Home on Mondays: Is Shipping Your Home Items to Your Home Country Worth It?

We did the big move back home in November last year. We choose between sending our items via LBC or by shipping it. It was 10 years worth of accumulated stuff, so we decided to get help from a shipping company. 

We made a detailed list of the items we were set to bring home. We eventually decided to ship our things because of our toy and fabric collection and appliances (TV, piano, several air purifiers and kitchen appliances). We thought it might be too risky to ship those items via balikbayan box. Our cleaner also told us that the TV she sent back home was damaged. 

Requested for a quotation from several reputable companies. They came to our home to inspect the items we were going to ship to assess how much it would cost. We eventually chose the one that was associated with the company that brought my items when I moved to Singapore. We asked a gazillion questions and we were reassured that our items will arrive safely. 

Our things were packed a week before our flight. At the end of the second day all our items were put inside a container van. It was locked and immediately loaded on the ship. The shipment arrived three weeks later and delivered to our new home on the first day of December. 

We finished opening all the boxes last summer. We had a spreadsheet of everything that was packed and how many boxes were packed. It was almost double of what we estimated if we sent everything via balikbayan box. The cost would probably have been the same. 

The advantage of shipping your items back through a shipping company is they have people who would help pack your items. The items are insured and they make sure everything will arrive in one piece. So far, only one item has been missing, my old MSI laptop. The drawback though were unforeseen additional expenses. 

We were charged additional fees for the volume. We were surprised about it because when we unboxed most of the boxes were not full. What was more painful was getting charged the customs fee six months after the items were delivered. The fee was 250% higher than what they quoted. The amount really affected our budget since we were originally told that there were no charges anymore. 

So, was it worth it? I think it was since it was not possible for us to pack the items ourselves. All our appliances and collections arrived in one piece (old MSI laptop still MIA). We could have probably saved money if we split up our items. Sent the appliances and other risky items via a smaller container van. Then send less valuable items via balikbayan box. We could have also de-cluttered months ahead of our scheduled departure, but that would have been dependent on being well enough to do it. 

We were initially happy about getting all our items in one piece, but that was quickly erased when we were given an unexpected large customs bill. The receipt showed that it was billed in November 2021. We were only told about it in April 2022. They also gave empty promises about a discount and allowing us to pay in installments. So the happy service turned sour and left us disappointed. 

We just decided to pay it in full since we just want them out of our lives. Shipping your items back home? Do think twice about it. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

We're Home!

I shed a tear when we touched down in Manila. I was weirdly smiling from ear to ear under my mask. We're finally home after 22 months! I honestly didn't get to fully enjoy the experience of riding a plane again. We finished packing at around 4:30am and just rested a bit. Got up less than an hour later to prepare to leave for the airport. 

My evil laugh after successfully ruining Sweetie's selfie.

Sweetie was my superman. We split the work to finish packing and cleaning up the house. I cleaned the fridge while he focused on throwing away things. He packed my sewing machine and the air filter while I finished packing consumables. Traveling with intent to go back to the same place is much easier versus traveling to go back home permanently. It must have been a divine superpower who helped us finish everything. I don't know how Sweetie managed to haul down all 11 luggages we ended up bringing back.

It would have been easier if we moved to a hotel after the movers got our stuff, but we had to take all precautions to minimize risk of getting infected so we just stayed home until we left.

Good thing we took the pains to make a fool proof plan. Our first challenge was getting to the airport on time. It was always hard to get a ride before sunrise in our area. We managed to find a taxi service that could accommodate all our stuff and at an early hour. Luckily the driver really helped with carrying our things. He even took care of putting them on the trolleys. 

Our second challenge was making sure I survived the long airport walk. It used to be very easy for me, but since 2018 my SOB* got worse. We originally did not want to get special assistance to minimize risk of exposure to other people, but we eventually did. I was provided a wheelchair upon check-in. The challenge? Sweetie had to push me and bring all our hand carry. Two of my hand carry bags were medication. My device bag was 10kg (2 laptops, my cameras, Switch and other valuables). Sweetie's device bag was heavier because his devices were bigger than mine. We took it slow and got more assistance in the lounge. 

