Day 45: Beautiful views from Wadestown

Took a long stroll today. Lots in my mind. I spent some time during my walk saying my prayers for special intentions for family, friends, and myself. I also spent some time musing about where I am now, the situation in New Zealand, the situation in the world. And with just a tiny bit of optimism, I also thought a bit about the future. I pray for a brighter future for all of us.

My walk was beautiful, I saw the huge moon as the sun was setting.


And at the edge of the view from the Wadestown, I saw the snow-capped hills.

Day 44: Deliveries!

Today felt like Christmas, a few of the things I ordered a week ago came today! I got a box of fresh vegetables and fruits for a good price!



Another box of dry goods came (non-essential items) and it included this nifty laptop mount. One of the perks of level-3 lockdown is the delivery services of non-essential items.



It was a busy workday, really glad these arrived today. It brought my spirits up!

Day 43: Monday again

Another start of the workweek. I am getting the hang of working from home. I do have a routine and I am getting some work done. Probably still not as productive as pre-covid19 but I am progressing to get some good outputs.

I may quite like working from home. I do enjoy getting to cook and sleep more. Let's see how the next few weeks will pan out for New Zealand. We might be moving to level-2 quite quickly.

Days 40 - 42: First level-3 weekend

Level-3 is still pretty much level-4 lifestyle for me. Nothing has changed with how my day goes. In the periphery, I notice a lot more movement and activity. The local fish-and-chip shop opened on Thursday, and they had a few customers queuing up on Friday evening. The streets are a lot busier with cars, and there are fewer people walking about the neighbourhood during the day.

I still work from home Mondays to Fridays, from 9-5; taking my lunch break at 1pm in time for the daily COVID19 update from the government. I clock out around 5 to do my daily walk. I have started exploring home delivery options, I ordered a box of vegetables which will be delivered next week. And I ordered a few things from KMart too.

My weekend will be the same as the past weekends, I will spend most of the time on this chair:

Day 39: Pumpkin and spinach pasta

I made something new tonight! I had some pumpkin and spinach to work with. I've been eating rice for the past few days, so tried to make pasta instead. I made a creamy sauce base and put a bit of mustard and lemon juice for some twist. Topped the dish with cheese and baked it

Day 38: Acknowledging my PhD in Twitter

I attended a women's online session, a chit chat with mentors and peers on navigating academia with special focus on acknowledging out COVID19 situation. One of the common themes from this pandemic is that we have to forego some of the plans and celebrations we were anticipating this year.

Birthdays, planned trips, thesis submission, defence, graduations, weddings etc. Some of these have to be postponed or conducted within the premises of our homes. For me, I know there was no clear transition from being a student to working as a post-doc researcher. It just sort of happened as the levels of lockdown was changing while I was defending, submitting, and completing.

So to commemorate a personal acknowledgement of my accomplishment, last night I put "Dr" in front of my Twitter name. I had an overwhelming response online! Thank you twitterverse for being supportive and awesome.

Will #ImpostorSyndrome ever go away? There... I’ve done it. Put Dr in front of my name. It has taken a few weeks after I completed the PhD. But I need to acknowledge this for myself. #phdchat #AcademicChatter

— Dr Marion Lara Tan (@tan_marion) April 29, 2020

Day 37: A busy day

Yesterday was a busy day. I conducted a two-hour online session on innovative methods for a research and evaluation methods course. I am also trying to coordinate a webinar for next week. Plus meetings in between.

I was a bit flustered throughout my working hours. The end-of-day walk around the neighbourhood really helped me clear my head.

I am very lucky to have a job and to be able to continue working from home. But with the daily mundane routine of my everyday life, it also makes me think about the bigger questions. What's next for me? What will the next few months be like? We did not imagine in January that life would be like this in April. What would life be like 3 months from now?

For now, I am taking things one step at a time. Do my work and hope for the best.

Day 36: A family video call

My family keeps in touch quite frequently. We have an active family chatroom in messenger. We update each other on international and local news but also with the daily happenings of our lives. We share memories through photos, we share piano practices, we send photos of where we are, etc. But rarely do we have video or audio calls, it has never really been a thing for us. Today we finally got to do one!

It is a bit chaotic, just as any social video call. But it was really nice to see everyone together at the same time in a virtual environment.

Glad to know that everyone is staying put and keeping safe and healthy in our respective homes. Much love to everyone!

Day 35: Enjoying the sunny lounge

On workdays, I spend most of my time in my room. My room is probably the coldest part of the house because it gets the least sun. So on weekends, especially on sunny days, I tend to enjoy sitting in our lounge and basking in the warmth. Even though it is getting cooler now, the lounge can still get to a warm 20 degrees. Today I took this photo, while I was just taking time to relax with a cup of tea.

During these days, it may be hard for some to find joy or hope. Sitting in the lounge, in the quiet and feeling the sun on my skin gives me hope. There will be better days. But recognise that there are also good days or moments of blessings amidst this uncertain time.

