Blog by Jedde

  "Your light is so bright it blinds people. It blinds me sometimes, but I love you for it. I'm so damn proud of you I could burst. That light will attract people to you, and it will burn the bad ones and hurt their eyes, and they're going to try and hurt you for it. You need to watch out for them, learn to recognize them, and stay away from them."* We have many fears. Heights, ghosts, failing - these are some of the things that we're afraid of. But there's one other thing that makes us want to hide and cower, something that makes us want to lock ourselves in the darkness, and something that makes us want to admit defeat. This one other thing that we're afraid of - is our own light.  There are moments when we feel like we're shining so bright. We can feel it physically. Usually, it is the adrenaline that covers us from head to toe. It makes us want to take a big leap of faith. It makes us want to try new things without any hint of hesitation, and it ma...

I wore a special necklace today.  What makes this necklace special to me is that one of my most beloved people in Singapore, Jasline, gave this as a memento of our friendship. I vividly remember the day when she handed me this thoughtful present. It was a drizzly Saturday night and we were enjoying our conversation from a trip to Sentosa in Singapore.  When the fun had settled, she came up to me with a box and a letter. Curious, I asked her what it was. She told me to open the box first and what I saw inside brought a smile to my face. It was a beautiful, minimalist necklace with the letter "J" inscribed on a tiny circular silver indicating my name "Jedde"   and a phrase engraved on a minute silver column that says:  "This too will pass." This phrase means so much to both of us because we have gone through countless turbulent moments in our lives. It is a reminder that nothing is permanent in this world, including our emotions, feelings, our difficult situ...

There's a lot I've to unpack in this story. It took me some time to decide how and what to say. I have decided to let courage prevail and so here I am, writing this piece of my life to say that finally, I am home.  Ah, this isn't one of the typical stories that'll make you feel good. This is one of those vulnerable moments of mine, of which I have decided after careful thought, to share with you. I hope you don't mind receiving a piece of my story? Vulnerable moments have stories of defeat in them and I worry that perhaps, today's story may not be your cup of tea. But, if you give this a chance, this might ignite a spark in you, and better yet, open your heart to acknowledge another angle of the story from a millennial overseas Filipino worker. Should you feel that this isn't your cup of tea, I shall respect your decision. However, should you decide to sit with me by the fireplace and hear my story, please stay and I shall welcome you wholeheartedly. Let...