May 27: Flight to Victoria

Congee with Raw Egg

I had breakfast with my brother and his two sons. We went to Causeway, a Chinese restaurant. I had congee, the traditional Chinese breakfast. After that, I stayed with my mother for about an hour before I headed back to pack and wind things up. Things had gone on well.

May 26-27: Preparation for Flight Home

We went to the mall yesterday. I just realized that in my trip, this is the only time I had gone out with my wife. We went to eat at a Chinese restaurant where they hand-pull the noodles. A friend told me that one of his friends boasted to his uncle from China that he would take his uncle to a fancy restaurant. When he brought the uncle to the restaurant, the uncle asked what was so fancy about the restaurant. The guy said, they hand pull the noodles.

May 24-25: Wedding and Sunday

May 24 was the wedding of my wife's nephew. It was at Our Lady of Mt Carmel. Whenever I attend a wedding, I remember God's faithfulness to his people. God often refers to his relationship to them as a marriage.

May 23-24 The Doctor and the Wedding

May 23rd, I went to confession and the priest gave me very wise advice. I hope and pray I will be able to follow through with his advice.

My brother, sister and I went to visit my mother's doctor. She looked at my mother and checked her up. Physically, my mother is healthy, but her mind is slowly giving. She is in the early stages of Alzheimers'. Please pray for her.

May 21: Lunch with a Friend

I had lunch with my high school classmate. He has been my best friend since high school and our friendship has continued since then.

May 20: Early Morning Prayer and Rest

Chapel of the Monastery of Our Lady of Montserrat

My brother and I went early to catch the early morning prayer at the Benedictine Monastery. We arrived before 6 am and the chapel was already open. We went in and you get a sense of peace. The place was still dark except for the lights on the statues.

May 19: The Heat and Chinatown

Avocado Ice Cream

My wife and I went out early to buy groceries. Since it was hot, we bought ice-cream, Arce ice cream of course, Avocado flavor. One of the things I have observed in Philippine fruits is that they are sweet. There are several mango varieties available in Canada but none of them can beat the sweetness of Philippine mango, not even the Ataulfo mangoes which looks just like it.

May 18: The Two Trees and The Simple Llife

The day began early again. We went to mass at 6 am and went to my in-laws' farm. We visited their grave and went to their farm nearby. It is 5 hectares I think with mango trees and a lot of other fruit
trees.

Panoramic view of the farm

One of the two mango trees felled by Haiyan

May 16-17: Power Outage and the Call to Holiness

I went to visit my sister who had her grandson over. My mother was later brought to the house. I spent some time with them. It was a good time to catch up with my mother. She's slowly showing signs of Alzheimer's. But it was still good to have time with her.

May 15: St. isidore and Trinoma Mall

I went to mass yesterday and it was the feast day of St. Isidore the Farmer. The priest spoke of how Isidore was able to attend mass every day despite the fact that he was working also. The priest also thought it was very strange that people could not spend even an hour a week to give to the Lord.

May 14: Touchdown Manila

Traffic as seen from inside the car

Boarding time was right on the dot. Because I brought a cane, I was given priority boarding. The hitch was that the take off was delayed for about an hour. However, despite the delay we arrived on time (4:35am).

Victoria to Vancouver: Waiting for the Flight

Victoria International Airport Boarding Area

Today is Monday after a very hectic weekend at work. But thankfully, things have settled down. I left work at 3 pm today and we left Victoria before 8 pm. At the Victoria Airport, I was given priority boarding because of my cane.

2014: Listening to God's Voice: Prologue

At Victoria International Airport

This is a strange trip. We had planned to take this trip last year. But the strange thing is that it just felt right. The previous trips were rewards to our children finishing high school. This trip is different because my wife and I are making this trip. The children are in Victoria.