Ride The Storm, Follow The Light

(WARNING: Strong Language.)

Halo to all.

It's been 4 years since I last drafted something into my blog. But with a lot of running in my mind lately, I feel like I should vent out my thoughts here. Maybe it'll help to release the steam of challenges that I've been getting through lately.

We all remembered what 2020 was like. The moment the virus known as COVID-19 dirsrupted our very way of living life. We lacked the means of travelling to different parts of the world, which to be honest, does affect our mental health.

As a healthcare worker myself, I had to face an endless wave of patients getting admitted all thanks to the suspicion or confirmation that they got that goddamn virus.

What's worse was during that period of time, our world was put into a state of lockdown. No such thing as mingling with friends and families for recreation. No dining in restaurants as it can cause a risk into easily spreading the virus to others. From a gaming perspective, game developers had no choice but to delay their game production, leading to a way later release date.

2020 was indeed an utter bullshit for all.

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Then came 2021. Although a lot of the restrictions due to the lockdown have eased, it still wasn't the full freedom we all have been dreaming for.

In retrospect, there were a lot of events that happened in a not-so positive way. My work crush had left her job; I decided not to do anything because I know doing that will not get me anywhere I wish it could be.

That's not all, I had to deal with a leg injury during the last few months of the year; Maybe because of how physically drained I was with the still endless loads of patients coming in. Fortunately, I got better by December. Just needed more rest.

At least one very positive event happened that year: Getting an Xbox Series X and Halo Infinite (Finally making a full release on 8th December 2021.). Extremely thankful for this, as it helped me mentally regain my strength.

2021 was ridiculous for the majority, but at least I got a tinge of optimism in the end.

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Moving on to 2022. I still had to face so many hardships even though the virus pandemic had been making a transition into an endemic (i.e. Easing of mask-wearing in certain locations.)

The inflation is one of them, thanks to COVID causing the economy to fall flat. I'd typically buy a bento for $5. Now it's raised to $6. And boomers still have the guts to say that us millennials are well-off. No offense to the boomers out there.

Another was when I got a confirmed positive result on the goddamn virus. My nose was runny, but most prominently, my throat was at the most painful stage it had ever been. Very annoying to get through this at a span of 6 days.

But, the hardship that hit me the most was what I consider a 'life-changing' event. I will not put in the details as I want to respect the privacy of those involved. But I will say that I had to endure through months in order to have everything normalized, and it was fucking detrimental.

I apologize to any of my colleagues or friends if I said that I was not 'free' to chat or hang out during that period of time, or if you notice that I seem less happy than I used to be.

I'm better now, and I hope it stays that way. Fingers crossed.

Not the entire of 2022 was bittered with sadness or anger. On August, I finally got the opportunity to travel out with my Family, to Batam. While it may have been only a mere 3 days of vacation, it was indeed a full recharge from the stamina drained from working.

That's not all. On December, Avatar: The Way Of Water was released in cinemas near and far. I decided to watch it on IMAX mode, because I want to feel like as if I was literally in another world. Pandora was filled with the beauty of nature, so why not?

2022 may have brought me down to my lowest low, but it very well had proven to me that I can still perservere to get back on my feet.

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Now onto the present. 2023. Much of my challenges are filled with financial setbacks thanks to the inflation still dragging on and on. But I believe that with the right tools and approaches, I'll be able to make it out (By hitting 6 numbers in the lottery XD, just kidding.).

There's more of the world beyond Asia that's worth venturing to, and I hope that I can go there sooner than I thought.

With that, I shall end my blog here. COVID can break our health physically or mentally, but it will never break our spirits.

Till then, see you starside.

"In order to live, you must learn that life is like a Yin and Yang. You will get good ones. You will get bad ones. Put too much in one of them, and you will tip the balance of appreciating the life that has been bestowed upon you."