Jokes

These are among the jokes I got from forwarded emails. It is said to have happened in a beauty contest. I can't help but laugh a bit. I wonder if it's really true.

Host: What makes you blush?
Contestant: Blush on.

Host : What would you like to say to foreigners?
Contestant : Please come back.

Host : What is your favorite motto?
Contestant : (After a long pause) I don't have a motto eh. (So the crowd starts helping her out. The crowd starts saying "Time is gold! Time is gold!)
Contestant : I have na po. Chinese gold!

Host : If you were to describe the color blue to a blind person, how would you do it?"
Contestant : That's a very good question. Keep it up.

Host : What, in your opinion, is the ideal age for marriage?
Girl : Between 24 and 25!

Host : How do you see yourself 10 years from now?
Girl : I'll be 28.

Host : If you were given any special power, what would it be?
Girl : Power of Attorney!

Host : What is the biggest problem facing the youth today?
Girl : Drugs.
Host : Why?
Girl : Mahal eh!

Host : What makes you blush?
Girl : Blush on!

Host : Hey, I heard you almost didn't make it, how did you get here? Did you ride or did you walk?
Gay Contestant : Of course, did you ride. What do you think of me, did you walk???

Talking Books

A child may wonder whether the book is really talking. But as adults, have you ever wondered, too? I associated a talking book with Casettes. There are lots of these in the library that I go to. Now they come in CDs, too. Isn't it nice? Equipped with my MP3 player, the talking books are one of my companion every morning when I take the train to work. Of course, aside from dear hubby who is snoozing beside me. Hek hek hek.

To date, I have read/listened to the following talking books:

Bill Clinton's MY LIFE
Hillary Clinton's LIVING HISTORY
Mitch Albom's THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN
Adelaine Yen Mah FALLING LEAVES
Sophie Kinsella's THE UNDOMESTIC GODDESS
Danielle Steel's FINE THINGS
Danielle Steel's JEWELS
Danielle Steel's VANISHED
Danielle Steel's SECOND CHANCE

All these happened in a span of 3 weeks. Had I take my time and read, it would probably take me more than 3 weeks! I realized one thing though, no matter when I'm reading or listening... I had to retrack to the pages or section where I dozed off to and from work to link the story. Oh and this also served as my lullaby if I have trouble sleeping at night. Hek hek hek.

Pearl

Ok, now I'm bored again. Just listening to music while I am working on a document. It's now playing the theme song of the movie Pearl Harbor. I then realized that the orchestra that played the music is so sentimal and captivating. I love it! It made me depict the movie on my mind where my favorite actress, Kate Beckinsale, starred and of course, the cute Josh Hartnett. he he I was glad when the character of the Rafe played by Ben Affleck wasn't around for a while because I don't like him. HAHA. The movie Pearl Harbor is about a story of two best friends, Rafe (Ben) and Danny (Josh), and how their love lives evolved to one woman as they joined the WWII. Surprisingly, Jennifer Garner was also part of the cast. Hmm??? Nah! It was only after the movie Daredevil that Bennifer Part 2 materialized. hek hek hek

YAHOO!

yahoo \YAH-hoo\ noun
: a boorish, crass, or stupid person

All the while I thought the word YAHOO connotes a hooray sort of thing. Oops guess I was wrong!

Chatterboxes

After a day's of work, you want to relax ASAP. You start by leaving your office. Then take the public transport to go to your humble abode. You waited to board the train. The train is late! As soon as it came, people swarmed inside the train to find a good seat to relax while enjoying the ride home. And guess what?? A bunch of chatterboxes rushed in and reserved seats for their friends. As soon as everyone is seated and the PA announced that the train will leave in 1 minute, the rah rah rah and blah blah blah start! For 45 minutes, they were talking non-stop. Aloud. Laughing like it's so super funny that only they can understand it. GOSH!! Where is the etiquette here? Excuse me! They are not in their home country. Show some respect here. Phuleeze! Even for 1 minute! They couldn't keep their mouth shut! Now, I know why Torontonians have to own their own MP3 or Discman or Walkman. Good thing I have long owned one. Bad thing... I didn't bring it with me when those chatterboxes boarded the same train as me. He He. It's best to avoid them.

