Our New Life

I'm trying to push myself to move around more. Our tiny place does not allow me to reach my 2k daily steps. It's also been hard to find a corner where I can do my daily exercises. I've started to feel lethargic and my body has been telling me to move more to burn everything I'm eating. 

Yummy lasagna by Drake's Lasagna! Order from my friend Adrian Cruz :)

So yesterday we went down to check out the bazaar in our community. Only residents were allowed and there has been no active cases the past few weeks. It was fun to see the activity organized by the property management office with residents. Red and blue tents lined up the main road and residents sold a lot of different goods. 

It was a good day to go out. The sun was hiding and it seemed like it was going to rain. It was the perfect day for a walk. I was hoping to buy some coffee, but we ended up with three cups of latte, puto bungbong, and kwekkwek, haha. Not the best combination, but the three of us enjoyed it for merienda. The funny thing is Sweetie ended up buying Transformers toys in mint condition. It was being sold for a really good price, so he snatched it up immediately. 

Loving this new experience since I never really got to live long enough in our tiny home. I rarely go out, but I realized I missed it when neighbors and the property staff would nod and say hello. Every morning, the birds who live in our a/c enclosure would keep chirping until I wake up. When I move to the dining table, I'd hear the chickens clucking. There are days when the neighbors from the next property would party with karaoke singing. And, of course, we could hear the sounds from the Skyway. 

It's very different from our very quiet life in Singapore. The energy is very different. I could feel a very strong, lively vibe around me. I'm honestly feeling a bit tired from all the activity. I guess I'm still adjusting to the fact that at least two people talk to me now (haha) and there's more activity to traffic at home. I think I'll have to sleep the day away today, haha. 

I'm happy to be home. Happy I have my family and friends within reach. I'm happy I can indulge them also with a little something like cake or lasagna. And I'm super happy that I can get anything I crave for! I think I have to work on increasing my step count, need to burn all these calories! 

Happy Sunday everyone :)

#Home18 #NewG226 #Xmas34 #StayHome #BeKind  

Finally Slowing Down

Chatting with my work seatmate, I told him what I've been up to lately. We've been busy with re-organizing our home, but things are going super slow. He reminded me that's how it's supposed to be now that I'm "retired". That was a good reminder for me to just chill, relax and work on recovery. 

Seatmate spelled it out for me, "You're now completely free. You were probably anxious all those months you were on medical leave that you could still be asked to come back." What he said is true. I slept for three days at the hotel. It felt really strange because I would just conk out at a snap of a finger. And now that I'm home I also fall asleep faster. 

Now I understand why my doctors recommended me to leave my job. It was really for my own good and I'm happy they let me go through the process of letting go. It was like a break-up because I loved what I do. Through the process I learned to forgive myself, let go and move on. I catch myself smiling at odd times of the day, haha. This is really the first time I hit the brakes so hard and I'm just enjoying sitting still. 

We've been home for 9 days now and so far -

1. We finished one Survivor series (Caramoan). 

2. Got some things fixed at home, i.e. sliding door, stove is in progress. 

3. The pothos and baby rubber plant I brought home has grown roots. The pothos grew new leaves too. 

4. My kitchen's working now, well except for the stove. I ordered a one-burner stove since it looks like it will take time for La Germania to finish fixing it. I already want to cook the goodies a friend sent me (plus I received a gazillion eggs from Elvin and Lynette!). 

5. Ate amazing food. Period. 

I have a friend who's betting I will only do this for 3-4 months, hahaha. He said I'll probably yearn for the challenges I used to face. Well, we'll see, for now I just want to rest and focus on family and catch up with friends. 

P.S. It's really interesting how much people are using gadgets to prevent the spread of the virus. I see vloggers walking around with alcohol misters. Some use nano spray guns to disinfect deliveries. We never used those in SG and I wonder if everyone uses these things here? 

