Day 47: Community Quarantine

   DAZED AND CONFUSED -  It is only logical that as the quarantine moves along into its second month, misconceptions, missteps and challenges are identified, corrected and resolved along the way. 

   This is first time a pandemic happened in this lifetime. We are unprepared and the rules are being written from the ground up. It is trial, error, correction, a work in progress. But there should be learning curve.

   But it seemed this is not what happening in Taytay. There are conflicting ordinances. One coming from the OIC police chief and the barangay captains, and then an hour or so later, there are corrections of the same orders  from the Sanggunian through the vice-mayors FB page.

  

  According to the Sanggunian, the closing down of sari-sari stores and talipapa are still plans and have not been enacted into a municipal ordinance. But the the closures has already been communicated and enforced, judging from the FB posts, to the barangays yesterday.

    Then there was also the replacement of Q-passes with a new serial numbered ones whoch later was reversed too. 

   We don't know which is which. This is more like the first day of the community lockdown where everyone has no idea what they are doing, when confusion reigns, but we are already into day 47th day of the ECQ.

   The mayor should (may have already done so) clear this confusion.

   QPASS- My neighbors were restless yesterday. There's were talks of soldiers patrolling our area and a stricter implementation (again) of the ECQ extension (again). Our Qpass were collected and replaced with a new print out this time with serial numbers. The idea was to prevent duplication or forgery, I think. But I don't know how that will work since a scanner can simply copy the document. It would be difficult to differentiate the original from the copy since the original is a print out too. 

   WEBINAR- I attended an on-line seminar conducted by a book publisher yesterday. I was not inclined to join it because I don't like seminars that do not interest me. But there is a message from our division super requiring teachers to participate in the series of webinars with topics relevant to what is happening now.

 Well, I had to with reservations. But after the first session, I found that it was to my liking. I could listen to the discussant in the comfort of the home, sitting down, standing up, drinking coffee, lying down.

    There were no corny ice breakers. No speeches and other ceremonies and rituals that make traditional seminars seemed like a religious gathering complete with doxologies and benedictions. 

   But most important of all, the discussant was erudite, the topic was relevant to the current situation were in and it addressed the paradigm shifts that will happen in learning delivery post quarantine. 

   SACRIFICE BRANCH- A little bonsai talk. This is a sacrifice branch (circled red). The idea here is to allow it to grow to help thicken the base of th e first branch. To show age and proportion, the first branch of the bonsai must be the biggest or thickest to be followed by the second branches and so on. 

    It confuses the eye if the first branch is smaller than the upper branches. The illusion of age is broken.

   Since trees have the tendency to focus all it's energy upward, the first branch is usually left behind. One solution to this is to allow a sacrifice branch to grow at the base of the first branch. 

   The node will contribute to the thickening. Once the necessary thickness is achieved, the branch is cut off.