A Book Review: The Unit

I'm quite pleased that I was given the chance to read and make a review of Ninni Holmqvist's debut novel, The Unit.

And I have to say that I enjoyed every minute that I have read the book as it aroused my sense of awe and wonder if ever a place like the Reserve Bank Unit would suddenly show-up in the not so far future.

The Reserve Bank Unit is a place for the "dispensables" (women over fifty and men over sixty who don't have "useful" professions or who are childless,) are gathered for biological materials and scientific testings.

Basically, the Reserve Bank Unit is a luxurious slaughterhouse. The occupants in the reserve are able to live extravagant lives being able to eat gourmet food and shop for luxury items without having to pay for them. Well, they do have to pay in the form of organ donations and participation in life-threatening experiments though.

The main protagonist of the story Dorritt Weger, submitted herself to the Unit because she was childless and her career as a freelance writer wasn't considered a job that could benefit all of society. Dorritt who was unhappy in the outside world, in the community, is suddenly infused with desires to live her own life again as she met a partner in the unit and that they had a baby together. It's just too bad that a tragedy had to occur to destroy her dream to become a mother. I won't say anything more about the story because I don't want to spoil it for everyone.

The Unit had exreme effects on the outside world too because cases of teen pregnancies and infant kidnappings arised because no one wants to be taken away and live the remaining of your life participating in several painful experiments and having your organs taken one by one.

This then gives us the question of how valuable human life is to society that they are able to treat humans just as walking useable organs and lab rats.

I highly recommend this book to everyone. The story has a very controversial topic that will surely spark your interest. Although the book is more on the female psyche, having read it from a male perspective, I still enjoyed the book.

Reminiscing

The cool breeze brings nothing but the memories of my past. I remember the wind upon my face when I rode my bike around the neighborhood at night, when I climbed the top of Mount Sipaka, when I walked early in the morning searching for a taxi to get to the hospital on time, when I climbed on top of our roof to enjoy the beauty of the moon and stars, and so on.

I feel like I am still living in the past. The present is killing me slowly and the future scares me. Right now I only have my past to validate my worth. I never realized how lucky I was to have lived such a beautiful life in the Philippines surrounded by people I love and I was doing the thing I loved... being a student nurse.

I miss my college life... I miss my Missy... I miss my friends... I miss my old self...

I had so much to be proud of, I had so much hope, and I had so many goals and dreams...

I still don't have any reason to be happy in Canada. Sure I have friends and family here but there is something that is still missing and this great void is making me so unhappy.

I really must have a serious case of depression.

Am I Alive?

This is the question that I had brought upon myself while I mindlessly drifted into a state of self-reflection. Seriously. What is life? How can you truly say that you really are living?

Is living mainly being able to think, move, speak, eat, or simply having the ability to maintain proper body functions? Right now I feel that I am dead. Yes, people see me and I am able to interact with other people but I still feel like I am dead.

I really feel burdened with so many thoughts and broken dreams. Although my family is doing ok and you can say that they are able to move on with their lives and there is a significant improvement in our lifestyle since we move here to Canada from the Philippines but I feel so left out.

I can't help but ask myself what the hell was I doing all the years that I was in the Philippines? I have sacrificed so many things when I was in the Philippines. I sacrificed my happiness that's for sure. While I was studying, I turned down friends on their proposals to go to outings and have fun, I turned down having romantic relationships because I felt that studying was more important, and I turned down so many things that I didn't realized that I was only turning myself down to have fun and be happy for once in my life.

I feel such a failure. For starters, I didn't expect to be turned down by University of Alberta and now I'm stuck for almost one year that I have been here in Canada working at Tim Hortons being humiliated and looked down upon. I know that some people may think that this is just my pride talking but I really feel like a complete failure.

If MacEwan College doesn't accept me into their nursing program this September I don't know what I will do. Right now I have been researching other related opportunities because I really don't want to work at a dead-end job. I am just 20 years old but I feel that I have been left out by my batch mates who now have great jobs and are now living their dreams.

I don't want to be a drama queen but this is how depressed I am right now. I just hope that things turn out better the following days.

Shake and Bake!

You just have to love Canada! They always have something fun and unique just like the new Dr. Oetker Shaker!

I love baking and with the shaker mixes by Dr. Oetker, I can bake muffins, cupcakes, and even pancakes in a jiffy! It's so easy to make that even a little kid (with adult supervision of course) can make one. Just add milk or water, shake, shake, shake, pour into a baking mold and viola! Just put that yummy treat in the oven and just wait for it to cook and enjoy!

You don't have to be a pastry chef to be able to whip up amazing cupcakes or muffins for birthday parties and gatherings. It tastes so good that people will love it and it's so hard to resist the temptation to take all the glory and say you made it from scratch.

But for me I bake it for my midnight treat and I feel no guilt at all because the Shaker is 0 trans fat, a source of fibre, and Prebiotics! Give me any other muffin that is as healthy as that?

Boy, this post sure is making me hungry. So if you excuse me, I have some shaking to do in the kitchen!