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

Have you ever felt sometimes that you are stuck with something that you don't want to do? or that fleeing seemed to be remote? or tied up to something that instills endless committment that you don't ever want in the first place? or doing something and showing something from the oustide but you're not happy inside? Simply put, manipulated?

These people who are deluding us should know where to set their foot on. People are given free will. Whatever they do is not the other's responsibility. It is their own responsibility. They should just mind their own business. Paddle their own canoes. Someone they thought is leading a sloughy life is not of their concern. Maybe that person isn't comfortable discussing some things with them. They need not pry. It is up to that person to solve his own predicaments, unless they seek for advice. These manipulative people should learn not to stand in other people's way for they don't want other people to step on their paths as well. So better yet to avoid this types of people. Life will be peaceful that way.

CCCOOOLLLDDDD

It was so brutally cold this morning! I need to get those thermal pants of mine and start wearing them since I have to wait at the open-air platform for the train every morning for a good 10 minutes. They said a nice and warm corduroy pants would be ideal so I didn't miss the sale at the one store that I frequent. I got myself 2 of that pants! :)

I'll write more later....

Downtime

It's downtime for us right now in the office. It's been an hour. Probably something wrong with the servers. Cool for us but not cool for the SysAds. Hehe. I went down the mall and took a walk. Upon returning, I went into some of the stores. Not much to see except for some stores embellished with the Halloween aura shrouded in mystery! In two month's time, we will see the Christmas lights whose refulgence will be beaming through the mall. And that means.. winter is coming. Time to haul all the winter clothings and keep those lightweight clothes and kiss goodbye to summer. :)

Dear....

I'm not really a writer but I love to write. I remember having my first diary. It comes with a tiny gold lock and key. I would write something down whenever I have the chance. It always start with "Dear Diary"... then followed by "Yesterday, I..." Queer? I usually recall all the happenings for the previous day. But isn't Dear Diary supposed to be about your CURRENT entry? Mine is different. Gee, I wonder where all my diaries are! As I grew older, these cute tiny diaries are harder and harder to find, and I needed space so I thought of escalating them into something like a journal. I began to invest in cute notebooks. Then by the time I need more and more space, I settled for cheap ones instead. My philosophy is.. cheaper but of many quantity. Talk about being prudent but practical!

These days, I have the blog to write my thoughts. But of course, there are things which you can't write for the public to see. Even if it is private, you can't stand a chance with the hackers. Anyways, I will end this blog entry of mine. I'm just bored at work thus the free time to blog! It's fun! G'ngt!

Would you rather work alone?

I have been in projects, mini-projects, team projects… and I found out that it’s better if I work alone rather than in a team. It’s not that I am not a team player. Being a junior and all in the team, they have a hard time accepting the fact that they have to sink in my valuable inputs as well. With the majority of the team being seniors and of different “world”, they were brought up to be of power in their own way eventhough it was obvious that what I do, is more than they do. By senior I mean in age and not in experience. I just don’t understand why they like to dawdle with things. They like to wander aimlessly or casually without urgent destination. Tea breaks. Coffee breaks. Cigarette breaks. 1hr lunch break. And yet they are paid higher than I do despite having the same amount of workload. Is that a privilege to be a senior? Or is it their WAY of doing work? This is so exasperating!

Today Friday

I am so lazy and hazy today. The weather is good. It's gloomy and cloudy and I love it! I am not a "sun" person as it brightens the sky and makes my eyes want to just shut down. After a short breakfast with hubby at McDo, we proceeded to our respective offices. It's a quiet day today. Our Team lead has to work from home today. We usually start our Friday with a goodie. Each of our team member is assigned to bring any treats every Friday. I just had mine 3 weeks ago. And my turn will be here soon. Anyways, I'm in between slumbers right now. The idea of sleeping in a nice comfy bed does not elude me. It’s taunting to know that I am sleep-deprived. After hearing the tintinnabulation of the train, I want to just shut down everything and go back to sleep but I know I can't. Another day brings forth a full day of surprises.. and once you know it, the weekend has started and ended in just forty winks.

