Where God Wants Me

2019 is going to be the best year yet.

The theme for World Youth Day 2019 is: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done unto me according to Your word." (Luke 1:38)

I am taking a different approach to this year than to the previous years. I'm leaning into the silence instead of filling it with distractions. I'm looking at what I have and building on it. And before I make decisions, I will pray about it and discern it first.

I'll take more breaks from being on the internet. I'll be more creative. I'll grow.

And I'll let go of what's not meant for me.

I spent 2018 with my emotions in flux. Often, I felt bad about myself. I let myself get stressed out over things I couldn't change. I was impatient. I was afraid to be honest about myself. And though I kept telling myself I would change, I was complacent with mediocrity. 

Now, I'm not afraid to be who God wants me to be and to go where He wants me to go.

Cheers to 2019 and to new beginnings!

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.