Silence Is Sharper than Words

Do you know what pisses your enemies the worst? The fact that you can still smile after they tried so hard to piss you off! And this is exactly what I did a while ago!

I have posted an entry before about my haters and as I predicted they (like 8-9 old Filipino geezers) were right on schedule. I made sure I didn't do anything to offend them but I guess that they don't want me to speak in English to my customers who happens to be white... weird I know.

They feel that I try too hard to impress them with my English but to let them know that is how I speak English whether they are there or not. Does it really bother them that I speak English well? Seriously, just because I'm Filipino it doesn't mean that I'm not allowed to develop an accent can I?

But I'm really happy with myself because I didn't react to whatever bullshit they were talking about me for the past 4 to 6 hours that they were staying at my place of work. Seriously, they waste too much time trying to piss me off so in return they were the one that got pissed because I didn't react to all their hard work.

So I learned that sometimes silence can cut through anyone's bullshit better than words. Because if you react to their taunts, it's just like adding fuel to their confidence in their ability to piss you off so it will never end. But if you just keep quiet, they feel neglected and hurt because they feel like talking to a wall... which by the way is a very stupid thing to do if you ask me.

So on with the silence strategy. There's no use in wasting time and energy to defend yourself when your obviously fighting against stupid childish obnoxious nobodies.

The Perfect Gift for Dad

Oh my gosh! Time really does fly so fast. I feel like it was only Mother's Day a few days ago and now Father's Day is fast approaching.

I better think fast of what I should give my dad for this Father's Day. Who am I kidding? I already know the perfect gift for him and my only problem is to choose which one is perfect from the line of Casio watches.

Yup! My dad and I are watch lovers! We share the interest in collecting different kinds of watches and we even share our watches. So it's like buying myself a watch too if you know what I mean.

I really like this Casio watch over here. It's scratch proof and it has features like auto calendar and daylight-saving time on/off which is perfect for us because we don't want a repeat of what happened to us last time when we were late for work because we forgot to change the time.

I just know that he, including myself, would love this watch. It's a perfect Father's Day gift indeed!

Family Reunion and My Pathetic Life

My life is so boring... I'm glad that at last there is something worth blogging about. Last Friday, my family and I went to West Edmonton Mall because my cousin (the daughter of my father's brother) was staying there at the Fantasy Hotel.

I think it has been years since I last saw her and I am so happy for her accomplishments. She's actually from Prince Albert in Saskatchewan and she works there as a nurse. I wish that I could also one day be like her and be able to practice the profession that I had studied and prepared for the last 3 years of my life... well before I came here to Canada that is.

I am so unhappy with my present job. I wish that I could have conquered my laziness and worked somewhere far where I could earn more and save my pride. Well there are 4 more months before I finally get to study (if ever I get admission) so quiting my job once again to look for another job is quite difficult...

Well quiting is actually easy but I don't want to give my manager another slap in the face after she took me in once again and she even gave me a raise twice! She gave me a raise when she gave me my job back and she gave me another raise when I was working again for 4 months... And I guess my job ain't that bad putting aside the harassment and ridicule that I have to put up with.

Anyway, I've noticed that my hair is extremely soft (completely out of topic!!!)! I'm just amazed because my hair is color treated so I was expecting it to be lifeless, but my hair actually looks healthier now. Weird.

Although getting a new house is already a great happening in my life, a personal change in my lifestyle (uhm... like being a student once again) is what I'm really dying for. I'll just hope for the best... once again...

How to Deal with Haters

Seriously I can't think straight these days... I'm afraid that I might go into a state of depression but I guess I still have strength in my tiny soul to pull through.

I especially loved this article I found on eHow.com that I really liked. It's called How to Deal With Haters and it has given me a new perspective with haters. Even if they say so many hurtful things to me I won't be affected because it only shows I'm on the right track to success because with success comes a pack of haters. As you become more successful your haters will only pick on you even on the slightest mistakes that you may have to gratify the deep void that they have.

So whenever anyone tries to bring you down with what ever they say just say, "Let it go... they're not worth it...".

In my experience this might be the best thing to do because if you react and curse those haters they will only feel great knowing that they have won and that they have successfully caused you temporary insanity. Ignoring them does nothing anyway because they will even hate you more because they feel insecure because you don't even give them credit for their hard work of insulting you. But ignoring them saves you the time and effort in creating a come back because haters are has immunity to hate because it is in their genes to begin with.

I'm OK

I have to admit that I was really affected with those people who kept talking about me and criticizing my every move and everything I say but I realized that I'm not the one with the problem but they are.

So as a friend has told me, I should just ignore whatever they say because seriously who the hell are they? They are nothing to me so their words should not render me powerless because they are just pathetic losers without a life.

So I'm ok. I'm fine. I love my self and I am proud of who I am.

I'm A Victim of Psychological Harrassment

I need help... but my voice is so faint and no one hears me... I feel so alone and hurt. Tears would just fall down by themselves but now all I feel is anger.

I just wanted to work and earn some money before I continue to go to school to study but I never wanted to be a center of harassment and criticism, especially by fellow Filipinos.

