Persisting

Trying to look at the brighter side of things can sometimes be a challenge in this environment. I recognize the privileges we are able to enjoy amid the current situation, but there are days when the wave of stagnation hits. It's been over a year since we last experienced living normal lives, and so far, the end of this pandemic is still nowhere in sight.

I am persisting as best as I can. One way is by trying to get exercise back into my routine. I went on a break after my surgery back in February and it has been a struggle trying to bring my drive back. 

...until my work friends Reyna and Carla invited me to join the The Conqueror Virtual Challenges, specifically the  Mt. Fuji Challenge. It's a virtual challenge that follows a 76km route to Mt. Fuji in Japan, and you advance along the map as you complete your daily exercise.

At first, I was worried about completing it. Work load has been pretty crazy lately that, often, I'd like to just relax and not do anything when I have free time. Plus, I've never signed up for any fitness-related challenge before and I was worried I won't be able to finish. 

At the same time though, I was also curious to know how I would do. So I signed up. 

As it turns out, the challenge is very engaging! I get such a high entering my steps for the day on the app, and seeing the counter advance. I also get to see a street view of where I am in the route, and who else is in the area - well, their pins at least haha. Part of my nightly ritual is taking a virtual stroll through the app and imagining I am in Japan. They also have a Facebook community where people share how they are doing with the challenge they picked, and it's amazing how there are people of different ages and fitness levels - super inspiring!

Right now, I am about 60% done, and I am super excited to get my medal because the Mt. Fuji one is super pretty. I'm thinking about signing up for another Conqueror challenge, but let's see.

I have also started a Tiktok account! 

Parang kelan lang, ayaw kong mag-tiktok ("Ang tanda ko na para dyan..."). At present, it's actually my favorite creative exercise. for one, there are so many talented content creators in there! From dancers to singers to fitness enthusiasts to cooks to yoyo masters and more. super inspiring! Also, it's a fun challenge matching context with the sounds and effects available and writing a copy that suits it, for a material that should last only a few seconds.

Interestingly, my past two posts have garnered hundreds of views versus past numbers, and that pushes me to identify the kind of content that works (not to mention improve my acting hahaha). It hasn't translated to a lot of follows though and maybe i'll get there, but it is fun as it is. Pero shemps, if may TikTok ka, beke nemen.... :P

Meanwhile, on the Sloan side, there are two significant updates. First, he now has his own bed! 

In April, he said he wanted to start sleeping in the other room again on his own, never mind if there's onyl a sofa bed in there. We let him be and thought he'd go back to co-sleeping in just a matter of days, but save for a night here and there, he's pretty much marked his territory.

With that, we decided to get him his own bed already. 

This was super symbolic for me because it's his first bed (well, aside from his crib lol) and it's like, whoa, he's his own person now! He has a bed and all! Haha. He' taller than me already at 10 years old, but it's still hard to believe sometimes how much he's grown! Bahala siya, baby ko pa rin siya lolol.

The other update is that he's getting a kitten soon! He has been asking us for a pet, specifically a dog, but unfortunately dogs are not allowed in our building. It so happened that the cat owned by one of the building staff recently gave birth, and one of the kittens was reserved for him. 

The kitten still feeds from his mom so we couldn't get him yet, but Sloan brings him up when he can so he can get familiar with our house. It's fun seeing him try and take care of a pet. He even gave Michael some money from his savings to buy a bed for the kitten! One time, I saw the kitten napping comfortably on his bed, tapos kinumutan pa niya! 

Katuwa hehe. I loved having a pet when I was younger and not only was it fun, but it also taught me a lot of lessons about caring and being responsible for another being. I'm hopinh it will be the same experience for him.

So that's all for now. I sure hope the upcoming updates will be much more cheerful on the pandemic side of things. Like, I dunno, finally being vaccinated? Fingers crossed. Until then, let's keep on persisting, shall we?