The Family Girl Blogs (aka "The New Working Girl Blogs") Blog #57: It's Half Full! To see all of Bobbie's Family Girl Blogs, click on this link: http://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/book/28818/family-girl-blogs

It is disheartening at times (lately it's almost all the time), to be reading tales of woe and hardship, of depression and sadness, here in my favorite site. I suppose our community has more than its share of hardship stories. More than other equivalent communities, I'm sure. I can understand that. I've been there, too, after all. But, even so, I wish there were more positive posts. Goodness knows I try to be positive in my blogs as often as I can, if just to provide a contrast to what is apparently the norm now here in the Blogs section of BCTS.

The Family Girl Blogs (aka "The New Working Girl Blogs") Blog #55: A Reminder On My Calendar To see all of Bobbie's Family Girl Blogs, click on this link: http://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/book/28818/family-girl-blogs

I had a... drama-filled discussion with a BCTS friend about twelve hours ago via Yahoo Messenger. Seems those are the only kinds of discussions we've had lately. Anyway, she has finally given me a date for when she will be taking the first concrete step towards arresting the "steady decline" (her words) in her life.

The Family Girl Blogs (aka "The New Working Girl Blogs") Blog #53: A Summer Girl's Four Epiphanies To see all of Bobbie's Family Girl Blogs, click on this link: http://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/book/28818/family-girl-blogs

Ma said during our last skype call a few days ago that it's forty-five degrees back home. Living in Manila for a while now, I am now more used to using Centigrade when measuring temperature, as opposed to Fahrenheit, and using kilometers instead of miles when measuring distance. So when she said forty-five degrees, I used my iPad and came up with 7.2 Centigrade. I told her it was 95 degrees here (which is 35 in centigrade-speak). It's so friggin' hot here! What I wouldn't give for a forty-five degree day.

The Family Girl Blogs (aka "The New Working Girl Blogs") Blog #51: Contacting Me Via SMS, or am now AOC starting 2DAY, K? To see all of Bobbie's Family Girl Blogs, click on this link: http://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/book/28818/family-girl-blogs

Hello, everyone. I have been having problems with Yahoo Messenger, and I gather that a lot of the people I keep in touch with with via YM are having the same problems as well.

So, to supplement YM, and hopefully reduce the comm problems, I just got a prepaid, pay-as-you-go cellular plan here in Manila specifically for my friends here, so, if you want, you guys can contact me via SMS later, starting 8PM Eastern (which is 8AM Manila time).

The Family Girl Blogs (aka "The New Working Girl Blogs") Blog #49: Sandy Come A-Knocking To see all of Bobbie's Family Girl Blogs, click on this link: http://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/book/28818/family-girl-blogs

I am from DC, as many know, and I cannot help but be worried about the superstorm coming to hit the east coast. My ma and dad have buttoned down their house and are ready to ride out the hurricane.  Dad also secured my house in Maryland, so it's as safe as it can be. I hope all of you have prepared in like manner.

Moe and I are safe all the way here in Manila, but the reason I am posting this blog is so that we can wish all of our friends there in the east coast to be safe, and to weather the hurricane (pun intended) and come out on the other side safe n sound. Good luck, be safe, follow the warnings, and don't do anything stupid.

The Family Girl Blogs (aka "The New Working Girl Blogs") Blog #46: The Upside to Mental Problems, or At Least I'm Still a Size Zero To see all of Bobbie's Family Girl Blogs, click on this link: http://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/book/28818/family-girl-blogs

I spent Friday evening and the whole day Saturday in the hospital for a checkup. Just a checkup, no big deal.  My therapist thought it a good idea for me to have the checkup, and I did.  And since the set of tests to be done was just a hop, skip and a jump from those required for a full-blown complete physical, I agreed to the extra tests, x-rays and whatnot and made it a full physical - at least the kind of tests that my company's insurance carrier requires for a "full physical."  That means I doan pay nuthin'!  :-)  It's all on the company's bill, and it satisfies the yearly checkup requirement.

