Life Lately...

TL;DR: I've had too much time lately but still can’t seem to catch up with everyone, so the first thing I’m doing is reignite this newsletter to give you updates on work, industry trends, travel and tech lol I wish. This issue is a fresh start for the year… 5 months late.

This slow newsletter is about working and living at the same time. No work-life balance — just life balance, where you make work work for you.

Jump right at the juicy parts!

• AT HOME

• AT WORK

• AT PROJECTS

• AT WHAT’S NEXT

• TRAVELS LATELY

One of the most climactic things that happened at home very recently was when my aunts decided to finally harvest the fish they had been growing in the family pond. They had been rearing bangus (milkfish) and tilapia — both are freshwater fishes commonly farmed. They also caught a lot of crabs, albeit we didn’t grow them — they usually crawled from nearby ponds for food and whatever crab mentality they had. We had shrimps, but they were very small; they were only good for consumption.

As someone who works with data, numbers, and sheets, my contribution to this harvest was accounting for how much we lost, which was quite expected because we had to overhaul the entire area to make it livable for fishes — probs more or less than 600-sqm fishpond. So it’s a bit costly to work up. My aunts have expensive hobbies lately.

Before the harvest, my aunts regularly visit the pond almost every Sunday to chill. They built a hut and made it their usual Sunday hangout place. Meanwhile, I occasionally visit to bring Peewee and her daddy along when they are up for it. Three months later, the aunts finally reaped what they sowed. The good thing about this harvest is that we made a few notes to ensure the next is going to be another fruitful one, or even better.

AT WORK!

Work has been really chill lately due to changes in the lead gen system the business has in place. This has given me a lot of time back to slow down and be more creative.

There are changes in productivity suites as well — we’re moving from Microsoft Office to Google Workspace. Communications is also going to be moved to Slack — which I think is a very chic way to go. It’s less corporate and more modern. This is the first major change I’m going to experience during my almost two-year tenure.

TODAY’S WORKSPACE

Live From Home

My current workstation situation: Peewee has decided to stand on my desk, fervently watching the door. Behind it are the cats she wants to chase and leap onto. To keep her from getting too restless, I have to put her on my lap — which also means she’s going to take over my desk.

Now, it’s just a regular workday.

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AT PROJECTS!

I am finally working on some of the projects I said I was doing. One of which is my portfolio — currently in progress, but I am finally getting somewhere. I am thinking of redirecting my domain to my porfolio, but I’m a bit conflicted because it looks… sad lol.

Although Canva has a good website builder from scratch, I don’t have an eye for design haha hence the crappy aesthetic or the lack thereof. Content-wise, it’s packed.

Furthermore, I have a few content articles in the pipe that can be helpful for people in the remote work industry.

Having worked in the industry for 5 years now, I have a good grasp of the necessary things to do in both freelancing and/or contractor jobs. (Don’t know the difference? I’ll talk about those and more in the next few issues.)

WHAT’S NEXT?

Next month is going to be very exciting! My first cousin is going to get married next weekend in Bohol. It means that all of my cousins will be there and we’ll have a quick reunion. I haven’t been to Bohol in years, so it is going to be another fun-filled adventure. I am excited about going to the beach again after a month at home. My tan is fading. I need to get burned again. 🏖️

Right after Bohol, I am going to head back to Cebu for my regular checkups and catch up with some friends who want to meet me. Meanwhile, Raffy is going to start processing his visa for Spain.

And in the midst of all these errands and travels, I will keep writing more content about remote work. The first issue would probably be about how to start being one if you’re planning to jump ship and leap into the world of remote work.

Help me keep sharing real stories — reply with what you want to know and I’ll write it down for you!