FIVE-FINGER PRAYER

Despite the world's immorally unacceptable ways, amidst the bad testimonies of people who are close to me, in spite of the unworldly manners of those self-proclaimed righteous people, somewhere in my system, I truly believe that there is still God. And prayer is still powerful. Sometimes as life dictates, we often want to give up on something that we’ve been waiting for, longing for, yearning for… for a very very long time. And yet we never get even near to the answer. Being a Christian entails lots of responsibilities when it comes to prayers. You not only pray for yourself, you pray for your family, relatives, friends, and strangers. When you say “I WILL PRAY FOR YOU”, please… mean it for these words mean a lot to the people you spoke with.

I came across a good method to pray. It’s the FIVE-FINGER PRAYER. When you fold your hands, the thumb is nearest you. So begin by praying for those closest to you—your loved ones. The index finger is the pointer. Pray for those who teach—Bible teachers and preachers, and those who teach children. The next finger is the tallest. It reminds you to pray for those in authority over you—national and local leaders, and your supervisor at work. The fourth finger is usually the weakest. Pray for those who are in trouble or who are suffering. Then, your little finger. It reminds you of your smallness in relation to God's greatness. Ask Him to supply your needs.

Use this and see if it works.

Cinderella

When the Cinderella DVD Platinum edition came out on the market, I didn't have second thoughts to buy it or not. I rushed to the only store that advertised the DVD on a much cheaper price **wink**, which by the way was only for 1 day. They also give out trendy tin cans where you can keep the disc inside, or anything for that matter. Pretty cool add-on. So, that night, I chose my spot on the sofa, sat down, relaxed and watched the movie. The 'show' relived my past. Back to the days, I remembered being 5 or 6 years old, when all of us kids in our old house would swarm in our 'studio' apartment, sat on my parents bed as my Dad would set up the projector screen. It was a soundless movie mind you. But despite that, we are still astounded by the cartoon we watched. I remembered watching Cinderella and Snow White, but only Cinderella stayed in my memory. When this movie came out on DVD, I didn't have qualms. Now I am a proud owner of one. Thanks to technology! The color of the picture was enhanced among others. bibbidi-bobbidi-boo! What's next? Visit the castle in Disneyworld? **wink**

TV Night

I therefore declare WEDNESDAY as TV Night. I will be in DND mode as of this time. I am going to allocated this night mainly for TV. All household chores has to be done before 8pm. That means, getting off from work at 430pm to take the 448pm train, reaching home at 530pm, cook dinner, and prepare for the next day's lunch, transform myself into the houselady, all these to be done til 7pm. Then we eat dinner at 730pm. Clean the kitchen til 8pm. Morph again into gym clothes. Workout at 8pm for 30mins. Rest for a while. Refresh myself til it's 9pm. Then transform again into a potato couch til 11pm. That's TV night for me. :) One twitch and my sked will have to change.

Before I post this... Wednesday nights are for LOST and INVASION. I vowed not to miss these episodes!

Finally Over

Finally, the exam is over. What I think about it? It's EASY! The multiple choices were great and up to the point and the essay questions were.. guess what? from previous exams. BUT! What do I really think about how I did? I think not. It's so sad that I have this bad feeling about me passing coz I have a strong feeling that I didn't make it. Had I have concentrated more on the past exams *regrets flying around mid-air now*, I would have passed with HIGH MARKS!!

I want to despise myself already for taking them too lightly. Some, yeah, I did great but to the one with highest marks, I don't think I did. I even answered one fo the question that was worth 10 points WRONG! *geesh* It really hurt my morale. I left work for 2 weeks and this is the feeling that I have? This means, my U$300 will not be reimbused. Hu hu hu! If I retake this exam, I have to pay another fee with no guarantee again. This is intense mental distress!!! I don't know... maybe it was a bad move after all. *sigh*

Anyway, I just want to forget today. I just want to relax and read a good book and put all these thoughts at the back of my memory already. The best is yet to come!

Smoggy Weather

At last the rain has come today. September 22 is the start of the Fall season… my favorite time of the year. It not only brings with it the changing of the leaves color, but also the cool and refreshing air.

