A friend noted my silence in the last few days and texted, all the way from UK, whether I was alright. Well, I am alright, it's my schedule that isn't.

Mike left for China yesterday to visit would be suppliers in Shenzhen, Fuzhou and Shanghai, and he'd be away three days. I spent all of Tuesday night making his itinerary, searching for flight schedules, flight durations, alternative carriers, looking for hotels, downloading maps, etc. Mike decided to book only the MNL-HKG leg of the trip to keep his schedule flexible, but that "flexibility" drove me nuts because that meant he'd be finding his way around in a very foreign country... I wouldn't have been paranoid had Mike been traveling to say, the US or Europe, where he can easily ask for directions or read signs if he ever loses his way around. But the China mainland? I have doubts it'd be easy to ask your way around Fuzhou or in the streets of Guangdong. Add to that the fact that men never stop to ask for directions(they'd rather wander around)! That doubles the possibility of him getting lost, which tripled my paranoia. I didn't rest till I had four possible airlines, three possible itineraries, and a map of China, Shenzhen, Xiamen, Fuzhou and Shanghai. I even read blogs and reviews for travel tips (and admonitions)!

A friend said I should have come along, taking advantage of the boys' summer vacation, to see China. Well, I could have, I've had a visa issued anyway. In fact I've already envisioned the tons of pictures I will take and how fun it would have been to bring nothing but the clothes on my back, and shop myself to pieces in HKG. :)

Problem is, somebody has to stay here and hold the fort. Somebody has to be here to take customer inquiries, make collection calls, disburse, schedule work load, make decisions, and yes, sweep the floors. From the time I got in this morning I've managed to sit...just now. I was on my feet the entire day, expediting WIPs. Three gensets are due to be shipped out before weekend, one to Iloilo, one to Bacolod, another to Cebu; on the fly is one due for a mall in Kidapawan next week; and a customer is coming tomorrow to inspect a 500kVA. In between I was sending out people to project sites (one in Abad Santos, another in Makati) and purchasing tasks, and the rest of the daily grind.

Last night, as we went to bed without their dad, my kids were saying how they wished it was Saturday already (so that he'd be home). I SO second that motion.