Three hundred and sixty-five days after, where are we at? Still on "lockdown" or "community quarantine" as declared by the state, but it no longer feels like so. I've grown attuned to the changes. The "new normal" isn't so bad once you get past the grumbling stage wherein you whine about all the precautions that needed to be made. I mean, I still hate wearing face shields and not being able to freely interact with people intimately without both parties having a sense of paranoia. Greeting people with a kiss or a hug I miss the most. But as long as I have enough freedom to go outside the gate without having to pass through checkpoints in between cities and get to dine in at restaurants, I am fine. It was about 361 days ago when the announcement was made, and 364 days when I took the news more seriously. I remember needing to go out and do something at BGC last March 15, 2020...exactly the day of the lockdown. I was there at 9am to purchase some food items, and as I was walking I could feel the eerie silence of the whole place. There was barely anybody there. Most of the shops were closed, no public vehicles on the road...everyone just sort of vanished. I can never forget that moment when I crossed the pedestrian on 5th Ave and I turned to my right to look at the incoming traffic, and all I saw was the vast emptiness of the city. That was the moment it dawned on me that shit just got real. Like a post-apocalyptic movie wherein the population has suddenly gone blank. I remember thinking to myself, "So it's actually happening."