The results came Monday (the hospital apparently doesn't process test results on weekends), and then the squad of doctors that my therapist required did their thing and interpreted the results and typed up their findings, and we got everything Tuesday, which we brought to my therapist for her further perusal.

Anyways, my less-than-perfect bod was mostly okay.

The Family Girl Blogs (aka "The New Working Girl Blogs") Blog #45: Reunited with my Sweater, or Whatinheck's Wrong with the Weather!?! To see all of Bobbie's Family Girl Blogs, click on this link: http://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/book/28818/family-girl-blogs

Moe and I are back home and found our house to have been meticulously cleaned as only my ma is capable of.  Kitchen, living room, bathrooms all spic n span, and bed clothes nice n crisp n clean (I know ma did the wash coz the sheets smell faintly of Huggies), front n back yards clean and well raked (probably Dad) and a note on the living room table saying that two of the microwavable "Friends" mugs got broken (Aha! That's my sister!).

Anyway, the at-home feeling came back slowly and we settled in.  But what didn't come back was how the weather felt.  Egads, it's cold!!

So Moe n I broke out a couple of our long-unused sweaters, and made plans to pick a nice n wooly sweater ensemble for work the following day.  But why was it so friggin cold all of a sudden?  I checked the thermometer. It was a nice eighty degrees. Eh?

The Family Girl Blogs (aka "The New Working Girl Blogs") Blog #43: Me? Jealous? Nahhh... To see all of Bobbie's Family Girl Blogs, click on this link: http://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/book/28818/family-girl-blogs

We had a late business lunch with this movie/TV personality & print model yesterday, at a very, very upscale (not to mention expensive) out-of-the-way little restaurant in one of the five-star hotels in the main business district.  She was a very sweet and friendly girl, and had a big fund of funny stories to tell and had most of us giggling and laughing, much to the consternation of her personal assistant, since we were starting to bother the nearby tables.

But what really got us to pay attention was that she was drop-dead gorgeous. As in REALLY drop-dead gorgeous.

Was I jealous? Nahhh...

The Family Girl Blogs (aka "The New Working Girl Blogs") Blog #41: Easter Sunday To see all of Bobbie's Family Girl Blogs, click on this link: http://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/book/28818/family-girl-blogs

Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Easter from sunny Manila.

The Family Girl Blogs (aka "The New Working Girl Blogs") Blog #39: Holiday Blues (2 of 3): Mall Insecurity To see all of Bobbie's Family Girl Blogs, click on this link: http://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/book/28818/family-girl-blogs

Wednesday was a regular workday here in Manila, but it was the day before the start of a four-day weekend. Most everyone wanted to go home to their hometowns, so there's usually a massive exodus of people from Metro Manila going towards various other places in the country.

The Family Girl Blogs (aka "The New Working Girl Blogs") Blog #37: Back in Manila To see all of Bobbie's Family Girl Blogs, click on this link: http://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/book/28818/family-girl-blogs

Moe n I arrived in Manila this morning - about 6AM Sunday (or 6PM Saturday EST).  Another four weeks here in sunny Manila.

The Family Girl Blogs (aka "The New Working Girl Blogs") Blog #35: Imitation of a Regular Life (2 of 2) To see all of my Family Girl Blogs, click on this link: http://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/book/28818/family-girl-blogs

I am a post-op TG girl, as many know, and I have had to make adjustments over the years - from the simpler, visible side of things, like the way I dress and act and sound (and even smell heehee), to more complicated things like learning new ways to live, to relate to others, and to be happy.  No choice, really, especially after I had changed what my therapist calls my "basic physical parameters," which is 21st century doctor-speak for HRT, SRS and the other plastic surgeries.

It's real difficult adjusting to a feminine life.  That's not to say it's unwanted - after all, these are the things I needed to do to accomplish the magical transition that I had desperately wanted, and eventually have the life I have dreamed about - to have my imitation regular life.

The Family Girl Blogs (aka "The New Working Girl Blogs") Blog #33: A Lesson on Language, or No, My Thing Isn't Broken... To see all of Bobbie's Family Girl Blogs, click on this link: http://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/book/28818/family-girl-blogs

Online translators are rarely perfect when they translate sentences from one language to another, but most times they at least approximate what you intended to say.  Sometimes, though, they don't even come close.

