*♥* It's Fall!! *♥*

[Currently listening to おかえり by the lovely ayaka :) ]

Happy October everyone! :) I know it's been long overdue, but I am back!

I've missed you all ('-^)v ~♥

It has been a roller-coaster ride this past month, mainly because I've been so busy working, working, WORKING! For those who have just started reading my blog or just to remind my current followers, I work as a bartender/waitress at a retirement home. :) There are a lot of changes going around at work, mainly construction in the dining room, which meant that we had to push ourselves extra hard to make food service for the residents as pleasant as possible. I will tell you all right now that it really hasn't been easy trying to adjust around the construction site, but somehow in the last 3 weeks of construction, we made it! The Bistro area has been re-arranged and updated, and will open again on Wednesday. We're very excited for this and hoping that with the changes made, operation for making and delivering food to the residents will run more smoothly than before. :)

After working a very busy long week, I finally have tomorrow for a day off! I've been looking forward to this since Monday, my last day off... (^-^;;) I've been running around so much that yesterday (our busiest day) I felt as though I walked a marathon! I've never worked myself so hard until this day, but tomorrow, I will be having some well-deserved rest! Yay!!

The weather here at Virginia Beach has been super crazy with all the RAIN!! Lately the weather's been lacking forecasts of rain, and in the last 3-4 days, we've received... well, RAIN! Lots of it! The day before yesterday there were delays and even cancellations for schools and other places because the rain just kept going! Sure, we've been long overdue for some rain, but... I didn't think we'd be getting this much... (-__-);; The good news is now we've had rain, and... Well, tomorrow will be a good break - it's supposed to be a beautiful day. (^-^)

There will be more rain on the way this coming week though... (O_o);;

In other news... @SleeplessFish, a.k.a. my boyfriend Taylor and I have been together for 2 years and 2 months this past Wednesday :) I've said it before and I'll say it again: it doesn't feel as though we've been together that long... But nothing better than to be in love with your best friend! (^-^)♥ We are able to see each other only once a week now that he's back in school - he is in his last semester at University of Mary Washington studying Political Science. I've given him plenty of space so that he can concentrate on his school work - from what I understand they are writing-intensive classes, and those take up a LOT of time and effort to do. It hasn't been easy waiting on my part, but I always look forward to the day when I do get to see him, even if it will only be for a few hours. I'm very proud of him though, and I'm going to cheer him on until he gets the diploma in his hands :) Let's all cheer for him too, okay??

So, it's October! That means Halloween is right around the corner! What is everyone doing for Halloween this year?? Last year I dressed up as a black cat for work, but this year I want to dress up in something that I know I want to put some effort in. It's been a long while since I last cosplayed so my costume this year will be from the anime "Kaichou wa Maid-sama" - Ayuzawa Misaki!

I actually finished watching "Kaichou wa Maid-sama" last night and this is, by far, my favorite shoujo anime. Long story short: Student Body President of her school by day, Maid Latte cafe's maid at work! It's really cute, so ladies, and guys too - go watch it now! :)

I'm also going to Nekocon this year! I told myself 2 years ago that I wouldn't be able to go to anime conventions anymore, but... Well, I miss seeing my friends, and I would love to go meet new friends too - so I'm making a comeback! The convention is November 5-7 this year, and I've already pre-registered! I plan to wear my completed cosplay at this convention, and I'm not sure if I will have time to make another one by then... We will see, won't we? :) I might be able to buy my materials tomorrow and get started soon!

Before I go, I want to share with you all something that I'm going to do soon: making videos for YouTube! I finally decided that I want to give video-editing and such a try! A few weeks ago, I experimented and made a video. I have it posted below - I hope you all will like it :)

By the way, if you have tips and pointers to fixing this problem with the video, let me know because I'm willing to try and learn!

Enjoy and I'll check back with you all tomorrow!

Much love to you all,
~Reiko ('-^) xoxo ♥

♠ Slowly Counting Down... ♠

[Currently eating dinner - Wendy's Grilled Chicken Sandwich and a large sweet tea to be exact!!]

