So hey, how was your holiday season doing?
Well, it felt great 'cuz so many great things had happened the past few months as I can tell. I felt very blessed as so many great exciting things had occurred to me. I feel oh so great to be back out and about. And not only that, I feel good that I'm out and about safely!
Why would you say so?
Well, I do have to say because I was able to get my COVID vaccine already. A full dose! And just in time for the Holidays!
I felt grateful to the government of San Juan for allowing non-residents to get vaccinated there as long as they work or study in the city, My parents tried booking a slot in Taguig City but never heard back. When my teacher told my class that San Juan is allowing non-residents to get their jabs, I asked my mom to sign me up. And guess what happened? I got booked the next day! So cool, right! That way, I can vax up just in time for Christmas!
Jab 1 occurred in Greenhills, and it was so fast to get through. My jab was scheduled for 4pm and we had to be there early. We got there at 2pm, allowing us to go around Greenhills for a lil' bit. It felt great to be there after almost two years! I loved walking around the area again. Felt great to visit a place that I haven't ventured to in such a while. Oh and the cinema where the vaccination took place? The crowd there was very well organized and we all moved in unison the closer we got to the vaccination station. You seem I felt very confident that I was going to get vaccinated against COVID, especially after being stuck at home for such a long time and hearing all I was scared of getting My second shot took place at the Filoil Flying V Arena, a local stadium and it was very packed with people who braved the crowds and traffic, as the feared Omicron variant was emerging, and it compelled many people to get their jabs, and some of them came to get their boosters. It felt very confusing as the arena was very small and there was a never-ending stream of people coming into the vaccination site and the the time groups were not very organized but thank goodness we were not so chaotic. But we were able to pull our way through and successfully get a complete dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Speaking of vaccines, I feel quite grateful that here in the Philippines, things have started to open up again after goodness knows how long. We were able to keep COVID under control despite all our challenges. We had so many shortcomings in the past two and a half years, as it was marred by so many protests and human rights issues but despite the protests and the political turmoil experienced in the Philippines, we were STILL adherent to help and safety protocols as we knew that it was going to help us survive. Most of us had doubts and fears about the vaccine at first, but then when the Delta variant hit, it made us more confident about getting vaccinated. And now we are celebrating the holidays, safely and happily. It really breaks my heart to see the news that's coming out of America and Europe where Omicron is ripping across these countries and spreading like wildfire, ruining what was supposed to be a happy holiday season, all that because as I'd like to say it: They dropped their defenses too soon by going completely maskless earlier this year. We kept our defenses against COVID-19 up with the Delta threat and it thrust us to increase our defences even more. And now we are enjoying the holidays, masked, distanced and under limited capacity. Thank God for all that, we are entering 2022 with determination and drive!
Wow! That sure sounds very hopeful of you! Any other big things that happened as 2021 drew to a close?
Sure! So many exciting things too!!! I was able to put a wrap on Season 1 of my podcast just before Christmas and it was such a great journey for me this past year. And it comes as my podcast baby turns 1 this year!! Awesome right? Well it started as a plain 'ol school project back in November for the end of the year in my creative writing club. I was very short on ideas as I did have one about show tunes that my partner found hard to pull off but I realized that I was just entering the world of kindie and I have yet to explore it. I was able to feature my first kindie friends, Marsha Goodman-Wood, Doctor Noize, and Little Miss Ann. And as I was exploring that world, I realized the potential of the podcast to hear the perspectives of the many personalities that make this wonderful scene. Since then it has snowballed and I was honored to get some of the bigwigs of the scene on my first season such as Laurie Berkner and Mindy Thomas, and met amazing people like Brady Rymer, Stacey Peasley, Nanny Nikki, 123 Andres, and so much more!!! And while I'm busy cooking Season 2, I will be putting out my so-called "Deep Cuts" or interviews that I never. ever found the time to put out and I hope you enjoy them!!
Have you been venturing out of the house lately?
Oh yes I have! Actually it started last September when I went to SM Megamall for the first time and had lunch at El Pollio Loco. I was not fully vaccinated at the time but I was glad to go to Megamall again. We went to this lovely al fresco dining area at the front of the mall facing EDSA. It was quite a lovely view of the traffic I must say with the cool September breezes were in the air. What a day it was!
What were some of the things you were able to enjoy in the last year or so?
Yes there were loads of amazing things that I were enjoying all this year! One of them was this new podcast called "Who, When Wow" from Tinkercast, the makers of Wow in the World and hosted by the lovely Rebecca Shier, who hosts the amazing storytelling podcast Circle Round. It covers the so-called "unsung heroes of history" that deserve attention for how they broke stereotypes and provided opportunities for all the outcasts in the past, like US Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, global female cyclist Annie Londonderry, architect Zaha Hadid, and black inventor Lewis Latimer. Their stories, achievements, and contributions were great to hear about, as well as how they were able to break stereotypes were powerful, like how Shirley Chisholm became the first female in the American congress and how Lewis Latimer became the right-hand man to Edison and became an empowering Black inventor...
And an added bonus is that Rebecca Shier is quite playful in this show, putting in her own way of interjecting her own voice into the show by interviewing the characters, adding some running jokes and gags plus so much more! It's quite an innovative and refreshing podcast, you must hear it.
The music I enjoyed the most this year was well, mostly comprised of Bruno Mars and Silk Sonic's retro inspired grooves as well as new names like Olivia Rodrigo and Bella Poarch, who in my opinion, pop music's greatest hotshots. Ed Sheeran's "Bad Habits" was prolly enjoyable as when you first hear it, you forget it's Ed Sheeran! Of course, I can't leave out the energy of BTS and their two English singles. On the Filipino music front, I loved the ingenuity of Filipino musical artists and how they wanted to break stereotypes. Particularly Autotellic's new song "Kwentuhan", NOBITA's "The Search Is Over", Tish Gatan's "I Wanna Go Back" and sooooo many other deep cuts from the Filipino music scene.
As per kindie music, the album I enjoyed the most was the historic "All One Tribe"all-Black compilation which is now nominated for a Grammy in Best Children's Album. It was a historic, innovative effort amplifying all these diverse voices in the kids music scene where in the past, BIPOCs have been left out and overlooked. Other favorites in my sphere are Lucy Kalantari's "What Kind Of World", Kids Imagine Nation's "Best Day Ever", Pierce Freelon's "Black to the Future" and the amazing "Activate" from my partners-in-crime 123 Andres. I highly recommend you give my Best of 2021 Spotify playlist to get what I'm saying.
I was also very big on Animal Crossing New Horizons the past year, and it felt as if it was the video game that defined my 2021. I started developing my island in May 2021, when my school holidays began and never stopped since. I have been seeking new characters or villagers to live in my island, invested in new infrastructures like a new house for me, a museum, shop, and tailor, and improved my Resident Services tent! Since then I had been enjoying the seasonal events that came by like the Fireworks Festival in August and the string of rainy days that followed in September. And all that was enhanced with the new content update last November including paid DLC!!! So much for me to enjoy soon!!!
Lastly, any wishes for 2022?
For the world to come together in controlling COVID-19 and for us to never forget the lessons from the pandemic. That's all.