Day 34: Still adjusting with the PhD title

I gave a short presentation this week to a group of PhD students. It's always a pleasure to be able to share a bit about my research. They asked me questions about my PhD journey and I had lots of insights to share from my experience. In all this, I think it is pretty surreal that I really have completed my PhD journey.

In the middle of this pandemic, and despite busying myself with work, I have accomplished what I had set out to do four years ago. I guess the strange thing with this there was no demarcation of the transition because my transition was superseded by the need to adapt to the lockdown situation because of COVID19. I am a PhD. I need to own it, even in small things. My supervisor even told me to put the title in my email signature!

Day 33: Pinakbet Recipe

This is not really an academic post! But so happy with how my pinakbet turned out, so sharing the recipe here. One good thing about the COVID19 lockdown is that I'm cooking a lot more! I definitely have tried a few new dishes.

I'm not very good at measuring stuff, so just eye the amount to your taste and needed yield. This recipe is based on the dish last night:

Ingredients:
3 cloves Garlic
1/2 Onion
1 Tomato
1 thumb Ginger
1 cup Pumpkin
1/2 cup Carrots
1 cup Eggplant
1/4 cup Green beans
1 handful Spinach
1-1/2 tbsp Fish sauce
1 tbsp Soy sauce
Salt
Pepper

Instructions:

• Mince onions and garlic, quarter tomatoes, thinly slice ginger, chop all other vegetables to relatively equal chunky size (1inch for me).
• Use mid-high heat, sautee minced onions and garlic until tender
• Add quartered tomatoes to the pan, season with a bit of salt and pepper. Stir fry until tomatoes are a bit soft.
• Set heat setting to low. Layer the vegetables on top of the sauteed mix: ginger, pumpkin, carrots, eggplant, and green beans. Season with salt and pepper. Cover the pan, let vegetables cook in its own steam for 10-12 mins. 
• If needed, add a bit of water to prevent the veggies burning. Don't add too much water, you don't want the dish to be too saucy.
• Shake the pan and add soy sauce and fish sauce. Cover the pan and let simmer/steam for another 10-12mins.
• Add a handful of spinach, gently stir into the vegetable mix until leaves wilt
• Add salt and pepper to taste.

All done! 

I think the dish is pretty versatile, you can include other vegetables into it. Traditionally, the vegetables included squash, bitter melon, and okra (but I didn't use any of them in mine). You can add meat into it too. I didn't use shrimp paste, as I'm allergic, but I'm sure it will add depth to the flavour!

Day 32: Blogging on EEW

I am trying to set-up a blog for our earthquake early warning (EEW) work. I wrote a short article yesterday to get some content in it:

New paper on practical limitations of EEW

A new paper has just been published on Earthquake Spectra. David Wald writes about the practical limitations of earthquake early warning. The paper outlines key points for strategic communication, taking into account EEW limitations and possibilities. Points include depicting expected alert times, setting warning expectations based on context (e.g. subduction zone environments, crustal quakes etc.), educating users on taking appropriate (or inappropriate) action when shaking is felt, communicating EEW is not the only mitigation to earthquake losses, offering broader context of other available earthquake hazard and risk information.

Access the article: https://doi.org/10.1177%2F8755293020911388  

The abstract of the article:

Earthquake early warning (EEW) entails detection of initial earthquake shaking and rapid estimation and notification to users prior to imminent, stronger shaking. EEW (ShakeAlert Phase 1, version 2.0) went operational in California in October 2019 and is coming to the rest of the U.S. West Coast. But what are the technical and social challenges to delivering actionable information on earthquake shaking before it arrives? Although there will be tangible benefits, there are also limitations. Basic seismological principles, alert communication challenges, and potential response actions, as well as substantial lessons learned from the use of EEW in Japan, point to more limited opportunities to warn and protect than perhaps many expect. This is in part because potential warning times vary by region and are influenced by tectonic environment, hypocentral depth, and the fault’s proximity to the alert user. For the U.S. West Coast, particularly for crustal earthquakes, warning times are shorter—and possible mitigation actions are likely to be less effective—than often maintained. Nevertheless, EEW is an additional arrow in the quiver of earthquake information tools available in the service of earthquake risk reduction. What is called for, then, is transparency and balance in the EEW discussion: along with its potential, the acknowledgment of EEW’s inherent and practical limitations is needed. Recognizing these limitations could, in fact, make EEW implementation more successful as part of a holistic earthquake mitigation strategy, where its role among other earthquake information tools is quite natural.

Day 31: Visa granted!

Just tonight, I received an email from Immigration New Zealand. My heart skipped a beat, it was an automated email saying that a file has been uploaded related to my application. I thought they might need extra documentation, or that I missed providing pertinent information. But when I logged in to the website and clicked on the new document, it showed that my post-study open work visa was approved! They granted me three years.

I didn't expect that they would process my application so quickly, given the COVID19 situation. Expiring temporary visa holders were given a blanket extension until September. So technically there was no pressure on my end to quickly apply for the post-study work visa. But I lodged my application as soon as I got confirmation that I completed the requirements for the PhD. I did not want to get stuck in any backlog.

