Category: Yelly Writes

My life is extraordinarily ordinary and this is celebrating and writing about my beautifully ordinary moments.

Yelly Writes

Starting my day right

Yelly

Breakfast will always start one’s day right.  I remember when I was growing up, Mama would never let us leave the house until we had a hot breakfast; we simply had to eat.  I’m afraid to say that I haven’t kept up the practice.  I get ready for work and rush out the door.  In the process, I think I may have screwed up my eating habits!

I am a Christian by faith and a Protestant Methodist by denomination.  I am proud to say I grew up in church, and I am thankful that I did.  Living away from everyone I love can be difficult, to say the least.  When you are, essentially, alone, there is very little to cling to: and for me it was my God and my faith in the God that sustains me.  I am thankful to be blessed with a faith that strengthens me and I am blessed because my faith in my God has sustained me during the toughest times of my life.  It has been challenging living away from everything familiar but that in itself has strengthened my faith.

I walk past the Chelmsford cathedral everyday as I walk to work and everyday I whisper a prayer for God to bless my day, for God to take control of my day, for God to help me achieve what I need to achieve, and my most fervent desire, for me to be a blessing to others.  Somehow those words quickly whispered set my day off perfectly.  Because I lift my day up to the Lord, whatever good, whatever bad, my day is the Lord’s.

I am reminded of a prayer I used to read and reread.  It was a prayer I posted in my old blog.  It was a prayer for concentration at work because the work environment then wasn’t conducive to concentration (there was a lot of swearing going around and being in an environment where profanity and bad language is about is never conducive to real positivity, I think!).  It was based on a prayer I also read online and a prayer that I adapted so that it fit my thoughts.  It’s helped me.  I thought I’d post it here again, because it might help someone else.

Dear Father,

I draw near You to seek Your help.  I have the assurance that You love me so very much. Lord, the Scripture says that You love the prosperity of Your children.  You know the importance of being able to concentrate at work.  Father, bless me with Your guidance and let me work on my things to do list properly.  Lord, I confess that I get distracted easily; I have more interest in less important things instead of what is urgent in my in-tray.

Please forgive me and gird me with You grace (I love the word gird Lord, because it makes me feel like I am going to battle, and oh I do love a battle!  See Lord, I am digressing, yet again!) and strength so that I concentrate in my work.  Without Your help I cannot achieve any success Lord!

Please help me to overcome all my weaknesses and strengthen my mind. Take full control of my wandering thoughts and give me Your wisdom and knowledge. Let me shine at work, Heavenly Father and let me be a blessing to to everyone. I lift all this up in Jesus’ name.

Amen.

prayer

Yelly Writes

Happy birthday Mama!

Yelly

It’s my Mama’s birthday today and I really wish I could be there to celebrate it with her.  It’s sort of a milestone birthday.  She’s 65 today.  In the Philippines, 65 is retirement age.  For everyone, male or female.  But she isn’t retiring quite yet as her office has asked her to extend for 6 months.  My mum, I think, is looking to enjoying her retirement, but at the same time, I think she enjoys her work because she finds her work experiences challenging.  I think that’s why she didn’t mind extending for a few months.

Mama

Dearest Mama, my respect, love and gratitude for you is no different than your love for me, without boundaries. You are my crowning support and one of the best things in my life. It does not matter how old I am, your hug is still the warmest and safest place on the earth for me.

Happy Birthday Mama! I love, love, love, love you!

Yelly Writes

Careful is as careful does!

Yelly

I slipped on ice tonight.  Not surprising as I am known to be a klutz!  I just thought I’d put it out there.

I had just gotten off the train from work.  I was walking carefully because it was cold and the platform was very wet.  I could see clumps of salt thrown around.  One moment I was walking carefully and the next I was sitting down on my backside!  I remember choosing carefully where to put my feet because I knew there was a possibility I could slip.  I had walked quite safely from the platform into the tarmacked pavement and breathed a sigh of relief because I thought I was safe–or so I thought!  It was dark though in the area where I slipped and I remember looking up at the lightless lamp.  If the lamp post on the train station had a working light bulb I would’ve probably seen the icy patch.  But alas, there was no light and I was walking in the dark.

Mind you, it was more my pride that was hurt more than anything as there were people walking behind me.  I ended up on my bum with my left leg under my thigh.  Who knew I was that flexible?

