Last time I wrote something here was about my life in a WFH setting. WFH or Work From Home, is what we have become ever since the worldwide phenomenon known as COVID19 started in our country back in 2020. My last piece was how we were able to make a semblance of a normal life amidst this pandemic and the post became quite popular.

So here I am again, writing a follow-up piece on that.

During the last quarter of 2021, I suffered severe nerve damage that prevented  me to do my job with ease. Any movement produced excruciating from the neck down to my right arm. This made my online classes extremely difficult to manage. The simplest task was difficult to bear. I had to improve my work from home setup so I can maximize the use of my left arm more and lessen if not remove any functions needed with my right. After spending quite a fortune on medicines, and long and painful physical therapy, I got better. Of course, to maintain that, I had to continuously lessen getting my right arm do strenuous activities.

This is where my passion for photography and casual online games were revitalized. Early in 2021, the missus gifted me a brand new Fujifilm XT100 (after years of doing mobile photography), a proper camera after years of putting to rest my Nikon d40x in 2009. Doing photography with a proper camera provided me a good exercise that made use of my right arm but still won’t put massive danger to it. I made it a habit to bring my camera everywhere I go, whether we’re off to do the grocery, stroll the mall, or hunt for street food seeing as we won’t be able to go do our usual trip abroad anytime soon due to the virus.

Other than The Ugly Writers, I have now created another website called Shoot With Hero that allowed me to practice my passion in taking photos with other photographers. This gave me more time to develop and improve movement of my right hand, and lessened my brewing depression.

Aside from my rekindled passion for photography, and mingling with fellow hobbyists, I also found yet another valuable website that helped me get by my newly improved right arm functionality.

Calculators.org is more than meets the eye. I chanced upon this site in hopes of managing my finances better. My nerve damage and therapy costed me a fortune and I wanted to look for a good (and free) online service that could help me keep tabs of my expenditure. Budget Planner fit the bill, despite a very colorful facade, the website provided me more than what I needed. It gave me great perspective how to manage my funds properly. Quit Smoking is a great way to check on your progress. Of course, I have stopped smoking even before the pandemic, but as a person who vapes, this is a good practice to lessen, if not eradicate the bad habit.

But aside from the two surprisingly invaluable services offered by such an unassuming website, what got me bookmarking this page was the Arcade Games section. Why does this site even have this section?? But no arguments here, I am loving my stay here, checking out different games, from crowd-favorites card games like Solitaire, to memory games like Remember Where and Simon Says. Believe me, despite the very cartoony design of the games, they can be very challenging at times. And I love it! All are great games to pass the boring work hours (I just home my boss is not reading this), or when I am at home and just waiting for dinner to be served.

What I liked the most about the games in Calculators.org, is that they have an app version of the game that is really ideal for those with touchscreens, like my iPad from 2020, or even on my old iPhone 11 Pro Max. They just work like magic!

I just realized that this site will be beneficial for parents with kids who are tight on budget. They can educate their kids and provide good mental exercises for them to enjoy in a single website – for free!  I don’t have kids but this is a game changer for me. I don’t need to consume a lot of storage space on my iPad or phone to enjoy casual games on the go! So yeah, I may have been able to manage my time well, with their website, but for sure I need time management as well, to get me off their games hahaha.

This pretty much sums up my life after months in therapy. Nerve damage is truly scary. The concept of losing functionality of your arm, as well as having to live with it for the rest of your life is a realization for me to go slow and appreciate life more. Hobbies like photography, and online games (albeit casual) sure helped a lot in my recovery period. Come to think of it, I am glad I underwent such trials, as I wouldn’t have returned to my love for photography and casual games if not for the dreaded carpal tunnel. But I hope, this won’t happen to you. But if you are already experiencing this, do know that things will get better with proper treatment.

In therapy, I see myself in the mirror differently.

– Ricky Williams