Creatures of routine. That’s what we basically are. We find comfort and a sense of control in putting order in the things that we follow everyday, so much so in fact that getting severed from the routine that we’re used to disrupts our whole system. Continue reading »
I will be spending at least a month alone in Brunei away from my family. It will be a whole new experience for me, though it is not something I am entirely looking forward too. Because of this, I am considering buying a digital camera to take pictures of the place before they come over to Brunei.
I know it’s a bit impractical at the moment but it will help greatly especially when I go looking for a bigger place to stay in once they join me. I mean, once I go house-searching, digital cameras will make things easier by allowing andrea and mateo to help me decide which house would be good for us.
Of course I won’t be needing one now. I’m actually considering getting one when I’m already there. I still need to discuss the whole idea with andrea and see if she likes it. Speaking of which, I think I better go ask her now…
We just got our passport today. And as a much as I would love/hate to believe it, we’re a few papers closer to going abroad. Actually, if my friend is right (and I really think she is), I am bound to leave by December. Andrea, mateo and Anika will just follow shortly after.
Whenever I think about it though, I can’t help but worry about a lot of things. Aside of course from the people we’ll be leaving behind, I am concerned about my family’s adjustment – both financially and psychologically.
As far as money is concerned, we’re doing everything we can to save up for the tickets and the travel money we’ll be needing. However, once we get there we’ll have to figure out what to do on our own. Should I buy gold eagle coins? Should I change currency at once? Or should I just keep what I have and invest on something else like silver bullions? After all, it is a good time to buy such things because world demand for silver has constantly exceeded annual production since 1990 (a timely investment if you will). Not quite sure. I have to improvise when I get there depending on how things go.
On the other hand, the psychological adjustments will probably take its toll on my little boy. Anika will still be too small to feel anything significantly different, but Mateo, however would have changed school for the 2nd time by then. It might just prove a bit difficult. Andrea, well, she is tough and I love her for that. I, however, would just be nothing but glad to have them there with me.
It will be a tough undertaking. I’m sure. But I’m praying that it will be all worth it. It has to be. It will be. I refuse to believe anything else.
We’re not getting younger. This particular fact becomes more and more apparent every time we feel pains and aches in the body we used to not feel before. My back spasms are no exceptions.
You see, a few days before moving, andrea and I were already packing things away. In the process, I had to lift a table on my own in a relatively awkward position. As a result, a sharp pain shot up my back and my back muscles cramped up. I had to kneel and stay still for a few minutes before I could actually move again.
It wasn’t a slip, at least I’m hoping it isn’t. From what I can remember in my Bio days, this sort of thing happens when the back muscles do more work than they should. They usually work as support groups for the abdominals. So if you’re abs become weak, the back starts doing work for the abs. In my case, too much work.
I know it’s a bit hard to accept, but my abs are not what they used to. Heck, my whole tummy region is a far cry from the tummy I had before, so it’s definitely not impossible to think of why I had my spasms. The truth is I need to get rid of belly fat and I have to be a bit more conscious about exercise. As much as I hate to say it, but the body does not process food as fast as before and it’s making things difficult in so many ways. We’re definitely not getting any younger.
The last few days I spent in my old school I actually used for watching and conducting demo teaching. It was a good refresher and I got a lot of very good ideas from my colleagues and friends. Kinda makes me wonder how rigorous and interesting the employment screening in Brunei is going to be.
Regardless, I want to continue brushing up on my teaching skills so I vowed to continue making plans and practicing at home so I don’t lose the edge. It would have been nice though to continue teaching till December before I leave for work abroad but certain considerations make arrangements a bit difficult.
I’m certainly going to miss my old school and everyone else I used to teach and work with.
I don’t know from which side he got it, but mateo has always been a confident boy especially when it comes to engaging in conversations. His cousins and grannies just got a taste of this a while ago. You see, earlier today I brought mateo to my parents’ house to see how the fiesta there is celebrated. My aunt and my cousin, together with his family from Canada, were also there, so there was bound to be some kind of interaction.
Now, most of the time, mateo wouldn’t immediately respond to you if you’re new to him, especially when you ask him questions head on. However, if he’s not being directly addressed, then he has no problem butting in.
Here are just some of the things that happened earlier.
SCENE 1: My cousin’s son showed up and started talking to my mom (Mateo’s lola)
Mateo: What’s your name?
Son: Nick
Mateo: Where’s your mommy?
Son: She’s downstairs…
(No prompting whatsoever. I don’t know how long they would have had their conversation if the lolos and the lolas did not start applauding. That was the first time the two met.)
SCENE 2
Daughter: He looks like a toddler. Is he a toddler? (pointing to mateo from 2 chairs away)
Mateo: I’m not a toddler (with a scowl). I’m a TAO.
That just brought the whole house down. Everyone was laughing so hard including me. I didn’t exactly know whether I should be embarrassed or proud of my little kid. The whole exchange was just so funny.
We’ve just finished moving back to Andrea’s old place. The whole house is now one big mess, with barely enough room to move around. Boxes of our things are scattered everywhere and we’re still trying to figure out which ones to open first. Making everything fit seems like one big Tetris puzzle.
Our minds are currently preoccupied with creating a familiar place in this house and yet we can’t stop thinking about online work. As a compromise, we fix what we can in the day, take a few hours of nap, and then work late at night to earn some bucks.
Shorter sleeps are all we can afford at the moment, and I’m afraid all the late night work is catching up. It’s taking a huge toll on our eyes, or at least mine, because wrinkles and eye bags are becoming more pronounced. Pretty soon I’ll either be forced to sleep more or get something like prototype 37c to help cover the results. Until I start working in Brunei these are the only things we can do.
No this is not one of those almost generic rantings about being apprehended by MMDA sharks. This is a post to help NOT become victims of these sharks.
My wife just recently came across a forum about MMDA crap. Here are some surprising things we got… (posted from the source)
About the Coding Scheme:
About some “VIOLATIONS”
Now, before anyone accuses me of libel or anything like that, I do not own this, but I am grateful that andrea came across it. Just to be fair, however, I tried to check the MMDA site for the said ordinance before posting this, but their link (at least for that particular scheme) does not work. Not really surprising though, so I figured I’d pass on the info.
I’m not trying to incite violence or rebellion against MMDA. I’m trying to empower others to stand up for their rights especially on the road. The ultimate goal of enforcing the rules is to keep the streets safe and orderly, not to make a business out of extorting people, or to scare them with false threats and rudeness.
I really don’t want to make sweeping generalizations but a lot of the rotten ones are smearing the name of the whole department. Heck, even my 3-year old kid is now scared of MMDA.
We’ve been meticulously packing our stuff for the past few days so I couldn’t help but rummage through my old clothes from before, and you know what? I found some really nice pants that I used to wear back then. The problem is they don’t fit now. Huhuhu!
This is why I’ve been thinking about quick weight loss methods recently but I can’t seem to figure out which one really works (and is not too hard to observe). I figured that if I can lose 3 to five inches around the waist, I can still fit in my old pants and most of my clothes before. The question is, can I?
I just played basketball a while ago. Once again I am reminded of age and probably even weight. More than a couple of times, I found myself unable to catch my breath as a result of chasing my mark in the other team. I wanted to run more but I couldn’t so I had to ask for substitution more than once.
Pitiful, right? But what can I do. I have no control over age. The only thing I have a little rein over is weight but even that is a bit difficult to address. Diet pill reviews give mixed opinions so I figured it would be safer to stick to exercise, but I don’t get regular exercises. I could try lessening food intake but just the thought of it is already making me sad.
I really miss my high school and college days, when I could still run the whole day and not tire myself out.