Island Girl

After I met the husband (then fiance), I was working in a food manufacturing company in Laguna. I was on contract but I plan on applying for a permanent position when the company had an opening which I thought I was qualified for. But then he fate had other plans for me so even with that possibility and a job offer from Pepsi Cola I decided to stay put and wait for what will happen next. It was a risk waiting for somebody I haven’t seen in person but he was worth it. Allow me to be biased here okay? After all he is my husband

Anyway, prior to that job in Laguna I applied for jobs in Manila. I thought about working on the mall as a cashier while waiting for the next licensure exam so I can take it. Not that I know anything about POS systems but I figured they will surely train me. As it turned out, I was not even considered for the job. For one, I was overqualified academically wise and the other reason as hard as it seem to understand, is that I was too short to be a cashier. In the Philippines you have to be a certain height so you can be hired to work in malls either as a cashier or a sales associate. Of course it didn’t help that I did not have any experience. Luckily I was accepted right away in Laguna which was a blessing. Although the other applicants thought I should not even have passed the first interview because of my height (again!). Well, what they didn’t know was that I was more than qualified for the job, in fact they were looking for people like me. You see, I worked as a quality assurance inspector which was in line with what I went to college for.

It has been years and the feeling of working outside of the home is already vague but I still remember some of my friends in Laguna and the experiences I had of the place. I doubt if I even still remember the way to the house where I lived for six months But whenever I think about the place it brings back good memories. My first “real” job, although did not pay much, gave me the freedom I needed at the time.

After a day of being with family just relaxing and eating and talking, the husband has to go back to work for today. We thought he will be off today but work called and he can’t really say no. Thankfully, the next two days will be his days off so it is not really that bad. Since it is just me and the little man (and the teenager who rarely gets out of his room) I decided to clean the house so it will be presentable for the weekend. I just finished cleaning and now I am doing a few loads of laundry which should be done in a few hours. I am getting ready for the weekend so I can devout my time to the husband and the little man. I hope the little man will take a nap so I can watch my favorite television series without interruption.

I have thought about putting up a business when we come across enough resources. That will probably not happen until a few years later but I am not losing hope. I know it will eventually happen if the husband and I will stick to our plan. And with God’s blessings as well. Anyway, I have been thinking of buying into a popular fast food franchise in the Philippines but that will require a lot of money. Perhaps someday. There is nothing wrong in hoping for a better future right? I thought about coffee franchises but I don’t think it will be a hit in the rural area. Besides, filipinos are not that into coffee yet. At least not where they have to pay for it. Maybe one of these days we will get lucky.

I woke up around dawn with the husband thrashing in bed. He had a nightmare and he acted like he was fighting something or somebody. I woke him up and when he looked at me in the dark hugged me and said he had the awfullest dream. He told me that he dreamed immigration officers busted our doors to get to me so I can be deported because of a communicable disease. He said he begged them not to but it seemed like they didn’t listen. Which explained the sound I heard which actually woke me up. I could tell he was shaken. I pacified him and told him that will not happen since I already passed the medical exams done prior to my visa issuance. It was just a nightmare we know but sometimes a person can’t really help but worry. He went back to sleep holding my hand and I was about to doze off again when the little man climbed in our bed and snuggled between us. Of course he didn’t stay quiet for a long time and started tossing and turning which made us decide to get up and start the day early.

I am hungry. I know I need to eat instead of yapping about it online but I am afraid I will eat a lot. You know how the cold weather and food go together. The colder it gets, the hungrier a person is. Of course we always give in and eat. That is why there is a term such as winter storage referring to the bulge in the tummy area. That is what I am afraid to get, not that I don’t have it now although it is somewhat disappearing. Or so I am thinking. Hays, maybe I can minimize my food intake. Or else I will have to use Fenterdren to get rid of excess fat. I know the husband dreads to bring me and the little man to go walk because he knows I will be complaining about the cold and runny nose. I better stop talking and eat. Ta ta.

It’s unfair! It is sunny and pretty outside yet it is cold. The high will only be 51 degrees today and low is 33 which means it will be very cold for this little Filipina here. It makes me think of not going out for anything but I can’t stay home all day and it is the weekend after all when we run errands. I know I said to myself that I am getting used to it little by little but I still can’t help but complain from time to time. Maybe I just need to eat and like the husband said, move around to keep my blood circulating thereby making me feel warm. I told him it doesn’t work for me yet he doesn’t believe me. He must have known I am just being lazy. I hope it will get warmer as the day progresses. I hate bundling up.

The husband’s phone rings constantly. He gets calls from family and from friends. From his daughter worrying about the economy to his former co-workers asking what was wrong with the transmission they are building. And of course he gets calls from me occasionally too. Only occasional calls from me since I know he is busy with work and that he calls on me several times during the day just to check on me and the little man. What I am worried about is when his phone rings when he is driving. In as much as he hates answering the phone when he is on the road he couldn’t help but answer it especially if the call came from his kids thinking it might be important. I have told him we need to get him a bluetooth headset so he doesn’t have to be fishing for his phone when his hands are full. Bluetooth headset is a must for busy people for ease of answering any calls. I might have to think about getting him one for Christmas. I know it will take him time to get used to it but he will like it.

We are currently watching Handy Manny. Exciting isn’t it? Lol. The little man likes Disney cartoons and he screams when I change channels (unless it is to another cartoon show) so here we are. I will let him watch for a little while and then we have to turn the television off. He can only watch so much cartoons anyway. Perhaps I can watch a movie later if he gets busy with other things. I plan on doing a few loads of laundry but the washer room is outside and I don’t want to brave the cold and the numerous pots with lemon grass in there. I know I have to do it eventually I just don’t know when. The cold weather makes me lazy.