House Renovation, Scorching Heat, Power Outages, etc...So Many Stories to Tell, but...

April 29, 2023,
Hello again, wonderful friends and readers. I haven't been active again on any writing platforms for more than a week already. I have so many stories I wanted to share with you, but so many things happened and are happening this week and in the weeks to come.

In the meantime let me share with your why.

House Renovation

Not our house, but my wife's house. The thing is, ever since the pandemic started we stayed with my in-laws. It's closer to both our workplaces and we always have someone to take care of our kids at home.

The old house was made of light materials. A combination of lumber, plywood, and bamboo with GI sheet roofing.

A wooden house may be cheap but costs a lot in maintenance over time. They decided to have concrete flooring and columns. The rest will be made of wood and drywall. They plan to develop the house over time.

Since we have to vacate the main house for the renovation, we have to stay in a small hut which served as a dirty kitchen and dining area before.
For the past week, we have been busy moving our things and making the place as comfortable as possible.
It's not much, but it's quite cozy, especially in these summer months.

Hopefully, they could finish the construction within a month.

Scorching Heat

I always thought it was getting hotter each summer every year. This year (2023), the heat index in the Philippines reached as high as 49 degrees Celsius.

Image source: PAGASA

In our city, it reached as high as 45 degrees Celsius but lingered above 42 degrees in the last 5 days.

Image source: PAGASA

The irony is, PAGASA (the weather authority for the country), declared that there was no summer this year! If this is not summer, I don't want to have one.

Last week, a student was reported to have suffered from heat stroke. This prompted the Department of Education to change the school time. The school now starts at 6:30 in the morning and ends at noon.

The thing is, April is supposed to be the start of summer vacation in the country.

No Internet Connection

We have to have our Internet connection temporarily disconnected while the house is under repair. This is the main reason I haven't uploaded anything in the last two weeks.

Using the data on my phone is quite expensive and a bit unreliable. Besides, we have at least six devices (three cell phones, one tablet, and two laptops).

I decided to get a new LTE device. I had an old one, but the SIM already expired, and if I want to avail of Globe's cheaper pre-paid Internet plans, I have to buy a new device that comes with a SIM.

The challenge now though is, I need to earn $25 in a week or two to cover the cost.Moreover, I need to earn at least $25 per week, to augment my income and help with the expenses. This was not a challenge when the price of BCH was at its peak last year.

I know that some people here are earning that much or more from one article only. I hope I could too.

Now, I need to do more than just write.

Intermittent Power Outages

Because of the extreme heat, a lot of people are forced to rely on air conditioners to fight it off. This drives the power consumption level through the roof! I guess, way beyond the power providers can supply.

As a result, we have had some intermittent power interruptions in the past few days. The worst was last night and early this morning. Around 2 AM, the power went out. It did not return until six in the morning.

Then it went out again around 9 AM, which lasted for about an hour.

So Many Missed Opportunities

With all of these challenges, I missed a lot of earning opportunities.

I haven't written an article for more than a week.
My Redbubble was not updated for over three weeks now.
I wasn't able to upload a new tutorial on my YouTube Channel for at least two weeks.
I was already on a streak on my walking goal. However, in the past two weeks, I haven't done my morning walk.

These are just a few of the things that I failed to do due to my current circumstances.

In Closing.

I was "derailed" from my weekly goals, so to speak. I aim to work at least twice as much this week. I may have to set aside my walking goals in the meantime. I walk to and from my work every day anyway.

Again, my goal for this week is to earn at least $25 in one week. I'm still not sure how I can do it. every daying my earning rate in the past few weeks though, I need to find additional sources of income.

Thanks for reading.