Pondering. Productivity. Pandemic.

It has been almost a week since the Philippine Government downgraded our lockdown status from Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) to Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ). I will no longer post the difference between the lockdown/quarantine statuses but now that it allows us to “physically” come back to work, I realized that the two months of ECQ went by so fast. In my opinion, it went by fast, maybe because of the opportunity to work or maybe because I made myself preoccupied on a daily basis. I managed to create a daily schedule wherein I try to fit everything I want to do in a day. All of the social media posts got me thinking about what else could I do during this period that would allow me to be productive.

While other people I know spend their time doing home workouts (which by the way, I couldn’t do it because I’m too lazy to do it on my own, lol), I decided to spend my time studying a foreign language. My closest friends know that I really do love the Japanese language and since high school, I tried to self-study however, I figured out that I would learn faster (in the right way) if I would have someone to converse with. Watching Anime and singing Japanese songs won’t really cut it but at least, it helps me pronounce the words right. In addition, I also found myself singing and recording at least one Japanese song in my Voice Memos. My closest friends only get to hear them though. My dear D12 sister, Jaun, is currently (patiently and lovingly) teaching me and introduced an online website wherein I can interactively learn. She is really good in teaching me. Whatever she is doing, it pushes and motivates me to persevere in learning it. At most, I can just read the characters (except Kanji) but now, I couldn’t believe that I am progressing with the speaking, writing, and comprehending the sentences. I just have to practice more when it comes to sentence structures and verb conjugations. It frustrates me whenever it slows me down thinking about the “word” and the verb conjugation but I guess that’s the way it is. I am really enjoying my journey on this and I hope and pray that I could learn it to share the Gospel in this language as well.

I also found myself getting more creative in my quiet time. I am enjoying my iPad and Apple Pencil in doing my E-Journals. I can’t believe that I could have bought the iPad and pencil sooner if I had not spent my money on all of those notebooks and colored pens! Lol. I am sharing my daily devo on my Facebook Page, IG Stories, and even Twitter accounts. I am blessed to encounter people who would get curious about my posts and those who were inspired and encouraged to do the same. Posting God’s words on our Social Networking Sites truly makes our feeds/timelines way better than the fake news and anxieties. Share the ONE TRUE GOOD NEWS. “Because of God’s love for us, Jesus, His only son, died for our sins.”

Moreover, I never imagined I would get fond of the Korean Boy Group, Bangtan Sonyeondan, or BTS. My Facebook video feed seemed to have a lot of their videos and I guess I do have a lot of friends who are fans (or ARMY as they are called), that’s why it keeps showing on my feed. I’m a fan of their dance performances and how they are so funny in their show, Run BTS. Now I am trying to copy bits of their choreography even though I am not good with mirrored dance routines. Well, dancing can really keep me going. Well, just my unsolicited preference, out of the 7 members, I like Jimin, Jungkook, and J-Hope the most.

My day usually starts with office meetings and other tasks up until 5 pm. I watch Netflix shows in between breaks and I watch again from 5 pm to 6:30 pm. With this pandemic. I managed to finish a lot of Anime shows that I have been meaning to watch. At around 7 pm, I take my second shower because the heat is no joke! By 8 pm I usually have my Japanese classes and by 10 pm, I start my daily quiet time and end up at around 12 mn or 1 am. Yes, I had a full schedule so that I would be productive while on lockdown.

The battle with this pandemic is still exposing uncertainties and our anxieties. I hope that whoever is reading this, know that you are not alone. We are all anxious and fearing the unknown but hey, we have a KNOWN and GREAT God who can do ANYTHING – Nothing is Impossible! This pandemic is showing who we really are as an individual, as a citizen, as a neighbor, as an employee/employer, and as a child of God. It tests us and it keeps us away from God’s promises but we are grateful to have an intentional Father who will never allow us to think otherwise. Above anything else that I have been doing to keep myself preoccupied, I learned how to get more closer to God by knowing Him and His character through my daily devotions. It is true that we will never know when will all of these end but one thing is for sure… with ALL the time we are given, SPEND IT MORE WITH JESUS.

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.

1 Peter 5:6-7 NASB

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