Nomad Manager

Nomad Manager 101 Kit c/o Karlo

08.23.2011
We were supposed to have a regular dinner after his workout.

I was heating up our now cold dinner because he came over later than he should have, and I saw him carrying a paper bag.

The Kit
In Filipino, I told him, “If those are books, that’s a mistake.”
I am intent on getting a Kindle by October, so I have absolutely 0%, if not negative 100% intention of purchasing any paper books because: a) I am getting a Kindle in October, b) I still have a backlog of paper books to catch up on, and c) I AM getting a Kindle in October.

Sure enough, he gave me books, as most of his kits are usually developed within the walls of Fully Booked, a local bookstore. I’ll have to admit though that the books he got me are quite interesting, though getting me the 4-Hour Workweek is rather redundant as I already have my own copy. :P

He’s done this before, given me “kits”. Usually before some travel. Usually consists of a couple of books and some random knickknacks to add to the kit, some nifty, some “huh?”-inducing (i.e. face paint for snorkeling, a mini-calculator, a magnifying glass and a collapsing giraffe). Apart from the kit, he also gave me 2 lomo cameras last year, more than what I needed, and in spite of my constant declaration of want for no more cameras (I prefer a slimmed down set up, which thus forced me to sell a couple of cameras. I could probably talk about “slimming down” on material possessions in a separate post.)

So anyway, on cameras. God, those cameras. I swear I don’t think there has been any sort of lack on my part to tell him that while I appreciate the gesture, the thought, the support for my hobbies, I do not need another camera. And yet somehow, he still managed to buy me another one. Though okay, the Agfaphoto Eclipse Explorer is supposedly cheaper than one of the cameras he got for me last year, shoots photo and video, is shock and waterproof.

He also got me a bunch of “twistable” markers because he thought they were really nifty in that you’ll never have a missing cap. Hehe. He also got me tape flags to mark pages (though I usually get tape flags as bookmarks for my current page) and a rather cutesy and tedious leopard bookmark. :P

Rooting for me to reach my dreams, a little bit closer each day.
I do wish for everyone that they have people in their lives who are as supportive as Karlo though. But for nomad manager wannabes like me, I believe slimming down one’s setup is super important. Given my new camera, it looks like I’ll be giving up the use of my Lumix LX5 during travel, sacrificing flash capability and image quality for underwater shooting capabilities. :P

But yeah, the whole thing was sweet of him nonetheless, I just wish he didn’t spend so much so frequently just to tell me he loves me and supports my dreams. :P I feel there are more cost-effective, practical yet possibly even more thoughtful ways of doing this. Like maybe waiting til I got a Kindle and buying me e-books, exploring underwater housing for my LX5, planning a road trip with me to some place I have or haven’t gone, or as simple as writing me a note of encouragement.

Time and again, I tell him not to give me gifts, not just because I don’t want him to spend, or because I don’t want to add to my “stuff”, but maybe because there are other things I’d rather do with him. More than adding to the my many underutilized material possessions, I feel that memories or thoughts are more important. But yes, I do appreciate what he’s trying to say. Again and again, I tell him I understand and acknowledge how lucky I am to have a partner who is so wholly supportive of my dreams and tries to equip me with things to help me achieve that. :)

♥ B.