Quit Smoking: Day Fifteen – ‘I Caved’
Successfully completing day ten was a great victory, and as the days progressed, I began to notice changes within myself and my habits. It’s true what they say; food was beginning to taste a lot better again. The smell of polluted city air was actually refreshing, and whenever I would climb a flight of stairs, I felt that I still had enough air in my lungs to climb up ten more flights. It was a great feeling.
Unfortunately, I am not pleased to report that on the evening of Day Thirteen, while having drinks on the patio with my friends, I had a drag or two off my friend’s cigarette. Although it was disappointing, many positive things resulted from it.
I realize how bad the taste of cigarettes were, I only had two drags out of the four drinks I had that evening, and when I got up the next morning, my throat was sore and I got sick, which resulted in me not hitting the gym for a few days. It was a clear reminder and good lesson why it was a good decision that I quit.
So I guess the moral of the story is, if you are trying to quit and find yourself wanting to have a cigarette, it’s ok to have that one or two drags, but only after 10 days of non smoking. Trust me, you’ll feel and realize that it was a good decision to quit.
I Am Finally A Canadian!
“On this, the occasion of your becoming a Canadian citizen, I offer my congratulations and those of the Prime Minister and Government of Canada.
You are now entitled to all the rights and privileges of Canadian citizenship and are subject to all the obligations and responsibilities of your citizenship.As a Canadian, you must uphold the principles of democracy, freedom and compassion which are the foundation of a strong and united Canada.Welcome to the Canadian family”Those are the words on a letter I received, from the Minster of Citizenship, when I became a Canadian citizen on August 14th, 2007.
Yes, after eighteen years of living in Canada with a permanent resident status, I finally have the full rights of any Canadian. Many have asked why it took this long for me to get my citizenship. Some have found my choice to prolong this status as insane. But, like I always say to them, it’s my personal choice.
Being a Permanent Resident of Canada wasn’t that bad. I was able to live my life like any other Canadian. I have the right to receive an education, get a driver’s license, take advantage of the health benefits; get a job and my favorite right as a PR pay my taxes. The only difference was that I could not vote and I could not freely leave or enter the country as pleased – This became a hassle, when it required me to travel frequently with my job. In order to overcome this challenge, I had to apply for a Nations Visa, which was a pain because a Philippine passport could not get you very far, so I had to apply for a U.S.A Visa, U.K. Visa, Ireland Visa and virtually every other country other than the Philippines.
Although, the process to get a Nations Visa was time consuming and sometimes a financial burden, I really liked how I am reminded of where I come from and where I’ve been, whenever I would like at my Philippine passport. This is one of the reasons why I chose to not become a Canadian for a long time. I kept telling myself, that even with my success in life, I never ever want to forget where I come from.
However, I knew that it was only a matter of time before I proceeded in getting my citizenship. It was the logical thing to do. Besides, I wanted to make sure that I get to see my CPP (Canadian Pension Plan) contributions from all these years.
But to be honest, being a Canadian does come with its own rights and responsibility, and although I know that I will never ever forget where I come from, I also know that my success could not have been accomplished, without the opportunity that Canada has presented to me. So with that, I thank Canada and proud to be a Canadian.
Quit Smoking: Day Five - ‘So Far, So Good’
I’m happy to report that it’s been going well for me. As mentioned I went on a patch to help ease the cravings, although it felt weird at first and had a few uneasy nights with those crazy dreams, I’m glad that I did not become dependent on it. Yes today is a milestone day. As I rushed to get out of the house early this morning, I realize that I failed to put on the path. I was half way to work already when I realize this, so turning the car around would have been a pain considering the heavy traffic.
I took this opportunity to challenge myself. To see if I can go through the whole day without a cigarette and a patch on.
Success, I tell you. I’m thinking this is easier than I thought it would be. I hardly think about smoking, and when I do I think about how proud I am that I was able to go this long without one. I feel great!
I’ve also notice that I’ve increased my Cardio work out at the gym. Normally I would only last 5 minutes on the treadmill, and that’s jogging. Now I’m pushing it to 12 minutes, still jogging but a little faster.
I’m sure that there will be days that are tempting. I still have a few friends that smoke. The weather is still great outside so, having drinks on the patio with friends that smoke will not be easy. But, I’m preparing myself mentally for it. We will see.
Quit Smoking: Day One
As I venture into my life changing events, I have also decided to tackle on one of the biggest challenges in my life. To quit smoking!
I have been smoking for almost 10 years now, and like many teens today, I was sucked into the ‘every one is doing it’ phase at the age of 16. Sure I started smoking just for the sake of smoking, to fit in, to do what I assumed all the ‘cool’ people did in high school. It only became apparent to me that I became addicted to it, when I started my first full time job, which were only a few months after I lit my first cigarette. It wasn’t long until I was smoking half a pack a day.
Now that I think about it, it was probably inevitable that I would smoke. Growing up, my family (mom, grandpa, aunts and uncle, and a few cousins) all smoked. So I knew that it would just be a matter of time before I did as well. So when did I decide to give this all up. Well a lot of things factored in.
Changes:
As some of you know I recently purchased property, so that alone was a big change for me (will post more about that experience later on). During this time I knew it was a great opportunity to make adjustments in my life and changes that will reflect to be positive. Not to mention that I will now be paying a mortgage rather than rent so saving the extra $156.00 a month on smokes will do justice.
I am also trying to be more health conscious and gain the weight I’ve always wanted. They say smoking makes you lose weight. And for the longest time I have been trying to gain weight and work out to get my body just right. I also want to maintain the youth look. Yes, I know this all sounds kind of superficial, but as humans I think we can’t help but care about our image in some sort of way. My skin has been damage from all the smoking.
The Experience:
I have tried to quit in the past, but I always failed within the first 24 hours. I think it’s because I was not mentally prepared. I also found that it was harder to quit cold turkey without any type of assistants from either patch or gum.
This time around, I knew one thing for sure. I was mentally ready. I also decided to go on a patch, and as I hit my 24th hour of not having a cigarette I realize that this might be easier than I thought it would be. During that time I thought about cigarettes but my way of thinking was different. I wasn’t thinking that I wanted one, instead I was thinking about how gross it was and that I am now a non smoker. The patch is really helping me beat the craving and of course there are times when I get antsy because of the oral fixation. But I occupy myself with snacks and food. This also helps me build up the mass I am trying to reach.
This will be the first time since I lighted my first cigarette, that I will not have one for 24 hours. This is already a big accomplishment. I am excited and look forward to another smoke free day.
A Little Longer
Here, here, here
Something is near
The mirror of a tear
Well, well, well
I can’t tell
The moon’s own spell
Yes, yes, yes
Here’s my guess
The stars of loveliness
Why, why, why
Beauty in the sky
The way I constantly try
Now, now, now
I’ll know how
The moment grows
Fire, fire, fire
Children of the wire
The voice of a choir
Need, need, need
It’s what I believe
I’m sorry to a speed