Mon Voyage…Ma Vie

Is it Monday again? Whoa, time passes so fast that it sometimes makes me forget what day it is. :p

Friday night…I joined my sister, her family and her in-laws at the New Valley Cemetery to visit the the gravesite of my Ate’s father-in-law. It was his 16th death anniversary.  Although I don’t remember much of Tito Chito, I just know that he was a good person.  The youngest sibling of my bro-in-law looks very much like their father.

When we got to the place, we, the adults and all the children and grandchildren, gathered ’round the urn crypt of Tito and prayed the rosary. Right after that, we ate dinner near the crematorium. New Valley is actually a garden that houses urn niches. It isn’t the type of place that you’ll find spooky.  Its thrust is on nature, providing families with an environment where they can reflect silently and reminisce about their deceased loved ones. It’s like one huge park, when you get to see it. Even kids can frolic there.

Saturday was reunion time for me.  I finally got to see Maribel after one year.  She and I have been friends since 1999. We met in the net because she happened to like a local loveteam I was supporting too back then. At that time, Maribel, Mae and I would email each other frequently. This friend of ours, even if she was living in Canada already, would send us tapes about our fave stars. She also would send us gifts like we were part of her family. We truly appreciated her generous spirit.

Even if our fanaticism over our former fave loveteam faded, our friendship continued.  This time, it was Rita who became part of the emailing triumvirate. Our topics of discussion were varied. But more often than not, we centered on our love for movies, on our fave local and foreign stars and of course, on our own personal lives. Among the three of us, it was Maribel whom we could rely on not to let a week pass without sending an email. Her thoughtfulness is simply amazing. And so, whenever I’m here in Canada, I make sure that I see her in person. She had visited the Philippines before where she met our group, comprised of (ex) fanaticos of a local team-up. Now that I’m here permanently, we didn’t have to rush our meeting. But seeing each other last Saturday was really a blast.  Together with my husband, we talked for more than 3 hours while seated at Richmond Centre Mall’s food court. Although we’ve been emailing each other, it still felt more special to see one another in person. Non-stop was our chatter as we updated each other about our lives, her work and about showbiz stuff. My hubby wasn’t a non-participant in the discussion. Being used to my showbiz interests, he also knows a lot of stuff and so he gamely joined us in our banters. And as we talked, we also ate our lunch which we bought from Good Ah!…a Pinoy stall that sells yummy food. Maribel and I got the same meal. It had 4 BBQ pork skewers laid on a bed of veggies and steamed rice. The marinade of the pork had the right mix of sweet and spicy flavors, making the tender meat so delicious.  My tummy had no complaints.

At past four in the afternoon, we called it a day and went our separate ways. We promised each other we’d continue emailing. Perhaps we’ll see each other again in the next 3 or 4 months.

When Johnny and I were about to go up the escalator, I was attracted by one of the stores’ signages. The store is called, The Face Shop. It was very bright inside, with an all-white interior.  Inside the shop, we found different products for skin care.  My hubby knows that I like looking at those stuff so he accompanied me inside.  It was he who saw that all the products were made in Korea.  Then he pointed to me the hanging pictures on the ceiling which I initially didn’t bother to look at. He asked if I knew who the guy was. When I looked up, I almost screamed in delight. It was Kwon Sang Woo…one of my fave Korean actors. Apparently, he is the endorser of The Face Shop. Johnny laughed when he saw my reaction. I just got so giddy looking at the pics inside the store. Knowing that KSW is the endorser, I took my precious time to look at each product…hahaha.  Two Korean ladies assigned in the shop approached me to ask if I needed help. I just asked them about one creme product. But after 20 minutes, I ended up buying not the face creme but the hand creme which has almond oil. Since I do a lot of household chores daily, the hand creme would be of better use to me.  And so I got the small container and gave it to the lady for wrapping. After I paid, instead of saying "thank you" to her in English, I said it in Korean. When she heard me, her eyes lit up and said "kamsahamnida" too. We bade each other goodbye and my hubby and I went out.

Thirsty that I was, we bought a soy smoothie with pineapple. We originally ordered the mango-flavored soy smoothie that Johnny and I were going to share but the girl who made it must have had her thoughts somewhere else at that time so the mango turned to pineapple. Hehe. But we didn’t complain anymore.  Johnny didn’t like the taste of the drink. He found it weird.  For me, it was ok. I found it pleasant to my taste buds. However, it could’ve been more refreshing had the smoothie been served colder. Anyway, Johnny just gave me the drink and he went to the vending machine to get an iced tea bottle for himself. Problem solved.

Sunday….I woke up at 9 then proceeded to the kitchen.  I made the breakfast for everyone. Since Ate and I hadn’t gone to the grocery yet, there wasn’t much left in the pantry. I just decided to cook mixed fried rice. I put in cubed Spam lite, veggies (peas, corn, carrots, green beans),  scrambled egg sliced thinly into smaller pieces, granulated garlic, then I added soy sauce (for more color and flavor…wala kasing Maggi sa pantry), as well as salt and pepper. 

