Hopes

A Tribute To All Eagles & Lions

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9am in the office door ready for that 10am earth-breaking pitch to seal a $100K project in, then talking to your team all revved up and be replied with a “Huh, but I have to have coffee and toast first!” whined the Queen Whiner of the nation. Soul plummets to your feat. How? How in the life of me could you soar like an eagle when you are surrounded by turkeys? In this instance turkey.Eagles

Do you feel that? It is hard enough to sum up the courage of a might-be-scary-presentation to an awe-inspiring-triumph moment. So being the optimist that you are what do you do? Get rid of the turkeys! Make your own pack. May your pack be the professional stiff collar world or the warm and gooey-potato couch buddies!

Lions

Thank you Monalisa for inspiring this blog!

Reference for images: http://mynutritionninja.com/what-it-takes-to-be-a-champion/

Believe you can and you’re halfway there. – Theodore Roosevelt

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Hmmm, food for thought, quite a chunk. We always get inspirational quotes, motivational speeches and encouraging dialogues that moves us forward for whatever decision we have to make. Accepting a promotion, becoming a parent, getting married, that sort of life altering decision in life.

We need that, aware or not, that is one factor why we go ahead with a decision, when we get told to. I always had qualms, and most of the time my mind is made up but I just can’t go ahead sometimes, specially if it concerns other people’s welfare, I need an accomplice.

 

In my life, I always had my mentor, Pascale, she’s different from me like night and day, that was the first day I met her. She was my mentor, financial manager, for 10 years and had been the greatest motivator in my life. She never really told me what to do but she makes me ‘say’ what I want to do. She narrows everything down that made me select the best answer like a quiz. For the last 14 months I haven’t seen her yet as we are continents away. She made me believe and she made me who I am. She was and is the friend, adviser, boss, logical judge and french connoisseur, best I ever had. Thankful for the lessons given. The best advise she gave me was, I am great and I should believe I am. There is no better person who could think less or more of you than yourself.

 

Merci beaucoup Madame! Gros Bisous!

 

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Image:

http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/your-biking-photos/

Kiss her before its too late.

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Typical day in high school, walking home from school, saying good bye to the friends for the weekend, looking forward to sleeping late and waking up late. Reading books and staying on the phone for hours are just typical teenage norms. Knowing that after 2 years I have finished High School, in Asia we finish High School at 16. Then off to University, I even started to dream of having my own car. Mom told me she will buy me one so I could take her to work then I go to school. Ahh, that sounds bliss. My father works overseas and comes home periodically, I never really knew my father as he was always away.

 

After University then maybe a good work in a known company, boyfriend, husband then kids. There is a summary of a teenager growing to an adult life. Shouldn’t it be? We’ll it wasn’t for me. The day that had changed my life forever was on new years day when my mother gave in to cardiac arrest and died at 40. I was 14 and my brother was 11. We were left to a father that we barely know and to our grand parents who are ageing. Then my vicious journey began. My father left overseas after 2 months, he can’t bear the pain. I was too young to comfort my brother, I guess my grand mother and aunts did all the consoling. I cannot remember. I was still trying to get a glimpse of what happened then. I can’t see anything with the tears in my eyes.

I had to fight, and fight I did. I fought the hopeful notion that all was a gag and my mom will walk pass the door anytime. alive. Fought the child in me and grew up from 14 to 40. I had to learn to be an adult the hard way. God was and is with me because I could not see how I would have survived without Him. Every struggle I had, every lost way, I look for my mom and she wasn’t there. She never will be.

 

Before her final arrest, she was awake and was speaking to us, she said to me “You know, I was not taken yet because He knows you and your brother still needs me.” and she smiled but after a few hours she took her last breath. This is still painful to me and it feels like yesterday when I think about it. That is why I don’t. I try to remember the good times but there were so few. I had so many regrets, I should’ve kissed her every night before I go to sleep since I was a child (as if by premonition, I started kissing her at night when I turned 13), I should’ve been a nicer daughter (smart is all I have ever been but never nice) and I should’ve helped her more, I should’ve …, I should’ve…,

Too late, sigh, go ahead, that is all I could do. I changed. This tragedy changed me.