It sickens me because they are able to freely humiliate me and criticize me in every way possible. They criticize the way I speak, the way I act, and even my sexuality. I feel like I'm being watched the whole 8 hours of my shift because they always come to Tim Hortons to just sit and talk... unfortunately the conversations are about me, "Taga-timpla lang nang kape" or "just a coffee stirrer" in English.

The worst part is that I suffer in silence because they speak in Filipino while they all out criticize me and degrade my entire person and humanity. I confronted these group of Filipinos aged 40 or more and then they were saying that they would never do that because I'm a Filipino but I don't know why they had to lie. Maybe because they didn't want a confrontation to save themselves from embarrassment.

I have been suffering from insomnia, stress, and I really felt bad about the entire thing. I ask myself what is wrong with me to deserve such attitudes. But a friend then told me that there is nothing wrong with me, it is them who has a problem.

I wanted to change my shift but I've realized that they just want to bring me down because there is an awful gap and emptiness that they have to fill... I just wonder why criticizing me will fill that hole.

Before you find fault and criticize other people, make sure that you are completely flawless. If you think you are perfect, then you should know that using other people's weaknesses to validate your own worth just shows that you're one pathetic loser. No one in this world is perfect or the best at anything. If there is that someone then that someone is God.

The Larkspur Hotel

Whenever I look for a hotel I always consider two very important factors. One, the hotel should well fit my budget without bankrupting me or that the hotel price will be reasonable enough. Two, the hotel must be close to the venues that I plan to visit.

I've been wanting to visit San Francisco now and see that marvellous Golden Gate Bridge but San Francisco offers more than just that. I especially love the Union Square, the third most largest shopping centre in the United States! Since my interest rotates around shopping I looked for a hotel that is near the Union Square and I found Larkspur Hotel Union Square!

It certainly fits my first and second criteria in finding a hotel to stay in. It's definitely one of the most inexpensive hotels that are surrounded by San Francisco's finest theatres, restaurants, shopping centres, and attractions. It's also just a half block from the Powell Street Cable Car which you can hop on to see more of what San Francisco has to offer. Larkspur San Francisco is the best hotel that fits my budget and my needs. Other hotels in the same area where access to everything is convenient will have prices that skyrockets.

So let's get down to the nitty-gritty and discuss the basic amenities and accommodations of this hotel. Larkspur Union Square is just like any other hotels but it offers more bang for the buck! I especially love the fact that they have complimentary wireless internet as most hotels charge for internet connection. The Larkspur is also pet friendly and it's great that you can wake up and enjoy a great cup of Starbucks coffee and a great continental breakfast, and everything is complimentary. That sure is an enticing way to start the day and go out and explore San Francisco.

Ways To Be Rude on the Phone

I highly recommend this self-help book to all the rude people in the world who I think are pitiful because they didn't grow up with parents or guardians who should have thought them social etiquette and courtesy. Maybe this is because their parents or guardians were also rude and disrespectful in the first place. Such a shame.

There are so many rude people and there are so many rude gestures and acts but I would want to focus on how to be rude while on the phone. I wanted to make this list because I had several encounters with several rude customers talking on the phone while they order but not as rude as this one. Imagine, here comes this black person come in through the door yapping on his phone. I greet him he's still busy yapping on the phone. I wait for him to finish his conversation or ask the person on the other line to hold but that never happens. I start to do some other thing other than waste my time waiting for him talking on the phone. Then he tells me what he wants without even saying please or whatever then I punch it in and asks him for clarification what he wanted because he doesn't speak English that well, he might be from Africa or something. Moments later he comes back he comes back telling me that I made a mistake and then I tell him that I asked him two times but he wouldn't listen to me because his phone was stuck to his ear for some strange reason. He then tells me, "You shouldn't talk to me like that I'm a customer bla bla bla" and threatened me that I'd lose my job. Actually I didn't take this seriously because losing my job at Tim Hortons won't be an earth shattering event. Even the other customers told me that I was right for telling that black guy off that if he wasn't talking on the phone his order would have turned out right.

Phones were invented to facilitate better communication between two people and to bridge the distance between them. But if phones will make you lose your ability to communicate and interact with the people already around you then phones become a nuissance rather than a tool to improve our lives.

So here are some of the things that you can do to be rude on the phone and make people around you think that you are important or something:

1. Talk on the phone while ordering and make everyone in the line and the person taking your order to wait for you to finish whatever you are doing.
2. When on the phone, make sure that you talk loud enough for everyone to hear your conversation. It would be even better if you turn on the loud speakers. People will really get the attention.
3. When you are talking with someone and the phone rings, make sure to answer the phone even if it is unimportant and make sure to apologize to the one who called you for taking time to pick up the phone and completely ignore the person who you were talking to in front of you.
4. Make sure that your ring tone is at the maximum level of loudness and never put your phone in silent mode when you are in the movies, church, and while you are in class or board meetings.
5. Scream and completely lose it when someone says excuse me to you and talk to you while you are on the phone. How dare they interrupt you!
6. Always be sure to talk on the phone while you drive or do anything else. Every one else can just move out of your way and give you more consideration because you're on the phone.