The past few weeks, Toronto has been experiencing muggy weather and smog alerts have been raised. Apparently, the municipality of Toronto heartened everyone to take actions and reduce smog. One interesting program they have is the 20/20 The Way to Clean Air campaign. It encourages people to save energy both at home and on the road.

According to the Smog Advisory issued by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, the smog is extremely bad this year. For the past years, the highest number of smog alert days was only 20 in 2001. Four years later, for the first 9 months of the year, smog alerts were raised 44 times!

It has been formulated that smog is formed when the heat and sunlight react with gases and fine particles in the air. Its color can be depicted as brownish-yellow, hazy cloud over the city on hot summer days. Smog usually affects rural areas like Toronto and outlying suburbs. I want this sultry weather to end now. I want to welcome the cool and seamless weather of Fall.

Christmas

I cannot believe it's the first days of September. The Christmas season should start soon. I remember back home, the huge bookstore across our house have this annual "Christmas in August" theme, where they laid out their Christmas decors, greeting cards, Christmas tree and lights, in store to ensnare customers and unlatch the festive mood. They also have promotions like when you spend a certain amount of merchandise from their store, you can show them your receipt in exchange for a prize. They also have their raffle draws once in a while. I would line up and get myself a raffle ticket. I never won though. Hehe.

Thinking back, their "Christmas in August" theme brought us a number of advantages. The plangent strains of Christmas carols emanated from across the well lit building to our room. Because of the lights that they leave on every night, we need not opened our lamps when we sleep. The room that my sister and I shared was always filled with the cheery and festive mood. That's the only thing that I can recall and miss home... when it's Christmas.

Mow again....

It's Saturday today and we are once again mowing our lawn. We don't want weeds to grow in our lawn.

The lawn is like a man's hair. They need constant haircut just as the lawn needs constant mowing. We put in fertilizer to them as we put conditioner to the hair. Often times, we want our lawn to be properly trimmed just as we want our hair to be.

It's fun to do the mowing. With the proper equipment, the end result is pleasing to the eyes. Mind you the lawn is also like a lady's hair. It gets fly aways, too, if it is left too long. Hehe...

There are many types of lawn mowers. One thing they all have in common is the noise it makes. Well, we have to exclude the reel mower. It works the same way but it is not as effective as the gas-powered ones or the electric ones. The hand-held is also a plus if your lawn is just small, although it gets tiring after some time.

This is the lawn the we have right now. Os is doing the mowing and I assist on the electric cord. We don't want the smell of gas filling the fresh air we have in our backyards.

My Stars

I'd like to introduce to you my stars...

Andrew - named Andrew Gabriel Lopez. He is my first nephew. He is also my godson. He is so active that you have to watch all your things.. hehe. He is a sweet boy when he's listening and something else when he's not. HAHA. He used to be in PREP school when I was staying with my sister. And he brings home nice surprises and boy! he learns fast in school. Now he's almost 7! Time ran to fast!

Adriel - named Lawrence Adriel Lopez. I have never met him. He was born when I came back to Toronto. I haven't got back since. I heard from stories that he's a very shy boy. Andrew minus Adriel in a room ... Adriel is an angel! He's got funny moments, too. He's got a petite frame for an almost 3 yrs old. He's got thick hair but straight.. that's the good thing about it. :D

Aetom - named Audric Thomas Lopez. I'm not sure about the spelling, though. He is one ATOMIC BOMB! His smile is so captivating that will make you 'gigil to the max!' Everytime I see his pictures, it makes me want to grab him and squeeze him tight. And according to my mom, being a toddler 2yr old, he likes to explore around! And he runs like he's flying. He's so darn fast! My dad would say that Aetom is a small version of Sto. Nino, because of his curly hair and sweet dimples.

Aedan - Reece Aedan Lopez.. I think! HAHA. Well, my sister asked me to help her to come up with a name. I gave her Aidan. Hehe. I'm not sure though if it's REECE AEDAN or AEDAN REECE. This baby is going to be 1 this November. He's a combo of Adriel and Aetom. And he's a mama's boy. He cries if it's not my sis carrying him. Hehe.

Ashley - the jewel among the batch. Named Ashley Jewel Ang. The only girl among the stars. This girl is oh-so-cute. She's got so many bloopers that I can always laugh about. I used to babysit her before in exchange of a prepaid phone card for my cellphone. HAHA. Imagine if I converted it to cash.. HAHA.. I miss this kiddo!