Hey, all you cool cats! :D I hope you all had a very good weekend - I sure did :)

Again, I'm crunching on time, and it's late at night... Since I'm in the dining room with my laptop - and with that being the only working computer in the house for now... - I can't play any music since my dad and brothers are trying to sleep... Don't want me to get in trouble do you? ;) Just so you know though, you know that new song from 3OH!3, featuring Ke$ha, the one that has the lyrics going, "My first kiss went a little like this"? It's been on my mind for a while... Pretty catchy. Just saying! XD

Also, I do have pictures, but I will have to wait to post them until tomorrow. So we'll save those and the rest of the most recent news until then. :)

...anyways!

Wanted to let you guys know that the court day is set for tomorrow morning. I have mentioned that this will be my very first time participating in a court session (I'm testifying as a witness), so I'm excited, but at the same time, a little anxious as to how this will all play out. Well, I really shouldn't be so nervous since I am not the one at fault for the car accident back in March, but I guess I just want to see how everything plays out in the very end. My dad will be in the courtroom with me, so at least I'm not going there alone with my lawyer and the other participants.This day has been on my mind since I received the subpeona 2 weeks ago, and now the months of waiting will come to a close... I will update you guys with the results when I return. Wish us luck! :)

Other than that, I'm doing well! It really is summer time, and it's not just from the ridiculous heat that has come to my hometown! Today it reached as high as 102 degrees, or so it said on the odometer on my way to work this afternoon. The notice on the doors said that it is a black flag day and that outdoor activities are to be suspended. I don't really know about that though: even though the black flag warning has been posted all around the building, some of the residents at the retirement still go outside; I don't know how these people do it, but there is a small group who absolutely love the game of croquet - I think they've been outside for an hour or so, with the sun not bothering them at all! (I think they must be real die-hard players to be playing in those conditions...!)

Anyway, when it gets really hot wherever you may be, make sure to keep yourself cool - stay inside if you must, and be sure to drink LOTS of water! I don't want to hear any of my readers say that they're not doing well because they're not keeping cool! T_T Play it safe!!

All right, until tomorrow, everyone, have a good day/night wherever you may be! :)

Lots of love,
~Reiko xoxo

♠ Reiko's Back - About Damn Time :)v ♠

[Currently having some breakfast with her little brother, Jerome :) No music involved, but has Owl City's "Strawberry Avalanche" playing in her head :)]

My goodness, it really has been a while everyone - sorry for the delays again >_<

I'm crunching on time at the moment, so for now, I just want to bring you guys up to speed to what has been happening with me in recent days:

How's Reiko? Overall, feeling great and just going about my busy days loving each day to the fullest, even on the toughest days :) Due to some personal issues that I have experienced recently (which I can't explain to you guys here, I'm sorry... :( ) in many ways, I feel that I have matured from it all, and I'm taking the baby steps to becoming an even better person than I was a few weeks ago. One day I will be able to tell you all, but for right now, rest assured, I'm doing well, and I'm loving life! :)

Family: In about 2 weeks' time, my family and I will be venturing up north for my cousin Douglas and his fiancee' Christina's wedding. :) Douglas is one of my cousins that I've admired since I was a kid, and now I'm very happy that he is very happy to start his new life with his soon-to-be wife, who will also become a wonderful addition to my family :) I'll be gone for about 5 days to venture up to New Jersey to see my extended family, and then to Pennsylvania where the wedding will take place. I'm very excited not just for the wedding, but for the trip itself. It's been a while since my family and I had a vacation together, and this will be a real treat. I haven't been to New Jersey since seeing my relatives to embark on a flight to the Philippines together 5 summers ago, and I've never been to Pennsylvania before - I'm really looking forward to the adventures to come :)

Work: I'm loving and appreciating my work as a bartender/waitstaff in that retirement home more and more by the day :) I know some of you guys are wondering how on earth I'm able to cope working in a place like this, and I can simply tell you that it takes a lot of love and patience. There are times when it gets busy and difficult, but I know that in the very end, everything will fall into place and will be all right. I like being with people (especially talking to them) and I get along fairly well with the people I work with and work for. Love and patience are the keys, my friends! :)

