...impromptu drive to Coombs...

Welcome to Coombs

Half an hour later, after we had lunch, Jim came down and told us we're going for a short drive to Coombs. He asked me if I've been there and I said no. After we were all settled in our seats, Jim started the car and drove off. We picked up Jordan from their house before we proceeded.

It was cloudy when we started out and halfway through it, rain started to fall. Jordan had fun watching the rain trickled down the window on his side. Mary ( the dog) was  enjoying the drive too.

A short while later, we arrived in Coombs. We stepped inside this cool shop ( forgot to snap a photo of it) with lots of goodies inside. We had coffee, meringue and pecan tarts. Shelley offered me a small piece of her apple pie. It was delicious.

Pecan Tart. I savored every bite of it and took my time.

I stepped outside and walked around. I decided to take some photos. 

 Goats on the Roof. Unfortunately, the goat keep to itself inside.

I tried to snap a picture of this rabbit but before I could take a good shot, it scurried away. And hide behind the rock.

Various shops.

Another view.

All in all, it was a good short drive. Plus I get to go a new place and ate pecan tart.

...within reach...

What books do you have next to your bed right now? How about other places in the house? What are you reading?

 What I'm currently reading now...

 The book I have on my bed right now is Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic & Sister. It all started last week when I chanced upon a Reader's Digest Condensed Volume with "Undomestic Goddess" from the same author. I had lots of fun reading it that I posted it in my Facebook status. A cool thing happened after that post, my sister, as it turned out has eight books of Kinsella. I was ecstatic with joy. I begged her to bring the books. And she was like, I wish hadn't told you about the books. In the end, she obliged and here I am, fully laden with Kinsella.

I already read this book but I'm so taken with the story that I want to read it again. Well, before I came across S.K.'s books.

I'm trying to get my mind  through this. Hopefully.

I live in a house but it's not really mine so my space is just confined within the four walls of my bedroom. I usually just placed my books on the bed during the day and when it's time for me to crash for the night, my books are relegated to the spot on the foot stool nearby.

This is where I usually keep my stash of....books and some magazines.

And when I'm feeling like a slob, they'd be on the floor. ( Nah, this is just for the photo op. My sister would kill me if she'd find out about this.)

...confessions of a reluctant "caregiver"...

I had it in mind to be successful with what I had set out to do after college. But then as it turned out, my plans were not meant to be. After slaving for more than five years in school including the review period, all I got in the end were repeated failures. I became numb to the feeling of receiving "failed" marks that after my last attempt, I dismissed it with utmost indifference.

I recalled a quote that goes, "When a door closes, another one opens." or something like that. True enough, another door opened for me, of which I was not too keen of entering at that time. What am I to do? I had no other choice but to venture out into this altogether new world ahead of me. Since my debacle to be a certified bean-counter, I opted to try something new. And boy, it goes without saying that I breezed through it without much of a problem.

What is a CAREGIVER, anyway? If you have watched the movie with the same title, yeah, that was it. But I always have this nagging question at the back of my mind, how does one become a caregiver? Of course, you have to take a short-term course for it and have OJT, to meet the requirements. To me, it went beyond meeting the school and embassy's requirements. For someone who have never actually understood what it meant to care, I was lost. How does someone show he or she cares? And this is how it all started for me....

1:45 AM. I woke up to the distinct sound of the buzzer. I hastily got out of bed, eyes still heavy with sleep. I went to Mary's room. I helped her out of bed and into the commode. At that moment, sleep temporarily evades me. I have to be alert. I assisted Mary to sit on the commode. Handed her a tissue paper. She said, "Thank you.", slowly. I replied "your welcome" and went to the nearest chair, to wait until she's finished.

In my previous life, I would have fought tooth and nail if I was roused from sleep in the middle of the night. I would be so cranky in the morning. And here I am, getting up instantly at the sound of the buzzer. Never mind that I'm still sleepy; that my hair stood on ends ( I tied it into a pony tail in a hurry); that I feel something wet on my shirt sleeve ( only to realize it was drool ) and when I step inside Mary's bedroom, I am transform, with a cherry "Hi, Mary." to begin with. Sure I am paid to do this. I mean it's part of my job. Lately, I realized that I also get something out of this task, aside from the pay. I woke up in the middle of the night and assisted Mary, not only because I'm paid to do it but also because I want to help her, knowing that she tried also. And I never give it much thought, until now, how the sound of pee can be music to my ears.