#Home15 #NewG229 #Xmas37 #StayHome #BeKind  

First Week: How I Know I'm Truly Home

It's been a week since we got home from hotel quarantine. It took me a few days to wrap my head around the fact that I'm truly home. I'd wake up confused when we were still at the hotel. I guess that's what happens when you get stuck in one place for a long time. Things got better when we got home and I adjusted faster. Here's how I really knew I was home:

Big hair don't care. Hello humidity! Hahaha.

1. Bottomless hugs from Miggy - this is what I missed most when we were apart. 

2. I could breathe better here! Surviving without a/c the whole day! There are days though when the AQI gets a bit bad. We also just use the air filter at night. 

3. The FOOD! I wrote that in big bold letters. Since my stove needs repairing we have an excuse to order all our favorites for now. 

4. Friends sending more FOOD! We've been receiving care packages from friends! Yay! It's been a mix of my favorite food and new food to try (like the Lola Nena's donuts!). I'm so grateful since we've been receiving food from out of town too!

5. Rows and rows of Pinoy tsitsirya in stores! I saw this today at the convenience store at our place. 

6. Kakanin everywhere! I should have seriously ordered two boxes of the puto Binan!

7. It's also much easier to get help here. When we arrived from the hotel we immediately got help from the maintenance folks to haul up our stuff. And at the airport, Sweetie was able to rest because the manongs took over everything. 

Neighbor's carpenter fixing our sliding door. 

8. I was deliriously happy when I was finally able to switch my Google Play country to the Philippines! I immediately changed all my subscriptions because they're just a third of the price compared to Singapore (well except internet!). And the prices of fabric on Shopee and Lazada, O-M-G! It's really going to reduce the cost of my projects.

9. Humor online. We all know how Pinoys can be funny at any kind of situation. Check out this posting for garter I saw the other day. LOL. 

10. And the daily politics teleserye. However funny it may seem, it's really a huge concern how things are turning out. We all need to take action and pray hard we don't go further down in the dump. Sigh. 

Of course, internet is spotty. I ended up writing this post across an hour because connection kept going up and down. Welcome to the Philippines! :D

#Home13 #NewG231 #Xmas39 #StayHome #BeKind  

My Kitchen is Almost Open

We've now spent 72 hours at home and we're slowly making progress in re-organizing. We each have our own assignments. I've been working on the kitchen while Sweetie has been clearing out the balikbayan boxes we've sent in the last year. It's part two of the sorting and clearing operations we did in Singapore. Our goal is to reduce our things since we're merging two homes. 

I have been prioritizing our kitchen. It will be very unhealthy to keep ordering food. I haven't used my kitchen for two years so I have been washing everything. It's a good thing to do especially in the afternoons when it gets so hot. Finished everything on the counter yesterday and I'll start working on the cabinets today. It's also a good chance for me to sort and reduce our things. 

I did notice that Corelle plates used to be much thicker! The ones we had in Singapore were much thinner and lighter. I like the sturdiness of the older plates. Most of our kitchen items were wedding gifts. I've only replaced one frying pan so far, everything else still functions well. I need to have our electric range checked though. It takes so long for it to heat up and I'm not sure if the oven still works. Good thing it's quite easy to book service from La Germania. I hope it will still work for a few more years. I need it to work properly so I can finally cook some adobo. 

Last night we ordered Pancake House! Woohoo! My favorite arroz ala cubana wasn't available so I got the house special instead. It was amazing to eat it again. Aside from the good food, we have so many happy memories associated with Pancake House through the years. I'll probably order McDo tomorrow because I've missed their spaghetti haha. I wish though we could order some Makati Supermart spaghetti. That would make me so happy. 

Just another day at home. I love how we all converge to hang out on the dining table all day. Happy :)

#Home9 #NewG235 #Xmas43 #StayHome #BeKind  

Acclimating

Ahhh, life in the Philippines. It's been 48 hours since we got home. I have been sleeping better and breathing better. My lungs are happy. Some would say that there's more air pollution here, but I grew up here so my lungs are used to it. I have been skipping my inhalers since I feel fine. The one thing I'm adjusting to is the heat. I've increased my water intake by 25% to combat it and I've been coping well so far. 

