Family. I will always be thankful for my family - the group of people who keep me anchored as I spread my wings to explore beyond my comfort zone.
The problem with this pandemic is that factors that we cannot control cause friction among the people that we love.
There should be a balance between understanding the other person and the circumstances there are in, and defending yourself against misconceptions.
When dark thoughts come in, I always have to remind myself that sometimes it is better to be kind than to be correct. To be the better person. This is so difficult to implement, but not impossible.
Again, we need to be humble, self-effacing. Because we can.
I started the 25 day push up challenge to promote mental health and suicide awareness. All I had to do was perform 25 push ups each day, video it and share it quietly with my scholars. Soon after, they started posting their own videos. I don't know when I stopped doing the push ups, but mental health promotion and suicide prevention was still topmost on my mind. With all the things happening these days, it is feels so easy to fall into the trap of giving up.
They may be kids, teenagers struggling thru puberty and concerns growing up... but they learn the language of love and supporting each other and communicating with compassion.
As we face more than the 25 day push challenge, like we face and accept the challenges of life, we need to be thankful for community. So that no matter how lonely physical isolation may feel, we are grateful for the support of others rooting for us to succeed.
There is a new craze on facebook these days where you are challenged to post a black and white photo.
1. There are several criticisms among women.
2. We should take care of each other.
3. We are beautiful, strong and incredible.
Let's ❤️ each other!
After so many friends sending me the same message it felt like the chain letters of old. Since it fosters positive thinking and affirmation amidst much negativity on social media, we accept the challenge today.
Make up or no, be beautiful inside out! Cheers to all women out there who have accepted the challenge to make a difference in world thru communication, hard work and love!
I am counting my blessings everyday and keeping a positive attitude!
In the VSMMC EXECOM, Atty Panugaling always reminds us to do completed staffwork before presenting an item in the agenda. Last Monday, I was fairly confident that I had done my homework for most of the solutions I proposed to solve identified problems. Unfortunately, I didn't count on arguments from the other members. I guess this is a humbling experience, but an educational one as well. I had to set additional meetings with stakeholders to rectify my mistake.
After getting rebuked last Monday, several meetings later, all departments and stakeholders agreed on how to make things work both to provide space for NICU babies and to maintain infection control within the OBOR. Yehey!
We proposed to transfer the COVID19 positive patients to the ICU. After much discussion, our proposal was approved - to give our critical patients a better fighting chance at survival, yipee!
At the end of the day, there just wasnt much energy left to deal with SOTTO LIVE but because this was our commitment, we plod on.
While the rest of the Philippines is now under general community quarantine (GCQ) or modified general community quarantine (MGCQ), Cebu City was ordered by President Rodrigo Duterte to remain under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), the highest level of quarantine because of the high number of infected individuals and reports of hospitals being overwhelmed. The IATF even appointed a chief implementer, General Roy Cimatu to descend upon political leaders, health authorities and hospitals in Cebu to find out what is and what is not being done to respond to the crisis of COVID-19 in Cebu.
At that time, even doctors were blamed for the declaration of ECQ further preventing businesses from opening, and strict implementation of quarantine and border controls limiting the movement of people for economic activities. With no opportunity to recoup losses, companies were forced to lay off employees and unemployment rates went up. Memes were out in full force on social media ridiculing healthcare workers for "killing people" since they don't have income to support their basic needs. Other issues centered on the "missing chickens" where generous corporate donors provided dressed chickens which barangay constituents never received. Others compared notes regarding the social amelioration program (SAP) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) which was not equitably distributed. With a generation of millenials not used to being cooped up at home, many were restless and experienced cabin fever. Some had it worse, needing mental health couselling and psychiatric evaluation. Political leaders were lambasting medical critics of the remedies they promoted like steam inhalation. There seems to be no central command, everything in utter chaos.
With all these happening around us, many still needing to stay at home to stay safe, stay healthy and stay alive - we stop and reflect on the most pressing concerns during this COVID-19 crisis. Is it about food, water, shelter and sense of being useful to society? Is it basically staying away from the SARS CoV2 virus by shutting yourself at home? Is it about peace and order and prevention of domestic violence? Is it a balance between preventing transmission of COVID-19 by protecting the vulnerable and allowing economic activities to support those who are quarantines and sick in the hospitals?
There's a text in the Bible in the book of Job where he says, "the Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord" Job said that after he lost all his riches, including his household in just one day.
Sometimes when God allows us to go through pain and suffering, it is because He is preparing us for something better. It is very hard to see it at this point but in time, everything will come to light.
There's this Christian song that runs this way... "God is too wise to be mistaken, God is too good to be unkind. When you don't understand, when you can't see his hand, trust His heart.
I hope you will find that comfort, Doc Helen. You are a good person, somebody i always look up to. And you deserve something good in your life.
Good night. Sleep well.
06142020 - Things happen for a reason. We trust in God's greater plan.
Experience with the enhanced community quarantine was difficult as it suddenly limited our movements and scared us to closing doors to our neighbors and staying home to cut off the risk of transmission of this invisible enemy.
Cebu City was one of the cities in the Philippines with a lot of COVID-19 positive cases and we tried our best to cope with aggressive community testing vis a vis hospital-based testing for severe and critically symptomatic patients. We also see during this time all the innovative changes to adapt to challenges posed by the risk of transmission of COVID-19. We also see teamwork, unity and the caring communities of volunteers and donors.
As some of the communities in the Philippines reopen to resume economic activities, there is a need to redesign society to adapt to the "NEW NORMAL" for as long as the threat of transmission of COVID-19 is still there. We hear about ECQ, GCQ and MGCQ in the news, classification of which should be based on epidemiology of COVID-19 in the localities. Under the revised guidelines of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), an area can be considered as under the "new normal" if the community quarantine implemented has transitioned into modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) which is the most relaxed community quarantined implemented by the government.
The Department of Health has already issued Department Memorandum 2020-0220 on interim guidelines on return-to-work which companies have started reviewing to comply for reopening and resuming work activities. There are a lot of aspects in society to be considered for the "new normal" include education, agriculture, industry, corporate world, tourism and recreation.
Amid all these preparations to reopen societies, Europol warns the public in every country in Europe to protect your children, house, finances and data now that confinement measures are starting to relax.
What is your definition of the new normal?
What is the role and impact of social media on day to day activities for the new normal?
What are your suggestions for redesigning our communities and work places to adapt to the new normal?