1:00 PM. I'm in the kitchen, staring at the opened refrigerator, taking stocked of its contents and thinking about what to make for lunch. I need to hurry because I don't want Mary waiting and go hungry. I spied on a neat pile of individually wrapped slices of cheese. A eureka moment occurred to me. I will make grilled-cheese sandwich for lunch. Super! 

 When all else fails...

I don't know my way around the kitchen, though doing the dishes, is my favorite. I have no culinary skills to speak of. I remembered at school, when we were cooking, I was assigned to break some eggs, one classmate, who was watching me, commented that I don't know how to cook. I smiled back at her. If the way I break an egg can tell someone if I can cook, then I guess, I failed miserably in that area. Later on, when I told my sister, about my grilled cheese sandwich experience, she was like, that's a no-brainer. Yeah, right. Still, I was proud of myself. Finally, I found my way on how to use the stove and the non-stick pan. To me, that is "something". It was awesome.

In the middle of the afternoon. I tried to untangle the heavy and long cord of the vacuum cleaner. I was like, how do I tackle this piece of contraption? Minutes later, after much looking through and enlisting the help of common sense, I was able to put it to work. It feel kind of cool, actually. The sound it make and the vibrating motion, that reverberated through my arm was somewhat familiar.

I do household chores on the sly ( good thing I used to live away from home). I only encountered vacuum cleaners through the movies I watched and from what I've read. The only time I get to hold the real thing was during our practical exam, how to use it and stuff like that, and it was not even plug on. Doing household chores is not really my cup of tea. Growing up, I tried all sorts of excuse to skip it. And now, I just realized how much I missed on doing these things. ( Not that we have vacuum cleaners at home. Far from that actually.) I've discovered how relaxing it is to fold laundry ( except when I get to the fitted sheet part ). Cleaning a toilet bowl and mopping bathroom floors are just that. I survived through it all and now, I just go through it, like I've been doing it all my life. My mother used to tell me that I should learn how to cook, to iron, wash clothes, and all those other household things because what will happen if ( God forbid) I got married and I don't know all these things. Little did we know, that I don't have to get married to do all these stuff. I just go out of my comfort zone and become a caregiver.

I have preconceived notion about caregivers before. I never even think of becoming one. With all the rumors and talks I heard about a caregiver's job, I was not looking forward to working as one. Unfortunately, things I have long for did not pan out. God had other plans and boy, He made sure it happened. I used to think God was playing a cruel joke on me. I mean, me, a caregiver?! I plan on becoming a CPA.

"If life throws you lemons, make an orange juice." I heard this on Ellen ( it was supposed to be, make a lemonade ) Why not change it a bit and have fun. Life has thrown me a lot of lemons in my lifetime, fortunately, with the help of family and friends, I'm still here.

Caregiver or not, I am who I am. I am not defined by my job and other's opinion of me, either uncalled for or constructive. Becoming a caregiver goes beyond attending the required six-month care-giving course and passing it. And most of all, being a caregiver goes beyond doing your job with the sole purpose of receiving your paycheck at the end of two weeks. For me, it simply means, finally reaching out and making a difference ( albeit how small) in someone else's life. The dollar amount is just an icing on the cake.

And now I will shout....for joy!( No, not that.) What I meant to say is that...."CAREGIVERS ROCKS!"

...doesn't matter...

Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about movies based on books…

What happens when you see a movie based on a book/story, especially one you’ve not read? Do you feel the need to track it down and read it?

 For me, it is usually the other way around, I first read the book then watch its film adaption. Sometimes, the movie live up to what was in the book but often, it does not. Which I think is not surprising since it is quite a difficult task to fit a more than a hundred or so pages  of story into  more than an hour length movie.

