All Jayme
2008 April

Can you believe I was this thin?

This photo was taken at the height of my crazy dieting and slimming days.

I had gotten complacent about my weight and gym workouts then that I felt like a huge balloon. So I resorted to a quick fix that most women probably turn to in desperation: diet pills.

Continue reading “Skinny me and the real slimming strategy that works” »

Kernan left for China last Friday for a special project and he won’t be back until Tuesday. I’ve been missing him a whole lot and wish I could pull the days faster.

Since roaming charges can pack a ton, we just communicate through text which makes me miss him even more.

The last time we were away from each other was when he went to Vietnam last year. Since I was quite busy with work and wedding preparations then, my attention was quite divided.

But since I’ve switched jobs (story in another post) and I have no major events upcoming, I have weekends all to myself and it makes me feel his absence more.

Continue reading “Missing you…” »

I was taking a snack break at the mall when I saw her. The woman was about 70 years old or so, definitely someone who should already be in retirement. I noticed she was browsing through the classified ads section of the weekend paper filled with ads for jobs in different call centers.. She isn’t still looking for a job is she? I thought. Silently, I hoped she just didn’t have anything to read and was just whiling away her time.

When I see old people still working for a living, I feel a bit of dread about growing old.

Continue reading “On growing old” »

Pop on over at Smith Magazine’s Six Word Momoirs and give it a try.

I think writing a 1,000 word memoir is relatively easier than summing up everything you want to say in just 6 words. You have to think harder for words that will really capture the essence of what you mean.

Six Word Momoirs is actually a contest for moms, I entered two entries just for fun.

Continue reading “Can you tell your (motherhood) story in 6 words?” »

Remember how I wanted to make a visual journal?

Well, I finally got myself a box of colored pencils and made my first visual journal entry.

It reminded me of kindergarten art class when I was just learning how to use colored pencils and other art materials.

Even when I was a kid, I was intimidated by art. I never considered myself artistic because I was only capable of flat, stick drawings.

I didn’t know how to draw things with dimension. I can’t even draw a proper face other than a circle for a head, black dots for eyes and arches for a nose, mouth and ears.

Then I came across this great article by artist Violet, “Visual Journaling by the Seat of Your Pants” and it changed my perspective about creating art.

In the article, Violet said:

Visual Journaling need not be daunting or inaccessible to the novice visual journaler. The way I like to approach it is in an intuitive manner or by the seat of my pants! This manner of journaling is exciting because you never know where you’re going to end up. Often the journal page has some incredible insights for you which lay hidden in the recesses of your subconscious mind only to be set free by allowing yourself the luxury of being in the flow.

I thought I didn’t have to follow anybody’s standard for what is artistic or not, I just had to be true to what I felt.

Continue reading “Making my first visual journal entry and self-discovery” »

I was cleaning some old files in my laptop when I came across this photo.

This photo was taken near Victoria Peak in Hongkong. It was a couple of years ago when I was a segment producer for Lovely Day.

I remember getting all excited about this trip, from the mundane task of applying for a passport and arranging for travel health insurance down to the more exciting planning for the shooting itinerary and setting aside a free schedule for some midnight shopping.

I only had a film camera then so I wasn’t able to take a lot of shots but I did try to chronicle everything in an old blog.

I relived the experience for days and thought about traveling again someday soon.

My dream destinations are:

Continue reading “Blast from the past: my first trip abroad” »

It doesn’t matter what your present circumstances are, your attitude toward the situation is the most important thing.

I always try to remember this whenever I’m faced with a difficult situation.

I remember reading this story in the Power of Positive Thinking about one golf player who tended to lose his temper whenever he missed a shot. He actually became popular because of his raging fits that people have come to expect it every time he steps on the grass. As a result, he tended to live up to everyone’s expectation and always ended a bad game breaking golf clubs.

It was easier, of course, to blame things and other people for his situation.

Continue reading “Attitude spells the difference” »

Lately, Jamaine and I have been having difficulty dealing with separation anxiety.

Her yaya got sick and had to take a leave for two weeks. Kernan and I hired a substitute yaya but Jamaine is having a hard time warming up to her.

My heart breaks whenever I leave for the office because though I try to put on a smiling face, wave goodbye cheerfully and send some flying kisses, she still cries as if I’m leaving her for a very long time.

Sometimes I ask the yaya to hide her before I leave but I feel guilty afterwards for “tricking” her.

Continue reading “Separation anxiety and being a stay at home mom” »