Zone of Solitude

It's the last day of the month. Next to posting a life update few weeks ago, I thought of writing a follow up only because we are already done with the second quarter of the year, and today's the last month of June.

Compared to my previous post, I'll try to keep this short and just let the photos speak on my behalf and tell you how my life has been from month 3 to 6 of 2022.

I was having issues with my blood pressure in the last two weeks of April so I decided to have it checked. While age could be among the factors, the temperature associated with summer was also to blame. After going through tests that all came out normal, I just keep medications handy for me to take only when needed.

A health scare like hypertension caused me to take fitness and exercise seriously. While I don't do hardcore workouts, I always do afternoon walks nowadays as doctors also advise that this counts as an acceptable form of fitness regimen. I do have an app on my phone to track the number of steps that I get to do in a day.

Electing a fresh batch of leaders to govern the country was also the highlight of my second quarter. And while the candidate that I voted for may not that be lucky, I don't have any regret with the choice I made -- in the same manner that I don't really give a fuck at people's opinions of my choice, including those who are mocking and making fun of me (to the extent of stalking my Facebook profile just to ridicule it on their comments) for supporting someone who I see to be someone worthy. Haters gonna hate. But there's a reason why the options "turn off commenting", "remove notification", "turn off notifications", and binge-worthy Kdramas were made.

Unexpected meetups and surprise reunions were also a highlight of my last three months. Just like when I saw my former adviser from my elementary days, Ms. Wawet San Felipe while waiting for my takeout order from a fastfood restaurant inside a mall. I don't know if it's just me, but I still get giddy seeing my former teachers (and professors too!).

I don't limit the use of the word "reunions" to people because I tend to use it on significant places too. Just like what I did when I returned to URS Morong more than a week ago to make that first step in pursuing a meaningful endeavor which I hope will yield the result that I have been praying for.

As I mentioned in this post before, I decided to join a three-month internship program to upskill and acquire some knowledge related to processes involved in the functions of an HR department. Tomorrow marks my last day as an intern.

Speaking of endeavors, these days, I also find myself testing my skills in the kitchen on a number of occasions. Over the past few weeks, I would find myself whipping up a few simple dishes after looking at Google. From simple Singaporean breakfast to this popular Korean side dish, braised marble potatoes that my former officemate Mhea used to cook for us, cooking has been an activity that has been leaving me fulfilled lately. I know you'll say the recipes I'm picking is too easy, but then, isn't it that I need to begin somewhere? And that's what I am doing. Starting from what's easy and training myself from scratch.

So, that sums up the second quarter of my year. Tomorrow's going to be the start of a new month. I just hope that the six remaining months of my year will be productive, interesting, and hopefully, one that's filled of happy plot twists.

I want to believe that my week has become somewhat productive. I say somewhat simply because the weekend is still a day away. Last Monday, and after giving it some thought for a number of days, I decided to visit the campus of my alma mater in Morong, Rizal to submit some documents upon the recommendation of two of my friends from college.

Since the pandemic started in 2020, next to becoming conscious with regards to hand hygiene, embarking on certain activities like traveling was something that I have hesitated on doing. Blame it on me being a bit of a hypochondriac, but this health crisis caused me to be a little paranoid about being exposed to the virus when taking public transportation with several people -- to think that I am already fully vaccinated.

For two years, the four corners of our home has been my so-called "bomb shelter". While there would be times I would leave the house, my travels were limited to short-distance locations (or places that can be reached in an hour or less). And while I no longer find traveling to the busy and polluted streets of Metro Manila to be appealing, I discovered that the exact opposite is what I am feeling as I went to several towns in Rizal and nearby provinces, such as that of Laguna which I visited back in February. Indeed, there's really something about being in a province that you will appreciate every once in a while. To me I guess, it's the surroundings and the fact that commuting and the traffic isn't traumatizing and exhausting.

I haven't been to the Morong campus for almost two decades. Save for a very short visit to a friend six years ago while I was preparing for the Civil Service Exam, the last time I was here was in 2003 to watch the intramurals as I was part of the publication team from the Angono campus assigned to cover the different events for the school paper. And while the main building still looks the same, a few things no longer aren't. Gone were the days when this used to be flocked by students who are passing by to go from one college building to another, or by athletes either practicing or preparing for their sepak takraw match during sports competitions.

