Jandrea...so far

Sharing my Praise Report with all of you It has been a tumultuous year, starting in January 2023 when I discovered a lump on my chest area and being told in January 2024 that our prayers for my healing and recovery have been answered! Truly, God has been with us in this bumpy journey. Early on, I envisioned a big, jaw-dropping miracle of complete healing but it was not to be! My realization now is that God always provided me with small, quiet miracles that mattered while I was going through the arduous process of  consultations, tests, and treatments.  First, the side effects I experienced were tolerable and I did not fall seriously sick while my immune system was compromised. Most times, I was surprised by the calmness I felt even when hearing bad news and going through painful procedures!  Sa totoo lang, hindi ako umiyak kahit minsan. (sige na nga, mayroon namang 2 luha na pumatak pero hanggang doon lang)!  Second, muddled medical issues would always be resolved and decisions were ar

Noon, nang si Narda pa lang ako,  Simple lang ang  buhay.  Walang malubhang pinagkakaabalahan At nagpapabalisa ng isipan.  Kay daling hanapan ng lunas,  Kung may suliranin man.  Ngunit nang natuklasan ko at  Nilunok ang mahiwagang bato Nagbukas ito sa akin sa bagong mundo Masalimuot, magulo Darna!!! Si Darna ay puno ng lakas sa pagharap sa anumang kalamidad.  Winawaksi, mga masasamang-loob Ipinagtatanggol,  mga naaapi at naaapakan.  Laging wagi sa anumang digmaan! Ngunit bakit hirap niyang labanan Pagsugat sa kanyang puso at damdamin Pagsangga sa mga dagok Dala ng nakakubling pag-irog.  Sa harap ng pagsusumamo ng tinatangi,  Hindi siya makapag-isip nang husto  Sa likod ng kilig at saya,  May nagtatagong mga luha pala. Ayoko na yatang maging Darna.  Ayoko na ng mga pangamba!  Ayoko na ng kaba na bumabalot sa aking dibdib  Dahil sa paglimot sa mga pagkilos na matuwid. Ayoko nang manghula sa tunay na nararamdaman  Ng inaakalang kasama sa paglalayag n

 Found this in an old album created in February 2019. I can’t even remember if I ever delivered what I wrote but after reading this, I thought it was stuff good enough to share… I. Why I was asked to give the welcome remarks: Not because I am beautiful but because I am only 1 of 2 seniors in the Execom.   II. Pero sa totoo lang kahit feel ng nanay at tatay ko na maganda ako, hindi naman ako pinasali sa beauty contest nang bata pa ako. At alam ko na kung bakit! Kailangan kasi maputi, sexy, at matangkad. E hanggang height lang meron ako!        A. Too dark, black beauty        C. Too thin III. Good thing these standards of beauty no longer apply to us. For me, the standards of beauty change when we reach our Senior years         A. Instead of a shapely body, our lumps and bumps are beautiful because these are the evidence to we carried a child, brought it to life, and prepared many meals for our family’s sustenance.          B. Instead of long-lashed, bright eyes, eyes with dark circles

On my way home from my 9th chemo session at the hospital, I remember that the sun shone brightly in the midst of grey clouds! It looked like it was going to rain, but did not! Just like the hiccups and wrinkles we experience every time a chemo session is scheduled, at the end of the day everything goes well!  I am on my way home and the gold of the sun manages to outshine the grays of the clouds!   

 Balak ko noon ay abutin Rurok ng langit Kalalim-laliman ng dagat Magkabilang dulo ng daigdig Ngunit ang laan pala sa akin  Yakapin  ang liwanag ng buwan Sisirin ang kaalaman ng mundo At tahakin ang landas patungo sa iyo! 

 They say that what you say or do reflects your inner world! Two days ago, I spent many minutes staring into a blank piece of paper trying to conjure an image from the depths of me that I could translate into art! It was after midnight, dark and quiet, and I was hoping to create something sinister because of the atmosphere! Instead, the first strokes of the paintbrush yielded regular, everyday flowers! How boring, I thought! With strong intent to veer away from ordinariness, the next floral images emerged from my imagination! In the blank space left after sleep crept into me, I would paint a tree the next morning. The task was completed yielding something both unexpected and expected! I started with the objective of culling something from the darkness of me and yet what came out was a work that was light and color-filled!  My realization: “Kahit pala may ikinukubli sa  dilim, mahirap palang pigilan ang pagdungaw ng liwanag!”