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.

Where's my coffee, Babe?

I bought a bottle of red wine and beer and the sales clerk asked for my Air Miles card. I didn't have it with me so I guessed 10 points flew by me.

A lot of business establishments give you air miles points when you purchase from them, and a lot of people have flown to places by redeeming air miles.

The only air miles I've used are the Northwest and now, that of Delta Airlines.

Yesterday as I was driving back to Toronto from Ohio, and stopped for gas, food and bathroom, all the rest areas were full. Yes, it's the height of the travel season - by land, by air and by sea.

When booking for air travel, it is best to do it early; you'd get your ticket at a much cheaper rate, and if you book yourself, you can choose your seat. When going home to the Philippines, I've always flown by Northwest; once I tried Air Canada and the old Canadian Airlines. And then another time, I flew by Cathay.

One time, the Northwest flight I took made its stop at Narita and experienced engine trouble, so we were checked into a hotel for an overnight stay; the bad thing became a good thing, because we got rested and were feeling refreshed when we made a midday instead of a midnight landing at the NAIA.

Toronto, Canada to the Philippines is about 8,220 miles or 13, 228 kms. or 7, 143 nautical miles. The direction is north west.

On this 19-hour flight, I get to drink about 7 cups of coffee. And then once in hot Manila, I get to drink more.

Manilans (or is it still Manilenos) love their coffee, that's why the pick-up line "Can I buy you coffee? " sounds perfectly normal. The only trouble is finding that person who'd buy the line.
Here's a guide for tourists planning on using the coffee pick up line.

There are about 1,581,082 individuals living in Manila right now (gender breakdown unknown). There are about 100 Starbucks in the Philippines; there's a Starbucks at Rockwell mall and one at the Glorietta 4 ; there's a Starbucks at a Fully Booked bookstore. Other Starbucks locations are in Greenbelt ( 1 and 3), Shangri La, SM Mega Mall and Metro Walk.

You'd need a week and tons of coffee to scout all these coffee places. Your Air Miles could not be accepted in these places. Your dream date maybe in some other coffee place. Or drinking another fluid. Or may not even be in Manila.

If you'd drank enough coffee to fill up two airplane gas tanks, you'd be better off cancelling the coffee pick up line, and better heading to a drugstore to buy a sedative or laxative. There are plenty of big and small drugstores in Manila; there's Mercury and Commander and the no frills types. You might be better off dating a pharmacist. Or a sales clerk. At least they're already opposite you at the counter.

But if you really want to find a coffee-drinking girl, I suggest this: start flashing your passport at a Mall, and if you get arrested by security and taken to jail, you might get published in a tabloid. Then you can announce that you won't leave the country without your Manila coffee mate.