Both Sides Now

 I watched the movie CODA today and absolutely love it. Truth be told, it didn't reinvent the coming-of-age drama wheel but it has an interesting POV as it is from a Child of Deaf Adults and they casted legit deaf actors for the role so it was more authentic. The story basically tells on how pursuing one's path but is hard if you don't want to leave your family behind because they badly need you in their lives. Are you selfish for thinking your own personal interest? How the story panned out was admittedly predictable but still it was such well done movie that the ending was earned. The last part were so moving, a scene where the father is feeling her daughter's vocal chords while she is singing absolutely destroyed me! And the final musical moment involves the song Both Sides Now that was so affecting and has now led me to singing the Joni Mitchell song frequently now! The movie is streaming worldwide on Apple TV+  if you wanna check it out!

Another Dose

 My brother finally got his first dose of vaccine today. So that's just leave Nanay and my 13-year old nephew unvaccinated. Nanay's case we have to wait for her doctor's advice first but hopefully soon. Same with my nephew now that his age group will be allowed to get vaccinated soon. I really hope by 2022 things can have a true semblance of normalcy. 

Goes On

 So today was officially the last day of my co-workers who were retrenched.  Some approached to say goodbye and I really felt sad. And I just spent the last few hours reading their farewell messages on Facebook and sending my regards too. I don't show it that much in person but I'm sentimental  so I can't help but feel this way whenever people leave especially the ones I've worked with and have known for many years. And honestly even the ones I never had the chance to work with because we've seen each other's faces for a long time  so there's always that familiarity. I've been with the same company for 12 years so I've seen so many people come and go but each exit will always bring out a level of sadness.

Exits

 Some of my co-workers who got retrenched said their goodbyes. I'm not really close to anyone of them to be honest but still you've seen each other's faces for years in the same office so it's still sad really especially how it's not really their choice and not what the company prefers too. It's just necessary in order to survive in this tough economic situation. November is about to begin and all I can hope is that a promise of a better tomorrow is ahead. 

A Year Gone

 Today marks the first death anniversary of my beloved Tito Romy. I was there when he passed away and I will never forget his last few moments, the struggle he was facing and the moment he cried for one last time. Those images you just can't forget it. I miss Tito a lot. I still can't believe he is no longer with us and his last few months he was physically suffering because of his illness. He didn't deserve it. Hope you are at peace up there Tito, I will never forget you

Blocked

 The minor roadblocks in life these days give me a hard time inside. I feel like I should never be happy because there could be something in exchange for it. I need to be cautious, I need to guard my thoughts. The past few months were just so traumatizing that I can't shake this feeling of dread all the time. I'm always  worried and scared but I can't allow myself for anyone to know that. 

Wood Knock

 Got stressed today because I could feel her anxiousness. But in general at least it was still manageable and she seems to relax now. Whenever I'm facing this, I can't help but imagine the worst case scenario. I don't know why I do this to myself. I'm scared everyday and I distract myself everyday. But you can't escape it really. Oh Dear Lord please soothe our souls. 

Divide / Conquer

 Since restrictions have loosened there are now recreational areas in NCR open to the public even kids and seniors. There's this controversial "beach" that is now swarmed by people. Quite scary looking actually. A potential super spreader event. It does bother minors are allowed there and yet schools are largely closed. Oh well, it's really hard to love the country and general public these days.  But I really need to fight feeling this way to the common Pinoy. We are all being manipulated one way or another. I watched this documentary earlier about the conflict of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots in Cyprus and one comment struck me and it came from an old woman who witnessed the conflict all her life and she said politics found a way to to instill hate toward each other to better control us. I can feel that more than ever. 

Priorities

 Finished a work task that I was supposed to be done with yesterday but I had concentrating problems. It's due on Monday so I still had enough but I was hoping not to do any work stuff on a weekend! That's really a big challenge working from home, so many distractions at home to be honest. Usually I get things better at night when there are no more errands to do. Not complaining of course and I'm just glad I have work that allows me to do a hybrid office-home setup especially with what happened to my personal life this year, I really need to have a lot of time spent at home taking care of family needs. 

Pondering

 I made a choice although I'm not the prime decision maker but I made my voice heard and seems we're on the same page as well. To be honest, it's a scary choice but the thing is I'm trusting my gut. It also came with the sad acceptance of the inevitability. But not gonna think about it too much because it will drive me mad. But fear is engulfing me too. Lord please give us a sign it's the right choice.

