Year-Enders

A schoolmate of mine died because of Covid-19. He was well-off and could have afforded the best possible treatment there is. As far as we know, he is a healthy person.

So it irks me when people, supposedly educated people at that, teachers even, scoff that Covid-19 ain't real. Or that it's just like TB or the flu. Or that Covid-19 should not be blamed, you don't die of Covid-19 but of whatever disease you already have.  Don't these people get it? Those people with co-morbities would still have been alive if it not for Covid-19. Covid-19 basically pushed them off the cliff. 

The thing is, you never know if you will be a mild case or a fatality. And if you don't get a yearly comprehensive physical, it could be too late before you learn that you have an underlying condition.

Being healthy also does not guarantee that you'd be asymptomatic or a mild case.

Taking a swab test alone is not a walk in the park. My brother relates that our frontliner cousin already had a swab test twice. Cousin says one time he has to stop himself sneezing that his face was beet red after the swabbing. 

Already it seems that other people are gonna break protocol and mass gather these holidays. The last few weeks saw a lot of people out shopping, a lot not observing social distancing or correct mask/face shield wearing. Some people in our neighborhood have already been doing rowdy revelries since October, karaoke sessions and liquor-drinking parties. Sometimes disregarding curfew. Obviously, the party-goers are not related by blood. A recent one involved a series of fireworks at midnight which was really, really inconsiderate. There were cheers of happy birthday after. Their voices were that loud that they can be heard several houses away. I have an inkling of who had this party: the same people who had been honking their car's horn in front of other peoples' houses at a time when everyone else is sleeping just so their help would open their gate. Supposedly, one of their own works for an administration senator. 

What curfew?

Pasabuys: Revlon Flex Keratina Shampoo and SYOSS Revive 7 Conditioner Reviews

Pasabuy is a play on the Filipino word "pasabay", which means to come with or to have someone include something for you. The pandemic forced people to stay indoors. When the lockdown / community quarantines started, aside from essential personnel, only one person per household was allowed outside the house and just to buy necessities. Only private and essential vehicles were allowed on the roads. Because of this people would either ask someone they knew who's going to the grocery to also buy for them. Realizing they could earn from this, some people would then either charge a handling fee as they call it or mark up the items they were asked to buy.  Pasabuy was born and coined.

When a co-worker ended up at SnR, she offered to pick up stuff for everyone as a lot of items were on sale. People joked that most of us would end up smelling the same since we got similar shampoos and conditioners. This had happened previously when we purchased the same fabric conditioners from another co-teacher.

Since Revlon is a well-known brand which usually delivers, I said yes to a bottle of Flex Keratina Anticaspa Shampoo. Well two since they were buy one get one. The 650ml bottle which could have used a pump given the size, was P240. That's basically half the price of a commercial shampoo in the Philippines like Dove and Sunsilk.

Uncertainty is Certain

We've been experiencing covid news fatigue. While I still check the daily statistics in our city, I stopped paying attention to the nationwide tally. They seem to be manipulating the numbers to suit whatever narrative they wish to feed the citizenry. (There was a time when the new cases per day was pegged at 200+ for so long. Now, 3000 + is the new 200+.) It's harder to do that at the local level since you're working with a smaller population, where someone with knowledge could blab should a case go unreported. 

Biking is 'in'. Even for kids and teens.

The Philippines seems to be set on becoming the Guiness Book of World Records' country with the longest time on lockdown. I sometimes think that that was their only plan, ride out the pandemic by making people stay indoors. We're on GCQ now but the meaning/specific guidelines of each CQs are lost to us especially as it seems that those guidelines are not set in stone. We went to MECQ last month and yet tricycles still plied the roads. Went back to GCQ but local businesses remained closed on Sundays until just recently. What remains clear is that no matter the CQ, the virus is still around.