Yesterday I recorded the podcast episode Bubble Girl. That is because living in this pandemic has me feeling like a bubble girl. I am not surprised by this; I am simply processing what it means to live in this stage of the pandemic.

We are past the creation of vaccines and boosters. A month ago, medical experts started sharing Why you should upgrade your mask as the Omicron variant spreads. According to the AP News headline, the White House soft-launches COVID-19 test request website.

If you did not request COVID-19 tests through that website, stop reading this to order them now.

Since late 2019, the world has been battling the virus. Since early 2020, that is when many residents in the United States started dealing with it.

It is understood that you are tired, I am tired, and we are all tired of talking about it. However, I will keep talking about it for as long as needed if it means that it keeps all of us acting vigilant.

As I stated in my podcast, I would much rather discuss lighter topics. Until then, I am documenting through this blog, podcast, social media, and other means what it has meant to endure the COVID-19 pandemic as myself, my whole self, and nothing but myself.

I am a friend.

I am a cousin.

I am a sister.

I am a daughter.

I am too many things to type on my keyboard.

I am a writer.

I am a speaker.

I am an educator.

I am an advocate.

I am an activist.

I belong to intersecting vulnerable populations that have received the worst of the pandemic.

I am a woman.

I am a woman of color.

I am a woman of color living in a she-cession.

I am a woman of faith.

I am a Filipina.

I am an Asian woman, who has witnessed how anti-Asian sentiment has endangered her people.

I am an Asian woman, who stands in solidarity with Black folks and other marginalized groups who have been told that they matter, but treated otherwise.

I am a cancer survivor.

I am a survivor of so many things.

Whether or not I explicitly mention these identities in each blog post or each podcast episode, the identities that I just mentioned and did not mention still matter. They still inform what it means to be alive during this transformative time.