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1 2 3, ACTion!

Alright, this is it! It is the rising action stage in our lives where life truly begins. Adulthood is the stage where we make crucial decisions that favor the goals and opportunities we want. What we do and decide in adulthood is not the same as in our early years, where we act and think recklessly, and the time that we have is so scarce now because of the responsibilities needed to complete. It is the stage that I, as a college student, will be facing in the next few years. While I am still not in this stage, I had the opportunity to hear the voice of an individual currently in this stage. His name is Romel, a 24-year-old from Buhisan Davao City, and having a conversation with him was a great and eye-opening experience.

Romel is an optimistic guy, he graduated from college 2 years ago and as of now he is just resting and taking a break, prioritizing his physical and mental health while also casually looking for a job. He prioritizes his sleep, where he makes sure that he gets 8 hours of sleep every night which helps him avoid headaches when he wakes up in the morning. He doesn’t do vigorous activities or exercises, instead, he only goes jogging. Romel is also a happy-go-lucky guy. He stated that in the past, he would always go to parties or go out somewhere to have fun. This differs from what I always perceive in people his age where after graduating, they would immediately go look for jobs and focus on something. What he said really highlights how he views this as a rushed way of living life. But then, this partying feels tiresome and exhausting for Romel now. Still, it doesn’t stop him from having his own ways of having fun while also taking care of himself.

He plays a lot of games, and there are a variety of them too! Mainly competitive MOBA and shooter-based games. On the sidelines, he also stated that he plays games such as Wordscapes and Sudoku if he is sometimes not fond of playing competitively. These games helped Romel sharpen and learn more knowledge. Speaking of knowledge, he learned a lot from his experience in life that really affected how he thinks and acts. A lot of this learning is mainly because of his family. He understands and realizes that his decisions and actions must be for the betterment of his family, where everything he does and says is not the same as when he was just young, and that he is more mature now than he was before. It’s no wonder that he has a happy relationship with his romantic partner, friends, and family. Romel would always say to me that helping others can be really beneficial because when a time comes when he needs something, he has someone to approach, and they will be willing to help him.

At the end of our talk, he briefly added that Developmental Psychology is a really cool subject and a fascinating lesson to learn because of the different processes and factors that can affect an individual's upbringing. When I ended the voice recorder as I wrapped up the interview, he gave me a piece of advice and a reminder. He told me that we as college students must control and balance everything, because this balancing really helped him out in his life in and after college. Life is just beginning, and we must not simultaneously pressure ourselves on things we can and cannot control. But by balancing the positive and negative aspects of life. With these insights shared by Romel, It sure is a great way to start the “live” action movie I star in, which is myself.

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Dear Diary: There's So So Much Life has to Offer!!

Good heavens, it is now Adulti–Adolescence! From the little kids, we were to transitioning into the brothers and sisters the little children always look up to. Adolescence is the period in our lives where a lot of changes happen in ourselves be physically or mentally. It is also the time when we realize that the world is not just fun and games and that we have a purpose or goals in our lives that we continue to fulfill. I had a great time talking with one of my fellow adolescents here in DDC, and we engaged in a beautiful yet insightful conversation about transitioning to adolescence. Behold, as I present to you Ashley, the aspiring future RMT.

Ashley is a very very beautiful 20-year-old girl who has a baby face that I really admire for how amazing it is. She is currently a 2nd Year College student at Davao Doctors College, taking the BMLS course. Its kind of crazy how she said that she was undecided in senior high school on what to take in college, yet today she excels very well at it! Ashley is a very cheerful individual with a great outlook on life, and also her mindset about it. I was astonished when she said that she used to travel for 2 hours just to go to school when she was in senior high school, and because of this, she was physically active because of the constant walking. Although in college, her physical activity decreased because her school is now near to her home. There was a time this year when Ashley did not have her period for 2 months. She was worried that she might have got PCOS, which is a disease that is common in her family. Because of this, Ashley constantly jogs now with her mother. When Ashley goes jogging, there is an app that tracks her progress, which is STRAVA, and she is always motivated to do this because she loves to see her progress, which makes her proud. And now, her period just returned after a few weeks, and it was really great to hear.