After submitting my documents, my friend Jon gave me a quick tour of their office where I met his boss, Dr. Marilou Pantaleon, who is the Director of the Center for Lifelong Learning. My former publication adviser (and Jon's other half), Ma'am Cez arrived together with their daughter (who is also my inaanak), Ciljon just as Jon and I were trying to decide what to get for lunch. We ended up driving to the nearby town of Baras to bond over food and surprisingly, talk about the recently-concluded trial between ex-celebrity couple Johnny Depp and Amber Heard.

It really is surprising when you think what 20 years can do. Jon's office is busy preparing for the required documents because they will open slots for the LET review and soon, the campus will start to accept aspiring individuals who are planning to be part of the medical profession. While Jon candidly told me to apply, I knew that that's going to involve some discernment on my part; because next to my age, the specialization that I wanted to pursue is so rare and will take a good number of years to complete.

Two decades may have passed but I must admit that nothing beats the nostalgia of walking along a school ground or sitting inside a classroom . A student's "new normal" is so much different nowadays that when Ma'am Cez showed me this room, I seized the chance to have this photo. A reminder that for once, in the midst of a still chaotic period of pandemic and economic constraints, I had the moment to be nothing but an ordinary student again whose only concern then were about grades, being part of campus clubs and graduating (okay, and maybe a bit of college romance in between).

At the end of the day, my trip to a neighboring town proved to be worth it. Next to having accomplished something on my list, the decision to go on an unplanned getaway not only allowed me to meet people (both old and new ones), but to somehow go back to a nostalgic part of my past. It's a must to explore the outside world because it can really aid in making you calmer, more focused and even healthier (in my case, I scored 12 heart points and made 4,700 steps just by going from one department to another). And to simply put the advice that I read from a book's chapter, the outdoors are full of possibilities, and you just need to get out there. There's a huge and joyous world outside a bomb shelter!

If I could let you see my online shopping cart, next to stickers for my bullet journal, the other thing you'll notice that I frequently purchase nowadays would be my favorite item: brain food, or in the simplest word: books! Most titles are written by homegrown authors.

I got my copy of Dear Doctor Joey by Ayris Alcachupas days after Ash Wednesday, which makes this one of those long overdue posts. Anyway, I was enticed to get a copy of this book weeks after it was launched online on Valentine's Day. At that time, I had just finished reading her other book, My BFF's BF. I was prompted to order the second book online to follow the story of two of its characters, Blue and Joey Nikki.

A social serye I encountered from a Facebook page, Dear Doctor Joey chronicles the story of Blue and Joey Nikki post-breakup after being a couple for five years. Despite she's already successful in her career as a pediatrician, Joey Nikki still longs to find answers to the questions surrounding their breakup and why Blue suddenly left her without a trace except for a breakup letter.

Next to its two main characters, the other people who are important in their story are also present in Dear Doctor Joey, as the book is not just focused on romance but on long-term friendships too. Ayris Alcachupas was able to narrate the installment of Joey and Blue's story well. While I confess that I rarely read books by local authors, hers was one of the works that left me engaged and literally up all night for some days. This book revived my wanderlust and made me want to carry out my plan to travel to Cebu, which is a must-visit place on my bucket list. While others might see a 12-chapter book as time-consuming to read, it wasn't the case for me. Reading this book left me entertained and interested, I didn't care if it was way past my bedtime because I was curious to find out what happens one scene after another. In some way, I was just like Joey, searching for many answers. From the reason for the breakup, if Joey gets the closure she needs; the link of the story's villain to Joey's admirer colleague (this is something I consider as one of the book's "plot twists"), to whether or not Blue and Joey Nikki will be entitled to a second chance and a happy ending.

If someone asks me for Wattpad authors with worth-reading stories, this book is something that I will not hesitate to recommend especially for those who are at the point and situation of wanting to let some things go -- because sometimes circumstances have their way of saying things are over yet until Fate intervenes to say so.

