COVID-19: Day 15 Shelter in place March 31 2020

We now have about 180,000 cases of COVID 19 here in the United States.  The president's hope of opening the economy and the country by Easter has been replaced with the projection that we will hit our peak in two weeks.  

I have been outside only a few times during these last two weeks.  I really don't want to catch and spread this virus so we are doing everything we can to protect ourselves.  I was supposed to go to the post office today, but I decided against it and went to the mailbox instead.  

My biggest struggle right now is parenting.  Michelle is 13 years old and I do not know if I am properly handling this "pandemic parenting".  She is on 'spring break' right now, so no online classes.  She is in her room pretty much all day, watching Netflix, Youtube or making Tiktok videos.  We watched Knives Out last night, an effort to do something together as a family.  We really enjoyed the movie.  I asked her today if she wanted to watch any more movies but she shrugged and said,'I don't know, Mom.'  She does not enjoy reading, another thing she inherited from her father. We tried to play board games but none of us are really into it so we ended that quickly.  I teach her how to cook, she still walks the dog, but I feel like we are not interacting enough. *sigh* She is a good kid.  I know she is, but I don't know what kind of lasting effect being locked down inside the home for weeks on end to anyone's mind.  I am starting to get restless myself!

COVID-19: Day 9 Shelter in place March 25 2020

One of the most recent news going around is this Filipino senator Aquilino Pimentel, who tested positive for COVID-19.  While he was waiting for his test results, he breached  quarantine protocols and took his wife to the hospital to give birth. He put his family and the hospital staff in danger!  I understand wanting to be there for your wife when she gives birth but during times like these, damn it, use your common sense!   He broke the law and he apologized, and that seems to be the extent of it.  What can the rage of citizens do against a rich and powerful man?  Whilst a homeless woman was arrested and placed in jail for being out on the street (she is homeless!) during the quarantine.  Nasan ang hustisya?

As much as I love the Philippines, I cannot stand the injustice.  This is the reason why I don't think I can ever live there again.  I am afraid that I will be corrupt and I wont even feel remorse for it because corruption is embedded in every aspect of life. If you a poor, there is no justice for you.  If you are rich, justice is on your side.  The scales of justice always tip favorably towards those who have money to spend.  

I'm not going to pretend I have not benefited from this.  While our family is not rich like the senator, we have more than enough and can get things done expeditiously if we chose to use corrupt avenues to get things done.  We have used these avenues in the past, everyone there seems to accept that this is how things are done.  It is wrong, but if you want to get anything done, they say, when in Rome, do as the Romans do.  You are desensitized to the corruption that goes on around you.  There is a "secret" rule book people use and you can pay to use that rule book.  

Now that the Philippines is under quarantine, the divide between the rich and the poor is even more prevalent.  People can't go to work, so they don't get paid.  There is no unemployment insurance, not even a flimsy safety net to help them in times like these.  You can get a loan from Social Security Services, but your wages will be garnished once you start working again.  When you work paycheck to paycheck, having to pay a loan is another burden you must bear.  

Here in the United States, the economy may go down but there is confidence that it will bounce right back.  For the Philippines and its people, it's not going to be that easy.  

Speaking of America, our legislators have agreed on a stimulus package to help Americans through these troubled times.  I hope we get some money from the government.  We need help, too, as our business is not doing well. I am thankful that the Lord blessed me with a husband who is blessed with a job that allows us to save some money.  I am thankful my husband has the wisdom to save money for times like these when we need help.  

I have two employees in Manila.  Business has been super slow and I know my niece and I can manage it even without assistance from our Manila team.  But I don't want to let them go because none of their family members are able to work right now, their employment in our business is the only way they can earn a living and put food on the table.  


I really pray this ends soon.  This will end sooner IF WE ALL STAY HOME! I hope you do your part.  

COVID-19: Day 7 Shelter in place March 23 2020

This introvert still misses people. 

I do not miss the loud sounds at work.  I do not miss the constant hustle and bustle of people going about their days at the mall.  But I miss my friends and my relatives.  My cousins and I have a group chat going and they really do brighten my day, but after 6 days of being cooped inside the house, cabin fever is really starting to set in.  

But I know I have to do my part. I do not want to get sick and I don't want to get my family sick but being stuck inside will mess with your head.  


The last time I was in room full of people was when we went to the St Thomas More Cioppino Night fund raising dinner.  That was a good night!  So much food and drinks with a few of my favorite people.  

COVID-19: Day 6 Shelter in place March 22 2020

I had the day off yesterday and today and I was able to actually get some rest, albeit, not enough sleep.  I noticed that I have only been sleeping an average of 6 hours since the Shelter in Place was announced.  I don't think I am more anxious than the average person, so I don't know if my lack of sleep is due to the corona virus situation.  

