Tag: quarantine

May 8 – Success

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Tell us about a time where everything you’d hoped would happen actually did.

There aren’t that many successful moments in our lifetime, sometimes we don’t even remember them. We do remember, however, the successful and beautiful moments that do happen.

Success to me means accomplishing or completing a goal that we set for ourselves. For example, finish reading a book, learning and cooking a recipe, and many more. You should know your own goals.

During this quarantine, I have been successful many times, or so I think.

One of my goals this year was to get back to writing and guess what? I did and I am still doing it. I have to thank COVID-19 for that. I also got back to playing the guitar, which was something I really wanted to do for the longest time but never really cared for it. Somehow Netflix always got in the way. Excuses, excuses...

Also, I didn’t think I was going to be exercising while being stuck at home. But hey, somehow I always make the time for it, and even if it is for 15 minutes, I wake my heartbeat up and get the blood flowing. Everyone should try it, trust me – it will change your day completely!

I guess it hasn’t been that bad being stuck at home after all …

Anyone else been successful at completing personal goals during quarantine?

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My inspiration today comes from the WordPress.com writing prompts guide.
https://wordpress.com/dailypost/postaday/ebook-365-writing-prompts/

 

Day 30 – Grateful

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I can’t believe I made it to Day 30 of daily writing and posting. Time went by so fast, it seemed like an eternity when it all began on April 1st with the word Joke.

I am grateful for the month of April – for being the month where I got back to writing – for both my hands and fingers, which are the ones that allow me to type and text.

I am grateful for my laptop and the desk below it. The lamp and my eyes that give me light and allow me to see and decipher what I am writing.

Grateful for having a roof over my head, with working heater for when it’s cold and A/C for when it’s hot, and the electricity to make them work.

Grateful for having access to the Internet and to be able to stay in touch with loved ones.

Grateful for having a job and to be able to pay my bills.

Last, but not least,

Grateful to be healthy, to be alive, and to be able to feel things. To feel love, sad, depressed, anxious, hungry… Those are reminders that we are still alive.

I guess there is a reason why I did not make this list yesterday. It had to be saved for today.

And with April gone, May comes the fun. With longer days, and trees in bloom. 

We are yet, still at home… 

 

 

Day 23 – Note

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Dear diary,

I feel like today has been a very long but productive day. I went for a run for the first time in like a month. It was a really cold morning and I felt like coming back to my warm bed. However, I completed a 30 min run and felt amazing after. I was feeling energetic and ready for my workday.

Work, on the other hand, was disastrous. There were so many things happening at the same time and I didn’t know where to start. Instant messages and emails kept coming in almost simultaneously, I thought I was going to go crazy!!!  Aside from that, my calendar was full of back to back meetings, which, fortunately, a couple of them were canceled.

On a good note though, I did finish what I was set up to do today work-wise, had a delicious lunch accompanied by a shot of rum, only to get back to more work emails. I have to admit I was feeling a bit stressed this afternoon, which is something I don’t really suffer from. It could be because different things were being thrown at me from different sources, which is not unusual. Not sure what was different today, to be honest.

Anyways, work was done and I played video games for a while. That helped me relax a little bit and made me forget about work. I cooked dinner and after that, I watched a couple of episodes of RuPaul Drag’s Race on Netflix because, why not? And now, well .. Here I am, writing whatever is popping into my mind.

And even though my day is far from over, I am glad of the ups and downs of today. Those feelings brought to me a sense of normal, which at the end of the day is what we all want, life to get back to normal … unless, of course, this is the new normal. #Quarantinemood

 

Day 22 – Tempo

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This word caught me a little bit off guard.. It doesn’t tell me anything or inspires me to write, really.

I was going through my camera roll on my phone to see if I could find a picture or video that I could use, but I didn’t find anything. All I found were pictures of food, morning coffee, and random memes or recipes I found online. And then it hit me…

Waking up every day and following your morning routine of brushing your teeth, having coffee, and breakfast is something that we all do at our own pace. So, I am substituting the word tempo for pace. It works, right? Whether you take your time to get ready or do everything in a hurry, that is what works for you. Everyone lives their life at a different pace or tempo.

Amid COVID-19 and having to be quarantined at home, the tempo of my routine changed drastically. I would only come home in the evening to have dinner and head straight to bed. Days went by really fast back then and sometimes I didn’t even have time to look myself in the mirror.

Now, I wake up without needing an alarm in the morning. I take my time to go to the bathroom while I ask Google to play the news. I take the time to select which type of coffee I will be drinking, and head to the balcony to spend a good 15-20 minutes under the sun, sipping on my coffee and listening to nature’s morning sounds. I then think about what my breakfast is going to be, which let’s be honest, I have eggs every day, but is nice to actually have the time to think about it.

By the time I’m done eating, I’m ready to start a stress-free day..

Which one do you prefer? Do you enjoy a fast-paced life? or like having the opportunity to take your time in the morning?

 

Day 18 – New

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New like our new way of living or new like a new object or game that we have acquired during quarantine? Well, I think I have created a new routine every week and have gotten more interested in new things if not every day, then every week.

