So, yesterday I had to go out for a large injection of vitamin D. 15K worth in fact. Still, the best defense against the Wuhan virus is a good offense. As my doctor succinctly stated:

Going outdoors is what stops every respiratory disease

Well, it wasn’t MY doctor who said that. And it wasn’t a medical doctor. I’m pretty sure he has a Ph.D. though. And the above quote came from something I found on the internet: Epidemiologist: Coronavirus could be ‘exterminated’ if lockdowns were lifted. Anyway, I’m not taking any chances, hence the long hike yesterday. I’ll have some photos from that adventure later in this post, so stick around.

But first, indulge me in this rant, please. The #stayathome nanny-state do-gooders are really trying my patience. I know I’ve talked about it before, but c’mon! I get that some people have bought into the whole strict compliance with quarantine rules, even though many are completely contradictory, self-defeating, ineffective, and potentially dangerous. I mentioned in an earlier post that the brainiacs in charge of the checkpoint into Barretto have been spraying cars and people with some unknown liquid. And then I read that the DILG (Department of Interior and Local Government) in Manila told municipalities to not engage in this practice because it doesn’t kill the virus and it could cause adverse reactions for those who come in contact with the solution. Once again, the left hand has no clue what the right hand should be doing. Just another example of government here demonstrating why the Philippines is a third world country.

But what really pisses me off are some of my expat “friends”. They are openly critical of the decisions I make that could not possibly have an adverse impact on them. These clowns just love applying that #stayathome hashtag on any Facebook post in which I dare to share photos of my outdoor activities. For example, yesterday I posted a photo of the after-hike hamburger I enjoyed at “Gomans”. A commenter felt compelled to use the actual name of the restaurant in pointing out that serving food for dine-in was in violation of quarantine rules. I wound up deleting the comment and the photo.

Anyway, I go out for my daily walks and I acknowledge that it is a technical violation of the quarantine rules. You can, however, be in compliance if you are walking to, oh let’s say, the wet market on Rizal street. Now, in order to maintain appropriate social distancing, only a select few are allowed in the marketplace at any given time. All others must wait their turn. In a line. That looked like this when I passed by this morning:

Alright, I’ll let it go. We will all get through this, one way or another. It is just frustrating to see that it is all so pointless. And I’m prepared now with a standard response the next time someone lays that #stayathome bullshit on me:

A really long but mostly pleasant hike yesterday.

Yesterday was “National Siblings Day” and I dutifully reposted this photo of me and the bros:

Alright, sorry for the ranting and raving. Sometimes life can be a real pain in the ass, but I realize just how Lucky I am.