Surviving Success

One factor that I have to deal with is the reaction of other people to my success. There are so many people who are looking forward to my failure whereas I'm aiming for success. And there are a handful of key people who are rooting for my success and showing me the traps that lie ahead if I get overconfident.

I don't know why this is but it is what it is. I'm just grateful that there are people who give good advice so I can step ahead in life. I believe that this is the right time for me so I'm going for the win. God willing, I will succeed and thrive in this new arena.

Hits and Misses During Jobhunting

Because I've been ill for two months due to covid, I've had to take a deep dive into jobhunting again. And one job that was offered to me was Customer Service Representative of the Insurance account of Accenture. I was taken by surprise by this because I didn't apply at Accenture this year. I thought they had forgotten about me by now. But apparently, not so. Last time I checked Accenture is now preparing me for the job interview stage.

I also got hired by Livingston Research, an academic writing company, because I passed their complicated entrance exam. But they said I have to wait for awhile since they're still trying to get enough job orders for the entire team, not just me. So I will wait for that one.

Now I have to check that guide given by my friend so that I can be ready for the Accenture interview. I guess I have to figure out what are the legitimate answers to the job interview questions. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for this one since the compensation is very much welcome. I just hope they don't put me in the night shift or graveyard shift. It seems they want to put me in the Cubao branch, but I'll ask anyway if they're open to putting me in the Alabang branch. That would be ideal.

Now for the misses part.

I have creditors and they're getting impatient enough to demand that I pay my debts already. That's why it was so important to get the hard copies of my covid tests, so that the creditors' rep who will drop by will see that I was legitimately ill with covid. I was hoping for Ink Cinematic to give me another project but they bypassed me to give projects to the other members of the team. So I just handed in my resignation letter and left. I even deleted their Skype account. Volt and I agree that Ink Cinematic must have been lying to me about the "author" and that it was just a convoluted scam so they could get my excellent screenplay for a pittance. But the silver lining there is that I contacted Katelyn Silva who said my screenplay has potential to become a great novel. I just need to spend time daily in novel writing and pretty soon I'll be showing the novel manuscript to her again. I just need Katelyn to guide me in the publishing of my novel.

Forever 28

I don't know why this is but I noticed that I am still thinking the same way I used to think in my 20s. That explains the title of this post "Forever 28". Why 28? Because of this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avMbu6cc4Eo

Liam was young, attractive, smart, popular, and a complete liar. He had that famous trait that conmen have had all through the centuries: charm! And because of that he was able to systematically wreck Barings Bank of England.

Some people seem to never grow up. And I'm like that. I wake up in the morning thinking the same way and I am inclined to think that I will die thinking that way. Well, not planning to run a scam, no. But thinking as if I have decades of life yet and that I can afford to plan my life as if I were starting out at 28. When in reality I'm pushing 50 and soon I'm sure that the Good Lord will be asking me to come home already. So now, having realized that, I make it a point to consult God so that I don't wind up becoming another Liam.

Watch the video. You will be awestruck by the audacity of Liam and that he even managed to grin arrogantly at the press after serving his prison sentence. I hope that I never wind up scamming people just because I think "Forever 28" at age 49 onwards.

The China Risk

If you have been reading the newspaper headlines lately, here in Metro Manila, you may have noticed that practically every week there is something about China harassing Filipinos. The most concerning was on March 5 when 44 Chinese warships were lined up at the perimeter of the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR). And now we hear that China has deployed buoys in waters well within the PAR.

I would like to warn everyone that the China risk is very real. This is no joke, though the Chinese disrespect us all the time when our government protests. So I suggest we all pray that God will send us our allies at this point in time to provide military support when China does attack. Yes we need our military might but perhaps God will show mercy on us Filipinos if we turn from our sins and pray. At this point in time, this may save us.

Thanks to the Generosity of Strangers

I was very happily surprised today by the act of kindness over at the food vendor stall nearby. My gas stove needs to be checked so I decided to just buy cooked food at the food vendor stall because of the risk of explosion if I used my stove.

When I got there, there were very few customers so I bought tinola and the server put in two large pieces of chicken and quite a lot of soup. Considering he just asked me to pay 60 pesos, that was a lot! It seems they want me to come by and buy from them again then. I may do just that.

Hopefully, the world will be a kinder place if strangers opted to be more generous to one another instead of trying to hoodwink each other. Peace depends on the generosity of strangers.

Negative Covid Test Results

To my surprise, the hard copy of my RT PCR test results showed that I am NEGATIVE for covid. This is the definitive test results since their online results yesterday showed I am positive for covid. But my mom said for me to keep quarantine for 30 more days so that I won't relapse and for the virus to die out as we keep disinfecting our compound.