My neighbor told me to take my time acclimating. I've been taking it slow. We're still living out of our suitcases as of the moment. Our house is in a disarray and we're working on organizing it. Yesterday I spent at least an hour just washing dishes. I had the fright of my life when I unearthed a dried up house lizard under the dish rack. Awww, poor Dengge 402. We've been naming the house lizards who have been plying our ceiling since 2009. Haha. 

Did you notice that the evening breeze has started to become cooler? I enjoyed it a lot last night from the balcony. This means Christmas is coming! I have been looking around for decors since I don't know if my existing ones have survived three years of heat. I hope our Belen is okay. We'll look into decorating once we have things more organized. 

One of the things I'm enjoying now is ordering food I've missed a lot. When we got home, Miggy had an array of food from Chowking. In the evening we ordered Shakey's. Yesterday we received care packages from Chelle and Ms. Myna. Chelle sent mind-blowing Lola Nena's triple cheese donuts. It arrived just in time for merienda and we enjoyed it a lot. Ms. Myna's care package included goodies from Dayrit's! We'll probably have that for dinner and we're excited to try the cacao tea. Thanks so much Chelle and Ms. Myna for the care package. <3 <3 <3

So apparently there's a different way of doing groceries here. My Shopeeholic friend Ederic advised that it's better to buy items from brand stores on Shopee. He said that the items come directly from their warehouse and you can get free delivery if you use ShopeePay. I'll probably try it next month, for now I ordered some basic groceries from SM since I'm more familiar with them. I have to plan our weekly menu better so I don't buy too much stuff. I also want to get my fruits and veggies from OnlingPalengke.com since their quality is much better than online groceries. Figuring out this grocery stuff is going to be fun!

I'm so far enjoying this acclimation period. We're just home serving our home quarantine. The best thing about it is Miggy's with us and I can call up Mom anytime using a landline phone (we can hear other better on it than a mobile phone). My doctor will also be happy to know that I'm spending two-thirds of the day without air-conditioning, haha. Maybe that will also help melt my fats, LOL. 

#Home8 #NewG236 #Xmas44 #StayHome #BeKind  

How We Pulled Off Moving Back Home

Transitioning back to the Philippines in the middle of a pandemic wasn't easy. There were a lot of moving parts, but it was mainly a couple of things: (1) Quitting our jobs, (2) Arranging our travel back to the Philippines, (3) Shipping our things, and (4) Turning over our apartment. 

Quitting our jobs wasn't as straightforward as we wanted. We had to give notice in advance. I wanted to leave earlier, but they wouldn't just let me go. It was a blessing in disguise because I was able to resolve additional health issues. My doctors also wanted me to be stable before I left. Eventually they allowed us to go. This was relatively the easiest thing to do.

Here's a video of our trip :)

We booked our flights and hotel in advance. It was very expensive to book just a one-way flight, so I booked a roundtrip one since I need to have my annual check-up next year anyway. The complicated part was following the ever-changing protocols. We originally booked 10 days at the hotel, but the IATF reduced the quarantine days to six. Good thing the hotel said they'll just refund the extra days. 

The tricky part was the documentation needed. I detailed the requirements on this blog post. It's what we followed. Key thing is to print everything out because that would help with the clearances. Save all the QR codes also on your phone and make sure it's accessible offline (in case you don't have internet upon arrival). It makes things easier also if you have a local Philippine SIM since that's where the notifications of the RT-PCR test are sent. 

Keep yourself updated also by checking the OWWA Singapore FB page. They have just posted an updated process last November 8 (see below), you may check it on the page here. Print this if you can since it could be confusing where to go next. We were lucky because the manongs who assisted me with the wheelchair took care of bringing us to where we needed to go. 

