Aug 06 2008
Turtles Don’t Keep Junk in Their Closets
So six years of married life, all of those spent in Cambodia, and heaps and heaps of stuff, both junk and precious (mostly junk), managed to sprout out like mushrooms. And now that it’s time to go back to the Philippines, like turtles, we have to carry our entire home on our backs. So comes the impossible task of decluttering.
Yes, I’ve finally got off my lazy butt (see this post) and for an entire month, we’ve spent hours and hours sorting and arguing about what to keep, what to throw away, what to store in our parents’ house (the junk, mostly), what to store in the warehouse (while the our new home is not yet ready), what to leave behind in Cambodia with Honey who will stay there for a month after I leave, and what to bring to our spanking-new condo, where my dreams of minimilastic living are rapidly disintegrating. We’ve got boxes and boxes of books, clothes, bags, shoes… I mean, we only go shopping once a year… where did all this stuff come from anyway?
Sure, the packers/shippers packed everything. But we had to sort out the stuff first before they came. We have six years worth of invitations and Christmas cards (most of which were from 2004 to 2005 when we didn’t have a boss in the office so Honey was the acting boss (only in the office as at home, I was the boss!).
Then, we have books…
And these are my six years of notebook diaries… not so complete as I also have journal entries in the laptop and in my Alphasmart Neo.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. We have plates, sheets, a billion files (Honey actually wants to keep our electric bills from way back in 2002), unopened gifts, old coffeemakers, ladles, woks, and a lot of things that are unlabelable.
The staff in the office were secretly smug and satisfied as they have received about ten boxes of clothes and shoes and stuff which are still quite nice, they didn’t want to give it up to charity just yet. In our last day in our apartment, they got all the left-over olive oil, ketchup, mayonnaise, rice, bacon, sausages… and all our pots and pans.
So it seems that for an entire month, we’ve been doing nothing but pack, fix shipment papers, turn-over reports, etc.. But our stuff never seem to end. Our apartment seemed like a bottomless pit. We’ve unearthed boxes of things that have never been opened since six years ago – starter sets, a heart-shaped waffle maker, dried out pens, expired Knorr hot ‘n sour soup… heck… we even found a microwave oven in one of the closets. Besides the ten boxes that we’ve given away to the office staff, we have another ten to give away here in the Philippines. Yet with all that, our shipment is still massive. Look at all the stuff the shipper packed from the apartment.
And now look at the stuff they packed from our office.
The packers were amazing. They went zip, swish, and squeesh like lightning as they packed our boxes making sure that wine glasses and closet mirrors don’t end up in a gazillion pieces when they reach the port in Manila. Sheesh… while our condo is not yet ready… we have to fit all those in my small room in Kamuning. I think we need to sleep standing up when the shipment arrives.
You guys may be wondering… yes, I’m home in the Philippines now (I have yet to change my header though as I still have a handful of Cambodia drafts to publish). Thirty-eight years old and I’m back to living off with my parents. 
Honey is still in Cambodia and will probably join me here by the end of the month. This is the hotel where he lives as we have packed up our apartment.
No silly… NOT in the Intercon… but that’s the view from his room. And yes… he has more packing to do… besides his own clothes and shoes that he has brought to his hotel room, I also left a lot of my own clothes (and make-up and stuff) which he has to pack again.
Haaaay… after we get our shipment and have settled here in Kamuning, then we have to do it all over again to move to our new house. And once that’s over, we’re already due for a foreign posting and the vicious cycle begins again. Haaay… the life of a turtle… except that turtles don’t keep junk in their closets.
- Of Packing and Unpacking
- 2006, Review of My Kurokuros
- Point of Order
- Upgraded in Jakarta
- Sharing My Life Through My Blog and Ca Kho Me
Print This Post
welcome home, toe!
