It's Palm Sunday today for Roman Catholics. Technically Holy Week starts today and ends on Easter Sunday.
For most Filipinos this also starts an almost week-long holiday. As a nation we have non-working days from Holy Thursday until Black Saturday. A good number of Filipinos usually file their vacation leaves for the whole week.
Because of this current Coronavirus / COVID-19 pandemic we are experiencing, the vacation plans of most people have been changed. I know our plans have changed. One thing is for sure, I will be taking a few days off this coming week to decompress, binge watch show on streaming, and hopefully power through whatever negative energies I've been experiencing.
I know I'm an introvert and I don't like to go out. I also don't like spending too much time in crowded areas just because I feel overwhelmed and out of my element. To be honest, I miss those times I could go out. It was a luxury I could choose to do before, and being able to go out at least once a week was enough to re-charge my social batteries and last me one more week.
Now that I rarely get to go out I end up missing those times when I can choose to just go out to either buy stuff or just cool down in the airconditioned malls of Metro Manila.
Not that I don't get to go out. I'm the one who can go out and buy supplies during this lockdown. The quarantine pass for our house is under my name, mainly because I'm the only who can drive and is within the age range of the quarantine pass. Though the age range has been updated already to allow senior citizens the chance to go out in the event that they don't have anyone to care for them.
Just yesterday I went out for some errands. Had to go buy meat at the meat shop, get some money for my mom, buy medicines for both my wife and dad, and buy other stuff for the house. I'm thankful that I had the chance to go out and decompress, even for just around two hours or so.
For those of you who've made it this far and are wondering, "What does the title have to do with his blog post? I see little to no connection." Well, you're right. I just made that the title because technically today is Palm Sunday in this year, 2020.
Out.
Sunday, April 05, 2020
Friday, April 03, 2020
[840] Updates
Once this Sunday (April 5, 2020) rolls around it will have been three weeks since the quarantine was implemented. For my wife, daughter, and I it will have been four weeks.
Why four weeks? Well, school was suspended one week before the Metro Manila quarantine, which was started on the 15th of March 2020. So my wife, who is a teacher, and my daughter have spent over a month already stuck at home.
We've been adjusting to what's been happening. What is important is that none of us get sick with Covid-19, specially my parents. We've been finding a lot of delivery services for our essential needs (food and some groceries) but we will be needing to go out again for more important stuff like medicine.
Last Saturday, March 28, I was able to go to Paseo de Magallanes to withdraw money from the ATM. It felt good to go out and rid myself of a little bit of the cabin fever I've been having. I passed through a few checkpoints, both private and government, and was able to do my errands easily.
My one big mistake when I left was I did not check the tire pressure of the Rav4. It was waaaaaay under-inflated. Like 15psi or less per tire. Unfortunately I don't think the electric air pump in the car was working so I had to manually pump three of the four tires (the last one was holding steady at 32psi) for most of the morning. I was using a hand pump and I had to inflate one tire at a time then let the pump cool down. It was quite a work out.
I don't know how long this quarantine will last, and I am hoping that we can reduce the amount of deaths happening now because of Covid-19. The best thing I can do to help the brave frontliners is to stay at home, keep a positive attitude, and observe proper disinfecting if I do go out for essential item runs.
Out.
Why four weeks? Well, school was suspended one week before the Metro Manila quarantine, which was started on the 15th of March 2020. So my wife, who is a teacher, and my daughter have spent over a month already stuck at home.
We've been adjusting to what's been happening. What is important is that none of us get sick with Covid-19, specially my parents. We've been finding a lot of delivery services for our essential needs (food and some groceries) but we will be needing to go out again for more important stuff like medicine.
Last Saturday, March 28, I was able to go to Paseo de Magallanes to withdraw money from the ATM. It felt good to go out and rid myself of a little bit of the cabin fever I've been having. I passed through a few checkpoints, both private and government, and was able to do my errands easily.