Aunt Andrea sent a comment recently and she said, in Filipino, "pumalya inyo."
http://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/blog/34843/family-girl-blog-32...

Anyway, I talked to Tintin, my assistant here, and asked what that meant.  She said it meant, "your thing is broken."

Huh?

The Family Girl Blogs (aka "The New Working Girl Blogs") Blog #31: Oh, No, You Don't! To see all of Bobbie's Family Girl Blogs, click on this link: http://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/book/28818/family-girl-blogs

For those intending to "borrow" text from my stories or posts here or in the website, fictionmania.tv, or in other websites, I am stating directly and without any qualification, exception or limitation, that I am not giving permission for any part of my stories and blogs here and in other websites to be used in other stories, posts or publications.

The Family Girl Blogs (aka "The New Working Girl Blogs") Blog #30: About Jetlag and Writing To see all of Bobbie's Family Girl Blogs, click on this link: http://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/book/28818/family-girl-blogs

I always hear a lot of stories about people having to cope with jetlag, and all the little tricks one can do to overcome it. Well, did you know, besides being a wonderful website, BCTS is also good for avoiding jetlag...

The Family Girl Blogs (aka "The New Working Girl Blogs") Blog #29: The Big Move To see all of Bobbie's Family Girl Blogs, click on this link: http://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/book/28818/family-girl-blogs

Okay, then.  Moemoe and I are completely packed.  Our wheelies and carry-ons are all set.  The house has been cleaned and shut up.  We've called a taxi service, and early tomorrow morning, a cab is coming to bring us to the airport.

You see, we are leaving and moving.  To another country, in fact.  

So, goodbye, everyone!

The Family Girl Blogs (aka "The New Working Girl Blogs") Blog #27: Of Shakespeare and Private Messages To see all of Bobbie's Family Girl Blogs, click on this link: http://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/book/28818/family-girl-blogs

I got a pleasant private message early this morning, which I read before my usual early Saturday morning jog (sometimes bicycle ride), from someone named Kate, and she wanted to talk about some of the stuff I wrote.

The Family Girl Blogs (aka "The New Working Girl Blogs") Blog #25: Anticipation To see all of Bobbie's Family Girl Blogs, click on this link: http://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/book/28818/family-girl-blogs

My partner's done with her interviews in Manila, and she passed three of her four interviews.  So I guess we are pushing through with it.  She visited her family, and is having a wonderful time.  Turns put that she didn't need to check in at the hotel she had reserved a room in.  But the biggest, most important thing, is that she's coming home tomorrow.  Yayyyy!  I'm excited!

The Family Girl Blogs (aka "The New Working Girl Blogs") Blog #23: Blonde Ambition To see all of Bobbie's Family Girl Blogs, click on this link: http://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/book/28818/family-girl-blogs

I may have mentioned before that my partner had resigned from her job, for family reasons.  But as is typical with her, she had it all planned out.  Prior to resigning, she had sent out her CV and had lined up some interviews.  Moe is going abroad this week for interviews with the ADB, the Thomas Jefferson Cultural Center, the WHO and JICA.  Not for any big position, mind you, just a position with their PR or research departments.  So she had an appointent at the hairdressers this morning, to get all gussied up for her interviews.  I went with her to get a trim, but mostly to keep her company.  But as these things always seem to go with her, I got roped into trying something.  So guess what?

I'm a blonde now.

The Family Girl Blogs (aka "The New Working Girl Blogs") Blog #21: Christmas Aftermath - Tummy Trouble To see all of Bobbie's Family Girl Blogs, click on this link: http://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/book/28818/family-girl-blogs

Those that chat with me regularly online know some stuff about me.  Among them is that I ain't too tall, I have chronic insomnia and, aside from chocolate, I don't eat all that much.  It's not anorexia or anything like that, or any other kind of medical condition.  I guess I just don't eat much.  But yesterday was different.