All in all.. the "A"-list are my stars. Hope they can come and visit us here. Life would be great! Cleaner environment.. better quality of life.. more benefits for kids like them! CIAO!

ps. Thanks to my sistahs for sharing their pictures with me. :)

Ever felt like this?

I got a very funny gif from my colleague at work. It's an animated graphic that depicted a worker typing heartlessly in front of his computer. He typed and typed til his hands were all bloodied and everything just cuts off. Hehe

I replied her, "YES!". Today was a long day for me. I started working at 830am and stopped til 1pm when I had to submit a deposit to my bank account and buy my lunch.

Next week 2 of my colleagues who are working on this mini-team of ours, will be on vacation. I wonder why the team lead approved it. They didn't know that they will be on leave at the same time. What was 3 days turned into a week since the first one missed out the long weekend. Oh well, I think I'll be OK. Just don't let it be critical bugs coming down the pipe! :)

So, again, YES! I have felt this way at work. Period. *hihi*

Wait a sec.. please!

I missed the train today by a fraction of a second. Less than 1 minute away, I have seen the train arrived. The dong dong dong of the train filled the air while I was literally flying already just to reach the platform. The bar has already been flagged down to prevent vehicle crossing the tracks. I was kinda hoping the kind train operator will wait for me. Heck! there's no one in the station anyway. It was already 834am and I had a few more jogs to go. Train schedule.. 834am. In my mind, it's 837am! *sigh* The train should have started puffing his way southbound already but still it stayed. So I didn't lose any hope. I was in between catching my breath and balancing myself on my high-heels sandals. Boy were my feet aching!!! But I had to run and run and run.

When I reached the platform, the doors were already closed! Oh noh!!! I walked further searching for the available door. While I walked, the train started moving. That's when I realized that it showed no mercy to a lady running her heart out just to reach the platform and let her take the ride. 40 mins later, I was in the bus - express to Union Station - my final stop. A quick 5 minute walk will take me to my office. Log in into the network, welcome the emails, yes on a Monday (what a way to start the week!), and start my work.

I guess lesson learned here is to always be 5 minutes early on every schedule, allot 10 minutes for relax walking and wake up early!!! Don't forget to check the train and bus schedule... a hundred times!!! :) Make sure you get the updated one!

What's in my bag?

Have you ever wondered what's in a woman's bag? Sometimes I wonder what other teenage girls have in their teeny weeny bags. Or those big tote bags that older women usually carry. Or those body bags worn by hippies? Or the casual business cases by the yuppies? And I wonder if there is one person who DOES NOT change bags from time to time. I know most ladies do that depending on where they are going for the day, or what they will do. I am guilty of that.

I have 3 alternate bags to work. Depending on what I wish to bring for that day, I either use the bigger ones to carry most of my things. Or use the smaller ones to hold only the essentials. I also have a weekend bag which doesn't include the work essentials items, which aren't many.

Here are what you can see in my bag:

Wallet: the most important thing in my bag
Cellphone: the 2nd most important thing
Coin purse: with or without, I'm OK
Keys: of course, I can't get inside the house if I don't have this, unless Os is home first
Lipstick: my lips are pale without it
Comb: I don't want to have a bad hair day
Ponytail: to feel refresh
Swiss knife: girl scout's best friend
Sunglass: it's summer, girl! keep your eyes from the UV rays.
Ballpen: to scribble with
Pieces of papers: to scribble on
GO Pass: Paid $187/mo for it! have to optimize this
Access card: Optional cz I can always wait for someone to get inside the bldg, but of course, I'd rather have my point of entry
Crabtree and Evelyn cuticle cream: I need this, I have a bad cuticle! this is a miracle cure for me..
Minnie Mouse card purse: this holds my other credit cards, rewards cards, coupons, buy 10-get 1 free stuffs cards
Checkbook: easy access cash, only if they accept personal checks
Datebook: to keep me updated with my activities
Breakfast: usually sandwich
Lunch: usually the last night's dinner
MP3: not to get bored
USB connection: if i need to download some files from work

So there you go, a Girl Scout myself, I want to always be ready. These alone are my essentials. If I have to bring some paperworks from the office, I would need to take the bigger bag. Else, I have to use 2 bags. Queer isn't it?