What changed in me since then? I grab every chance I get, to say what I feel, to express what I really want to do and think, to kiss in gratitude and love, to cry and comment specially to the ones I love as I don’t want to have regrets anymore. It took years to get to this stage, decades actually.

I am definitely stronger than I used to be. If given the choice I don’t mind not being this strong as long as I have my mother. This is why my attribution is always with mothers as it is the only way I could pay homage to the person I could’ve kissed and hugged more.

Life it indeed too short, we don’t live that long to experience all what life has to offer, learn from me. Take a look around, see if you are neglecting someone and kiss her/him before its too late.

 

Picture from:

http://cmoh.blogspot.ca/2012/12/night-road.html

Sunset in Vancouver

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Yellow back draft with hints of gold glittering on the air before darkness sets it. Sunset in Vancouver, today that is at 8:48pm. Nice to play a round of golf before heading home.

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Talked to an old friend yesterday. She still lives in Dubai and is still running with the crowd to make it to the finish line. I told her I started a blog, and she smiled (skype 🙂 ) she said, “Ah finally you have the time.” And she still doesn’t. Life in Dubai with its numerous perks are so tempting. Malls are open until 10 pm on normal days and until 1am in Ramadan for a whole month. It’s a festivity!

Do I miss it? The shopping, well yeah! My brother and his family, definite yes! But other than that, hmmm, not really. I miss the people but my life there as a whole, no. I work long hours, I barely see my son. I had witnessed my office plant grow though. Not a very good sign.

Vancouver with its heart is different. I am human here. I finally get to watch movies (not to exaggerate but I could squeeze a movie or 2 only in a year) with the pace I was living in.

Less money, less pizzazz, more life? I was more alive in Vancouver, alive to see life not running pass by you but with you. I am finally living it! And enjoy watching the sunset in Vancouver at 8:48 tonight.

sunset walk

 

 

Odds and Ends 2

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As promised I am bringing in your midst the sights and colors of my migration.

opp La Plage

Speaking of migration, these are migratory birds, often a common sight during winter season. In case you were wondering where do the birds from your place go during the freezing winters well here are some of them. This shot was taken by Michael Jarabelo, 4 years ago at the back of my previous office in Jumeirah 3, Dubai.

It was a beautiful day then, but aren’t all days? hmmmm

Not to be out done, here’s a burst of color last winter in Vancouver,IMG_1549

 

I took this shot, its almost evening. Isn’t life glorious?

 

Life the tent ladies days, there are colors, represented by the untoward happenings to her life that made a surprising turn of events when she was crowned queen. Her grays turned into gold. Things happen for a reason. No one can explain why (I can definitely argue with you endlessly but I could never confirm nor can anyone does) it just the way the universe works. We can perceive and receive. The best advise “en garde” and don’t delve. Life is too short.

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http://fleity.deviantart.com/art/turn-your-face-to-the-sun-45382943

 

Odds and ends

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This is a typical sunset in Dubai, very rare that doesn’t appear. Sunset could be from 5 – 7 pm only. For all seasons, by the way, the seasons there are hot and hotter remember? Predictable, short spanned, sunset times.

Now let’s talk about Canada, image

This is whistler in summer, thank you Michael Jarabelo, another great shot! It’s like a dream. The brilliant sunshine and amazing temp comes almost predictably between July to September, unless global warming starts challenging my statement, this is the time to enjoy.

Vancouver is indeed beautiful. I’ll be posting some more pictures in my next blogs, so stay tuned. Feel free to ask. I’ll be pleased to reply. Have a great weekend!

Lost in Migration

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Ahhhh, now this is something I could sink my teeth into. Have you felt that you have been in the same cold weather, dreary winters, wet springs, etc. that you want to have a change to an everyday sunny day?

 

Or have you always lived in a hot humid country that the sun finally gets to you that a snow reprieve turns you into a frantic-boot-legged-scarfed maniac trying to catch a snowflake with your tongue?

 

Well then there’s a solution for you, summer in Canada and winter in the UAE, particularly Dubai.

