On mask filtration - abaca face masks

Perhaps almost everyone is now used to wearing masks. The most common would be the surgical masks that are supposed to be one time (perhaps per day) use only. Then there are the KN94 masks that allow for more protection (filtration-wise) and are more comfortable to wear as it does not smother the face like many of the non medical masks manufactured and sold during the first months of the pandemic (e.g., cloth masks). During the pandemic, we discovered abaca face masks that were manufactured under the auspices of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). I had not had the chance to open the mask and dissect it to see what it looks like including the layers it claimed to have.

Inside the mask are layers of fiber that made for effective filtration.

A close-up of the fiber layers inside the mask

The abaca mask before I cut it up and disposed of it - the color has faded after so many washings but I thought that it still gave good enough protection. I wore this when I drove or when taking walks in our village.

The masks offered a snug fit to the face without smothering you. These are also washable and so can be reused many times before they are finally disposed. We still have a few of these on stock at home and I still wear then whenever I am driving or doing some outdoor home activities.

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First live Mass in more than 2 years

It was refreshing especially from the spiritual perspective to be able to finally go to church for Mass. It has been more than 2 years since the last time I was able to hear Mass in person. Sundays and special days like Christmas, New Year and Easter the last 2 years were virtual - initially with the Parish of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (PIHM) in Antipolo and then later with Sacred Heart Cathedral (Yamate Catholic Church) in Yokohama. Attending church at Yamate, though virtual, is a mix of nostalgia and calm for me. After all, that church holds a special place in my heart.

We recently attended the moving up ceremony for our ward. The school organized it so there's a Mass prior to the ceremony. I was originally planning to just drop them off as I also didn't recall there was enough parking spaces at the church. There was, and so I ended up being able to attend the Mass and the ceremony last Thursday.

The Parish of San Pedro Calungsod along Sumulong Highway in Antipolo City

This poster located near the main door caught my attention. We had gone to visit this church prior to the pandemic but I don't remember a chapel or sanctuary being there at the time.

The church features a marvelous stained glass behind the altar

A closer look at the altar and stained glass

Just before the consecration, I decided to leave for the sanctuary at the basement of the church. It was more peaceful there and I could hear the Mass from there while also enjoying the solitude. In the photo is the vessel containing the relic of Padre Pio of Petrelcina.

The sanctuary is a peaceful place and I said my prayers there before I returned to the church for the conclusion of the Mass and the school ceremony that followed.

The location of the church also affords a spectacular view of the cityscape of Metro Manila. It is nice whether it's daytine or nighttime (you can see the city lights) but the best time to take photos, if you can, is when the sun is setting. I assume that's a popular time for weddings and the photos can be quite nice.

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Good Friday musings - Holy Week 2022

I've written about my boyhood memories of Good Friday including the times when we spent the Holy Week in my father's hometown in Cabatuan, Iloilo. The last two years have been spent mostly at home due to the Covid-19 pandemic though last year I recall we were already able to take our daily walks around the neighborhood. I also remember that we had started getting vaccinated around this time last year so hopes were high.

We decided to stay at home again this year despite Rizal and Metro Manila being on Alert Level 1. The latter meant people could basically go out and travel wherever they wanted to as long as you have proof of vaccination and practice the minimum health protocols such as wearing a mask. We had talked about doing a Visita Iglesia but relented as we thought perhaps many other people were going to do this after two straight years of being confined to their homes.

There was no official Alay Lakad this year, the third straight year there won't be an "official" one. I put official in quotation marks as there really is no stopping devotees or those with panata (vow) with Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage (Virgen de Antipolo). True enough, there were many people who walked from Maundy Thursday to Good Friday to the Antipolo Shrine and there are many evidence of this from social media posts in the area. The numbers probably weren't in the millions that was pre-Covid-19 but it was a sizeable crowd that triggered comments about its being a potential super spreader event.

