Happy New Year

"We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day."

- Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Off duty

This is what I got today.. Cetaphil moisturizing lotion, a cap, 2 hoodie sweatshirts and postage stamps.

Tomorrow, I am going to do some BART, Samtrans and Muni rides too. Hmmm.. it's going to be a long day.

Gentle hands

This is way beyond my profession. Almost everybody from my family thinks I couldn't do it. That I am not cut out for it. I belong to the academe, the office or some place else other than this job. But here I am doing it and enjoying as much as I can.

I don't expect to hear compliments about how I handle this new job. I expected criticism. But much to my surprise, I've been getting a lot of good words for the things I do for these people - the elderly. Ada, in her 80's was assigned to me last night. When I was about to take her blood pressure and blood sugar I was surprised by her words, she said "You know that you couldn't hurt me. I am warning you." I don't why she said that, probably from a bad experience. But as soon as I touched her, she smiled. When I told her that I won't be there for a couple of days, she said that she hopes I would come back. We were talking while I was cleaning her up when she told me that I've got gentle hands. That if I had taken a course in the medical field and became a nurse or a doctor, I'd be a good one.

When I was assigned in a different facility for three days I told Mary Ann, Helen and Harry that I'll be back in a couple of days. They were expecting that I'd spend Christmas with them. I told them that I'll spend New Year's Eve with them. So they smiled. I went for a walk yesterday to get some food to where these three were. When they saw me, I said hi and told them that I'd be back at night time. Harry nodded, Helen smiled and Mary Ann clapped her hands.

It does feel good that my efforts are being appreciated. I don't have any background in the medical field, except for the fact that Misis Tikboy is a nurse, but here I am doing a job close to becoming one. What's my secret? I do it because I care for them. And that's how I make them feel - important.

Ah, such gentle hands. I wish I've got healing hands too to ease their pain.

MBC Christmas Party

We had the annual Christmas party for the elderly in one of Tita Josie's facilities. There are four facilities in operation as of the moment. Each facility houses 6 elderly and two staff members. According to them they usually hold the party at a larger venue. But because of the weather they've decided to hold it in Alta Loma for easier mobility.

with Tita Josie

with Ana, Marita, Ate Pining, Frank, Harry

Me, Kuya Ed, Ana, Marita, Ate Pining, Farida, Lita, Lyza, Adrian, Jon, Austin

with Alta Loma staff - Marita, Farida, Ana

Refill card

I went for a walk in the rain today. It was more than a mile but it felt good. It was cold but I was sweating. I liked it! Hehehe.. I went to Serramonte Plaza to buy a $25 refill card. It was a mile long walk. Crazy huh? I was on my long way back home when I called my Mom. It was nice to hear her voice. This is our first Christmas apart. My first without my family beside me. But I'm good. I'm okay. I've been telling my Dad sanayan lang 'yan. And he agrees with me. I just have to focus and be aware of my inner self - my being and all else will be okay.

I'll be working on Christmas Eve and Christmas day.. probably even New Year's Eve too. I got no family nor friends here, they're all in the east coast so that's fine. I'll be spending the day with the elderly. They need someone to cheer them up too.

For now, I just have to maximize my time off. Got to rest. I need it.

Missing Simbang Gabi

This is a first in my 34 years of existence. Talagang ibinuko ko na ang age ko ah! I don't mind. I still look cute for my age. Hehehehe! Hindi ko makukumpleto ang simbang gabi. Wala kasi ako sa Pilipinas.

Nakakalungkot. Kasi palagi kong nakukumpleto ang simbang gabi mula pa nung bata ako. But hey, did your folks ever told you that if you complete the nine mornings, your wish will come true? I am blessed. After years of attendance to this yearly tradition, I got my wish granted. I even stopped believing for some time. But now that I am here, it rekindled several conversations I had with God years ago.

Siguro naman God would understand if I missed Simbang Gabi this year. Hindi ko pa kasi kabisado ang lugar na 'to. I have to familiarize myself with the place. I've been here for four days and I've got a lot to learn about its geography.

Hanggang sa muli, Simbang Gabi.

Quick glance at downtown SFO

I've been on the move for the past few days. I never had the luxury of visiting downtown San Francisco to see the Golden Gate Bridge or the famous Folsom St. But today I got a chance to take a quick glimpse of SFO. Here are some of the snapshots I took this afternoon.

