CAN YOU believe we are starting the sixth month of the third decade of the third millennium already?
Sixth month of the year!
How crazy is that?
And honestly, I haven’t done any serious writing.
And by serious, I mean, something literary.
Something immortal unlike this light, entertaining newspaper column.
***
I mean, I have finished the manuscripts for two senior high school textbooks in February and March so I’m not so bad.
But I have started those in 2020!
And if the publisher’s end didn’t delay things, I could have done them in the third quarter of last year.
But then again, this pandemic.
***
My first quarter 2021 was all about selling my house in Maryland.
And things went well for me.
I set the house up in January.
Listed it on February 14.
And actually got the “best” offer the following day.
I say best in quotation marks because I could have gotten higher offers, but I decided that a quarter of a million dollars is more realistic in my case.
***
I didn’t get the checks until March 10.
Yep, despite the much-hyped crazy real estate market situation, things can still go pretty slow.
What with inspections, appraisals, closing, et cetera.
After handing over my keys to the house, I was off to visit friends and families in the East Coast.
***
This second quarter is all about settling the East Coast businesses for me.
Tying the loose ends.
I was still active on Facebook with all the webinars and online talks in April and May.
But I was also packing balikbayan boxes of my stuff for repatriation.
I ended up sending 50 large boxes, plus three oversized boxes.
***
I also had some medical procedures done.
And a big one tomorrow, too — June 3.
But you don’t have to know the details right now.
I mean, it’s fodder for my next comedy show.
But I had a colonoscopy in April, and they found no polyps, so I’m happy about that.
***
I spent almost a month in New Jersey, but you already know that if you have been reading my column.
I also spent two nights at a long-lost friend’s in Mechanicsville, Virginia.
Always so nice to meet people, and feel you are closer to them than the ones you meet on social media.
It’s a friend from nursing school.
But she lived in Singapore since 2004.
Her family moved to the US in 2019.
But we have met several times in the intervening years — in Singapore (I visited twice), and in the US (she visited once).
***
It’s DMV, not for Department of Motor Vehicles, but for the tristate of Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia.
So, if you thought I spent sometime in the US capital, you are right.
I had some official business at the Philippine Embassy in Washington, DC.
It went well in early May.
I just hated it that I had to wait for a month to get an appointment.
***
Speaking of motor vehicles, my car just passed the Maryland vehicle safety inspection.
I wanted this safety check because I have decided to give away my 2006 Mercury Montego to my nephew.
***
You know that I drive an old car, right?
Oh, I’m so proud of my car.
The mechanics were so impressed with how well I have preserved and maintained it.
After 15 years, I only have 54,435 miles on it!
***
I really don’t know if I should tell you.
But in April, I splurged a little to upgrade my wardrobe.
I mean, you know I’m comfortable wearing 5-year old clothes, and 7-year old shoes.
But since selling my house, I thought — Hey, it’s time for me to spend some money on myself.
I cannot just give my money all the time to family who need them.
The family’s needs never end!
***
Anyway, that’s not the story I’m trying to tell.
In May, my biggest expense was nativity sets.
Nativity what?
Nativity sets: Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, Angel, Three Wise Men, maybe some Shepherds and Animals.
Well, I saw one that really tickled me, so I bought it at full price.
A thing of beauty is a joy forever that costs a lot.
***
When my friend found out the price of my first nativity set, she said that I should have checked eBay and Facebook Marketplace for cheaper versions of it.
And I did check eBay.
And got into bidding wars, and haggling.
So yeah, as of this writing, I own at least 13 nativity sets.
And we have not seen the end of it yet!/PN
