aysabaw.com

Five minutes outdoor and my thin white cotton uniform was already soaked in sweat. My mask was no different. ‘It is so humid today,’ said the American-Asian journalist that we sent off this morning. The wind might have protested. Not a single leaf moved. Not the slightest of waves disturbed the sleeping shore. The sun was relentless. I thought an egg could be soft-boiled on my head.

The time ticked really slowly from March, and then from October, days went by really quick. There was a bit of a surge in bookings. People seemed bored staying at home. I think they just all wanted to go out and travel to whatever possible place they can. We suddenly rushed our Festive Season program. We didn’t really prepare for it as we didn’t expect that we’d get bookings for Christmas and New Year’s Eve, let alone get the resorts fully booked.

I didn’t get a day off the past week and have worked day and night. At noon today, just after my bulging tummy was filled with rice and fried noodles, I dozed off. I set my alarm at half-past three in the afternoon, as I planned to be back to work but the plan didn’t work out. I slept until almost five. My phone burst with WhatsApp messages from travel agents. At times, my brain worked like a turtle’s, I’d head off to the sea the minute my eyes opened. And that’s what I did. I ignored all the messages and headed to the calm sea. I swam until the sun retreated.

There was a display of stunning sunsets in the past few days. One day, the sun was like a big egg yolk, another it hid in silver clouds. One day the sky was burning red, another it was mild baby pink.

The tide was very low due to the scheduled full moon and the corals were very visible. Tiny planktons plagued the water and they stung my skin like light electric currents.

Rain poured just as I came back to my room. It was mellow, the kind that makes me want to sleep. Like music. It was like a beautiful goodbye to a harsh, harsh month.

I didn’t have much time last week to write a story or a blog post. I didn’t even have the energy to open my journal where I usually recapped my day by writing all the small events that made me happy or angry.

Last night, I was really tired but I slept with a smile because I got new underwater photos of me, diving without fins. I’ve been wanting to have this kind of photo since I learned how to dive without fins and I was happy to find someone who is a willing photographer. I was also happy because my colleague from Malaysia came back to the island after working from home for eight months and he brought me two books and a pack of 3 in 1 coffee.

I’ve always liked being alone in the office but having someone sit at the next table is also nice. I didn’t have to drink my coffee in silence.