Thank God for all the blessings. I am very happy that the visa was processed and approved so quickly.

Day 30: Teaching online

Today we had the first online session for our 'Research and Evaluations' course. I didn't teach today, my colleague Gerard took the lead. Online teaching is a new thing for me.

The challenge is keeping the students engaged. It is easy for students to multi-task while the class is ongoing. Have to think of ways to keep students actively participating. One technique for my colleague was using the chatbox. He had quick and easy questions where he gets the students to type in their questions in the chat. Then builds a discussion from there.

It is good in our digital age that we can migrate our face-to-face meetings and classes online. But I think there is still something missing with the actual interaction. Next week is my turn to deliver the online module. It will be a two-hour session on 'innovative methods'. Wish me luck!

Day 29: People-centric technology

I’m glad that people-centric technology is part of the COVID-19 conversation in Aotearoa New Zealand. This clip is taken from the 19 April daily update all-government response press conference. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern highlighted that citizens' uptake is one of the challenges in implementing a successful contact tracing app. Technology should be supplementary. People first then technology.

I see that my PhD research is becoming more and more relevant. I want to highlight some key insights from my published work:

• Research on the public's use of mobile technologies for crisis communication is fairly young. More research is needed on the public's motivation behind downloading, adapting, and the use of technology is critical to ensure the full realisation of the crisis apps' purpose. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2017.06.009 
• For example, a user’s perspectives on the usability of an app will affect their intention to continue or abandon an app. http://idl.iscram.org/files/marionlaratan/2018/1643_MarionLaraTan_etal2018.pdf 
• Users’ can give insights to crisis app design. Consider familiarity and comfort. From one of my inquiries, a participant mentioned: “I appreciate that it looks like an app that I am familiar with. […] It’s what I’m used to. Which make me comfortable.” http://idl.iscram.org/files/marionlaratan/2019/1946_MarionLaraTan_etal2019.pdf

There are many research questions with COVID-19 and apps. Topics could be on trust, acceptability, usability, usage, ethics, etc. Definitely keen to pursue research in enhancing resilience through understanding the intersection between human behaviour and technology during disasters.

Day 28: What's cooking?

I think my life currently revolves around what I will eat next. My Sunday project was making cheese muffins:



I wanted to make something savoury instead of the usual sweet pastries. The problem was I only had one egg! So I needed to look for a recipe that called for one egg and ingredients I already had in my pantry. This recipe calls for baking powder, salt, sugar, egg, cheese and milk. I think it was a success!

Day 27: This comic resonates!

Lazy post today. But saw this comic on my feed, and it resonates! Definitely feeling like I should be working harder, and also feeling bad for not being as productive, hence not fully relaxing 😆

Day 26: COVID19 Dreams

I am a vivid dreamer if I remember them. During this four week lockdown, I have had COVID19 related dreams. Here are three short ones.

Dream 1: The first dream I remember was from one night leading up to Easter. In my dream, I decided that I wanted to go to church on Easter (despite knowing all church services were cancelled). I made an argument in my mind, that no one will be there and that it would be safe! So I went to St. Mary's of the Angels (the church I go to in Wellington). When I arrived there, people were preparing for mass! The priests were on the entrance wearing their robes etc. I was befuddled! In my head, I was frustrated. Why wasn't I informed that a mass was going to take place? Everyone else seemed to act like it was normal. But I was still afraid of catching the virus, so I went up to the second floor to view the activities from afar. Suddenly, everyone had the same idea, and people started crowding to get up to where I was. And I just was afraid to be in contact with people. I found an escape, squeezed through small pathways out of the church, and ran! Then I woke up.

Dream 2: In my dream, I was on an airplane. I was on a 'mercy flight' to the Philippines. But because the flights were so scarce, I needed to transit somewhere else to catch my flight back to the Philippines. While on the plane, I didn't know where we will land and transit. Finally, the plane landed and I disembarked and was informed that we were in London. I never transitted or flew out of London Heathrow (so I don't really know what the airport looks like). The airport was busy, everyone was trying to catch their mercy flights back to their home countries. I was looking for my transit gate, it was supposed to be on the ground floor (I was on the second). I looked at the signs, and for some reason, my gate was nowhere to be seen. I went to various ground floor gates, taking escalators and had a hard time finding my gate. Finally, I found my gate, but no one was there. I was informed by the ground crew that the last flight out to the Philippines just left. Then I woke up.

Dream 3: I dreamt that I was back in our room in Manila. I remember the yellow walls and the two single beds. On the floor were Settlers of Catan tiles and tokens. Martha and Emil were sitting on the floor, and we just finished a game. We were laughing. It was time to have lunch, so we started packing up, putting the tokens in small ziplock bags. Then I asked myself, why am I in the Philippines? 'I know I'm in New Zealand, this must be a dream.' But I felt like I'm really there with them. The layout of the room looked like the way I remembered it. I could see what my siblings were wearing, I was touching the tiles and putting them back in the box. Then I convinced myself I was back in Manila, then I started thinking, 'If I'm here, then I can't go back to New Zealand because of the lockdown'. Then I woke up.

