a request..

few days ago my husband asked me why i'm not blogging anymore..

"i'm always tired since we migrated here..." that was my answer. then he requested me if i can still try to continue to write at least once in a while.

maybe he misses my blogs and misses reading my thoughts.. he is a songwriter and a musical composer. maybe my blog gives him some inspiration...

husbands and wives talked mostly about things that's going on about everyday lives.. bills, budgeting, grocery list, future plans, meals for the day, car issues, work related events and mainly about our kids. and pillow talk in most nights when we still have the strength after the hard days work.. seldom now are those moments when we talked about our inner feelings, contemplations and some things we desire..

our minds nowadays were focused on how to keep up with life. but i guess he's right.. i should start blogging again..

blogging is not bragging. it's a talking cure for me. and readers are my analysts.. the ones who hear and digest whatever bothers me and whatever made me happy.

thanks hubby for bringing me back here..

weekend?

i woke up early, excited to start my day blogging yesterday's events but viola! i ended up reading my old posts instead.. such an enjoyable way to spend my weekend indoors now that the light rain starts pouring..

since 2008 and yes, i'm back!

it's saturday morning here in mississauga and here's the highlights of my day:

-blogging ;)
-mulching my garden while washing clothes


-send my daughter to her work at 2pm
-pick up my sis in law and remit
-window shop in square one and buy at least an item or two!
-back home for netflix
-good food in between

boring way to spend a weekend?

yup, you're right..

friends..

i'm home all alone... 3 kids went out to hang out with friends in M Studio.. hubby just had his gig in the same bar before going straight to his overnight shift..

and here i am in our bedroom... blogging while watching the oldest pilot episode of 'FRIENDS'..

whew, what a life.. :(


------------------------------------------------
for your listening pleasure, watch my husband and his band live every Friday, 7-10pm ETD (eastern daylight time) via live stream: http://www.livestream.com/mstudio

changes

just the address though. we'll be moving to applewood at the park on october 1st! whoa, we're all excited....

part of the changes is that my day off will be today and tommorow instead of the usual tuesdays alone.. but only for this week.. :(

the reason is because i have to enroll our daughter to St Francis Xavier Catholic School. Yup, she got to go back to high school and complete the 8 remaining units not offered from her previous schools in china..

gotta go now.. miss you all!

see you later tonight.

Home Alone

Hubby and 2 sons are at work while my daughter will stay overnight in our niece and nephew's home and will come back tomorrow morning. In a meantime, here I am alone in our home and keeping up with my neglected friends on line.

It's my day off today. My hubby and myself had gone out this afternoon and meet up with a new house agent. He showed us a property near Dundas West. It's a high rise condo, the price is relatively low yet the maintenance fee is outrageously high. We love it at first sight considering that the interior design, the number of rooms and the area alone is really lovely but as mentioned, the maintenance fee is not acceptable. Just like paying two homes at a time which is a big turn off.

The rain pounded really hard while we're on our way to see the condo this afternoon. It was only awhile ago when I heard the news that tornado alert were being activated by Environment Canada and was downgraded to severe thunderstorms at 2 pm today. People were warned early this afternoon without us knowing it.. Gee, isn't that scary..?

While I'm busy..

...please consider me as a thing.
...and when i finish packing, i'll make up for my absences and fill up your blogsite with my comments full of love and longing..

HAVE I GONE CRAZY..?

maybe you'll see more photos without labels, words or anything from time to time. I just want to let the world see what beauty we'll gonna leave behind.

have we gone crazy?

all the things that we dreamed of are here.., even the positions we'd been longing to have, the lifestyle, the friendship we had established over the years, the incomparable income we're getting noting that the cost of living here is much, much lower than anywhere in the world...

no i'm not insane, nor a photographer.. i just suddenly felt like clicking my camera to see and realize if migrating to another world is worth or not. to compare our beautiful life here and there when time comes up.

here i am again, the same topic about "questions". But really, musings like this is inevitable especially when you're in a situation wherein you only got eight weeks max to figure out how to freight all those stuffs we accumulated over a decade of living in shenzhen. and how to cope up living in another place; dealing with yet another culture and such..

rhymes

Haven't you noticed, I used words that RHYMES most of the time..?

MAYBE there's a chance that I will be a "POET" afterlife..?

OR simply "CORNY" oftentimes..?

Pick your choice...


Funny me,

Questions

There are still questions that keeps on bugging me. I understand that most of us think that since we came from a third world country, migrating to western part of the world would provide us with high paying jobs and lifestyle highly privileged than if we stay in our home country.

In our case, our life as an OFW (Overseas Foreign Worker) almost half of our lives has given us enough means and courage to dream and hopefully make it to reality. I'm not sure when but I believe it is getting nearer. However, the question 'if it is really the best move' lingers..

To satisfy myself, I had tried to browse and research on how we could be able to handle the change, or if we can be able to handle it. I highly appreciate what had been written by M. Dawodu prior to my query.

5 Things You Need to Know Before Migrating to Canada
By M Dawodu
In addition to living in what appears to be a life of luxury, there are things all people should be fully aware of before settling in Canada.

#1) WESTERN MENTALITY

Most people in third world countries do not have or may not be aware of credit cards or mortgages. So, if you know or see someone living in a big house or driving a luxury car you can safely make the assumption that they are rich. However, in Canada or U.S. someone driving a luxurious car and living in a big beautiful house may or may not be rich. If you have good credit, you are eligible to get a mortgage, credit cards, car leases which basically means the bank really owns your car or house and you make monthly payments depending how much the loan is. It could take 2-5 years to pay off a car and 20 plus years for a house.


#2) STANDARD OF LIVING

Keeping up with the Joneses is a common phrase used to describe a person who strives to have what their neighbour has. It is very common for a family who might make a combined annual income of $100,000 to be deeply in debt. Most likely, because they are living above their means in order to keep up appearances. A classic example of this, is a person I once knew who owned a beautiful million-dollar home in an upper class community. This house was decorated with elegant furniture top to bottom, big screen TV, and she even drove a brand new Mercedes. A lifestyle enviable by many, but what most people didn't know is she could not afford to pay the electric bill and mortgage. Does that make sense to you? So it is important to understand that not everyone is rich in Canada, our idea of success is unrealistic and we are creating debt while in pursuit of riches.

#3) MONEY DOESN'T GROW ON TREES

In Canada, believe it or not, money is made from very hard work, long hours 5 days a week and for many even 6 or 7 days a week. There are some people who work 3 jobs just to make ends meet. Industrialization in Canada has created many jobs for skilled workers. However, many highly educated immigrants are found working such jobs as, slaughterhouses, taxi drivers, or janitorial jobs that most Canadians consider to be undesirable. These jobs do pay well because nobody wants to do them and they require very little training. Foreign credentials such as: medical, law, or any other degree obtained in a country outside Canada does not guarantee you a job in Canada. Your degree, which you worked hard for, may not be recognized by Canadian standards. To avoid disappointment it is important to understand what level of professional and academic standards you need to meet before you arrive.

#4) DISCRIMINATION & RACISM

If you are planning to migrate to Canada you must know that you may face this issue. Some cities are better than others but here in Alberta it might be the worst. A recent article in the Calgary Herald exposes Calgary as the hate crime capital of Canada. Growing up as an African Canadian in the 80's , at a time when there were few black families I faced a lot of issues with racism. Though there are more visible minorities now, this problem still exists. Recently I met a man from Russia who faces racial slurs daily at his work place, he said even though his skin is the same colour as there's they still discriminate against him because of his Russian accent. The fact that discrimination and racism can be very subtle and even non-verbal at times means that we need to work hard to prove ourselves at all times. Minorities are undervalued and may not have the same privileges as our Canadian counterpart, but we can still require respect in the work place or in school. The anti-harassment and discrimination policy is design to support us in this regard.


#5) CHANGE OF A LIFESTYLE

Canadian customs may be different from what your used to, but there are a few customs you may not be aware of. For example, it is customary to call and make an appointment to visit someone at their home, showing up unannounced is considered impolite. When you arrive make sure it's on time as Canadians value punctuality, don't forget to remove your shoes at the door at all times. Never make a comment about a women's weight if she is over weight, this is considered very disrespectful, you're better off commenting on weight loss as a compliment. In order to guarantee a successful social integration try to socialize with people outside of your cultural group. I notice a lot of immigrants of all different ethnicity's tend to only surround themselves with those from the same cultural background. I understand that meeting with people from the same country you're from is human nature, you have a lot in common such as: language, culture, or religion. But it is equally important to integrate into society by not segregating yourself. Spending time with people from other cultures is a good chance for others to learn about your culture and break the barriers that cause discrimination.

As you can see here, in the western part of the world things are not always what is seems. We may not have smoke and mirrors like a magician but we do a pretty good job at creating the illusion that we live the ideal perfect life. Make sure to prepare yourself by weighing the pros and cons. Now that you have this knowledge what are you going to do about it? Share this article with someone you know and create awareness through education because knowledge is power.

Oh My God, what shall we do now...?

I suppose we have to consider this as a challenge, and yes, part of our gift to nourish.. We consider the things that is happening and will be happening to us is part of God's plan. We have to fulfill this blessing no matter how good our lives here in China is or how our life would gonna be if we return to our home sweet home.. We're not really sure yet if this will actually materialize, but we believe that this might be the best way to give our children a chance to see the other side of the fence.

Confused yet blessed,

Idle..

Humans are such complicated creatures.. Like myself for example, I am in a terrible idle mood right now.. Boredom beats me. I am supposedly enjoying my 7-day vacation but suddenly I am longing to work back in my office and return to the normal chaos I used to face at work..

Oh my, isn't this very long holiday is what I had prayed for many times before..? That because I am so burned out with my monotonous office life, I always hoped for the long vacation to change that? Here I am now sitting in my home office trying to figure out how to spend my suddenly "too much" long vacation... hmmn..



Just like complaining when the summer heat makes you sweat and complaining when the very cold winter winds freeze your brains out.. It goes like:

"God it's so hot, I hope the winter season comes soon.."
-or-
"God it's so cold, I hope the summer season comes soon.."

Note: Let's not include the spring and the fall to make my blog more melodramatic.. hehehe ;)

Anyway, thanks so much we have such a cool God up there who always understand our grunts and complaints.. Now I am suddenly ashamed of myself.. I guess I'd better start my day right and enjoy my life as it is..

Message from Nam

One of my favorite past time during my office breaks is to hang out in the bookshops nearby. Since Chinese New Year holiday would mean a 7-day non-working holiday for me while another month for my daughter before her new school term starts, I decided to buy us few paperbacks to pass the time. My daughter requested for the New Moon but unfortunately, the Commercial Press Bookstore in Shatin do not have an english version at the moment so I browsed in the best sellers' aisle and see the latest from John Grisham and Jeffrey Archer instead.. There are lots of new ones and realized I’d been too far behind up-grading my book collections. I haven’t buy any book since August last year.. I almost got all John Grisham’s except the Skipping Christmas, Playing for Pizza, The Appeal and the Pelican Brief.. Jeffrey Archer has a lot of new novels to date but instead buying any of those, I ended up taking my chances with a Message from Nam by Danielle Steel.


Maybe because it is kind of related to what is going on in America right now wherein the new president is still undecided as to what he would do with the war he had inherited from the previous administration; basically quite similar to what had been faced by the presidents in those era, like the two President Kennedys and President Johnson..

Or maybe because I just came from Vietnam few weeks ago on a business trip. I was there and then I realized that I had actually set foot in the exact location where the war had actually happened that caused the lost of so many lives especially young americans and brought insurmountable sorrow to many families all over the world. Note that Philippine troops had been the closest American allies during those times and so our country too had grieved.


Photo of myself with my colleagues and Vietnam Foreign Trade and Investment Director taken during my recent business trip to Ho Chi Mihn, Vietnam

A Message from Nam is an old novel published in the 1990’s yet I found the story too relevant to what is really going on right now. The genre is considered a romantic novel but actually has a lot of historical values. Reading it would make you realize that “history really repeats itself..”

Author: Danielle Steel
ISBN-10: 0385299079
ISBN-13: 9780385299077
Format: Hardcover
Publication Year: 1990
ePID: 153951Publisher's Note
As a journalist, Paxton Andrews would experience Vietnam firsthand. We follow her from high school in Savannah to college in Berkeley and then to work in Saigon.For the soldiers she knew and met there, Viet Nam would change their lives in ways they could never have imagined. For the men in her life, Viet Nam would change their lives in ways hey could not escape or deny. Peter Wilson, fresh from law school, was a new recruit who would confont his fate in Da Nang. Ralph Johnson, a seasoned AP correspondent, had been in Saigon since the beginning. He knew Vietnam and the war inside out. Bill Quinn, captain of the Cu Chi tunnel rats, was on his fourth tour of duty and it seemed nothing could touch him. Sergeant Tony Campobello had come to Vietnam from the streets of New York to vent a rage that had followed him all the way to Saigon. For seven years Paxton Andrews would write an acclaimed newspaper column from the front before finally returning to the States and then attending the Paris peace talks. But for her and the men who fought in Viet Nam, life would never be the same again.

For seven years Paxton Andrews wrote an acclaimed newspaper column from the front lines of the Vietnam War. For Paxton and the soldiers she knew, the war was like a nightmare from which they could not rouse themselves. In thi s monumental work about America's most tragic hour, Danielle Steel creates a powerful portrait of those who were changed forever by the Vietnam War.

picturesque

The strikingly charming photos below are the sceneries of the East Lake Reservoir which runs from Aiguo Road to Shawan Road I used to travel on my way to work..
Who am i to complain about my daily travels to and from my office? This view is such a gift..


I consider this a blessing, to see the beauty of nature for free.. except that at the end of the Shawan Road, these man-made constructions brought about by the erection of the new Metro Line extension would surely make you swear how monstrous a man could be in order to embrace the so-called development..

My office is in Henggang, actually located in the heart of the new development. According to the update below, the Metro Line 3 shall be completed by 2011.. Gee, few more years of suffering from traffic and distorted view of nature..


METRO LINE 3:
Source: http://en.lg.gov.cn/en-web/LGHJ.aspx?govlid=451
Metro Line 3 (M3) now under construction is one of the alignments enjoying priority for development in Shenzhen Rail Transit Phase II Project. M3 is 41.66km in full length and its Phase I project starts at Hongling Central Road and ends at Longgang Shuangiong Interchange, cutting through three districts such as Longgang, Luohu and Futian via 5 sub districts such as Buji, Nanwan, Henggang, Longgang and Longcheng, The project has begun the stage of its major structure construction and is planned to open to traffic in June 2010. The western extension from Hongling Road to Yitian in Futian District Phase II of the project has started in the late 2007 and is planned to open to traffic in June 2011
The above photo suggests that this is how it would gonna look like when the infrastructure ends.. Hmmmm..

funny..

when i had our very first family blog in our Friendster site (http://profiles.friendster.com/51347119), lots of thoughts and ideas used to pop out of my head longing to get written all over our blog site. It was so frustrating because fs blogsite is not easily accessible to users unlike this one... So i begun to collect all my thoughts and jot it down on a weekly basis.

Have you ever experienced having a lot of thoughts and ideas on almost about anything but you have no outlet, no one to talk to and nobody wants to hear it..? it's unnerving, isn't it...?

As i had mentioned before, i'm supposed to get thankful now that we finally have this http://www.2L3Bs.blogspot.com from blogger.com, wherein you can jot down all your thoughts and ideas any time, anywhere without fuss and buzz.. BUT you know what? It seems that because up-dating is now easily accessible anytime, anywhere, my enthusiasm begun to fade...

it's like dreaming of owning a new state-of-the-art thread mill you just seen on tv.. you begun to see yourself using it everyday to shed pound and pounds of fats but when the threadmill is at your finger tips, you suddenly realize it's not that exciting anymore..

funny yet ironic..

impatience

We may have offended someone due to our impatience. I hope I can disclose who this person is but I cannot. He is one of the most important persons in 2L3Bs lives especially at this stage wherein achieving our ultimate dream still remains detached. He provides unwavering support and assistance to us and we consider him as the key person why we still has enough reason to keep our hopes high.

Please LORD and MAMA MARY, help us make him understand that we only e-mailed him because we are trying to find some answers to our questions and doubts. Please forgive us... I hope that we'll not be forsaken for the impatience we had imparted.

This is one lesson learned:
"Patience is really a virtue..."

sunny

the word alone makes me smile..

it's cold yet i'm happy unlike the past days wherein the weather really seeped-in even to my very soul; making me melancholy and sad maybe because the past days before the new year had been cloudy all along..

it's a sunny day today and this made me believed that 2009 will be a sunny year for the 2L3Bs. the bits and pieces of the old year still lingers but i'm sure our 2009 would be the year of change. i'm no longer sick and doing well with my sales load; papa's business might be hibernating for a while but we're confident it would kick in later this month; our eldest shall start a new career with a bang on march; our second born finally got his diploma and transcripts from raffles and i guess would inspire him to focus on his future this time; our daughter after receiving her certificate from GUFS shall start schooling again after the chinese new year.

i like it when it's cold yet there's the sunshine to keep you warm. sunny days really makes me more optimistic in facing life as it is.. :)

Cloudy

It's cloudy here in Shenzhen. The weather is 15C with occasional drizzle. Maybe because of the weather that's why I'm feeling blue somehow. I don't feel right. I just want to stay in bed and let this black spell expires on its own.

I'd been sitting in front of my office computer with nothing to do. Not so busy this time of the year. All of my overseas customers seems away or on vacation. I don't feel right at all. I'm not even excited about what we're going to prepare for tommorow's midnight feast. I hope this bad mood simply dissapear when the new year comes.. and pray never to come back forever..

Or maybe I'm having this so-called mid-life crisis? Hmm..

I guess I have to extend more prayer of thanks to the LORD and MAMA MARY for giving me a husband and children like mine who understand and cheer me up especially in times like this. 2L3Bs are not perfect at all. Actually, we're more of a dysfunctional bunch in a hippie kind of way... but God, I'm so glad I have this wonderful family to thank for. Maraming Salamat PO..

I love you papa, your text messages really made my day.. (tears of joy is flowing...)

FACTS ABOUT MID-LIFE CRISIS
(source: By Cathy Meyer, About.com)
A midlife crisis is experienced between the ages of 40 and 60. It was first identified by the psychologist Carl Jung and is a normal part of the maturing process. Most people will experience some form of emotional transition during that time of life. A transition that might cause you to take stock in where you are in life and make some needed adjustments to the way you live your life. Most seem to come through the process smoothly without making major life changes.

For some a midlife crisis is more complicated. It can be an uncomfortable time emotionally which can lead to depression and the need for psychotherapy. Those who have a hard time with this transitional stage might experience a wide range of feelings, such as:

-Unhappiness with life and the lifestyle that may have provided them with happiness for many years.

-Boredom with people and things that may have been of interest to them before.

-Feeling a need for adventure and change.

-Questioning the choices, they have made in their lives and the validity of decisions they made years before.

-Anger at their spouse or children and blame for feeling tied down.

-Unable to make decisions about where they want to go with their life.

-A desire for a renewed and passionate, intimate relationship with spouse.

According to Wikipedia, midlife crisis is a term used in Western societies to describe a period of dramatic self-doubt that is felt by some individuals in the "middle years" of life, as a result of sensing the passing of youth and the imminence of old age. Sometimes, transitions experienced in these years, such as aging in general, menopause, the death of parents, or children leaving home, can trigger such a crisis. The result may be a desire to make significant changes in core aspects of day to day life or situation, such as in career, marriage, or romantic relationships.

Many middle aged adults experience major life events that can cause a period of psychological stress or depression. Researchers have found that midlife is often a time for reflection and reassessment, but this is not always accompanied by the psychological upheaval popularly associated with "midlife crisis".

Random Thoughts

I'm here in my office and just received 2 confirmed Purchase Orders (P.O.'s) from my customers in Switzerland.


The weather here in Shenzhen is 14 C, with a relative humidity of 10-40%. I feel cold.. and bored. Everytime boredom seeps in, I always think of better ways to lighten up..


Where to? Up to now, the 2L3Bs are still undecided where to spend our Christmas together. Pa in Baoan, Ma in HoAu, Kuya 1 in Donglu, Kuya 2 in Futian, our Baby in HK. Not a good scenario.. But hey, 2L3Bs are inseparable bunch. I'm sure we can work things out soon...