There are over 30,000 reported cases of the virus in the United States but thankfully, we have not had too many deaths from it.  It feels wrong to say "thankfully" to that last statement.  I don't mean to disregard the lives of those we have already lost, I know each life is precious.  But compared to the devastation that Italy is facing right now, I am thankful that our state (California) has chosen to act relatively quickly to try to be a step ahead of the virus.  

Today, my husband took the day off from work and we decided to take the dog for a walk around our block.  We have a huge block, probably an average of 3 to 4 suburban blocks so it took us about 30 minutes to walk around it.  It was a bad call.  Dog was scared of the noise and was reluctant to keep walking just a third of the way thru (we made him walk still) and my allergies started to act up.  I was miserable by the time we got home.  I hurriedly hopped in the shower to get rid of the pollen.  So beginning tomorrow, no more long walks for the dog.

Someone we know is under observation for COVID 19.  I pray that it is nothing more than a cold or a flu.  But I think where they live, anyone who show even mild symptoms are placed under observation.  I don't want to worry because worrying won't help. 

The other day, I wrote that airports might close either here or in the Philippines.  I think we are indeed moving in that direction.  I read this morning that only Filipino citizens will be allowed to enter the country.  Foreigners are being asked to leave.  There are still thousands of tourists stuck in the islands as domestic flights have been suspended (ferries and buses also cancelled), so they have no way to get to an international airport and try to get home.  It is a total mess.  In the last two weeks, I think I only had 2 or 3 clients who decided to proceed with their flight.  This week, I might need to start cancelling those who are traveling in April.  

If someone stumbles upon this blog right now and you are still not practicing social distancing, I plead you to stay home.  You might not be gravely ill, you may be asymptomatic, but that doesn't mean you cannot infect the people around you.  It has been widely reported in the news that it is mostly the elderly that dies from COVID 19, but other perfectly healthy individuals can get very sick, too.  It could lead to permanent lung damage and/or death, even if you are young and have no pre-existing condition.  Think about your parents, your grandparents, think about the people you love.  This shelter in place is the only thing that will protect us for now.  While they are testing medicines to fight the virus, there is no silver bullet, no vaccine to protect us. We are all vulnerable.  I don't know how else to explain how serious this matter is.  The fact that states are telling its people to stay home, countries locking down, thousands of people dying. This is serious.  You may think it doesn't affect you, it does.  No one is immune to this.  It will affect your life one way or another.  

COVID-19: Day 4 Shelter in place March 20 2020

I was not able to write anything yesterday because I have been incredibly busy with work.  Travel is down to almost zero (no new bookings in a while) but my customers who have booked their trips prior to this pandemic still need assistance.  So while I make no additional income by helping them now, it would be wrong to just leave them out there to try to figure this whole mess out.  

I am exhausted.  Working from home makes you work longer hours because when you remember to do something, you power up the computer and do it and you get tied up and start doing other things.  What was supposed to be a 5 minute task has turned into another hour of work.  

But today, I'm taking a day off.  I did work a little bit but most of the day, I'm just relaxing.  I did manage to exercise today, some Zumba, squats and weights and I did a tiktok video with my daughter. =)  A friend of mine is a certified cross-fit trainer and she gives me exercises that will work with my limitations (RA).  I have lost 8.5 lbs in the less than a month and I plan to lose more during this shelter in place.

I can't wait to do another cooking show on Instagram Stories today.  I am really looking forward to that.  Cooking is therapy and I am excited that I can share some of the skills to my friends out there.  

The US government is getting closer (I hope) to figuring out the details of the CoronaVirus Relief package.  I pray we get some help from the government.  Everyone needs help.

There is one confirmed case of COVID 19 in my hometown in Cavite so early this morning, I spoke to my brother and gave him instructions to buy more food and prepare to lock down for more than 1 month.  No one should leave the house unless absolutely necessary.  

It is the situation in the Philippines that has me extremely worried.  Healthcare is not very good over there.  The few world-class hospitals are in Manila and have limited capacity.  They have a quarantine in place but it is not properly enforced.  There are too many exceptions and Filipinos are notorious for being stubborn and disobedient to the law.  There is no unemployment insurance that provides safety net if they lose their income due to circumstances like the one we are currently facing.  The poor (a majority of the people) will now have to decide if they should continue to work and risk getting sick in order to put food on the table, or to stop working a starve.  

To top this off, politicians are still squabbling.  Citizens criticize and complain constantly.  The inequality between the poor and the rich are even more obvious when facing a crisis like this.  Test kits are readily available for the rich and famous, while the average person needs to be critically ill before they get tested.  

Maybe that's how it is here in the United States, too but to a lesser degree.  Movie stars and athletes seem to be getting tested more quickly while others have to jump through hoops to get tested. 

California declared a state-wide shelter in place policy yesterday.  It really looks like we are going to be stuck inside for 8 weeks.  In my gut, I also feel like some of the airports will be shutdown in less than 2 weeks, either here in the United States or in the Philippines.  Cases in the United States jumped to 14,000, with a 1.6% mortality rate.  There are now more deaths in Italy than in China.  China is starting to recover.  Their data, supplies and manpower is now being used to help countries all over the world.  I really do hope and pray the nations help each other out.  No one wins by being selfish during these times (so stop hoarding people!!!).

