finally figured out how to track it! Through USPS.com here's what I got...
Your item left MANILA, PHILIPPINES at 6:13 pm on October 21, 2004. Information, if available, is updated every evening. Please check again later.
i had been trying usps for several days before this, so this may have been the first stop that was actually capable of scanning and tracking it.
I'll post updates as I get them