 

Canadian seasons, specific to Vancouver, creates colours beyond my imagination. It’s beautiful specially on a sunny day. There will always be a cool breeze on your face outside. Winters are cold but not harsh in this area. Seemingly bearable.

 

Dubai seasons, are hot and hotter. But hey, it rains (this is an approximate to the times I was there) about 12 times in a year. On those days you would see folks donning their boots and fashionable parkas or trench coats, mind you this is the version of winter there.

The coldest temperature in winter I had when I used to live there was 11 degrees centigrade in January.  A City with 4, 114 km2 of land area with a population of 2.1 million (90-85% are expatriates). I have a Serbian friend who took a picture of clouds in Dubai as it is not often you see them there, normally its just clear blue skies!

Sounds like fun? It is, because its a tourist city and most of the great food places in the world have a franchise there. Plus by the way, the country is tax free. Making it the go-to place in the Middle East for shopping and everything else.

 

The only thing it is not, is home. Vancouver is home and it has a heart. That is the big difference why me and my family migrated here. This is a place to finally take root in. One more thing, if Vancouver boasts 20-30 deg centigrade in summer Dubai can make a whopping 55 deg centigrade, and I kid you not :).  Have a great day!

 

 

Summer Babies! Mommy’s Brainies?

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Two of my friends are giving birth this summer, they are both excited and anxious to start motherhood. I’m a mom and its intense in a profound way.

Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, holds her baby Prince George. Research shows pregnancy can affect women's brains.

Makes me think about the article I read on shrinking brain size during pregnancy in CBC news on May 2, 2014. Quite unnerving on the fact that the brain size decreases 8% and bounces back near normal, but not the same size about 6 months after birth.

I could just imagine the sacrifices our mom’s had and now us as mom’s to endure all of this for our child. Nevertheless, I have survived, still am surviving and loving every minute of it 🙂

The Tent Lady

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Good morning Monday! My head is brewing with thoughts in trying to remember who the author of this very inspiring story. It has been years that I was trying to locate the writer but my best bet is Og Mandino being one of the most inspirational writers of all times.

 

Do you ever wonder why you had to learn how to manage your email and squeeze them all in Outlook or why for some reason do you need to know how to open up canned goods with a knife? Or learn French when you already speak English?

Going deeper . . . is there a purpose to the skills/experience you are now garnering that you have to bite your tongue not to spat at the illiterate customer you have as a call centre agent who can’t seem to find the Control key on the keyboard?!

 

Well, maybe this will help. The story of the tent lady had been repeated from my lips for some time now and had actually helped me understand more of the phases of life I went through.

 

A young lady born in a small village where they take silks from caterpillars as their trade had been hit by a plague where most of the people died. The survivors had moved to the neighbouring village to survive.

 

The new village makes thread from silk as their craft. Foreigners from afar had captured this village and they were sold off for slaves. This young lady was one of them, she was bought by a merchant that creates cloth from threads. She toiled and perfected that craft. One day the master noticed her skills and sold her to an off shore merchant as she has a higher price for that skill.

Her new master makes ropes from thread. Again she learned that craft. The new master needs to get to his homeland and sell his products and so brought her on his ship to sail. On the way, a storm had crept up and hit the ship the young lady was on. Everybody died except her.

 

She woke up in a foreign land, on the shore, alone and desolate. Feeling the world on her and wondering what kind of mishap could still happen. She did not have enough time even to question the misadventure one after the other as all she tried to do was survive.

Suddenly an army of soldiers came to her and ask her to come. She came willingly, she’s got nothing on her Iphone Calendar anyway (trying to see here if you are still awake!).

 

She was brought to the King of the land all bedraggled and dazed. She was placed in a room with silk in a bundle and she was asked to make a tent. With all her skills it was easy. She made the threads to make the cloth and the ropes from the silk. And from the thread she made the ropes. Eventually she created the tent from silk.

 

She married the King. The prophecy of the land, a lady visitor from a faraway place will come and make a tent out of silk and would be crowned Queen.

 

***Lessons, things happen for a reason. The reason won’t be known before the right time. When is the right time? When you got all the ammunitions you need to trudge ahead. If she gave up when she was sold she would not have been queen. Heads up M’Ladies and gents, life is too short.