COVID-19: Day 2 Shelter in place March 18 2020

So Day 2 has been very much like day 1.  Except, I started to do a cooking show on Instagram Live (if you want to follow me, @thisismimie, you better send me a message first because the profile is private).  

My first episode had 3 viewers.  I cooked Oatmeal Arroz Caldo which is basically savory oatmeal.  This dish, if you can tell by the name is rice cooked in a pot of chicken broth with garlic, onion, ginger.  Instead of rice, I used oatmeal and placed a hardboiled egg in it for protein.  I think I may have shared a recipe here in the past.  But below is my finished product.

I had better success in viewership during the dinner episode.  =) I cooked Shrimp Sinigang which is shrimp in tamarind broth.  I plan on doing more of this during the lockdown.  I like that I get to interact with people and share my cooking skills with them.

Tomorrow, I am going to cook Cajun Prawns.  


The President of the United States signed the coronavirus relief legislation into law.  Based on what I read, Americans are going to get money from the government to help in this crisis.  I just don't know how the money will be distributed, but I know everyone is hurting and needs help.  I pray we all set aside greed and selfishness and do what we need to do for the GREATER GOOD.  

COVID-19: Day 1 Shelter in place Mar 17 2020

Well, I better write about what is going on in the world as my foggy memory will totally mess it up for me and ruin the stories I tell my future grandchildren!

The world in under a state of panic.  Several nations have closed their borders, cities have a shelter-in-place ordinances, people are canceling trips, people are panic buying hundreds and hundreds of rolls of toilet paper (more on this later) and storing food like we are facing the Apocalypse (maybe we are, it's day 1 of our lockdown after all!).  All this because of COVID-19 or Corona Virus, a virus similar to the flu but as this is a new disease, there is no known medicine or vaccine.  About 4% of people who get it, die from it, mostly the elderly.    

COVID-19 started in Wuhan, China when several employees of a market fell ill.  It is suspected that the virus was passed from bats to humans and while bats are immune to it, humans are not.  Conspiracy theorists, on the other hand, believe this disease was man-made, especially after a novel written in 1981 called, The Eyes of Darkness, described a flu-like disease that started in Wuhan, China.  You can read the excerpt below.  But experts say that is just coincidence, that we give too much credit for what man can do.   After all, the Simpsons predicted Donald Trump would be president and well, let's not get me started on the president.  That means we, we haven't developed a disease to kill each other yet, we have semi-automatic guns for that (wow, where did that come from?). 

So the elderly is at a high risk of not being able to fight this disease, so do those with chronic illness and have a compromised immune system (hello!).  Kids and healthy adult are the ones who are mostly asymptomatic and likely to be the ones spreading the virus because they don't know they have it.  Symptoms include dry cough, fever and body ache.  Every hour of every day since the last week, I ask myself, 'Do I have this virus???' I do have a dry cough, no fever and body ache though so I haven't switched on the panic button.  

Confession:  I have been, for the past 3 weeks, slowly accumulating food and supplies for my family.  I did not panic buy!  I did it very slowly.  I read the news a lot and when I read that the FBI is starting to stockpile surgical masks and hand sanitizers, I bought some of it for my family.  Then I bought groceries, and then 2 days later, more groceries.  I think have been to the supermarket twice a week with a semi-full shopping cart each time.  There's 7 of us here at home, so we need a lot of stuff.  But then, there are people that HOARD toilet paper, and canned goods, and rice and everything else you can possibly think of!  Lines outside the Costco start forming at 4 am!  Shelves at grocery stores sit empty!  If you want to buy toilet paper, good luck with that!  I have just another big package of toilet paper saved up, so I instructed people in the house to think that the toilet paper in the bathroom is the last one we have!  It's amazing how all of a sudden, 1 mega roll of toilet paper lasts 24 hours in our bathroom, it has now been 36 hours, and we are only half-way thru 1 roll.  

My husband and I are working form home.  I have been working 12 hour days for the past 9 days.  A lot of work, for little to no income. We have a travel agency and our industry has been severely affected by the coronavirus.  No one is traveling unless they absolutely have to.  I issue refunds to my customers based on the airline guidelines.  But every industry is hurting.  The whole world is hurting.  Many restaurants are closed or only open for take out or delivery.  The world is going to be a different place when this is all over.

But at the same time, the world needs this break.  Pollution in the air and waterways are at an all time low.  I read a news article that with China being on lockdown and factories being closed, clearing the air has spared more lives than those lost in China due to COVID-19.

I miss hanging out with friends, family and church family.   But we are blessed we have the technology to see each other through video chat.  Despite all that is going on, we have to learn to count our blessings