Oh! And for the person who fits the Number 6 on the list this one's for you:

In the Mall

I'm in the mall right now because I don't have anything better to do, LOL! No it's actually a case of a bad breakfast gathering turned bad. Well let's just say that we decided to have burnch to early but it doesn't matter really. I love hanging out with these guys.

I'm in the library and I'm just aimlessly wandering through the netr like I always do even when I'm at home and I've decided to make a blog post after hoping to some of my my blogger friend's blogs.

I actually don't like going to the library or even go to the mall for that matter because I'm a bit of an antisocial (surprised?). I said a bit not full blown antisocial.

Anyhow, I guess that this post will be a bit on the side of nonesense but at least it's better than some posts on the net that are clearly sponsored because there is no feeling or thought put into the post. Well this post don't have any though put into it like most of my posts but at least it has feelings right?

Anyhow, maybe I'll just let the time pass by watching some anime.

Every Moment - Joy Williams

You just got to live the taste of David Archuleta! I actually found out about this song from David`s blog and I fell in love with it the first time I heard it. David and I sure have the same taste in music and I do hope that he recommends more music because I`m pretty sure that there are more wonderful music out there that is really wonderful waiting to be discovered by me.

I love this song because it has so many emotions in it and the song moves every fibre of my being.

Yes, we can never get back or undo the things that we have done, words we have said, things that we have failed to do, or moments that we allowed to pass by because as I`ve said before, "Time waits for no one".

I also especially love this AMV (Anime Music Video)! I just love Tsubasa Chronicles! You already know that I'm an Anime Freak but I only go for animes that I consider worthwhile to watch. I mean animes that have a good story line, amazing characters, and of course the theme or message that is being portrayed. And my golly, Tsubasa Chronicles gets an A+.

Continuing Education

It has always been my dream to continue my education and attain a doctorate degree or a master's degree. It just saddens me that this dream is already very hard to attain because of my current situation. I'm already 20 years old and moving to Canada had a detrimental effect on my education. In Canada the high school is up to Grade 12, meanwhile in the Philippines it's only up to Grade 10. This means that my 3 years in university in the Philippines will be seen under Canadian standards as finishing Grade 11 and 12 and just 1 year of university.

So I'm going to finish my degree in 4 years and I will be 24 then. I'm thinking that I won't have time to study and work at the same time but this belief is disproved because of a friend with a similar situation as me. He studies at the Arizona School of Health Sciences Programs.

My friend is a physician assistant already and he is so busy in his job that he also thought that he wouldn't be able to continue his education and expand his clinical knowledge and skills. He also dreams of having a Master of Science degree in Physician Assistant Studies. Let's face it, if you have a higher degree more opportunities and even a better pay will follow as you can already justify that you are well qualified. On the other hand, broadening your clinical knowledge will boost your confidence and you can tap do more clinical procedures with your new knowledge and skills.

I have plans of working at the United States in the future and I might consider applying to an Arizona School of Health Sciences Online Program so that I can achieve my goals even if I am busy with work.

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

Who would have thought that I would find anime at our local public library. My friends and I were just passing by and then we see DVD's of recent movies like House, High School Musical, and even some teen flicks which I thought was weird. They even had the Mama Mia Soundtrack which I immediately borrowed.

I was pretty fortunate to have come across the anime, "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time". It's been several days since I've last watch any anime so I was pretty excited to watch this one.

Well as the title goes, Makoto is a girl who was able to Time Leap after encountering a device from the future that enables her to go back in time. She abuses her powers from going back in time to get more sleep or eat her favorite dessert. She then realizes that there are limits to the number of time leaps that she can make and that every time she changes something for her benefit, aweful things happen to the people around her.

How amazing it would be if I were able to make time leaps. There are so many things in my life that I wish I could have done differently or I wish I never did in the first place. I have many regrets and I worry about the consequences of my actions. But as Makoto learns, being able to go back to change things makes some things worst and that there are some things that can never be changed because they just happen.

Right now I wish I could time leap and change the person that I have become right now but I have come to realized that I should just accept whatever I have done and just go on with my life. I still believe in fate and that there are things that are really unavoidable.

So right now I will live in the present and dream of the future.

"Time Waits for No One..."

Congratulations to Kris Allen!

Before anyone continues to read this, please be reminded that these are my opinions and this is my personal blog so please don't try to persuade me to like what you like or anything. I'm entitled to my own opinion and preferences.

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It's such a shame that I wasn't able to keep track of the Season 8 of American Idol... stupid work! Anyway, I've been able to watch the final episode of American Idol where Adam and Kris faced off with three songs.

I've got to admit that Adam Lambert really had awesome vocals and his range isn't something that you always hear these days. Kris Allen in fairness has a great voice too! I love the way that his voice is soothing and calming, I mean his voice doesn't hurt my ears and makes my headache. Let's just say that his type of singing style is the one that I love. And before anyone reacts violently or negatively with this let's remember that everyone has a personal preference or choice so let me be. Some people on YouTube are saying that No Boundaries by Kara DioGuardi is a bad song and that Kris only won because he made it sound better, well I kind of agree with this, except the part where they said that the song was cheesy.