What's new..? I'd been trying to decipher: Status: an error occurred with the data in your request.There has been an error in processing your inquiry.Please check to make sure: You have correctly entered the "FN" and "PA's Date of Birth". Your "FN" has 10 characters (1 letter and 9 numbers). Your case was finalised less than two months (8 weeks) ago. After this period of time the information is no longer available online. Frequent Errors: "Date of application" was used instead of the "P A's Date of Birth". The "FN" does not have 1 alphabetic character and 9 numbers, as it should.. Hmmnnn.. Let us see and keep that fingers crossed....


I miss Wawa. This is one of the best places on earth.. Some might disagree but who cares? Our home sweet home sits there and that's where me and pa hopes to grow old.. I terribly miss our home, my plants, our dogs, and the place as it is..





I always dream of myself reading my favorite paperbacks in this area of our home in Baras. We seldom found ourselves alone whenever we go home for a vacation and we really hope to have the chance to enjoy this special place we designed for such occassion.


While papa enjoys his music... He used to play his favourite tune using our baby girl's upright piano. It was a gift we gave her 7 years ago. She can play too..


Know what? After few minutes of jotting down some of my random thoughts, I begun to relax... I'm no longer bored. What a day.. Now I'm ready for some action...

Bad Day..

why everybody seems like having a bad day today..?

i for one is in terrible shape this morning.. i was a bit late from work and not in the mood for anything, i don't feel right even now..

our eldest son is having a tiff with his gf so basically, he's in a foul mood.. he wants me to contact his gf and try to mend things up.. OMG, with this mood i got, i bet i can do more harm than good.. better try to sort things out tommorow.

i called up my daughter at 10am and to my dismay, she was still in bed..! i can't blame her though, she just got back from school and i guess she's just trying to recover. she was pissed off when i called her. what made me mad was that she promised to get up early and take care of the telephone bills.. our landline is not auto debited from our account so we gotta get to the china telecom in person once a month.. **sigh**

the second born was supposed to help out but i understand he is kind of groggy from lack of sleep. he's also in a foul mood after his boss unreasonably blame him for his co-member's tardiness.. i don't know what time he arrived last night. i guess it was late as usual.

pa is the only one who is in great shape among the 2L3Bs.. Well, he really deserves that.. He'll be celebrating his 45th birthday tommorow..

hmmnn i guess this bad day turned out to be a blessing anyway.. it's good to suffer today than tommorow. i hope to give pa a celebration he will never forget... less all the negativities we are experiencing right now..

touched..

i was highly touched by my officemates' gleeful reaction when they received my gift to them from vietnam. we used to give each other trinkets and souvenirs whenever we travel abroad.

touched? or am i just being emotional because of the primolut N i am taking now.. i'm on medication and i guess this is the major cause of emotional eruptions i'd been having since i started taking it.

yesterday after i landed i was so angry with my children for arriving so late in our pick up place.. i was sorry because i poured out my wrath to our daughter for showing such selfish attitude. i just tried to compose myself later after i had read the message she had wrote. i kissed and made up with her and thank her for the votive candle she had given me as a birthday present. she's so thoughful.. and that's how 2L3Bs are, we always kiss and make up easily for any hurtful things we'd done..

and maybe because of this primolut N that's why i cannot find any reason why i have to forgive pa for his insensitivity.

battery operated..

I'm supposed to be on my way now to work. Every Saturday, I am expected to make a sales report in our Hong Kong Office. It's 7:57 am here now and the travel would require me at least 1.5 hours to get to my office on time.. Shenzhen and Fotan in Hong Kong where my office is located is not that far but the human traffic in the immigration oftentimes delayed me..

And today I'm sure I'll be very late... this terrible battery-operated water heater in our infamous T&B doesn't work.. Damn, it's 11 C and the water is freezing! I wish I could swear more the way Stephen King does in his novels, but really I hate it when this China-made products disappoints me, and the rest of the 2L3Bs when they get up from slumber..

'Gotta wait till pangyaw (our housemaid) arrive to get me a new battery.. or repair man perhaps?

**sigh**