Rad Changes Coming Up!

I've been trying to memorize the view from our apartment. We have a nice view of the park and it may be awhile before I get this kind of view again. Back home we could see the Skyway on one side and SM on the other. Save for the random planes that passes by there's really not much to see. Sometimes we try counting the number of new cars Toyota parks in the lot beside us. 

Things have been crazy busy for us the past few days. I have to finish packing today to make sure I fit everything in our luggage. I'm following the advise of my friends who have previously done quarantine -- bring your own snacks and bring your sewing machine! Yeah, I still have my sewing machine with me because I had to finish my gifts. I also didn't want my precious sewing machine to be crunched under tons of boxes.

We got swabbed yesterday and decided to do something radical -- get a haircut! Not just a trim, I had my hair shortened... really, really short! Here take a look --

I told myself since I'm transitioning to a new way of life I needed a new look. I think the hairdresser got really excited when I told him I wanted short hair. He seemed pretty pleased with his work. The last time I had my hair this short was 20 years ago. Ralph and Myra were so surprised yesterday when they came for dinner. 

I'll do the same for the hordes of stuff I've accumulated. I was so busy the past 15 years I just stuffed everything in plastic boxes. I might as well give things away so they can be used better, no use keeping stuff to be used "someday". I realized also I need to change the way I live. Ralph pointed out to me that having planned what to do until Christmas goes to show my A personality is still on overdrive. Yes, I really need to learn to relax and just chill. Being an incessant planner is what got me in huge trouble haha. 

I think the first thing I need to do is fix my body clock. It's been so messed up since it's been hard to fall asleep. I've been conking out faster after the movers shipped all our stuff. I managed to finally wake up at 8 in the morning today. With just 3 hours of sleep I'll try to stay up until a more appropriate bedtime. This is where I'll start for now (see, trying to be chill hahaha). 

xoxo

CB////*Yr2/204 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/225 #NewG246 #Home2 #Xmas54 #StayHome #BeKind 

Rediscovering Home

We're on our final stretch before we board the plane that will bring us back home. I'm so happy that we've been able to meet with our closest friends. It's hard since the restrictions allow you only two visitors per day and that includes service crew. Things fell into place during the weekend so we've been able to see some friends. I'm going to miss them so much. 

Wow! It's already November! Sweetie reminded me that it's All Saints Day today. The day we usually visit our loved ones in the cemetery. I haven't been able to visit my loved ones in the cemetery for a long time now. That's one of the things we'll do when we get back home. I know though they are always watching over us. Throughout my ordeal my Dad would always visit me in my dreams. Mom (my MIL) also visited during the time I was doing my biopsies. Their visits gave me the strength to fight. 

Going home in a few days. I'm so excited! I just hope we won't have any issues and that we'll be safe. I can't wait to see Miggy and collect my bottomless daily hugs again. And I'm looking forward to seeing my Mom again. We'll probably wait a few days more before we go see her just to be super safe. I'll probably cry when I see them again. 

It's been 20 months since I've been home. That's the longest I've been away. I'm sure there's been a lot of changes and I look forward to rediscovering things. The first thing I want to do is eat all the food I've missed and buy the groceries I've been longing for (haha!). I also want to see the rest of my family and friends, but we'll have to see how we can do that safely. At least when I'm back home I could send them random food or things I bake. Just the thought of being in close proximity to more people I love makes me want to cry. 

And who knows maybe being back home will help me complete my recovery process. I really hope I could go biking outside in the next few months. My doctors would love that since they also prescribed me to get enough daily sunshine! 

CB////*Yr2/203 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/224 #NewG247 #Home3 #Xmas55 #StayHome #BeKind 

Our Last Month in Singapore

I guess I was really exhausted and drained. I slept for 12 hours! I haven't had a day where I could just chill. We've been very busy the past few weeks (check out my one second per day video below) with the move, organizing documents and preparing our home in Manila for our arrival. 

I usually take a photo by the lift whenever I go out for errands or doc appointments.
This was for the month of October. 

Transitioning back home has been a huge project altogether. I'm glad the only poking doctors did to me this month is the two vaccinations I got, my second COVID-19 vaccination dose and a flu shot. I lived through very minor symptoms of the flu shot while the shipping crew was packing up our house. 