See you later Singapore. Thank you for taking care of me. 

The third challenge was making sure we weren't split up in our quarantine hotel. A single room policy was announced over a week ago and it wasn't clear how to best get an exemption. My doctors were very supportive and provided two letters stating I needed daily living assistance. I think being on a wheelchair helped. The manongs who got me from the plane insisted on putting Jay on a wheelchair too. They also took care of all our things. Ahh, that's what I love about being home, it's so easy to get help. 

The BOQ officer who assisted me took care of bringing my documents to the doctor-in-charge at the airport. The doctor was really concerned whether I needed to be brought to the hospital immediately or if it would be better for me to home quarantine. I explained to him that I would be okay and just needed an exemption for double occupancy. He said it wasn't a problem since things were easing up. We were relieved. 

Hello Philippines, we're back! (I think the manong who assisted Jay was the same one who did when dislocated his knee! We'll have to check our archives hehe). Yes, we switched to N95 masks before take off. First time to wear face shield! 

We're home! We were so busy at the airport we didn't really get to appreciate the whole process. Being on a wheelchair changes your perspective too. I'm really glad we requested for special assistance. The check-in process was very long. If you're traveling back to the Philippines, make sure you follow the registration, vaccination and testing requirements to make the process smoother (I have a guide here). If you have medical conditions, it's helpful to send a respectful email to the agencies involved. We had a lot of concerns, but I believe St. Jude granted my novena prayer to be protected from any harm. 

We are home! And our hotel was really, really nice and upgraded our room. It's just a bummer we couldn't order food from outside. That's fine, we can survive six days of quarantine (as long as I don't eat all the Skyflakes in just two days!). I was hoping to get in touch with family and friends when we arrived, but exhaustion took over and here I am awake at 2 in the morning blogging. Jetlag ka ghorl?

Oh, I have a question... how does one get used to wearing a face shield? I would have probably tripped if I wasn't on a wheelchair. Good thing the manongs were nice to let me know when to take it off. 

I can't wait to really, really get home and hug Miggy and my Mom! 

*SOB - shortness of breath

BOQ - Bureau of Quarantine

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 

What's Next?

 

The past 15 years I lived my life crafting annual and quarterly OKRs. I would always ask my team, "What big achievement do you want to report by end of the quarter?" And then we'd work on delivering our goals. They were always big hairy moonshot goals. I told myself this morning, "Ahhh finally, you are free from living on OKRs." Hahaha. 

A few people asked me what am I going to do now? I guess it's because people are so used to seeing me busy. Eversince I could remember I've always been busy. I was always on a fast-moving train since my teenage years. My Mom would always tell me, "Magpahinga ka naman!" everytime she'd see me. Well, my Kuya is the same so it's probably in our genes to be this way. 

I got warded (hospitalized) thrice in the past ten months. It was all bunched up within six weeks. And I've had to go see a doctor weekly since then. I spotted several messages I had with my manager asking whether I was on track for my return. Goes to show how bent I was to continue what I was doing. Four months after getting warded I finally listened to my body and stopped forcing it to get well. 

My body has been through a lot of trauma. My heart and mind too. I got help to deal with it (Sandra Oh isdatu? LOL). I prayed a lot and I had to ask my guardian angel to watch over my family while I was dealing with my issues. For now I just want to rest and focus my time on building joyful memories with my family once we're complete. 

I gave so much of myself to serve in the past 15 years. For now I will focus on healing, my family and my faith. Christmas is also coming up and merging two homes is going to be a lot of work. I also want to catch up with friends I've practically abandoned in the last 10 years. I have a lot of making up to do since I was so busy.

For the next month we'll be busy transitioning back home. We have to finish packing, travel back and do quarantine, finally see Miggy and my Mom. We have a lot of fixing to do when we get back -- home cleaning, get leaks fixed, get the car fixed, get our shipment of our SG stuff and fix our home again. It'll probably be Christmas by the time we finish everything haha. 

