Sunday, July 31, 2011
The Last day of July
Saturday, July 30, 2011
First post from the new 27" iMac...
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Thursday and the 2644 place is done...
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Wednesday, another day closer...
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Tuesday morning and much to do...
Monday, July 25, 2011
Monday... a shade over a week and the "Interview" is happening...
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Sunday morning... the demise of the closet
Saturday, July 23, 2011
A Beautiful Saturday morning and I have already done good work.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Thursday... 9 days to go
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Today is maybe "Fix the bedroom" day, I will work on Kenneth's room...
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Wednesday or otherwise known as "Refrigerator" day...
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
First post since returning to the States... It's good to be home...
Saturday, July 9, 2011
My last day in the Philippines... at least for now.
This is it... departure day, separation from my lovely bride and children... for at least a month, hopefully they will leave the Philippines on or about the 15th of Aug if all goes well...
Yesterday was a good day, but all day it rained so we stayed at home.
Last night sleep started off really good, but then Nora got up sometime early this morning to use the bathroom and when she returned to bed she couldn't fall asleep so it was tossing and turning and churning and thumping and banging... gosh she is terrible when she cannot sleep... I sometimes think at home maybe we will have to get twin beds so she don't keep me up. Maybe I will just tell her to drag her carcass out to the living room and sleep on the couch... after all, they are comfortable.
Anyway, we missed the 7am mass at the church so now she wants to go to the 8:30 mass... I could miss it but won't.
After we get back home we will see what the afternoon brings... if the weather clears, we might go to SM Mall.
~ Say what you mean
Mean what you say...
Friday, July 8, 2011
My last 'Full day' here... off to Oregon tomorrow
Saturday morning, 7:55 AM. This is my last Saturday here in the Philippines, tomorrow evening it's off to the airport and then a few minutes after midnight I depart to Seoul for a 10+ hour layover then we go to San Francisco for yet another 10+ hour layover and then finally take off for Portland and the 2 hour drive home... Been a very interesting and happy and frustrating year to say the least.
I bring home with me the fact that I am once again married and a father to grown children and Grandfather to one new grandson... I can honestly say that at 67 years of age this is a remarkable undertaking for me... I cannot say that my life is dull at this time... fading into old age with no pomp or circumstance just was not in my plans... I am young at heart and hopefully the good Lord will have at least another 35 years for me to play the game.
When it is finally time for me to check out of this life hotel, I will take with me many fine memories and hopefully I can leave good memories behind me also... I know my wife and children (present tense) will have a much better chance at a good life because of me having been in their life. I am far from perfect and need tuning up all the time but I ain't a half bad ride... After all, only one perfect man ever walked this earth and he and no-one else is my constant mentor... Thank you God for all you have allowed me to experience, the good and the bad have shaped me and give me reason to continue my quest...
Nora is currently having some of Gareth's famed ailment but she is going to Divine to buy food and will stop at the pharmacy and get some ducolax to take care of that... she is a very regular person so this is a little out of character for her.
Just about 15 minutes ago we had a heavy but short squall run thru, thoroughly dampening everything and causing our ceiling to leak once again... I won't miss that!!!
Sad/Happy I guess is the internal mood that I am experiencing at the moment, but I will be so busy once home that I won't have time to moan and cry about things...
If more happens worth writing about today I will surely let you know...
~ Say what you mean
Mean what you say...
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Open an account for Jenny and deposit funds...
Yesterday was truly a good day, Nora did laundry, I helped her a little and so did Jenny.
We got a chance to talk to Jenny some and tell her the things that she needs to be careful of, especially letting people her know anything about her financial situation... unfortunately, if they know she has a budget, they will all try to borrow from her and that would cause big problems for her. We told her to keep any information about how much she gets and what she has available strictly to herself... no friends or relatives should know anything about her finances.
Today, Nora and I and Jenny will be going to open an account for Jenny at BDO bank so that I can set up a recurring transfer thru what ever means I choose to fund her budget each month... that way she doesn't have to get the entire amount into her hands at one time, rather she can debit the account on a weekly basis which leaves the brunt of her budget safe in the bank... easy to lose money.
