Grateful

"You are significant and beautiful." - Fr. Albert MacPherson

This Advent, I have so much to be grateful for. I have a roof over my head, money in the bank, good friends, good food, and good health. I have had so many wonderful opportunities to travel and I met equally wonderful companions while travelling.

I still do think there is room for improvement within my career and in other areas but I think that's the beauty of life - letting those improvements unfold. Seeing myself grow, seeing more accomplishments and more successes in my life. God has given me the wisdom to know that I need to be more patient with myself. 

I need to carefully plant the seeds and harvest the fruits when they're ready.

I Love My Cloth Pads! (This is not a sponsored review)

After reading up on cloth menstrual pads, I decided to purchase a pack of six heavy flow pads from Amazon.ca and, coincidentally, they came in the day after I started my period. I was super nervous about using them overnight because I tend to have a heavy flow on my second day. I also didn't know how much blood the pads would tolerate.

I wore five pads (and washed them when I needed to) basically my entire menstrual cycle, and I gave the sixth pad to a family member who was impressed by how much I raved about it. They were so soft and comfortable. The amount of blood does not show on the pad, unlike with disposable pads. You might see some dark stains but not nearly as much (or as obvious) as with disposable pads. There is no smell when you wear it. There is no adhesive rash or sticking of the pad to any part of your body.

On my heavy day, for precaution, I changed my pads three times. But one pad lasted overnight with no problems whatsoever (no bunching up or leaking at all).

So, I have basically switched to cloth pads permanently. I will only wear disposable pads whenever there is an emergency. I love cloth pads and I would recommend them to anyone who doesn't want the hassle of buying fragrance-filled, environmentally unfriendly and messy disposable pads or tampons. I have never used tampons or diva cups, but I think that cloth pads are the best option anyway. It felt like I wasn't even on my period, that's how good cloth pads are.   

Travel Talk

Hellooooo!

It's been a couple of months since I started my journey across Canada on my epic VIA Rail trip. And I've since settled back in Toronto, so let me just summarise some highlights of the trip.

Favourite city: Montreal, Quebec

Je t'aime Montréal! There was something extra special about Montreal being the last city I traveled to before heading home. Montreal was poppin'. The festivals, the people, the food, the français, the fact that the two days I was there I could use the public transportation for FREE. And I spent time with one of my good friends from high school. What's not to love about Montreal?

Least favourite city: Corner Brook, Newfoundland

Don't get me wrong, Newfoundland is great! Corner Brook is great! But would I recommend someone to visit here out of all of the cities I visited on my trip? Probably not. My trip would have been different if I had access to a car to get out of Corner Brook... Honestly, it's a beautiful place but I didn't know anyone in the area and I think you could do everything you wanted to do in Corner Brook in one day if you had a car. It's a quiet place. People are friendly. 

If you're looking for small city scenic vibes, where you can take a dip in the outdoor pool, Corner Brook is your place. Just remember, there is only one souvenir shop.

Types of people you find in (Disclaimer: This is not meant to offend, it's only based on what I've seen in the cities I've visited. Please don't come after me, lol.)... 

Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta: Small families, older couples, pretty normal people. Fort Saskatchewan is a homey place. There isn't much to explore or do in Fort Saskatchewan and it's certainly not scenic like Corner Brook. But it's tranquil...and my cousin lives there.

Vancouver, British Columbia: Hippies, hipsters, eccentrics, homeless people, drug users. On the streets you'll find a couple of people singing Hare Krishna songs, a lady doing the hula hoop in a revealing outfit, and various other street performers. If you're not used to seeing homeless people, they will be a common sight downtown. 

Once you get out of the downtown core there are some beautiful sights in Vancouver. The transportation is pretty great (ferry, train, bus). The food is also a plus. Vancouver had alcoholic bubble tea...and I loved it.

Montreal, Quebec: Fashionable people. Everyone dresses really nicely in Montreal, seriously. Especially the women. It made me really want to dress up.

The fish foot spa was closed, so I was severely disappointed that I didn't get to go there, but the food was wonderful. The festivals were fantastic. If you like super lively and bustling places, Montreal is the place to be.

Halifax, Nova Scotia: People who have "escaped Toronto," smokers, students, and tourists. A couple of the people I met who worked in Halifax surprisingly used to work/live in Toronto. Halifax natives have either lived in Toronto or have family in Toronto. There is somehow a Toronto-Halifax connection...

At night time, you might meet some unusual people. Also, you can access Wi-Fi outside in certain areas. Tip: Try Nova Scotia's donair poutine. Yum. 

Corner Brook, Newfoundland: People who wear Aeropostale shirts, people who have rarely (or never) traveled outside of Newfoundland, retired people, children. Most of the people who lived in the area were seniors, middle aged, or retired. I saw at least three different people wearing Aeropostale shirts, which was unusual given that, apparently, Aeropostale shut down all of its stores in Canada last year. Maybe the last Aeropostale store exists in Corner Brook? I never saw one when I was there...

All of the Corner Brook natives I met either had never been outside of Newfoundland or had traveled outside of Newfoundland only once before. Corner Brook was the least diverse city that I visited. I only saw three other Filipinos and maybe a few other people of different races who were probably tourists.

Just to be completely fair, let me describe the kind of people you'll find in my home city...

Toronto (aka the 6ix), Ontario: Young people, homeless people, hipsters, ghetto people, drug users, old people, smokers, children, families, and students. You either get people in business clothing or casual clothing. Torontonians who don't work in the financial district don't really care what they look like. Or at least they don't want to seem to care what they look like.

Would I want to live in a place in Canada other than Toronto, Ontario? Yeah, PEI. But I love Toronto, it's home.

My VIA Rail trip was a once in a lifetime trip where I spent time with incredible people and experienced a great deal of independence. It was a much-needed trip.    

Adventures to come

Next month, I will be turning 25 years old and exactly a week after my birthday I will be traveling across Canada. I love being 24, but being so close to 25 I have been mentally preparing myself for the age. And I get to start off my new year with a solo trip. This trip isn't a volunteer trip or a work-related trip like every other trip I've been on in the last two years, it's a real quarter-life solo trip.

I'll be honest with you. These past three years, despite my best intentions, have been a slew of part-time, contract, temporary and freelance work. I am grateful for what I have and what I've done but I don't think that I could have predicted the trajectory of my career.

The good news? I've paid off all of my student loan debt. I've had many interesting jobs and experiences. I've had the opportunity to travel. I've had a lot of free time.

I have honestly been so blessed throughout my life. I have amazing, beautiful, successful friends. I have friends who have graduated with master's degrees, friends who are working full-time in their fields, friends who have married the loves of their lives and friends who are just doing great things. I am so, so proud of them. Maybe I am not in the exact same position as them, but I do believe my life is just as meaningful as theirs and I am grateful for the freedom and flexibility I have.

I have supportive family members. I have had opportunities to attend fun events, meet new people and learn new things. I am healthy. I also still have my strong convictions and my closeness to God, my faith and the saints.

What's next?
Whether published on this blog or on another website, I promise that I will write about my travel experiences. I will be traveling and staying in Edmonton, Vancouver, Halifax and Montreal with the VIA Rail Youth 150 pass and in each city I will be visiting a church, eating out at a special restaurant and exploring. In particular, I am looking forward to documenting my first fish foot spa experience in Montreal and my first time trying alcoholic bubble tea in Vancouver.

I'm also excited to update my publications list with new stories and pieces once they are published. Stay tuned!