3 Months and ...

... Counting

I have just returned to Manila after my trip to Canada. I was away for 24 days but it feels like I've been gone for months.

What a trip this has been! Living out of my suitcase, I visited 5 cities/towns. 8 hotel beds, 6 flights, 1 train ride, 1 bus ride due to a diversion when a train derailed and lots of driving up and down Vancouver Island between Victoria and up-island. I saw my mother-in-law, The Boys and lots of friends along the way, some I hadn't seen in the 4 years we've been away.  It was gratifying to see that they still remembered me. I crossed more time zones than I can bear to think of. I read this morning that it takes one day to recover from jet lag for each time zone crossed.  I don't believe that but if it does turn out to be true, I should be out for the count until mid-April.

I was very discombobulated (technical term) for most of the time, and it seemed to get worse the longer I was there. What day is it? What time is it? Where do I go next? Not only did my computer and 2 cell phones (1 Philippines, 1 British Columbia) all have different times on them, I was there during the March 15th time change and every hotel room I went in to had a least one clock that hadn't been re-set. Why didn't I correct them myself? Well you might ask. I couldn't. The clock radio settings had me completely mystified and if I can't figure it out within the first 60 seconds, I give up. Fortunately I had with me a calendar print-out of my itinerary that I had to refer to constantly to figure out what day it was and what I was doing next. That was hard enough. Keeping track of hours was way beyond me. Perhaps I should write a song about "Does anyone really know what time it is?" Oh. Someone has.

It became obvious that something has shifted in my core temperature over the past years in Asia. In Canada, in March, I was cold the entire time, inside and out. West Coast drizzle cold, Ottawa winter cold and everything in between. To top it off, even the 13 hour and 40 minute flight home from Vancouver to Manila was freezing. I had to wrap myself in 3 blankets as well as my own wrap which is usually sufficient. I feel like I'm permanently chilled to the marrow and have yet to run the air conditioner. However I have returned to what is Philippine summer so no doubt in a short time I'll be complaining about the heat. After all, I am Canadian, and complaining about the weather is a national character trait.

Patti Austin

I lost a crown and a diamond along the way. I developed a huge crush on Patti Austin and sought out every old CD of hers in used music stores. Also following that particular path I found a fantastic concert DVD of the Quincy Jones 75 birthday celebration at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 2008. I've been bopping along to both Patti and Quincy's "The Dude" on my iPod all the way home.

Now back in Manila, we are truly into the home stretch. Our time in Asia is coming to an end. We are officially finished here on June 30th and will be returning to Canada shortly after. 3 more months, and counting. Although usually I try to avoid them, being retired and all, I feel "to do" lists coming on.

Dentist for the crown, jeweler for the diamond and surgery to remove and biopsy a nasty lump on my arm. Which reminds me of something. A friend of mine who used to live in Bangkok told me that it was fairly common to find her expat friends mysteriously disappear for a month or so just before they were scheduled to leave. Medical tourism, cosmetic surgery. Will I? Would I tell you? (Just kidding).

Reupholster a couch or two, design and have a couple of pieces of furniture made, get some remaining art pieces framed. I need to dispose of all the 220 volt appliances and get rid of a couple of large furniture pieces we won't take back with us. Although we did a huge purge before coming here, I still need to do it again, especially with all the papers and books and magazines that have accumulated over these years. Lots of clothes to give away. I need to find a mover, book the move and oversee that. Go to Taiwan. Go to Viet Nam. See my friends. Play mah jong while I still can.

"To do" lists are making me exhausted. Time for a nap.