I will be putting the abundance of the money I had sent over here in either Jennys account or Nora's. We will discuss that.
We slept good last night, it has remained cooler since the low pressure areas have been around.
Nora told me yesterday that she wants to buy the ingredients to make spaghetti, she knows it is one of my favorite dishes here that she makes. We will likely go to a movie also if there is something good showing. It will be our last one until she is in the States.
Weather looks a little on the hazy side, it seems to go to hell in the afternoons.
••• Went to SM Mall and opened an account for JennyLyn at the BDO bank and deposited 100,000p (we will use a lot of that to buy Nora and kids plane tickets... but safer in the bank than here at home. She will be able to access her budget funds via a ATM card or going to the counter.
Have a great day everyone...
~ Say what you mean Mean what you say...
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Thursday, clothes day, laundry etc... yuk!!!
Thursday already... Sunday will come quickly now. It is 7:36 AM now, I just finished my morning bath and am updating, as you can see, this daily journal...
Nora just brought me coffee, she woke with a pounding headache this morning, we had no water so I got up and went in the back factory and got a bottle full of water and then returned and gave Nora an excedrin... that usually gets rid of the headaches pretty fast... always works for me, much better than tylenol or asprin.
Today will be a day of laundry as there is really nothing much we can do until it is time for Nora's interview.
I see the neighbor lady building a pile of trash just on the other side of the short cement wall that separates our compound and the open field in front of this apartment. She will soon set it on fire and then the air will stink while it smoulders, trying to burn damp items and plastic bags and containers... The air here, that we breath is in my estimation quite dangerous with all the toxins that are released thru the burning of garbage, exhaust from all the ill-tuned vehicles and 2-cycle motor scooters... it is most of the time so bad that you really need to cover your mouth and nose with a rag to help filter out the smoke.
Yesterday was a pretty up day for everyone, the kids really like the visa page of their passports and Nora is so happy that they have them. Now just waiting for her to get hers and all will be good, I told her that I want her on a plane as quickly as is possible after they attend the CFO seminar for departing Filipinos that she and the kids must attend.
We will go to the Mall on Saturday, I need to print out Nora's confirmation email for her interview appointment and we will go to another movie I would imagine.
Today, Nora and I will set Jenny down and hopefully give her some insight on how to conduct her affairs while she is here, especially those concerning her budget... We plan to warn her from ever talking about how much money she is getting or has and to never loan anyone any money at all... people here have great intentions of repaying, but it never happens and Jenny will not have enough to give to anyone else. Alex and Ana would be on her to borrow just like they did me.
This will be some learning experience for her.
Well so much for this days entries which actually just a summation of yesterday and declaration of intent for today... WoWeeeeeeee !!!
••• A moment ago, just after I penned this days entry, the sky opened up and a Monsoon dumped a ton of water in an exceedingly heavy downpour... now it is stopped but more will come because of a large low pressure area that is passing over this region...
~ Say what you mean Mean what you say...
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Hopefully the end at St. Lukes will be today...
Yesterday was a Great day, starting out with the email that informed us the children had been issued their Visa's... the day progressed pretty good I must say... Nora finally got thru to St. Lukes clinic so she will be going there this morning for her vaccinations and to be released from St. Lukes clinic.
Last night, I got online and connected to the US Embassy to make the Visa interview appt. for Nora, would you not believe it, the first opening they have now is Aug 2. That means that she will not receive her visa until at least Aug 7, then she has to go to the CFO seminar for departing filipinos (her and the kids) the seminar is only two hours but takes nearly a day to complete and costs an additional 650p per person... She attend the CFO seminar until she has the visa as they need to stamp it with a seal to prove she attended it... it is all tied together here, politics, graft and whatever else can complicate a process they have down to a fine art here.