Yelly Writes

“Taken out of context, I must seem so strange!”

Yelly

It was all very strange.  I think I may have applied for a job last night.

Someone who I follow on twitter posted that they had a long-term admin position available to someone who had the necessary experience in event management.  It was apparently an immediate start.  So I said yes, I was interested and I got a direct message asking me to give the person a call.  I thought that was a bit strange because this person hadn’t asked to see my CV first.  But I thought giving this person a call was worth the punt.

And that’s where it became slightly weird.  I called the interviewer and it was nicey-nicey in the beginning (all of the first 20 seconds, I think).  But there was a niggling feeling that I was already at a disadvantage before the interview started.  30 seconds in I think the interviewer had already decided I wasn’t suitable and that I was looking for something to tide me over until I found THE dream job because of something I said.  I think she thought I was only interested in the glamorous side of the job.  What I think I wasn’t able to put across was that I understood how hard it was to run a trade exhibition.  I understand the hard work that goes into managing an event.  I understand the elbow grease involved in the pre-event preparation, the work involved in managing everything behind the scenes during the event and the post-event wash up work.  I think I allowed myself to be too excited at the prospect at working in the industry that the interviewer worked in.  I don’t think I was able to express effectively that events management was what I did for a living, that I worked in customer services and most of the work I used to do centred on coordination.  I was excellent at my job and people told my boss so.

In hindsight, I should have probably asked more questions about the job, what it was about, what the salary was like, what the working hours were like and what the employer’s expectations were.  But I’ve never had to interview the employer because I always thought that the whole point of being interviewed was that I was going to be asked questions so that the employer could decide whether I was suitable.  I had this feeling that the whole conversation was back to front; that I was expected to ask the questions and say the right things at the same time.

But hey, it was a novel experience.  It’s something that will allow me to expand my interviewing experience.  I also realised something: I’ve always been interviewed in a traditional settings and most of the interviews I’ve had followed the expected formula.  I learned that there are times when an interviewee has to take control of the situation, so that she (or he) is able to put herself in the best light possible.  I didn’t do that last night.  And that is a vital lesson learned!  It is important that when you put yourself forward for anything, you make sure you do it so that your capabilities are put in the best light possible.  I would’ve have been good at the job that was being offered, but because I didn’t take control, that person will never know.

Yelly Writes

Back in sickbay

Yelly

I hate that I’m still ill.  I hate that I can’t seem to shake this bug.  I hate that my headache is constant and that I am not able to function properly.  I am not a happy bunny!

The only bit of good news today is that Patisserie Valerie is opening in Colchester next.

Just venting.

Yelly Writes

Train fares rise again

Yelly

A public transport system that you can depend on can certainly make or break a country.  The public transport system in the Philippines is, sadly, almost non-existent because there doesn’t seem to be a system.  So when I moved to the UK, I was so glad that there was a public transport system you could depend on.  There were train schedules and you knew exactly how long your train journey was.  There were bus schedules on bus stops, and you had to know which stop to wait for a bus so that you would get on the right bus.  You could travel quickly around London by using the Tube and you knew, roughly, how long your journey from point A to point B would be.  The staff at the train stations and on the trains were very professional and were often very pleasant and very helpful.

But as with all things, there is a price to pay.  Since I moved to the UK, there’s been a fare hike for trains.  And for me, it’s gone up a minimum of 4% every year for the past nearly 5 years that I’ve been in this country.  In the beginning, I didn’t mind paying the fare but then I started noticing the cracks.  Trains servicing our line were old, smelly and sometimes filthy (there would often be coffee and an assortment of food stains on the upholstery and the carpeting and if you were really lucky, there would be signs of vomit on the windows!  Yuck, I know!  And you’re only reading this, I have to travel on these trains!).  The trains were delayed or there would be last minute cancellations.  The excuses were hilarious sometimes, depending on the season:  in winter, the usual excuse was that it was the wrong kind of snow to lay on the tracks; during the summer, I’ve heard them say that it was the wrong kind of heat!  Last year, there would always be some kind of delay, some sort of signalling problem somewhere delaying my train to or from work.  I didn’t mind so much the train ride home being late because it was the end of my day, but it would be such a hassle for the train service to be delayed in the mornings.

