• Life Lately

    A Day in My Life During Quarantine

    March 24, 2020

    I cannot believe I have been in quarantine for almost a week now. I have survived this far. This is what my day looks like now. A new routine has consumed my everyday life.

    7:30 a.m.

    I am not (really) a morning person. My morning usually starts at 7:30. I get up, make my bed, and go straight to the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth. Next, I prepare a cup of coffee. I like it creamy white, but I like white caramel more. Then I go to the rooftop for a daily dose of fresh air, sunshine, and exercise to get my blood flowing.

    The sun feels comforting.

    I have been doing this for quite a while now.

    8:00 a.m.

    I go straight to the bathroom to take a warm bath and prepare for the day ahead. I wear house clothes all the time.

    I am an introvert at heart. I love being at home.

    9:00 a.m.

    I look over and prioritize my to-do lists, respond to messages and emails, and eat breakfast, starting with a bowl of cereal, sitting cross-legged with my computer in my lap. Usually I have cereals, oatmeal, or anything on-the-go on weekdays. I go for corned beef, toasted bread, and eggs on the weekend.

    Each morning, this has been my routine.

    11:00 a.m.

    I try not to spend much time on the internet reading or watching the news. I have a couple of breaks in between.

    Noon

    What is available in my pantry? For today’s lunch, I am getting Spanish sardines, some veggies, and an apple. Either I am taking a few minutes to work on my blog or I am running some errands.

    1:30 p.m.

    I will continue working on anything and everything I need to get done. I am working on pending projects I have. I spend most of the time dutifully responding to my colleagues’ initial inquiries. During this time, I aimlessly planned out the next day. In between, I have a little chit chat with my 6-months old nephew.

    While I am working, I usually snack on something like Combos or Le-mond (try this one, they taste the same), butter cookies, smoothies (no ice), or coffee. I do love snacking in between. I also love roasted peanuts in between emails.

    5:00 p.m.

    Every afternoon I try to spend 10 to 15 minutes outdoors getting some fresh air while doing stretches, then go straight to the bathroom for another warm bath. I consistently bathe twice a day.

    6:00 p.m.

    Evenings are my favorite time of the day. Before eating dinner, I binge watched for about two hours. I am currently watching the last couple of episodes of the Kingdom. Then I made more family phone calls.

    8:00 p.m.

    I made spaghetti with lots of cheese for tonight’s dinner. I usually read or blog after dinner. Either of the two.

    Midnight

    I went to sleep at about midnight. I have been trying to go to bed earlier but have not succeeded so far.

    I always look forward to waking up and starting a new day. How is your day so far?

    Read More
  • Life Lately

    A Week Before the Quarantine

    March 15, 2020

    March 9 (Monday)

    COVID-19 is spreading quickly. My cousin informed us about the community quarantine. I do not know where the details are coming from. He advised us to buy supplies worth a few weeks. I did not mind at first. But there is nothing wrong if I am going to stock up on food and essentials.

    I scanned my pantry and cleared out anything past its expiration.

    March 10 (Tuesday)

    I got up early. I made a rundown of what is left in my pantry and what to add. I rushed to the office as usual. I even stayed a little longer.

    March 11 (Wednesday)

    I have learned that the virus is sensitive to temperature. I am not really worried about COVID-19. We will make it.

    I booked a one-way trip going home on Holy Week. And check out the bag I have been eyeing lately. I am hitting two birds in one stone.

    March 12 (Thursday)

    PRRD addressed the public about COVID-19. He announced that NCR will be placed under community quarantine effective March 15. And will last until April 12. I talked to a few of my colleagues about my plans for going home. I really wanted to go back.

    March 13 (Friday)

    After work, I did a quick round in the supermarket. I bought a few essentials. People are panic buying, causing long queues in the supermarket. Alcohol, face masks, thermometers, and disinfectants flew off the shelves. There is a lot more to prepare than hoard alcohol and face masks.

    I ordered a few essentials through LazMart. Stocking up on dry goods: cup noodles, coffee, cereal, and canned goods.

    I have been informed that BOSH Training this Saturday is canceled.

    March 14 (Saturday)

    I dropped by 7-Eleven to buy breakfast, instant noodles, and a liter of juice. As usual, I hurried to work. Our team had a quick meeting about the quarantine. We are going to work by group. I have decided not to go home anymore.

    I later went to the bank to pay my apartment rent and went to the grocery to buy some more essentials, maximizing it only to 10 items. No, I am not panicking, really.

    March 15 (Sunday)

    I decided to clean my unit, change to clean sheets, and do the laundry. I wanted to go back to the grocery store to get a few more items, but I decided not to do that.

    I started to watch the “Kingdom.”

    How was your week before quarantine?

    Read More
  • Life Lately

    About Me

    January 8, 2020

    I have a hard time introducing myself. I do not know why words and phrases do not fall out of my head and onto my screen. Maybe because I am afraid to admit that I am nobody or shy to discover something about myself. I know I am sometimes shy and timid. This is how I often describe myself.

