Because man, it’s been more than a year. It’s starting to get lonely, even for introverts.
I’m not yet vaccinated, and it sucks for so many reasons. However, I’m not saying that getting vaccinated gives me a ticket out of jail to go out as usual either, especially since the Philippines has been administering the vaccines soooo slowwww. But I vowed to at least try to have a ‘real social life’ at least once a week. Virtual meetups no longer work for me and I can’t bear the fact that it’s no longer making sense to stay safe from COVID while my mental health and social life is starting to be jeopardized.
I asked my cousin Nia if we could meet, and I was glad our schedules matched. She lives in the other side of Metro Manila (Quezon City, in the northernmost part, to be specific), and there’s no way in this megacity that I will not choose to take the train going there because it’s going to take me forever if I hit the road. Plus, it’s raining. I took the LRT for the forthe first time since January 2020.
My ride was a little smooth, the people around did not freak me out that much. Everyone was following social distancing, and there were plastic divisions in between seats. Damn, I’ve been taking the train almost everyday in college, and it feels normal and weird at the same time taking the train again yesterday.
Late Lunch at Dampa Seafood Grill (yay!)
Nia and I visited Dampa Seafood Grill at Scout Limbaga in Tomas Morato Area in Quezon City. We were both craving for some seafood so we just had to go here. I have lotsssss of memories in Tomas Morato area since this is where I used to hang out with friends during grad school (since UP is close to this area). I missed Morato a lot, I could say!
Anyway, we got these food which are highly recommended!
Everything we ate was really good! And I missed talking a lot to a fellow human being. I mean, I literally talk a lot in Zoom lectures, but having another person face-to-face is a different experience. Chatting over Whastapp or text is something I no longer enjoy. It starts to drain me. If I want to talk to someone, I would want to meet them and talk face-to-face. I guess I could start practicing this more in the future. This will limit my social circle away from long distance ones, but what choice do we have?
Anyway, behind where I was sitting at the restaurant is this work of art that just captured my vibe, and I just needed a photo with it.
That’s it. I want people. I long for people. This pandemic has been long enough and I can no longer bear being isolated like this. I can’t take it anymore. My vaccination is getting closer and closer and I’ll also start to go out. Oh wait, I need to finalize my post-pandemic creative projects!