Jandrea...so far

Image from a FB friend When I first set my eyes on Vigan, it was though I was still in a dream. Still groggy with sleep after an all-night land trip, I found myself as if transported to another time. In the awakening light and the clip-clopping of the horses on the cobblestone street, the first thoughts that came to my mind was, "Oh my, I could run into Rizal's Crisostomo Ibarra in these streets!" A little dramatic but what can you expect from a then college student with a student theater group visiting the place for performances in schools in that area. I was of course wrong about running into fictional characters but I was certainly not disappointed about encountering ghosts from the past. We were billeted in a hotel which was a renovated mansion from an earlier century, just what you would expect in a place like this. The girls were given a big room which helped us imagine that we were friends of Maria Clara after a party. In the early morning, I woke up with th

This is so typical of the what goes on in my brain during most of my waking hours. Sometimes I wonder whether it is a gift or a curse that I can juggle a gazillion of things happening all at the same time. I can imagine the  countless neurons that are firing simultaneously so that I can think about how we can recycle left-overs for dinner while I rehearse in my mind the questions I intend to ask after my lecture in my next class.  How is it possible that I can draft an official sounding letter in the same mental slate where I create a picture of myself in the outfit I will wear to a project proposal presentation?  Should I consider myself fortunate that I can predict how my family's plans will turn out depending on whether they listened to my advice or not?  Should  I just shut up when I can clearly see that the purple throw pillows definitely don't go with those curtains' sickly shade of green and getting that new brand of shampoo, while giving you soft-to-touch and daz

When I saw this, I couldn't help but laugh with the realization on how true it is! How many of us can't last a day without checking Facebook, sending out e-mail, playing online games, chatting with far-away friends, and browsing through the gazillion of websites available through the internet. Abraham Maslow said that one is not motivated to address higher-level needs without fulfilling, at least partially, the needs found at the lower portions of his or her pyramid. And that our whole life is a slow but definite journey to reach the peak of self-actualization! And so because the internet is constantly offering new things every single moment, things that I find hard to keep up with but try to anyway, I wonder now whether this need to be take it all in will ever be met. I question whether it can really take precedence over my need to eat, to feel safe, to be loved, to be held in high esteem by others, to be creative, etc. And because I spend a tremendous amount of time usi

        We were going to talk about "Learning and Conditioning" in my General Psych class. As an introduction to the topic, I asked them to enumerate the things they have learned since childhood. As expected, they came up with answers like "reading, riding a bike, singing, cooking, writing a good paper, doing math, etc.".         I told them, "Good! But is that all? Are you sure you are not forgetting anything else?" I was hoping to get more answers that wouldn't fit into categories like abilities and skills and facts that they have learned from their more than ten years sitting inside a classroom. Silence.         And so I asked them, "Have you not learned other things from outside the classroom?" More Silence.  I proceeded to throw them a barrage of questions. How about the lessons you learned from your family - like loving and caring for others? From your mistakes, have you learned to rise above them so you don't do them again?

In this piece of heaven, I'm enjoying the solitude. I revel in this chance to talk to myself, laugh or cry whenever it suits me! Yes, we do need to cry once in a while. It keeps us in touch with our soul. It reminds us of what is important to us - especially our loved ones. I don't think we need to apologize for it. It does make us feel better afterwards. Maybe that's why I make it a point to cry out my heart at least once a year - like cleansing myself of hurts, pains, disappointments with myself, Making room for what will come my way in the year ahead!  

      Got a little upset over burnt cupcakes from our oven.  Not because it was a waste of ingredients and electricity. Not because it was a result of ignoring my instructions. Blew my top (just a little) with the designated bakers in my family because it was a replay of an earlier kitchen disaster which happened only a few days earlier! If it would happen again so soon, it might mean that either no one paid attention to me or that it was so easy to forget what we did wrong from the last batch of bad cupcakes.      Yes, it is so easy to forget our lessons from our past mistakes.  You would think that one time is enough for us to recognize the things we shouldn't do again.  It turns out we have to commit some mistakes over and over again before it dawns upon us how foolish we are.      It is the same way with failed relationships. Why is it  that why and how we were wronged and hurt by someone also slips into our unconscious so easily? Why do we  plunge into the murky depths

I'm spending the last few days of my Christmas break trying to make the family room a comfy place for hanging out once again. The past few years have wreaked havoc on the once, welcoming place for friends' movie get-togethers. Interspersed with dusting off boxes with beads, I am also trying lick my wounds of the past year. I am trying to nurse a wounded soul that has gone through a lot. Like the accumulated trash in the room, I am trying to look for still green patches in my blighted soul so I can face tomorrow with more positive light. Thanks for keeping me together, Lord!

For a few days, I was out flat on my back unwittingly trying to weed out the toxins stuck in my system. The holidays were a killer in terms of activities and the food we guiltlessly heaped on our hapless bodies. One, of course, had the excuse of extreme difficulty of resisting the spread during two wedding receptions and the pre- and post-parties accompanying those. Then there were the two housewarming parties plus the hubby's side of the family's enchantment with all-you-can eat buffets. Vegeburger in a sesame bun With cherry tomatoes, lettuce, & cheddar cheese So, without even venturing to go on a diet,  one was forced on me. Everything more than 3 spoonfuls would end up where it was not intended to be. I spent almost a week going through all kinds of stomach pain and I decided that for all the discomfort and weariness, I should reap something positive from all of these. Lose weight, what else!    Back on my feet, I decided that I would help the process alon