I don't really put much meaning to my dreams. I think they simply reflect some of the experiences and worries we have during the day.

Day 25: Meetings and writing

Today is an okay day. I got a decent one hour of reading and writing in the morning. One hour does not equate to much, but it's still something. Had a couple of meetings spread out between late morning and late afternoon. In between, I did some mundane work like writing meeting minutes and sending out emails.  My list of things to do is still way longer than the things I have accomplished. But still, it was okay. I got some work done.

Day 24: Missing Aikido

Practising aikido is one of the things that I miss doing during this lockdown. I was very fortunate to have been able to participate in the 50th Anniversary Gasshuku of Shinryukan Aikido early this March!

We were very lucky in many ways.

First, the timing was just right. The event pushed through only a few days after New Zealand had its first confirmed COVID19 case. Had the event been scheduled one week later, a lot of the international delegates would not have been able to come because of border restrictions. If it had been two weeks later, the event would have been cancelled because of the restrictions on large gatherings.

Second, I think it is also very fortunate that no one got sick. I guess, at that time, COVID19 had just entered New Zealand and was not yet spreading in the communities. I would imagine that an aikido event, given that aikido is a close contact martial art, would be a hotspot for spreading the virus.

Easily 300 people on the mat! © Christian Kleiman / Aikido Shinryukan

Third, it was the last international event of waka sensei - Moriteru Ueshiba before international border closures and restrictions happened because of COVID19. He is the son of the current doshu (head of aikido). We were very fortunate to train with him! He moves really beautifully.

I want to give credit to the organisers for making sure the event had good health and safety standards. They did a great job in organising the gasshuku.

Here are some photos from the event of me and my mates. All photos in this blog are credit to Christian Kleiman and Aikido Shinryukan. More incredible photos from Christian's website.

© Christian Kleiman / Aikido Shinryukan

© Christian Kleiman / Aikido Shinryukan

© Christian Kleiman / Aikido Shinryukan

© Christian Kleiman / Aikido Shinryukan

Day 23: Unproductive guilt of unproductivity

Technically, today is a University holiday. But I want to make up for the past week's lack of productivity, so I set out to do some work (to my disdain).

It's a vicious cycle: I want to be productive, but I'm not productive (because I'm distracted), then I feel guilty for not being productive. Then it makes me aim to be more productive the next day, which realistically won't be achieved!

I wish I could just get rid of the productivity bug and stop having such a high expectation of myself amid this pandemic.

I guess the first step is acceptance. I need to acknowledge that I won't produce the outputs I want. Then just to slowly keep on chipping away with some work bit by bit.

Kia kaha, everyone! Be gentle and forgiving to yourself.

Day 22: Barkada online

Who would have thought that in a few months things would drastically change! Just in January, we were enjoying summer at the beach. We hung out after work, grabbing dinner, drinking coffee and beer afterwards. These gatherings were not for special occasions, it was just spending time together! Little did we know that this would change by March.

At our usual hangout place

Day trip at Days Bay

I'm grateful for my friends. They really helped me leading up to the lockdown. I was pressed with anxiety in preparation for my defence, and at the same time, we were quickly changing to a new lifestyle. Our first Zoom call as a group of friends (along with my sister and boyfriend) was for my mock presentation, it was 19th March, a day before my defence! They gave me the encouragement I needed!

We had another Zoom call on Easter Monday. This time it was to help another PhD student to prepare for his proposal defence. I love this group because, although they are silly at times, everyone is really supportive. Hanging out with this group is always filled with laughter, whether online or on an actual meet-up.

Looking forward to better times where we can hang-out in a cafe-bar again.

Day 21: Happy Easter

Happy Easter! Today I celebrated Easter with my family in Manila, Cotabato, and Seattle! We all can't physically go to mass, but we all tuned in to the 10AM Manila Cathedral Easter Sunday online mass.

The priest challenged everyone watching to find some good value out of our lockdown situation. He highlighted that Lent this year was imposed on us, it has brought everyone to sacrifice a busy lifestyle for a simpler one. For the past 40 days, we stripped away from our busy-ness, the lockdown gave us more time to listen, to pray, and to be caring and loving to others.

One thing I value out of this lockdown is growing closer with my family. Despite being in different cities and in different situations, we are all experiencing the effects of COVID19. Through our group chat, we allow each other to have a platform to lay down worries and anxieties. We also provide each other prayers, words of encouragement, and also entertainment through sharing music and photos.

Easter is about hope. Easter shows us that there is light despite the darkness we are experiencing. There can be good out of these times. I know the future is uncertain, but I am hopeful.

Christ is risen, Alleluia!

Day 20: Musings from my daily walk

Twentieth of March, my birthday, was the day we last (physically) interacted with someone outside our 3-person household. It's almost three weeks since we started isolating ourselves from the world outside our 'bubble'. In a way, stress levels are no longer as high as pre-lockdown. We have settled into this new normal. We are a little past half-way through the level-4 lockdown, in this lockdown reality we know what is expected out of us, and we manoeuvre around it.