I knew our last month was going to be very busy. I had to detail what to do per day to make sure I don't miss anything. There were some surprises along the way, like finding out that my giant luggage wasn't going to survive another trip. We also had to let go of some things we wanted to do because we don't have the time for it anymore. 

The most important lesson I learned this month is to let go of things you don't have control over. A forgiving heart also helps a lot with your well-being. I will be forever grateful for the decade I got to spend in Singapore. It was a really great run and I go home with a lot of learnings and skills I could hopefully use for my new mission. 

Here's a preview of our last month in Singapore through a one second per day video -

And now my next task is to send out that farewell email I've been procrastinating to do for a few weeks now. I'm dropping off my devices at the office tomorrow so please reach out to me via my personal accounts. We're also changing our home address so please ping me if you're sending snail mail :)

CB////*Yr2/202 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/223 #NewG248 #Home4 #Xmas56 #StayHome #BeKind 

I Hate Goodbyes

Oh boy the next few days is really going to be hard for me. I hate goodbyes. We started yesterday by saying goodbye to our cleaner. She was originally hired as my caregiver after surgery. After that she helped us once a week to clean. Through the years she treated us like her children. We loved her dearly. 

She came yesterday to do some light cleaning and so we could say a proper goodbye to her. She cried after Sweetie gave her our parting gift. We promised to visit her in Ilocos once things are better and when she goes back home. How I wish we could take her back with us. 

Gatherings are very limited here right now. You can only have up to 2 visitors at home. Unfortunately our cap will be eaten up by cleaners coming in the next few days. My college bestie is coming over today and I'm trying to figure out how to see my other friends. I hope Cherry would be at the office when I drop off my devices. It's truly a sad situation. I also have a scheduled VC with my team, hope my voice holds up after 2 minutes*.

We'll also be busy with last minute errands the next few days. We'll need to get a RT-PCR test, pick up my meds and hopefully get a haircut. And not to forget the cleaners who are coming over. Transitioning back home is hard. It's a huge project to undertake that requires proper planning. The silver lining though is we could easily VC with friends now, but it's still different being in close proximity to them. I wasn't able to socialize the past year since I got sick and we've had to take measures to reduce risk of getting infected as well. 

I hate goodbyes. Tomorrow I told myself I will finally send my farewell email to my colleagues. Sniff. 

*My SVC is scarred and it's causes my voice to disappear after a few minutes of talking.

CB////*Yr2/201 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/222 #NewG249 #Home5 #Xmas57 #StayHome #BeKind 

The Reset Button

I was a bit disoriented when I woke up to an empty apartment. Surprisingly found Sweetie on the couch and not the dining table where he usually hangs out. He was on the couch because he used his chair to hang some laundry on the balcony. All our conveniences are gone. It's probably on its way to Manila now on a ship. 

It's like a reset button has been pressed. It feels liberating just to have the basics. I just got what I need from the kitchen to get through the next two weeks. Most of the clothes I packed are for home use. The most radical move is downsizing to just one pillow and a small blanket. My Fitbit says I had 4x more deep sleep last night. 

We're starting fresh when we get home. Gone are the busy work-work-work days and now I have time to focus on what's really important in life. I was forced in this situation for a reason and I hope to fulfill my new mission properly. 

Stolen shot heehee. Gonna miss the view.

I thought the new journey would start once my technical last day comes. I realize now that the reset button was pressed a long time ago. I was holding myself back because I was afraid of fully embracing change. Kuya told me once, sometimes we care too much it's very hard for us to let go. I still feel guilty I could not continue to serve. I feel I let so many people down because they were counting on me to help. I just hope they understand I unfortunately got sick 

And so the ship has sailed. I'm on this new journey with Sweetie and Miggy. Cheers to making many new joyful memories!

CB////*Yr2/200 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/221 #NewG250 #Home6 #Xmas58 #StayHome #BeKind 

Epic Move

Whew! The movers are almost done boxing our things. They had to custom build some of the boxes and I'm amazed how fast they could do it. My gift wrapping skills is incomparable to their expertise. I think the most difficult item they had to pack was the exercise bike. The shop delivered it assembled already and it did not come with a box. We were able to save most of the boxes of our small appliances so that was easier to pack. 

