2020 Goal: One book per month ...

Reading on the Loboc River in Bohol, The Philippines

At the start of 2020, I decided it was time to pick up reading again. I started with a book recommended by my cousin called Wild by Cheryl Strayed. It was a great read that was interesting, inspiring and relatable. 

I started the book at some point in January and finished it on the 31st while vacationing in the Philippines.  

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Reading at a different location along the Loboc River

February's book was The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. I read this story decades ago when I first moved to Vancouver, BC. I remember it being a refreshing story and knowing I'd be on vacation for the start of February, the book seemed fitting.

I cruised through the story and enjoyed it even more the second time around. I finished the book while waiting for my delayed flights out of Bohol and out of Manila. Not even two weeks into the month of February and my second book was finished! 

I was heading home to a forced and unpaid two-week holiday (the new semester start date had been pushed back for all schools nationwide) due to Covid-19. The Taiwan government knew most people were returning home from the Chinese New Year holiday and it was their way of having a quarantine period without locking down. I had no idea how Coronavirus was going to change the world at this time.

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Waiting in line to buy masks

I started the book The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson. It was an appropriate read for what was going on in Taiwan and around the world.

Masks were nowhere to be found in Taiwan in mid-February so Taiwan quickly set up a mask rationing program making them available to everyone. 

A mask-purchasing app was made stating which pharmacies had masks, how many they had and what time they would be selling them at. This resulted in many lineups around the city with people watching dwindling numbers on their phones as masks were being purchased in real time. Those standing near the backs of lines always looked more nervous. No one wanted to wait in line for an hour only to be told there were no masks left.

I spent some time familiarizing myself with the app and understanding the charts so I knew what pharmacies were best to go to. This became part of my weekly routine for a month or two and waiting in line seemed like a good time to get some reading done!

Around April, Taiwan had produced enough masks to change the program which then allowed one person to buy nine masks every fourteen days with their health card. The line ups ended which meant finding time in my regular schedule to fit in reading started. It proved a tad challenging in April but I'll save that for the next blog post.

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