One of my new routines is my daily walk. During my 45-minute stroll, I pray with special intentions regarding the COVID19 situation, I try to not use social media, and I reflect on what's happening around us. I ask questions that don't have any answers yet.

What will life be like after the lockdown?
Should I continue to work from home?
When will borders open again?
What is the situation in the Philippines?
How are my siblings, my parents, and Marion?
What's next for them in Cebu, Cotabato, and Manila?
When will I be able to visit the Philippines?
What's next for me if borders will become tighter?
What about the future, beyond the next few months?
... and so on ...

I have read many articles describing what post-level-4 lockdown life will be like. One thing is for sure, it won't be back to the way things were. As we leave lockdown, I anticipate that there will be some relief that we get to move about more freely. But I also expect a spike in stress and anxiety. For now, we can take some rest midway through this lockdown. Things will be still and constant for another two weeks. Then we go forward again into the unknown.

I wish everyone a restful and joyful Easter.

Stay safe and stay home!

Day 19: Good Friday

I forgot to log an entry for yesterday! But here are some thoughts I shared on Facebook yesterday:

Good Fridays are silent. In the Philippines, I remember when I was younger, no one goes out on a Good Friday. All the shops used to be closed and broadcast TV channels were offline (or running reruns of 7th Heaven). We may visit the church, but even then, there is no regular mass. It's a sombre day to reflect on Jesus' death on the cross.

It was a quiet Good Friday for me. I spent a few moments in reflection and I prayed especially for those who are ill and lonely during these times.

PhD Thesis Acknowledgements

I recently completed the requirements for my doctoral degree, there are many people to thank! I copy-pasted here the acknowledgements I put in my thesis (with really minor edits because there are always typos).

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

My PhD story is not one without challenges, but I thoroughly enjoyed the entirety of the experience thanks to the support and love I received from so many people.

My sincerest gratitude goes to Dr Raj Prasanna, my primary supervisor, for being there every step of the way. He saw through my insecurities in engaging in socio-technical research and mentored me to develop skills and helped me gain confidence as a researcher. I will not be the researcher I am today without him.

I have been privileged to have a caring supervision team who gave me their time, energy, and enthusiasm. Each one had a unique way of providing guidance that made my work holistic. Dr Kristin Stock asked the challenging questions that made my research robust. I am grateful for her thought-provoking yet encouraging perspectives. Dr Emma Hudson-Doyle asked the ‘why’ questions, allowing me to see the bigger picture. I am thankful for her detailed, constructive, and reassuring feedback. Dr Graham Leonard grounded my research to practice by providing the opportunity to engage with the alerting research community in New Zealand. His guidance was instrumental in the development of my data-gathering methods. Professor David Johnston strengthened my work by giving me platforms to share my research with the national and international research communities. I am grateful for his constant support throughout my PhD.

My sincere thanks go to Deborah Smith, Marcus Bird, and Kevin Fenaughty for allowing me to learn from, and contribute to, the New Zealand Red Cross Hazard working group and the Common Alerting Protocol working group. My immersion in these groups shaped my perspectives on apps and alerting, and made me strive to do useful research. I also thank my survey respondents, usability inquiry interviewees, expert evaluators, and pilot testers—my PhD would not be possible without their participation. My PhD was funded by the New Zealand International Doctoral Scholarship and the Massey University College of Humanities and Social Sciences Doctoral Scholarship. I could not do the PhD without their generous financial support.

My special thanks go to the Joint Centre for Disaster Research (JCDR) community.  I would not have enjoyed this experience without the company of the PhD students who walked with me through the ups and downs of the PhD journey. My love to Dr Nancy Brown, Dr Mina Adhikari, Miles Crawford, Syed Yasir Imtiaz, Lisa McLaren, Ashleigh Rushton, Sara Harrison, Lesley Gray, Bruce Pepperell, Rangika Nilani, and Ayisha Shaik. My life in JCDR was also made vibrant with the presence of the staff, post-docs, interns, and visiting scholars. I want to acknowledge Dr Abi Beatson, Liza Hoefnagels, and Dr Noriko Imura for their care during their time at the centre.

It was challenging to be away from family while doing this PhD. However, I found different ‘families’ in New Zealand that sustained me. The Kia Maia International Student Hostel was my home for three years under the loving care of Rosemary and Graeme Wallis, and Naomi Afoa. I am grateful for the gifts of friendship from: Ye Tingting (Lindsay), Laura and Ed Holden, Pravin Thayaparan, Transi Phu, Naoto Shiota, Janice Liaw, and Teh Meng Hing. I also want to thank the New Zealand Focolare Movement, particularly to Miriam Vender, Philip Wakelin, and Cris Sebold. Not by deliberate intention but just by their loving presence they shone light in some of my darkest moments. I started practising aikido mid-way through the PhD, and I am thankful to Riai Aikido for providing me respite from academic life. My special thanks to Victor Sugijarta and Marceau Bole-Richards for their friendship off the mat. I am grateful to my ‘Stress-Free Living’ friends, Dr John Guilaran, Hanny John Mediodia, Jofferson Gonzales, Janeca and Gian Miranda, and Geo Robrigado, for opening a space for me to share both my joys and disappointments.