This means also that I have to keep following covid protocol which is double masking and using alcohol, especially when handling money. I will keep trying to feed myself nutritious food. Waiting also for Lea to harvest her honey so I can buy for myself and for my siblings.

Sometimes, God has some surprises in store that are unique and remarkable at the same time.

To Earthquakes to Thunderstorms to What?

Today was an exciting day. Luzon Island here in the Philippines had a big earthquake that started in Batangas and extended as far as Baguio City in the North. I'm still waiting for news as to whether anyone got hurt or buildings damaged by the earthquake.

Then, a few hours later, there was this very loud thunderstorm. It lasted for around one hour along with heavy rains and some windiness. For a few moments I was wondering if lightning would strike our house but fortunately nothing like that.

I'm waiting now for whatever comes after those two major incidents.

I Miss Stingless Bee Honey from Nectar & Pollen

Because I've been ill since May 2023 with that insane covid infection, I realized that one reason I haven't been able to recover completely is I lack my regular intake of Stingless Bee Honey. This is honey that is sourced from stingless bees that are native to the Philippines where I live.

I usually get my stingless bee honey supply from my friend Mrs. Lea C. Del Rosario. She is the owner of the Nectar & Pollen brand which she set up to distribute and sell stingless bee honey to the public. Lea is also the beekeeper who manages hives from her Santa Rosa, Laguna location. The brand Nectar & Pollen itself is managed under her company Herbs & Spices PH of which she is the sole proprietor.

The reason I started using stingless bee honey is that my immune system is chronically weak. For some reason, I only get a stronger immune system and faster recovery from illnesses when I take their stingless bee honey. Since there was this very strong typhoon that hit Lea's farm in Laguna, which damaged quite a lot of the property, Lea hasn't been able to harvest her stingless bee honey yet. But when she does manage to harvest, I would like to buy from her again for my own supply. Because even my more expensive health supplements aren't able to boost my immune system the way stingless bee honey does.

If any of you would like to buy Nectar & Pollen stingless bee honey, you may email Lea at her personal gmail account: leacambel@gmail.com. She also has a Facebook account with the handle DelRo Lea. Hopefully, the honey you buy from her will work for you the same way it does for me.

And Then There Were Four...

I can't believe that I just tested positive on my 4th straight RT PCR test today. I felt that I would test positive as of yesterday when I started feeling feverish with malaise again. But it was still surprising to see that test result online.

I suppose that one reason I tested positive is because I was doing many, many things in the past four days. Among those were some white collar work and some manual chores. So I guess I wasn't well rested enough to fight off the virus which has stubbornly decided to stay without being invited. I think it is also my weakened immune system due to non-consumption of Usana health food supplements or the alternative which is stingless bee honey that led to my relapse.

But what the hell, at least I am still alive and fighting for my life. It isn't really life-threatening at this point because I can still get some work done such as cooking my meals, washing plates, and running my washing machine. Still, I have to watch my exertions because I noticed that I tend to go on, and on, and on like that Energizer bunny without noticing that I'm getting exhausted.

I still think I can beat this virus. It's just a matter of good nutritious food, sufficient sleep, avoiding highly stressful situations, and having enough activities that require physical exertion. And of course, God willing, I need to start on my screenplay writing tasks again so that I will be able to earn enough to pay for my debts to my Mom (since she did shoulder all my covid-related expenses all these months). With God's help, I can survive and thrive again.

Stuff You Can Do While Confined with Covid

 As of today (June 12, 2023) I have been confined for four weeks due to covid. My doctor was so surprised as to why I'm still confined whereas others have just been confined for two weeks or slightly more than that. Tomorrow I am due to have another RT PCR test and I'm worried that it might turn up positive for covid again. That's because my mom is shouldering all my expenses for this illness and I can't get exposed to her and her husband for another month which will limit how much housework I can do.

So anyway, yes, covid is waaay boring. You can't go and do something energetic because it can make your symptoms worse. I don't watch TV but I do go to YouTube daily and listen to music from my preferred artists. I also read newspapers online. My friends are all bored with me now considering all I can talk about is covid and how it's affecting me. But since I lack tact and common sense, let's delve into what I said in my blog title: there is indeed stuff you can do while confined with covid.

1) Get a Writing Job.

That sounds like a contradiction with my blog title but be patient with me. The jobs I'm talking about are white-collar writing jobs that you can do if you have a computer and homebased Internet access. You could be a writer online which I noticed a lot of people are getting into. Generally, the writing field has content writers and copywriters, that's a given. But there are also other writing jobs that I have been exposed to while under covid quarantine, such as YouTube scriptwriting and screenplay writing. And if you're really into academic writing, there is opportunity for this as well though it can be hard to get into if you're not really into academic subjects you may have taken up in school.