Now don’t get me wrong.  I have it better now that I have had in the Philippines.  The public transport system in the UK is far more organised.  I would love it if my countrymen would be blessed with a public transport system even half as good as what people in the UK are now experiencing.  Buses and bus companies that aren’t concerned with how many passengers they have on their buses, and focus more with following the speed rules and getting people from point A to point B safely but efficiently, traffic signs followed and not just put up for street decoration, proper bus stops and an MRT and LRT system that is even more efficient (although mind you, I have always enjoyed MRT rides, even when it was packed and I and my fellow commuters resembled sardines!  Truth!).

I am not exactly ranting about the fare hike.  I get it.  For the improvements tha we want, we have to pay for it, even if the government subsidises a huge chunk of the developments that have been proposed.  I get that developments cost and unfortunately, the government can’t foot the bill completely.  But there is a part of me that wishes that the developments were more tangible, starting with a cleaner carriage, maybe?  One that is less smelly?  One that is less packed?

I renewed my season ticket today, mindful of the fare hike that was announced.  January’s season ticket was £12.00 more expensive than last December’s season ticket, and I was pleasantly suprised that it wasn’t what I expected to be.  I don’t mind so much because I understand the realities.  But some part of me still wants to see a little bit more value for the money that I fork over to Greater Anglia each month.

As I get on the train each day to go to work, I’m hoping that I will notice the improvements.  Because I want to see my money making some sort of difference to the quality of my daily commute.

Fare hike

Yelly Writes

And on the third day…

Yelly

…I stayed in bed!  I thought yesterday was the worst with the D&V but today is even worse.  I really felt ill today.

I know you’re probably sick of my whining about my illness but it helps me feel better when I write about how I feel.  So unfortunately, I am going to witter on about my adventures in Norovirus land.

I mostly spent today in bed because I thought that if I stayed horizontal, I wouldn’t throw up.  Mind you, I did wake up feeling horribly sick and I had to run to the loo to avoid being sick in bed (SORRY!  Disgusting, I know!).  While the dash to the loo was necessary, it was a big mistake.  My head was pounding and the run to the loo made the pounding headache worse!

I had chicken soup for breakfast (I love this particulary chicken soup recipe.  It’s meant to fortify ill people, or so the Chinese say.  It’s got lots of ginger, chicken, chicken stock, goji berries and rice wine.  You cook it until the chicken falls off the bone.) and then I went back to bed.  I stayed there until about 2 in the afternoon and then I thought I might do myself some good by sitting up.  I felt horrible the whole time and told myself that a shower would do me wonders.  The whole showering process tired me out!  Just the whole process of moisturising post-shower made my head swim and I had to pause in between stages.  It’s helped me feel a lot less grotty and a hot shower always soothes.

But the fact still remains, I am still ill and the fact that I’m still throwing up means that the bug hasn’t passed yet!  I wanted to go back to work on Monday but if I’m responsible, I’m not going to because I am most probably still contagious.

Mind you, I should probably just go to work and to heck with the people who are on the train with me.  I probably got this bug from an irresponsible person who did not cover their mouth when the sneezed or coughed (This is a pet peeve so I’m getting off my soapbox before I start grandstanding about the need for people to think about infection control!).  BUT I am better than that.  I’m not going to infect the people at work.

I’m really tired of being ill though and at the rate of sounding redundant, I’m sick of being sick!

Yelly Writes

And the verdict is…

Yelly

I have something viral (they didn’t want to say that I have the dreaded Noro virus aka the winter vomiting bug) and I have to wait 48 hours after the symptoms clear (also known as fever-diarrhea-vomiting) before I’m allowed to be let out amongst the humans.  I am currently in the midst of trying to stop rushing to the loo (the D&V is horrible and I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy!).  What makes it worse is that because of the D&V, I’m not keeping in the meds I’m taking for Stay In Bed Daydiabetes and my blood sugar is sky-rocketing!  The nurse tested my blood sugar levels (I couldn’t test it because my meter’s battery has drained and it happened during the worse moment!) and it was 17.9!  The funny thing about my meds is one of the tablets does make you feel worse when you are ill!  So for the meantime, I’m not to take metformin and just take the gliclazide.