A week before our flight we found out that there's a single occupancy policy. This means couples would be split up. I clarified this with the Board of Quarantine and got this response -

Room sharing for families/designated guardian shall be allowed under the following criteria: 

1. With minor children 2. Persons with medical condition needing assistance with activities of daily living* 3. Senior citizens needing assistance with activities of daily living* 4. Persons with disability (PWD) 

*Activities of Daily Living include eating, bathing, dressing, transferring, toileting and walking/moving around Present the proof of your medical condition to the Quarantine Medical Officer on duty at the airport and coordinate with the hotel management regarding this. Please be reminded as well that if you were allowed to share room, you should sign a waiver with the hotel indicating your awareness of the risk of exposure in case one of your members yields a POSITIVE RT PCR RESULT. This exposure will mean that you will have to undergo 14 days quarantine with Day 1 being the date of release of result.

Jay has been taking care of me since I got sick. My two doctors wrote a memo for me stating that I needed daily living assistance. I informed the BOQ officer and presented the documents and email from BOQ. The medical officer on duty came to me and asked whether I needed to be hospitalized immediately (my medical conditions really look scary on paper). I told him I was stable and just needed my husband to be with me all the time. He gave the option for home quarantine, but I told him we already booked a hotel. We stayed at the hotel because we wanted to be sure we were negative before going home. 

The most challenging part of the process was physically moving back everything. This process was tied to the turn over of our apartment. We had to inform our landlord two months before leaving so we can use the diplomatic clause on the contract. We were required to send a letter from our employer about our last day. After that we requested for quotations from shipping companies and eventually contracted one to help move our things. 

Traveling for pleasure or business is easy. Traveling to transition back home is an entirely different process. We started sorting our things in early September, but we only finished packing for our flight two hours before we left for the airport. We also had to send a box via LBC the day before our flight because we realized we had more stuff to bring back. Haha. It was TIRING. We just rested the first three days during quarantine to catch up on sleep. I was so grateful that we didn't have to worry about food or chores. We were able to take naps whenever we felt like it. 

And now we're home! I don't think I'll want to live abroad again or move far, far away! And I never want my family to be apart again! I slept like a baby last night. It was my first time to have more than an hour of deep sleep. Knowing Miggy's just in the other room probably calmed me down finally. Just a few more days we'll get to see my Mom! Yay!

#Home7 #NewG237 #Xmas45 #StayHome #BeKind 

 

We're Finally Complete

When I woke up this morning I realized "today is THE day"! Eagerly awaited the results of our swab test and breathed a sigh of relief when they sent it earlier than expected. Made plans with Sweetie while eating breakfast. Packing did not take too long and soon enough front desk called to inform us that our ride had arrived. 

I couldn't contain my excitement while waiting for our bill. Soon enough our gazillion luggage were loaded and we were on our way home. Luckily traffic was light, the funny thing is I panicked a bit when we turned a corner. I thought the drive made a mistake and was going to meet traffic head-on. I realized a few seconds later that people drive on the right side here. I got used to the left side for almost two years. 

As the headed down to our drop off I saw a glimpse of Miggy. I immediately waved. I literally jumped on him for a hug when we parked. I almost bawled hahaha. I think Sweetie took a video of our reunion. I feel my life could go on now. I am now unsuspended. That's how I felt since I moved to Singapore. 

I am happy. I am complete. We're going to finish our 4 day home quarantine first before we visit my Mom. For the next few days we'll catch up first, do many, many hugs and reorganize our home. I'm still in a daze and have to keep pinching myself that I am finally home. 

*Many friends abroad have been pinging me about the steps we took to get home. I'll make an updated post maybe tomorrow hehe. I just need to wrap my head around the fact that we made it back!

#Quarantine6 #Home6 #NewG238 #Xmas46 #StayHome #BeKind 

Things I'll Do After Quarantine

I'm still experiencing baboy reflex* especially after eating breakfast. There's something about being back home that's encouraging me to just keep sleeping. I had a lot of trouble sleeping when I was in Singapore. The past few days I just keep conking out. Haha. Maybe my body is still recovering from the busy time we had packing our home. 

Anyway, I just have two more nights here at the quarantine hotel. I finally got a schedule for my swab test after trying to reach Padlab by email, Messenger, phone call and text. I also tried Aide app, but there seems to be a bug. Oh well, getting things done has always been harder here hehe. Now that I have that out of the way I could focus on planning what I'll do after I get out. 