The past few months have been crazy, making this blog a quiet space. I planned to write this entry two weeks ago, but for some reason, my brain cells weren't cooperating that much; it made me postpone doing any updates.

I am currently part of an internship program at a local real estate marketplace. Despite an unpaid stint, I decided to take the plunge to get some experience. Having been forced to go on a career break due to the pandemic, I knew I should gain some skill than just being idle. For the last two months, logging in to Discord for 2-3 hours during weekdays to do random HR duties have been part of my daily routine. I know you're curious about how do I manage to do it. Well, part of the reasons why I opted to give this internship a try is for me to find out if I can run things on a work-from-home setup. Anyway, I am not alone in the team as I work with other women (most of them are moms) who I get to communicate with remotely because they reside in different provinces in the Philippines. I expect to finish the internship in the first week of July and hopefully receive my certificate of completion around the same month.

Health-wise, I will not deny that I wasn't 100% in the pink of health months ago. Blame it on some personal and career-related issues I have been dealing with; I experienced episodes of erratic blood pressure that I had to consult a general practitioner. My BP still surges occasionally. But I can manage it now with medicines which I take when needed.

Career-wise, getting a new job is still a struggle for me. Call it maturity or part of the experience, but I've learned and got used to receiving and shrugging off rejection emails from various HR departments. While there would be nights I'd find myself worrying and filled with uncertainty, I still try and apply for jobs whenever I see one where I think my experience and credentials would fit. With the hope that I will eventually be accepted in that one job that will offer me something better (if not best) and replace that job that I abruptly lost due to the ongoing circumstance.

On the positive side, I decided to explore my creativity further by creating another Instagram account last March. But unlike my personal IG account, The Chinita Reader is my other channel dedicated only to books that I have read or currently reading, regardless of their author or if it's an old book or a recently published one. I'm in the process of trying to finish reading another book I purchased recently and will also appear on that account.

Between job hunting, pondering about life at the moment, and being a bookworm, I find time to go outside and check out events. I went to SM Center Angono yesterday to check out the exhibit Arte de las Flores. It's been a habit for me to see what's exhibited whenever I drop by the Art Walk, and the current ones on display are worth the visit.

Should I go MIA again, just try to think I am busy exploring new things and going to places that can be worth writing! And before I forget, we only have around two weeks and half of they year is about to be end. I would love to hear what you've been up to and how the last six months have been for you so far. Share any life update in the comments. I would love to read them.

Lee Seon-joo, a supporting character from one of my favorite Korean dramas entitled Her Private Life said in one episode that art is the product of desire. And while I admit that arts (especially visual ones) aren't my cup of tea, I just found myself unexpectedly giving it a shot recently.

I started using bullet planners at the height of the pandemic in 2020 because I just wanted to try it for a change. But for someone who has always been a user of ruled daily planners, shifting to bullet journals entailed a lot of challenges especially for a neophyte like me. I'm a bit obsessive when it comes to writing along straight lines and wide spaces; something which became hard for me to do at first given that next to dates, the pages of a bullet journal (or bujo, as others call it) has nothing else but dots.

It took a few tries and maybe a few months for me to get used to it. And aside from learning how to use a bulleted system of planning my day-to-day agenda, another thing that fascinated me with bujos are in those monthly spreads. The pages of a bullet journal tend to become boring especially for those who have never tried using one. I've always been intrigued about how my friend, Beth G., who is a bullet journaling enthusiast, creates her monthly spreads, which she either writes on her blog or posts on her Instagram account. The past few months, I've been spending minutes of my day watching Instagram reels on creating and designing bujo page spreads. And despite the lack of skill in the arts and design department, I ended up giving it a shot.

For someone with limited skill in arts, creating one can be a bit daunting. But just like what I read in one online article, a bujo doesn't need to look too artrsy, or else it will deplete its real purpose. In the case of my bullet journal, while I also have the habit of designing some of its pages, I still keep it to a minimum. Most of its pages are adorned by die cut stickers which I bought from either online sellers or the ones I found at bookstores, and recently from Mr. DIY located in SM Center Angono.

