Boxed In.

How do you bring in your stuff to Manila? You have them delivered door-to-door. The waiting time is about one and half months.

Cost from Toronto is about CAD $ 60.00. From San Jose, California, it's USD $45 for a smaller box, and from Seattle, a whooping USD$65.

I thought that it would be cheaper shipping from the West Coast, but the Seattle figure disproved it. In all places, you get a replacement box each time you ship one.

I'd been shipping stuff since late last year, and it'd not been easy. And then, once the hardware get here, there's the problem of wattage conversion, from 110 to 220.

I brought in two converters plus there are two outlets in the house which are 110, but I've been experiencing fuse blow ups. Two small appliances already blew up, and two got faulty. Now, I'm scared to plug the more expensive ones.

I think it's got to do with Meralco having disruptive service or sometimes low input, much like water service. During the day, water pressure is low.

My laptop is also 110, but so far, because of its lower watt requirement, I've never had a problem. The toaster eats up a lot of wattage; the rice cooker, low; the coffee maker got burnt out, and a small radio decided to quit on me. I have a small refrigerator plugged directly into a 110 but now it sits in the dining area when I wanted it in the bedroom.

Small, seemingly insignificant things remain inside a box, and lots more have been left in Canada.

Having two countries of residence is no simple stuff. If I had been rich, it would be easy, but I am not. So I stay disoriented most of the time, unlike perhaps the "snow birds" who stay in Canada six months and migrate to Florida six months of each year. The two cities are about two days apart in driving time.

It's difficult being boxed in. Life's suddenly become a coop.

At stake is a lifetime.