Johnny and I had to rush eating because we would be late for mass. We ate for just 10 minutes then proceeded immediately to the bathrooms. He gets to share the bathroom with the boys (my nephews) while I share that of my niece’s.  Zoomed, we did. When we got to St. Joseph’s Parish, we already missed the first and second readings.  It was Father Al (a Filipino priest who arrived here late last year) who celebrated the mass.  He reminded us, the parishioners, not be self-righteous like the Pharisees who only saw the bad side of people.  He said that we should be like Jesus, who loves us even if we are sinners.

After hearing mass, we went to Army & Navy to buy some stuff. Then we decided to watch Cinderella Man at Famous Players’ Colossus Theatre. Since the movie has been receiving good reviews, we coudn’t wait anymore to see it.  The film didn’t fail us. Johnny and I finished our two buckets of popcorn and a tall cup of pop as we took in every detail of the movie. It wasn’t hard to commiserate with James J. Braddock and his family on their predicament during the Great Depression because his family kept their values despite the difficulty of survival during that period. Mr. Braddock was a true hero to many whose lives were in dire straits just like him. He wasn’t just Cinderella Man. He was Mister Courage.

Last destination of the day was Wendy’s where had our early dinner after watching the movie. We ordered our usual faves…spicy chicken sandwich, fries, and chili con carne. Since it was raining the whole day yesterday, eating frosty wasn’t a good idea.  While enjoying our food, it came as a surprise for me that Johnny and I both thought of the Filipino people while watching Cinderella Man. We saw  in the film the hardships of the Americans during the Great Depression yet we knew that many Filipinos have been suffering the same fate not just for a few years but for a long time now. Of course I’m not saying that the Americans’ situation back then wasn’t bad at all; I’m just wishing that with the poverty being experienced by many Filipinos and other people in different countries, the underprivileged will still find hope in their condition and find a hero in themselves. Yes, there is a silver lining behind the clouds. We just have to believe in that.

Last Sunday was a special day for my niece, Samaia, as well as for the other girls and boys at St. Matthew’s Parish. The little girls wore white dresses with either white ribbons or white veils on their heads. But they can’t put one over the little boys who also came in crisp white pants and long-sleeved dress shirts looking really spiffy. Excitement was evident in the children’s cherubic, rosy-cheeked faces. They were to have their First Holy Communion.

Looking at the kids made me reminisce about my first time to receive communion. I was in grade 2 then and I could still recall how the nuns and teachers in our school were very busy with the preparations. Sr. Celerina, the grade school principal at that time, even visited each classroom of the students in the second grade to further explain to us what the sacrament was all about. Back then, I didn’t completely understand the whole meaning of this spiritual exercise yet my classmates and I were just so thrilled at the thought that we will finally be able to join our families in the queue during Communion at every Eucharistic celebration. But of course, it was also inculcated in us that once we start receiving communion, we are also becoming closer to God. Father Scanlon, an American priest belonging to the Society of the Divine Word related to us how much Jesus loved little children. Decades after, it is slowly sinking in to me how much the sacrament has meant to my life.

To "commune" means "to unite or to bond."  It is when we participate in the Holy Communion that we grow further in God’s love.  We are made holy and receive the divine graces whenever we welcome the Lord with our hearts.  Among the the things that the sacrament does for us, what strikes me most is that receiving communion heals us. As a sinner, it can be embarrassing to go the Father’s house, yet I know that God is forgiving.  By reminiscing the big sacrifice His Son has done for us, it is only right to have a contrite heart. Before understanding better the meaning of the sacrament, I would sometimes skip receiving the Lord in my heart. But after my eldest brother explained to me the full importance of the Holy Communion, I didn’t fail to line up anymore every Sunday.

I am far from being a good Catholic because I still have a lot to do as a servant. But with daily interactions with people, I pray that I can commune with God by being a good example to others and by being able to pass on His great love for all of us to others. I pray too, that all the kids I saw at the Church last Sunday will be able to keep a close relationship with the Lord. I am confident that He will always keep them in His loving embrace.  Lastly, it is my fervent wish that I can imbibe the purity of love that the children have for God, just as I have witnessed several days ago.

I’ve just received a forwarded message from my friend, Pia, entitled

"Let Happiness Flow." One of the things written there that struck me was the line that says that once you believe that all things happen for a reason, we no longer become "controlled by daily events and situations in our lives." Because of that belief, "life becomes less of a struggle."  It is when we see the events happening in our lives as God’s designs that we will be able to face the world with a more positive outlook. 

My Monday morning didn’t turn out so well after knowing that the condo unit my hubby and I were interested in renting two months from now, received an offer of purchase from another buyer. Fortunately for the condo’s owner, her mortgage problems will now be solved. Unfortunately for me and my husband, we would have to search for prospective units once more.  Now, did that piece of news destroy my whole day? Not at all. Surely, it was disappointing to learn that the unit we found to be so cute in size (just perfect for me and my hubby) will not belong to us anymore. But then, after I talked to my future-and-now-ex landlady, I immediately told myself that the unit wasn’t meant to be our home. When i called Johnny about the news, he was only sad for a few minutes but easily recovered after thinking the same way I did. When we saw each other in the afternoon when he got back from work, we just teased each other non-stop about who between us was more affected with the loss of the unit. In the end, we just laughed about it then planned again when to do our next house-hunting.