Beth was right when she said that customizing a blank page of a bullet journal can be mentally satisfying. But at the same time, I maintain its purpose when I bought it at the beginning of the year; that its to help me unwind and clear my mind by writing anything and everything in it -- from my daily tasks, errands to what I think of about what's happening around me.

In the end, I may be a bit lacking with skills to prettify my bullet journal, but then, the contents and notes written in every page still represents the writer, and lover of words that I truly am.

It's the last day of March. As I flip through the pages of my bullet journal this afternoon, I'm asking subconsciously how swift could time go? We were just starting to plan our year weeks back, and now, it's the end of the first quarter of 2022.

How had you been in the last three months?

While I was looking forward to welcoming the new year with a bang, the Universe gave us a surprising version of it. While the ordeal that we went through at the beginning of the year scared the hell out of us, it proved to be something that came with purpose. For together with the struggles and fears associated with COVID-19 were significant realizations that I never thought I would ponder on for the longest time.

I also decided to revive my love for reading after putting in on hold for months. Since the beginning of the year, I took advantage of the convenience of online shopping (plus the free shipping, and discounts), buying books on different topics and genres and spending a good amount of time daily immersing in its pages. Next to occasionally taking time off from social media, reading is an activity that never failed to give my mind the kind of healing it deserves.

The first three months of 2022 was filled with plot twists. I was able to spend a good amount of time making new friends, and catching up with long-time ones. Just weeks after Valentine's Day, I found myself going on an unplanned road trip around Rizal, and the nearby province of Laguna. The experience proved to be liberating. Indeed, one really has to go somewhere that she's never been. For the discoveries we get from the experience contributes something to enrich our being.

But the first 90 days was not all pure sunshine. There were also days filled with things that gave me a rollercoaster of emotions. I won't hide it. There were days filled with worry, tears, disappointment, and even anger. I just chose to accept the fact that there are situations I really have no control of, either I'll have to live with it, ignore it, or do something to somehow change it. Careerwise, I received numerous rejections. But then, I just chose to shrug my shoulders on those rather than questioning what is missing or why can't I fit in.

Tomorrow, another month begins as it marks the second quarter of the year. I am about to begin with new endeavors too. And while I am not sure as to what will happen next, I guess I'll just try to walk by faith. Regardless if it's make or break, I know I won't be left with nothing in whatever undertaking or adventure that I'll try to pursue.

A few weeks ago, I browsed through my posts in this blog, and after reading the first entry I wrote and published from 2008, I realized, I have been keeping this blog and writing my thoughts for 14 years.

It was not Blogger that served as my original platform. I was introduced to blogging through Friendster in 2005, and I must say that during that time, I just wanted to try it, and have an idea of what the hype back then was about. When Friendster was at the brink of losing its popularity, I started looking for another platform, and found Blogger in February 2008.

I still have my entries from my old Friendster blog from 2005 which I salvaged and transferred manually in Blogger and set to private mode. Those were stories related to my life after I graduated from college, first job blues, a few unpublished literary work, and my thoughts about my first relationship and what I felt when that boyfriend (now an ex) and I broke up years later.

Now back to this blog, the real purpose of this blog was just to be a place to share my discoveries, and as a way for me to continue to practice and improve my writing skills. My blog may be that old, but I only did three design revamps, two of which were generic designs available on the platform, while this recent design was created with the recommendation and help of my techie author-friend, Beth G.

While this was a space to spill out my thoughts and ideas about a lot of things, to gain readership wasn't really one of my aims when I started blogging. But in the years that I was writing and publishing posts about various topics, I also had the chance to virtually interact with some readers who happen to find my blog by accident. Some of them even became my friends which I get to bond with every now and then when our schedules permit. And it's something I consider to be a bonus.

14 years and more than 600 stories. I am aware that I don't post entries often these days compared to the time I was starting in 2008. But that's because I am also busy discovering new things when I am offline and away from my keyboard. I can attest to writing as a therapeutic activity, but since I decided to maintain this as a "lifestyle blog", I made a separate blog that housed the emotions and words that the introvert nerd that I am couldn't openly express or communicate to people. That's because I would like to maintain the purpose of this space as its title suggests.

To make this a place where I can find some peace and quiet that can somehow tone down the noise of a chaotic world.