With all of these activities Ashley usually does, she is also surrounded by friends and families that she loves dearly. She is loved by her parents and her sister, they always support each other through hard times. She can also rely on her friends in almost everything. In academics? They got her back, and they got them as they always support and help each other. In having fun? They are those real ones who always have a good time spending time together while being honest and true. No backstabbing, you heard that right. Her circle of friends is like those groups of people that you would consider to be “friends for life”. Though, all of these came from a rough start. All of this was challenged in time when they faced a lot of hardships, and in those hardships, the true colors in some of her friend groups started showing up. I really like to call their situation in her friend groups a “weeding” process, where a bunch of flowers blossom and look good because of the weeds removed. In high school, Ashley was content with her small group of friends and did not extend more than she currently had because they were already there. But in college, she really loved to explore and try to interact more. Because of this, she now has her large friend group where they support, encourage, and love each other, may it be in academics and having fun. These relationships truly had a large impact on her life, and her overall well-being.

Now with all of these positive aspects, there are also negative things that happened to her and yet she persevered through all of it. In her relationship with her friends, family, and her boyfriend, she had a lot of experiences that really shaped into a better version of herself. She had that outlook where if there is a problem, she will always face it front and if there are mistakes she has made, she always admits it was her fault. These experiences made her more mature in how to act and think, and she is always grateful for it. Now to her academics, she is very smart and hardworking. She has a lot of strategies and techniques, and she proudly says that it really worked on her in terms of her thinking, memorizing, and understanding. If she tired while trying to study? She immediately goes to sleep. If she cannot focus that well? She sets a timer for her study and breaks to make it more organized. The one thing that I really loved when I heard it for the first time is her concept of “resetting”. She always bathes when she's tired, exhausted, and overwhelmed. Kind of like the same for a computer where you would right-click or press F5 to refresh, and it really is a dope activity that she does.

If I would put it as an analogy like a diary, Ashley's life is still nowhere near complete. There are still many blank pages that await to be filled with amazing experiences and milestones in life, whether there will be good or bad things, it is a nice experience that makes Ashley better than she was before. As Ashley always said when we talked about this overall conversation: “Life has so much to offer” and it truly is.

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The Shy-ning Child Gamer

Childhood memories! We sometimes reminisce about these memories because of how fun they were. It is a crazy and great part of our lives that we enjoy without having a care in the world. I remember sometimes when I was a kid, I would always run around, play whatever things were interesting, and interact with many kids like me. In this blog, I’d like to introduce you to John Laurence, an 8-year-old child whose experiences remind me of those happy days. As I interact with him, I find myself visualizing and experiencing the carefree spirit we once had in middle to late childhood—a spirit that, while changed, continues to thrive in kids today.

John Laurence is an 8-year-old active, tall, loving, and very shy kid. He is currently in the 2nd grade and does not really interact that much with the other kids around him. Laurence was hesitant to talk to me at first, but after some time and with clarification from his mother, he became more comfortable, and we started interacting. I could say that he is just an introverted kid. Laurence is shy around strangers or people who are not his relatives. But as time passes and he gets to interact with them more, he gets comfortable with them.

As we talked about his experiences and milestones, Laurence was always smiling. Laurence’s mother, Shermine, who is near him, shared with me that when he was 1 to 4 years old, he would always get sick and occasionally stay in hospitals. But at the start of the pandemic, the chances of Laurence getting sick decreased. He always stays indoors for the most part with only his family members and gadgets to keep him entertained, and this might be a reason why he is shy around strangers. Despite his history of his health, he is always cheerful and playful. Laurence also proudly shared with me that he is a very fast runner in school. During their recess or playtime, he and his cousin would always play tag together, and he really loved to be the one being tagged by his cousin because he said that he could imagine himself to be a survivor running away from a zombie. He is also nearsighted, but this does not affect his performance or daily activities that much.

Now relating to video games, Laurence is an avid gamer. He plays a lot of video games on his phone and computer. When he is at home, he plays computer games, specifically FPS shooter games like Crossfire and Counter-Strike. He is very skilled considering his age, and a fast learner too! He also learned a lot of English words because of the videos he always watches on YouTube such as Minecraft commentary and gameplay. Considering that he watches mostly English-speaking videos, his school performance has somehow been affected by it. He excels and can easily understand subjects that are spoken in English but struggle with subjects like Filipino and Mother Tongue. But this does not mean that it hinders him because if he focuses on what he considers a challenge, he will always conquer it.

