I want my own clock

Truth is, I'm starting to get emotional little by little everyday. Whenever I look at the calendar lately, nostalgia wades in every time. If only I can have my own clock.

There is no doubt that my husband and I are totally excited about all the amazing things that's been coming along our way, most of which are products of incredible leaps of faith. Personally, I am grateful for everything. I am humbled by God's goodness. I just didn't realize soon enough that with every blessing that I receive, I have to prepare myself to take it and rake it all.

I'm beginning to have nightmarish dreams about going away. Weeks ago, I had this silly dream of not being able to exit the airport because my visa was torn apart in two, and I had to reattach it to my passport. And then two nights ago, I dreamt of not catching my plane for the oddest reason: I forgot to pack my bags...Maybe it's the stress. Though frankly, I don't think that that's just it.

I am not an amateur with long absences. This is not the first time that I'll be away from my loved ones. I know I shouldn't be wallowing this much. It's not like I'll be away forever. But it's an entirely different story this time. It's not easy.

As I am writing this, I would from time to time take a peep at my husband who is now fast asleep.

I will miss watching him in his sleep.

The return of the OCD checklist

I'm going through another OCD moment here. Anyone who knows Bree van de Kamp (now Hodge, since remarrying) of Desperate Housewives knows what I'm talking about.

As I'm leaving next month for yet another stretch of European immersion, the stress of travel preps is slowly creeping in. Unlike my husband who flies almost every year both out of and around the country, I am not a frequent flyer. Prior to last year, the last time I boarded a plane was in 2004 -- my first time to go abroad. This will be my second time to go out of the country and visit the continent and my experience four years ago is definitely an advantage. I'm extra mindful of the culture and environment, the climate especially, and the clothes that will go along with it.

Yes, I am not into luggages. Anything that involves packing bags to me is a horrible nightmare. So what I did four years ago was to list down all my travel essentials in a handy notebook, which I started doing about a month before my trip. I noted down all personal effects that came into my mind practically everyday until I've had it all in the bag! I was scared of some things that I might forget. As early as three months before the trip, I already purchased a huge luggage. That's how obsessive-compulsive I was.

And now, I'm at it again. I remember that small notebook very well and I know I stowed it away somewhere. Vincent tells me to just forget about it and make another checklist, but I stubbornly insisted on sticking to it because I know I can never come up with another one like it. And so for days, I have been turning stuffs upside down around the house. I even went back to my cousins' house one day and burrowed my head down on all my stuffs that I have yet to move out from there, but the quest was in vain.

I haven't given up on it, though. This morning, I saw one storage box that I haven't checked out yet. I had a strong feeling that it could be in there. And eureka! My husband's head was shaking left and right while I was taking pictures of my precious notebook, page by page. Hahaha!

TOILETRIES --

CLOTHES --
"Why do you need to bring three pairs of pajamas?! One is enough!" My Chilean friend gushed when he saw this on the list.

PERSONAL EFFECTS --
Tabo (dipper) is a must bring must have!

"Have you seen Europe in the map?!" (as brownouts are taboo in developed countries), again asked by my bewildered Chilean friend.
"That's my security blanket," I told him.




SALVAGE GOODS --
At least I had something stacked away to eat before seeing the supermarkets there.




MEDICINES --
One thing I learned is that these things are expensive in their local pharmacies.




ACCESSORIES --
I didn't have a digital camera back then.




TRAVEL DOCUMENTS --
I brought lots and lots of ID pictures and photocopies of original documents, and I sure didn't regret bringing them along.




SCHOOL AND LEISURE STUFFS --



Denise and Vincent actually did the packing for me at that time. This one was Denise' handwriting (lola, naalala mo pa ba 'to?). She listed down all that should be stuffed in both the large and small luggages.

I can sleep well now. I have THE notebook! Weeeeee!!! :-)