My deepest gratitude goes to my family in the Philippines. I am especially blessed to have loving and supportive parents, Lucas and Heddy Tan. I hope I have made them proud. My heartfelt thanks go to my twin sister, Martha Tan; though kilometres away, she has always been my shoulder to cry on and the person ever willing to listen to and laugh at all my jokes. Last, but not least, to Marion Olmillo: I am grateful for his enduring love through all these years.

Day 18: Officially completed the doctoral degree

I got an email from Massey University this morning that I officially completed the requirements for my doctoral degree!

Really happy that I've completed! To celebrate, I made slight changes to a few things:

Updated my personal page: https://sites.google.com/view/mariontan/

Updated my Twitter bio: https://twitter.com/tan_marion

Despite all that is going around, I am truly delighted that I have finished the PhD! It was an experience. Many ups and downs, but overall I enjoyed the ride.

Many many people to thank, so I'm putting my thesis acknowledgements here.

Day 16 - 17: Preparing and submitting a manuscript

Things are quieting down now. The number of cases in New Zealand is flattening, and it looks like there are more recoveries underway too! We are cautiously optimistic with how COVID19 is panning out in New Zealand. My prediction is life will return to some normalcy in a few weeks time. Albeit there will be strict border restriction.

I am just chipping away with my work. Trying to be as productive as possible. We were supposed to write a grant proposal that's due pretty soon, but the deadline was sooner than we expected, so we will try for the next round. We will definitely write the proposal anyway.

I also spend the yesterday and today preparing the third paper from my thesis for submission to a journal. This manuscript is a mixed-methods paper, it utilises both quantitative and qualitative methods. It proposes a usability-continuance model for disaster apps. It probably should not take this long to do the preps, as most of it has already been written up! Anyway, what's important is that I finished it today and submitted it to IJDRR. Hoping for the best!

Day 15: Nothing stellar

Nothing special today.

I woke up as normal. I went to work, tried to be productive and failed. I sent out a few emails, attended a few online meetings, tried to write a little bit. I ended my workday and went out for an afternoon walk (as usual since the lockdown). I played the Nintendo Switch a lot more at night than I normally do.

Nothing stellar. Just thankful that family and loved ones are safe and healthy.

Day 14: Start of Holy Week

I'm trying my best to keep up with the daily blogging. I do miss a few days where I don't write anything down for more than 24 hours. But I ensure to write something about the day post-hoc.

Day 14 -- Palm Sunday. It's strange to start the Holy Week knowing that I will not be attending any church activities. This is the holiest of all weeks in the church calendar, and not being able to participate with physical presence is just weird.

But the recent events has shown that we adapt and make meaning in different ways. This Palm Sunday was the third Sunday that I 'attended mass' with my sister in the Phillippines. The priest mentioned that maybe there is good out of this COVID19 situation. Oftentimes, we may get too busy with the externalities of the Holy Week, we are busy preparing and making sure that we attend this event or practice that custom. This 2020 Holy Week will be a quiet one, but it's in this stillness that we can reflect more deeply. Why do we do what we do? What's the meaning behind our customs and practices? We can follow Christ's passion, death, and resurrection with solemn contemplation without the distraction of externalities.

I pray for a blessed Holy Week for everyone.

Day 13: Up Te Ahumairangi Hill

Lazy day today, woke up late and spent most of it playing Switch and watching movies and TV shows. The highlight for me was my daily walk. Today I decided to go up the Te Ahumairangi Hill. The hill has always been so accessible from my place, but I just never took time to go there. It took more than a year and a lockdown for me to make this trek.

The hill is visible from our kitchen window:

The start of the trek from Sefton St.

View at midway point:

Strategically located bench:

The bay is always a beautiful sight:

On top of the hill:

View from the top:

Day 12: Workshop and 'switching off'

The workshop happened and it was a good experience! As a facilitator, I am quite happy with the session and I think it was a success. But the true outcome of the workshop won't be known until we have future engagements for the project. The workshop objective was to gather people that might be interested in our EEW project. A total of 28 people (including facilitators and project team members) participated in this virtual workshop.

The workshop happened in the morning, and I did a bit more work in the afternoon sending a few emails. I started to switch off from work with my daily stroll. I spent the rest of the night playing my Nintendo Switch. Playing the Switch has now become my past time off work!

Looking forward to the weekend. Not yet sure what I'll do, but will not spend the entire time playing video games. I'll have to do laundry at some point for sure.

Happy weekend everyone!

Oh... our article on coping with COVID19 got published with the Spinoff.

