Do you remember the ecstatic feeling that you get as a kid whenever someone gives you a toy that you’ve been wishing for all year? I do and it’s still the same feeling I get whenever I have a new collectible on my table or shelf. Unknown to many, my love for “toys” and anime didn’t fade even as I grew older. I just didn’t feel comfortable sharing a lot of them online due to fear of being judged as childish by people who don’t understand the happiness that they bring. However, being isolated for months helped me get out of my shell and finally share my source of joy to the world just through the lenses of a mobile phone.

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As someone who has a content-related job, the quarantine period became very dragging for me to the point that it’s affecting me both mentally and emotionally. My collectibles became my go-to items whenever I feel down and when I need to think of ideas – both for work and for my social media pages. These same items also encouraged me to push through with my plans of creating weekly YouTube videos for my dormant channel that I’ve created around a decade ago!

Shared the story here, in case you haven’t watched it yet:

Even with just a mobile phone, a tripod, and a couple of collectibles (the ring light followed soon after), I was able to link two things that kept me preoccupied at home – work and play.

With the quad-camera setup of the Samsung Galaxy A21s, I was able to practice mobile photography, on-the-spot editing, and even a bit of animation. 48MP main, 8MP ultra-wide, 2MP depth, and 2MP macro lenses were more than enough to deliver crisp and clear photos of the things that I hold dear to me! Even though I’m just doing this for fun, the things I learn – from macro shots to pro settings, are something I can surely apply once our event coverages for work resume.

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Even though I’m alone most of the time, these collectibles keep me company while we’re all in isolation. Taking selfies with them will do for now while we’re not yet allowed to meet up with our friends! The 13MP front camera is clear enough both for photos and video calls anyway.

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On weekends, I rarely get bored because of so much ideas that I want to try just by using things that are currently accessible at home. After taking videos for my newly revived YouTube Channel, the Galaxy A21s’ 5000mAh battery is enough for me to continue taking photos non-stop from morning until night. Although I’ve been taking a lot of content, everything still fits the phone’s 6GB+64GB memory (and I still have the option to expand this to up to 512GB)! Here’s a sample of a morning shot to showcase my Funko Pop with plants, one under lowlights indoors, and a night shot to show-off the glow-in-the-dark figures:

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Before sleeping, I still get to play games and binge-watch my favorite shows on its 6.5” HD+ Infinity-O Display – a screen that is big enough for me to enjoy the details in every frame as I check out videos from other creators who also collect different toy lines. This small window to the online world is a breath of fresh air from stressful situations.

These days may seem bleak, but we’re lucky to have the privilege to enjoy these things at the moment. While we still can, it’s best to make the most out of what we have! To be honest, I think I’m close to maximizing the worth of the Galaxy A21s that I’m currently using. At just Php 11,990, this handy phone has already helped me get through a couple of content requests for work (which brings food on the table), blogging, and play.

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Talking about collectibles help me show my authentic self online – the part of me that people fail to see in the tech and lifestyle content that I usually put out. I’d be happy to continue sharing my collecting journey to the world through short online videos and I hope you could join me in my channel, too!

For updates on our latest tech, toy, and lifestyle discoveries within the Metro (and beyond), you may follow Manila Millennial on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram! For more details about the phone that I used for this feature, you can visit Samsung Philippines’ website here.