Blog # 3

I Am From...

I am from the 7, 107 islands, Pearl of the Orient, sun rising from the east

Where there is beauty and disaster

I am from the typhoons, floods, and fires 

where there is camaraderie and smiling faces despite the misfortunes

I am from the clear waters and dirt roads to row houses and commercial buildings

I am from diaries and stickers

I am from rope games and hide-and-seek, playing ‘till the sun goes down

I am from the pink barbie rolling backpacks and superhero lunch box

I am from school parades and marching band

I am from a twin sister and a brother

I am from superstitious beliefs like “jump as high as you can on new year to be taller”

I am from ghost stories and gossips

I am from the loudest new years, counting from ten to one

(Firecrackers, loud vehicle horns, and fireworks)

I am from traditional Christmas celebrations

 From feasts, caroling, exchange gifts, and Christmas songs played everywhere from September

Blog #2: Mushfaking

"I'm Great at Faking it"

What is “Mushfaking”? To understand that term we must first understand what a Discourse means. 

According to James Paul Gee in his journal “Literacy, Discourse, and Linguistics,” a Discourse is a sort of “identity kit” which comes complete with the appropriate costume and instructions on how to act, talk, and often write, so as to take on a particular role that others will recognize. Furthermore, a Discourse is not something that can be acquired by “overt instruction” but by learning and experiencing social practices with the guidance of the people around you who have already mastered the Discourse. In other words, what we have learned from our primary social groups such as our family and peers when we were young will determine what Discourses we have now and how well we mastered have it. But as we grew up, we are continually experiencing new things in our life which can bring us to situations we are unfamiliar with. When this happens, we perform a certain role we have not yet mastered. This is called the “Mushfake Discourse” which means “partial acquisition coupled with meta-knowledge and strategies to make-do.” In other words, you are able to pretend you have learned an unmastered Discourse whenever necessary.

I can tell you that I am always mushfaking. Whether it be at work, school, or with acquaintances, I always have to fake a Discourse. Even right now, I am mushfaking in this blog. Ever since I was young, I am not very vocal with my feelings and I struggle with making conversations. Making this blog and pretending like I know what I am doing is quite ironic isn’t it? What you probably did not know is that it took me a long time to get this blog to be this long. With that being said, I would like to share you my biggest mushfake experience, or so I remember.

So, you guys know how nerve-racking is the interview process for a job right? During my interview for my third job, my interviewer was all cheerful and friendly so I tried to be as cheerful as possible as well. I tried to smile and nod as often as possible to whatever was being said, acted optimistic, and during that time, I was able to make conversations longer than I usually am able to. I also wore white pants and a light blue formal button-up shirt tucked in to look decent. However, deep inside I was intimidated, my energy was draining and all I could think of was “how long is this interview gonna be?” I think that I went overboard that time as compared to my real personality and I really felt that I was a different person, if that makes sense. But I think that it paid off because I got the job right away. However, by the time I started my first day, I kind of toned down my cheerful personality and went back to being timid. I still have to fake my work Discourse though because I don’t think I will survive if I become my real self at work. At work I am all smiles, nice, very hardworking, I seldom complain, and always tell people I am “okay”. Basically, I am like the child in the picture above. At home I am a little lazy, still nice but I am more truthful with my feelings, and expressive. If I get stressed at work and school, I only show it at home and so sometimes I get irritable at home, so I like to spend time alone sometimes to keep my stress levels low. Overtime, it gets easier to perform my “work role” but it still is not the same as how I am outside of work. 

Blog #1: Six-Word Memoir

The Simple Things I Appreciate Most

I love the color of the sky when the sun hits the horizon. I love the colorful flowers that blooms in the Spring. In fall, I love when the leaves slowly fall off the trees and cover the ground with maple colors. I love dogs, especially Penny, my family’s chihuahua mix. I love the feeling of the cold wind in my face when it is hot outside. I love walking by the bay and just admiring everything that I see. And I love being with my family when I’m free. All these things I realized and experienced here in San Diego and I am always thankful to the Lord for these blessings. 

The top picture was taken at school grounds. I was working on a project and I decided to take this photo.

This is my first San Diego cruise experience. I remember thinking that it was
gonna be boring since we were gonna be on a cruise for an hour but I ended
 up enjoying it. I thought it was very relaxing and I really like watching the
 sun go down.

Another sunset look of the sky. I don't know what it is about the sky that I never
get tired of looking at. This is in Mission Bay. I was walking with my sister and a
 friend at this moment.

A little background about me is that I grew up in the Philippines and that I moved here in San Diego when I was 18 years old, about 4 years ago. I cannot believe that it has been that long already! During those years, I experienced many new things and I have learned to appreciate the little things. As you might already know, Philippines is so much different than San Diego. From the culture, people, environment, food, and weather. But it didn’t take me long to be able to adjust to the culture here. I experienced my many firsts here including: my first job, cruise, hike, owning a car, and more. After about a year after moving here, I started school and from there I also started to become more outgoing.

I love the lavender color of the flowers or leaves in here.
I took this picture as I was waiting for the bus to go to
work.

I think that I took this photo from the backyard
 of my step-grandma. It looks like the sun is peeking
at you doesn't it?

I love the look of the condensation in the windows. I
could smell the morning air just by looking at this picture.

Whenever I took the bus to work and to school (since I didn’t know how to drive yet at the time), I always feel thankful for being able to look at the beautiful environment. Up until now, I still get mesmerized by the seasonal changes I see in San Diego. I love looking at the trees and sky whenever I walk outside. I smile when I see any tiny animals like birds, butterflies, and snails minding their own business. I often find myself just looking at things and think how lucky I am to be able to see these things. 

Oh, and I just want to share some pictures of my dog Penny. She looks a lot bigger than a normal chihuahua and she looks a little like a pitbull too. We don't know exactly what mix she has except chihuahua so I don't usually know what to tell people when they don't believe she is a chihuahua mix. LOL. Anyways, I hope these pictures will bring a smile to your faces.