Situations like the aforementioned happen once in a while. We get bogged down by disappointments, by pressures, by failures, by difficult undertakings. Yet if we  do not allow this temporary downside to to distract us from our goals, then we can move head on to the rightful path we choose for ourselves. We must remember that some of us have better appreciation of the good things in life now because they have experienced the not-so-good stuff in the past yet they used their learnings from these events to improve themselves. And only if you see things happening for a reason that you can easily move forward.  Lingering in having bad thoughts and feelings will only double your pain and will only hold you back further.

Such is life. We cannot get everything we want. Things sometimes turn out differently from what we expect, yet if we keep a distance from what unfolds and just think that something better will come, then we are letting hope reign in our hearts.  Doesn’t that give us a good feeling everyday?

Right after I posted my 2nd message, I saw the comments of my friends, KC and Ana when they reacted to my first post. Seeing their messages made me have this big smile on my face.

KC and Ana, THANK YOU SO MUCH! Thank you for the lovely comments. I was very excited to read what you wrote. Both your messages were touching. As you’ve read from my first post, it’s my first time to do this so I’m still feeling my way through. But i think the whole thing is cool! It’s like writing a diary…but for the public to see.

Kays, waaaahhhh! Our fab 4 are back! I saw the announcement on TV Patrol. Hay pareho tayong nanghihinayang. Even if we’ve seen MG several times already, there’s no stopping us from watching it again. Marami na ‘kong korean actor-crushies ngayon pero di na mabubura ang love ko for our fab 4. Btw, my "gerrie" name is something I came up with since the 80’s. It just so happened that JERRY came along…hahaha! Destined kami ‘no? ;p

Ana, I’ll try to post more often…while I don’t have work yet. Hehe. Thanks for the encouraging words you wrote. Bait mo talaga sa’kin. I hope to learn from others just as I’m wishing that others will learn from me, too.

Mwah to both of you!!!

No, i’m not referring to the movie by Tom Cruise. Top Gun is the name of a Japanese resto located at New Westminster. It’s around 45 minutes away from where we live. Since it’s Mother’s Day tomorrow, my Ate Simone and the whole Paler clan (that’s the side of her hubby) decided to celebrate a day earlier. I may not be a mom yet but an invitation to an all-you-can-eat lunch deserves a big YES. Hahaha!

Burp! Ooops, sorry..I’m just full. Johnny and I ordered yam tempura (this is my fave!), beef teriyaki, california roll, stir-fried veggies, fried wonton and agedashi tofu.  I would have wanted to order baked oysters (with generous toppings of cream and cheese) but there wouldn’t be anyone to share it with since my husband’s not into seafoods. The Palers were through with their lunch by the time we got there so I didn’t want to overdo the ordering. I may be big but I’m no glutton. 

Come Monday, I promised myself I’ll hit the treadmill once more. How come I’m skipping Sunday? That’s because Johnny and I have a full day ahead of us tomorrow. I don’t think I’ll still have the energy to exercise when I go home. (Excuses, excuses!)

Okay, gotta end this now. My friend’s texting me. I better pay attention to her first. Au revoir!

There’s nothing wrong with discovering new things to do. It’s one way of expanding one’s knowledge. Creating a blog is something foreign to me. Thanks to KC (yes, my friend, i was inspired by your blog), I’m trying out something new today.

I was talking with a friend on the phone one day and he asked how I was. I said, "Ganon pa rin, walang pagbabago." He said that it’s impossible that no changes happened in the last 5 years that we hadn’t seen each other. I realized that he was right. Changes do happen in our lives, perhaps, more slowly for others. But still, it’s something that does take place.

In the last several months, changes have happened in my life. And with these changes, new things came forth.  3 months ago, I married my boyfriend of 12 years.  We’ve been happy in the last dozen years we were in a relationship. But after having made our solemn vows in the Church, we are even happier now.

With my husband being an immigrant here in Canada, I had to follow suit. Just last month, with mixed feelings of joy and sadness, I left the Philippines to be with Johnny.  There was joy because I could finally be with my love. However, there was sadness too in the thought that I would be leaving my family behind.  But I had to be strong because as what the priest told us during the pre-cana, once you get married, it is your spouse who becomes your first priority. Having come from a tightly-knit family, it was hard to leave. But realizing the sacrifices Johnny made too in leaving his family behind to secure a better future for us here in Canada made me set my thoughts and feelings right.

After being here for 3 weeks now, I am looking forward to every moment of being with Johnny. Discovering new things about each other is something we look forward to every moment we’re together. 

With these changes taking place, I’m finally turning a new leaf in my life.