Now that the Blogger app isn't getting updated for the iPhone, I'm not able to write posts on the go, hence the sparse amount of posting as of late. I might have to start searching for a different blogging site!
Wow, I'm down to my last shift soon and then I'll be back in town full time. I can't believe it's already May! Here's a picture of some of the shift crew (representing at least seven languages in total - what did I say about Canadian diversity?):
All in all, it's been a good experience. I've been able to familiarize myself with high/medium/low voltage equipment and their inner workings and operations. Friends and family like to ask me about my experience as one of the few females on site, and I always say it's quite alright. Sure, there are comments about my size ("little lady") and even how I smell (good, I think?). There are offers to help when I'm carrying something heavy (like my own self-imposed giant luggage). I'm easy to remember and spot. Really, the most stressful thing for me is having to backup-park the truck. Which is pretty minor anyway considering there is a rearview camera. I actually don't have much reason to complain.
I'm happy to report a mini-miracle. The matriarch of one of the first Filipino families to welcome my family to Canada suffered a stroke recently. Things were looking bleak. Two shifts ago, I visited and she was completely unconscious and doctors weren't very hopeful. There was even the option to pull the plug, which was understandably an extremely traumatizing thought for her son to even have to fathom. My parents did notice that she seemed to have more colour and movement compared to when they first saw her, so we had a small hope that she would actually get better and maybe even wake up. Her hand felt warm and strong when I held it, and her fingers had the dexterity to search for a rosary that slipped through her fingers.
I visited her on this set of days off and she was awake! It was amazing. She still can't speak or swallow very well, but she looks us in the eye with recognition and responds by nodding her head "yes" or "no" to questions. It will be a long road of rehabilitation and recovery, but just to see her awake is such a relief :) This tiny woman is a trooper! She welcomed us with such warmth into her home (it was the first home in Canada that my family stayed in) and she helped out my parents so much with starting out in a new city/country/continent. I'm so glad she's still here. I found a picture of her with me at my high school prom (she makes me look tall, but she's actually 4 foot something and the epitome of adorable Filipino aunt):
Hang in there, Auntie Joy - we're rooting for you!
This set of days off was an eventful one. I planned to do some major purging and cleaning at the condo but was promptly interrupted by a car collision when I was grabbing some vegan pizza (Papa John's garden pizza minus cheese plus sides of garlic sauce yummmm) with my sister. Some guy ran a red light and was strangely dazed and very passive when we confronted him. Maybe he was really depressed or really high or really shocked. Fortunately no one was seriously hurt. Things could have been way worse! We could have been pedestrians. Or he could have hit a cyclist. Or Hachi could have been in the car. But in this case, the worst part consists of my sister having some whiplash. And my formerly unscratched and undented car is now horribly dented on the driver's side. I can't even open the driver door. However, I magically was able to escape pain-free. Again. I realize that I now have been T-boned twice and rear-ended twice without obtaining whiplash. Strange gift I have. Thank goodness for insurance, which is covering my sister's physio and car repairs.
The Oilers have made it to the second round of playoffs and it is madness in the city. It's good crazy rather than bad crazy though. I am quite enjoying all this city pride and spirit.
Mind Farts
-pistol squats. i can do them consistently now! calisthenics is a wonderful thing
-read The Accusation by Bandi. it's the first piece of fiction to come out of North Korea from a North Korean author that STILL lives there. he/she has to use the code name Bandi (firefly) to avoid persecution. fascinating short stories about the middle class but also very disturbing. a society that is supposed to be based on equality should not have so-called middle class citizens freezing and starving to near-death
Wow, I'm down to my last shift soon and then I'll be back in town full time. I can't believe it's already May! Here's a picture of some of the shift crew (representing at least seven languages in total - what did I say about Canadian diversity?):
I'm happy to report a mini-miracle. The matriarch of one of the first Filipino families to welcome my family to Canada suffered a stroke recently. Things were looking bleak. Two shifts ago, I visited and she was completely unconscious and doctors weren't very hopeful. There was even the option to pull the plug, which was understandably an extremely traumatizing thought for her son to even have to fathom. My parents did notice that she seemed to have more colour and movement compared to when they first saw her, so we had a small hope that she would actually get better and maybe even wake up. Her hand felt warm and strong when I held it, and her fingers had the dexterity to search for a rosary that slipped through her fingers.
I visited her on this set of days off and she was awake! It was amazing. She still can't speak or swallow very well, but she looks us in the eye with recognition and responds by nodding her head "yes" or "no" to questions. It will be a long road of rehabilitation and recovery, but just to see her awake is such a relief :) This tiny woman is a trooper! She welcomed us with such warmth into her home (it was the first home in Canada that my family stayed in) and she helped out my parents so much with starting out in a new city/country/continent. I'm so glad she's still here. I found a picture of her with me at my high school prom (she makes me look tall, but she's actually 4 foot something and the epitome of adorable Filipino aunt):
This set of days off was an eventful one. I planned to do some major purging and cleaning at the condo but was promptly interrupted by a car collision when I was grabbing some vegan pizza (Papa John's garden pizza minus cheese plus sides of garlic sauce yummmm) with my sister. Some guy ran a red light and was strangely dazed and very passive when we confronted him. Maybe he was really depressed or really high or really shocked. Fortunately no one was seriously hurt. Things could have been way worse! We could have been pedestrians. Or he could have hit a cyclist. Or Hachi could have been in the car. But in this case, the worst part consists of my sister having some whiplash. And my formerly unscratched and undented car is now horribly dented on the driver's side. I can't even open the driver door. However, I magically was able to escape pain-free. Again. I realize that I now have been T-boned twice and rear-ended twice without obtaining whiplash. Strange gift I have. Thank goodness for insurance, which is covering my sister's physio and car repairs.
The Oilers have made it to the second round of playoffs and it is madness in the city. It's good crazy rather than bad crazy though. I am quite enjoying all this city pride and spirit.
Mind Farts
-pistol squats. i can do them consistently now! calisthenics is a wonderful thing
-read The Accusation by Bandi. it's the first piece of fiction to come out of North Korea from a North Korean author that STILL lives there. he/she has to use the code name Bandi (firefly) to avoid persecution. fascinating short stories about the middle class but also very disturbing. a society that is supposed to be based on equality should not have so-called middle class citizens freezing and starving to near-death
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