Another Year of Work Contract Signed

 

I still remember my first week at this job.

I was assigned to care for an 82-year-old man, a CEO to one of the biggest companies in Bahrain. He was over six feet tall and weighed more than 100 kg. He could be irritable and grumpy at times and had several health conditions, including high blood pressure. On top of that, he had just undergone leg surgery.

Naturally, his family was hesitant at first. They wondered whether I, a 4'11" caregiver, could really handle someone his size. And honestly, I understood their concerns.

My responsibilities included helping him transfer to the commode, assisting him to the bathroom for toileting, bathing and personal hygiene, supporting his balance while standing to urinate, and helping him with his walking exercises using a walker.

Since I worked the night shift, I initially thought the walking part would be easier because he would mostly be asleep. Well... that wasn't exactly the case! 😅

There were many nights when he would become restless or have tantrums and suddenly decide that he wanted to get up and walk around.

During my first week, the family closely observed how I cared for him. But I knew what I was doing. I remained patient, careful, and confident, and I was able to handle him well.

Then one day, I heard his wife say something that has stayed with me ever since:

“She is a small girl, but she is very good.”

Three years after, here I am, signing my contract for my fourth year working with the same family.

I may be only 4'11", but caregiving has taught me that strength isn't always measured by height or size. Sometimes, it comes from patience, skill, compassion, confidence, and the determination to do your job well. ❤️

September 03, 2026 - On The Floor

 

Crates of fresh produce on the floor. One crate that was very eye-catching was of  the potatoes. You could tell they were just freshly harvested. I definitely bought some along with some veges I needed for salad. 

This was by the way at the cold store near home. "Cold Store" is how they called a small convenient store here in Bahrain. Everything is quitely sold in a cold store; fruits and veges, fresh and frozen meats, cold beverages, iced cream, crackers and chips, toiletress and hygiene items, rice, sauces and condiments, stationaries, cleaning and electrical items, bread and others.  Everything that you might need daily can be bought in a cold store. They also do free home delivery. I found it a very good business. I believe this kind of business would work in the Philippines.  

September 02, 2026 - At The Table

Day two of the FMS Photo A Day challenge, and today's prompt is "At the Table." My interpretation is pretty simple — just a straight-up shot of what's actually on my table today. Please excuse my messy table. Lol!

I was in the mood to cook adobo, so out came the perfect combo: Datu Puti soy sauce and vinegar. Most of the time, I prefer cooking my own food. I've got my own taste preferences, and honestly, only I really know what will satisfy my own tastebuds.

My adobo recipe 

--is nothing fancy. For one whole chicken, around 1kg, I use a cup of vinegar, a cup of soy sauce, one whole garlic, and one onion. I like my garlic pressed rather than cut or diced, while the onion I just slice into strips. The chicken, of course, gets cut into adobo-sized pieces.

First, I soak the sliced chicken in water and vinegar for 10 to 15 minutes, then rinse it well and let it drain for another 10 minutes. After that, I sear it in a little oil until golden brown, then set it aside while I sauté the onions and garlic. Once that's done, I toss the seared chicken back in, mix everything together, and add the cup of vinegar and soy sauce. A sprinkle of salt and ground black pepper, a little oyster sauce, and then it simmers for about 15 minutes. I check on it now and then, giving it a mix so nothing burns. Toward the end, I add a bit of water to loosen the sauce, then let it simmer again until fully cooked. That's it — no drama, no complicated steps.

So here's my finished adobo. One whole chicken usually lasts me three to four days. And that's how my second day of September went, as a single woman living life on her own. Grin.

September 01, 2026 - In The Mirror

 I see a strong woman IN THE MIRROR

September didn't start easy. I kicked off the month running on just two hours of sleep after the company accommodation I've been staying in for the past three years lost electricity for most of the day. The power got cut right in the middle of the afternoon, with temperatures outside hitting 40°C. You can imagine what the heat was like inside the house.

I sat through three to four hours without air conditioning, just waiting for the electricity to come back. I reached out to my manager, and thankfully she sent a driver right away to pay the bill. It wasn't a great situation, but I tried to take it in stride. I've always believed that you have to go through some discomfort to get to something better on the other side.

Power finally came back around 3 p.m., and I went straight to bed to grab those two hours of sleep I'd been missing. After that, I woke up, had dinner, and got ready for work. The shift itself turned out fine — my patient was in a good mood and stuck to his usual routine, listening to AI-narrated reels and audio dramas on YouTube.

Outside of that rough start, there's been some quieter stuff going on too. Things with my siblings haven't been great lately, and I've been thinking about whether it's time to try a different career path, even though I have no idea yet what that would even look like. Still, I'm doing my best to go into this BER month with a positive mindset.

To help with that, I joined this September's photo challenge hosted by Fat Mum Slim on Instagram. It's actually a challenge I remember from way back in my blogging days in 2008, and it's wild that she's still running it, all these years later, with such a great community of photo lovers built around it. Today's prompt was "In the Mirror," so here's my entry (picture above)— a mirror selfie I took right after my shift, just before heading home. 

If you want to join the photo challenge, head over to fatmumslim on IG and post your photo interpretation of the daily prompt on your IG account. Do not forget to use the daily hashtags (example today is #fms_mirror26) so others can find your post.