On the second week of Level 2 Lockdown

I have actually started going to work already last week. Also, we went to Level 2 lockdown last week and schools have opened. So it made sense for me to go back to the office as well. However, to ensure that there is business continuity, I'm alternating between working from home and reporting to work on a weekly basis.

Prior to going to work, I managed to grow 7 weeks' worth of facial hair. I've never grown facial hair this long so I took a photo for posterity's sake before shaving it off. If my beard or moustache were a bit thicker, I would have considered retaining one or the other, but it's a bit all over the place, so it had to go. It was fun while it lasted. Surprisingly, it wasn't itchy at all. My cheeks would itch when I let my facial hair grow but not this time around.

Not surprisingly, there weren't a lot of people in the train going to and from work so social distancing wasn't that much of a challenge. And the bonus? Bus and train fare is free! There's also lots of vacant spaces in the free parking right next to the train station. So it's pretty obvious that there are still lots of people who are working from home... or worse, they don't have a job to return to?

So under Level 2, gatherings of 10 or less were permitted. Yesterday, the government announced that this Friday, gatherings of 100 people will be allowed. We haven't had new cases for the past few days (with the exception of 1 yesterday I think and it was related to a cluster) so some restrictions are being relaxed. It's really good news because it means the curve has well and truly been flattened. We just hope that relaxing restrictions will not results in a second wave.

Winter has come. It was especially cold a couple of days ago. So seeing frost on the ground and on parked cars was a grim reminder of freezing weather ahead. I have started rearranging some stuff in the house so I can make room for potted succulents outside the house. Last year when my father passed away, it was winter time (July) and while I was in limbo I neglected my outdoor cacti and succulent collection. When I went to the garden to check up on them, some were already beyond recovery. I lost one of my favourites, the Desert Rose, which was growing especially well before winter but it succumbed to the cold and wet weather. I'm looking for a replacement until now.

My daughter still hasn't resumed going back to her swimming lessons, piano lessons, and gym. While she's now going back to school, we're still trying to manage her exposure to other people. Actually I'm not sure if her extra-curricular activities have opened already. There's other things we need to take care of, activities that paused while on L4 and L3 lockdown.

Discussions on whether the country can downgrade to L1 will happen a month from now. Currently borders are still shut, but there are talks on extending our bubble with Australia.

I hope you and your family are doing ok in these uncertain times.