Day 11: Prepping for the workshop

Tomorrow’s workshop is not what we intended it to be when we started planning for it in January. We wanted it to be a face-to-face workshop bringing different people with various backgrounds together from different institutions from all over New Zealand. It would have been a half day workshop with coffee and lunch, and breakout sessions where we can set-up worksheets and response forms creatively. Little did we know that the nature workshop would change drastically because of the forthcoming, then unknown, events.

We decided to push through with this initial workshop, at the very least bringing people together to talk about earthquake early warning system. We won’t have the intended social interactions, but we will make the most out of the situation. I am quite excited to see what tomorrow’s turnout will be like. Wish us the best.

I spent most of today prepping for the workshop.

But I also got to catchup with my PhD friends in Uni. We are all in the COVID19 situation together, but each of us face different challenges. Kia kaha, everyone.

Day 10: Supermarket Day

Today was the first time I left the neighbourhood and went to the supermarket since the lockdown. It was a strange experience!

I wore a mask, but not a lot of others did. I kept the mask on anyway, I think it's best to be precautious. The supermarket wasn't crowded but we had to queue to get into the store. The wait wasn't too long, just around 15 minutes. Since they are limiting the number of people in the supermarket, it didn't feel crowded at all.

New things I noticed:

• A squirt of hand-sanitizer is provided before entering the store
• The handlebars of the trolleys are sanitized
• The staff member gave a few instructions. First, they reminded us to keep distance between each other. Second, advised wiping the products when we get home.
• The narrower aisles were one-way traffic only
• Markers on the floor on the way to the till to remind customers to keep distance.
• We have to pack our own bags
• Another squirt of hand-sanitizer provided after checking-out
• I think the price of goods is higher (but I have no concrete proof of this).

All in all, it was a pleasant but strange experience.

Day Nine: A Normal Day

I guess today is a sign that I am adjusting to the quarantine situation. Today felt really normal. I was able to sit down and work for a few hours (albeit still a bit distracted). But it no longer felt so weird.

I also went out for my daily stroll, I passed by a lookout over the Hutt Road. Saw our dojo from afar (the yellow building in the photo). One of the things I definitely miss is practising aikido. Hopefully, we all can get back on the mat after the lockdown.

Day eight: Stuffed bear hunt

Quite tired today, despite it not being so eventful nor productive. I think just the constant downpour of information and online socializing is a bit draining.

The highlight of my day was going for a walk. New Zealand decided to help kids and communities during the lockdown by displaying stuffed bears on their window sills, fences, or mailboxes! So cute and heartwarming! I took some photos during my walk. Spot the stuffed toys!

Day Seven: Pananagutan

A recessional hymn during a mass celebrated in the Philippines:

Walang sinuman ang nabubuhay para sa sarili lamang
Walang sinuman and namamatay para sa sarili lamang
Tayong lahat ay may pananagutan sa isa't isa
Tayong lahat ay tinipon ng Diyos na kapiling nya

Translation (thanks Google Translate!):

No one lives for himself alone
No one is dying for himself
We are all responsible for one another
We are all gathered by God in his company

I usually start my Sundays by going to mass at St. Mary of the Angels. But as with the lockdown, I can't attend mass. I started a new Sunday routine: I celebrate with Martha, my sister, as we listen to a live mass broadcast from a church in the Philippines. I can watch a live stream by myself, but it feels a lot more whole knowing that someone else is celebrating with me. I pray for courage and protection for the frontliners, wisdom for our leaders, and health and safety for family and friends.

Day Six: Saturday DIY Project

Before the national lockdown on Wednesday, 25 March, I had an inkling that it would eventually happen. I prepared for it bit by bit. First, I bought myself a Nintendo Switch Lite as an early present for my thesis defence. I thought a gaming console will provide an alternative form of entertainment. Then I bought some things online so I can re-arrange my room to allow for a small work nook.

I got a shelf to provide more space to put the bits and bobs I had on my desk. My desk is now just reserved for work materials! I spent the afternoon assembling this shelf:

I feel good having accomplished this mini project!

No work today, since it's the weekend!

Day 5: New Normal

Not much interesting today. I guess it's really about adjusting to this new normal. I got to do a lot more work, I felt much more focused in the afternoon and was able to do a few hours of uninterrupted work! For my work, I'm spending most of my time preparing for our community EEW virtual workshop on the 3rd of April. I do have a list of tasks that I need to work on, but taking things one at a time.

Aside from that, I'm just establishing routines such as waking up normally, having breakfast, going for walks, taking breaks from work. Really mundane things, but feeling a lot more comfortable in this new setting.

We had a big downpour early in the morning, and we expect it will be rainy in the next few days. So I took advantage of the sunny break during midday and went out for my daily solitary walk. Here is a standard sight from my walks, a shadowy patch leading to a view of the bay and the city:



Skipped rice tonight, and I made some stir-fried noodles for dinner:

Day Four: Alert Level 4 Lockdown Starts

Today is the official start of the Alert Level 4 Lockdown in New Zealand. It just seems so surreal. I don't think I have fully excepted that this is indeed happening. It just seems too strange to be true. But it is happening!