2) Become a VA.

This is another online job that has seen boom times lately. It seems that almost every business out there, especially in the US market, is looking to hire a VA. This is great if you have computer skills such as word processing, Excel spreadsheet processing, social media management, and other lesser known areas to excel in. However, the pay for a VA is small so get into this if you want experience in working online and don't mind interacting with clients in their time zone.

The fantastic thing about becoming a VA is that you do stand to have long-term employment if your client really likes your services. This means that you get to monopolize the compensation for one client since most clients want exclusivity of your services, which means you don't have to keep job hunting every once in a while. The downside of becoming a VA is that you don't get to have multiple clients simultaneously to work for. But if you're patient and absorb the necessary skills, you do get to negotiate for a higher rate than a beginner could as you keep working as a VA.

3) Learn How to Cook.

I must admit I cheated with this one because I've known how to cook even from childhood. But there are people I've encountered online who have never cooked even a fried egg in their life yet are now capable cooks. To cook, you need to have the necessary ingredients and cooking equipment. If you like, you can take videos of you cooking and then upload those into your blog and social media. That might open up more doors for you. Personally, I have to cook because I don't have a helper, so no matter how lousy the covid symptoms are I have to get up and start preparing food. Plus I have 9 cats whom I have to feed on time or else they'll fire me.

4) Write an eBook.

I didn't include this in #1 above because this is one of the most demanding writing tasks I've ever encountered. Why? Because you literally have to provide your own content for the entire ebook. That can be difficult if you don't really have much to say. You might be so immersed in writing 50 pages with a goal of 75 pages then suddenly realize you've run out of content to talk about. This is why plagiarism is sooo tempting to get into. If you steal a little bit from each source you track down on Google, then that is how some ebook writers manage to come up with content. But personally I don't recommend that since the main reason people want to buy ebooks is that you as an author might have something unique to contribute. I recommend writing an original ebook since it might be a gold mine of knowledge and wisdom so you can sell your ebook online and possibly strike gold. (You already know the result if that happy ending doesn't happen right?)

5) Learn to Launder and Iron Your Own Clothes.

This isn't a money maker idea but many people actually don't know how to do their own laundry. This is because their spouse or their parents may have been doing this for them all this time. If you're really lucky, you might have a loyal servant at home who is skilled in this. Why do I recommend this? Because you might be surprised at how soothing laundering and ironing your own clothes is. A writer I came across before said that "the ironing was therapy" because she was so anxious about whether the publisher was going to publish her manuscript or not. It's not what you would want as a career, especially if you're with covid, but there's only so much food and desserts (plus liquor and coffee) that you can snack on in between meals so you might as well burn off that extra sugar by learning to use your washing machine and flat iron.

6) Re-learn Math.

This is something I've been delving into today. I never got rid of my high school and college textbooks so today I got the Elementary Algebra published by the MSA educational material company from my other pile of stuff and started reading. At the same time, I opened the mathsisfun.com website to compare the concepts being taught with. And you know what? I do understand Algebra after all. The reason I must have performed poorly in elementary and high school math must have been my innate fear of the subject. But now that I'm learning for enjoyment (rather than because our teacher threatened to drill in Algebra concepts into my brain with a power drill) I have found I do understand it. And there are other Math subjects that I now seem to be able to comprehend in an easier manner. If I can find a way to monetize this renewed talent in Math, then I can possibly start tutoring students in this. It's possible.

7) Go Back to School.

If you have the funds, you can apply for admission to training centers and schools online. This means committing to a particular degree or diploma program for some. Others might prefer short courses only for financial reasons, or because that's all they can accommodate in their free time. Whichever is true for you, the main goal is to be reaching for an academic or intellectual goal while you recover from covid. As long as you're sure you're not super stressing yourself by studying, this is a good way to prepare yourself for the end of covid quarantine when you'll have to face the real world again.

So that's what I learned all these four weeks. I must admit it's been an enlightening experience since I learned more about how this covid infection affects humans after the covid virus has mutated. It also helped me see the boundaries of my sanity when my patience is sorely tested by boredom. And of course, it has helped me recognize that I have time to write in my blog again which wasn't possible back when I didn't have to quarantine myself and had other things to occupy my time. Hopefully, that virus will stop mutating so that we can get vaccinated again. But if not, then at least I have the online world to keep me company as I try to beat the virus using my own immune system with help from modern science.