Like a human being again

I miss people.

When social distancing became a thing, I brushed it off thinking there weren't a lot of people I really wanted to hang out with anyway. Also, we could connect through chats and video calls, and that should be enough for me.

It worked out in the beginning. I enjoyed attending various virtual events, like Ila's very wholesome baby shower...

Mara's adventure-themed bridal shower...

and my former boss Ms. Mylene's 80s-themed retirement party (huhu).

That's me at the top row, second from right. I am wearing a loud printed shirt in black and neon green - a last-minute costume sourced from Michael's closet! Alam mong 80s person talaga siya lololol.

I digress.

After months of nothing but virtual ganaps, I started to miss being around friends and family in person. Grateful as I am for how technology keeps us connected, it's still much better to be exchanging stories, laughing out loud, and bouncing off ideas face to face. 

Good thing my sister Lycel and Rocel were able to come home for the holidays, so we were able to bond a bit along with Junjer.

After the holidays, it was back to my routine. I continue to work from home (thank you, Sun Life!) and stay with Sloan while Michael goes to work Monday to Thursday. We have had no helper since the lockdown began so I am rarely able to go out. It's all good, though there are some days when I do not step out of the house at all, not even the veranda. I was starting to feel blah.

This was why I was overjoyed when my friend Telly agreed to dinner and a few drinks. We met up at Rue Bourbon in Morato. It was super awesome to be out at night for the first time since the lockdown! Of course, we observed safety protocols. We met up early to avoid the crowd and stayed at the farthest corner of the al fresco dining area so we would be outdoors and also as far from other people as possible. Actually, siya nga mismo malayo sa'kin because the tables were huge for just two people lol.

The next Friday, I met up with my best friend Annej at The Block to shop for prizes for our The Tita Playlist contests. The mall was not too crowded, which was surprising but also a relief. After hitting ome stores, we had a late lunch and some drinks at Chili's, and ended up staying a bit longer than we planned. I suppose this should have been expected, given how the last time we were actually out together was way back November 2019! 

Photo taken just after she took out a giant tub of Clorox wipes and wiped the table clean hahaha! I laughed hard seeing it, but at the same time, was also thankful to be meeting with people overly cautious about safety.

It will probably be a while before I'd be out to meet with friends again, but I'm glad I did it. I have been feeling like a robot with my routine, but thanks to these in-person interactions, I actually feel like a human being again.