"When you were born, you cried and everybody else was happy. The only question that matters is this: When you die, will YOU be happy when everybody else is crying?" - Tony Campolo

I can be morbid at times. I know that. And when I am, I have this urgent need to write things off either by blogging or poetry. My motivation is pain. I just have this impression that when I am in pain I am able to move my pen in such a way that it makes an impact to whoever reads the material.

I haven't written poems in a while. Have I lost my muse? Not really. I just chose not to write. I chose to blog. It is a lot easier to write my thoughts this way. Kinda like I am talking to myself - soliloquy.

I am at this threshold once again - of setting sail and refusing to just drift. And tonight I choose to set sail. To venture into the unknown.

Tonight I will continue to live for tomorrow I am going to realize my dream.

Haagen Dazs Coffee Ice Cream

Well, since I couldn't find the Mocha Coffee Chip ice cream in stores. I tried this one. And boy, it really tastes good! Hehehe..

coffee ice cream

Nutrition Facts: Amount Per Serving Serving Size: 1/2 Cup (106g) Calories: 270 Calories from Fat: 160 Total Fat 18g 28% Saturated Fat 11g 55% Trans Fat 0.5g Cholesterol 120mg 40% Sodium 70mg 3% Total Carbohydrate 21g 7% Dietary Fiber 0g 0% Sugars 21g Protein 5g Vitamin A 15% Vitamin C 0% Calcium 15% Iron 0%

AZ and NJ: An afterthought

After a month of stay in Tempe, AZ and my brief stay in Jersey City with a quick tour of NYC I cannot contain my observations on the way of life in each state. First off, the airport. When I left Sky Harbor en route to Newark I was able to enjoy a short wifi access for free, that's why I was able to post on my blog as I waited for my boarding time. I could not say the same for Newark International Airport. The wifi access wasn't free. It's a good thing that I only waited a few minutes before I boarded the plane. Otherwise I would have been pissed. I wanted to go back to Phoenix so bad that the 5.5 hours of air travel made me impatient.

It was hard to breathe in NJ. I didn't experience that in AZ. Pollution in the city was that bad that I had runny nose the moment I stepped out of the airport. I knew that it was a colder in NJ and I was prepared for that. But my fleece jacket wasn't enough for the biting cold I had to borrow some of my cousin's winter jacket to help me through the day when we went out.

Traffic was also different. Jersey City and NYC is a lot like Metro Manila. Driving was almost the same. Tailgating was normal. I told my cousins that they couldn't drive like that in AZ. They just shrugged their shoulders and smiled wryly at me. Parking was difficult even in residential areas. My cousins were paying $125 per month for the parking space. Haven't experienced that in AZ.

Public transport was everywhere - buses, trains, taxi. They even told me that if I wanted to go to NYC I better take the train or else my head will split when I try to find a parking space in the City. Even if I do, the price would make my head split.

The only thing that made me appreciate Jersey City than Tempe was the Filipino stores. I could get meals - lutong bahay at that from the next block. It was actually a whole street full of Filipino stores. Consequently, there were a lot of Filipinos too. Thus eliminating the need to speak English for an extended period of time. This, I find to be a disadvantage rather than an advantage. But what the heck.

California, at least Orange County, is a lot different from NJ and NYC. But I couldn't say the same for Daly City or South San Francisco.

I've yet to see that. Oh, well. In a couple of days I will.

For now, I am going to savor the taste of the sun. I should get out more often.

Flying

In my dreams I used to fly. I don't have wings but yes, I do fly. A lot. But that's only in my dreams. I kinda liked it. And I hunger for it. It makes travel a lot faster. But you see, in my dreams I couldn't control it. I could only think of where to go and then my body would take me there. Weird huh?



For the past few months I have been in an airplane a lot of times than I've been in a bus. The longest flight I had was 16 hours. The shortest was 4.5 hours. Next week, I am going to fly again. I have to get used to this.


I just wish I could fly without getting on a plane.

Weather 101

I am not used to checking out the weather. Not in the Philippines anyway. So, when Tita Minda offered to give me a tour of NYC yesterday I gladly accepted. Too bad that rain poured the entire day! I wasn't able to take good pictures. But I got to see the whole of NYC - 5th ave, Wall Street, Manhattan, Central Park, Times Square and the likes.. 'yun nga lang, I have no proof. Hahahaha! Pagbalik ko na lang dito siguro.