Writing is a good example. It is not new to me, but it is definitely something I had the opportunity to get back to while being at home. It feels like an accomplishment for me to be able to get back to doing the things I like.

I have also gone back to playing music. I got a new guitar and new strings for my older one. This is not new to me, however, it’s been years since I last played a song or even grabbed my guitar. I feel like staying at home and having a lot of free time has wakened up my virtuoso side. It is certainly a good thing!

Notice that I am not adding cooking to the list. Cooking is something that I do regardless of the situation. That is the one thing I will never stop doing. For those of you who know me, know that I am cooking breakfast almost the minute after waking up. So, not putting a meal together, for me is not an option.

But anyway.. all of this to say that staying at home is not as bad as it seems. You can definitely do the things you like and not do the ones you don’t like..It’s that simple.

 

Day 13 – Teach

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In case anyone is running out of breakfast ideas during this quarantine season …

I am going to teach/show you a recipe that I’ve been doing since all of this started and I am, let me tell you, obsessed!

So, here is my noname breakfast:

You only need simple ingredients: teach

  • 1 Banana
  • Cinnamon to taste
  • 1/2 cup oatmeal
  • 1 egg
  • 1 or 2 handfuls of choco chips – that’s up to you

Preheat nonstick pan in medium heat. Spray cooking oil on the pan once heated.

Mash the banana and once smashed completely, add the egg and stir with a fork. Once you get to the consistency of pancake mix, add the oatmeal and keep mixing with a fork. Add cinnamon and choco chips last, or else the mix will change colors too quickly.

Form pancakes in the previously heated pan and cook for about 3-5min each side, still on medium heat. Put on your plate and top with any type of syrup you like/have. I used agave syrup. teach-

I hope someone looks at this recipe before tomorrow morning and shares pictures with me if they were able to make it and their thought on the recipe. Oh, and if they are looking forward to more recipes.

Cheers,

 

 

 

 

 

Day 11- Bite

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I’m sure we have all spent the majority of the time during quarantine biting on something.

Yes, I am again talking about food. But, what else is there to do while you are at home?

If you are not eating right at this moment, you are probably thinking about a snack or what you are going to eat for lunch or dinner. Does that happen to everyone or am I the only one? 

I am currently sipping on my coffee and eating some strawberries. This morning I am drinking from the Nespresso Master Origin collection – Indonesia. This has been one of my favorite flavors from the beginning. The Indonesia capsule has a crisp, strong and pleasant woody aroma. It is soft to the palate while leaving that strong and aromatic coffee flavor in your mouth. The intensity of the caffeine in this capsule does not really affect the soft velvety taste, which is what I like about it. The highest intensity in Nespresso coffee is 12, this one is an 8. IMG_8314

But what about biting? I forgot about it… I guess that caffeine is kicking in now! 

I am biting on strawberries while writing this. The coffee is done now, I finished it all while typing that last paragraph. Has anyone else tried drinking coffee and eating strawberries at the same time? It’s an interesting combination of flavors because the strawberries don’t really get rid of the coffee taste that’s in your mouth, plus the energy rush that you get while doing so. I guess it might be the caffeine plus the sugar in the strawberries? I don’t know..But I discovered this during my university years and now every time I’m in need of a pick me up, that’s what I do… that’s my secret.

 

 

Day 8 – Curve

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Well, this whole pandemic is a big curveball…

It is forcing all of us to stay at home and pause. Isn’t this amazing? But you haven’t thought about it that way, right? Being at home is making me take care of myself for what I really want, and follow my own routine, even though I’m still working from home. I can even work out in my pajamas for all I know…

I see it as a way of enjoying life during a pandemic that’s not shown on TV or in movies. Pandemics in movies are always horrible and scary. But here we are, chilling at home, watching TV, working and drinking..all at the same time. I could live like this, why not?

Yes, here I am going back to movies. But guess what? That’s the only thing all over my curves.

Tote.

 

Day 4 – Street

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I snapped the picture this morning. I don’t usually step out to the balcony in the morning but I guess today was one of those days. I just wanted to do something different.

I looked around, the streets were empty, lonely. I did hear a motorcycle in the distance though. Trying to understand where the noise was coming from, that is when I turned my head and noticed people lining up.

Are we not supposed to be at home? Social distancing and all… 

Yes, there is enough distance/space between these people, but I still don’t get it.

Am I jealous of these people out in the streets when we have been told to stay home? Maybe.

In the meantime, I will sit and watch the not so empty streets of my neighborhood.

Stay safe everyone.

Day 2 – Open

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This picture was taken last Friday, March 27th, 2020 from my balcony, probably around 7 p.m. I live on the 6th floor. I don’t remember it being windy, but it was probably around 12 degrees.

The clear evening skies and double digits temperature remind us that summer is approaching.

Stepping out to my balcony during quarantine and social distancing makes me feel a sense of privilege.

It is unclear from the picture, but I am able to see different apartment buildings and I wonder if there are more people like me -stuck at home, sipping on some wine and enjoying the outdoors from the comfort of their balcony.

I really do hope this does not last for too long, or else I will be taking more pictures like this, especially during Friday nights. And even if I don’t, I will be drinking wine anyways.