Perhaps a winner this Holy Week, if you can call it that, are businesses. Unlike the Holy Weeks of old, malls, supermarkets, shops and restaurants are mostly open this stretch of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Black Saturday. I have memories of the times when most establishments were closed during these days. In the provinces, there were eateries, stores or stalls open because there was demand (i.e., people including tourists going around) but the malls and supermarkets were generally closed. Eventually, Black Saturdays became exceptions as people prepared for their Easter celebrations. Next it was Maundy Thursdays. Finally, commerce got to Good Fridays starting with the large fastfood chains opening their branches to feed the people going around (e.g., doing Visita Iglesia). At first, the justification for this was that not everyone was Catholic and so they could deploy non-Catholic staff to man their operations. Of course, we know that was BS (pardon for the term here) but everyone seemed to welcome this development. People needed to eat despite these days supposed to be for fasting and abstinence. So much for that part of religion!

More reminiscing and opinions in the next post.

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Art as historical 'bookmarks'

We regularly participate in an annual fundraiser that auctions of artwork to benefit scholarships and other activities of one alumni group. Among the artwork we've acquired through the auction are abstracts and landscapes. However, the more memorable ones for me are the ones featuring historical scenes such as streets from the Spanish or American period, and a portrait of an agricultural family ("Doon sa Hacienda") by Neil Doloricon.

We recently acquired this piece through the auction. We thought it presented an historical marker with people wearing masks in compliance with health protocols during the Covid-19 pandemic. It also shows people crowding to ride a jeepney and others lined up on the street. Public transport was scarce during the pandemic and current supplies cannot address the demand as workers are directed to return to their workplaces.

 

We actually have other paintings at home and the office that we acquired through other sources showing or depicting certain times including one that featured the tranvia - the streetcars that served as Manila's main mode of public transport prior to World War 2. Meanwhile, we also have a few showing modes of transport such as bicycles and jeepneys. One if not my favorite painting featuring a jeepney is this painting by Amador Barquilla we got from the same auction years ago.

Barquilla's humorous depiction of an overloaded jeepney

More on paintings and other works of art in future posts!

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First lunch date in almost 2 years - Swaadisht Indian Restaurant at the Uptown Mall, BGC

I use the almost 2 years loosely as it's really just more than 1 year and 9 months since we last had a lunch on a date. We just finished checking our new "tambayan" nearby and decided to have lunch at the Uptown Mall at Bonifacio Global City (BGC). We found Swaadisht at the outdoor dining area of the mall and just across from our condo.

Restaurant exterior - we chose to eat al fresco as it was cool that day and a nice breeze was blowing in the area. We also noticed people already eating inside the resto and didn't want to risk it indoors.

A snapshot of our lunch

Our favorite Tandoori chicken

Chicken curry masala

Garlic naan

Saffron basmati rice

There were many people at the mall, confirming what our friends told us about people generally coming out after what was probably the longest series and duration of lockdowns in the world. Worrisome are people taking their children below 5 years old out including babies. We still don't know much about Covid-19 variants so its pretty risky for children to be out and exposed. For all we know, even if they don't get sick, they may be carriers of the virus and cause others to become sick. While we look forward to eating out more often, my mind and conscience tell me we should still exercise restraint. I wouldn't want myself or others to (re)experience being sick with Covid-19. It might end up the last experience one could have.

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Get your booster shot!

With the easing of restrictions leading to people coming out and going around in addition to the typical commuting trips, there is generally an increased risk of infection. Add to this the new Omicron variant that scientists have only started to study. Meanwhile, booster shots (a third shot for those who received the likes of Pfizer, Moderna or Sinovac, and a second shot for those who got the J&J vaccine) are now being administered after studies have found that most Covid-19 vaccines' have reduced effectiveness after 6 months. Boosters will increase your resistance to the virus and will greatly reduce your likelihood of hospitalization and death should you be infected. I got mine, a shot of Moderna, in late November at the university.

Snapshot of the vaccination center at the UP Diliman gymnasium. The gym is properly ventilated with the help of huge fans installed at the ceiling and giant industrial fans strategically located on the gym floor.

There is ample space for physical distancing for the queues.

The vaccination process is well organized and staffed with many volunteers not just from the UP community but from the barangays as well.

Articles are just coming out with the assessments of booster programs abroad and the results so far are promising. Perhaps regular boosters will help us develop immunity from Covid-19? We should remain vigilant and rely on the scientific evidence from studies as well as the new, more promising options vs. Covid-19 (Pfizer and others are developing pills vs. Covid-19). Meanwhile, you should get your booster shot and continue exercising restraint from unnecessary travel. That's our contribution to fighting Covid-19.