The moving company said it will take a month to ship and release the shipment from the port. I don't want to think about the horror of unboxing everything. We'll probably take it slow since Christmas is coming up and we'll have to prioritize fixing our place first. 

I think the ship is sailing tomorrow. It's probably sailing together with the balikbayan boxes my friends also sent. If things stay on schedule it will arrive within the next two weeks. The moving company will help us deal with the paperwork to get it released from customs. Hopefully that won't be difficult. 

Grateful for the crew who tirelessly boxed and carried our items to the container. The process was difficult for them since our apartment is so tiny they didn't have enough space to pack. By end of the day our place we'll be empty and we'll be left only with our luggage. After this we'll focus on the move out cleaning and get the aircon serviced. On my end I still need to finish a few quilt projects I'm giving as gifts. 

Today is St. Jude Thaddeus' feast day. He is the patron saint of impossible causes. Do pray for his intercession for your impossible causes. 

CB////*Yr2/199 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/220 #NewG251 #Home7 #Xmas59 #StayHome #BeKind 

Packing Day

The shipping company moved our packing day earlier. We had to cram sorting and arranging the things we're sending back home in the last 48 hours. We've been working until 4 in the morning the past couple of days. We're just watching the crew box everything up now. I admire their energy and expertise. They work so fast. At the rate they're going they'll probably finish everything by mid-afternoon. 

The first time I had a chance to work with a mover was when I moved to Singapore. I think they got bored with me then because I only shipped one box, a mattress and a folding table. They were disappointed when I told them we're not packing everything in the house. A year later I hired them to help us move homes. Ahhh, they were so happy and we finished the move by midday. Getting a professional mover is really worth it. It saves you time and effort from doing all the heavy lifting. 

This move is harder though since we're transitioning countries. We had to sort through 10 years worth of stuff. When we moved to a new apartment last year we didn't unpack everything. I had a lot of clothes I didn't wear anymore. We took the pains of sorting and assembling our things so we don't have to do it when we get home. You can imagine how much junk you could accumulate in ten years. 

When we get home I'll work on downsizing more. I have a lot of pre-loved items that I don't need anymore. I also don't expect I'd be traveling anytime soon and someone else will probably have better use of winter clothes and boots. I already gave away some of my books and will have to work on sorting those that are back home. 

When we get home we'll have to merge our two homes. Oh boy, that's going to be fun... not! I know this isn't the best time to be doing this since there's a pandemic. Unfortunately it's part of the process we have to do to complete our family again. Praying hard that we'll be protected from harm as we complete this transition. 

CB////*Yr2/198 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/219 #NewG252 #Home8 #Xmas60 #StayHome #BeKind 

The Last Week Checklist and Keeping it Together

I just saw the last doctor I have to check-in with today. She's truly one of the best doctors I have and we were surprised with her farewell for me and Sweetie. She said, "You're one of the best and most supportive couples I have met. I really, really admire you for the spirit because your medical journey has been challenging. Others would just cry, but you soldier on and you've done very, very well."

I was speechless with what she said and was just able to mumble a "thank you". Good thing Sweetie was able to thank her properly. I was happy and grateful to hear what she said because I've really tried my best not to burden anyone with my illness. I holler only when I know I really need to be brought to the hospital. I'm truly grateful to everyone who have been taking care of me. 

It's crunch time for us now. We need to finish assembling what the movers will pack and bring back for us. I got my flu shot also today and hope it won't have the same effect as the COVID-19 vaxx. My doctor insisted I get it done before going home for added protection. I just need to complete the kitchen inspection, empty the trolleys and organize my cables and everything will be ready for packing. My luggage is already set, I just need to re-organize it. 

Goals for the next few days: complete the mover stuff, get some sleep, return my work devices, get swabbed, get a haircut, get remaining meds, buy luggage to replace the one that's unusable, finish sewing the gifts and say goodbye to friends. We've assigned Friday as sleep day since we've been busy bees the past few weeks. 