My one big mistake when I left was I did not check the tire pressure of the Rav4. It was waaaaaay under-inflated. Like 15psi or less per tire. Unfortunately I don't think the electric air pump in the car was working so I had to manually pump three of the four tires (the last one was holding steady at 32psi) for most of the morning. I was using a hand pump and I had to inflate one tire at a time then let the pump cool down. It was quite a work out.
I don't know how long this quarantine will last, and I am hoping that we can reduce the amount of deaths happening now because of Covid-19. The best thing I can do to help the brave frontliners is to stay at home, keep a positive attitude, and observe proper disinfecting if I do go out for essential item runs.
Out.
Tuesday, March 17, 2020
[839] 2020
Today is "day 3" in my book of the quarantine in Metro Manila due to Covid-19. Last night an enhanced community quarantine was declared for the entire region of Luzon. Basically we're all supposed to stay at home, and if we need to buy groceries or medicine only one person may go out to drive to the store and buy food.
Whatever good vibes, hopes, and dreams I had coming into 2020 is now gone. I was looking forward to my 40th birthday this year. Now I just want this year to be over, and it's not even the end of the first quarter of the year.
I hate 2020. In fact I've been hating the past few years for whatever personal reasons I have. In case I ever felt positive and thought, "bring it 2020," I have this to say:
"I give up, 2020. You win. Thanks for nothing."
I am getting closer and closer to just giving up. I never imagined I would experience these things in my life, and I only wish I never did experience these things. Don't give me that bullshit about these things building character.
Out.
Whatever good vibes, hopes, and dreams I had coming into 2020 is now gone. I was looking forward to my 40th birthday this year. Now I just want this year to be over, and it's not even the end of the first quarter of the year.
I hate 2020. In fact I've been hating the past few years for whatever personal reasons I have. In case I ever felt positive and thought, "bring it 2020," I have this to say:
"I give up, 2020. You win. Thanks for nothing."
I am getting closer and closer to just giving up. I never imagined I would experience these things in my life, and I only wish I never did experience these things. Don't give me that bullshit about these things building character.
Out.
Thursday, March 12, 2020
[838] Covid-19
Well the entire world is reeling under the effects of Covid-19. Locally lots of cases are being confirmed both in Metro Manila and outside.
I can only hope that everyone takes the proper precautions like washing their hands properly and getting check ups if they show symptoms.
Hoarding also isn't cool, and it's sad and frustrating to see so much misinformation being spread on social media and people just believing what they want to believe. Covid-19 isn't a selective virus, it can affect everyone. So let's all stay safe, sane, and compassionate to one another.
Out.
I can only hope that everyone takes the proper precautions like washing their hands properly and getting check ups if they show symptoms.
Hoarding also isn't cool, and it's sad and frustrating to see so much misinformation being spread on social media and people just believing what they want to believe. Covid-19 isn't a selective virus, it can affect everyone. So let's all stay safe, sane, and compassionate to one another.
Out.
Monday, March 02, 2020
[837] Revised Two Car Garage 2020 Edition
So I've blogged a few times already about my ideal two car garage, and now I'm revising it yet again. This is probably the best mix of practicality and looks I can think of, and it will probably be surprising to some of you (if anyone is actually bothering to read my blog posts).
For my updated ideal two car garage lineup I've decided to go with the Suzuki Ertiga and the Honda BR-V. Yes, two rides with similar seating capacities and purpose.
I'm sticking with the Suzuki Ertiga because it's the cheapest among it's peers (Avanza, Rush, XPander, Mobilio, BR-V, APV) but I honestly feel it has the best bang-for-the-buck. Not that I've ever driven one, but then again, most of my car related posts are purely speculative. Anyway, the Ertiga is relatively cheap and spacious and that's why I picked that car.
The Honda BR-V also serves the same purpose as the Ertiga except it has a more powerful engine with better torque figures, as well as more features included in the car itself. I've read that there's a fuel pump issue with the BR-V as well as the Mobilio but I'm guessing that's a problem that is easily addressed. I hope.