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Hello there, Covid-19

I hesitated writing about us getting Covid-19 until we were all in the clear. Our entire household got infected with 3 batches. The first batch was my wife, our daughter and two helpers. We suspect our daughter and one kasambahay were the first as they had fevers the same day. The other kasambahay, who is also the nanny of our daughter didn't have symptoms except coughs but probably got infected because she shared a room with the other kasambahay.

It truly takes just one mistake for the virus to infect one and spread to others in a household. We could only suspect where we got Covid and who got it first. We suspect that the first one infected was one of our kasambahays who had only one dose of the Sinovac vaccine. She probably got it from the village's Sunday talipapa or perhaps when she went to send money through the Palawan Express near the village gate. While it may not be from the farmers-vendors or staff of the pawnshop, it may have been from one of the people buying or transacting from them. The virus spread to our 7-year old daughter who was unvaccinated and then to my wife who was fully vaccinated but with Sinovac, too. The fourth was another kasambahay who seemed to be asymptomatic with the resistance likely coming from her being fully vaccinated, too, but with the Pfizer vaccine. I manifested symptoms (fever mainly and then coughs) a week after them and when the four already were clearly getting well already. 

Only the four had the formal test to determine if they got Covid-19. As we were living in the same house, we were advised by our doctors that we should already assume that everyone was infected. And so we did home quarantine and informed the barangay and local government of our circumstances. To their credit, the latter checked on us almost everyday and have issued our clearances over the last few weeks, certifying our completing the quarantines.

As of this writing, the two seniors in our household, my in-laws, are also already clear in as far as the most critical stages of Covid infection is concerned. Both also had their vaccines (Sinovac) and that probably saved them from more severe illness and hospitalization. There's just so many sad stories you read or hear about people being hospitalized for being seriously afflicted with Covid-19, especially those with comorbidities. Even healthy people who have no history of complications like hypertension, heart disease or diabetes can become seriously ill and some have died from Covid-19. I have lost count of those whom I know who have lost their lives to Covid-19. It seems that everyday, I learn about someone I know who or who have relatives who have succumbed to the virus. That makes us very sad if not depressed.

It took a while for me to write this and not all the details are here. I would say though that we are thankful that we had our vaccinations and that our doctors were quick to anticipate how the infection would play out. No one ended up needing to be hospitalized. We are also very thankful of our relatives and friends for the support they gave during that very testing time. The care packages we received were very generous and helped a lot as we strictly kept within the premises of our home.

Perhaps the next question now is whether boosters will be allowed. I am aware of the controversies and allegations of how immoral this may be but I think the most vulnerable people need boosters and whenever they are available should be given to those needing them (prioritize senior citizens and people with other serious conditions like diabetes, cancer, hypertension, etc.). My niece and nephew got their first shots of Pfizer today as they were part of the pilot program vaccinating minors. Hopefully, all our children can be vaccinated, too, and this will surely help build immunity for everyone. 

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On vaccinations vs. Covid-19

I got vaccinated last April (first dose) and May (second dose). As I had no choice like many others, I got Sinovac, the Chinese-made vaccine that under normal circumstances would probably have not been maligned so much. I won't write about the controversies about the vaccine or the politics about this. Suffice it to say here that whatever protection it provides is better than nothing. I got vaccinated at a nearby mall and the procedure was very efficient. The staff were well-trained and well-versed in serving the people.

View of the vaccination set-up at Robinsons Antipolo. Much of the atrium, which is used for bazaars and other events is currently allocated for vaccinations. Similar set-ups may be found in other malls as well including SM Masinag and Ayala Feliz (despite it being in Pasig) for Antipolo residents.

Giveaways after the vaccination - I wonder if these were part of the budget or perhaps donated. Whatever, these are very welcome for people after their vaccination.

Most of my family including my parents and siblings are already vaccinated. Even the other members of our household are also already vaccinated with only one not yet getting her call for her turn in vaccination. Most of us got Sinovac but my sister and her husband got Astra Zeneca and my brother's getting Moderna soon. We were joking about our help who just recently got vaccinated and received the Pfizer vaccine. I will not deny that we will likely get vaccinated again within the year. Towards the end of the year there will probably be all the options available to us. In fact, we have reservations for doses of Novavax that will be arriving later in the year. We feel we might need to do this partly for peace of mind and partly because we plan to be back to traveling soon.

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