Check Up

Tatay renewed his driver's license today and a medical checkup was needed and for the first time since 2018 he finally consulted a doctor again! Thank God he is generally in good health and still fit to drive. Underlying issue is high blood pressure where doctor gave him new maintenance medicines. It's a relief and may God bless Tatay and let him have continue to have good health 

Safe Watch

Today media release from Cinema Exhibitors Association of the Philippines references a recent study in Germany which concluded cinemas are safer than almost any other indoor environment, as long as safety guidelines are followed like mask-wearing and proper air ventilation

Quoting the press release:

The same German research took into account the following factors in its conclusion:

1. People spend an average of only two hours at a cinema 

2. People inside the cinema simply sit down and face the same direction which is known to reduce transmission risks

3. People are not talking to each other during a movie, which minimizes possibility of infection

And the protocols that will be admitted that was patterned set by America’s National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) and endorsed by epidemiologists. 

Monitoring of moviegoers’ body temperature as they enter the cinema

Moviegoers to present authentic vaccination card

Implement regulations set by the IATF and LGUs on facial coverings

No eating inside the cinema

Enforce socially-distanced seating

Encourage contact-less transaction in ticket-purchasing

 Improved air ventilation

Availability of hand sanitizers at the cinema entrance

 Mandatory hand-washing every 30 minutes for cinema employees

Deep cleaning between screenings

 

And as the president of the Cinema Exhibitors Association of the Philippines said

“We have devoted the past 19 months of cinema closure identifying solutions and precautions based on science.  We will implement these measures to confidently welcome back movie fans to cinemas and send them home safe.”

So yes I'm definitely in favor of the reopening of the theaters, give them a chance to prove they can do this safely! An estimated 300K lost their jobs due to the cinema closures so this would help them.

It was already announced that November 10 would be the reopening date followed by Warner Bros Philippines announcing Dune will be one of the movies opening that day.

Rooting for a safe return to the cinemas!. 

Not Quite

 I asked a person in the know and he said to me that like almost all cinemas are still not open despite being allowed  because well basically they have no manpower anymore. And still waiting if they can remain open for good. A lot of cinemas invested in safety protocols back in February in anticipation of a March reopening and we know what happened with that. It really crushed the hearts of many workers. Now a lot of them aiming for November reopening if things can go well but they remain skeptical and that they will be closed again. Hopefully this will work out smoothly soon enough, for people to get their jobs back and restore the way movies are best seen. Safely of course! I heard that local movie distributors are already preparing their titles! Hoping for the best really

Reel

Big thanks to my video editor James patiently searching all the hard drives on my vault to compile the title cards of the all of the programs we aired on TeleNovela Channel Philippines Our little channel's history in the decade of its existence! I'm a proud channel coordinator! :)
 

Sent!

 Whew, that work task I procrastinated yesterday is finally done! I worked on it all day and finished just right now. But I didn't cram the work and I honestly said was very focused and didn't rush stuff. I was keen on the details because I don't want to mess this up as this could be a start for additional task that will honestly benefit me in the long run so hopefully my work will have good feedback so I can expect more to come!

A Little Pressure

 I was supposed to do a work-related stuff today but I put it off because I just want to relax for the day but tomorrow I NEED to finish this task which is halfway done so hopefully I can pull it off.  I need to concentrate so I can do it well. It's not an easy task to be honest and I really should have worked on it today. I feel guilty but I've worked hard this week so I justify my procrastination that I need some time to do something that can relax me! Hopefully, it won't bite me in the end. Can't afford to mess this up

Curtains Up

 Cinemas are finally allowed again in Metro Manila starting tomorrow. Only fully vaccinate can enter with a limit of 30% capacity. That's reasonable. I haven't read any report anywhere in the world linking an outbreak in cinemas so I think the risk is not as high as people feared because I've read some violent reactions with this. I understand the concern but how about giving the industry a chance to prove they can open safely too? Too many jobs lost already and having this industry finally opening up again will be a small but good help to all those who lost their jobs due to the closure to get it back again. 

Tantrum

 After a tiring commute because of rain and traffic, I got home facing stress. It's not a big issue but I had to deal with mood swings and really tested my patience. I almost lost it but was able to save a bigger problem in the end. It's so tough, I feel like giving up sometimes but I can't and won't do it. But I can't help feel this way each time I face a problem like this. Just tired and frustrated and sad and scared. 

Juggle

 Work from home today and it was quite hectic because our globe prepaid WIFI is having technical issues so the Internet is slow. Good thing we recently bought a Smart-PLDT prepaid WIFI too for backup so my nephew's online classes was not interrupted. I'm the one using the Globe WIFI and while it was spotty around lunch it eventually got better but still not as fast as it used to be. It has been an issue for 3 days now. I hope this is just temporary thing. Working at home ain't easy because in the middle I do house errands like buying meds and some stuff needed at home. Work load is quite hectic because I have another task on hand which I ain't complaining because it will be added income. Life is so hard so you really gonna make things work. Since we recently had retrenchment news too so I'm just thankful I'm not part of it. But still sad those who will leave in the coming weeks. There are just 7K reported cases today and hopefully start of the downward trend please

Caught a vibe

 Checked out what the kids are listening to these days and Meet Me At Our Spot grabbed me instantly at first listen! Apparently this song was released early 2020 but this live performance went viral on TikTok (which has become the hit generator of this era) and now the record label is now promoting it as official single now. The lady Willow, is Will Smith's daughter and had a hit novelty song Whip Your Hair when she was a child. What a total turnaround! Her voice is so good for alternative/rock genre!

