2017-03-30 Vacation and Work

I woke up at 1:30 because I had to dial in to work for a meeting. I went to mass at the the National Shrine of our Lady of Lourdes. This is the church where I asked our Lady to allow me to go to Lourdes to visit her. And she provided for last year's trip. Thank you O Blessed Mother.

When I went back, I again had to dial in for another meeting. I thank you Lord I still have this contract. Thank you Lord.

The priest spoke of four witnesses of Christ: his works, scripture, the Father and John the Baptist. Jesus performs these works and they are authentic. These are not myths or fictional events. I was also able to adore the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. This is the life I want to live, a life where I can just adore the Lord and worship him.

I bought some fish lugaw (congee) for my mom's lunch. I tried it and it tastes good.

I had lunch with my high school friend. We ate Maki mi and fresh lumpia. It was a simple lunch and the company was great. We had dinner also with Mama, my sister and her two sons.

2017-03-29 Seeing Mama

It was a very quiet day. I went to mass in the morning. When I went home, my wife and her sisters were ready to leave for Coron, Palawan. I did not go with them so I can go to my mother.

I went early and first stop: Jollibee for breakfast:

Steak and Fried Rice with Pineapple Juice

 It was great to see my mother again. Her memory is fading. Yet, she can still laugh and converse, although her conversation can be very repetitive. Yet, it is a welcome conversation. At least she still can recite who of her children are married and who their children are. I think this was her way of coping and remembering us when she realized she was losing her memory.

National Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes

At least she can laugh when I tease her. Thank you Lord for this opportunity. I also discovered a lot of old pictures she kept. I took pictures of these pictures. I had a chance to go to the National Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes and adored the Lord.

2017-03-28 Quiet Day

It was a quiet day. I went to mass as usual and had breakfast of taho. Have not tasted this for a while. Taho is soy milk that has solidified. It is eaten with sugary syrup and sago. This alone can be a good breakfast.

Nothing much today except stayed at home and rested.

2017-03-27 Quiet Tuesday

I again woke up at 2am. Had time to login to work and do some work stuff.

Went to mass and the reading was about the crippled man waiting for the water to stir so he can jump in first to get healed. The priest spoke about the mercy of Jesus who heals the man because he knows the man cannot get into the pool.

This got me to think because Jesus asks the man if he wants to be healed. It seems strange that Jesus will ask that question. But on careful reflection, we see this makes sense because Jesus will not heal us if we do not want to be healed.

Salvation is a free gift, but it still requires our consent. God will not save us without us consenting to it. God is merciful, this is why he respects our free will.

A Cup of Taho

It was a quiet day to enjoy some taho. It is bean curd mixed with sugar solution and taro balls. It is a poor man's snack but very nutritious. Food here taste better for some reason. Maybe just my imagination or maybe because food here is organic. Sugar is not made from corn but from cane sugar. Which is maybe why I do not get strange reactions when I eat sweets here.

Anyway, a quiet day. Time to nap and catch up on sleep.

2017-03-27: Quiet Monday

Still adjusting to the time. Woke up at 3am.

Went to mass in the morning and the reading was about the father who begged Jesus to come with him to heal his child. Jesus just told him to go because his child is healed.

The homily was about the father's trust in the words of Jesus. The way the priest presented it was quite touching. He translated the words in colloquial Filipino and he said it such a way that the father sounded desperate to have Jesus come with him. Then when he spoke the words of Jesus, he said it in a way that sounded very reassuring. The confidence of Jesus showed through.

The thought then is to trust in the words of Jesus. We may want him to do something, but in the end, we obey him in trust. His word is truth.

Came home for breakfast after mass and then stayed at home. Wife and her nieces and nephews went to the zoo.

When they came back, we had lunch and after lunch went to SM North to buy some stuff. We also had my watch fixed. The watch was given to me as a graduation gift so I wanted to have it fixed. Total cost is P2,500 or approximately CA$70. This is a good deal considering they have to purchase a part and replace the battery. Battery replacement in Victoria costs CA$25 already.

Came home and am ready to sleep. Had dinner and went up to bed early.

2017-03-26 Sunday: Day of Rest

It is Sunday and we went to mass at 7:45. The air conditioner was working which makes attending mass more comfortable.

Here are two pictures of the church. The first one taken yesterday and the second one taken in 2015. In the two months the parish priest was here, he has made all these changes. Did I mention the air conditioning?

2017-03-25: Manila Day 1 and the Feast of the Annunciation

We arrived home at around 8:00 am. Traffic in Manila on a Saturday early morning is terrible. When does this city sleep!

After some breakfast, since it is the feast of the Annunciation, I decided to go to our parish church to adore the Lord on this feast. The mass was at 6:00 am and this is probably the next best thing I can do besides going to mass.

2017-03-23 Victoria to Manila

I got my tickets to Manila and back were courtesy of the frequent flyer miles. The only tickets I paid was from Victoria to Vancouver and back. A regular ticket would allow us to go direct to our gate. But since these are separate tickets, I needed to go out, check in at the Philippine Airline counter and then go through security. This was my biggest concern because I had checked in once from Vancouver and had to wait for close to an hour before I was checked in.