Just this week, I discovered my new favorite music. It has a soft melody, normal pace and calm tone. The lyrics ain't that much but it speaks everything. The music was the sound of my feet walking away from things that doesn't deserve me.

Success isn't something that can be pick up from the floor. But, success is a journey that drives someone's failures into inspiration and determination to strive harder until you reach your goal. So, if you are facing a road of failures always remember that it is only part of your journey to success. Always remember, NEVER GIVE UP! Push yourself because no one will.

It was a normal day, I was at my lab classes when the news broke that a patient of COVID-19 was diagnosed at the hospital beside my school. This raised an alarm to the students, faculties and parents. Later on the afternoon, classes were suspended and everyone in the university was forced to go home. I also immediately rode a bus going back to my hometown since the suspension was indefinite. Hundreds of students lined up at the bus stations hoping to go home before the said lock downs happen. After I arrived at home, I immediately quarantined myself to avoid any harm in my family. I can still recall that on my 7th day of quarantine I had flu. I immediately told my parents and it gave me a worry, we asked for assistance from medical personnel and they told me keep taking in antibiotics. Gladly, I was able to finish my home quarantine and the flu was gone. But, on that same week my parents lose their incomes as they need to stop doing business due to the pandemic. Weeks passed without work, food and transportation. For a moment, the busy streets turned into dark alleys. People were fighting the unseen virus and famine. It left the world in great shock, for no one expected it. Lives of people were sacrificed in fighting the virus. News about deaths was everywhere and it gives great fear. Slowly, the virus spreads and reaches the most remote areas in the country. Due to the fear of infection, my family became cautious of everything. We strictly practiced hand washing and wearing of masks when going outside, if necessary. Always taking vitamins and eating healthy foods. Avoiding crowded places and having visitors. We often go to the supermarkets as early as 6 am just to buy an alcohol. And disinfect everything in the house from time to time. Thinking that this situation is indefinite gave me a lot of stress, since I was supposed to take my summer class but I can't. So, I will be extended in college for another semester. And also my parent's savings is already hitting rock bottom but we can't do anything because none of us is earning money. Though, the government was giving relief goods but it wasn't still enough. These things gave me sleepless nights thinking what will happen in the future. Then, sometimes I had weird dreams. I would find myself waking up feeling frustrated and bored. I also had mood swings due to disappointment that I had to give up some opportunities. I even experienced hair loss due to stress, pimple break-outs and gained so much weight. I would sleep more than 8 hours daily and my back would hurt so much. For three months my life circled in sleep, eat and Netflix. I watched different types of series from documentaries, anime, Korean dramas, Thai series and short films. And in the middle of night I would find myself watching videos at YouTube about the weirdest things on Earth or “Do alien exist?''. Due to the fact that no one knew when these will end, I thought of something to make my quarantine days meaningful and productive. This is also to divert my attention from over thinking the bad situations and having anxiety attacks. It was very hard adjusting to quarantine life having months of no social interactions, postponing planned events for the whole year and creating new sets of routine to fit my quarantine life. Instead of, thinking the missed opportunities, I turned my worries into words, as I continued doing my journals and sending entries to online writing contest. I was also able to re-organize my closet and found my t-shirts that I thought I lost 1or 2 years ago. In order to have some fun activities with my siblings, we tried baking and cooking recipes from the internet just to make use of our kitchen. In a span of days, I realized I can make something edible for the human body. Just after three months of strict lockdowns, the government decided to loosen some thread. For the first time, I was able to go out and it felt weird not hearing noises and seeing everyone wearing face masks. I haven't spent so much time like this in indoors and I realize that being quarantine or self-isolating isn't so bad at all. I was able to spend so much time with my family, do my old hobbies and finish every series I started. So, I made a promise to myself when everything gets better I would seize every moment possible and finish my goals because we might never knew what the future holds. It is better to try than to regretting for not trying. p.s. picture credits to wikipedia