CB////*Yr2/197 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/218 #NewG253 #Home9 #Xmas61 #StayHome #BeKind 

Our Last Week in Singapore

Our trip back home is looming! The mover called this morning to let us know that they're coming a day earlier to pack and load our things on the ship. Oh-em-gee! That means we need to hurry up sorting and packing our stuff. We've been working on it for over a month already and it's not easy. It's a good work-out though haha. 

Today we went out for some errands. Picked up my new eyeglasses and got a few items to help us finish packing. I'm really so glad my vaccination is complete already. They wouldn't have let me in if I didn't have it noted on the app. We also grabbed a quick bite at Shake Shack. I doubt if we'd be able to eat out when we get home (best to keep safe!). 

The next few days will be very busy! I still have to see one more doctor, pick up meds, get my flu vaccination and hopefully get a haircut. I'm not sure though how I could personally say goodbye to my friends. Worse off I would just send my gifts via Lalamove. Sigh. 

I seriously felt sad earlier when we went to Harbourfront Centre and Vivo City. We used to live across it, so it was like our "kitchen extension". I would get off the bus from work and meet Sweetie and Miggy at Toast Box. Sometimes on weekends we'd fancy a sundae cone at 2 in the morning. We'd just cross the street and hang out at the 24-hour always open McDonald's. We even used to walk from home to Sentosa Beach. I look forward to creating new happy memories when we get home and out of quarantine. 

Just keeping this short today, gotta go and pack! Happy new week everyone! 

CB////*Yr2/196 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/217 #NewG254 #Home10 #Xmas62 #StayHome #BeKind 

Invisible Illnesses + Overwhelming Processes Going Home

A year ago I would not have panicked over all the preparations going back home. I have been able to keep my cool until today. I got word from our hotel that the protocols for double occupancy have changed. We will need to get an exemption upon arrival for us to stay together in one room. Of course, this change in policy is nowhere to be found on government websites and there are no updates available on airline websites as well. There are no updates also on social media sites about this. 

Luckily, I found the email address of BOQ and they responded within a few hours (thanks for the quick response BOQ!). I will need proof that I have a medical condition and need assistance in daily living. I have a box full of medical reports which I was going to send back via FedEx. I guess I need to pull out some of the reports. I also requested my doctor if he could write a short letter for me since my condition is just too complicated. That's the problem with invisible illnesses.

On the outside I look perfectly healthy. Only very sharp people notice the subtle indicators that I have an illness. My doctor's nurse actually noticed my hands were shaking when I handed a document to her. I was surprised she noticed. The only person who checked my hands was my rheumatologist. Getting recognized as disabled is really hard when you have an invisible illness. 

Sweetie and I discussed whether I should request for a wheelchair when we fly back home. I experience shortness of breath walking long distances and I told him walking across the airport would be difficult for me. We weighed the risk of getting infected from getting assisted and thought it would be risky. I could still walk, but normally stop every couple of meters. 

I hope my doctor can indulge me with the letter. I'm panicking at the thought of being separated from Sweetie during quarantine. He watches me with eagle eyes and had to ask special permission to WFH to watch over me. The good news for the day is my vaccination is now fully recognized and I was able to get my vaccination certificate with QR code via notarise.gov.sg. How I wish my government could be more efficient with policies and processes. Sigh.

If you are an OFW or Filipino going back home, I have outlined the process here. 

Don't forget it's Day 3 of St. Jude's novena :)

CB////*Yr2/193 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/214 #NewG257 #Home13 #Xmas65 #StayHome #BeKind 

Transitioning

Bubblewrap bestie

Oh boy our home is a huge mess right now. The mover informed us yesterday that we need to submit our inventory asap! We've been working on it the past few weeks, but didn't know there was a deadline. So last night Sweetie and I crammed completing our inventory list. I need to clean it up before I go to my doctor's appointment. 

I wish I could just snap my fingers and everything will pop over to Manila. That's how Ron's mother (in Harry Potter) managed their house. Or maybe Richie Rich can lend Matilda to me. Ahhh, adulting is hard. It's painful to do, but I'm having fun sorting through my things. I've come across mementos from events, gifts from the communities and friends. I also found some money tucked in here and there. 