Nora's latest worry is that her Taiwan police clearance will not be valid because it is from 2009... it should be valid because she has not left the Philippines since getting it but who knows what the consular will say. Her medical is only good for 3 months after the last sputum results were released (June 14) so she has to leave the country before Sept 14 or she will have to do the whole medical process over again... I am praying that all is OK,
Nicholas is back on FaceBook it appears and he sure seems nice. I have missed chatting with him and hope to renew that experience once I get home. I miss the little shit.
Hope that all goes well at St. Lukes clinic for Nora today, having that finished will be wonderful.
A chicken just walked in front of our doorway and took a shit... Gosh, I will really miss these wonderful experiences when I leave (NOT).
~ Say what you mean
Mean what you say...
Monday, July 4, 2011
Tuesday... waiting for St. Luke and the Embassy. Good news would be nice.
HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY AMERICA... Even though here in the Philippines it is actually now the 5th. 15 hours difference in time.
All US government offices were closed yesterday here in the Metro Manila area so the US Embassy was also closed... nothing to get or hear from them... Hope that we hear from them today.
Nora will call St. Lukes clinic again today to see if she can get her vaccinations and finish there so I can hopefully schedule her for her Visa interview for next week.
I also hope that we hear about the childrens Visa's this week, the Embassy has had the paperwork for over two weeks now...
We slept pretty good weatherwise, but Nora is in worry mode now about the visa's so she was having trouble getting her mind to unwind and let her slip into restful sleep... she eventually did after beating the hell out of the sheets with her tossing vocanic little body all over the place...
Hope and pray that we get some positive news today, I want to be able to go to the Airport on Sunday with a positive note...
Yesterday evening, I gave Kenneth 2,000p to take to Marilao and pay the electric bill for last month...
••• Here is the kind of message you like to get from the Government...
We are pleased to inform you that immigrant visas were issued to Mark and Joyce Balisbis on June 30, 2011. The visa packets will be delivered to the applicants’ designated address by guaranteed courier service. Immigrant Visa Correspondence Unit Consular Section U.S. Embassy, Manila 1201 Roxas Boulevard 1000 Manila, Philippines Telephone: (632) 301-2000 Fax: (632) 301-2591 /mbp -----Original Message----- From: ~ denny [mailto:gambuchi@gmail.com] Sent: Monday, July 04, 2011 1:14 PM To: Manila IV Correspondence Unit Subject: Balisbis,Mark Kenneth MNL2011699062 CR-2 pri date N/A -- Balisbis,Joyce Anne MNL 2011699063 CR-2 pri date N/A Can you please report the current status of these two cases? Thank you sincerely, Dennis R Stanley ~ Say what you mean Mean what you say...
Sunday, July 3, 2011
My last Monday here in the philippines...
Here, it is already 4 July, and also it will be a good day, but the Holiday we Americans celebrate is yet to come in the USA. That my partiotic friends has yet to dawn. But celebrate it we will, as Americans of a Free Country... This is the first one I will have missed in many a year, actually since I was in VietNam so many years ago.
Here, they don't celebrate the fourth of July as we do as it is not Independence day here, they already had theirs...
Today is starting like yesterday, primarily a clear sky but some distant clouds and just a tad hazy...
We slept good considering the weather was cooler.
Alex is being tricky now about money, I told him the other day I don't like him talking to Nora about borrowing money, it is my money and he thinks that he can convince her to get me to loan the money... that is just plain chickenshit and backstabbing as far as I am concerned. Just now Nora asked me if I would loan her 2,000p and when I pressed her for the reason, it was to loan it to Alex... who faithfully promised her he would pay it back tomorrow... but tomorrow doesn't always come in a timely fashion... I don't like people who go behind my back to get something... and then he asked Ana to ask Nora, really manly of him...
I just finished coffee and an egg/toast sandwich for breakfast... just before that, I had a heart to heart talk with Joyce about her displays of stubborness that have been rising lately with Nora... I told her that I would not stand for any of the children disrespecting Nora or I and that even if they are mad there is no excuse for raising their voices to their parents... period. She acknowledged it and I made certain that she knew that I was not going to put up with it. Hopefully that will curb those outbursts... I also need to retrain Nora to not always elevate her voice when talking to her children or me for that matter...
