Jodythinks.com

The human heart was—and remains—a mystery to me. But I’m learning. I have to. —Anthony Bourdain

August 2016

  • Sunday night thoughts

    I could barely keep my eyes open. It was the second day of my weekend and I waa still running on around 6 hours of sleep (collectively). I couldn’t even remember if I got to kiss my boyfriend goodbye as he walked me to the waiting Uber car. My body’s giving out but my brain… Read more

  • To family: Our most fervent supporters and harshest critics

    Family. In Filipino culture, the most important relationship we may ever have. Working with BPO companies for the past 9 years, it’s not unusual to hear the common “I need to take my aunt/grandma/uncle to the ER”, “My mom’s aunt just passed and I need to go to the funeral”, “I have to take care… Read more

  • In today’s “Duh!” moment: People are different on the internet

    I am an internet lurker. I follow great blogs, people and have actually met these people in person. One thing I’ve noticed  is how markedly differently people can be in person from their internet personas. A person that’s quite eloquent on their blog can be pretty quiet in person. An Instagram personality, almost unrecognizable without… Read more

  • It’s hard to argue with a view like that

    Sometimes when I feel really horrible about the state the country is in, how unsafe it feels to be here, the incredibly wasteful traffic, rampant corruption and all the other ails we’re plagued with, I try to find the good in where we’re living in. I feel like we’re blessed with our natural resources, being… Read more

  • Cheapskate diaries: In praise of the ukay ukay (thrift store)

    I am not a fashionable person. 90% of my clothes are chosen due to their comfort and ability to come out of the laundry and not need to be ironed. My mother follows fashion a lot more than I do, telling us the trends of the month from her Vogue magazine (which I read for… Read more

  • On producing food

    Lately, I’ve been in the kitchen. The thing about working at night and at home, there are days when you just want to get out of the house, and sometimes it makes it even harder to dress up and face the Metro Manila traffic. In those days, I turn to food. For me, cooking is soothing.… Read more

  • On looking at the bright side

    Most people hate the rain, and why wouldn’t they? It makes driving harder, which makes it more traffic to get to work or wherever it is you need to get to, and so on and so forth. It soaks your outfit, makes a mess on the floor, makes your dad yell at you when you… Read more

  • On admitting I’m not ready

    A couple of months ago, we babysat a friend’s toddler for a weekend. It was a responsibility I was not ready for at the time, and I was mostly running on panic adrenaline. Since this was someone else’s child, their world, it wasn’t something I wanted to take lightly. And boy, it wasn’t a weekend… Read more

  • On breaking the negativity cycle

    Two Sundays ago, I got told I was beautiful. It was such a shocking thing. I remember shaking my head and saying thank you to the family friend that said it twice to my parents. Not because I think I’m a beast (and not because I think I’m a ravishing beauty either). My theory is… Read more