I have in mind to share and sell to others all the same. In no way do I think I'll ever be good at baking however or close. I don't see being a master baker being included in my resume anytime soon. Although I would like to try baking vegan dark chocolate cake one day soon.
What will be more of a norm in this new normal? I'll be spending more time in the home kitchen when no one else is using it. LOL. Most days, especially on the busier Sundays (also, market trip days) that we're entertaining some guests from next door, the kitchen's always a busy place.
Radical Changes
Aside from my plan to move from a private career or profession to a more public-related one, nothing has really radically changed. Slow and mindful change is a better fit for me.
This global pandemic or rather, global health crisis has definitely put a lot of those from the side to the forefront for a lot of us and it's made us appreciate more those that we tossed aside and proceeded to ignore during the older normal. This, of course, includes family. It's important to be with family at this time. This health crisis has either brought out the worst of people or the best of theirs.
Slow and mindful and definitely quite calculated changes make living and surviving in times of crisis feel just much more worthwhile nowadays. It ought to help us keep a lot of things in check.
*****
I think it helps then, to stay updated whether the contents of the news are disappointing at worst or inspiring at best. It's not the time to ignore it altogether just because well, it's stressful. News and other such useful, relatable, inspiring TV shows should keep us on our toes and keep us motivated enough to keep ourselves alive in these trying times. it doesn't really matter if they are good or bad.
If it's bad news, we can try to assess where we can enter and help make a difference and if it's good news, we can use the strength we get from it to keep going, growing and improving as a person.
Now, one of the saddest thing for me to happen this pandemic is our government shutting down a TV station that has been with us through thick and thin and continuing to perpetrate and promote the trampling of human rights and human dignity and the stifling of our freedom of expression. Shuttering down the voice of the free press. Yes. It's a sad time and a scary time all the same. So the other point I had been trying to make on this post is, we should continue to be resilient, patient, vigilant (to the news and realities happening around us today) and useful to one another today moving forward because this SARS-COV-2 virus is very likely here to stay along with others like the Ebola virus, the HIV and more. It, right now, is only amplifying the bad that's in the news daily and the bad in people. This is of course, not to say, that it doesn't also amplify the good in others. It does. And for the nth time this post, yes, there are good news even though it looks like there are more bad news to go around.
At this time, however, it would really help if we functioned like the normal, compassionate, sane and logical---equipped with good, basic common sense---human beings that we are. People with good and sound judgement, too. Yes, there's room to go crazy once in a while but more than that, we should be aware of and be empathetic to people's, especially the underprivileged's daily dilemmas, sufferings and plights. I think this is one that's lacking greatly these days every time I watch the bad on the news.
Yes there are changes and there will be more as we continue to move to the tune of the virus that's dictating on us right now but we have to be aware of reality and be really grounded too. This means to be aware of current events, happenings, good or bad. We have to know what's best for our people, our own nation and more importantly we should be very critical and careful when it comes to the lot of things going on right now. Even more important nowadays is, WE HAVE TO BE CONCERNED. We are contributing individuals in this society too so it would really help that, with everything going on right now, we side with the people, the great majority and not the select few that actually have no other plans than to goad a lot of us into more anger and ire and who think of nothing but to do things that serve only their selfish means, their self-interests.
I think it's also the best time we reconsidered and rethought a lot of things regarding this one. And for all the disappointing, frustrating things I see on TV during lunch time, it pays for me, for one, to stay angry and to call for calling out these callous people in power that do more harm to the nation and it's people than good. Just as it also pays for me to be inspired and motivated by the movers our country has that are eager to share their newest findings to all of us, for our own collective betterment.
Now, one of the saddest thing for me to happen this pandemic is our government shutting down a TV station that has been with us through thick and thin and continuing to perpetrate and promote the trampling of human rights and human dignity and the stifling of our freedom of expression. Shuttering down the voice of the free press. Yes. It's a sad time and a scary time all the same. So the other point I had been trying to make on this post is, we should continue to be resilient, patient, vigilant (to the news and realities happening around us today) and useful to one another today moving forward because this SARS-COV-2 virus is very likely here to stay along with others like the Ebola virus, the HIV and more. It, right now, is only amplifying the bad that's in the news daily and the bad in people. This is of course, not to say, that it doesn't also amplify the good in others. It does. And for the nth time this post, yes, there are good news even though it looks like there are more bad news to go around.
At this time, however, it would really help if we functioned like the normal, compassionate, sane and logical---equipped with good, basic common sense---human beings that we are. People with good and sound judgement, too. Yes, there's room to go crazy once in a while but more than that, we should be aware of and be empathetic to people's, especially the underprivileged's daily dilemmas, sufferings and plights. I think this is one that's lacking greatly these days every time I watch the bad on the news.
Yes there are changes and there will be more as we continue to move to the tune of the virus that's dictating on us right now but we have to be aware of reality and be really grounded too. This means to be aware of current events, happenings, good or bad. We have to know what's best for our people, our own nation and more importantly we should be very critical and careful when it comes to the lot of things going on right now. Even more important nowadays is, WE HAVE TO BE CONCERNED. We are contributing individuals in this society too so it would really help that, with everything going on right now, we side with the people, the great majority and not the select few that actually have no other plans than to goad a lot of us into more anger and ire and who think of nothing but to do things that serve only their selfish means, their self-interests.
I think it's also the best time we reconsidered and rethought a lot of things regarding this one. And for all the disappointing, frustrating things I see on TV during lunch time, it pays for me, for one, to stay angry and to call for calling out these callous people in power that do more harm to the nation and it's people than good. Just as it also pays for me to be inspired and motivated by the movers our country has that are eager to share their newest findings to all of us, for our own collective betterment.