After a month of state-hopping on the west coast, Mom finally rode back to Vancouver from Seattle. She'll fly back here in the Philippines on September 22nd. That's Carlo's birthday!

So I made one last request to Mom. Now that I've finished the final installment of the Harry Potter series, I feared of being inflicted by the Post-Potter Depression, a recently discovered psychological disorder that inflicts numerous HP fans with the fact that it's all over and that there will no longer be any HP books to look forward to.

As to immunize myself from this threat, I requested that she purchase Quidditch Through the Ages and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. They are unavailable in the bookstores here so I'm deeply hoping they'd be displayed in Canada. After all that's where the British editions are printed using recycled materials.

It has been quite a ride for Mom having stayed in Vancouver the first week, Seattle the second, Phoenix the third and Oakland the fourth, then it's a roundtrip ticket back to Seattle then finally to the point of origin; Vancouver.

Mom has always described the US as a nice place to live. But despite being surrounded by lavish choices and sophisticated foreigners, nothing could ever vaporize the loneliness that afflicted her. So it's true that happiness isn't for sale. The only ones who can give happiness to you are the ones you love and who love you.