Dubai Miracle Garden

Hi! How are things with you? I hope you're healthy and safe and productive these days. As for me, I'm still stuck at home and still in furlough. The situation here in Dubai has improved though. The lockdown has been lifted when Ramadan started and the malls, public transportation, and other establishments have been allowed to operate again. There is still a curfew and wearing a mask when going outside is still strictly non-negotiable. I guess this is the new normal now or else we'll be fined a thousand dirhams for not wearing one. Some offices have resumed but, unfortunately, mine is still non-operational since we're in the travel and tour industry. KC and I are waiting for available repatriation flights because if the situation won't still get better by the end of May, it would be better for us to go home to the Philippines for the meantime.

Speaking about going home, I feel excited. I miss my family and my home. It's been more than a year now since I flew out of the country. And although I wasn't planning to go home till next year, I don't have a choice now because of this effin' pandemic. I have mixed feelings thinking about going home, though, but I'll just push these feelings of uncertainty aside because I know this is the most logical thing to do given my situation right now.

I looked for an online job to sustain myself here now that I don't have any incoming salary this month. I forgot how much I enjoyed freelancing and thank God, I found one immediately. It only took me a day to find a new employer and now, I'm a content writer again! I'm ecstatic! Maybe this is a sign, but let's see how this goes.

My May Monthly Spread

I've been keeping myself busy since the start of May. I have built a solid morning ritual now. I've been waking up between 8 or 9 in the morning, the first thing I do is drink water then I make myself a cup of coffee and listen to my favorite podcast (Wake Up With Jim & Saab) while making breakfast. I have become more serious in learning French using the Duolingo App and I dedicate half an hour to it. I have also enrolled myself in two courses in Coursera, one is Grammar and Punctuation, and the other one is Greek and Roman Mythology. I'm into Week 3 for the first course and Week 2 for the second.

I've always been fascinated with Greek Myth since I read the Percy Jackson books seven years ago. When I saw Camie Juan's IG Stories about Coursera and how she's also taking up the same course, I immediately signed up to the website and did the same. I am enjoying the course and I allot an hour of my time to it every morning. I have also started reading The Odyssey so that I can understand more about what the professor was saying in the class. There are sooooo many new things I am learning and, though sometimes it gets overwhelming, I can always go back and watch the videos all over again. What's great about the course is that at the end of each week, there's a quiz you need to take. An assessment of the things that were discussed over the week and you need to pass it to go to the next week's lectures. It's like I'm back again at school and I like it. I like learning new things especially ones that interest me.

The other course I'm taking is Grammar and Punctuation. I'm back to being a content writer and I think I need to refresh my writing skills. It's been more than a year since I've had writing gigs and I think I'm a little bit rusty.

In between, I've been playing Mobile Legends a lot. I'm back to being addicted to it. I still cannot let go of it even after 3 years, ha ha.

I'm also rewatching my favorite Korean drama of all time - Reply 1988. Episode one and I'm already crying like a baby. 😅 I love this show so much, I can't explain it!

Ah, I've been religiously filling up my journal, too. Every day, I make it a point to write down a little something in it. I love reading past entries, it makes me feel that I've progressed and grown after that entry was written when I get to read it after a year or so.

In the afternoons, my work is what's occupying my time. I do 8 hours of copywriting for a digital marketing company on weekdays. And I love it. I miss having a flexible working schedule. I love the challenges I face every day knowing that there's always something new in my tasks. Sometimes I get a block - a writer's block - when I just can't seem to write something down. What I do is just take breaks and then go back to work. My previous job cannot compare to this, haha.

Despite my situation, my life has been pretty hectic since I have been doing a lot of things. And I really like how I've been very productive in the past two weeks. I love how these things have lessened my phone screen time. Last month, my daily use averages up to 12 hours a day. Now, I'm down to only 8 hours a day and hopefully, I can maintain it.

What else have I been up to? Uhm, I think that's it. I haven't been doing a lot of reading this month, it's like I'm in another slump. Hopefully, I'll get out of this soon. I'm currently reading the third book of the Mortal Instruments series - City of Glass. I don't know, this series just doesn't resonate with me. I've been trying to be in it but I don't know, I usually stop every time I reach book 3. But I will push through with this because I promised myself that, and because I've bought the whole set so I NEED TO READ IT. #notetoself

Okay... This post is long enough. Bye guys, till next time! xx
Follow