    I stalked the “About me” pages of bloggers I know. And I began to think about what to write in mine. After a few revisions, I have come up with the typical one, Hey there.

    Hey there! I am Nikka Shem. I am a graduate of Electronics and Communications Engineering from Bagabag, Nueva Vizcaya, currently employed as a System and Application Engineer. Work has kept me busy nowadays, but I see that I spend a lot more time traveling and staying in touch with my friends and family. I am a Monday hater but a weekend and holiday lover.

    About My Blog

    I started blogging in 2003. Unfortunately, when I moved to the city, I stopped. I cannot find time for my blogging. But writing my daily activity is my passion. It has gone through many incarnations and remained there for a long time.

    NikkaShem.com is a room for my thoughts, my opinions, my experiences, my travels, and my life.

    This blog is my outlet – a distraction from the real world. I hope to contribute information through my misadventures and adventures, my wanderings, and my stories.

    Read More
  • Life Lately

    My 2020 Goals

    January 1, 2020

    Every single year, I always have the same goal- to make this year better than the last. Year after year, I start to think of the changes, start to look back and see how far I have come.

    Here is my goal for the new year.

    Take Control of Money

    When it comes to money, you know me. Despite the best efforts I have made to pay off debts, I have accumulated more. I am slowly taking one step at a time, tracking and planning everything to get in order again. Getting debt under control is stressful, but it is going to be worth it in the end.

    Get Fit and be Healthier

    Losing weight is never an easy task to do. I made it almost 55kg once, but it bounced back a couple of years later. Being healthy is good enough for this year than to lose weight.

    Tackle Time Management

    I cannot deny the fact that I am always late on my deadlines. It is my worst trait. I wanted to improve my performance at work, get all the work done ahead of schedule without overwhelming myself.

    Write More

    My blog has taken a bit of a backseat. I have no more excuses since I got myself a laptop and a reliable internet connection. It is just time to sit down and put my thoughts into words.

    Work on Becoming a Morning Person

    I am not a morning person. I hate to wake up on the alarm. My goal here is to wake up early enough to get into workouts before work.

    We cannot always do things that we enjoy. I love to travel and to shop. As much as I want, engaging in these activities makes me spend what I do not have. Instead, engage in activities that seem to fuel people’s minds.

    There are lot of things I have been trying to do in the past years that I have not done. I am going to make time this year and get over one by one.

    Cut out soda

    I am planning to cut it entirely for 2020. This may be simple, but I drink a lot.

    Life is an exciting ride, celebrate little successes, and get back on track when you stumble.

    What are your goals this 2020?

    Read More
  • Life Lately,  Random

    Things I Miss About Working at Pagecom

    April 1, 2019

    One day, I caught myself smiling. Out of the blue, I realized something was missing. A part of me was missing. I miss hanging out and working with fun and bubbly people. I miss talking about non-sense stories. It has been ten years since I left, but the memories remain. I miss you guys!

    There are still many things I miss about working at Pagecom, but I narrowed it down to ten.

    Breakfast, Lunch, Snacks, and Dinner

    You name it. I got to enjoy my work because of food. Kuya (I can not remember his name) cooked and served the best food. My favorites were Pork Sinigang and Sinampalukang Manok, to name a few. Aside from that, management loved to order pizza.

    Hard work should be rewarded with good food-Ken Follett.

    Long Birthday Celebrations

    I am not exaggerating it. Seriously, we celebrated my birthday for about a month, though we took turns buying ice cream and snacks. We celebrated Herlene’s for a month, too.

    Training Center

    The Documentation Team was housed in the Training Center, a kilometer away from the office. I do not know why we moved there. We were suddenly instructed to pack our things. And TADA, to our haven. More quiet time for the Documentation Team.

    Show me the money

    Angela choreographed our dance number for our Christmas Party presentation. In two weeks of practice, I learned more about my colleagues: our differences, strengths, and weaknesses. Unfortunately, I was not able to perform that day because we had to attend a meeting outside the office.

    Staying Late

    The longest time I worked was 72 hours, with only 4 hours of sleep. Work was stressful in those days. There is no time for social life and love life. Hello there, eye bags and pimples.

    Work Load

    Our team had to finish around 63 projects in 3 days. I can not imagine how we (Leanne, Herlene, and I) managed our time. Can you imagine how overworked we were?

    Photoshoots, Picture Taking

    When the bosses were away, even when the bosses weren’t away.

    Site Visits

    Going out of town is really fun with these people. Photo ops before heading to the site.

    Super Bubbly and energetic staff

    I got to enjoy work because of the people around me… my co-workers Sir Jo, Sir Beddie, Reyner, Leanne, Herlene, Menerissa, Maricar, Kaizel, to name a few. Without them around, I would not have lasted about a year. I was blessed with excellent and trustworthy colleagues.

    Out of Office Bonding

    This is what I really miss. Even if we have hectic schedules and lots of workloads in the office, we never fail to miss Friday and Saturday after work. Up to now, we have found time to see each other once in a while. Right, Herlene and Leanne?

    So what do you (or would you) miss most about working at your previous company?

    Read More
error: