It has been almost 2 months since the quarantine started here in Manila. Thankfully, me and my loved ones remain sane and healthy amidst the virus scare. If you are reading this, I hope that you are fine as well.
I must say, I’ve adjusted pretty well to this “new normal.” I admit I did struggle during the 1st few weeks since I’m left alone in my place here in QC. Good thing I’ve always been resilient and conscious enough to easily adapt to change. And now, I’m writing this article so I can share with you how I manage to keep myself productive and less stressed during this ECQ.
Thank God for the arrival of the HUAWEI P40 Series last March ‘coz it definitely made my ECQ experience more creative and interesting. Have you seen it? Its features are insane! Aside from the mind-blowing 5G chipset and camera features of the HUAWEI P40 Pro, this time I got the opportunity to fully explore the HUAWEI AppGallery and its constellation of amazingly useful apps perfect for ECQ survival.
When I got my hands on the Pro 40 Pro, I immediately made it my main phone to fully embrace the HUAWEI Mobile Services (HMS) Ecosystem. I thought since I was in a major period of adjustment, might as well go full out since I know HUAWEI will be unleashing a lot more innovations this year (yes, there’s no stopping them). Since last month, I’ve been busy downloading and testing out various apps that complimented my lifestyle as well as to help me with goals which I wanted to achieve in order to stay productive and sane. I’m actually amazed at the AppGallery’s growth since last year.
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Why the HUAWEI AppGallery?
Perhaps you’ve been wondering why I often talk about the HUAWEI AppGallery…
To be honest, I feel more safe using HUAWEI AppGallery. Huawei’s comprehensive four-layer detection security ensures all my user data is contained within the device, and every app installation is screened for threats without exemption. The AppGallery features strict security detection such as malicious behavior detection, privacy check, security vulnerability scanning and the manual real-name security check, to ensure the apps featured on AppGallery platform are safe for us users.
The HUAWEI AppGallery is the official app market on HUAWEI smartphones that comes preloaded since April 2018. The Huawei AppGallery is more than just the default app store on their newest smartphones — it is currently the third-biggest app distribution platform globally, with 180 billion downloads and 390 million monthly active users worldwide (including me!). Every day the AppGallery grows bigger, adding more apps and games to its repertoire for users to enjoy. There’s always something fun, useful, and informative to download from the AppGallery for sure. You gotta try it!
Ok ok, enough with the talkies, here’s a list of the apps which I’ve directly downloaded via the HUAWEI AppGallery so far. I use them regularly and they have definitely made my ECQ life more organized and less stressful. If you are still struggling on things like keeping your focus, messed-up sleeping patterns, anxiety etc, I’ve listed apps which I believe will help you manage them better.
Wellness/Mental Health
– For me, mental health is a top priority. I know that most people nowadays are fearful of a lot of things so we need to make an effort to stay calm and in control of our state of mind and emotions. It’s really great to discover these apps at the AppGallery.
1.My Ease Meditation & Sleep Music & Relax – I super love this app! I know there are countless other meditation apps out there, but what I like about this is that aside from relaxing music to help me sleep, it also directs me to guided meditations to help me let go of emotional and mental baggage. I’d feel lighter and less fearful after each meditation. I believe that this ECQ is also a perfect time for us to dive deep and reflect on ourselves more. Through this app, I realized how important it is to unload heavy emotions on a regular basis. Definitely a must use app!
2. Keep Yoga– Yoga is my most favorite exercise and I find this app great because it has a lot of video sessions for all levels. It also monitors your yoga practice hours to keep you aware of your progress.
3. Mandala Coloring Book – Whenever I have extra time to relax, I enjoy coloring mandalas using this app. Having the creative freedom to choose the colors I want, somewhat relaxes me and keeps me focused. It feels like another form of meditation and I also find it refreshing to the eyes to look at.
4. Breakthrough – a great source of motivational videos by Tony Robbins: one of the world’s best motivation coaches. If you’re one of those who are alone in your house during this ECQ, it really helps to keep yourself motivated and inspired to help you get through daily struggles. Here, you can get to learn ways to effectively influence people and even discovery your personal power. I haven’t met Tony Robbins yet but his books and teachings have helped me a lot in my career and life in general. If you aren’t familiar with him yet, then now’s the best time to listen to his talks.
Learning/Education
1.Learn French – I’ve always wanted to find time to study another language so as soon as the ECQ started, I knew I had to finally do it. And yes, learning French is #1 on my list. The other apps I tried had complicated lessons and hard to understand voice recordings so it’s such a relief to discover this. It has a lot of categories and encourages you to speak more. The voice recordings were also clear enough to mimic.
2. First Aid Guide– Since most hospitals are full and we are advised to stay home, it pays to know what to do in case of health emergencies. With our global situation right now, it’s important to keep ourselves educated and informed, so to know what to do in case of things like heat stroke, poisoning, bites, burns etc is a valuable skill to possess.
3. Wattpadd – After watching every movie and series possible on Netflix, I thought why not try reading books for a change? From novels, short stories, poetry and even graphic novels, Wattpadd is a platform worth exploring. I think you can even share your own stories too!
Schedule/Organizer
1.Keep My Notes – Notepad, Memo, Checklist: If you’re also the type who experience a lot of eureka moments or enjoy writing down random notes, then this is a great app to use. The interface is very simple and clean looking. You can also make checklists and save voice recordings too. So far, I’ve used this to write recipes, keep addresses, bank account details, write outlines and even captions for my social media posts.
2. Listonic: Grocery Shopping List – We’re not supposed to stay out much so during market day, I use this app to list down all the things I need to buy and even errands I need to fulfill. With this app, I can also save the things I usually buy so I don’t need to rewrite them anymore. During shopping, I just need to tick off the items I’m able to get in my cart. By keeping my shopping time shorter, my chances of being exposed to the virus are also minimized.
Photography/Video
Currently, the HUAWEI P40 Series has the best mobile phone camera system without a doubt. I must confess that most of my ECQ time is spent shooting with my P40 Pro. The stunning quality of photos that I get to create keeps me wanting to shoot more and more.
To further elevate my photo and video skills, I’ve written a full article about my recommended photography tools downloaded from the HUAWEI AppGallery. Click this link to check it out https://www.wheninmanila.com/10-photography-tools-from-the-huawei-appgallery-for-your-huawei-p40-series/
Games
Of course, one should always find time for games. Playing games on my smartphone refreshes my brain, keeps me analytical and creative. During this ECQ, gaming also helps me ease my woes and possible panic attacks by keeping my brain preoccupied. Here are some of the games I’ve downloaded so far…
1. Brain Out – The levels get pretty darn difficult so I find myself challenged enough to finish each level. An ideal game to level up your IQ and keep your brain cells alive.
2. Rescue Rope Puzzle – I think the appeal of this game is in its simplicity. The mission here is really simple: cut the rope correctly to help the guy escape. This is one of the simplest and most relaxing games I’ve tried so far, no wonder people love playing it. It’s one of the top games at the AppGallery right now.
3. Asphalt 9– I’m not fond of racing games because I usually get annoyed with the controls. But this… this is by far the best racing game I’ve tried because it’s so easy to operate, has impressive smooth graphics and it actually lets you win! hahaha
Be informed
After all the creative activities, meditating, learning and fun games, I make sure to keep myself informed with the news. Most of the time, I get too lazy to switch on the TV so I use my phone instead.
1.GMA News – Good thing this is readily available at the HUAWEI AppGallery. I keep myself updated with the latest on local news with this app.
2. Air Visual – I recently downloaded this app to get updates on today’s air quality in my city. I find it very helpful since it keeps me aware of the air pollution level in my area. Most of the time, I also avoid going out the house when I see that the air quality isn’t good. This is one way to keep my body healthy during this ECQ so I can work and serve my parents with their needs.
Stay Connected with the ones who matter
Stay Connected with the ones who matter
This one needs no explanation. Social distancing may be mandatory but it should’t stop us from maintaining genuine connections with the people who matter. Thankful that communication apps like Viber, WhatsApp and Zoom are readily available at the AppGallery too.
Money/Shopping
Since dining-in and malling isn’t allowed at the moment, online delivery and shopping apps have become more popular and ideal in this “new normal” scenario. My go-to food and shopping apps right now would be LalaFood, Food Panda, ShopBack, Lazada and Shopee. As for banking, I use BDO Personal, China Bank and GCash for online payments.
Are you also using the HUAWEI AppGallery now? Got more useful apps to recommend? Feel free share in the comments section.
You may also check out HUAWEI’s official website and follow their Facebook page for more info.
