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Quarantine Blog #1

Hello, everyone! I know it has been quite a while since I've written anything. Since we're all stuck at home, I had no excuse for not working on my writing. First, I hope you're all doing okay during this pandemic. Remember to stay at home, and keep yourself busy! We don't know when the world will go back to normal, but we have no choice but to try to create a new norm out of all this. For me, quarantine started about two weeks ago when all non-essential retail had to be closed. I was doing well the first week. I bought a new headset and game for my PS4 because I knew gaming was going to be the only thing to entertain me. I was able to stay at home doing nothing...it felt quite good...almost like a vacation I needed from the daily activities of retail life. It felt quite relaxing at first. Then, the second week came. I woke up with my chest hurting on a Monday and slight cough. Because I thought I was getting sick, my nerves and anxiety kicked in, and it started to

Poolside Convo

Well...I'm back...sort of. For those who followed my blog, you know that I haven't been in the writing community since my New Orleans trip all the way back in March 2017. I've been so absent from this universe.  A lot  has happened. I had a draft saved since December, but I found that my mind wasn't ready to recall the memories and experiences I needed to use for this post. I was  just  okay, and I needed to feel more at peace and feel some sense of healing and growth in order for me to discuss this. So...I'm finally here. I'm ready to talk about all of it. ~  Brokenness ~ On June 2, 2017, a cousin of mine had passed away. Jillian Baluyot, one of the closest people to my heart, had tragically left the earth. Depression had taken away one of my own. We were close...well...all of my cousins were a tightly-knitted group that was doing life together. But, never in a million years would we expect one of our own to go like this. I didn't know if could make it

cultural resilience.

My spring break journey began with my Hurricane and Rebirth class after finally landing on New Orleans grounds at 9 in the morning. The exhaustion and hunger from the early morning 4 AM flight kicked in while we exited Gate D3 and then retrieved our baggages. My stomach started to turn because I always feared that airport staff would put my belongings onto the wrong plane, but I ended up getting my big, black luggage within a few minutes and no hassle. When we exited the airport and caught our first breath of New Orleans air, we organized ourselves into random groups to catch cabs and head down to our temporary home. It was hot...the humidity overwhelmed me because I had on a black hoodie and wore a flannel over that, which weren’t enough layers to keep me warm back in New Jersey. We hopped on a big white van with “Limousine Service” imprinted on the windows with a phone number. The driver, a tall black man with a heavy New Orleans accent, helped load our bags and luggage into the b

a year

12:17 AM. I was hungry, so I made myself some food. If you're wondering what the heck this post is about, I'd tell you that I don't know...because I don't know where I'm really going with this. See...I drank coffee a little too late, and I'm sort of wide awake. When I'm caffeinated at this time, I become extremely anxious for all the tomorrows to come. So...I decided to write all of my worries away by just simply writing with the hopes of ending up with something decent. There's no goal or anything...just doin' me and going with the flow of things. For anyone that actually takes the time to read my blog and whatever I actually post, I just need to say that you  are awesome. I'll be completely honest with everyone right now. I always took pride in getting great grades in essays in almost all of my classes. Writing was something that I just learned to understand. It even helped me, throughout the years, to help me discover a "me" that

"How do we forgive ourselves for all the things we did not become?"

   - 14 Lines from Love Letters or Suicide Notes  by Doc Luben

run

I want to leave and go somewhere far enough to see everything that I left behind vanish from the distance that I created in between me and everything else. There is no place for me to feel strong or satisfied in the midst of weak relationships. I know people who’ve left for places with more sunshine, more water, and more opportunities. A beach…..that should suffice. A breath of the fresh, salty air cleansing my mutilated mind is one of the little things I could find if I ever wanted to depart. I’m a puzzle piece trying to fit in a keyhole. I should eventually embark on a journey to find exactly where it is that I am your perfect fit, your missing piece, or exactly what you need. That is when I’ll finally realize I’m where I should be. If everything that I’ve left behind seems to suddenly reappear, then I’ll travel farther away so no one would fall into a trap just to reach for me. And maybe, I’ll t

"No significant learning occurs without a significant relationship."

      - James Comer