Welcome Home. Six years is not a short period and whenever one is away for that long, coming back home would be such an exhilirating experience.
wow, welcome home!
grabe yang mga boxes, siguro di na kayo nakahinga sa dami hehehe
Nice naration. And yes, welecome home.
and i was really sure that was the Intercon! view pala, lol
oh, Toe, so much have been accumulated, good you didn’t have those allergies, sniffles and all.
welcome home, sabi mo nga soon to another posting, while you’re here, enjoy the pampering. kitakits?
hahaha. hirap talaga maglipat bahay lalo na overseas. kami nga nung lumipat ng bahay, mga 5 houses away lang ang layo, inabot pa ng 2 days ang lipatan at ligpitan.
welcome home. thanks for visiting my blog. you’re in my bloglist na.
omg, that’s a lot of stuff! there’s no easy way to pack up and move…when i transfered to a new apartment, i couldn’t even let go of magazines i collected for about 10 years. so i asked my mother to give them all away or sell them but only when i’m not around. the books, i kept about 50%…thanks to my cousins who willingly carried out a balikbayan box full of pocketbooks and ship it to our province. shoes, bag, old clothes, a thousand and one knick-knacks, i’m still trying to give them out every chance i get.
welcome home!
Welcome Home! Grabe, ang daming gamit na naipon within the span of six years tapos dami pang pinamigay. Naalala ko tuloy yung isa naming kakilala dito, noong nag retire siya isang container van yung pina sea freight nila.
EB na hehe.
Knorr soup and heart-shaped waffle maker? lol. You can always sell your items on ebay…. or maybe have a yard sale. Not sure if there’s such a thing in Pinas. hehehe
Welcome home! Sa Cambodia din ako nagtatrabaho but I’m here in the Philippines for vacation grabe dami nyong boxes,sabagay kami nung dumating ng cambodia 2 maleta lang dala namin now almost one year na eh dami na din naming gamit.He,he,he!
Welcome home!
Turtles don’t keep junk in their closets because they carry them at their backs. Same case with OFW’s they don’t keep them in their closets, they put them in balikbayan boxes.
Will the packers unpack and put your items where you want them to go when you arrive in Pinas ? That would be a big advantage
Good luck on your move. Take your time… I imagine a year from now you would be moving to another country again
Toink….. I just had an idea! A turtle figurine collection for Toe! =)
You must be heaving a sigh of relief now that all of the packing has been done! But I don’t want to think of the unpacking. Or have you already?
Enjoy the Philippines until your next overseas adventure!
Hey, look at it this way, unpacking all those boxes can give you something to write about (may be a post or two).
We collect junk even though we don’t shop. I don’t and I have junk to prove that somehow I had shopped. Anyway, enjoy your return and will keep waiting for more posts from you.
Welcome back.
Nasa pinas ka na pala. isang reason kaya di kami makalipat ng flat ay yang mga gamit na naipon, hirap talaga maglipat.
Goodluck sa pag-aayos naman sa new house.
Wow. Nakauwi ka na pala. Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it eventually. I’ve done those international moves quite a lot as well, so I suppose practice makes perfect in becoming a turtle.
Welcome back to home sweet home, Toe
This is just your first assignment so don’t worry you will accumulate more junk este stuff pala as you keep getting postings abroad hehehe
Good luck with the unpacking!
Wow! Galeng naman ng pagka-empake ng mga gamit niyo. Professionally done talaga! Ehem, me mga gusto ka bang ipamigay? Nandito lang ako sa tabi tabi ha? Hehehe
Thanks Jove!
Major Tom, definitely not short… when I left, I was only 32 and now, I’m 38. I couldn’t believe it.
It feels really nice to be home… it was very easy for me to get into the groove of things. 
Thanks Carlotta!
Ang dami talaga. I don’t know where they all came from. 
Thanks Shi and thanks too for visiting.
Hi Sexy Mom!
Hehe… tabi lang kami ng Intercon. 
Yes… enjoying my being spoiled and pampered to the max at the moment. 
We were well-armed with surgical masks because we do get the sniffles (and asthma) pa quite fast. Sure… I’d love to meet you! 
