It’s the season for merriment. Despite what most adults say about Christmas being for kids, I still feel some joy and delight when the holiday seasons arrive, well at least until now.

The 25th has come and gone and the what’s mostly been on my mind is not the festivities of the season but the anxiety of separation and the expectations of a totally different and remote life far from my loved ones (that is bound to last at least for 42 days).

Don’t get me wrong. I try. I try really hard in fact. Seeing my son open his gifts and almost jump after seeing his new toys takes me way back to those times when I feel nothing but love and joy. I even tried watching a Walking Dead marathon to keep me preoccupied, but nothing seems to work (or at least last).

I know I’m supposed to be all giddy and gleeful this season but every time I become idle, I can’t stop worrying. I’ve had plenty of plans to meet up with cousins, friends, former colleagues, and family but with all the things that had to be done – the panicking, the planning, the packing – none of those plans materialized (adding more frenzy and acids to worry about).

I hope I could fast forward to February 8.

It’s the tightest Christmas we’ve had in terms of budget. My impending departure has brought us a long way down so gift buying has been very limited. It’s actually very frustrating since I’ve seen so many bargains on items that I know would be really appreciated by our friends, families, and all the other people we love and care about.

For example, I saw some blackhawk holsters online that were selling for a few bucks off with free shipping. I’m sure my uncle would have loved getting them for Christmas, but unfortunately, I couldn’t afford getting one yet.

There were also some crocs that andrea and I would have wanted for ourselves, but it was the same story as with the holsters.

I can’t wait to start on a regular job again to get the juice flowing. Hopefully, next Christmas would be financially better than this one.

I’m a fan of smartphones although I don’t have one yet. And despite the number of iphone models and Android phones now available in the market, I don’t plan to get one anytime soon.

However, andrea’s old 6600 has become rather unreliable. In fact, her phone’s battery lasts a day at most, that is if she doesn’t receive any calls. She couldn’t leave the house without carrying a charger, and I’m worried that there will be times when I have to call her from Brunei and she won’t be able to answer because of a dead battery.

This is why I’m thinking of getting her a new phone for Christmas, well not on Christmas exactly but probably some time later, more of a post-Christmas gift. Since  I’d be getting my first paycheck on February, her iPhone would probably have to wait until then.

Hhmmm! Come to think of it, I guess it could already pass as an advance Valentine present. Hehehe! Just kidding!

This Friday, andrea and I would be celebrating our 5^th wedding anniversary. However, as much as I would like to treat her to a gourmet dinner for two, we’re in a bit of a financial pinch at the moment. We only have few days left to save up for my departure on the 29^th and we don’t exactly have anyone to leave the two kids to. So for the meantime, I’m trying my best to come up with dinner recipes that I can prepare at home to hit three birds with one stone.

So far, tidingsmag has been quite helpful with suggestions. I’ve gotten a lot of alternatives for dinner recipes because it was so easy to sort through their huge catalog. You can choose recipes by ingredients, cooking method, food type, cuisine, and even by perfect matches. Plus, with popular figures in cooking as the site’s contributors and the accurate pictures of the end products, I feel like I could never go wrong.

Now, the only problem is how to keep everything a secret. Hehehe!

On Friday, andrea and I would be celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary. The problem is I don’t have any money left to get her a gift. Darn that last big lotto winner.

We do have a plan though – an overnight stay in a new hotel in Eastwood. However, that is as far as we’ve gotten. I’m sure it would be nice to give her an htc desire 2.2 for a present but we’re a bit strict on the budget at the moment. So until I get my first paycheck either on January or February, we promised we’d be in thrift mode, so that’s what I’ll be doing.

However, if there is anyone who could provide me with affordable (preferably free or no-cost) gift ideas, just email me your suggestions. They would really be appreciated.

Lately, every time I sleep I make it a point to run my hand across my babies’ faces in order to remember how nice their skin would feel. I’ll be missing them for a few days so I’m trying to make the most of the time left.

I just hope none of them get any acne or skin infection from what I do to their faces. I would hate for any of them to get rid of acne at such a young age. Their skins are so smooth and silky that I’m hoping they remain this beautiful even when they reach high school.

That’s when their mettle would be really tested.

What exactly do I need to bring to Brunei? That question has been bugging me and has been hanging at the back of my mind for quite some time now. My date of departure is steadily closing in but I haven’t started packing anything yet because I have no idea what to bring.

Aside from clothes, what accessories or emergency equipments do I need to procure? Sewing kits? Utility knife? Heck, even my flashlights are not working anymore. Only the promotional flashlights are still operational. But do I really need one? It’s not like I’m on night duty. I’ll be working in a school and there’s pretty much no need for a flashlight during the day.

Which shoes do I bring? Which shorts? Which things? In a few more days, I’ll have to finally answer all these questions. Wish me luck.

Last Friday before Aria was picked up, I went jogging with her one last time inside the Tennis court. Little did I know how badly out of shape I was until the morning after.

My butt cheeks were surprisingly sore. Actually, they still are. I can’t believe a simple jog like that would make my muscles feel tired and fatigued this much (feels almost like I went on a marathon or I did squats). But what can I do? House work isn’t really exercise and so is writing. We don’t exactly have a precor elliptical for regular muscle workout. I don’t think we even have time to use one even if we had one.

I do hope that I get to exercise when I start working in Brunei. My body badly needs to get in shape.

I’m used to packing light. After all, we go to three-day, two-night outings every year for the annual environmental immersion trip in Bataan. However, I’ve never experienced packing for a two-year trip before.

I’m starting to get overwhelmed with the number of things that I have to pack. I don’t know exactly how many clothes to bring, which accessories to leave behind, or whether I need name tags or not. Even if I’m supposed to reunite with my after 42 days, I still can’t figure out how to finish the packing, or to even begin with it.  I just hope I don’t forget anything.

Despite problems with the agency, I’ve decided to do everything I can to push through with the papers I needed for Brunei. I told andrea that the December 29 deadline comes first before going against the agency and exposing their dishonest ways (which we plan to expose the moment my papers are in my hands). That’s why I attended the Pre-Departure Orientation Seminar (PDOS) last Thursday.

Frankly speaking, I’m baffled that the country still adamantly submits overseas workers to these seminars when the practical lessons amount to nothing more than advices on which things would not set off the metal detectors in the airport.

I don’t mean to be rude or arrogant but I feel like it’s all a waste of time and money. In my opinion, if the government really wants the purpose of these seminars to be observed or achieved, they should either set aside sufficient funding for these orientations or adequately train speakers for this sole purpose. Overseas workers need a lot more than just information on acronyms or boarding tips in order to be safe and successful in their endeavors. It’s about time this country gave some back to the people that stake their lives in work outside.