Sashimi all the way

Went out for dinner with my cousins Kuya Alvin, Isay, Boboy, Baby and her boyfriend Patrick. Tita Minda and Tito Mar took us to a Komegashi in Newport because Baby told them that I requested Japanese food.

I ordered tofu (forgot the name on the menu) and Sashimi dinner. I was so excited I forgot to take a picture of it. Hehehe.. we also drank red wine, Patrick's choice, of course and we chatted the whole time. We grilled Patrick and asked him when is he going to marry Baby. He was on the hot seat!

After dinner Boboy took us to Starbucks and then we went for a little walk to get a view of Manhattan - just on the other side of the river. It's freaking cold at 37 degrees but we took pictures and exchanged stories out in the open.

Tita Minda was telling me how glad she is that we - my cousins and I, picked up where we left off. We got separated in 1991 when they had to migrate here in Jersey City. But when she saw us together she was so happy to see that we're still the same kids she used to watch play back in the Philippines. That was probably why she and Tito Mar took care of our bill whichs costs $368. Damn!

Hehehehe!

Roaming around New Jersey

I was with my cousin Anna Baby and her cool boyfriend Patrick yesterday. We went to Ikea to buy some stuff that Patrick needs for his new place. My cousin's excited in helping him out with the interior decoration thing and they asked me to tag along. Better than staying home the whole day. I was impressed with my cousin's car, an Infinti EX. It has built-in navigation and camera. It was really cool! But, as it is, not my type of car.




They've been teasing me for days now about the Gucci watch thing. Never knew that it would create such a hype, had I known, I wouldn't have accepted it from Ninang. I'm not into watches anyway.. but what the heck, take a look:



A while ago we ate at Buon Appetito at downtown NJ. The pizza was really great. I ate two slices. Hehehe.. then they took me to Liberty State Park to go have a look at the Statue of Liberty from afar. No sense in waiting for a boat ride to take me to the island. We opted to look at it from a different perspective. Nice view.



What's next? NYC, I guess.

Thanksgiving

Tita Vicky and Me. She made that important call that changed my fate here. She took care of me when I was still a baby.

This is my first Thanksgiving. And I am so lucky I have my family here to spend it with. I've always wondered why it was important in American culture. I never got the chance to asked them a while ago. All hell broke loose when the good news came - and then all their eyes turned to one person. Me.

Tita Vicky, Me, Tita Minda, Kuya Alvin, Tita Vangie and Ninang Hermie. Taken at Tita Vangie's place in Jersey City.

This is my first Thanksgiving. And it ain't going to be my last.

All the more reason for me to be thankful for. God is good. All the time.

Trip to NJ

I'm going to New Jersey on Wednesday. That's a fact.

I'm thinking that I may not find the weather in Jersey City very appealing. That's a presumption.

Now, I've decided to just take along my backpack on my trip there. I don't want to carry my entire luggage just for an 8-day stay. So, I'm checking my airline to see if I can do web check-in 24 hrs before my scheduled flight. I'm anticipating that there would be a lot of people flying in time for Thanksgiving. I don't want to be caught up in line for my boarding pass.

So, what am I to do now? Try to sort my stuff. I have to prepare myself for cooler days and nights. Oh man! I like it here in Arizona. But I got to go there to see my aunts, uncles and cousins.

Hmmm.. ngayon makikita ko na kung ano ang hindi namin naranasan. Kami lang kasi ang naiwan sa Pilipinas nung pumunta silang lahat dito.

This NJ trip might be a good material for a future post.

Getting big

I was looking for a physical evidence to tie up my theory that I am really getting big. Tatlong linggo na kasi akong nakabasyon at walang ginawa kundi humiga sa kama, kumain, mamasyal. Hehehe! Sarap buhay no? I should savor this. Once I start working, for sure I'm going to push myself so hard that I'll definitely get a head slap from you-know-who. ;)

I took the liberty of viewing my pictures here in my laptop. Ang laki na ng mukha ko at doble na baba ko! Halaaaaa! Ibang klaseng pag-aalaga kasi ang ginagawa ng misis ko eh. Hehehe!


Me, my godson Wayne and his dad/my brother Ian on the way to the airport almost a month ago.


Appetizer we are at Mall of Asia. Sabi ko nga paalis na lang ako, ganitong pagkain pa kakainin namin!


Hard evidence that I am really getting big! Taken a week ago at Olive Garden


Calamaris appetizer at Olive Garden, wala kaming ginawa kundi kumain!