Home, soon. 

CB////*Yr2/190 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/211 #NewG258 #Home16 #Xmas68 #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

Tita, My OFW Inspiration

Yesterday I asked a friend when she plans to go back home. She said she hopes her contract gets renewed because what she earns here she can never earn in her province. Her daughter also works here. She convinced her to come here also to earn enough for her children. She said she had to be smart about making a living to pull them out of poverty. 

I met Tita eight years ago. She was hired for a short time to be my caregiver. She's one of those typical OFWs who went abroad for her family. In the many years I've known her I saw how she's really worked hard for her family. She's really smart about it though because she told me yesterday she just bought a farm! 

I kidded her and told her that Sweetie and me can just build a small nipa hut and live with her. She actually said "Pwede naman!". Of course we won't impose on her, but I'd want to visit her someday when she goes back home. Tita is a true fighter, she calls me anak and I can't help but admire her spirit. I also learned through the years that she was widowed early and was one of the reasons why she left the country. 

Tita's story is probably common across many Filipinos who left our country to earn a living. I had a similar reason, but it was more because the opportunity presented itself to me. I think though the experience of being far away from family is a similar pain I share with all OFWs. I know that OFWs contribute a lot back to our economy, but why do we allow Filipinos to leave and be away from their families? 

I had this thought because of what Tita told me yesterday, "I can never earn the same in my province." It's really a sad, sad thought. I took a look at some stats this morning to take a look at how the different regions in the Philippines are doing. The 2020 report of the Philippine Statistics Authority said there was negative growth across the country, so I took a look at the 2019 report. In 2019, "All economies of 17 regions grew in 2019 with Bicol Region as the fastest growing region at 7.4 percent." (Source: PSA). It was interesting to see the list of regions that grew a lot for services and industry. 

Whenever the elections come up I think we always naturally look at how leaders respond to crisis, the easy things like cleaning up your city, road repairs, building new infrastructures, but we never really assess them on economic gain. In my travels I've seen how strong leaders are able to change their cities/provinces, but I'll reserve that for another post. My point today is just to think about how our current leaders have improved our economy, both national and local. It would be interesting to see what kind of programs they've done that improved the lives of citizens. 

P.S. I'm happy for Tita's future plan to settle in her farm. That's a solid financial freedom strategy!

CB////*Yr2/184 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/205 #NewG263 #Home22 #Xmas74 #StayHome #BeKind

The Journey

October 15, 2011 flight

I officially moved to Singapore on October 15, 2011. That's almost a decade ago already. I never planned to be an OFW. If my Dad was alive he would never have allowed me to leave since my siblings both live abroad already. Well, it just happened. What I thought was just a chat turned out to be an interview haha. The process went by quickly and I eventually found myself in Singapore. 

Many have asked me why I never applied to be a PR. It wasn't a priority for me because I always knew I would eventually go home. My original plan was to go back home as soon as Miggy finished his schooling. I was lucky because in the first few years I was able to go home a lot. Most of my projects and pilots were done in the Philippines. Eventually I had to focus across Southeast Asia and then Asia Pacific. 

Service apartment :)

Things became harder for me when my coverage grew. I couldn't see my family as often anymore. A friend's passing was instrumental in how decided to bring our family together in Singapore (story here). Miggy decided to finish his studies here and Sweetie followed after a few months. I still traveled a lot, but we were happy to be together. 

Complete, May 2016.

Miggy finished his studies two years ago and wanted to start his career back home. We knew we had to let him go and give his freedom to find his way around the world. Oh boy, becoming empty nesters is the worst feeling in the world. Both me and Sweetie felt very lost. We literally found ourselves going out everyday. We'd go home late to avoid the feeling of an empty house. 