Anyway, everyone was so sure that Adam Lambert was going to win because even Simon was being nice for the first time with Kris Allen, being soft with him even if his performance of No Boundaries wasn't that good because it was too high for him.

But I'm glad that Kris Allen won. Kris and Adam are equally amazing. And just like any other American Idol finalists, it's not always the Winner who gets the highest number of album sales. It also depends with the fans who will continue to support them even after American Idol.

I will buy Kris Allen's album when it becomes available on iTunes because as I said his genre of music is what falls under my personal likes. Kris Allen's style of singing is kind of like David Archuleta's but I know that they both can't be compared.

Anyway, congratulations to all the contestants! Just being on American Idol is awesome enough!

Raining...

Gosh it never stops raining up here. It just rains, rains, and rains. The weather forecast said that it will rain for almost the whole week and this isn't fun at all. But I guess that it is good to have rain in spring so all the blooming plants and trees get to get the H20 that they need.

You know what else is positive about rain? Well we could help conserve precious water by rain harvesting! It's a great way to save money and help conserve earth's resources as well. Why waste rain water when you can use that to water your plants and wash your car. Just place rain water barrels at the bottom of your water spouts in your home and voila!

But rain barrels aren't just used for collecting rain because it isn't everyday that it rains right? Rain barrels can double as a garden ornament adding beauty and charm to your garden. I've seen rain barrels that doesn't look anything like a barrel but looked like a decorative planter.

Earth has limited resources and so we should do our part in making sure that our children will still have a home they can call their own.

Doing What's Best for You

Remember how I keep venting and posting here in my blog how I am always irritated with my brother and his noisy bunch of friends? Well I kind of did something about it already.

I generally don't want to offend anyone because I don't want to hurt anyone and also because I really feel so bad in the end. But there are times when you have to offend other people just to let them know that they are already crossing the line.

When ever my brother's friends are here our privacy is always compromised. It would be great if we've already moved to our new home and they could stay in the basement so that my parents and I can continue doing what ever we're doing and relax in the comfort of our own home. But we still live in a very small and cramp apartment and when they come here they always take over our living room and sometimes even my room. So my parents and I end up staying in the master bedroom waiting for them to go away... that is if they even plan to go away.

I know that visitors coming to the house ain't so bad. But when they come into the apartment in the middle of the night or at the crack of dawn just to sleep here it really pisses me off. Our apartment is not open to the public as a bed and breakfast.

I always have plans to clean the apartment but whenever I'm cleaning they are always here to mess everything up, that is if I even get the chance to clean when they're here. I heard one of them saying that I act as if I've already been here in Canada long. The hell with that! I don't care if they've stayed here longer than us, if they're richer than us, if they have a larger house than us, if they're fellow Filipinos, or if they're better than us or whatsoever. The point is this is MY home and this is MY sanctuary, so I wan't my privacy. So they can do whatever they want elsewhere aside from here. My parents don't show their unhappiness too and discontentment with the matter but I'm not afraid to speak my mind.

They said I just act this way because I don't have friends? Well I do have friends and I don't want to have friends like them who are always out drinking or doing whatever young people who don't take any responsibilities do these days.

But I really do feel bad for the way I acted. I actually feel a bit sick, literally. I know that I have been a bit childish and rude but I still think that it is still worth it because I value my happiness and the privacy of our home more.

Spring 2009 Vacation!

Finally! After 1 day of being offline, I am once again able to live my online life. I'm at Jasper Town right now and I'm glad that the hotel that we're staying right now offers free internet connection. The last place we stayed at has internet connection but you had to pay for it which I believe really sucked!

I've already posted photos of the places that we've been through the following days like the Royal Tyrrell Museum (a museum showcasing real dinosaur bones and the evolution of the earth), Banff Gondola, Lake Loiuse, Columbia Icefields (an expedition to the Athabasca glacier which is as thick as the Eiffel Tower is tall), and lastly the Jasper Tramway (A place where you ride a lift 2,000 feet above the ground to have the scenic view of Jasper Park). You can check the pictures out at my Multiply Account or the Photo Gallery link above the website.

It sure is great to be able to get a breather and escape from my monotonous and stressful life and be able to spend time with my family and be able to reflact and ponder on things. The long drive was really relaxing because it was my mom's co-worker that drove our car so I was able to catch some sleep at the back. The trip was great and we never got lost because we went with 3 other Filipino families who were my mom's co-workers.

I loved the beautiful scenic views that we've seen and even if it snowed and rained it wasn't too bad. But I really want to point out one store from my long drive which I really believe is worth mentioning.

If ever you are here at Jasper Town, I highly recommend that you visit an excellent little souvenir and gift shop called Everything But. The lady store keeper was really nice to me and my brother and she even gave us a free key chain. It's very hard to find stores who are very entertaining and quite generous like Everything But.

I can't wait for the next long drive!

