So, first of all… the Raised Pinay post has been delayed. I am not sure when exactly I will have it up on the blog, but it will definitely show up soon.

A lot of things happened since the last update–a halo-halo mix of positives and negatives.

Family Matters

My dad is currently hospitalized again for wound care, but from a different ailment. Same situation as before: staying at a rehabilitation center/nursing home, during the period of his treatment, but this is at a facility with better conditions and staff, in my opinion as a family member. As stressful as it is, to be the all-present emotional support for both parents, at least I feel that I can handle this responsibility a little better than before.

I have also been helping with major housework, in preparation for my dad’s return home. There was a lot of cleaning, repairing, upkeeping, and such, so that our house can be more accessible and homely for our family. It was a major step, for me, to finally start cleaning my brother’s room. It had been untouched, undisturbed for almost 4 years since his passing, but I feel like I will be able to give his space the care and attention it deserves. I plan to carry out his wish, of turning it into an office/LEGO room, where I will re-furnish the space with better shelves to display his LEGO creations and with sturdier bookcases for a mini library (my books and his) and a small desk for his desktop, which will be moved from its current place in the dining room. This will take months, but I will take my time with it.

Personal Matters

Finally, some good stuff to boost my morale!

On July 24th (the 18th anniversary of NSYNC’s Celebrity album), I officially became a licensed driver!!! I tried really hard to practice and gain confidence on the road so that I could pass the road test this time around! I registered for lessons under a different driving school, which helped a lot! I feel like I am able to move about (both vehicularly and emotionally), knowing that I am able to helm the wheel!

I also had the honor to be interviewed for The Filipino American Woman Project podcast, co-hosted by Jen Amos and Nani Dominguez! I shared my personal story (pretty much a summary of what I have written about on this blog) and my future work regarding the Maria Clara archetype (more on that later~). You can listen to the episode here and wherever you usually listen to podcasts!

And by some miracle (maybe that’s the Imposter Syndrome talking?), I GOT ACCEPTED INTO THE MASTER’S PROGRAM I APPLIED FOR!!!!

Even after attending my first week of classes, or registering for a course, or getting my school ID, or meeting others in my program, or receiving the official welcome letter from the Admissions office… I still cannot believe that I am back in school! There is a lot more that I want to say, but I still need this to sink in before I can confidently talk more about what I am doing! It’s all coming at me at once, like it is too good to be true… but I will allow the graces and the blessings to rain upon me. *prayer hands*

Work Matters (i.e., Announcement!!!)

In addition to what I am doing for my master’s, I will be starting a new sub-blog:

Maria Clara Speaks (pre-memoir writings)

I will be writing “drafts” (side notes, personal notes, more-like-I-want-to-vent-rather-than-write-in-a-formally-academic-matter notes) of my project, to track my progress, share my (un-filtered) thoughts, and give insight to the kind of work I will be delving into. The description of the sub-blog will be up soon.

As for {getLITfilam}… that announcement will come later ;)

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It is weird how all of these events came together, in oscillating waves of hope and despair and disbelief and relief…?

But as I am running on this last stretch of my 20s, I have come to realize how much I have matured and grown, given everything that has happened up to this point. There are subtle indications in my daily life, like preferring to wake up at 8am instead of past 11am or becoming more of a tea-drinker than coffee-drinker, that show me how much I have changed–or am still changing. I would not say it is for the better, but for necessity in surviving this life.

It is currently 2am, as I close this post, and I should have been asleep a few hours ago because–another indicator of me getting older–I was tired by 9pm. But the urge to write down important things in the late hours will always stay consistent!