Overall, Laurence’s behavior is really unique for a child his age and I find it relatable to my own upbringing. One thing that really caught my attention and set him apart from other children was the fact that even if he is shy around others, it does not affect him that greatly. If there are group activities or play times, he will not talk to them and will do his thing. He does not take the lead, he will just interact with them if his friends or cousin drags him to play or interact with the others.

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Are You In The Boss Baby Universe?!

When I think of the numbers one, two, and three, I think of two things that come to mind: counting in a race and the early years of our lives. Early childhood is a fundamental stage in our lives because of the first memorable experiences we will encounter, the second language we learn, and the third event and stage in understanding the world and ourselves. This stage sets the foundation for our growth and development for the later stages of life while also the genesis of understanding what the world really is. I had the chance to understand and learn more about these events from a child named Andrea Janelle from an interview with Ms. Jhaya, who is the caregiver of Andrea.

To start things off, Andrea is a 4-year-old girl who is currently in her second year at daycare. I did not have a chance to see Andrea because she was at daycare at that time, but from the information and features Ms. Jhaya said, I can visualize her as a beautiful girl. Ms. Jhaya has been Andrea’s caregiver since she was still months old because her parents are currently working away from their home. She also talked about how Andrea is a very active and energetic child; she likes to play Chinese garter with her grandmother and really loves to play pretend, such as being in a jeepney or a cashier. She also loves to color in a coloring book and is very good at it too! Andrea is resourceful and clever regarding her toys. She would use items that were around her, such as plastic bottles to play like drums and shampoo sachets for the currency on her cashier's pretend play. Ms. Jhaya stated that Andrea is not that demanding of toys that she would love to have and does not force Ms. Jhaya or her parents to buy her toys. 

Andrea is also a sharp, intuitive, and independent girl. Considering her age, she understands a lot of things very deeply, which is something that differs from a normal child. When Andrea asks an interesting question to Ms. Jhaya, Andrea understands that it is a joke and not a true response. She can also memorize well about different topics from her daycare or her daily life and she is very obedient. There are even times when Ms. Jhaya would invite Andrea to do chores with her, and she would give her challenges. A specific example of this is when Ms. Jhaya counts from 1 to 100 seconds, and Andrea must complete wiping the table. When Ms. Jhaya is halfway through counting and stops, Andrea continues counting and correctly counts each number to 100. Ms. Jhaya said that Andrea really loved it because it was fun and challenging for her. She also said that when something happened to Andrea, whether it be a very small injury or a problem, the way that she would handle it is that she would just keep it to herself and would only be noticed by Ms. Jhaya if Andrea was being more silent than usual. Also, when Andrea does something bad or is very hyper, Ms. Jhaya will just not talk, and Andrea will notice it and will calm down eventually.

Andrea’s peer interaction is a special instance too. Because of her being sharp and intuitive, she selectively chooses her playmates that she thinks are not fake. Despite this, she plays and interacts like a normal child—an adventurous and curious child. Still, when comparing her favorite people to play with, Ms. Jhaya said that Andrea prefers to play with her and her grandmother because she is comfortable and accustomed to them. One last thing that I asked Ms. Jhaya before concluding the interview was: Who does Andrea prefer more? She or her parents, and what she said is that both are just equal, but when Andrea has a concern, she would ask Ms. Jhaya because she is used to her guidance.

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First Steps to Adventure

Hello World! You just spawned in this very place. You just recently exited the spawn point. Similar to level one in a game where we just finished creating our character, infancy is the first year of life after birth. Every beginning is important and valuable to us because this developmental stage is the start of everything, such as developing cognitive skills, learning languages, and forming emotional attachments. I got to know a lot about this character from an interview with her mother, Cristy. The very character that I will talk about is Azaleah, a 9-month-old baby girl.

Azaleah is a cheerful and beautiful baby girl who inherited her charm and features from her parents. She is a very healthy baby who is taken care of very well by her family. She is the very first child of Mrs. Cristy, who is currently working as a librarian, and she is very happy about her daughter. In fact, seeing Azaleah grow and recognize Mrs. Cristy is the most rewarding and pleasurable experience Mrs. Cristy has had in recent years. She also mentioned during the interview that she is a photographer and the growth of Azalea from the first month till this day is documented through photographs, videos, and mydays.