Shortly after that I took a break and spent two months at home with Miggy. It was then I started thinking about going back for good. Miggy brought me back to Singapore and went back home a few weeks after. I have not seen him in person since February 2020. It's the hardest thing to go through as a mom and I guess that partly contributed to me getting sick. 

My doctors have advised it's best for me to go back home. Yup, even in the middle of a pandemic. That's one of the reasons why half of my doctors insisted I get vaccinated. Good thing I got cleared. Having another PE effectively changed my future. I took it as a redirection to go back home. I know it's a huge risk, but we'll take the necessary precautions to be safe. 

And so my OFW journey will end soon. I will miss living in Singapore, especially all its conveniences. They have taken good care of me here, but I feel there's something waiting for me back home (aside from my Mom and Miggy!). Excited to see how my life unfolds in the coming months. 

CB////*Yr2/176 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/197 #NewG271 #Home30 #Xmas84 #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

Delirious Dreams

I have been having delirious dreams of eating my favorite food from home. It's been 21 months since I've been home. The longest time I've been away. Sweetie said I should make a list of the things I want to eat once we get home. I've been thinking about it the past few days. That's the reason why I've been having crazy food dreams. 

I wish the hotel where we will quarantine will allow food delivery! Well if they don't allow it, I hope they'll serve good food. I hope they have silogs available for breakfast. That should tide me over until I could satisfy my cravings. 

Most of what I want to eat are my childhood favorites. I'm not into fancy food, I just like it yummy and homey. They bring happy memories of my dates with my Dad when I was a child, eating with friends and officemates, and bonding moments with my boys. So Sweetie, here's my top ten list!

Makati Supermart spaghetti with ripe mango shake please!

Dayrit's cheeseburger (and their chorizo to make yummy pasta)

Pancake House arroz ala cubana and their tacos

McDonald's spaghetti (yup I miss this!)

Shakey's pizza and mojos (OMG mojos!)

Racks ribs and the giant onion thingy

Sbarro's baked ziti

Baliwag chicken with lots of atsara

Barriatos barbecue

Don Henrico's buffalo wings (OMG!)

And from out of town -

Lachi's pork marinara (when can we go to Davao?)

Casa Moderna's palabok with lechon/liempo and the sponge cake

Calea chocolate cake (Anne promised to get me some)

I didn't list Jollibee, Gerry's Grill and Max's since we've been able to get it here, although their menu is a bit different so I'll include it in the list too. 

Let's keep this list a secret okay? Please do not send to my doctors hahaha. Nothing to worry about since my blood chem has always been normal! I'm allowed to eat anything. 

And once I have satisfied my tummy I'd like to explore the many new food offerings available. I'll probably start with what my neighbors are offering. I'm also saving up to try Marvin Agustin's cochinillo (maybe for Christmas?). In between all of this I'd like to learn how to prepare healthy dishes and I want to learn how to make dishes from my Dad and Mom's hometowns (Lucban and Bicol). 

Ahhh, yummy food is one of the things I look forward to when I get home :)

CB///*Yr2/165 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/188 #NewG282 #Home41 #Xmas93 #StayHome #BeKind  

Organized Chaos

I'm taking a bite-sized approach to sorting the decade I've been in Singapore. I started with a shelf and I'm tackling it by row. I tend to put things in cute boxes as I keep them. What happens though is I forget about the items I keep and end up buying new things. That's what I discovered yesterday when I found several small boxes of office supplies. Can you guess how many scissors I have? Hahaha. 

At our old place before we moved.

So I'm going to take this opportunity to collate and reduce our things. I'll probably ban myself also from window online shopping (there's so many kawaii items out there!). I hope to get some headway in clearing out things in the next week since there are people interested to view our place already. 

And the same goes for my mind. I have been working on clearing out unhealthy thoughts. I think I have improved in compartmentalizing and it's now time to flush out the bad stuff. I've been excited about finally getting vaccinated, but tbh I'm scared too. 

I've been processing this fear by getting more information about it's safety for me. I don't have a genetic clotting disorder, my platelets are in order and similar patients did not have issues. The virus can cause myocarditis and clots much, much more than the vaccine. I have to clear out these unhealthy thoughts and tell my body to cooperate. 

