Checking in

Barring that time I was given a two-month break from work to stay home and heal after my myomectomy, I believe this is the longest I have been home. I am privileged to be part of a company that allows employees to work from home and even anticipated the need for it as we were able to do a dry run prior to the quarantine order.

My Adorable Home persona working from home

I am thankful I was able to pack my stuff from the place I was staying at in Makati and head home to my family or else I would have been left with nothing to eat, and that I was able to do so before the "enhanced quarantine" aka a euphemism for lockdown was declared.

The last thing I want to be is seem ungrateful. I recognize that I am privileged to be able to work from home with a steady Internet connection, with hot meals on the table, and be with my family. But I am anxious and worried and afraid. I wish this is just an extended bad dream but, no, this is our current reality. We are in the middle of a pandemic that apocalyptic movies are made of.

I miss my boyfriend J so much and at the rate things are going, I honestly don't know when I can see him again.

Still, I am happy to be able to spend time with my family especially my beautiful Lola

The best thing I can do right now is pray, compartmentalize and keep my emotions in check, and make sure my and my family's immune systems are healthy.

We are also doing our part in assisting our brave health workers and front liners. J will 3D print face shields for them, while I am helping in getting the supplies needed. One batch of filament and set of acetate films can produce 100 face shields, but he only has one 3D printer and printing one piece takes one and a half hours. If I have blog readers who can direct me to someone who owns 3D printers and can print more, I can help with funds needed for the raw materials.

There are also a lot of SMEs doing their part, and I am in awe of their generosity.

My friend Sarah who owns BEACHBORN has donated so much to good causes, and it would be great if we can help her help more by supporting the brand. I can vouch for BEACHBORN's products' effectivity and I will shout this from the roof tops 'til kingdom come! Check out their new products Feather Locklear, Skin Reviving Cleansing Oil, and Age-Defense Luxury Glow Oil. I also purchased The Beach House Hand Sanitizer although I was not able to take a photo of it. Force of habit has made me spray it on my hands even when I'm just at home, and it doesn't dry out my skin!

I am also a fan of Liz's In Her Element's products and aesthetic. They recently launched the In Her Element Butterlips and I have been meaning to purchase but I had to curb my spending, but when they announced that 100% of Butterlips sales until April 2 will be donated to the Philippine General Hospital, I checked out my cart without hesitation! I have yet to receive them because of the lockdown, but I am looking forward to trying them after watching Beauty by Tellie's vlog with swatches!

If you are looking for more ways to help beat COVID-19 in the Philippines, my friend Mikael of FlipScience put together a [very] comprehensive list of fundraisers and donation drives you can support here. Every little helps.

There is no way that things will go back to what we were used to after this. It is said we will still feel the brunt of it by October. We may not go out unscathed, but hopefully we will still be alive.

Take care, you. Please keep safe and stay at home.  We can hold a huge cookie party after this.

:)