Ideally one of the two cars would have a plate number ending in an odd number, and the other in an even number. Also better if one car has it's coding day on a Monday and the other on a Friday.
The Ertiga would be my main ride with the BR-V serving as the coding car, as well as probably the car my folks would always use when they go to and from the province. They usually go mid-week and come back on the weekend so ideally they'd be bringing the car that has coding on Fridays. Plus I'm guessing they'll need the more powerful engine for overtaking slower vehicles and a taller ride height for bad roads.
You may be wondering why I didn't choose other similar vehicles to the two. I'm automatically ignoring the Rush and XPander because I honestly feel they're just both overpriced rides people buy to look rich. The APV isn't an option since there's no automatic variant being sold anymore, which leaves us with the Toyota Avanza.
The only reason why I didn't pick the Avanza is because the 1.5L automatic is over PhP1 million, but the engine has similar output to the Ertiga. It has the smallest external dimensions but has the tallest ride height. Plus I've driven a 1.3L manual 1st generation Avanza and I did enjoy driving it. While the Honda BR-V is rouhgly PhP150k more expensive the features included in the package, at least for me, gives it more bang for the buck than the Avanza.
So why didn't I just pick the 1.3L automatic Avanza? Well, the engine really is underpowered, not that I drive like a maniac. I'd still like a powerplant that can carry something big and heavy without getting taxed too much. Not sure how great a 1.3L Avanza will go traveling to the province and back, but I'm guessing having a slightly more powerful engine will be more fuel efficient.
Out.
For my updated ideal two car garage lineup I've decided to go with the Suzuki Ertiga and the Honda BR-V. Yes, two rides with similar seating capacities and purpose.
I'm sticking with the Suzuki Ertiga because it's the cheapest among it's peers (Avanza, Rush, XPander, Mobilio, BR-V, APV) but I honestly feel it has the best bang-for-the-buck. Not that I've ever driven one, but then again, most of my car related posts are purely speculative. Anyway, the Ertiga is relatively cheap and spacious and that's why I picked that car.
The Honda BR-V also serves the same purpose as the Ertiga except it has a more powerful engine with better torque figures, as well as more features included in the car itself. I've read that there's a fuel pump issue with the BR-V as well as the Mobilio but I'm guessing that's a problem that is easily addressed. I hope.
Ideally one of the two cars would have a plate number ending in an odd number, and the other in an even number. Also better if one car has it's coding day on a Monday and the other on a Friday.
The Ertiga would be my main ride with the BR-V serving as the coding car, as well as probably the car my folks would always use when they go to and from the province. They usually go mid-week and come back on the weekend so ideally they'd be bringing the car that has coding on Fridays. Plus I'm guessing they'll need the more powerful engine for overtaking slower vehicles and a taller ride height for bad roads.
You may be wondering why I didn't choose other similar vehicles to the two. I'm automatically ignoring the Rush and XPander because I honestly feel they're just both overpriced rides people buy to look rich. The APV isn't an option since there's no automatic variant being sold anymore, which leaves us with the Toyota Avanza.
The only reason why I didn't pick the Avanza is because the 1.5L automatic is over PhP1 million, but the engine has similar output to the Ertiga. It has the smallest external dimensions but has the tallest ride height. Plus I've driven a 1.3L manual 1st generation Avanza and I did enjoy driving it. While the Honda BR-V is rouhgly PhP150k more expensive the features included in the package, at least for me, gives it more bang for the buck than the Avanza.
So why didn't I just pick the 1.3L automatic Avanza? Well, the engine really is underpowered, not that I drive like a maniac. I'd still like a powerplant that can carry something big and heavy without getting taxed too much. Not sure how great a 1.3L Avanza will go traveling to the province and back, but I'm guessing having a slightly more powerful engine will be more fuel efficient.
Out.
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