Nora is buying fish for lunch or dinner from one of the walk-thru vendors that frequent the neighborhood on a daily basis...
Nora is to call St. Lukes clinic this morning about 10am to see when she can get her vaccinations and complete the remedical... shots are all she is lacking. Then I can schedule her a Visa interview appt.
I will continue this later should more happen worth penning...
••• Even though it goes against my better judgment, when Ana came to me and asked to borrow 2,000p until tomorrow morning and solemly promised me that it will be repaid tomorrow morning, I finally relented and loaned it to her...
~ Say what you mean Mean what you say...
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Next Sunday is my last one here in the philippines...
Tomorrow is Independence Day, "The Fourth of Juy" in America, the day we celebrate the independence of the United States... a great Holiday that will be celebrated all over the country...
Today starts out with mostly blue skies and at 6:27 AM that is a good way to start out a Sunday morning.
Nora and I went to the Mall yesterday and we saw the movie 'Transformers' which was a well done movie of the Robotic based theme. It was hard for me to follow some of the story lines but I got the gist of it down pretty good... Nora really enjoyed it and we are sending the kids to see it today...
We stopped and had lunch at a Filipino version of Kenny Rodgers restaurant, I have yet to have a meal at the mall that I actually really enjoyed... I endure them as they are the choices available but at each setting I find myself comparing them to the cuisine that is available to me in the United States.. There really is no comparison though. I will soon be back to normal Progresso ingestion and utensils that make sense to me and not seeing people eat with their fingers which sufficed in years gone past but seems a little pre historic to me presently...
'Twill be an interesting transition for my family to make although they do eat with utinsils most of the time it is a fork and spoon with the noticeable absense of a knife... the particulars of a meas are not cut with a knife but rather kitchen shears... effective but different to me.
We slept good last night, the weather having cooled and the oppressive humidity having given us a break.
I finished yet another book, this one called 'Bubba and the Dead Woman', unlike it's title, it really was a descent book.
We will go to early Mass at the church this morning and scoot the kids off right after lunch...
Hoping you have a great day...
~ Say what you mean
Mean what you say...
Friday, July 1, 2011
Time is passing... quicker now as the day approaches...
Amour is a compelling and driving elixir of the good life, that which clouds the minds of men and women alike (and small dogs and bunnies too). The affection shown by my wife in the last few days has been nothing short of amazing... the reality of the pending separation I am sure is the driving force for this most welcome display. I would love to keep that feeling 24/7/365 to coin a modern but much overused phrase...
Today we shall venture forth once more to the world of overcrowded malls and human masses... a movie and Nora also gave me a list of at least a dozen things she wants to eat... amazing lady she is, but her eyes are always bigger than her tummy. We will eat lunch there, but not quite to the excess she envisions.
Yesterday I received the last of the 3 deliveries of cash from RemitHome, $3,000 total American funds a little over 120,000p in Philippines money... it varies daily, the last delivery was 50p down from the other two...
I wanted to have enough to hopefully pay for the airline tickets and any other fees that will mysteriously appear as we weedle our way thru the remaining hoops to getting my family home...
We did not get anything from the Embassy last week except for when I sent an email query as to the state of Kenneth's visa and was informed that it had been forwarded to a consular for review... I have no idea where it is in the queue as I am sure there are many to be sorted thru... Hopefully we will receive information in the coming week of a positive nature... I also hope to schedule Nora's Visa interview either she gets her vaccinations on hopefully monday or Tuesday at the latest. It will likely be for the 2nd week in July.
In this wonderful endeavor, the only certainty is uncertainty. But with high spirits and a raised blade I go forth to make my way thru the jungles of foreign governmental buearacuracy... sludging most likely in the quicksands that mire the real estate...
Chin up old chap... things ALWAYS could be worse...
~ Say what you mean
Mean what you say...