Quarantines, Waiting and Battlestar Galactica

Hello you.

First of. Daghang salamat sa pag ari. Thank you for being here and reading my very first blog post.

As of the writing of this post, we are on our 6th month of quarantine in Metro Manila. And the past months have been a roller coaster of emotions. If you've ever ridden Battlestar Galactica at Universal Studios Singapore, put both human and cyclone rides together and let it run for 6 months - that pretty much sums it up. It's quiet at one point, crazy the next. There are turns you're sure you won't make it out alive, but you eventually do, only to prepare you for another flip. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? It pretty much depends how you like roller coasters and having your soul leave your body several times a minute.

To give you a little backstory, I'm a science researcher, a PhD student of Marine Science. I was supposed to be starting my dissertation (thesis) just a few months after lockdown was declared. At the start of the year, I was hell bent on finishing my degree in the next two years. I wrote a detailed timeline of it (Filename : LifePlansAndExecutions.xls) saved right in my Desktop and printed in 3 pages of long bondpaper - scotch taped to the wall in front of my office table, lest I forget.

Until the pandemic hit and all the plans, well, they did not exactly went down the drain. It just stayed there. It got stuck. And if you are like me, I hate stagnant water. It's a breeding ground for Paramecium and bacteria all things slimy and not good for the gut and open wounds. It's also the breeding ground of Dengue-causing mosquitos. So yeah. We don't like stagnant water.

But after many months of twists and turns (and ugly cries and wishing all things will go back to normal next week or the week after next - which never did), the one thing that I've realised is that this is something I have no control over. In fact, there are many things that I do not have control over - as much as I would want to. If I did, I would have wanted all my Jollibee french fries to arrive hot and crisp all the time, I would want all Grab coupons to be available at no minimum spend amount, I would have wanted LazGlobal orders to arrive in 3 days, I would have wanted a working vaccine to arrive next week - at no cost, I would have wanted my daughter here under my roof for me to homeschool her, I would have dive shops open for operations so I can start collecting data.

But I don't. What I do have control over is how I respond to my situation and what I can do inside my little circle of control.

Waiting can be a pain in the arse. But whether we like it or not, there will be times where we are called to wait. In line for an order of Chicken Joy, at the side of the rice cooker when it's 1pm and you forgot to cook rice, at the gate for your Lazada delivery (LazGlobal pa), in front of the laptop for your adviser's e-mail reply, at dry land until it's safe for you to go back out at sea again.

But one thing I learned about waiting is that it does not have to be a waste of your time. In this case, I've surprisingly learned a lot - despite being on Battlestar Galactica. I've learned that what you do with your time of waiting can make it or break it. If you sit and whine and complain, I bet you, you will have the shittiest time ever. Shittiest time ever, I tell you. You'll also probably have back aches from all the worrying - like I did.

But if you decide for yourself to do something (anything!) such as: finishing that first draft (I finally did mine after several days of writing 3 sentences a day.), learning to cook (Oh forgive me for the many times I placed too much salt on things.), starting a hobby, finishing that book, starting a little business and making some moolah, joining a cause, publishing that blog - I guarantee you, you will look back and see time that was not wasted. You can go fast, you can go slow. Either way, the important thing I guess, is to simply go. A step a day, if you like.

It also helps to keep in mind that we all are at different stages in our lives, fighting different battles. Whether big or small, they're all important. So be kind to yourself and not compare. Be kind also to others because they may have it differently.

As for me, I have finally gotten up my arse and started writing again (the back pain still comes and goes though). This ain't gonna get my my PhD degree but hey, I hope this will cheer you up knowing that you are definitely not alone on Battlestar Galactica.

Amping pirmi and see you again on my next post.


Tinghoy