Azaleah’s physical changes have been observed and documented by her mother. In the first few months of Azaleah, Mrs. Cristy is always beside her. As she is on maternity leave, she is always by Azaleah’s side and is the one taking care of her. Mrs. Cristy would notice in these first months that her baby is chewing with their own hands. Six to seven months passed, and Mrs. Cristy mentioned that Azaleah started crawling for the first time, noting that it was a significant milestone for her and her family. She also added that when they play, Azaleah always laughs and smiles. Azaleah is also provided with toys to keep her engaged when Mrs. Cristy is busy.

As for Mrs. Cristy and her husband, they have faced lots of challenges and have made a lot of adjustments. In the first month of Azaleah, they noticed that she had a hernia. Because of this, she was immediately checked by the doctor. It was stressful for them because they were always overthinking about what would happen to Azaleah while also figuring out the cause and solutions to it. Eventually, they felt relief because the hernia was noticed very early, and were treated immediately. Mrs. Cristy also mentioned how her daily routines have significantly changed. She talked about what she experienced from time to time, which is the “graveyard shift” and the several instances where she would wake up early while also sleeping late because of the many things that she has to prepare for her family and work. Despite all this, Mrs. Cristy always managed to balance her job as a librarian with her responsibilities as a mother, always putting Azaleah first.

Mrs. Cristy remains very optimistic for her well-being and for her baby; even though there were many setbacks and anxieties she would often experience, she does not let them overlap with her optimism. Because she always wants the best growth and development for Azaleah. Many challenges in life come and go, and before concluding the interview, Mrs. Cristy emphasized that cherishing every moment is the best approach for upcoming mothers and caregivers.

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Mothers are mothering

I used to be quick to complain about difficult tasks. I would always whine about it and complain about how hard it is. Thoughts such as, “Damn, this is so hard, I don't want to do this anymore.” But then, comparing it to the experiences of a mother bearing a child, maybe I haven't had it that bad after all. I got to interview Mrs. Lery, a 39-year-old pregnant mother from Buhangin, Davao City. She was delightful to have an interview with and a loving mom to her two kids and her upcoming second-month child. Her motherhood journey is nothing more than incredible. She has been through many challenges throughout her journey and slayed in every aspect. 

Mrs. Lery shared a lot of her experiences on her pregnancy that I still find very amazing and insightful as I write this blog. When I interviewed Mrs. Lery, she was very enthusiastic and willing to share her current state. She talked about how her physical health and appearance changed. There are times when she talks about how the pain that she feels during pregnancy is affecting her day-to-day experiences. Instances where Mrs. Lery talked about how painful her breasts feel when she is taking a bath and the blurring feeling of her eyes when she occasionally stands up from her seat. She would always sleep because her body is always tired, and she also mentioned that she would sleep sideways, left side, with a pillow for support.

But besides the physical changes, she also talked about how her behavior changed. She would have certain food cravings that she mentioned are too constant because of the stress that she would occasionally experience. She also mentioned that she became more forgetful than before, such as forgetting where she put her keys and misplacing other items. She also shared how she is conscious of her body changes and how she sometimes gets moody. It was difficult for her, but Mrs. Lery stayed positive despite such experiences and would always make adjustments to balance it.

As I went to Mrs. Lery's home to interview her, I noticed that she has a loving environment and a supportive relationship with those around her. Their home is filled with laughs and kids running around. She shared that the reason she is optimistic and cheerful is because of her family and friends. She would always have someone to talk to and share her feelings, and constant reassurance from her husband. Because of this, when the interview was happening, she was always smiling and laughing at us.

Before our interview ended, I asked Mrs. Lery what the most rewarding and fulfilling parts of pregnancy were, considering the physical and emotional adjustments. She answered that it will always be the day when she gives birth to her baby and finally sees it. Mrs. Lery also added how gender reveals really excite her—the feeling when she will go to have an ultrasound and see if it is a boy or a girl. Even if Mrs. Lery’s current pregnancy is not her first time, it is still hard for her, and I will always admire how mothers always have the strength to go through such hardships for their children. No matter the challenging times I experience, I will always remind myself that mothers have it rough and they will always go above it.