i hear you call my name and it feels like home.

Don't let life discourage you; everyone who got where he is had to begin where he was. - Richard L. Evans

I stumbled across that quote today, and it couldn't be more fitting. I've been back from Manila for a few weeks now and have attempted resettling back in Vancouver. My trip was a good break. I was able to see many people that I hadn't seen in four... some as many as eight years. I must admit that it was lovely to be back. I was able to reminisce and be nostalgic over high school and even elementary school days.

Oh, how so much has changed since then.

The entire trip seemed so surreal. It was as though my life - my real life - outside of Manila was paused, and I was enjoying this weird happy free time where responsibility and real life didn't really exist.

But now I'm back, and I must admit, I feel like I'm stuck in a rut. After feeling quite ill for the first few days back, I've now mainly been stuck at home. I've been doing laundry, cleaning the house after it being uninhabited for a month, and I've been helping care for my nephew, Little Swarley. I feel like I've been wasting my days away, though.

I commence my studies of baking and pastry arts in September, but until then, I need to find something to do - something that would ideally have income - before I go stir crazy.

Plus, I'd really like to be able to travel to Florida with my best friend in September, just before school begins.

I hate feeling purposeless, I really do. But after a really good pep talk from Karrie this morning, plus the quotation I shared with you appearing, they both reminded me to be more patient. Everything will fall into place. I am confident in that.

Until it does, however, I'm free to say that this really sucks.

Hinahanap-hanap kita Manila, ang ingay mong kay sarap sa tenga.

And so, after four years, I'm back in Manila. I arrived at 4am. Things are so different, and yet much is still the same.

I traveled with my brother, his wife, and little Swarles Barkley, their 3-month old baby boy. It was a fourteen+ hour flight, but praise the Lord, we were in business class, where seats are comfy and food is delicious. I had salmon for dinner, steak + scrambled eggs for breakfast, and a corned beef + swiss sandwich in-between. Giddy. What. Up. The baby was, for the most part, super-cooperative. Good times.

So here I am. In Manila. Where the average temperature is around 30 degrees Celsius. Do not want. But oh well. I'm hoping to get some good photographs with Rabbit and Apollo. I loaded up on the film and I can't wait to play around. There is so much history here, and amazing architecture, and lots of photo-worthy things to check out.

I'm also looking forward to seeing friends from elementary and high school. It'll be nice to see them all again. For now, however, I must depart. Venturing outside to one of the nine (yeah, nine) posh malls that are immediately across the street. Giddy. What. Up.

Manila Cathedral

(Photo from manila.tumblr.com)

I hope to take photos like that while I'm here. :)

It's my life - it's now or never.

And just like that, my trip to Toronto comes to a close. I'm finished packing now, and I'm leaving the hotel at 5:30 tomorrow to head to the airport. The trip went both slow and fast, but more importantly, I had the absolute time of my life.

Early on in my trip I went ice skating with Michael at Nathan Phillips Square here downtown, and after maybe 15 or 20 minutes of being absolutely terrified and barely moving, Michael actually got me to skate. On my own. In a "Look ma, no hands!" way. I am quite pleased with myself. Quite.

Friday the 19th was a museum day. I spent a total of 8.5 hours in three different museums (the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Royal Ontario Museum, and the Gardiner Museum). I would have stayed longer if I could have. Friday was the day that reminded me why I had originally been so devoted to becoming a history professor. I got quite nostalgic.

I spent most of my time on this trip the way I had intended to - with Karrie. And let me just say... it was absolutely amazing. We did everything and nothing together, and that is the best kind of friendship. We could be doing 32480239 things, or we could just be lazily sitting in her room, rewatching Glee, and we're both perfectly contented in one another's company either way. There is such comfort and peacefulness and wordless understanding in our friendship. Anyone who knows me knows that quality time means everything to me, so to just be able to spend that with one of my absolute best friends is just a blessing to me. I still find it so unreal that it all happened. But it did. It actually did. We have photographic evidence.

I cannot wait to move back to Ontario. It would make spending time with some of the people I love the most in this world so much easier. And it would involve a lot less actual spending, you know?

Thank you, God. You made this week more than I could ever wish for.

It's been a long while.

I didn't mean for it to be nearly a month before I updated again! Not that this blog actually has a viewership of any kind. But that's besides the point. I promise to try harder to post more often.

A lot has happened in the last few weeks! Mainly, I've finished work at the Disney Store, and I've just been babysitting. I've fallen back into the groove of being involved with Catholic Christian Outreach and leading praise and worship again, after months and months of being away. It's good. I'm glad.

I also got officially accepted to the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts' Baking and Pastry Arts program! I start on September 20th of this year, and I cannot wait. Karrie and I are THIS much closer to opening our own little bakery + cake shop + business of awesomeness. :)

Meanwhile, the Olympics are commencing tomorrow. Not only will I be in a meeting during the opening ceremonies, I'm also flying out of Vancouver the next day. LOL. Whoops. I'm going to be in Ontario for ten days! I do have tickets to watch a quarterfinals hockey game when I get back, though, so I'm pretty damn stoked for that.

But this Ontario trip? Highlight of my year thus far. I cannot believe this all actually came to fruition! I was terrified that it wouldn't, but here I am. I'm packed. I'm printing out my itinerary. I'm leaving on Saturday morning. Holy crap. :)

It's funny. The last time I saw Karrie, right before boarding the bus back to Toronto from her house, she said to me, "You know? I have a feeling we're going to see each other again soon." And I said, "Of course!" But she was serious. She just had this feeling in her gut.

She was right.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that everything goes smoothly and well. I'm going to be entirely, entirely broke after this trip, though! But you know what? That's okay.

Some things - some people - are really just worth it. ♥

A falling star fell from your heart.

This has certainly been a (more or less) fantastic week!

On Monday, I slipped and twisted my ankle on my way to babysitting. Fail. Earlier today (Saturday), I got called in to work, and while I was taking a shower to get ready to go, the aforementioned ankle gave out, causing me to fall in the shower and further injure myself! I'm never this accident prone. Fail!

For the last few days, I finally convinced my brother and his wife to start watching Glee, and I've joined them in a rewatch (since I can't wait for April and the show's return). We've just finished 1x07 (Throwdown) and they love it! I turned them into Gleeks. Muahaha. I've seen every single episode of this show at least once now, and I haven't remotely gotten sick of it. Because it is awesome.

In other, kind of more important news: I am now 21! It's funny... it kind of snuck up on me in a way. I suppose the birth of my nephew in December has put everything else on the backburner for me, including my own self. But honestly? It's fantastic how such a small, precious life has suddenly taken precedence in mine. His smile and his laugh are two of the most beautiful things in the world.

I usually go into elaborate planning mode when it comes to my birthday. This year? I planned nothing, which is funny given that I was hyping up the fact that I was turning 21 for months.

I worked on my birthday! It was an easy shift, and it went by fast, although there were a few guests here and there who irked me ever so slightly. When I got off my shift, I had the great fortune of being treated to a birthday bagel and a lift home by a more-than-amazing friend, AND come home to a wonderful dinner with family and close friends. I don't know what I did to deserve such blessings, but I sure am thankful for it all. :)

One could say it was the most 'uneventful' birthday I've had in recent years, and they'd probably be right... but it is, without a doubt, one of the most memorable. And one of the happiest. I find so much more contentment in the simplest things and the smallest gestures, and they outweigh any concert or fancy party.

I'll post some photos soon enough. I just need to find my USB cable.

Until then, I bid you a fond farewell. :)