I treasure the gifts that's given to me. I keep them all. I noted 4 boxes of mementos in our inventory last night. That includes all the planners I used through the years. I found a cute photo of me and my Dad in one of my planners. Also his handwritten retrospect just before he married my Mom. I pulled those out to handcarry back with me. Daddy has been visiting me in my dreams a lot in the past few months. I'm sure he's happy I'm finally going back home. 

Transitioning back home is challenging. It would have been easier if I did this 5 years ago. I didn't really establish roots here 5 years ago and kept very little stuff. We only built our life here when Miggy and Sweetie moved. The more challenging part is ironing out all the requirements set by IATF. It's changed a lot the past two weeks. It's been hard to collate the right information to guide us (monitoring it here). We're praying that our transition back home will go smoothly. 

BTW, if you're facing a seemingly impossible issue or cause, today is the start of the novena to St. Jude. The novena runs from October 20 to 28. The prayer is available here. Do add a prayer for our country :)

CB////*Yr2/191 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/212 #NewG257 #Home15 #Xmas67 #StayHome #BeKind

10 Years in Singapore!

Ten years ago today I moved to Singapore! I must say that life has changed a lot! I'd like to say there's been a lot more plusses than minuses that happened in the last decade. 

2011, service apartment.

The Plusses

1. Very obviously, my weight! I was just XS when I moved here, now... never mind. I did lose 10 kilograms in the last few months. Still need to lose more to comply with my doctors. 

2. I learned to be more independent. My Mom's always been there for me and she always had my back for anything when I lived in Manila. I was lucky when I moved here because I lived with a neighbor from Manila and she showed me the ropes. 

3. I have loads of new friends from all over the world. Now there's someone I can visit wherever I go.

4. My travel skills have expanded. I once surprised a school principal at her school which is 2-hours away from Tokyo. I commuted by myself and just followed Google Maps to reach her town. I'm no longer the scaredy-cat I was when I first traveled on my own from Manila to the US.

5. I gained a lot of new skills, both for work and my hobbies. My director told me, I can be a GM of a company now. My home skills have also improved a lot. I can cook more dishes and bake bread! I also rediscovered my love for quilting. 

2021, errands.

The Minuses

1. Yeah, my health. The plus is my doctors here fixed my heart. The minus is it's back to where it was when I moved here. 

2. Missed time with family. The LDR life isn't for me and it became very hard at some point. Good thing an angel was sent to me and advised to keep my family close. It happened again now because of the pandemic. 

3. More stuff. By next month we'll be merging all of our things. I dread sorting and fixing stuff again.

I can't really think of any real drawbacks of my stay in Singapore. I'm just grateful I was given the opportunity to live here and grow. I'd like to believe I'm still the same person I was when I moved, just a bit more experienced and learned. I'm glad I got to experience living abroad, but there's no place like home. I can't wait to see Miggy and my Mom!

CB////*Yr2/187 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/208 #NewG260 #Home19 #Xmas71 #StayHome #BeKind

Optimistic October

Oh boy, I just realized how busy this month is going to be. I promptly fell asleep after our hospital visit yesterday. I got exhausted after my doctor''s nurse called me twice to tell me I have a vitamin D deficiency. Well, that's probably one reason why I get so exhausted haha. I was told to drink a supplement asap! 

Immediately ordered some via Amazon and drank it when it was delivered. Felt a bit weird for a few minutes, but instantly experienced a shot of sunshine. Vitamin D3 is apparently known as the sunshine vitamin! I'm optimistic that this will help me get through this busy month. 

Good thing most of the tasks I need to do can be done at home. That includes completing an inventory of our things, donating things we don't need and the ginormous task of packing up our home. On top of this I need to finish sorting out my health. I also need to finish all the quilt projects. And not to forget, get my second vaccination dose. Oh and I need to take advantage of the internet here and finish uploading my photos! Whew! No time for afternoon naps!

I'm really grateful that I'm back to my old self. The body though is weary, as much as I want to do more I have to be on point about my health. I told Sweetie yesterday, I hope I won't have to go visit a hospital or a doctor for a long time when I get home (except to get a reseta for my meds). 