Friends: Unfortunately, due to my very busy schedule, I only have very little time to see and/or chat with my friends in real life or even online (Facebook, Myspace, etc.). I was able to see a couple of good friends in recent weeks - Kai and Eleni - which is a good start, but when I have time to hang out, or even have an online chat with you, etc. , I will let you guys know :) I may not be able to say this to each of you individually so I'll say it here: I love you all and thank you for being a part of my life :) xoxo

Love life? Taylor and I are doing very well :) I feel that he and I have gotten much closer since the last time I posted, and that makes me feel very good. Tay is a really important person in my life, and I'm very grateful for everything he does and even just being there for me. He's been by my side even through the most recent slumps - I don't think he realizes how much I appreciate his love and loyalty to me... But anyway, we are doing very well, and we'll be celebrating our anniversary (1 year, 11 months) in a few days, as well as his birthday... which is a week from today! Whoo! xoxo

Car accident update: Remember the car accident I had back in March? Well, the case will come to a close in the next few days: On Monday, I will be appearing in court to testify as a witness in the case against the woman who hit me and my car, Rinoa. I have been looking forward to this day for a while - this will be my very first time testifying as a witness in court. As I said before in my post-accident post, I have forgiven the woman since that night, and I still do to this very day. I'm not sure what the outcome will be for the other woman, but I do hope that from whatever punishments and/or fines that will fall upon her, she will learn from that so that she won't have to experience that ever again. After this, my family and I will be truly ready to move forward from this, and I pray that she will too.

So yes! That's the gist of what's been going on with my lately, but I do want to announce one other thing... As of yesterday, I now have a brand-new digital camera!

This is the model of the digital camera that I now have: Samsung T220 digital camera, 12.2 megapixels and dual LCD screens. I'm loving this camera the more I use it :) ...should I come up with a name for it? :D What do you guys think?? Leave me a comment below and let me know!

And of course, I wouldn't end this post without showing you guys a few pictures from my new camera eh?? :D I had to compress them in order for them to fit here, so if they appear small for you guys, I apologize - I will have to work on them later :(

My handsome boyfriend, Taylor :) He made dinner! ^0^

A very interesting mug that held some tea he brewed for me :)

Dinner! Little steak and vodka pasta! We had a huge helping of seconds after that :)

My brother, Jerome finishing breakfast... and trying to be cute. :p

...and there's yours truly! :)

And there you have it guys! Now that I have a new camera, I'm looking forward to posting more for you guys. I'll update when I can, but I'll definitely chat with you all soon. Have a great day!!

xoxo,

~Reiko :)

♥Reiko's Fitness Challenge - Day 1!♥

[Currently listening to KIRIKO sings "Studio Ghibli Films music" with an ERHU. "HARE-TANE" album - buy it on iTunes if you're a big fan of Hayao Miyazaki's films and music!]

Hi everyone! It's been a long week, but I'm back with some exciting news :)

It's been about a week and a half since my car accident, and my injuries have mostly healed; I'm very thrilled that my bitten lip and tongue are not aching anymore and my bruises and aches have lessened :) I'm healing up, and I'm very excited! I'm also very eager to drive again, so starting today, I'm going to drive me and my mom to work. I know my parents still worry about me about driving, but I'm not going to let that big crash scare me - I'm like a dandelion: spunky and tough! :D

Since I'm crunching for time right now, I just wanted to briefly touch on something that I'll be doing in the next couple of months :)

At work, there is a fitness challenge event where the employees can record their physical activities; it's a contest to see who can complete the challenge, recording the number of minutes of activities done for each day. My mom has done something like this in the winter, and when this challenge came up again, I decided to give it a whirl. After all, I have been going the gym at least 3 times a week and I stretch and do yoga almost every morning and evening; not to mention I do a lot of walking when I'm working - bartenders and waitstaff do a lot of walking! I was curious to know how I was doing as far as average time of exercising for each day and I also wanted to know my average walking distance when I work each week.

