| | Many things happened last Sunday, 28 October 2007.
Both good and bad!
The first good thing happened at around 8:39 AM. I saw
the YRT Bus stationary near the passenger pick-up
booth but I was still on the opposite side of the
avenue, the traffic light was showing an "open palm"
which means pedestrians are not allowed to cross yet.
As soon as the image changes to "a walking man", I
ran to cross the avenue, with my hand up in the air to
signal the bus driver for him to wait awhile. He did!
I was on time reaching Finch station and I was in for
the first (9:00 AM)trip of the subway. Without
catching the 8:39 AM trip, I would arrive an hour late
at Finch Subway Station!
The first bad thing is, I was not able to finish doing
the laundry!
The second bad thing happened while I was at the Finch
Subway Station. I was wearing gloves because it was
very cold. The gloves made me clumsy. The coins I was
holding for me to buy the tickets with slipped from my
gloved hand. The coins made sound as they landed on
the floor. A man picked the coins up and gave them to
me. Then an angry lady came up to me demanding the
coins that the man gave me. The lady claimed that the
coins were hers and that I have no right to get them.
I was dumbfounded. When she started swearing, I moved
back. I realized that standing in front of me was a
mentally-challenged person! I've got to be very
careful with this type of people!
The second good thing happened as soon as I reached
the Scott Mission. Ranjie, the chef cook of the day,
came to me and led me to the bulletin board. He
pointed to a cut-out article with a picture from a
Chinese newspaper. He asked me, "Can you see this lady
in the picture?" I said yes! "She looks like you,
isn't she?" I said, "Yes, she looks like me! Who is
she?" I asked. Ranjie, pointed to the the Chinese
characters of the article and said, "According to
these characters here, she is a volunteer named
Linda!" I laughed! Everybody near us laughed because I
was able to play Ranjie's game. Having myself in a
picture from a Chinese newspaper as one of the
volunteers serving at the Scott Mission during Thanks
Giving Day made me happy! I was very new in the group
but somehow I was blessed to be noticed. I praised God
for the attention given me.
The third good thing happen still at Scott Mission
when we were about to end the morning work. While I
was cleaning the food service area, Carmen, a Romanian
volunteer, passed by me and told me, "You know Linda,
you are the best cleaning lady I have ever met. One of
these days I will have to make you clean my house!"
Ranjie, commented right away, "I am thinking the same
way too! We are going to compete with each other for
her services!" I laughed and answered them, "Don't
joke with me like that! I don't have a job and I might
jump into the opportunity if you are to ask me!" I
remember Daya and Baby Roca. When I was having that
"practicum" at the Holstein home, I had a nagging
feeling that I am going to end up in someone's
kitchen! Now, I know that that practicum made me feel
easily at ease at the Scott Mission's kitchen and
Dining Hall!
The third bad thing happened while we were having
lunch at the Scott Mission. Someone was howling. I
asked my companions what's the noise about. They told
me there is a hippie bar nearby and the noise must
come from the bar. But the howling was becoming
intense and just very, very close to us. Pastor Jude
stood up and after looking at the window, told us that
the man howling was just below the window. I stood up
too and I saw a man rolling on the ground, pounding
his head on the cement, with yellowish-colored-fluid
coming out of his mouth. I said that he must be a drug
user! That was the first time that I saw a drug user
on a trip and at a very bad trip, at that! As we saw
the paramedics and the Scott Mission's security guard
attending a very limp/seemingly lifeless man, I said
to myself that there is more to life than being
poisoned by a pill that excites the senses in a wrong
way!
The fourth good thing that happened was when I went
out from the Scott Mission's building. I was wondering
why my umbrella "was having some sound". I stood to
listen and I saw white particles as big as half the
size of a grain of rice falling on the ground. I asked
the people around me what's the white-colored thing.
The security guard answered me "It's hail!" Aha! I was
so happy having experienced hail! The lady guard
looked at me. I told her quickly that I came from the
Philippines and I informed her that there is no hail
in the tropics!
The fourth bad thing? It became very, very, very cold!
Instead of getting the bus to Bathurst, I run to get
the street car to ferry me to Spadina station for me
to get the subway! Subway is a better transport when
it's cold!
Th fifth good thing happened when I arrived at Joy's
place. The Matthews children and grandchildren were
around! Joy's place became a paradise!
The fifth bad thing, one of the Matthews grand
children doesn't like me. He always cries when he
sees me! And he cried again seeing me.
The sixth good thing happened when the Matthews
children played with me.
The sixth bad thing happened when that small lady of
the Matthews grandchildren refused for her picture to
be taken.
The SEVENTH GOOD THING happened when the kids became
friendly and that smallest boy did not cry anymore.
I wonder if there would still be a bad thing when I
would meet this children again. I hope there would be
none! I hope to meet them again in the near future,if
not, when they have grown enough. Just like their
moms. I saw them in 1986 when they were flower girls
in Oyette and Bong Mendoza's wedding. Now I am meeting
them again when they are having wonderful kids of
their own!
Good things and bad things: they seem to be woven on
the same fabric that we are wearing everyday!
LVsheepOLE
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| | Posted 11/2/2007 9:27 PM - 17 Views - 0 eProps - 0 comments
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