That was what about to say, sngl just beat me to it. I accept books, books, books. Knickknacks too. And I don’t mind having the microwave oven. haha
Sabi nila, when trying to organize things and reducing our stuff, one has to be RUTHLESS. Applies to refs and closets and the whole house and maybe even the mind.. Close your eyes and don’t think and just throw away.
Pero madaling sabihin mahirap gawin.
I have only moved homes twice in my life. Each time was a nightmare.
You .. you will have more movements ahead.
Dapat siguro lahat ng homes nyo furnished. And dont be acquisitive. hahaha
Thanks Lei, oo nga… mahirap talaga… kahit malapit lang… hindi natatapos ang trabaho. What a hassle!
Are those books part of the shipment? I can take them off your hands if you’d like. I’d pick them up myself in Kamuning when they get there too. Haha
Welcome home! It must be nice to be back home again after several years living overseas. Take care!
Luna Miranda, giving them away when you’re not around is most certainly a good idea… less pain.
KD, isang container van din ang iuuwi namin… naku, naalalala ko tuloy… mag-uunpack na next month!!!!
Wil, I think there is… pero sobra akong walang entrepreneurial bone in my body.
Hi Lanie! Hehe… cguro enjoy ka sa Toul Tompong achaka iba pang palengke sa Cambodia.
Myepinoy, you really can tell kung sino pinoy by their balikbayan boxes.
BW, yes, they’re supposed to unpack our stuff… however, our place is not yet ready so we have to put them in the warehouse in the meantime.
Gina, wow! A turtle figurine collection is great… very symbolic of our life.
Oh, yes… the thought of unpacking is giving me wicked nightmares!!! Malapit naaaaah! 
Yeah… I’m enjoying my time here in Manila.
Thanks Ewok!
Oo nga… I did write two posts na about packing… more to come when we unpack. 
Ann, oo nga… and it’s much harder for you with three kids! Naku, when you go back to the Philippines for good… malaking hakutan ‘yan.
LIW, yeah… you’ve been doing it all your life. Myself, I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to it.
E yung packing lang nga pang-vacation, nahihirapan na ko e. 
Good luck on the herculean task of moving ahead of you. I’m sure it’ll be bittersweet being back home but gone from Cambodia where you’ve been able to be your own dynamic duo. We’ll be here for you!
nakabalik ka na ng manila di pa ako nakarating ng cambodia
someday…welcome back!
daming boxes..kung may maipamimigay ka pa tumatanggap ako ng maski ano hehehehe!
Welcome Back!! Andyan ka na pala sa Republic of Kamuning. Lapit lang tayo ah. Easy easy lang muna sa pag settle. See you around!
Thanks Daphne.
Hehe… oo nga… first posting pa lang ‘yan. I don’t know what to do with future postings. :0
Snglguy, honga… bat kaya parati nas-spam yung comments mo?
Hehe… you want my old skirts? Joke lang. 
Annamanila, ay sayang… I’ve given up some books in Cambodia. But I’m also going to go through my books here in Manila. Kaya lang baka sobrang walang kuwenta na ‘yan kaya ko igi-give up.
You bet it’s hard to be ruthless… really hard to discern be cause most stuff are too junky too keep yet too sentimental to throw out. 
Hehe… yes Vera
The books are part of the shipment… but they’re going to the warehouse for now… no more space in Kamuning. But I may still declutter those. 
Panaderos, oh indeed… it is wonderful to be back home.
But I’m ready to go again after a couple of years. 
Oh, thanks so much Pinayhekmi.
I really appreciate the moral support… we definitely need it. 
Tutubi, that’s okay… I could still give you tips when you go there.
Marites, are you sure… basura na yata yung dinidispose ko e.
Cookie, oh, malapit ka lang? Maybe we could see each other around sometime.
toe, have you thought about having a yard sale for the stuff that you will not need? or here in the US, i give them away to the thrift store and get tax credit for it.
hope the move goes well.
oh my, you’re back home na. sunod na ako.