Thinking About Moving

I still can`t get over the fact that we`re going to have our new home built this November and that we`re going to move from our modest 2 bedroom apartment into a colossal 4 bedroom house. The first thing that really comes into my mind and can`t get rid off is finding a moving quote. Although our SUV has plenty of cargo space at the back if you fold down all the seats but you can`t expect our beds and dressers to fit in there right so we really need to choose from several budget van lines.

I`m just glad that we live in the city and moving from one house to another has become a norm so there are already several moving companies that could help us in our move. Just thinking about moving sends shivers down my spine and there are some fears and reservations but I guess that everything will turn out alright.

It`s also good that we have such great family friends who I know will help us in our move so I feel a bit at ease. Our family friends have also recently moved into their new home last December so they could surely recommend which movers to choose from.

We won`t be moving until November but it doesn`t hurt to be prepared right?

Blogging Instead of Packing

One of my greatest sins is being a procrastinator! I`m supposed to be packing right now but I had to put that aside since I want to tend to my not so healthy blogging life. By an unhealthy blogging life I mean that my blog isn`t really updated that much and if it is updated the content sucks. How I wish I could make posts that could both entertain and enlighten.

Anyway I have been facing a huge dilemma! I can`t decide whether I should move my blog to a new domain or start a new one and keep two blogs running. I already threw away the idea of keeping two blogs as I said in this post and I`m not going to move my blog either as I don`t want to lose my PR 4 which by the way I worked so hard to get.

So I`ve wasted around $30 ($100 plus if JustHost won`t give me my refund) in buying two domain names: evbautista.com and evbautista.ca. I wanted a new domain because I`ve seriously made a colossal mistake of putting my entire name as my domain name. It doesn`t only make my domain name so long but I`ve also put myself at risk for identity theft that`s why I monitor my credit history now every month.

So I better start packing now if I want to get enough sleep tonight. I`m packing some stuff for our 4 days long drive to Banff and Calgary. Wohoo! At last vacation time! I`ll be bringing my lappy on the road so I`ll be updating my blog once in a while on the road.

Great News!

Finally! After a hell of a week I finally heard some good news for a change. Well it's not the good news I've been waiting for (getting accepted into the nursing program at MacEwan) but nonetheless it is still a very very great news!

Our mortgage application has been finally approved by the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Association! Our new home will be finished this November 2009! People said that we won't be able to buy a house in Canada because it's only been less than a year since we first came here but we once again proved them wrong just like when they said that we won't be able to buy a new car on our 6th month of living here in Canada.

But maybe if the economy was good and the interest rates were very high then maybe we wouldn't be approved at all for both the car and house. But I guess we were lucky this time and arrived in Canada during a financial crisis.

I only hope that my parents will still have jobs by the end of this year because if they don't then goodbye car and home and I might even have to stay at my job if that happens. Oh God no! I guess I'd better be nice from now on to get positive karma.

Anyway the house is really great! The picture above is how the house would look like from outside. It's a two-storey home, it has a finished basement, a 2-car garage attached, 4 bedrooms, 3 and a half bathrooms, and it's located near a future strip mall and bus station. We would never be able to afford this if we lived in the Philippines just like our car. So this is the positive side of living in Canada, you can afford to buy stuff but if you would offer me a chance to live in the Philippines I won't think twice and take it!

When I retire I'd choose to live in the Philippines than here. But this plan would change of course if I get married. I'd sacrifice my own happiness for my children's sake.

Mobility: Independence and Empowerment

I really am amazed when I see people who can't walk crossing the road or who come into our store to buy coffee and such. I would then imagine how my life would be if I was disabled and I was immobile. I know that my life would be very hard and it would take me months and even years to get over my disability.

That is why I highly respect and look up to those who are disabled because they don't let their disability hinder them from living a normal and happy life. But I guess their electric wheelchairs also play a huge part in the improvement of their lives. I know that it's very hard to move in a wheelchair all by yourself. You have to have great upper arm strength something which by the way I lack. So if it weren't for electric wheelchairs how can the elderly or those like me with weak arms move? So motorized wheelchairs are indeed a great contribution to the changing of lives for the disabled.

It's also great to know that one could regain mobility once again at little to no cost at all because I've heard that your health insurance can cover the expenses.

The Birth and Death of a New Blog

After a very long hiatus from my blogging, I guess I owe everyone of my dear readers and followers in the blogosphere an explanation for my very sudden disappearance.

Let's just say that I was buy preparing for the birth of a new blog but certain complications such as having major difficulties in finding a great blog layout and confusions in deciding whether I needed a hosting company in the first place.

But after all the preparations and sudden leaps that I have done like buying a new domain and subscribing to a 3-year hosting plan, I've decided to kill my new blog before it becomes too hard to handle. You may compare it to abortion but at least this is not a crime against God and the law.

Anyway I've learned some pretty important blogging lessons from these past few days, very expensive experiences I might add! I've wasted $32 but this is something I can earn again with my blogging.

So before I go with the lessons that I have learned, I just want to explain why I wanted to make a new blog. I wanted to make a new blog because I want a domain name that is shorter than my current domain name and I wanted a .ca extension as compared to the .com extension to show-off my Canadian pride. I also wanted to find another hosting company from my current hosting company that offers greater services at a cheaper or more reasonable price which I did! I highly recommend justhost.com for your hosting needs! And in fairness to JustHost, I really appreciate their Money Back Guarantee so I get a full refund but less $20 for the domain name purchase expenses.