Well, we still have four days of quarantine we need to complete at home. That will give me time to catch up with Miggy and collect many hugs! We'll finally see Mom on Sunday. I hope we could also drop by the church to say a prayer. 

It's going to be mayhem when we get home on Tuesday. I just realized it's going to be hard to squeeze in everything in our tiny home! Good luck to us on that. Miggy asked about groceries we're going to order. I'm putting together a simple menu for the next few days, probably easy to cook items like adobo, bistek and sinigang. I want to cook some of Daddy's mustasa dish for Mom. I'll probably order some veggies from onlinepalengke.com. 

Keeping it simple for our first week back home. My neighbor advised me to take my time to acclimate haha. We'll just do a lot of catching up, do some house cleaning and stock up on food. 

How's your Sunday going? Mine got really exciting, tell ya tomorrow! :D

*Baboy reflex - a phrase my nieces taught me. It means falling asleep right after eating.

#Quarantine4 #Home4 #NewG240 #Xmas48 #StayHome #BeKind 

Quarantine Eat Sleep Eat Sleep

Ahhh, the quarantine life. We're halfway through our six-day quarantine and I'm actually grateful that this was a requirement. We've just been resting since we arrived. The super busy last few weeks have caught up with us. We were probably just running on adrenaline the last few days we were closing down our life in Singapore. 

I literally haven't really done anything here at the hotel. I've been meaning to sort the contents of our luggages. A friend also advised for me to bring my sewing machine during quarantine since I'll have lots of time. It's still inside the box. Our luggages are untouched save for the basic things we need for daily living. 

The TV has been on most of the time, but I've never finished a show. I usually doze off after eating. Baboy reflex ftw. The hotel has been providing huge servings of food. I already requested for them to halve the rice they've been providing. Rice is life. I wish we had a microwave over so we can set aside the leftovers. No wonder so many people gain so much weight during quarantine. 

I'm glad I have friends who gave some advise about what to bring during quarantine. They told me to bring snacks and your hobbies. Aside from snacks I also brought my coffee, milk, ketchup and mayo. I also brought some kubyertos since I don't like using plastic cutlery. Good thing we also had leftover garbage bag which we brought with us. It's helped keep our room clean. 

I'm hoping I won't be so exhausted anymore tomorrow. It really takes so long for my body to recover now. I cancelled three VCs yesterday because I couldn't stay up. I'm only up now because I took my vitamin D3, but I might soon nod off again haha. 

Few more days and I can finally hug Miggy!

#Quarantine3 #Home3 #NewG241 #Xmas49 #StayHome #BeKind 

Our Epic Last Day in Singapore

Transitioning back home is easier said than done. We had been sleeping really, really late since the movers took our stuff. We ended up cramming a lot of stuff in the past two weeks. We listed down our tasks and allotted the day before our flight for any emergency. That was really good planning on our part. 

Yesterday was our last full day in Singapore. It was 3 in the morning and I was trying to pack my bags. I thought it was going to be easy. I even told myself I'd probably finish by midnight. At three in the morning, I finally accepted the fact that we did not account for some items we were going to bring home. I woke up. Sweetie and told him I think we should just send the excess via LBC. He readily agreed and we shifted gears. I fell asleep around 5 in the morning]. 

Woke up early since we scheduled theirconditioners to be cleaned. I promptly conked out on the couch when uncle left. I had a two hour nap which was useful because we met our landlord's agent for the turnover meeting. It took longer than we thought it would be and we ended up rushing to Lucky Plaza while it was raining really hard. 

We got lucky at LBC because we got the last large box available. They were already running out of boxes because it's peak period for sending balikbayan boxes. If you don't send it now it will arrive after Christmas. The LBC staff at Lucky Plaza were all very nice and accommodating. We still had a lot of space in our box and they shooed us away to fill it up. So we ended up shopping while our tummies grumbled since we missed lunch. 