In preparation for this challenge, I went shopping with my dad yesterday to buy a little pedometer for me to wear and watch for the times that I clock in and out of work. I'll be recording my progress daily so let's see how I do today! Later on, I'll be updating with some exercise routines that you can try at home. :)

So far today, I've done about half an hour's worth of stretching and warm-up exercises; I do this daily so that my body and mind are awake and ready for the day. I plan to go to the gym later on in the afternoon, and then meet with my boyfriend Taylor for dinner (for sushi night!). I haven't seen him in almost a week, so this is going to be very fun! ^0^

All right guys, time to head out - I'll be back again to record my physical activities and share more fun stuff with you! Have a great start to your week! Be well!

Much love,
~Reiko ♥*.

♥ Miracles and Dreams Do Come True ♥

[Currently listening to "Breathe" from Michelle Branch's "Hotel Paper" album.]

Hey everyone, I hope you all had a good Monday :)

It's only been a few days since the car accident, and even though I'm still physically hurt, I'm very eager to come back to work. I'm feeling even more strong by the day, and I'm feeling confident about coming back to work tomorrow morning - I miss working, my co-workers, and the residents of the retirement home.

My parents and I took pictures of my bruises and inside my mouth (where I bit my lip and tongue when the airbag hit me in the face) so that we could send them off to my soon-to-be lawyer. We had one come by our house earlier today to speak to me about what happened as well as look at my injuries and taking pictures. I will admit that this guy, though helpful, was right to the point and seemed rather rude when cutting me and my dad off when we were trying to explain some details that may be important... But after signing some paperwork and exchanging information, we'll be getting in contact with the main lawyer in the next couple of days. My parents and I are very anxious to get everything done soon, but these things do take time and careful consideration.

While my parents left for work, I was left at home... I had almost forgotten what it was like to be at the house with no mode of transportation, and it did feel weird at first. But then I kept telling myself that there was no use moping or sitting idly for something to happen (...which is true!). So, I got to work with cleaning up my room, since it had been messy for the past few days from the ruckus, and even worked on my laundry. I made myself a late breakfast/early lunch (okay, fine, BRUNCH) - creamy tomato and alfredo mushroom sauce mix with macaroni noodles. I needed to chew on something soft since it was becoming difficult for me to chew with my injured lip and tongue.

I got a call earlier this evening from one of my aunts in New Jersey; my elder cousin, Douglas, had heard the news of my accident on Facebook and contacted her. It was really nice to hear her voice; I asked her not to worry about me too much because I'm feeling better by the day. It's awesome to have family members who care about you, isn't it?

I received so many responses from the note I posted on Facebook yesterday. I felt that not only did I need to let my family and friends know what happened, but to also spread the word about drunk driving awareness. Something like this can happen to almost anyone, and I wanted to reach out to as many people as I could so that my friends and family wouldn't go through what I experienced. Although I wished this didn't happen, I'm glad it did because I feel like a better and stronger person than I was that night.

There is something that I would like to share with you all before I end this entry because it really changed my view on life after Saturday night:

I went with my family to the church we often go to. We were reluctant on going at first since my brothers were saying that they didn't want to go, but my parents and I knew we needed to go and seek spiritual guidance from God. Throughout the service, my mind blanked out. I coudln't help but to think about what had happened Thursday night... In my mind, I replayed the very moment I knew that I was going to get hit. I was very thankful to be alive from the accident, but I will admit that there were times when I questioned, "What would have happened if I didn't?" or "Was someone really looking out for me out there?". So many questions...

...until we stood up and held hands to say "The Lord's Prayer".

During this time, the community stands up and joins hands with those sitting next to us in the pews or in front/behind/etc. My family sat on one end of the pew row while another family stood at other end, with a gap in between me and them. As I joined hands with my mom and I held my right hand up for the prayer, I felt something warm... The warmth of someone's hand holding mine, though I couldn't see it. I recited my prayers, my eyes still in awe at my hand... I thought, "...could it be...?"

It didn't truly hit me until I received the Eucharist and knelt at the pew - it was Him all along, and now I truly believe. I held back my tears because I didn't want my parents to see. I have no doubt in my heart and my mind about Him anymore - because of Him, I believe that miracles and dreams do come true. Anything is possible, so long as you believe in Him.

Love with all your heart, dream with all your might, and even if you find yourself in times of darkness, believe in Him and he will be your light. :)

Good night and sweet dreams, everyone :)

With love,
~Reiko ♥*.

P.S. Did I forget to mention how really sweet and wonderful my boyfriend, Taylor, really is? He came by my house on Saturday to cheer me up; he even bought me some mango-filled truffles. :) I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have him for support... I don't think either of us would do if I didn't make it out all right from the incident... But I also thank God for sending me such a wonderful person in my life.

☆Does It Work - 5-hour Energy Update!☆

[Currently listening to "Vertigo" by U2 :) ]

Hey everyone, I'm back! ...after a really LONG day, yes, I'm alive and... surprisingly very much awake!

...I'm guessing you guys are wondering, "Reiko... Did you even go to sleep last night?"

Well, truth be told: I only had about 2 hours of sleep in the last couple of days. No joke, and I know that it's not something that I really should be proud of either. If you saw my face this morning prior to putting on concealer and the rest of my make-up, you guys would be 99.9% be more likely to run for it... if I could put it that way. I put on A LOT of make-up to where I don't think you could really tell that I barely slept. (Actually, very few of my co-workers knew or even noticed... or so I may think!)

I was very much awake all day, and I'll get to the Does It Work?! product in a bit, but... I do want to touch onto something on the side for a moment.

Remember when I said that I wouldn't be doing all-nighters for my schoolwork? Well... You guys can slap my hand: I didn't follow through. I was able to finish my Art History homework this morning and did very well on it. However, as good as it may have felt to be able to finish my work, I'm actually a bit more disappointed that I wasn't taking care of myself as much as I should have while doing so. As a result of lack of sleep and high levels of stress, I noticed upon cleansing my face this morning that... Yes, my face started breaking out with a few small pimples on my forehead and face. =(

For those of you who may not realize this: yes, stress can cause your face to break out. An adequate amount of sleep allows your body to rest and recooperate; when you're awake the next day, the stress levels in your body won't be so high and you will feel less stressed and more relaxed. In addition, your body (rather, your immune system) will become weaker and your body will become more vulnerable to getting sick... or worse. If you want to stay strong and healthy, love your body by giving it some time to rest. I know, I've done it too and may still do it here and there, but I'm taking the baby steps to get better by making efforts to sleeping better.

Okay, now let's get back to the Does It Work?! product: the 5-hour Energy drink. Not long after finishing my previous blog (past midnight my time), I drank half of the bottle for a safe start.

When I consumed the first half of the bottle, I thought that the drink actually tasted nice, but a bit tart. I guess that's supposed to give the impression that you'll feel energized starting from the pang in the aftertaste; that didn't really work with me, but soon after, I began to read and review my materials for Art History before taking the homework quiz. I never really paid attention to the time while I was buried into my notes and monster of a textbook, but by the time I finished everything, it was almost 6 a.m. and I had to leave for work at 9. I was shocked. When did the energy truly kick in? I don't think I'd really know, but what I do know is that while I studied, I never felt so focused and awake for doing homework in such a long time... It actually felt great.

As I got myself ready for work, I wondered what would happen if I drank the other half of the bottle while in this state. You guys are probably thinking, "Reiko, you're out of your mind!" and... yes, I very well may have been, but you know what? That small bit of "energy" kept me up and alert during my 8-hour shift today. 8 HOURS. And long was it orginally supposed to last? It was another busy day during lunch and dinner and not only did I feel awake and alert, but I had this feeling like I wanted to keep moving, to keep going... as if I were a machine or something! It felt good, but I'll admit it was a bit scary as well. Again, I'm shocked that this product had kept me up this long, and as I'm typing this, I'm feeling a little bit tired. Not to the point of passing out though, but we've yet to see about that, right?!

The pros: For me, the 5-hour Energy drink kept me awake, alert and focused. I may have yawned a few times during the day which would lead to where I may be feeling tired but my mind stayed focused and sharp.

The cons: I mentioned that this product made me feel like I want to keep going, and I had the feeling that this may not be a good sign. True, I was going about very well with what I was doing at work, but at the same time I couldn't help but to think that if I kept going, what were the chances that I might lose focus and I get myself injured or something? For the rest of the shift, I definitely slowed down despite the jitters.

I can't truly determine if I'll feel the crash when I get to bed after this, but that's something to blog about later on. So here's the verdict:

Does It Work?! : YES

Would I buy this product again? : I'm not sure!

I would think that I may use this product again in the future if I really do need to be up and focused. And as I learned the hard way, I wouldn't recommend doing this for an all-nighter for homework... or even after! (So to my fellow college student readers: try not to make this too much of a habit!) I'd also recommend to not rely on this product too much though for health reasons, and you also need to allow your body to do what it can do without it. We're only human and can only do so much so don't push yourself over your own limits... Otherwise, you're going to crash in the end. =(

...and speaking of crashing, it's time for me to get myself to bed. Good night everyone! I wish you sweet dreams and an even brighter tomorrow :)

With starry love,


~Reiko ☆*.

☆Let It Snow! ☆

"Happy Snow Day 1/30/2010"
[Currently listening to Oceanlab’s “Sirens of the Sea” album, beginning with “On a Good Day”]

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a good weekend – mine was very busy but also very good for two reasons: I started off my weekend celebrating me and Taylor being together for a year and a half and we *finally* got some snow on the East Coast, where I am!

Since I haven’t been able to get on here all weekend, let me bring you all up to speed to how my weekend went down:

Friday: I got up very early to get the rest of my ingredients to my Chicken Noodle Soup tutorial (which I know you guys are DYING to see at this point!). Since I had already made plans to meet with Taylor, I had to work in haste – not only did I make the Chicken Noodle Soup but also tried a new recipe: Irish Cream Brownies. Both recipes are very easy to make, and in the next blog entry, I’ll add the tutorials and pictures to show you guys how it all turned out =)

Taylor and I went to lunch at The Cheesecake Factory; it was very nice because not only was the food (and cheesecake) good, but the time spent chatting and laughing away was just… priceless. It didn’t feel like we were there for a couple of hours, but it was still fun and relaxing nonetheless. By the way, if you like mushrooms and pasta, try the Pasta di Vinci (or if you don’t like mushrooms, like Taylor, just give them all to me!).
Afterwards, we got to watch Avatar! I know, we got to see it so late, but the waiting was worth it. Although it reminds me of a mix between Ferngully, Disney’s Pocahontas, and Hayao Miyazaki’s Princess Mononoke, Avatar was actually a very interesting and entertaining movie. What really stood out to me the most were the vibrant colors in the world of Pandora – how cool is it to see the plants and other surroundings glowing brilliant colors at night?! Each night scene had me mesmerized… Why can’t our world be like that?! Anyway, I really enjoyed Avatar, so if you haven’t seen it yet, see it while it’s still out in your area!

Saturday: Woke up to SNOW. Finally, we got some snowfall for the first time in a long time. Tay and I said that we’d believe it when we see it… And we did! Thinking about it now, I think the last time we had good snowfall like this was when I was in middle school or beginning of high school… Luckily I didn’t have to go to work until later in the afternoon, and even though I don’t like being in the cold very much, it wasn’t a good snow day without pelting my family with snowballs and building a snowman in our yard. YES, IT WAS A REAL SNOWMAN - one of my co-workers thought that we just put a trashcan and covered it up with snow, when really the whole thing was completely made of snow!! T_T I have a lot of video footage that I need to transfer to my hard-drive, but I’ll come up with a compilation video in the next couple of days, assuming that I don’t get too busy then. Work was actually very good despite the limited amount of workers, including me, who could come in. The coolest part about the day was when my dad helped out my co-worker, Yolanda, by getting her car unstuck from the black ice that developed while she was working. Yeah, Dad was being awesome about taking me to work and back home since I was very reluctant to drive my baby Rav4 onto the developing ice.