On the home front, I think we have quickly found our own spaces. I spend most of my work time in my room, Ashleigh in her office, and Jess in their bedroom. We share the common space to have lunch/dinner and have coffee/tea breaks. 

Routine wise, I try to do a short walk outside (but might need to find alternatives for exercise especially for rainy days).  Here is a photo I took during my walk during the late afternoon:

At night we watch some local TV and then watch an episode or two of Ozark together. 

I'm trying my best with work. I was able to send out the minutes of a few meetings we had this week. I also got to send a few emails out. Certainly not the most productive, but keeping on with the work.

Today has been very mundane. Eerily normal despite the non-normality of it all!

Hope my outlook improves in the coming days. 

  

Day Three: Illogical Shopping and Work Nook

Today is T minus-one for the lockdown. Despite trying not to panic, my housemates and I decided to go for a shopping run. We dropped by New World (supermarket chain) and then to The Warehouse (Home depot-ish type of store).

Things were not as manic as I expected. There were fewer people in New World than a normal busy Sunday. Everyone kept their distance, it's just that the queue to the counter was longer than usual. There was kind of an adrenaline rush getting into the supermarket. I wanted to be as quick as possible, but every time I went through an aisle, my mind just kept telling me that it might be my last chance to buy an item! I know logic dictates that the supermarkets will remain open and stocks continuously filled, so I won't run out of anything! Sadly, logic didn't win this round. I only had set out to buy two items: half-a-dozen of eggs and a box of matches. I came out with a bag of random stuff... and I forgot the eggs!

The Warehouse was also not as packed (despite today being the last day they will be open). They controlled the entry numbers, so we had to queue for a short while to get in. But, I got to buy the chair I needed to set-up my work nook! I cleared some space in my room, and this is officially my designated workplace for the lockdown:


No photos of my dinner tonight, since I just had leftovers from the vegetables I cooked on Day 1 and Day 2.

Tomorrow, the official Alert Level 4 lockdown begins. This means I will be staying at home, and limiting my physical interactions only with my housemates.

Day Two: Establishing Routines

This is a time of adjustment. Each day brings about new changes in how we live! Last week was so different from this, and two weeks ago, everything seemed almost normal (even though it wasn't)!

I find it challenging to work from home. All throughout my PhD, I always worked from the office. Home was where I relaxed and took time off research. But work and home will now merge as we move towards full lockdown in the next 24~ hours.

I need to establish some routines. But planning for them is easier than implementing them! I intended to go for a walk this morning before starting work at home. But lazy me just decided to sleep in until 30-minutes before the first online teleconference call. Ah well... tomorrow, I will try again.

I did get to walk outside today in the afternoon after work. I did a loop walk that took around 50-minutes. It gave me some space to pray and contemplate. On my uphill climb, I prayed the rosary. It felt nice to be outside. But it also felt surreal. Every person I saw on the street seemed normal. But I know where we are now and where we are headed is definitely not normal.

Although a bit sad and scared, I remain hopeful.

Work was busy, I attended a few online meeting. Tested the use of online conferencing tools. I wrote-up a low-risk ethics application. I jotted down minutes from meetings. Nothing too strenuous. Did not get to do some of the tasks I intended. But definitely felt tired at the end of the day.

Day 2 dinner: Stir-fried vegetables with rice (again... but using different veggies).

Day One: Social Isolation Starts

Today, the New Zealand government has increased Alert Level 3 in response to COVID19 outbreak. The Alert Level will further be increased to Level 4 on Wednesday. This means that everyone needs to stay at home! We can still go out for walks, but it is encouraged to minimise social interaction with those outside your household. So... don't meet up with friends in the park, don't invite your neighbours over for lunch! The good thing is that essential shops (supermarkets and pharmacies) will remain open.

I'm frankly a little bit afraid, but also hopeful that we are doing the right thing. I knew this total lockdown would happen. But, now that it is happening, I feel like things are so surreal! I don't think I have yet quite cognitively and emotionally processed what this means for how I go about my day-to-day.

Despite all of this, my life as a researcher continues. I am currently working on two projects: (1) low-cost community-engaged Earthquake Early Warning systems, and (2) high-impact weather citizen science. Today, I worked on both. Just going to lay down my accomplishments to feel good about myself:

• Sent out new invites for the EEW virtual workshop that is planned for 3rd of April
• Created a run sheet for the workshop
• Worked through with Emily on the agenda items for the workshop
• Coordinated a group call with HIWeather Citizen Science working group

There also seems to be a list of things I need to work on:

• Coordinate with the speakers for the workshop
• Send more invites for the EEW workshop
• Test ZOOM capabilities for the workshop
• Draft email to be sent out to the participants
• Work on the guidance note
• Write up minutes for QuakeCoRE and HIWeather calls

It all still seems quite busy for me. It may be a good thing, to keep busy! But I got to make sure I also take it easy on myself.

Also, I want to share some lighthearted stuff here (might need to create two separate posts in the future).

Day 1dinner: Stir-fry vegetables with rice: