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Author: Gleniz
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This Place Feels Just Right
Malapit na kaming mag-isang taon dito sa Calgary, at ang recurring theme pa rin ng conversations namin ni Kenneth ay: “Ang saya at thankful ko na nandito na tayo ngayon.” Hindi pa rin kami maka-move on. The locals may not fully relate, pero sobra sobra ang appreciation namin sa lugar na ‘to. Lalo na si Kenneth. Sya yung mas paulit-ulit about finally being here.
Interestingly, wala naman talaga sa wish list namin na makalipat ng Calgary. We really thought forever na kami sa Winnipeg (we lived there for 6 years). At kung sumagi man sa isip ko ang paglipat, sa Vancouver ko naiisip. Pero since hindi namin kaya ang cost of living sa BC in general, I just file that thought under my daydreams category. Until one day, bigla na lang kaming naging in-sync ni Kenneth at nagtuloy-tuloy na ang proseso ng paglipat namin dito.
Note: Eventually nakapasyal din kami sa BC, at Calgary pa rin talaga ang #1 for us. Oo maganda, pero ang mahal talaga!
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1.
It took me more than a year, but I finally finished The Graveyard Book. When I started reading it, I stopped at 20%, paused for 15 months, picked it up again, then finished it in a week.
Every time I read a Neil Gaiman book, my initial reaction is always, “I don’t get this. This is out of my league.” But I learned that if I just keep going and let myself enter his mysterious world, I would eventually be enchanted by it. I have to keep this in mind whenever I start one of his books again.
I currently have 38 books on my ‘currently reading’ list and maybe that’s just how it is. Maybe each book has its own time and place (The Graveyard Book was gifted to me by my sister last Christmas of 2020!) and I’ll pick them up again when the timing feels right.
2.
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Happy Things #28
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Hello Panda
Nung nagta-trabaho pa ko sa Maynila, madalas akong mag-bus mula probinsya namin papuntang Makati. At minsan, may makakatabi ako na may naka-ready syang snacks (4 hrs din kasi ang byahe) tapos maiinggit na lang ako habang sarap na sarap sya sa pagkain ng Hello Panda (minsan Chips Ahoy or Oreos). Nakakainis. Bakit nga ba hindi ko naisip mag-baon? Tamang wishful thinking na lang ako na sana alukin nya ko kahit isang Hello Panda lang. Tapos matatawa lang ako dun sa thought kong yun kasi ang unusual naman na gagawin nya yun. Kahit ako hindi ko yun maiisip gawin kasi parang weird.
Sa dinami-raming beses na sumakay ako ng bus, never nangyare na may nag-alok ng pagkain. Kaya nagulat na lang ako nung nasa flight ako papuntang Winnipeg last month. May nakatabi akong babae (feeling ko mas bata sakin) tapos inalok nya ko nung kinakain nyang sweets! Bumalik yung mga bus memories ko at natuwa ako. Ang thoughtful naman nya! Pero tumanggi ako kasi hindi naman ako gutom (kung Hello Panda pa yun).
Touch ID
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Q3 Recap + Happy Anniversary!
I didn’t even realize that my Gleniz da Menace newsletter just turned a year old! I still have my occasional once-or-twice-a-month free posts, but September last year I started making these exclusive posts to help support this ancient blog of mine.
Though I am fairly consistent with my creative output here, I am sluggish in a business sense and find discomfort in promoting this paid newsletter too much. So if you find enjoyment in what I write here, I hope you’ll consider a paid subscription. If you’re wondering if it’s worth it, here’s a note from one of the early subscribers:
I shared this with Kenneth and tried reading the message out loud to him but failed ‘cos I started crying. Thank you for your generous words 🥺
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May random moment sa sasakyan (on the way kami sa Waterton para ipasyal ang Mama one last time bago sya umuwing Pilipinas) na napa-blurt out ako ng, “12 times pala akong sumakay ng eroplano this year!” After saying that, ang unang pumasok sa isip ko ay exhaustion.
I will not deny the feeling of relief na last na yung Waterton sa itinerary namin ng Mama. After ng sunod-sunod na ganaps sa Pinas, tuloy pa rin ang ganaps pagbalik ko ng Canada. I know this is a great thing, pero looking forward na rin akong tumiim ng bahay. Lalo na dahil sa result ng blood test ko. Mababa raw ang WBC ko, meaning mababa rin ang immune system ko. Kaya pala ang bilis kong magkasakit at ang tagal kong gumaling. Napa-paranoid ako kakaisip kung nag-normalize na ba yung WBC ko or mas bumaba pa. At feeling ko, ang solusyon para maging normal ulit ay magpahinga.
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Maliit na Pulang Speaker
I was connecting to my Bluetooth speaker at nakita ko sa device list yung speaker ng Mommy. My heart sank. Bumalik sakin yung mga days sa ospital na tatanungin ko ang Mommy kung gusto nyang makinig ng music, tapos tatango sya. Papatugtugin ko dun sa maliit na pulang speaker yung mga paborito nyang lumang kanta, o kaya minsan mga piano music. Tatanungin ko sya ng, “Rinig mo Mommy?” kasi nakikipagsabayan sa music yung tunog ng mechanical ventilator nya. Ipi-pwesto ko yung speaker sa may ulunan nya para sure na rinig nya.
Hay sobrang miss kita Mommy 😔
It’s Thursday Letter on a Saturday! Also, you have full access to this post because you’re a paid subscriber. Thank you! 🤍
In the journaling and planner community, September is known as ‘planner season’. It’s when notebook brands start rolling out their new lineups for the coming year. Two of the popular ones I always look forward to are Hobonichi and Traveler’s Company (both Japanese companies).
It’s kind of like when Apple announces the new iPhone each year. I know I’m not going to buy every release, but I’m invested in seeing what’s new. It’s the same with these two big brands. It’s just so fun to browse the new cover designs and themes for 2026, and also temptingly look at all their planner offerings in different layouts and sizes. But in my heart, I already know the single thing I’m going to get. I know that I’ll be sticking with the same planner I’ve been using these last two years: the simple and uncomplicated Hobonichi Day-Free in A6 size.
But alas, I was wrong.
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Paycheck Routine
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I have a very complicated budgeting system, so I won’t go into every detail. I have an expense tracking app, an Excel file, and I track every cent—if you ask me how much we paid for our Instapot back in 2019, I could tell you (it’s $67.19). In short, it’s a whole thing (but it’s an obsessive-compulsive’s dream).
Today, I just wanted to share what I do during paydays. I remember our abundant months when I’m not waiting for paydays to arrive. Back when I was confident that if I forgot to allocate funds to our different money buckets, I know that our bank account had enough money to cover all the auto-debited bills. Oh how I miss those days.
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I’ve downloaded the LinkedIn app again just to take a peek of what’s out there. I even received two messages about remote job opportunities na para bang alam nilang babalik na ko sa trabaho soon. Pag nakauwi na ang Mama sa Pilipinas, I will be in my full-on job hunting mode.
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Gleniz da Menace 