I’m also in the process of organizing and decluttering my house full of junk from five years of marriage. Five pa lang yon no. Pano pa kaya after ten or twenty. I can’t let go of some stuff, even though I know they have to go. Like those pesky outdated law books, bar review materials, and notes from our classes from undergrad, grad, law school and llm. Narepeal na ang mga laws and I’m already an avowed professional homemaker nandon pa rin mga libro nakastack sa basement. I think I’ll wait for a flood in the basement to clear those out.
I would suggest you read those books on organizing or watch mission organization. If you find a good book on organizing, let me know. I’m still researching.
Toe my friend, today is your lucky day. The best book I’ve read so far (I just remembered after checking out the catalog of our local library) is The complete clutter solution : organize your home for good by Hearst publications under the Good Housekeeping trademark. I remember reading it and feeling gung ho about organizing.
Only problem is the time needed for execution. I bought all the supplies for organizing, and they’re just sitting in my basement (where by now you probably figure everything is stored and stashed away–scary basement) waiting for the day when I would have time to sort things out and be decluttered. I also came across Christopher Lowell’s dvd on merchandising your home if you’re lazy about reading. Don’t forget Mission Organization by HGTV on cable. The best organizing show on earth.
Hmm, I see three books for dummies. Hehe. And so our plan to meet in Cambodia didn’t materialize. Tsk. Too many things came in the way. But just the same, I welcome you to Pinas. Hope we could meet one of these days. Cheers to you, Toe!
Which reminds me; I have to clean my junk as well. Welcome back!
wow! dami nga talagang gamit naalala ko yung pinost mo yung pagpapack ng mga gamit nung nasa cambodia pa.
now that you’re in the philippines. sana may mga ififeature ka ring mga lugar. you’re a good writer kaya patok sigurado ang travel post.
wow, that IS a lot of stuff, but i agree, 6 years is a long time; and people just accumulate things.
sad. a lot of my friends over at the philippine embassy in tokyo are also returning this year. goodbyes are hard, aren’t they?
have a safe trip home!
Belle, oo nga… I should have done a yard sale… but I didn’t have time anymore. We were too busy. Hehe… I don’t think I’m going to get any tax credit for my junk.
That’s okay… a lot of people in the office benefited from it. 
Mom-fka-atty, yes I’m back home to the life of pampering and being bratty.
Ikaw kelan? Naku… with all the kids, I’m sure you have a lot to organize and declutter. 
Ay naku… pareho lang tayo… I can’t seem to throw away my outdated law books. A flood? Hahahaha… katawa ka talaga. 
Hahaha… anokavaaaah?
Soon, you have to organize all your books and dvds on organizing and decluttering. 
Hey, tell me when you get back ha. I want to see you!
Abaniko, I think I have tennis, running and jogging, and how to make money.
Haha… I have to stop buying these idiot books… I mean how do you teach an idiot how to tie his shoes through a book? 
Yes… hope to meet you sometime soon. 
Ade, besides the material stuff, we also had to declutter computers – home and office… including photos, attachments, email, etc.. Hay naku… what a hassle!
Oh thanks Dong Ho! Oo nga… I hope to do more blogging and featuring stuff… kahit sa hometown lang.
Kaya lang I’ve been really delinquent lately.
Thanks Caryn.
The goodbyes were bitter-sweet. But I’m really happy to be home now. 
welcome home.=]
whoa. that’s a lot of stuff you have there. hehe..
moving out was really never easy. much harder when you’ll move to miles and miles away from where you’re at.
goodluck on your upcoming packing again. hehe
Yay lots of stuffs to pack, good luck Toe ! I think when you go back home you need a looong vacation in Boracay or Palawan
! You deserve to have a big break !
Hi Van.
Yes, it’s indeed a lot of stuff. And guess what… just this morning, my mom presented me with an entire big box of stuff to organize again. 
Haze, oh yes! I would love to do that!
Papasexy muna ko. 
[...] Read more in Toe’s Kurokuroatbp. [...]