I’m 99.9% okay.
The Covid Diaries 4
The Covid Diaries 3
I finally tested positive, and the line couldn’t be any clearer or finely drawn as if it was screaming, ‘is this what you wanted?? Well here it is then..”
I’ve realised two things about this: 1) you really have no choice in the matter no matter how careful you are. This is the age (and future) we’re living in; 2) You need to be always prepared- ALWAYS.
But the symptoms have been mild; I can remember colds that were so much worse.
The only thing I wasn’t absolutely prepared for is food- I’m ravenous. Even Sam is ravenous. I want to eat steaks with fries; slow-cooked pork belly; pancakes with bacon and banana dripping with caramel syrup; vermicelli noodles loaded with chicken and prawns; steamed mussels eaten with french-bread slathered with garlic butter…
The Covid Diaries 2
I slept at around a quarter to 1am trying to finish the last few 30 pages or so of ‘Salem’s Lot.’ Again, the book wasn’t how I remembered it which makes you think- it might pay to read books you’ve read in the past. I used to hold it in high regard like it was the best vampire book I ever read but now I may have to revise that. It’s not a diss against Stephen King or anything, but it’s like finding yourself at a high-school reunion and realising that the people you were enamored with turn out to be not all that you thought them to be. But when I finished, it was like parting with a good friend and there are no regrets.
Lily tried to wake me up sometime during the night, but this time, my body prevailed over waking up for the cat which we’ve been doing the day she arrived.
Tested negative- but I’m not surprised. I feel fine though you go through your day in a sort of surreal daze as if any moment, you’d wake up and everything was a dream. My throat has started to feel scratchy and I could feel when I cough, that push of phlegm in it, but who knows. I’ve bought a ton of lemons and a jar of expensive microbial honey and perhaps, I may be overdoing the hot drinks- the acid may be irritating my throat? Is all this vitamin C overload pointless?
After reading news that Netflix has spent as much as $60 million per episode on the upcoming new season of Stranger Things, I went back to finish the previous seasons as I had stopped mid-way in the 1st season. Not surprisingly, it wasn’t how I remembered it which meant I wasn’t really paying attention to it. Or maybe because someone was always pushing out the same plot of 80s kids stumbling over puppy love, aliens, and demented demon clowns every 5 minutes.
Anyhow, it was truly the 80s of my childhood- in a way. Growing up, I didn’t really have friends, but I had a great imagination, so I simply created the friends that I wanted and the adventures we had. But it was in part, fed by the stuff I read in those years: Nick Joaquin’s Pop Stories for Groovy Kids (which became my template for how I should sound as writing in a non-native language); The Body by Stephen King and my favourite, The Long Walk, also by King. So I actually did have a happy childhood just being by myself.
And when I grew up and finally made friends, imagine my disappointment- but that’s another story.
The Covid Diaries 1
So Sam tested positive last night.
I was all agog over picking up the bamboo plants over at Doyet’s the next day and it was to his credit that he thought of testing first, ‘just in case’. The red line came up swift and clear in a couple of seconds. It meant that sometime between Monday and Wednesday, in those beautiful, expensively maintained grounds in Queenstown, some dirty, stupid bitch had Covid and didn’t even know it and was passing it around like party favours. Or perhaps they did, but didn’t care as is often the case it would seem with a lot of people these days who shrug it off as if it was inconsequential.
Ugh. He rings Mary down at the flat, and I could hear her trying to keep her agitation down. So we’re all stuck at home and minutes later like in a terrifying dystopian movie, SMS alerts came up on our mobiles advising us of what we already knew.
Almost immediately after, I log into New World’s website and round up a couple of ‘essentials’- lemons (terrible supply these last couple of months), a jar of honey, cup noodles, potato chips, Lily’s favourite shaved deli chicken. In my mind, I go over the meals for the next couple of days; nothing complicated to prepare and easy on the stomach. Thank God for Filipino food like adobo which keeps forever (just make a big batch of it) and comforting arroz caldo.
I had been having allergic fits (pollen and dust mostly) the last couple of weeks with a warmer autumn season, but now suddenly, every sniffle, every itchy feeling in my nose felt like a portent.
But what could you do right?
Well, I cleaned the bathroom; did a weeks worth of laundry; finished all pending work deadlines; dusted off some books I had been meaning to read. The worst you could do really, is nothing.
And I comforted myself with the thought that next week, there were exciting courier deliveries to look forward to- a new Nespresso machine, a new pair of Yeezys and a bunch of morning Sunday Riley goodies.
Golden ticket?
Be (stylishly) masked
But of course! Though I wouldn't go as far as buying and wearing Will.i.am’s dystopian looking Xupermask. I’m actually lying- I would actually buy it (at $299, it’s far from being the most expensive non-essential thing I’ve bought) if I could compete with the bots (it’s all sold out). Will is your poor man’s version of Steve Jobs/Jony Ive (remember the Puls smartwatch and the ugly ass Dolce Gusto coffee machine?), but I’m liking the aesthetics of this mask.
But moving on, I’ll settle for something cheaper like $30 masks from Herschel (+ get one free as per a product promotion). I love Herschel- have a couple of their bags- but sometimes I wonder if I still fit their demographic (high-schoolers to freshman college).
The masks took a million years to ship from Australia, but they’re here and while they seem a bit flimsy, the fit around the nose is what matters most; it curves downward which means it doesn’t allow your stinky breath to fog your glasses, yay!
I took a snapchat of them and while I was putting in my topic labels, a couple of similar ones popped up like #maskssuck #masksoff. A suggestion for people who are inclined to use these hashtags; try snap chatting how cool you look in a hospital bed dying from Covid coz that would get a million views…
The lockdown goes on
I should feel terrible when I say, I don’t really care if lockdown goes on and on. And on.
When you’re fine and comfortable, someone out there is suffering, or worse, getting crazy- because they’re crazy to begin with- and only waiting for that trigger.
Which could be anything- the lockdown; their spouse’s nagging; the All Blacks losing; or a two-hour wait for KFC. Again.
The whole world is triggered and you have to watch out for your own triggers, and I do have mine. I spent the entire Sunday, cleaning and putting things in order as if my life depended on it. I ironed, dusted, vacuumed, sorted my clothes (a feat in itself); took stock of what was in the freezer, made a meal plan, did laundry and even managed to sketch a portrait of Lily which I didn't finish; I was using water-colour pens which can be a bit limiting. I also managed to exercise and watch two episodes of my current favourite show on Apple TV and all before bedtime at 9:30pm.
If that wasn’t being productive (if not verging on being OCD), I don’t know what is.
You can choose how you’re triggered is all I’m saying. And more importantly, you can find a way to cope with the current situation, and if you can’t, ask for help.
End of the week
Got my 2nd dose of the Pfizer vaccine today dressed in a pink hoodie, sweat shorts and Nikes with red socks. After the shot, I was asked to wait out my 20 minutes in a holding area with three other people- seniors- who warmly welcomed me as if I was suddenly part of an exciting new order- the vaccinated.
In about 10 minutes, our bond was even made stronger by the fact that we all shared the same sentiment- that people who refuse to be vaccinated, or are skeptical of it, or worse, actively worked and campaigned against it, were scum of the earth.
And of course I went there because I couldn’t help myself; well, the day will come when we come face to face with a Covid mutation that’s far more lethal than any current variant, let’s see how they’ll deal with that’
Everyone went quiet. I waited for a bit thinking they were all formulating their response to that, but nope. Silence.
Okay!