Anyway, gotta go, I feel like I need to burn off the energy I got from taking vitamins! I feel like doing cartwheels hahaha.

Happy weekend everyone! Stay home and keep safe!

CB////*Yr2/174 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/195 #NewG273 #Home32 #Xmas86 #StayHome #BeKind

Comfort Food

One of the things I had a hard time adjusting to here in Singapore is the food. It was always difficult to choose what to eat because I'm so used to eating Filipino food. Well, I've also been pihikan with food since I was a child. Well it spurred me to learn to cook more Filipino dishes. I also always brought back longganisa, tocino, hotdog and Purefoods corned beef whenever I had the chance.

In the past few years more and more consumables from home has been imported here in Singapore. I used to have to go to Lucky Plaza or specialty shops to buy what I needed. They slowly added more products in supermarkets and eventually in online supermarkets. Items were easily snapped up and there was a time I panicked when I ran out of suka and toyo. Haha! 

So today I cooked some Mama Sita champorado. It certainly brought back happy childhood memories. We always had this at home for merienda. Daddy always paired it with tuyo. I still remember the aroma of chocolate plus tuyo and suka. It was the good old days. 

I look forward to going home. I've been praying for a smooth transition back home (no untoward incidents please!). A few months ago I ordered a specialty recipe book on traditional food from Quezon (I'm also looking for a Bicol one). One of the things I want to do is learn how to cook Daddy's favorites from Lucban (his hometown). I wish I had him teach me more dishes when he was still around. It was hard though because he never measured anything. So I only learned to make his mustasa and beef dish (recipe here).

It's raining hard outside, bagyo levels with howling winds. We don't have typhoons here in Singapore, but we've been getting heavy rain lately. It's strangely comforting and I guess a way for me to be prepared for home. 

What's your comfort food?

 CB///*Yr2/148 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/171 #NewG299 #Home57 #Xmas110 #StayHome #BeKind

Happy 56th Birthday Singapore!

Majulah Singapura! Happy, happy 56th birthday Singapore! 

Singapore has been my home for 10 years now. Today I wanted to celebrate what I'm grateful about living here. 

1. My life was extended here thrice - I had OHS to repair my mitral valve and my respiratory doctor saved me twice from PE! This was made possible by my guardian daddies who brought me here. 

2. Miggy's completed schooling - one reason why I grabbed the opportunity to move here was to make sure I could pay for Miggy's tuition. Grateful for the opportunity because I was able to send him to school here. I'm so glad he finished back in 2019. 

3. We were able to buy a home back home - I lived like I was in Manila to be able to save. I was able to live on a SG$50 weekly allowance the first few years (thanks to the free food at work) and that's how we were able to buy our first home. When you really put your mind to it, you can do it. 

4. I met a lot of amazing people - I never imagined I'd meet so many people from different walks of life (and nations!). It never occurred to me that I'd have so many lovely friends from other cultures. 

5. I learned a lot - I'm grateful I've been able to work with a lot of awesome, intelligent people. I'd like to believe I evolved a lot from being the shy, super introverted person I was when I moved here. I learned a lot from the people around me. I also became a better, more confident version of myself. 

6. It was an experience like no other - from just covering Southeast Asia I eventually expanded across Asia Pacific. Wow oh wow, I had so much fun exploring and getting to know other cultures. And key to that was Changi Airport! I always looked forward to traveling and would go to the airport early to complete my travel rituals. LOL. 

7. Appreciating parks - I must admit exercise isn't really in my vocabulary, but when I moved here I learned to appreciate the parks they situated within neighborhoods. We used to walk from Harbourfront to the beach in Sentosa. The West Coast Park became part of my breathing exercise regimen. I'll probably do more walking when I eventually go home. 

8. Efficiency - one of the best things you can experience in Singapore is the efficiency of systems. If the train breaks down, there's a back-up bus that's ready to be used. Renewing your pass is done through an appointment system. When you go to the center it takes just ten minutes and you leave with a new pass. When you go to your doctor's appointment you'll usually see him within 15 minutes of your appointed time.  (Even the Philippine Embassy is efficient with time here!). 

