What We've Been Up To This Pandemic

Since the pandemic halted the journey of our lives in early 2020, many students have been keeping themselves busy with all of their hobbies and interests. From doing the basics like cooking and baking to arts and crafts. There are so many activities that can keep us busy and productive despite the restrictions brought by this pandemic. Let’s take a look at how some of us have utilized our time and skills.

Jenny Boo, a Grade 11-Matthew ABM student

안녕하세요 (annyeonghaseyo)! We’re pretty sure you have tried Korean cuisine one way or another, whether it was buying items from Korean grocery stores or K-marts, or even dining in Korean restaurants like the infamous all-you-can-eat Korean barbeque restaurants. Well, have you tried eating at Bulgogi Garden?

During the summer of 2020, Jenny Boo started helping her family and their family business. They own a Korean samgyupsal restaurant and a grocery store called Bulgogi Garden. Her family told Jenny to work since she wanted to save money, and she had nothing else to do during the pandemic.

What Jenny loves about working during her free time is that she gets to work alongside her mom and her aunt. “It feels nice to be able to try new experiences and train myself for my future.”

Currently, Bulgogi Garden accepts deliveries, and orders must be ₱1,000 or above for a free delivery charge. They accept bank or online transfers via BDO or GCash, but they prefer cash on delivery as payment.

Luis Angelo Rafael, a Grade 11-Peter STEM Physics-Calculus student

Astrophotography in simple terms is capturing the night sky through photography. Shots focus on planets, the moon, stars, galaxies, nebulae, or any celestial objects or phenomena. Luis Rafael is, truly, passionate about astronomical objects and outer space in general.

We asked Luis how he developed his love for astrophotography. “It all started back in that one night when I wanted to see the moon up close after staring at it for minutes,” Luis said, pertaining to a night back in November 2020, “At first, I even had no clue on what type of telescope I wanted.” Luis’ dad then gave him a reflector-type telescope, which uses mirrors and reflections to magnify distant objects. Now, he also takes images of nebulae, galaxies, and star clusters.

So how does Luis do astrophotography? He uses similar equipment to that of professionals but with a slightly tighter budget. In astrophotography, the photographer takes numerous shots of the same target, for 2 hours or more. This is only manageable with an equatorial mount, a mount that’s designed to track the motion of the night sky and make objects “freeze”. Although Luis only has a regular mount with a small tracker on it, the mount does the job well, and he can make the most out of it. It is also important to have a good camera, selected filters, and a good telescope or lens. He uses a Canon 1200D, modified for astrophotography, a Samyang 135mm F2 lens, and a light pollution filter. After capturing the night sky, Luis processes the pictures, then, posts them on his social media, both on Instagram and Facebook.

Luis thinks that this hobby allows him to experience the same emotions that he felt back on that one night in 2020. “To be able to capture images of such distant objects in the comfort of my own home is something else. It keeps me going. All in all, astrophotography is something that I think everyone should try.”

Elizabeth Swa, a Grade 11-Paul STEM Biology-Chemistry student

Elizabeth Swa, also known as Liz, loves art. It’s always in her creative nature to craft something new, and she thinks it’s fun diving into many different mediums of art, as sometimes just one outlet of creativity is not enough for her. She draws, she sculpts, and she makes jewelry out of clay.

Liz started delving into art in early 2020, around the beginning of quarantine. Boredom is always her catalyst for creativity. She had nothing interesting to do except draw, but online stores opened a whole world for her. She was able to buy the materials she needed and do more artworks she wanted to do without interruption. Quarantine was a relaxing time for her since she was able to freely do the things she loves.

“I do projects when I feel like it, no particular schedule, but I do try to draw almost every day. I come up with ideas for clay every so often and the same with jewelry. Both are quite tedious, but I enjoy making stuff I can use,” said Liz.

Most art Liz created during the pandemic involved sculpting with clay. She is so infatuated with the idea of making beautiful stuff with her own two hands. With clay, it’s nice making three-dimensional stuff she can hold and use; the sculpting, painting, and glazing are all very nice despite it being time-consuming. She gets to see what she makes every day, and admiring the results of her hard work makes her happy.

Lynelle Vanne Cincochan, a Grade 12-Martin Luther STEM Biology-Chemistry student, and Harmony Claire Dy and Chloe Francine Yao, Grade 12-Hudson Taylor STEM Physics-Calculus students

Loishii, a small baking business, was discovered by 3 friends — Lynelle Cincochan, Harmony Dy, and Chloe Yao — during the pandemic. The three girls were initially interested in starting a business together since they didn’t have much on their plate during this lockdown. So, they figured that it would serve as a good training ground for them to practice and learn from their potential mistakes. They started planning for the small baking business back in September or October 2020 and they launched the brand on May 28, 2021.

How was their experience? Lynelle said that she learned a lot from the business perspective and the dynamic of their group because they all had their strengths and weaknesses to contribute to the business. Chloe was interested in accounting, so she did the majority of the financing, while Harmony was in charge of the social media engagements and publication materials being posted on social media, and Lynelle handled the logistics.