So here are the things I've learned that I think are very valuable to all bloggers out there:

1. 1. If you're like me who can't even update one blog daily, don't ever think that you can handle two or more blogs.
2. 2. When purchasing a domain name make sure that it isn't too long and that it is easy to remember. Decide whether the domain name or blog name, suits your content.
   
3. 3. Think twice whether you need a hosting plan or not. If you're just like me who uses Blogger to blog, then you probably won't need a hosting plan because Blogger hosts your blog for free and all you need is a Domain Registrar for your own custom domain name
4. 4. Don't just import your blog to a new domain. Think twice or even thrice because you will lose your PageRank or worst your readers and followers.
5. 5. Read the fine print in every contract you sign up for.

I know that there are more blogging tips and tricks out there but these are just a few things I've learned through the process of buying a new domain.

Link Exchange

Hi there! If you are interested in a LINK EXCHANGE please do follow these steps:

1. Please place a link on your blog or website with the title "Angel in the Sickroom".
2. Please send me an e-mail at me@edgarvincentbautista.com with the subject "LINK EXCHANGE" and send me your URL address and the title of the link that you would like me to place on my blog list.
3. Please bare in mind that I won't link to a blog that features nudity, obscenity, or anything that is not PG-13 LOL! But seriously none of that stuff. I reserve the right to reject any link that are inappropriate.

Thank you!

And for those guys that I have already have links with, I've updated my links and placed it at the right most corner of my blog.

Who Am I?

Who am I?

My name is Edgar Vincent Bautista. My parents and childhood friends call me Vincent but my present friends and acquaintances know me as Edgar. But I think I'd rather be called Vincent as both my brother and father also have an Edgar in their first name.

I'm 21 years old, single (and available, Lol), a Filipino-Canadian, and I am a student nurse. Well I was in third year college taking up Bachelor of Science in Nursing when I was back in the Philippines but now I'm just chilling while I wait to start my studies this Winter Term at Grant MacEwan as a 1st Year Nursing Student, AGAIN!

The Blogger

As you may have guessed, the Internet is my backyard and I simply love blogging. It is through blogging that I find a release from my day to day stress and it's a way to express myself.

I have been a blogger since August 8, 2004 and I have never stopped. My first post was at my first blog, Grim Angel. I also have a second blog, My Nurses Notes. I had already abandoned both blogs because having many blogs is difficult to maintain and update frequently... what can I say? I'm one lazy person.


A Dreamer

I have a lot of dreams and I want to be more than who I am today so I don't allow anyone to tell me that I can't do anything because no one has the right to trample on my dreams (or anyone else's dream for that matter).

I am an introvert and generally kind and well mannered but if anyone crosses the line and tries to degrade my humanity, I will not think twice and fight back.

If you want to know more about me please visit my profiles at the left panel.

Please feel free to look around. Thanks for coming and you're very welcome to come back ^_^

Happiness

I really love the metaphor used in this little quote and I somehow agree. Sure you must not dedicate all your time and effort in finding happiness because you will just be too tired in your pursuit. And sometimes what we think is happiness is something that is just an illusion or worst something wrong for us.

But I applaud those shiny sunshine people who I get to meet every once in a while because their happy personalities tend to be infectious in a good way. I love how they get to appreciate life and how they find happiness in simple things like the blooming of the spring flowers or a rainbow after the rainstorm.

Although everything that I have planned went all wrong I still think that I will still be able to be happy somehow. Because happiness is after all a state of mind. And we as human beings are capable of altering our state of minds making things better than they really are.

You Just Got to Love Sales!

Don't tell anyone but I'm a shop-a-holic! So you may call this a confession but I'm actually proud of it rather than ashamed because I'm not the kind of person that exceeds my credit card limit every month because I shop too much. I'm actually more thrifty and a very wise shopper. So although I'm a frequent online shopper I always make sure that my purchases are well worth the money even if they tend to be very pricey. I always read reviews of a certain product before I finally decide to buy something plus I always use instant cash off discount coupons or free shipping coupons from bestonlinecoupons.com.

In fact I've saved around $200 when I bought my beloved Dell Studio XPS 13 by using Dell Coupon codes! My brand new laptop is one of my very major purchases online and I never regret spending over $1000 because I've saved so much more by using the coupins from bestonlinecoupons.com.

But I'm not the only one who uses online coupons. The old lady next door happens to be as smart as me as she recently told me that she saves tons of money on Petsmart.com free shipping coupon. She has several pet cats (I don't know why this is a trend with old ladies living alone) and she rarely goes out her home because she's a bit old and she uses a wheelchair so she just buys stuff online.

There are so many hot deals and so many great savings right now in their Hot Online Coupons section and I must say that I am really tempted to go shopping right now but I think I have to pass online shopping right now. Besides, I'm sure that there will still be better deals and coupons to come.