There was one instance when I watched a movie, "The Secret Life of Bees". Later, I learned that it was based on a book of the same title. I had it in mind to read the book too but I was not in hurry to get hold of  it Months passed, then I chanced upon a pile of used books inside a mall. The books were to be sold in an upcoming book sale. I always get distracted at the sight of books, they always have that hold on me. So anyway, I found "The Secret Life of Bees". It took me more than a week to finished reading the book. 

While reading it, the characters come to life in my mind and it also helped that I saw the movie already.

Watching a movie based on a book has the same effect to me as to one not adapted from a book. It boils down to this--did I like the movie or not.

...I can be swayed...

Are your book choices influenced by friends and family? Do their recommendations carry weight for you? Or do you choose your books solely by what you want to read?

I discovered the joy of reading through my Aunt's suggestion while I was still in high school. Then I had a classmate who also encouraged me to read other books. That's how it all started for me.


At present, I solely read based on what I want to read. Unfortunately, I don't have that many friends and the few I have, are not fond of books the same way I am. As for family, it is only my Aunt whom I can get along when it comes to books.

 favorite place

Sometimes, someone would suggest a book for me. But then, it seldom happens. I've long stop relating to  my sister, any book I've just read when I noticed her eyes glaze over while she was listening to me. That's my cue to stop and which means, she was bored.

When I started blogging and read other blogs about books, I realized that there are many books and authors  that I haven't read or even heard about. 


Joining this weekly activity has prodded me to read more and be open to the other type of stories or books out there that are just waiting for me....

...cool Mother's day...

I'm not big on special occasion like Mother's day. Still, my sister and I called our Nanay back home and greeted her "Happy Mother's day" one day in advance. They went to the beach. They had a great time as evident by the pictures they sent to us.

our "tanging ina"

Nanay and Tiya with Ikay, Mokang and TJ

For our part here, our treat for Mama on Mother's day was to clean her house. :-) And gave her a Happy Mother's day card. It's the least we can do for her at this time.

So anyway, by Sunday morning, Mama and I had a huge breakfast consisting of toast, poached eggs and coffee while my sister was busy grooming herself. By ten o'clock we drove off to attend a church service.

Pastor Darcy

At noon, after the church service, we went to a Vietnamese restaurant to grab some lunch. We arrived there a bit early so we were seated at once. We all ordered Bubble tea. My sister and I ordered Chicken Curry, while Mama settled on a Vegetable Roll and Spring Roll.

my "glamorous" sister

She was very flattered when I told her that she resembles Stef ( our cousin )

And here's our lunch "feast"....

Vegetable Roll

Spring Roll

Chicken Curry

After our sumptuous lunch, we drove to the mall near Mama's place and that's where we saw this cool set-up on one section of the parking area, complete with all the rides and food concessions. We walked around for a bit, amused at all the rides and people around us. For the first time, I saw a huge crowd outside. And the weather was perfect.

nice to be out

here goes my sister again

cool ride ( but I don't think I'm brave enough to get on it )

 too bad we did not get to try this

We had a great Sunday yesterday. And before we know it, its time again to go on our separate ways and head back to work. We drove back to Mama's house to get our stuff. We get to eat supper first before heading out. Mama drove Lourdes ( my sister ) to the ferry terminal to catch the 7 PM trip. She's going back to Vancouver. Afterward, we drove to my place of work and dropped me off. "Day off" is over.

Another cool thing happened, Mama and I  heard Stef's song "Mr. Immature" played on the radio. Awesome....

...reading time...

Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about the war books

Do you have to carve out time in your day for reading (due to work and other obligations), or does your reading just happen naturally?

 I am ashamed to say that I professed to love books and reading so much, yet it took me forever to finish the "The Secret Life of Bees". And it was not for lack of time or pressing obligations. Its just that I did not want to make the time. I have more time to spend on Facebook than to attend to my reading.

I'm not the type who specifically has to set aside a time each day just for reading. I lean on more to the "reading just happen naturally". I read whenever I feel that I'm up for it or I have a really good book that I can't wait to get myself into. To me, it  will feel like a bit of a drudgery if I have to set a time to read and all the more reason for me to skip it.

