Normally, these long and humid weekdays will find all the three of us, now
turned workers-from-home (or is it work-from-homies?) sitting in front of our LED filled prisons, immersed at writing and beating deadlines. In these
uncertain times of COVID-19 and quarantine, that had become our family’s
own contribution to what is generally called the new normal.
In a sense, while I may have already become quite used to the concept of
working from home since I stopped singing three years ago, my two
housemates, because of this enforced Coronavirus work stoppage, are still
relatively new to the idea, having been true-blue office workers.
Still, one might be led to believe that we may have already become
accustomed to, much less, comfortable with, the new setup. This could be
because of the no-nonsense schedule that we have presently employed in
the house. (We have a 9 to 7 work schedule, with lunch and snacks, and a
silence policy all throughout the duration.)
However, the truth is that, while at home during our so-called “office hours,” one can only look out the window for so long, without getting the sudden impulse to jump out, go gaga and run stir crazy up the empty streets.
Luckily, we have fail-safe mechanisms in place, ala- Dr. Strangelove, to
ensure against this. For one, all the things-to-do in the house during this
quarantine, are implemented by the clock, starting from morning exercises,
chores, up to meal schedules. Incidentally, the latter always comes
complete with the day-by-day and week-by-week details, tackling what are
the ingredients to prepare with each meal.
In all, that may come off as a bit obsessive-compulsive for some, but aside
from being a great idea in the rationing of our food supply, the sense of
order keeps us sane and composed somewhat. More important, the
discipline has greatly minimized going out of the house for groceries and
related errands.
However, the most welcome addition slash mental health diversions are
(trumpet blaring) the ones that are online based. Special thanks to a host of
Asian/Korean movies (for the missus), action flicks for us, and of course, an
endless source of notable reads, courtesy of Nflix and HB oh, even the
extension of the ECQ and the continued work load have not yet dampened
our spirit atop this uraya mountain.
In comparison, the usual and ever-present house chores, like cleaning and
gardening, when used as diversions against the claustrophobic feeling of
quarantine, may all merely blend in as quite routine and common,
especially when compared alongside these novel online pastimes. That is
why, lucky for us and thanks to our donors, we are just a-ok.
Just like Shadowfax, Tolkien’s mighty horse of Rohan, these welcome
diversions aid us greatly against today’s enormous challenges that are
capped by our needed self-isolation, and more important, that painful sense
of separation from our loved ones.
