Retiring my Quarantine Stories Series

I started my Quarantine Stories blog posts during the early months of the pandemic and when the Metro Manila was still under Enhanced Community Quarantine. I've kept at it since we are technically still in the midst of a pandemic and I don't think there was ever any official declaration that Philippines is not under an alert level anymore. However, I do acknowledge that while Covid continues to be a threat, life has started to be somewhat (a lot?) like it was before the pandemic. In fact, masks are no longer required in the country, except in health facilities and when using public transportation. (That said, while I've seen many people walking around without masks, majority still do.) As such, this will be my last post that has Quarantine Stories in the blog post title.

I got a new Fitbit badge: Italy! I have now walked a total of 1,184 kilometers - the entire length of Italy - which also means that I am averaging 6.93 kilometers per day. It has gone down since my last badge but walking almost 7km a day is still pretty incredible.

My Fitbit Italy Badge

I also had a craving for sopas recently since it was raining and it had been a while since I last enjoyed this dish. I tried searching online for places where I could order it and I discovered Merienda by Pan De Manila. Soon after my initial craving, I visited Merienda in Santolan Town Plaza to order a tub of sopas that was good for about 5-6 people. At P650, I think it's pretty good value. I ended up enjoying sopas for a few days.

Shortly after having brunch with my friends at Denny's in Eastwood, I met up with them again, but this time with Jeof at his home in Las Pinas. He said he was bummed out that he wasn't able to join our brunch so he invited us to his house for his birthday. He told us to bring some games. Migs and Diann couldn't stay so they just had lunch before heading to their prior appointment in Makati but Case, Cara, and I hung out with Jeof until the late evening. I brought my Splendor and we played a couple of rounds of it before we played Cluedo. I really do enjoy playing Cluedo; the last time I played it was also with them (and it was also Case's copy).

Speaking of board games, I got to play with my friends Cla, Kat, and Drew recently. While we wanted a few more people to join us, most of our other friends were unavailable. I taught them Rococo, which they enjoyed (Kat and Drew had played it before but Cla played it for the first time). We also played 7 Wonders. It has been ages since I last played this game and I still absolutely love it. I'm glad Kat asked me to bring my copy because she really wanted to play it.

My Rococo Board Game (photo taken by Cla)

On the downside, I got sick. I was initially worried that it was Covid because I had many of the symptoms but thankfully, I tested negative. My doctor told me I had an upper respiratory tract infection. Interestingly enough, I was in worse shape from this illness than I was when I got Covid earlier in the year. To make things worse, I also chipped the crown of one of my teeth. I now need to try and visit a dentist to have it repaired. However, with the Christmas season coming up, I am not sure if I can schedule a dental appointment anytime soon. Thankfully, my tooth doesn't really hurt.