Tag: Quarantine

Journal

Turning Thirty

Posted on by Patty

Being a milestone age and all, I’ve always thought I would have a grand celebration on my 30th birthday. I even had party ideas in my mind, but as the pandemic went on with no end in sight, Miss ‘Rona would have just derailed my plans before I could fully flesh them out.

The birthday blues hit, and they hit hard. I had wanted a big birthday bash with as many people as I know and love all in one room, then the Philippine National Police Chief made gatherings a total faux pas, so that idea had to be thrown out of the window. I held on to hope the pandemic would be over by the time November rolled around, but while Cebu City’s active cases lessened significantly, it still wasn’t a good enough reason to be complacent.

Besides that, it really is just a tough time to celebrate. People have lost so much in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak—income, opportunities, loved ones—not to mention #RollyPH and #UlyssesPH had recently caused major devastation in various parts of the country.

(Side note: I was born in the aftermath of Typhoon Ruping. Yolanda also happened close to my birthday in 2013. Everyone should be terrified of what’s going to happen to this world when I turn 40 or something *knocks on wood*)

So, yeah, it’s kind of hard to be in a celebratory mood given everything, and I was just set on letting the day pass like any other ordinary day… except, some people won’t let me. And I love them all for it.

Dining

Sugbo Mercado: The Definitive Guide to the New Normal

Posted on by Patty

“Where to, next?”

I looked to my new acquaintance Emerson for actual literal guidance after placing my order for a Tom Yum (“As spicy as you can make it!”) at Dee Soi 40, which had opened recently.

It was a dreary October day and Emerson was my dream guy for that afternoon because of his ability to make decisions regarding something that has always rendered many a girl (and yes, guys too) indecisive when dining out: “What do I want to eat?” This is especially happenstance in Sugbo Mercado where there are currently 42 tenants—not only are there too many choices, but there are too many good choices.

Dining, Journal

Some Sense of Normalcy: Marco Polo Plaza Cebu

Posted on by Patty

Well, it only took 160 days since the pandemic outbreak, but I finally went out for purely leisure reasons for the first time today.

It is kind of hard to turn down lunch at Hai Shin Lou, not when there’s peppercorn squid at stake.

(And also an actual meal in which I don’t have to do the dishes, let’s be real.)

Throughout the quarantine period, I’ve been doing the sensible thing and staying home as much as possible, not that I had much reason to go out if you don’t count my rapidly dwindling mental health. Milk tea deliveries and video calls became the norm, and suddenly five months have passed and we’re halfway through the year already.

Dining, Journal

Oh, For Goodness’ Bake

Posted on by Patty

It used to be that whenever I needed to get out of my head, I’d lie in bed for hours, phone on silent with the screen facing down while I stared up at the ceiling if I wasn’t lost in a book.

Then 2020 happened, and that was basically life every single day for the past five months. What was a sanctuary to keep me sane is now breeding ground for a plethora of mental issues, new and recurring alike brought to you by extreme isolation, everyday anxiety about life on hold, the lack of sunlight, and probably the fact that I haven’t done anything new to my hair in a long time.

Mostly I get by—and, really, I can only say that because I’ve been feeling so devoid of emotion I actually haven’t had a breakdown in months. So my days have been divvied up between just lying in bed and being absolutely useless at worst, and just lying in bed doing absolutely useless stuff at best.

(I’d start calling myself a robot, but I think that’s an insult to them—at least they have purpose.)

Dining

#StayHome: Food in the Time of Quarantine

Posted on by Patty

With enhanced community quarantine in place and having stayed home for three weeks at this point, I realized how much I took for granted being able to eat at my favorite dining establishments whenever I felt like it.

On the bright side, my family’s usual Sunday lunches have now become an everyday thing. My aunt is an amazing cook, and she’s always made our favorites once a week—now it’s every meal save for the occasional Jollibee takeout. So we’ve been blessed to be eating good food all this time.

That said, my brother is turning a year older during the quarantine period, and we’ve been talking about finally ordering from a restaurant to have a little celebration among ourselves.

Looking for one is a challenge since most restaurants are closed, so I thought I’d compile what I’ve found so far in case anyone else might find it helpful, whether you also have a special occasion or just want to satisfy your cravings!