covid days : 04 April + secure DNS

updated: 25 April 2020

there’s no work today but i find myself online anyway. so phishing attacks are up exponentially since this covid-19 virus came out. my anti-malware for windows will expire in the next few months so i have to find (discounted) alternatives.

almost everyone is connected to the internet.

as added security i enabled secure dns in firefox, Ubuntu and Windows. it basically uses cloudflare’s dns server 1.1.1.1. to confirm google it. i rarely use chrome and there are extra steps but i think it’s worth the effort. here’s the cloudflare post on how to set it up in your browser. oh, and it’s suppose to make things faster also.

it’s half past noon and it’s 36 ℃ inside the house. ugh.

early evening and i’m not hungry. laundry for the week is done. and thoughts of not having work for me and most people come to mind. this is one of those “rainy days” when you have to dig deep and plan how long the money you saved up will last. panic came to but there is no time for that. just be conscious of your spending and make it stretch as far as you can.

ending today on a vid call to friends from the north and south, dubai, japan, and canada. good meet.

covid days : 03 april

security experts found some vulnerabilities in zoom —the meeting/webinar platform i’ve been using since working from home. with an improper link, a hacker can get your windows password or in a mac can get root privileges if the hacker has physical access to the workstation. the end user cannot do much on his end so will have to wait for updates from zoom. they’re currently fixing things.

i think i’ll make a second mug of coffee. there are two webinars today to support.

fake news in the middle of a pandemic. people, verify your information first before sharing it on social media. the enemy is the virus. remember that.

apparently zoom has been busy patching things up. development of new features has stopped to concentrate on the security issues. it says the mac issue has been fixed.

corona virus related cyber attacks jumped exponentially. there are an average of 2,600 attacks per day — most of them are phishing attacks. to protect yourself, “double check website addresses to look for misspellings or anything else that seems slightly off; be wary of opening emails, especially those with attachments, from an unknown sender; and be sure you’re buying products from reputable sources, not an email linktnw

telecommuting, webinars, online meetings were just nearby plans before but are now quickly becoming or has become the norm because people and companies are forced to adapt by a virulent virus. either way, i have to find ways to improve how to do things and re-evaluate how things are being done.

i have observed my internet connection is becoming wonky at certain times of the day.

i read the virus does not like warm places — over 27 ℃ and summer is here. i hope that will help in severely limiting the spread of the virus.

work for the day is almost done. but laundry is laundry.

covid days: 02 april

La Union sunset

this was taken February 28, 2020 in front of flotsam & jetsam in la union. events were just unfolding and the virus just entering the country. i was with robin and a friend since grade school. it’s amazing how fast things develop. you close your eyes to this and when you open your eyes again you’re already in manila and quarantined.

woke up to news that a group of people are protesting because they are hungry. and the natural reaction of the police is to restrain and contain.

went to the public market early for a supply run. people were orderly. i was even able to share a laugh or two with a couple of vendors. this was an easy run.

my neighbor thanked me for sharing my wifi with her to use for work.

and a guy walking on our street just starts shouting his frustrations to no one in particular. i also heard an argument happened at the street corner. the situation is getting to people’s mental health.

it became a habit to have just two meals a day and some nibbles in between which is mostly bread and some spread.

some people want to change the president. i get the reasons why but this is a strange time that we’re living. we are in a worldwide pandemic and at this point there is very little chance of a change of president happening. he knows that so does the vp. so they work as well as they know how. so for now, we have to live with it, like it or not.

as of 4:00pm today 2,633 cases, 107 deaths and 51 recoveries. i wonder of the people keeping tabs on these numbers. i find it depressing looking at those numbers day-in and day-out. i wonder how they are and hoping they are well.

there are advantages on working from home. the travel time is cut from hours to seconds. there are no fares to grapple with which means a little more money. after work, i take a short break and then exercise, do some chores. yeah, i have to clean up the house little by little. and maintain it.

covid days: 1 april

“life. what fresh hell do you have for me today?” it’s a phrase that’s been running through my head these past days. we hit 2,084 cases, 88 deaths and 49 recoveries. there are more tests but i think we need more especially sites and the machines that can process the tests. we need more personal protective equipment (ppe) for the healthcare workers. and more people in government need a sense of urgency.

hmmmm new ideas and strategies popping up at work. interesting. most everything is going digital and online.

going out to get supplies is still stressful. i’m watchful of every person in proximity of who cough or sneezes.

death is not really contagious. the virus is. so stay healthy and get some exercise daily if possible.

looking at my calendar and i realize that next week is easter week. and tht today is april fools’ day.