I guess the bottom reason is.. I can't find one bag that will satisfy me. If I ever found one, I think I am going to stick to it! Saves me the hassle of taking things from one and put it in the other.

Time to Take it

I really have nothing to write right now and yet I feel like I want to write something. I just finished doing an outline of the 12 chapters of theories and terms about my certification exam this coming September. Am I ready? Part of me is confident and the other part of me says I need more time. I don't want to delay this anymore. I have missed out 3 exams and I HAVE to take this now else I have to re-apply. That means, time lost and of course the fee. :)

What does this certification do to someone so junior as me in the field of my work? My supervisor once told me that I am just wasting my time and money. In the real world, no one bothers the distinction. But in the ideal world, the bosses prefers the distinction... the title. i don't want to think that I was led towards being in the ideal world because everything is slowly to become clearer. Since my boss left our team, I've got no encouragement whatsoever anymore. I am on my own. Since I've started this, I want to end this. And that's the spirit that I want to show everyone in the team.

Being junior and all, I don't think they agreed to my ideas. I have tried my best. And yet I see resistance. You don't know who the mole is in the team. And all you can do is just to be careful and be alert at all time. Do your job and be unmindful of the rest. Don't get involved. Know your place in the team. That's the greatest advise I can tell myself. Don't try to play hero.

Trust is important in the team. It's like a glass. Once broken, the pieces won't be replaced. And having a very multi-cultural working place, it's inevitable that there are groups. And it so happened that I am the odd man out. What does that leave me? A spy. The mole. So with this dilema, I am working hard to pass this exam, bag this title and get the h*ll out of the team. As of now, I am still holding on. Time to restart from the start. :)

Chance or Fate?

I took the subway home one day and seated beside me were a couple whose conversation I can't avoid. They were talking about buying 2nd hand books. The guy asked why people buy 2nd hand books. The girl replied saying that it's for collection purposes where you can get one for five bucks.

This led me to recall a supposedly-prequel scene from the movie "Serendipity". This scene wasn't in the film but what would have happened was this: John Cusack's fiance bought this book from a 2nd hand bookstore without knowing that the book contains the number that Kate Beckinsale scribbled for John.

So the fiance bought the book and proudly gave John as a wedding gift. She thought of the book since she noticed him flipping through the pages of the same title everytime they are in a bookstore or a let alone, a 2nd hand bookstore. She thought that book must meant a lot to him. Little did she know that he was looking for the same book Kate wrote her number on.

It's funny how the film depicted ways so obvious for them to know that they were not meant to be at that time and meant to be in another time. The more I think about the movie, the more it made me want to go back to New York. A nice movie indeed…

Learning To Stand

This post was rendered by our Brother in Christ, Barry. He sends emails like this to the CECC mailing list. I find it very uplifting to have received these emails. And I'd like to share this with you all.

Friday, June 17, 2005
by Os Hillman

..."Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today...." ~ Exodus 14:13

The Israelites had just left 400 years of slavery in Egypt. They had fled to the desert, but they had come to a dead end at the Red Sea. Word reached them that Pharaoh had changed his mind. He was sending his troops to recapture the Israelites. They cried out to their leader Moses, complaining that he had brought them that far only to die in the desert.

Learning when to move and when to stand is the greatest challenge for a workplace believer. We are trained for action. We are not trained to sit idly and wait. We are trained to solve problems, not wait for them to resolve themselves.

However, God says there are times to wait. We are to wait until He says go. If we go before He says go, we likely will make our situation worse. If the Israelites had attempted to cross the Red Sea before it parted, they would have drowned. If they had fled north to try to avoid the Egyptians, God would not have moved in a miraculous way. God cannot work on our behalf if we continually try to solve our problem when He has instructed us to stand still. Standing still is sometimes the greatest action we can do, although it is the most difficult thing to do in the Christian walk.

Stand still when He says stand and see the deliverance of the Lord.