Sunday: Busiest night on a day that wasn’t supposed to be! Again, we only had a limited amount of workers with us and so many people to take care of. I thought I was going to go berserk from the madness. Good news was that I kept my cool as much as I could before *almost* brain-farting the rest of the night. By the end of the night, I was so tired that while waiting for my mom to finish her shift, even waiting by working out at the gym made me even more exhausted! As exhausting as it was this weekend at work, it was worth coming in taking care of the elderly and chasing paper =)

So, did you all get some snow where you are? I think we got at least 4.5 inches altogether; how about you? Leave me a comment and let me know!

All right, I’m going to go ahead and get started on the next blog entry and you guessed right: the food tutorials! Read on and enjoy!

xoxo,
~Reiko ☆*.

☆ A little bit about my job! :) ☆

Hey, all you beautiful people :) How's everyone doing? I hope you had a great day today. I know I did! :) *thumbs up!*

Okay, now for the topic of the day...

Well, let's talk about... Working with the elderly.

...I know, you're probably raising your eyebrow and thinking, "...okay, what the hell?" Allow me to explain:

I may have mentioned this in one of my past entries, but in case I didn't, I work in a retirement home where I serve food and make beverages for the residents who live there (cuz I'm a bartender!). It was my very first job at 16, and I will admit... Out of all the jobs I've worked thus far, this one's my favorite. I wanted to work with people as well as food, so waitressing was naturally my first choice of work at the time. My mom, who happens to work at the same place as I do (but as a housekeeper), was the one who referred me to this facility, and said that this is a great place to start. I've grown to love working in this place, and today, I want to share my experiences and some advice if you happen to work or live with the elderly. (This goes to any of my co-workers who happen to be reading this entry too!)

At first it was not as easy as I thought it would be. It really does take a lot of patience and understanding in a job like this. Here are the top 4 things to remember when working or living with the elderly:

-Be their guiding eyes. As we age, our senses - sight, smell, taste, hearing, and touch - grow weak, and it's frustrating when we are unable to use one or more of them. Many of the residents that I serve have can't hear or see very well, so it's very important to help them out and become part of their senses too. What exactly do I mean by that? If they can't see very well, guide them with words and gestures. If they can't hear very well and need things repeated to them, don't get frustrated! Believe me, it has taken me a very long time to be able to accomplish this, and even though there are times when I do get a little frustrated, I think of it like this: One of these days, I'll be like that too - how well would I like to be treated?

-We can be forgetful too. Parts of our memory deteriorate over time as well, and I understand what it's like to not be able to remember certain things during a short or long period of time. For example, if a resident initially orders a hamburger, you order it and then when you serve it to them, they say that they didn't order that ("I asked for a sandwich, not this.")? Stay calm, and put out reminders for them. Sometimes they'll forget what happened just a moment ago, and a reminder does help sometimes.

-Respect your elders! I'm serious about this one, you guys, because... It's true! A lot of the residents whom I see when I work there are very old-fashioned, and even if generations do clash from time to time, you still have to treat them with dignity and respect. "Yes sir, no sir" and "Yes ma'am, no ma'am" apply to this, as well as saying "Thank you" and "You're welcome". You'd be surprised with how many of them really do appreciate things like this. And did I mention to also smile? :)

-And lastly, my personal favorite: Listen to them! I'm not just talking about the things I mentioned a bit earlier, but listening to them as in... getting to know them as people. Sometimes it's hard to be able to have a good conversation with them, especially in the department I'm in. At first, there were so many residents that I served that I could only recognize them by their faces, but very few by name. Since my transfer to the newly constructed bar, I got to meet some new and old faces and over time, I learned a lot of people by name, a bit of their history and even got to meet some of their family members and friends who come to visit them. I've come to have a deeper relationship and appreciation for the residents whom I serve there over the years, and that's what makes my job very enjoyable.


I hope some of you, if not all, got something out of this because, again, we ALL, whether we like it or not, grow old. One day, you too will be walking around in a walker and can barely see or hear. Tell me... How would you want to be treated?

Believe me, patience is virtue.

All right, well, time for me to wrap this up. I've got a busy work schedule ahead of me and I need to get me some rest for it! Until then, everyone, be well! ...and did I forget to mention... SMILE! :)

Much love,
~Reiko xoxo <3