Can I also say that I’m absolutely famished but can’t really eat anything because I can’t keep anything down at the moment except saltine crackers and water?  So I’m ill, hungry and have a massive headache because I’m ill AND hungry.  Such a vicious circle to be in.  I’m thinking that I have to rethink my approach at taking care of myself and monitoring my diabetes better.  I really need to have a food diary set up.  I need to keep better track of my food and my blood sugar levels.  First thing to do is order batteries for my meter!  And that’s done so that’s a good start.

You’re probably wondering why I’m talking about this.  I just wanted to vent and well, the adage that misery loves company is so true!  I’m desperate for attention and sympathy!

The next few days are going to be really interesting.

But I’ll see you all on the other side!

Yelly Writes

Here we go again…

Yelly

Three days into the new year, I am ill again!

I woke up at some point in the wee hours of the morning shivering.  Literally.  I woke myself up because I was shaking from the cold so badly!  I did try to go to work this morning.  I dragged myself from bed, albeit feeling a bit light-headed because of the awful pounding in my head, placed myself under a hot-ish shower and washed myself clean.  I performed the necessary morning ablutions, dried and styled my hair (as is necessary!) and attempted make up (mind you, I don’t put much on because I just moisturise, put on liquid foundation, finishing powder, put on eyeliner and a bit of lipgloss–my make up routine was much more complicated when I lived in the Philippines!).  I got dressed and put on shoes, scarf and coat and was out the door on time (7:02AM on the dot!).   I was about 100 yards from my flat when I realised that my head was pounding too much for me to function and that I genuinely felt horrible.

I made the decision to go back and dive back into bed.  Thankfully, a ministering angel made me breakfast and a lovely bolstering cup of coffee and made me drink meds.  I called in at 8:26AM and told myself not to feel guilty about being ill.  If you’re ill, you’re ill and you’re better off at home and not infecting anyone else—whatever this is!

I’m hoping I can shake this bug and that all I need is one day in bed.  There are too many things that need to get done!

Yelly Writes

Nearly over the threshold

Yelly

The year is nearly over…my laptop clock reads 23:16.   I’m not really feeling super but I’m so staying up and watching the fireworks from London.  If I lived near Southbank…heck, if I lived in London, I’d be soooooo there, braving the crush of the crowds (and I have a slight phobia of crowds, so me braving any sort of crowd is a huge thing!), the cold and quite possibly the rain!

Most people spend the day contemplating the events of the year, what they’ve done, what they haven’t, what the wanted to do.  I’ve spent most of the year wanting to shout out “Stop the world, I want to get off!”  My year has been excessively busy with a shedload of events and lots of traveling from one end of the UK to the other.  A lot of people will be looking back at their year with regret because there are things they would have wanted to not do and I did sit and think about my 2012.  I looked at everything that’s happened and I asked myself whether if I regretted anything.  I’m glad that I am able to say that  I do not have any regrets.  Not a one.  Well, maybe just the one:  not being able to go home.  That’s the biggest regret really of the past 3 years.  I haven’t been able to go home.  Apart from that, I really wouldn’t want to change anything.  Because I think I came into my own in 2012.  I’ve learned a lot about who I am, what I can do, what I can take, how far I’ll go to achieve things, what I’m willing to sacrifice.

I can look at the mirror and smile at myself again.  Really smile at myself.  Because I know who I am now, I know exactly what I’m worth and I know I won’t settle and I won’t allow myself to be underappreciated.

2012 has flown by, with its share of joys and heartaches, with its bouts of being too busy to think and days when homesickness was heart-rending.  But I’m glad for the quick passage of time.  I often found myself marvelling at how quickly the year was passing by.  But in a way, I was also grateful for it.  Not being able to think for being busy can be quite the blessing.

So at 23:50, I will end this entry with a poem by Joanna Fuchs.  The next entry will be tomorrow, in 2013!

I’m writing this in a state of shock,
Watching the clock—tick tock, tick tock,
Advancing, approaching, relentlessly,
A brand new year; Oh, can it be?The calendar says the same thing, too;
Time races, vanishes for me; Boo hoo!
No, wait! If time flies, I’m having fun!
A year of fun! It’s gone! It’s done!I now embrace the blur of time,
Because it simply means that I’m
Too busy with pleasure, joy, delight
To mourn the passing days’ swift flight.So I’m wishing you fast, happy days,
Pleasuring you in myriad ways,
Filled with happiness and cheer,
Oh Happy, Happy Bright New Year!