10!

 The Cable TV industry is facing a lot of challenges these days so for our little channel to last this long is a blessing! I was not part of the channel's team from day one but I'm the longest at 9 years! I've learned a lot overseeing the channel's operations over the years. Thank you to all people I've worked with: the production assistants, video editors, producers, engineers, OJTs, our clients, our bosses, the pay TV operators and of course the viewers! Happy 10th anniversary TeleNovela Channel. We are seen on Sky Cable Ch. 81, Cignal Ch. 126, SatLite Ch. 92, Cignal Play Premium and various local cable operators nationwide 🙂

A little escape

 This afternoon I spent watching TV shows - Ghosts (US), The Other Two, The Conners, What We Do in the Shadows. All comedies because that's why I need right now. Light and easy to consume shows. I've also been watching documentaries on YouTube as of late Most if is about other countries, their issues and such. Maybe I just wanted an escape from this country's issues by finding out what's going in other countries. 

Noise

 The political talk very heated now on social media and hence I'm avoiding it. I'm just not in the proper mindset to deal with the stress of political talk right now. I wish I was eloquent enough to speak my mind in a way I could convince or at least make people ponder on their choices. But I'm not. I'm meek. I can get discouraged easily in heated talks. This time is tougher too so many  aggressiveness and obnoxiousness, I can't deal with it, I get anxious and stress and I have enough stress in personal life to add that. But I'm definitely scared how social media can affect voting choices. 

Rock

So on the last day of filing of those who want to run for office, there was a last minute "stunt", someone you didn't expect to run for the top position did and it honestly felt like a mockery. He was even a mess when being interviewed. But I'm sure some people found it funny. A lot of us suspect that this is just temporary, a placeholder for a substitution. Another stunt. Same playbook from the last time. Oh goodness, please not the same result too.

Pink

 Finally someone I like has made a decision to run for top position at next year's election. A quick scan of my social media and I see there's a lot of support but I won't be confident because the opponents are vicious and they are loud. I will be anxious until the results are in. I'm trying to manage my expectations but I really want a change to happen next year. I'm nervously hopeful. So tired of obnoxiousness and rampant anomalies center and front. Oh Dear Lord please guide the country to the right path. 

Clenched

 The filing of those who will run for the elections is making me so anxious! I'm just really scared those people will win again. You could feel how heavy their campaign on social media is, bot-like behavior now and of course they are clearly influencing the masses now. I overheard our van driver telling he would vote that person, I wish I was eloquent enough to speak out but I'm not. He is a very nice guy so you can't really judge their whole personality just because of this problematic politics. How many good-natured people could be influenced just like that? Oh Lord please enlighten the voting public, please.

Maybe next time..

 There's this buzz about this new Netflix Korean show Squid Game and isn't just here in Asia but around the world it has topped Netflix charts. Call it FOMO or what but naturally I got curious too but upon seeing the clips online, this show is not for me at this period of time. I sure get the thriller part of it but not too keen on watching a show about people experiencing so much misery. This isn't the escape I want right now. Life right now whether personal or national, there's just too much frustrations and fears that I just don't want feel or bad in my scripted media consumption for now. 

Frustrating

 Current news is so infuriating like this turn of events that a supposed whistleblower changed her story! But it's so predictable because she's now in the custody of their allies! I still can't believe that stuff like this that usually happens just on TV and movies are now happening in real life! I can't help but continue feeling hopeless 

Inadequate

 Yeah, one of those nights that I'm falling into deep into my insecurities and frustrations. I lack a lot of eveything needed in life and all I do is just whine about it. I have nothing to offer. When challenging times like this happen, I feel so helpless. I can only do so much with so little. 

Same Old

 So filing of candidacy started yesterday and all the usual stuff. Today there was even a stunt from someone saying he won't run, whatever! We already saw this same gimmick but of course there will be people who's gonna eat this up! Yes, I'm scared that there won't be a meaningful change next year. 

Shaky

 Found out that the company will lay off some people to cut costs. Oh well, times are truly hard and I really feel bad to those who will lose their jobs. This is the second time in my 12 years with the company that this happened. The last time though our company was saved from total bankruptcy when we scored a big client - ABS-CBN. While ABS is still our client but given their state as well, the projects we have with them are not as big as before. Yeah that's why I'll forever be mad to those who rooted for their franchise denial. There are rumors that we might move to a new office too although thankfully still in Ayala, Makati. I won't deny I feel worried. I hope we survive this soon enough.