Anyway, to each his or her own. We all have different thoughts on reading. Whatever works for someone may not work for others. The important thing is to find the time to read and enjoy this wonderful privilege.

Which reminds me, I have to get back on my reading now. :-)

...one fine day in Vancouver...

 How the weather looked, minutes after we left Nanaimo. Gloomy, eh?

 Funny how unplanned things can worm its way through your daily routine but in the end, give you some new insights toward other new things. I know I sound like I'm talking crazy right now. No, I'm not drunk or something. Probably I'm still experiencing the after effects of having spend an entire day in a big city. Please note that I don't live in the mountains but in fact, I also live in a city. A city in an island. Good, so far?

The bustling Burrard St. The only street I get to snap pictures of after my hands feel slightly warm.

When I arrived in Vancouver for the first time, it was already night time plus it was very, very cold. I did not get to see the city in its entirety except on the streets we passed by at that time. And the next day, we left for Nanaimo. That was it. And I haven't been back there since last Monday, with Mama. The moment we stepped out from the ferry, I was pumped with adrenaline. People here moved in a rush.

I woke up early that day since we will be taking the first trip which was 6:30 in the morning. Mama decided to bring along her car and we just left it in the ferry terminal's parking area after paying the appropriate parking fee. It was a good idea because we don't have to wait for the bus anymore. ( By the way, the buses here have schedules, so you can not just get on one, anytime you like.) The short walk to the ferry terminal from the parking area was very cold. I had on a t-shirt and jacket but it was not enough. The chilly wind seemed to seep right through my clothing. I even forgot to bring my gloves. Mama reminded me to be always ready since the weather here is unpredictable.

The one and half hour trip from Nanaimo to Vancouver was uneventful, except for the occasional thud I felt when the ferry encountered a big wave. The seas were choppy that day and I felt dizzy for a bit but I just slept it off.

Here are some snapshots I managed to take during that day...

inside the church

typical Filipino lunch or should I say, feast?

totem pole

a pretty sight from the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal

We arrived in Horseshoe Bay at thirty minutes past eight in the morning. We made our way from the ferry terminal and step outside in a hurry. When we got to the bus stop, there was already queue of people waiting to board the bus. I'm glad we made it to the bus. The exact amount of coins for our fare was already ready and I was excited when I slid down the coins into the slot then waited for our bus ticket. So this is how it's done. My first time to get on one, actually.

The bus ride from Horseshoe Bay to downtown Vancouver was okay except for the fact that I had to sit beside a man whom I think haven't showered in ages and reeked of cigarette. I turned my head the other way and pretended to watched the scenery outside. One of the downside of using the public transport.

Mama and I get off from the bus on the street near Stef's place. I forgot the name of that street. And I even forgot to snap some pictures while we were walking around because I was busy tucking my hands inside my jacket pocket. My face felt numb due to the chilly air. I had to turn up my jacket collar to ward off the cold. Very bad of me to forget my scarf. I saw all the people walking around, still bundled up and this is supposed to be spring time already.

I went to Vancouver but not to sight see. One day is not enough, I surmised. I went there just to accompany Mama with her doctor's appointment. And after that, we went to a Filipino store and grab some lunch, Pinoy style. Then we were off to catch the bus that will take us to the train station and from there, we would get on the train that will take us back to downtown. Mama's Iphone comes in handy when I used the Google Maps application on it. For the first time, I appreciate the genius mind behind Google Maps. :-) Good thing that when we got to the bus stop, the bus going to Horseshoe Bay was already there and we did not have to wait for a long time.

The weather in Vancouver that day was perfect. The sun was out in all its glory. The only thing that puts a damper on the good weather was the fact it was very windy and very cold. I could not help but shiver while we stood there, waiting for the bus. ( Note to self, bring extra jacket or shirt next time.)

All in all, my unplanned jaunt to the big city turned out great. Plus, I get to met my cousin, Carla, on the ferry, where she works, by the way.

I'm thinking of going back there and let my sister show me around the city. It's just a plan though, at the moment. Let's just see how it goes. :-)