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 

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 

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

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

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

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 

Happy 56th Birthday Singapore!

Majulah Singapura! Happy, happy 56th birthday Singapore! 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The 10 Things I Love About Singapore

This year marks the 10th year I've lived in Singapore. It took me awhile to call it home because my boys were back in Manila and I flew back and forth a lot for a few years. It became home when my family moved here five years ago.

1. Getting around is so convenient - it's so easy to get around by bus or through the MRT. You pay by using an EZlink card (which you can use also at shops).

2. Wide variety of food - there's a wide variety of food you can choose from especially when you eat at a hawker center. 

3. Toast Box - absolutely love teh peng and their breakfast food. Aside from Toast Box there's also other local coffee chains like Ya Kun Kaya, Killiney, Fun Toast, Old Town White Coffee etc. 

4. Shopping - when you shop you know exactly where you will go for the item. In the beginning I used to just go to Orchard, but eventually liked going to the neighborhood malls more (less temptation!). 

5. Parks - it's only now that I appreciate the park better. I love our evening walks at the park. There's always a nice breeze everytime we go. 

6. Attractions - we still visit the zoo, the bird park every other year. It's just fun to go and re-visit the zoo. We also visit Universal Studios whenever we have visitors. 

7. Staycation hotels - even before the pandemic our family would go on staycations. It's just nice to get some rest from house chores and explore the city. 

8. Healthcare - ahh this piece has been very important for me, I am only still around because of my amazing doctors.

9. Chinese New Year - CNY here is huge! I'm not really familiar with the traditions for CNY, but there's always a lot of snacks available. A friend explained to me that during CNY they basically have to visit all their relatives and that means endless eating. Ahh, it's very similar to our Christmas that's why I love CNY too. 

10. Church - love going to church here especially during the festive season. We've witnessed also how  they celebrate Christmas, New Year, Mama Mary's occasions, first Holy communion, baptism, Easter etc. 

Since we're going to be here for awhile I've been watching some vlogs of areas I still haven't seen yet. I'll make a list and see what else we could explore and experience in Singapore. 

CB///305 #StuckAtHomeDay/335 #StayHome #BeKind