9. The Zoo - my favorite zoo here is the Jurong Bird Park. I'm really grateful they have super well-maintained zoos here. It's on my bucket list to visit the bird park one more time before we go home.

10. Celebrations - one thing I learned more about here are the different holidays other religions/cultures celebrate. I now have better appreciation of CNY, Eid al-Fitr, Edi al-Adha, and Diwali. We'll now celebrate that too when we go home. 

And before I forget, I developed my love for milk tea because of Singapore! I will definitely miss Toast Box, Fun Toast, Killiney, Ya Kun Kaya Toast and Wang Cafe. Sigh.

Thank you Singapore! You will be forever in my heart <3

Day 10 Minimalism Challenge, Ditch the makeup for one day. Hahaha, I rarely wear makeup! I wore lipstick two weeks ago and promptly had an allergy. LOL. I guess for this challenge I'll look through whatever makeup I have and throw the ones that smell like a grandma already. I recently checked my mascara stash and they were all dried up already. Gosh, that's how long we've been just home! Aside from following this minimalism challenge, I've been clearing out "tiny bubbles" in my home and getting rid of stuff I don't use anymore. 

CB///*Yr2/121 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/144 #NewG325 #Home83 #StayHome #BeKind 

A Day in My Life

I've been a bit worried this past week. My doctor gave me some news and I've been anxious about it. I guess it's normal to feel this way. It doesn't help that the doctor I've been referred to isn't easily accessible. I'm still waiting to get an appointment to see her. 

Anyway, I'm sure it'll work out soon enough. I just need to make sure I focus on thinking happy thoughts. To be honest it gets really hard especially when I feel unwell. I have to make a conscious effort to shift where my thoughts are going. 

Yesterday I discovered The Good Doctor on Netflix. I like watching hospital dramas and this one was quite interesting. I was surprised to find out that a lot of friends have watched it and are looking forward to season 4. I'm really behind on watching films haha. 

Started my new quilt project yesterday. I'm making lap quilt blankets for my doctors as a thank you for their care. I learned a trick to make it faster... well hopefully. I hope I could finish this project in a month or two. After this I plan to make a Christmas tree skirt which I've been meaning to do for a few years now. 

My days now go slowly, very different from what my pace was before. I wake up really late to complete 8 hours of sleep. I eat my breakfast very slowly. I usually eat oatmeal and then drink my meds. Prepare my coffee and exercise while waiting for it to drip through the filter. Read or watch videos while drinking coffee. In between doing those things I try not to distract Sweetie too much while he's working (he took over the dining table as his workspace). 

After breakfast I move to "my office" -- the couch. Depends on what I feel like doing, but this is where I work on my quilt and writing projects. I can't wait for the day I'll have a real space for my crafts. Right now our living room looks like a messy craft space. I have fabric, thread, patterns and other stuff all around. I just need to make sure I don't have pins and needles lying around hehe. 

Our mealtime has been erratic the past few weeks. Sometimes Sweetie gets so busy so we usually eat whenever we get hungry. I normally eat a light dinner. I don't skip meals because of the medication. After dinner we watch some films until it's time to sleep. Across the whole day we keep in touch with Miggy. 

That's how my weekdays go nowadays. I like my newfound chill only days. This is what I need for now and I'm grateful for this time to rest. 

Day 21 Gratitude Challenge, A technology. Google Meets! It's what my family has been using in the past decade to keep in touch. We have an archive of all our chats through the years. And the best thing about it is it's free and reliable :)

CB///*Yr2/104 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/127 #NewG342 #Home100 #StayHome #BeKind 

How Filipinos Shine Abroad

Yesterday I was telling my doctor how my usual day goes working from home. He was surprised how much I do in a day and asked several times how I cope. I told him we've been so busy this year and we all just had to cope. And then he asked me again how I cope and told me too bad I have a very hard job. We laughed and then he told me what he has experienced working with Filipino medical workers. 

#OFW 

He said it's been a joy to work with Filipinos. "All of them just do what is needed with a smile." He then asked whether this ability to cope is something that is taught to us in school. Or is it because of the water (of course he was kidding). I had a similar conversation with my manager last year. He noticed that when we promise to deliver something we always do. We are also always on time for deadlines. 