We headed to Valu$ (Value Dollar), a popular grocery for overseas workers. We rushed around since we still had to meet our neighbors to pass some stuff to them. We ended up with three bags of assorted grocery items. We were proud of ourselves and thought we'd be able to fill up the box already. It still had some space left over so we just added some boxes the LBC crew gave us. They said you need to really fill up the box so it doesn't get squeezed during transit. 

We quickly finished our business with Valu$  and then went to Tapa King to get some takeaway. Of course, we also got some Jollibee  for our neighbors. I told Sweetie I haven't been to Lucky Plaza for years. I used to go there to remit, change money, buy souvenirs and go to Jollibee. It felt like the end of my journey in Singapore came full circle with a last visit to LP.

Rushed back home, ate our takeaway, then started packing again. We finished at four thirty in the moring. So because I barely had sleep the past week, the plane ride felt like free sleeping time for me (sorry Black Widow!). It was an epic day for us since we had to think out of the box to resolved our packing issue.

Good night my friends, I've conked out a few times which writing the post. I think I'm going to end here and indulge my body with some rest.  GNaNyt!

CB////*Yr2/206 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/225 #NewG244 #Home0 #Xmas52 #StayHome #BeKind 

 

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 

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 

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

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

Updated Protocols: Going Home from Singapore to the Philippines [as of October 13, 2021]

There's been many updates the past few days from the IATF. The good news is they're removing quarantine requirements for those coming from green lane countries. Unfortunately, Singapore isn't a green lane country, it's yellow. The most important update I gathered is you need to get a negative RT-PCR test 72 hours before your flight and have a copy of your vaccination certificate. 

What this means for me as a vaccinated OFW:

1. Get a RT-PCR test 72 hours before flight. (Required for green lane, I'm trying to find info if this is required for yellow lane countries). 

2. Since I'm vaccinated, I must book 5 nights hotel or follow the OWWA Singapore process if you want to use the OFW benefit for quarantine hotel facility for OWWA members. [Note: I'm traveling with my husband who is a foreign national.]

3. Register for One Health Pass at least 3 days before your flight. 

4. Day before flight register for e-HDC.

5. On the day of your flight, update your One Health Pass registration for your seat number, health declaration and other details. Print or screen capture the QR code. This will also be sent to your email address. Post arrival process is available here from OWWA Singapore.

I am currently checking with POLO if they will be validating the vaccination certificate. You can get a copy of your vaccination certification from MOH through the Health Hub. You will need your SingPass account to be able to log-in. Once you log-in you will be able to download a PDF copy of your vaccination certificate.

*Unvaccinated/unverified/partially vaccinated individuals are required to do 8 days quarantine (7 nights hotel stay)

It's certainly good news that the requirement to quarantine has been shortened! I will update this post if there are any changes announced. I have a fuller process on the preparations I'm doing to go back home  here. Drop a comment below if you have a question. 

If you want to track what we'll be doing as we transition back home please follow my FB page and I'll also vlog our travel on my YouTube channel. We're just very busy right now sorting and packing our things. 

Resources:

Advisory for Travellers to the Philippines (link provided by POLO Singapore)

One Health Pass

Arrival Process (from OWWA Singapore)

News: Shortened quarantined days

News: Protocols for green, yellow states

And for what it's worth (this info has been very hard to find, thanks to a friend who's a GM of a hotel who sent me this information). 

Green Lane Countries: American Samoa, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cayman Islands, Chad, China (mainland), Comoros, Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Falkland Islands (Malvinas), Hungary, Madagascar, Mali, Federated States of Micronesia, Montserrat, New Zealand, Niger, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Poland, Saba (Special Municipality of the Kingdom of Netherlands), Saint Pierre, Sierra Leone, Sint Eustatius, Taiwan, Algeria, Bhutan, Cook Islands, Eritrea, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Nicaragua, Niue, North Korea, Saint Helena, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Tokelau, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Uzbekistan, and Yemen. (Source: PNA)

Yellow Lane Countries: All other countries not listed. (Source: DOT MM FB)

Red Lane Countries: Bermuda (Source: DOT MM FB)

CB////*Yr2/186 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/207 #NewG261 #Home20 #Xmas72 #StayHome #BeKind