Blog by Jedde

We have entered a new quarter for the year. This same day of last year, many things were different and I decided to grab my diary and re-read what I've written. As I scanned, I was amused at my scribbles, touched at my insights, and felt glad that all of those things that happened last year helped me grow into who I am today.  And so I thought to share some of my thoughts with you from last year.  I wonder, what kind of feelings, emotions, thoughts, and ideas did you have from 2020? While you think about it, feel free to have a look through mine in the photos below.  Love, Mary Jedde

It's always making plans happen one after the other for me. The cycle doesn't end because I'm so used to rushing life. It's as though I can't bear it when I stay still; and while it can be productive, it also made me forget that slowing down doesn't necessarily equate to having a worthless life. On the contrary, living without rushing provides a certain kind of bliss that soothes the soul - if only you allow it. On a cold Saturday evening, I met with a friend of mine, Jana, over a sumptuous dinner at Tavoloata. With its sheer elegance calling out from outside, Tavolata surely caught our attention when we were deciding where to spend time catching up.  Inside, we were greeted with warm and bronze tones and a sophisticated ambiance, perfectly achieving a delicate balance between industrial and fine-dining. The lights suspended from the ceiling add a romantic touch to the place, perfect for an intimate gathering of friends and family, or with one's significant ...

Someone once told me that it's not really the height of the building that's scary but rather the sensation of falling that makes someone shudder at being in high-rise places. And it made me think. Perhaps the real fear of people isn't in the idea of dreaming big but in the idea of failing on the way to reaching those dreams, or worse, becoming a failure themselves before they even start. The grandiosity of the fact that dreams do come true is like a double-edged sword. It can be so inspiring that it sparks action, but it can also be so terrifying that it stops someone in their tracks. Dreaming big in a post-pandemic world doesn't make it easier too. Without one's knowledge, anything can happen and with a snap of a finger, everything can just disappear and completely change. Sometimes, it can be a little too dumbfounding and quite disheartening.  I've always been scared of heights. My legs would shake, my heart would beat so fast as though it wants to escape from...

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...

Goodreads Summary "Morgan Grant and her sixteen-year-old daughter, Clara, would like nothing more than to be nothing alike. Morgan is determined to prevent her daughter from making the same mistakes she did. By getting pregnant and married way too young, Morgan put her own dreams on hold. Clara doesn’t want to follow in her mother’s footsteps. Her predictable mother doesn’t have a spontaneous bone in her body. With warring personalities and conflicting goals, Morgan and Clara find it increasingly difficult to coexist. The only person who can bring peace to the household is Chris—Morgan’s husband, Clara’s father, and the family anchor. But that peace is shattered when Chris is involved in a tragic and questionable accident. The heartbreaking and long-lasting consequences will reach far beyond just Morgan and Clara. While struggling to rebuild everything that crashed around them, Morgan finds comfort in the last person she expects to, and Clara turns to the one boy she...

Celebrating my 5th birthday with my sister and cousins. Happy with Filipino-style spaghetti and orange juice! As little girls, my parents would often remind me and my sister to be grateful for what we have. We grew up in a simple household. Usually, our breakfast, lunch, and dinner doesn't change in variety. The food is cooked in the morning and is reheated for the next meals. Yes, there were many instances when we would complain about why it's always repeating. As young children, we wanted to try eating new dishes too. We would whine about it and sometimes throw tantrums, to which my parents would reply: "Be grateful for the food on the table." We didn't understand what that truly meant back then. We thought it was just our parents nagging us and reminding us the same message over and over again like a broken record. We would even lip sync! When we eat and rice grains fall off from the plate, even if it's just a few grains, our parents would scol...

I'm beginning to feel even more restless. Now that the circuit breaker and ECQ measures have been extended, I cannot say that I'm perfectly calm about it. Each day, I watch the world move a slow pace from outside my window. Cabs in long queues instead of people, a person who just bought a bag of groceries trying to cross the street, a few vehicles driving by, and the trees calmly swaying their branches under the sun. The fight against the crisis still continues up to this day. Although now, my extroverted personality craves to be tended. All I could do is dream - going to a café, meeting with my closest friends and chit-chatting with them, or maybe having a date with Alex and taking lots of photos around Singapore. Alex. I wonder how he's coping with all that's going on right now. You might probably know about this but one very clear thing about us is that he and I have different ways to recharge. As an extrovert, I gain my energy in social situations, often see...

We are experiencing a new norm these days - staying at home. With the pandemic still present and affecting the world, social gatherings are now being limited, if not prohibited. There are evident shifts in the workplace as well - WFH or work from home is being implemented in several companies and organizations, an idea that was once a dream for some, now turned reality. Albeit its remarkably massive impact - affecting the job security of many workers as they struggle to make ends meet, having lesser to no chances of gathering in a physical sense as we fight for our causes and advocacies, being unable to head out as much as we'd like - to meet with our friends or to travel to new places - we collectively just cannot afford to further endanger the safety of others and that of ourselves by nonconforming. Thus, we adhere to this new normal, because we need to, by staying inside the four corners of our homes. While some of us are already accustomed to staying at home,...