Land Ho! Day 2 in my new home: Singapore. I'm writing this in our room at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel, a three minute walk from our Condo unit. While we're setting up our new place of abode we'll be staying here for 2 more nights before we finally start habitating the place. For now, let me catch my breath as I unload the recent events of note.
How we finally got here could only be described as "photo-finish." It has been a crazy week before we boarded that one-way flight to where I am right now. I have to keep reminding myself that it's not over yet. Just yesterday we underwent the back-breaking task of moving a total of 10 items consisting of boxes and lugggage from our condo unit in Manila, to the airport, then to our condo unit here. In a few more days our cargo shipment will be released by the Customs Department, then the movers will finally finish their job off by unloading them to our place. Think of this moment as an eye in the storm. You bet it's going to be crazy again. Amidst the quiet, I am going through a list of arming myself with the tools required to get into the system: Credit Cards, Bank Accounts, EZ Link Cards and whatnot. We've already hooked up our cable, and our telephone line and internet connection should be ready within the week. There are still a number of items we need to purchase, from little knickknacks such as Power Adapters, to an assortment of furniture. With the way things are going, I guess we should be settled in a week and a half.
The flurry of events last week wasn't as bad as we thought it would be. We managed to tick off everything in our daily list, and even rejoiced on a bit of good news. Flashback to last Monday, where I went through the painful process of handing Pearl's ignition keys to an accountant by the name of Jocel. I got my wish that Pearl would end up in good hands. That guy has a good vibe in him, unlike those car dealers that I had to brush off. It turned out really well.
Let's talk about last Tuesday as it deserves a good narrative, since it really gave me and my family the scare of our lives. Remember my microlaryngeal surgery? I went to see the doctor after 5 days so he may assess how the wound was. He assured me that by then the wound would have healed nicely, and proceeded to inspect it using an endoscope. Bad news. Another lump seems to have formed around the wound, and this alarmed him so, prompting him to make calls to the diagnostics lab where I brought my polyp sample and demand that they be swift with the results. Alas, we were told to sit and wait for another week before they could identify that polyp. On top of my antibiotics, he prescribed me with steroids, and gave me a more potent drug to address my acid reflux. I was so distressed I slept sleepless nights. I'm a voice-over by profession, this can't happen to me! I talked to my sister and my Davao-based Mom, asking for prayers. I even bent my fraternity brothers' ears, they too were quick to give words of encouragement and offered their prayers. My mom, a devout Catholic, lit candles everyday, while my sister offered to accompany me to my next doctor's appointment.
Only my sister's warm presence cheered me up during that cold, typhoon-riddled Tuesday. In spite of the uncomfortable weather, her pregnancy, and how hard it is to get to that hospital, she took the day off and rode a cab to be with me in one of my most trying times. I will never forget how supportive she was, sharing her thoughts on how it couldn't be that bad based on her inquiries with her fellow doctors in the field of ENT. I will never forget how we heaved a sigh of relief when the doctor gasped in wonder and announced how the wound on my vocal folds have suddenly healed perfectly. I will never forget how the doctor was genuinely relieved he wanted to take the day off, suggesting that his day has already been made. I will never forget how my sister and I celebrated in a local restaurant called Razon's, feasting on their authentic Pampanga Sisig and their Halo-halo with ice shavings crushed to powdery perfection. No other ceremony seems fit to gratify such piece of good news, considering that one's appetite returns in full force.
By Wednesday the biopsy results came out. This time my younger brother was my pillar of strength. He personally got that piece of paper, and we read it together in the car along with my wife. That polyp turned out to be benign and not something to be worried about. My mom and my sister rejoiced and offered prayers of thanks. My batchmates were ecstatic as well. There's just so much love in the air.
With this new lease in life, the rest of the week came rushing like a blur. Last minute shopping lists, items being packed, items sold, items thrown out, payables paid, collectibles collected, authorization letters, termination of certain utilities, not to mention evening socials in the form of going-away parties. Having very thoughtful friends is a decent price to pay for the terrible hangover I got last Saturday morning as I drove my wife's Ford Escape to her new owner. By lunchtime we were loading up the assortment of boxes and luggage, and heading out to the airport. The hardest part was finally over.
So now I have finally come to the opening of a new chapter in my life. My senses are in discovery mode, absorbing every bit of detail in this strange land so I may rightfully call it my home. A mixture of electrifying excitement and a certain degree of sadness lingers in me though. I am sorely missing my sister and my brother in Manila, and moreso my Mom in Davao. If only I can take them with me wherever I go. But fate has manifested time and again that this particular litter stray far far away from the pack. The same fate that tells us that everything will be all right. The world beckons. I say we shake a leg.
12Aug07/ Singapore