Manny Pacquiao Won Again?!

Well honestly? I'm not surprised that Manny Pacquiao won his recent fight with Ricky Hatton. I had a gut feeling that he will win.

I've heard that Manny Pacquiao was ridiculed by the crowd because his opponent was massive as compared to him but Manny proved them wrong by ending the fight with his signature Knock Out!

So even if Manny speaks English badly or whatever negative criticism he has, his fists do the talking.

So maybe this win and I'm sure for a fact that the future wins from Pacquiao will bring more glory to the Filipino people and he is someone we can all be proud to call a Filipino.

The Swine Flu Scare

Oh my gosh! There are over 20 cases of Swine Flu reported in Alberta and it's a bit scary! I'm a bit concerned about it because I meet several people in my work and I can bring the H1N1 Virus to my home so I really need to practice proper handwashing.

Although I'm very careful about it I'm scared that we might still contract the Swine Flu because my brother lacks good personal hygiene. He is really such a pig.

Just this afternoon a customer was saying that she doesn't eat meat so she won't get the flu. But the thing is eating the meat of an infected pig won't cause someone to contract the swine flu because swine flue is only transmitted from human to human. Although it can be contracted from swines too but not from eating them.

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Photo Credit goes to xkcd

Home Security Systems

Unlike back home in the Philippines, I`ve noticed that homes here in Canada don`t have very high walls surrounding their homes and lots and they don`t have steel bars mounted on the windows. I once thought that home security was lacking in Canadian homes since homes here in are very open to intruders because the lawns are open and the windows are just made of glass that could easily be smashed.

But then I just recently realized that this doesn`t mean that burglars and intruders can easily break in because homes here are protected by something better than high perimeter walls and window bars, or attack dogs combined: home security systems!

That`s right! Home security systems will help in preventing burglary, some may even call the fire department if there is a fire, and you can even use it to send help when you have a medical crisis. So home security systems is just like having a police, a fireman, and a doctor as neighbors who you can just call for when you need them.

If our mortgage gets approved and we get to buy a house this year, I`m sure to get an ADT Security System as most of the homes here have this as their security system.

Touch My Hand Music Video

Hey guys! As you know I`m a David Archuleta fan and I`ve been stalking him since he was in American Idol (just kidding, don`t call the cops). Anyway, I saw this new music video that he had posted on his Official David Archuleta YouTube page. He disabled embeding to his music video which is a bummer but it`s no biggy.

So here is the link to his music video at YouTube:

Touch My Hand - David Archuleta

So the concept of the music video is really all about the fans. It`s not really a romantic love song but it`s more of a tribute to his fans and supporters who have brought him to where he is now. I really like how David is very humble and appreciative of his fans. He didn`t let his celebrity status from keeping him away from them.

So to all fans like me we should really support him!

It`s too bad that David isn`t coming to Edmonton and he`s going to have a concert at Manila with David Cook which I would never see because I cancelled my plans to go back to the Philippines this year. Tsk Tsk!

Oh well, I`m bound to get to see David Archuleta in Concert anyway so I`ll just be patient. Britney Spears was in concert here in Edmonton with the Pussycat Dolls but I didn`t see them too LOL!

Shoping For Vanities

Although the good news that I heard yesterday wasn't the good news that I've waiting for, it was still a great good news.

What's the great news? Well it just happens that our mortgage specialist has told us yesterday that we pre-qualify for a mortgage of $500,000. Well the actual amount would be lesser but we're hoping that it would be enough for the house we absolutely live at $470,000.

Anyway, since we're on a tight budget we are looking for great deals on furnitures and decorative pieces. We don't have the approved amount but it doesn't hurt to save time by window shopping. And the first thing that I thought of are bathroom vanities. Look at this 53" Classic Bathroom Vanity! It's so beautiful! And it doesn't cost that much too as it only values at $1,195.00 with the original price at $2495.00!

I'm quite impressed by the wide variety of vanities by this online merchant! They offer 0% Financing and free shipping plus their prices are awesome! I've been looking at the double vanity which I'm thinking of placing on the second floor of our house-to-be.

I'm definitely going to show this to my mom because if we are able to save that much on bathroom vanity alone, we could still have enough to make our future home our dream home.

Detering the Spread of Swine Flu

First of all what is Swine Flu? Swine Flu or Swine Influenza is a type of influenza common in swines but very rare in humans.

The type of influenza from swines that can infect humans is very rare and only infects humans who are overly exposed to swines. Infection from one human to another is even very rare.

So why the sudden spread of the Swine Flu this 2009? Well viruses and several pathogens are smart too. They are able to mutate and evolve too.

So why is the Swine Flu deadly? Well the Swine Flu has the same signs and symptoms as a regular influenza flu such as fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. The thing is Swine Flu doesn't just go away and regular antiviral drugs doesn't work against it.

So how to prevent the spread of Swine Flu? Simple! Proper Handwashing! How easy is that? Since Swine Flue is spread just like normal influenza virus, handwashing after contact with the public is a good way to prevent infection.

Also, vaccinations both in humans and swines will also help prevent the spread of Swine Flu.