At Last!

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September 13, 2006
Wednesday

At last! I'm a Canadian resident. Last Monday, September 11, was my appointment at the Canadian Immigration. The process took only about fifteen minutes. I just presented my passport and submitted my work permit and two photographs (for my permanent resident card [PRC]), and then the customer service agent, a Filipino named Sigfried del R., had me sign the immigration papers. He said that I should receive my PRC via the mail after about three weeks.

After the appointment, I walked to the nearby Forks park lighthearted. I was smiling and breathing with eyes half-closed, while the autumn winds were kissing my skin. It was a fine day. Very fine day.

I thought of treating myself to a lunch at a sushi restaurant, but I couldn't find one in the vicinity.

I dropped by at the healthcare agency for which I work, and submitted my timesheets. And since I was off that day, I decided instead to go to the house of my friend Emong Payaso. And there we resumed our recording of the long overdue single "Parang karnabal--ganyan ang buhay ng tao." I'm realizing that being a perfectionist has a lot of disadvantages, one of which is the inability to meet your own standards at a given time. We started recording the "Karnabal" song last December, and until now we are not yet finished. Oh well...

...
I have no Internet connection at home for about a week now, and this is very difficult and inconvenient. Because I had to transfer my PC from the basement to my temporary room (the room vacated my cousin who went to Las Vegas, Nevada, to work), the Internet connection is yet to be reinstalled by our ISP.

...
Finally, I bought myself my first cellular phone here in Canada, a Sony Ericsson equipped with a media player and a camera. Now I feel more comfortable every time I'm out of the house. Besides, the healthcare agency for which I work can get hold of me anytime, especially when they need to assign a work shift for me.

...
Winter is looming. I could feel it especially during the nights, as the cold winds start to bite my skin.

...
I had my third driving-lesson session. It went well. I got to drive in the busy area of the city. The instructor also began to teach me parallel parking. I felt more comfortable and confident, compared to the previous sessions.

...
I have asked for shorter hours at my A&W work, because I'm starting to feel the exhaustion. I need longer time for rest and sleep these days.

"What's money when the body is sick?" Did I remember it right?