"Today's Prayer"

Dear God, I know You are able...able to move mountains, to speak creation into existence, to heal the sick, save the lost, to meet every need I have. I commit myself to You. I pray for all the people around the world, plagued by turmoil, wars, illness, lack of basic needs, insecurity and fear, and addictions that enslave. Lord, You alone know best how to meet these needs and solve these dilemmas. I pray that You would intervene, that people would be drawn to You, and that You would give them rest and healing, safety and security, a sound mind and a hopeful future. I pray that You would help me to see who You want me to minister to today and offer a hand of fellowship, a ray of light, or whatever You want to offer through me. Thank You, Lord, for meeting my needs. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.

(c) Copyright 2000 Os Hillman. www.marketplaceleaders.org
To contact author: os@marketplaceleaders.org

Break Away

No, I'm not crazy yet. But I am listening to Christmas songs already here at work.. at the comfort of my own listening station. Whenever I feel sleepy, whenever I feel bored, Christmas songs livens me. It makes me think of home whenever I listen to the carols. 2 years ago, JackFM 92.5 had Christmas songs played all day long for the month of December. I wonder what happened to this stint last year.

Anyways, I'm taking my break right now. We are just writing test cases and I have finished my part ahead of time. So I am just resting and reviewing my work. It's just something that I need for a long time now... relax! I've been working without breaks starting February when I came back from vacation. Well, it's not exactly a vacation because I have been 'working' around the new house. :)

Last night, it rained in Toronto. Rained hard that we could hear the rain drops falling literally on our roof. It's a pleasing and soothing sound but combined with the thunder and lightning.. it wasn't pleasant at all. We woke up with the sunny sky greeting us but the wind was cool. I am fine with it rather than having a hot and sticky weather.

The coming days will be cooler as what the forecast say. Weekend would be nice especially for those who are anticipating some activities for the summer. Mind you summer officially starts on June 21. Toronto is filled with summer activities. That's what makes summer so great here. I guess we are slowly recovering from the SARS outbreak that badly hit Toronto 2 years ago. Hopefullly this year's summer would be a fun one. Enjoy!

The 'DAY'

Now I am officially a Canadian Citizen. On June 6, 2005, I and 109 others were sworn in by Judge Peter Vecchiarelli at the Federal court of Scarborough Town.

The ceremony wasn’t that lengthy. We were asked to line up and the welcoming committee received us by checking our landing papers and required us to relinquished our PR cards. Then we were seated according to our seat numbers. My number was 59. A song card identified our seat numbers. I was seated at the aisle. One by one the seats were filled. After all the 110 candidates were inside the courtroom, the presider let all the guests go in. There weren't many. About 2 rows of 15. So Os was seated near the front row.

The ceremony started when the judge stepped in the court. He looked like jolly old St. Nick rather than a judge. Being an immigrant himself, he gave us a nice analogy of what it is to become a citizen of Canada. He said that all of us in the room are like a cloth that is about to be sewn into a quilt. The thread on our cloths are the steps that we took to become someone who can contribute greatly to the country. Together when sewn, the cloth becomes a quilt. And the quilt represent the unity of the new Canadians.

After his short and sweet speech, we were sworn into oath. First in French then in English. I wanted to laugh when we started to read the oath in French. But I kept to myself. When the English oath started, everyone read aloud. It’s like a sigh of relief for everyone. Being able to read the oath is one thing. But reading it is French?!?!? Anyways, we were then called one by one to line up on the side and get our certificates after our names were called. We then shook hands with the judge as he congratulated us and handed us our citizenship certificate and our card. Then we went back to our seats. He again congratulated all of us and then we sang the national anthem O canada. Then we waited for a while before the judge came back and we took pictures with him. My camera went off course so I was able to have only one shot! But it's OK. :) The judge advised all of us to go home and celebrate and eat a piece of cake! He he

All I can say... it took a lot of moxie to be able to attain this stage. Reflecting the events before I set foot in Toronto 4 years ago, I don’t know how I did it. From leaving my home country and leaving my family behind, I accepted the challenge to embark into another horizon. I know I made the right choice. It’s a dream that is realized and materialized. Dreams do come true after all.