As they managed their thriving business, they discovered a different side to each other that wasn’t just about just being friends or batchmates. Moreover, they realized that it was also important for each of them to distinguish their current priorities and plans such as college, friendship, and personal life. The challenges that they faced throughout the process also helped Lynelle and her friends separate their friendship from their business whenever they discussed Loishii.

Shawn Jophi Rexford Diao, a Grade 12-Dwight Moody ABM student

Shawn Diao, also known as Diao, is a man of many dreams and talents. He utilized the time in the pandemic to showcase his creativity, from creating music to starting podcasts with his friend, Peter Yu, around the middle of 2020. He even made his solo podcast called “Late Night Spoken Words” where he would read different kinds of poems.

Diao’s casual, everyday calls with Peter during quarantine where they would play, talk, and chill led him to privately start a podcast starring both of them: Quarantine and Chill, which includes some tea and their high school stories pre-pandemic. They both decided: “Why not share our content with the community?” Currently, their podcast has a total of fourteen episodes and they have featured some of their friends on the show.

Moving on to Diao’s passion for music, he has released multiple original songs throughout the pandemic. Some singles that are fan favorites are “GOODBYES” and “WITH YOU” which became popular back in the middle of 2020.

One important thing that Diao realized is that his mistakes and dream inspire him to become a better version of himself. “I want people to know I'm not all for the attention and fame. All I aim for is social recognition. I want people to recognize my content as a source of entertainment that they could relate with.”

Kojie Uy, a Grade 12-Dwight Moody ABM student

It all started in January 2021, when Kojie just wanted to try and pursue his passion for food. He decided to do this by starting a food business, and this led to the establishment of Kochi. Kochi is centered around Chinese cuisine and includes a variety of dishes, with the most notable ones being his signature Smoked Asado and the Chili Garlic Shrimp.

What sparked him to start his food business? Well, Kojie was always fascinated by cooking and was also influenced by the cooking videos he watches on Youtube. As the pandemic went on and dining in restaurants continued to be limited, his passion and dedication to cooking only grew stronger.

The business proved to be an important part of his life; he learned a lot from his experiences in Kochi. He encourages everyone to try to start a business in the field they are passionate about and not to be intimidated, as his experiences made him realize that it is not too difficult to get into business and that there are many ways in which one can start a food-related business.

Brendon Wong, a Grade 12-Hudson Taylor STEM Physics-Calculus student

Brendon started his love for arts and drawing when he was only 4 years old. Intrigued by games like Plants vs. Zombies and movies like Monster House, Brendon drew whatever he was interested in during that time. This sparked a habit that turned into a passion.

Pandemic or no pandemic, it would not have changed anything in Brendon’s journey with art. He said that he continues to draw because art has always been a comfort for him. The challenges and trials brought upon the JCA community by the pandemic have not been easy for any of us, and he is not an exception to that fact. Thus, he slinks back from the unforgiving world and into his little bubble of comfort where he can escape the world for a little bit.

“Although it is bound by rules and principle, art is a mix of technicality and emotionality,” remarked Brendon, “It is freeing and liberating — a world where rules are meant to be tested, played around with, pushed, and eventually broken. Such an abstract concept shouldn’t seem so concrete but after years of living with it, testing it, experimenting with it, it all becomes familiar.”

Aside from their love for writing, your two fellow Nouvelles writers have been really into a lot of their favorite hobbies. Both share some similarities and are currently keeping themselves busy with Nouvelles, their academics, their interests, and most importantly, their love for reading and writing.

Denise Richie Sy, a grade 11-Paul STEM Biology-Chemistry student

Denise Richie Sy, also known as Richie, is a self-taught makeup artist and hairdresser. She loves trying on new products, drawing designs on her face, and expressing herself through makeup. Most people know her as someone who also posts regularly every weekend on her Instagram page to showcase her makeup artistry and hair transformations every once in a while.

Aside from her interest in makeup and hair dyes, Richie has some secret hobbies and interests that are hidden from the social media world. She also loves cooking, baking, exercising, graphic designing, and reading. She is also very fond of writing fantasy, mystery, and thriller novels or short stories. Richie has been enjoying a lot of hobbies and interests that make her unique and busy throughout the pandemic. She is truly a dreamer with a big future ahead of her!

Timothy Daniel Uy, a grade 12-Hudson Taylor STEM Physics-Calculus student

Timothy Daniel Uy, also known as Tim, has been keeping himself busy throughout the pandemic. He has typical hobbies such as playing the piano, exercising, cooking, playing games, and even reading.

Although the pandemic was not so eventful for him, he took the opportunity to pick up new things during that time. It was fun for him to try many new activities, which includes reading about topics or genres previously unfamiliar to him like history and fantasy, cooking new cuisines such as Italian dishes, and doing different workout routines.

It is very impressive to see how students can use their skills and abilities to do unique tasks that can help them get through the pandemic. These underscore that we have different interests and capabilities, and if we are passionate about whatever we are doing, surely, we will love and get better at it.

Cover Image Reference:

Cecil, L. (2021, November 2). I followed the masses through every clichéd quarantine hobby in the book. Esquire. https://www.esquire.com/lifestyle/health/a32366081/coronavirus-hobby-trends/

Article Image Reference:

Article Images provided by featured students, edited by Denise Richie Sy