anticipate

the long-awaited trip to the motherland is only a few days away. we leave next friday. have i packed yet? well, my suitcase is out. as for the things that are to fill it, that's another story. but what's really important is if i have enough space for the things that are coming back with me from there. for one, there are a lot of present requests from everyone. let me run down a quick list just to get a better idea of the packing situation. 3 bags of dried watermelon seed, couple bags/bottles (i'm not really sure on the actual package) of energo and biogesic, a couple of saint/jesus bracelets (that are purportedly blessed), a couple shirts (with accompanying fob ass designs), some blades of various sorts, some escrima sticks (kamagong and others), a giant wooden fork and spoon set, a couple of nmat study guides, and some barrel men/women. i think that's it, but i'm not sure.

i think knife (for personal protection) and camera aside, i'm only bringing clothes. the hotel provides the towels, i could definitely buy a lot of the toiletries and essentials at the convenience store right across the street from the hotel, and anything else would really be extraneous. therefore, after carefully selecting the outfits i will use for various outings - coworker's wedding, visiting family in the province (which entails clothes that won't make me such a conspicuous target and/or clothes that allow me to move well in case of a fight/flight situation) - i should be good to go.

speaking with my travelling buddy yesterday, the question of what kind of technology i should bring along for the ride comes to surface. an i-pod is a must, but should i bring the charger along? the camera is a for sure, but should i bring the charger along? my phone will most likely be utterly useless and i won't likely be receiving or making calls to anyone outside of the country for the duration of the trip. also, if i need communication, getting a cheapo phone and some smart chips/load wouldn't be too expensive anyhow. the hotel has internet lan cables, but do i really want to bring my laptop, which in turn contains playlists for my i-pod and a gateway to communicating with everyone back home if necessary? but really, how much time do i plan on spending in the hotel anyway? not much.

this is the kind of trip that i've been excited about for months. my planning for the trip though has only really taken place now. i have approximately 8 or 9 days to be ready. i have no doubt in my mind that i will be ready when the time comes. it's just that anticipation might make me nervous enough to forget some convenient item for the trip. also, my older brother predicted that i would break my self-imposed sobriety during that time. i agree, so i also need a plan to keep my wits about me in case some kind of incident should place us in a compromising position. whatever. all i know is, as long as we're not in makati, my knife will always be with me. bear grylls taught me that having a knife in risky spots is usually a good thing.

"Don't give up! We have to keep fighting to the very last second. We've always managed to snatch victory at the very last moment so don't give up!" - Simon

"I can't hold a candle to him. He's managed to overturn everything that was thrown up against him." - Rossiu

currently: compiling a list of necessities for the trip and thinking about tengen toppa gurren lagann