Clear and Clearer

I am taking my break right now after 8hrs straight of grueling work with only half hour of lunch break. We are waiting for a process to finish then we can go back and carry on what we left behind. This project is keeping us busy since February. And it's a good sign. So, as I waited, I carried my mug of mocha java and placed my mug in the pantry sink. The mug was half filled but because it has been left for quite a while (I was too busy even to sip my once-hot coffee!), I decided to rinse it off. The water made its way into the mug and the brown liquid emerged from the mug and turned clear after a few seconds.

This is what happens if we have Christ in our lives. I learned this analogy from a retreat way back university days in La Salle. The facilitator demonstrated how 'clean' is it have Jesus in our lives. He had a bottle of painted water. He had a pitcher of clear water. He let the clear water flow into the bottle of painted water. Slowly it became clearer and clearer. Imagine without having Christ in our lives, we will forever be like the painted water, never clear, never clean.

I always remember this analogy til now and I am still sharing it to my family and friends. You can share this analogy, too!

Dream Kitchen

This is my dream kitchen!


Is this close enough?? hehehe

A Canadian Citizen From Afar

As I went in the boarding gate of Cathay Pacific en route to Hong Kong that day, I never thought that I could be make it to Toronto… alone. It was extremely hard to be away from your family. We are not talking about a short vacation here. It’s the future that I envisioned. A dream that is finally becoming true. Step by step you go for it. And little by little, it formed into a picture that you depicted. Yes, there were obstacles along the way, but you are able to pull it through. Isn’t it a nice feeling?

I hurled my stoned-heavy Samsonite bag over my shoulders, my backpack at my back, my oversized trench coat in one hand and my travel documents and my plane ticket on the other. I checked in the counter and got myself a boarding pass. I remembered being the first one in line. Because of that, I had the privilege to choose any seat I want. So I requested for an aisle seat as what everyone suggested.

I remembered it was an hour before my departure for Hong Kong. I was way too early. I never really liked flying. I just don’t feel comfortable even if it’s just a short flight. But we are talking about a long flight here! I calculated the total number of flight hours. Almost 24 hours! And ALONE! Again, I have never been away from my family for a long time. And there I was … about to embark into a new dimension. Yes, I had apprehensions up to the last minute. Is this what I really want? I kept on asking myself. Is this the kind of life that I want? I can stay if I want to. But my mind has been set. Another road has been opened for me. I failed finding that missing piece in my own country. So I had to leave. It wasn’t an easy choice. But it wasn’t a difficult one either. I had to make a change. I had to instigate it.

So the plane took off. Landed in Hong Kong. Took off again and landed in Anchorage for refueling. Then took off again until finally we landed in Toronto, my home for the years to come. After the Immigration stamped my landing papers, I am officially a Permanent resident of Canada! I am off to start my new life. I was greeted by my ‘family’ here. I owe them a lot for their generous hospitality. They supported me all the way. Even up to this very point.

A year had passed. I made friends. Went to places. Then a bewildering event has happened. Fate has brought two souls together destined to become one. The man that I want to spend the rest of my life with.. finally came into the picture. It was a remarkable year for me. I went back home and spend time with my family. It was a sweet homecoming. I felt like I have never left. Nothing had changed. From the people I left behind and the places I have been. Everything was still intact. I took the jeepney rides. I was astonished to find the fare to be way more than I expected. I even squeezed myself in the LRT with the crowd. I once again experience that floods and the traffic. Pollution not to mention, the hot hot hot weather. Could you imagine that?

Finally, I came back on my 3rd year as a permanent resident with hubby. Looked for a job then settled on with our lives. The job hunting was really like a survival of the fittest. We had to find income to make both ends meet. I was again lucky to find a job that opened a path for me to walk towards a career.

On my 4th year, I applied for the much awaited event of this whole process… become a Canadian Citizen. It took me one month to wait before I got an acknowledgement letter from the Immigration office. After 11 long months, I finally got my exam schedule. A month later, I was asked to appear for the oath-taking. I can’t wait for the day to come when I will face the judge, shake his hand and receive my citizenship card. I will surely beam with joy. I will pledge allegiance to the Queen and to the country of Canada. I will sing O Canada by heart both in English and in French. From that day on, I will fulfill my duties as a Canadian Citizen.