Welcome 2021

So it's taken a while for me to write my first post of 2021. In the past, I would normally post something within the first week of the New Year but I've really slowed down in my blogging in 2020. This is mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic which still rages all over the world. To ensure safety of all employees in the place I work, our management implemented work-from-home for all employees. You would think that because I work from home all the time now, I'd have more time to write. However, the opposite has happened. I think this is because I would normally sit in front of my computer at home for several hours each day so once work is done, I don't feel like looking at my computer anymore, even if it just is to update my blog. Of course, I'm thankful that I can work from home because it allows me to practice social distancing and it minimizes my exposure to other people, thus reducing my chances of contracting Covid. However, this means that until I get vaccinated and it feels safe enough again to go out, I won't be writing as much.

Thinking about it now, maybe it's also because there hasn't been much to write about. While I am grateful that my family, my friends, and I have remained safe and healthy throughout this ordeal, the events of last year have meant that there hasn't really been a lot of interesting things going on. Being stuck at home has left me being a lot more unproductive than usual. I've barely seen anyone outside my family. I haven't hung out with any of my friends, I haven't gone out for meals, I haven't traveled, and I haven't played board games. I also find that I am spending more money: what I save in gas because I don't travel, I spend more on food. There is a cheap cafeteria in my office where I could get meals with protein, vegetables, and rice for under P100; I can't get that at home unless I just cook canned goods which I don't want to consume too much of. I also tend to buy a lot of junk food and sweets; the weight I lost in 2019, I have gained back in 2020.

That said, there were still things that happened last year that I'm thankful for. I got to be a ninong for my new nephew. I read four books - the most I read in a year in maybe the last few decades - and I completed the John Wayne Cleaver series (which I very highly recommend). I learned how to cook and while I had more than my fair share of kitchen failures, I also did manage to put together a couple of dishes that were pretty successful. I discovered and got to try a lot of different food items and online food sellers. I purchased an online work-out app (although I barely exercised in the second half of 2020 because of my very heavy workload). I put some of my savings in PRU Life UK and SunLife investments. I also downloaded the Lazada app and learned how to look for and free shipping vouchers. 

Covid is still infecting thousands of people each day in the Philippines. The UK coronavirus variant, which is more easily transmissible, has also made its way to our shores, which means it is still not that safe to go out. There are efforts to make vaccine available and accessible to Filipinos. I hope that my family and I can get access to a working vaccine soon. I can't wait for the day when I can go out without a face mask and a face shield, travel both locally and internationally, and hang out with my friends and family again.