We were in the middle of the Skechers x Sailormoon live portrait drawing session when our friend messaged us about the change in DORSCON from Yellow to Orange.

“Sure or not,” was my immediate response since there was no update on the Ministry of Health website. Yet. About half an hour later, then it became official news.

Looking around us, there were numerous personalities present at the roadshow. From out-of-costume cosplayers to the influencer wearing the paper mask below his nose, there was still a party-lite atmosphere but you can see some of them glancing at the breaking news on the phone. Our client, the event organizer, too was looking at his phone.

Our eyes met and I gave him a ‘now what’ gesture. He shrugged in return. For now, the show must go on. We had been contracted for the media preview and two whole weekends. But with the new uncertainty of DORSCON Orange, our potential paycheck is now up in the air.

Putting the roadshow gig aside, there was the issue of our day-to-day operations. The decision was made to switch back to a work-from-home arrangement for the team. It was not really an unfamiliar situation as we have done it before back when the haze hit Singapore.

However, it was rather unfortunate that then was the first week of work for two of our new recruits, Poopiepuff and Tamagoya. So for most of their first month with us, they ended up working from home. That said, they have adapted well to the new circumstances and have consistently kept us updated on their progress.

That night, as I shared a bottle of sake with Pricey at Eccellente‘s Sake Corner, there was breaking news over Singapore on how people have started hoarding rice, instant noodles and toilet paper in various supermarkets. There was something surreal about reading all these while sitting in a corner of a quiet, untouched supermarket.

Unlike many other creatives, CDS is not as affected by local economic sentiments since we draw our clients from overseas markets. While we definitely suffered some opportunity cost, the more immediate concern for us was over productivity.

Working from home sounds great to the introverts but it truly is not ideal from a project-management standpoint. Of course, I have to acknowledge this flaw comes from a management standpoint. I had come to find the ability to giving instructions in person and getting immediate feedback EXTREMELY useful. Especially if we are talking about urgent projects.

Working from home depends heavily on the individual’s discipline to maintain focus despite all the distractions at home. That works better for some over others.

For now, the studio is still humming along somewhat. There are still art to be drawn, admin to be done and sales to be made. All these are now done from home and with a good slathering of hand sanitzer. It all started with a tiny glimpse of hope that it will blow over quickly. Now, we are resigned to the fact that with the virus spreading all across the globe, the situation is not going to improve any moment soon.

And going back to our Sailormoon roadshow, it turns out that everything other than our media preview was cancelled. We were informed of the cancellation just minutes before we were stated to start on our Saturday appearance. We still got paid but it was only a fraction of the initial amount promised. Could be worse, I guess.

Fuck COVID-19.