TBK Tells- Unpacking was just the start of the journey!

 

Alvin sorts out 20 years worth of Nails , screws and curtain hooks for my new tool box!

For some reason I did not believe someone when they said that unpacking my belongings after 14 months in storage ( and 16 months after they were packed in Bahrain ) was just the start of the journey.

There were so many "little jobs" I wanted to do back in Bahrain but never found the time. I kept Procrastinating ( putting off until tomorrow what can be done today) spending hours on Facebook and chatting rather than doing all the jobs on my list. Some of my former students and colleagues are laughing as they read this! "  But sir, you used to teach us to " Eat that Frog" and avoid procrastination !"

I am reminded of a phrase I often heard while teaching for 40 years.

"Those wo cannot do, Teach!"

    First I needed two tall boys to clean the high windows at the front of the house!

So I decided that now I am retired it was time to turn over a new leaf and once the boxes were unpacked sort everything out!

Alvin sorted all the scrapbooks into year order from 2010 to 2022 and then numerical order, ready for the new bookcases to arrive. Moy books were cleaned and organised by subject ( Leadership, Fiction, Travel, Cookery ) and by height.

      Alvin sorts out the 144 scrapbooks I bought from Bahrain by year

I sorted out my folders of recipes as some got damaged over the long period in storage. I bought 10 new folders and reorganised and filed all the undamaged Pension, work , savings, UK Tax, Bank etc. information . I made new files for my new life in Palawan ( I saw Phil smile when he read that) with sections for the water and electricity bills, my landlord, bank and equipment receipts and manuals. Alvin even downloaded the Operating Manual for the oven on line when DES could not find it!

Just before my regular readers think " this is all going a bit smoothly, that's unusual" I discovered that Filipino folders are bigger than English ones ( whose measurements I had given to Rodel to make the bookcases!) and the holes are in different places requiring a new hole punch ( donating the UK one to Alvin). He  has now taken over Corleen's role of " Don't throw that away Tatay, I can use it" . He then he takes them home and sells them . Did I tell you the story about when Corleen sold the 100 envelopes I gave him for free and Drew sold the sports wear I bought him to loose weight in ?!

        The Filipinos are very fussy eaters, they have to have rice with everything

The next big task was to start practicing cooking Filipino food again. Jhoanna and I had a cookery class at Poochies Kitchen in 2020 and I used to cook adobo for Corleen and Sinigang for Jesus in Bahrain. However I had to get used to my new cooker, find all the ingredients ( no easy task in Puerto Princessa) and then satisfy my Filipinos friends palates . My houseboys in Bahrain were from Mindanao but the Palawenos like more sugar and less vinegar, and for things to be sweeter. However Alvin, like Corleen, wants his meat ( in my opinion) overcooked. He even told me off for putting water in the rice before he was ready to cook it!

  I tried giving my friends healthy food like Rainbow fruit salad and organic Yogurt

I dusted off my Pinoy recipe books, decided which dishes to cook and listed the ingredients I needed. I am still struggling with the currency here. Back in Bahrain I out everything on my credit card and did not really look at how much I was spending . I had a tax free income, free fuel, free house and plenty of money. Here in the Philippines, thanks to COV 19 meaning I had to pay for hotels and apartments for a year before I could get here. The Blue house only had 2 beds and 2 wardrobes plus a few tables, benches and chairs so I had to spend over 200,000 peso ( 1424 BHD  or £30) on furniture, equipment, rent, security deposit. car hire etc. 

     My lovely little hire car with Matilda and I at SM Mall- Photo by Rhoda

In Bahrain I would typically spend 60 to 100 bd a week on food shopping ( about 10,000 pesos) . Because the bank notes are for larger amounts here ( 1,000 pesos is the most commonly used - about 7 bd or £10) I would go shopping with 5,000 peso in my wallet and then have to borrow from my friends! One day Alvin had to run to the car for his money and Rhoda had to pay the rest on G cash! So now I realise I need to allow about 10,000 to 15, 000 for my weekly shopping. Before my local Pinoy friends start protesting I hate shopping, especially in Puerto where it can take 30 to 45 mins to pay at the till, so I buy 2 weeks food at a time. I then cook sufficient for 4 to 6 people of each dish , eat some and freeze the rest. So my 10,000 peso worth of shopping may last 4 weeks.

             Julius, Jullymar and Jhoanna enjoying their Halo Halo

So as my guests did not like my Tuna Niçoise Salad, Avocado salad, watermelon salad, Sweet and sour red cabbage, etc. I started cooking Manok and Baboy Adobo ( which got a "Delicious" from Jullymar!) , Frittata, Menudo, Innihaw na Baboy, Lechon Kawali etc.  Julius even took over as Chief Ball Maker ( a job that Corleen had for 8 years) rolling minced pork balls for the wontons in the Molo soup that we made with Jhoanna. I have also made about 20 Halo Halo over the last month which everyone loves!

 

                                            My Halo Halo station!

As well as cooking at home we have been discovering the local restaurants and take away services and having deliveries of Leche Flan ( for the Halo Halo) , Organic Yogurt ( for my Berry Parfait ) and the occasional meal from Gracie at Poochies kitchen. Our favourites so far are, in order, Kinnabuch, Badjao seafront, Senordamla at the Microtel and the Lugaw and Itlog place! Ka Joel was disappointingly slow and very uncomfortable as I had to sit on the floor ( not easy with a hip replacement) and , another restaurant, which advertised the best steaks in Puerto Princessa and then after we arranged to go, sat and ordered said they did not have any steak, so we walked out and will never return. 

                    A very gwapo looking Kuya Alvin at Badjao Seafront 

So looking back on my first month in the Blue house I think the most exciting part was receiving my hand made to measure bookcases and finally clearing all the piles of books , scrapbooks, filing etc. from the floor! My special thanks o Rodel Furniture for the excellent quality work, done to my specifications, in just two weeks, delivered and polished and they fitted the space exactly! great Job guys and I will be dropping the money off when I finally get it from the UK this week. 

 Like they say on the card, Low cost and High Quality- thoroughly recommended!

 In answer to your question MJ " Have a bookcase made especially to fit them!"

Of course there is still lots to be done once I can get access to my Compass Pension in the UK- like pay off the 1.4 million pesos of debt run up while waiting to get access to my money! I still need to find a CD player, et more CD racks made ( By Rodel hopefully) , get my camera back from Manila where its having open heart surgery, get my printer back from the HP repair shop on the edge of Puerto ( special  thanks so much to Arjen for taking me to so many printer repair shops before we finally found one qualified for the job!), Then there's the new lenses and drone to buy with Luis, his photography workshop for Arjen and I, my video editing tutorials, our trips to Alimanguan, Coron and Cuyo, and getting my puppy dog from Adam. The second ( and third) Babikayan boxes still have to arrive and be unpacked so at last Grecil can get HER 21st Birthday present, and we have gifts to deliver for Grecil , Mama Jam, Cyrus, Chalsee and Kit. 

So, like I said, unpacking was just the start of the journey.

Stay tuned as the adventure continues to unfold.

I will end with a picture of one of the other great things I love about the Blue house- the sunsets and the garden

           Sunset from my spare room- don't forget to book well in advance 

My beautiful garden with Dessert roses and Calachuchi just like in Bahrain - spooky!

This is the British Kabayan signing out form the Blue house, wishing you Ingat Palagi and Kita Kits