Life On Lockdown (LOL!!!) Going with the flow... for now

 (Last of seven parts)

If you can’t lick it, embrace it. Until a vaccine is created, we just have to learn how to survive in this time of lockdown. In this series, you can learn a lot from how actors are coping (nicely, yes, somehow!) with being cooped up at home, including (already featured, check out philstar.com) Gabby Concepcion, Robi Domingo, Martin del Rosario, Albert Martinez, Jeric Gonzales and Ryan Agoncillo.

It’s John Estrada’s turn to welcome us to his home as the closing entry in this series of seven.

How are you doing during this extended lockdown; how does your day start and how does it end?

“Before the lockdown, I was really busy taping for a new show for GMA. From really busy, I went to really not busy...that is, not busy with showbiz work, perhaps just like my colleagues. It’s important to keep our sanity during this pandemic. We have to be optimistic, otherwise you will lose your mind, hehehe!!! During the first three weeks, I would start my day by helping our kasambahay clean the house. I even went up the roof to help our boy sweep the ashes from the Taal eruption last January.”

What are your other daily activities and how do you spend your spare time if you have any (hehehe!!!)?

“After the cleaning task, Priscilla and I join our daughter Anechka’s class via Zoom, then watch movies or our favorite Netflix series. At around 5 p.m., the three of us walk outside for about an hour, then Priscilla and I work out for 30 minutes.

“After dinner, we play board games with Anechka and then put her to sleep. Priscilla and I resume watching movies until we doze off.

“With so much time to spare, Priscilla and I have started sorting out our old clothes and sell them. We donate the profit to the less fortunate.”

Aside from your barber, what do you miss about the “outside” world?

“I don’t really miss my barber. What I miss is working on set.”

How do you think the “new normal” John Estrada will be like?

“You know what, I really don’t know what the ‘new normal’ me will be like. I guess I just have to go with the flow...for now. Our foremost concern now is Anechka’s safety, her health. She’s only eight years old and she has a bad case of asthma, so she’s kinda ‘vulnerable,’ you know. So most probably, if I’m not working, I will just stay home because the more you expose yourself out there, the bigger the risk that you get the virus.”

(E-mail reactions at [email protected]. For more updates, photos and videos, visit www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on Instagram @therealrickylo.)