Praying that this transition time will go smoothly. 

CB///*Yr2/157 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/180 #NewG290 #Home48 #Xmas101 #StayHome #BeKind 

Sorting Out a Decade

October 2011, moved to SG.

Where do you start sorting 10 years of your life? Our apartment is a huge mess right now because we've started to look through our things. When I moved to Singapore I came with only two suitcases and I only shipped a mattress, a sack of rice and a folding table. 

I was able to keep things the same for five years. I was lucky because my housemate had everything and kept telling me not to buy stuff. Things changed when Miggy and Sweetie moved here. We eventually moved to our own place. That meant I had to make our place into a home. 

"This is just temporary," was a thought that was always at the back of my mind. It reflected also when I had to buy things for the house. It was limiting because it prevented me from doing things I liked to do, i.e. baking. The pandemic though changed things because I wanted to try out new things. Kuya also advised to allot a percentage of your money for self-development (see how I budget my money here). Ahh, that really changed things. 

Started our with just two bags 10 years ago (one was Sweetie's)...

I spent a bit of time sorting three bags of random stuff yesterday. I know Marie Kondo said you should do this last haha. I went through receipts, concert and movie tickets, boarding passes, museum leaflets and a gazillion business cards. All of those reminded me that once upon a time my life wasn't just confined in the four walls of our apartment. Proof of life. 

So yeah, that's the challenge I need to work on for the next few weeks. I have to do it slowly to make sure I don't get sick. I wanted to do more yesterday, but remembered I just had a biopsy. I hope to be able to get rid of stuff I don't need and donate it. We started this with our old devices. Oh boy, sorting out a decade of your life is hard. 

CB///*Yr2/154 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/177 #NewG293 #Home51 #Xmas104 #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

What I Miss Most from Home

This day a year ago Miggy and I flew back to Singapore. I'm glad I was able to take a break and stay home for six weeks. We were also able to go to Baguio and Bohol during that time. We had planned to go to Tagaytay also in early January. Good thing I decided just to stay home because Taal Volcano erupted. 

Bohol, December 2019.

I've lived in Singapore for almost ten years now and this is the first time I've been away this long. I would normally get to go home once or twice a quarter. Being away this long has been very hard for me. I wouldn't be surprised if my doctors say that one reason why I've been sickly is due to homesickness. 

Here's what I miss most about being home:

1. Being with Miggy and my Mom. It was truly heartbreaking we were not complete for Christmas. It was certainly odd not to be with them during noche buena and media noche. And truly incomplete not to see the rest of my family and friends for Christmas. 

2. Christmas in the Philippines. I've spent several Christmases outside of the Philippines (sometimes in Jakarta, sometimes in Singapore). The best place to celebrate Christmas is at home. A big part that we missed was simbang gabi and the midnight Christmas eve mass. And as much as the fireworks during new year is annoying, I missed that too (even though they usually keep me inside because of the smoke). 

3. Filipino food. Jollibee and some Filipino restos has helped us here, but it's just not the same from what's available at home. That's also the reason why I started learning how to bake Pinoy buns. All the silogs, I miss you!

4. Shopping at home. SM! Glorietta! MOA! I miss shopping at our malls. I normally buy my clothes from Manila since the quality is better, a lot cheaper, and there are more options. It's been also hard to find Filipino ingredients here. There are times it's hard to find toyo, suka and it's been a few months since I've been able to buy Del Monte Italian spaghetti sauce (grrr). 

5. Vacation places. Back home there are so many places you can visit. We have five different types of sand, so many different types of beaches, mountains, hills, forests etc. The options are bottomless. Our last family vacation was in Bohol. I took a lot of videos, but I just can't bring myself to edit it until now. 

I know realistically it's going to be awhile before we can go back home. I'm just praying that we will be complete this Christmas. 

CB///288 #StuckAtHomeDay/318 #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