I didn't really know how to answer because I noticed it's just in-born in us. We just do what we have to do and make the extra effort when needed. I said that it's probably all of us experience disasters growing up. Typhoons, flooding, earthquakes don't choose who to strike. I remember when I was in school we were all stranded in school because of flooding. We coped by all moving to classrooms in the upper level, rearranged the desks, ate whatever the nuns gave us and slept on the floor until we could go home. 

It may also be the stringent training provided in school. We were taught to do well and work hard. We do that for our family. If there's one thing we always worry about it's being able to provide well for our families. So when we end up working abroad we give all our effort to do well. And for the medical workers here in Singapore, the Filipinos are really the best. The nurses who took care of me after heart surgery were Filipinos, the medtech who's been taking my 2D echograms is Filipino, CT scan? Xray? Blood tests? All Filipino. 

My doctor said it several times how amazed he is that Filipinos always do well and cope very well especially in stressful situations. He even compared it to his country and said it's definitely different how we cope. I concluded by saying that's the Filipino resilience and spirit. We're just naturally that way because of the conditions we live in. 

I know the term "Filipino resilience" is something we're starting to hate, but I think it's something we should hold on to. It is a special trait we have that shines abroad. The Filipino spirit just keeps powering on. 

#CB//237 #StuckAtHomeDay/267 #WFH157 #StayHome #BeKind  

How I Cope with Homesickness

I miss those days I could just hop on a plane and be home for the weekend. I used to do that a lot when Sweetie and Miggy still lived in Manila. We had a brief respite when all of us were in Singapore while Miggy was studying. Miggy's finished school and has been in Manila for a year now. I was able to see him monthly since he went home since we'd have him over in Singapore quarterly and I went home every so often. I was expecting to do the same this year, but I haven't seen Miggy since February. This is the longest time we've been apart :'(

I pinged my childhood friends this afternoon and told them I'm feeling super homesick. The longest time I've been away from home is 6 months. I was only 4 years old then and we spent 6 months in the US. I turned 5 on the way home from the US. I don't think I felt homesick back then since I had my Mom and Titay to play with everyday. So I pinged my friends this afternoon and told them I was feeling super homesick. They are scheduling an online meetup this Friday (yay!).

This is how I cope with homesickness -

Nag Miggy on Chat - all day, everyday lol.

Order Filipino Food - I can cook, but there are dishes that are best cooked for you. I even put together list of where I get Pinoy food.

Watch Vlogs from Back Home - we watch vlogs from all over the Philippines, I prefer the vloggers with pets though haha. I'm also watching this vlog from a Filipino-Italian based in Australia, his Mom reminds me so much of my Tita Olive.

Ping my Family and Friends - of course, must get tsismis! Errr I mean check on family and friends lol. I especially miss those times I meet up with friends at Commune. Or have weekend get-togethers at Mom's.

Build my Balikbayan Box - probably all Filipinos who work abroad do this. I only finally did this only this year. I didn't need to before because I used to just bring home all my pasalubong. This is the reason why I'm planning for Christmas now.

I'm so grateful to my friends who have been watching out for my family while we're away. <3


CB//155 #StuckAtHomeDay/185 #WFH105  #StayHome #BeKind   

A Day in My Life: What I Do on Saturdays

Saturdays are for sleeping in! Do you agree? We usually end up staying up late on Fridays so normally when I wake up Sweetie's busy doing something already. He was playing Pokemon Go already when I woke up and excitedly told me that the Pokemon Go Fest event had a lot of surprises for trainers. I ended up signing up for it too.

Got some breakfast and thought I'd film how my day goes today. Here's how it went --

Our weekends this year drastically changed because of the pandemic. I super miss those weekends when we can go to Sentosa or our favorite places. My weekends are now for learning new things. I've become a full-fledged tita the last few months since I started my garden. I've been baking every week too. I don't think things will go back to normal again soon.

What about you? What do you do on weekends?


CB//110 #StuckAtHomeDay/140  #StayHome #BeKind