Weather Forecast
Our officemates are always making fun of us when we go out for a smoke and they see us shivering. They say it’s nice out considering it’s October, and that we should wait till winter!
And, they also said that the first drop of snow usually happens before halloween… Well, halloween is just a week away so, good luck to us!
Back to my rundown of firsts here in canada…
For a Filipino who’s idea of cold is about 19 to 10 degrees Celsius (and this is in extreme cases, like in Baguio probably), and during this temparature, out comes the fancy jackets which some buy for this rare occassion (or inside call centers where, they say, the AC is really cold), a temp of 8 to 2 degrees by the end of summer signalling the start of fall is blood freezing cold! They say bundle up to fight the cold, they weren’t kidding! My first experience of the cold was cool for a few seconds. But standing at the bus stop with the cold wind was not cool. Despite the 4 layers of clothing, I was still shivering! I feel like my jaws were locked from trying to control my teeth from chattering! I could’ve handled the cold, but the wind was just unbearable!
This I have a lot to say about (which I will reserve for a separate blog entry), but the first time I drove in winnipeg was a real sleeper! Since I only had my Philippine license with me and so I was really trying not to violate anything, my speed was somewhere between 40 and 50! And before I could even feel the wind on my face, up comes a stop sign which surprise surprise you have to actually stop at (even when there are no other cars in the intersection)!! And these stop signs are located in most corners in residencial areas where there are no stop lights. So imagine all the stops you have to make to get from one place to another!
And that was just practice driving. Imagine what we had to go through to get our actual license! The first time I got my license we paid someone, waited for hours then out came our license. No hassles, just a really looong wait. Here, it was the process that was long. First we had to go to an autopac place to register and pay. And they had all these requirements too. Then you have to call to schedule a written test for which we had to actually study in order to pass! Good thing we did the first time coz if we failed, we’d have to reschedule to take the test again. And then we were asked to call (again) to schedule our actual driving test. And because they had lots of people taking the test, the next available date was more than a month after the written test! Which I guess was a good thing coz we had time to practice. And when the day of the driving test came, we had to be there an hour earlier to surrender our Philippine driver’s license. My nerves were on overdrive! If it was my nerves who took the test, it would have FAILED! But good thing I didn’t!
This entry has been sitting in my phone for weeks! I just completely forgot about it!
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October 11th is National Coming Out Day. This year, with the recent wave of teen suicides and the spotlight on the struggles of young people who are only just beginning their own processes of self discovery, the Human Rights Campaign’s National Coming Out Project seems more important than ever. As leaders in the LGBT community, we must use our voices to reach into the hearts and minds of those in need of encouragement and comfort, and to offer hope to those who find themselves in despair because they are unable to live their lives openly and freely, without the worry that they will be ridiculed, excluded, or even harmed.
With this in mind, Jen is offering a free download of her brand new song “This Is Me” via her website at http://www.jenfoster.com and on her social networking sites. This song has been embraced by the HRC for this year’s National Coming Out Project, and will be featured on Jen’s upcoming album due out early next year.
We want this song to spread like wildfire and we invite you to send it to your friends, families, and anyone else who needs to hear it or is willing to spread the word. We must stand up together and let it be known that we support every individual in embracing the extraordinary person that they are becoming and that abuse, intolerance, and hate will not deter us from living our lives fully, openly, and with pride!
You and I have come this far
I guess it’s time I tell the truth
‘Cause I have known for a while, but I never wanted to bring shame on this family
‘Cause you asked me not toBut if this God to whom you pray
Is the same God I was raised to believe in
You’d better take it up with himThis is me, here we are
I know I may not be everything you wanted
But this is all I’ve got
This is me, talk to God
He’s the one you really ought to ask these questions
‘Cause I am all his fault
This is meWhy, you ask, would I ever put you and Dad through this
When it’s only just a phase
Well, who’s to say what’s to come
And who are you to judge my love? Yes, I am different, but my heart works just the sameAnd I could lie to your face
But you taught me that’s no way to live my life
So I’m taking your adviceThis is me, here we are
I know I may not be everything you wanted
But this is all I’ve got
This is me, talk to God
He’s the one you really ought to ask these questions
‘Cause I am all his fault
This is me
This is meTalk to God
You said he speaks to us when we listen
So listenThis is me
I’m nobody’s fault
Listen to your heart
Talk to God
This is me…
Text, music and lyrics from www.jenfoster.com
Another beautiful, warm and sunny day today! And on the weekend of Thanksgiving, how wonderful is that?
We are having what they call an Indian Summer. An unseasonably warm, dry and calm weather, usually following a period of colder weather or frost in the late Autumn. A really pleasant break from heavy coats and thick clothing. I could actually see my arms and legs again!
Just when we were preparing ourselves for fiercer colds ahead now that fall has started, God said “They came from a hot, tropical country, let’s turn on the heat for a couple more days“. Well, Thank You Lord!!
I want to paint my world with colors,
To hide the grim and pallid grays,
With shades of reds, yellows and blues,
And pastels of flashy tints and hues.
I want to see a rainbow of smiles
Embelished with such glittering gloss!
Add a blossom of blush for show,
To cover the pale white sorrow.
I want to see the more vibrant me,
Not a shadow of what used to be.
With the passion emblazoned so bright,
Illuminating a spectrum of light.
But then I came to realize
How color blind I’ve been.
For I live in a prism world of rainbows,
Just like the one in my dream.
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