All right. Another writing endeavor. As much as I think resolutions are a bit hokey, I tend to reflect every year and decide on certain things I want to implement for self-improvement. Of course there is the typical “eat healthier, work out more…” (this is me telling myself this everyday pretty much– it is a struggle with commitments and finding the time and energy); however, something else I wanted to do was to dabble a bit more in writing. I work in payroll for a living and even though payroll can be somewhat fun (thanks to the lovely team I work with), I feel like there is another part of myself that has been yearning to write again. I used to write. I was hired as an intern for the San Gabriel Union Tribune and immersed myself in journalism culture when I was a student at Mt. San Antonio College. I was enrolled in the Journalism program at California State University Fullerton. I can say before I was a wife, a mother, or an HR Professional, I was a writer. This is a title that will stick with me through and through.

But what kind of writer is a writer who does not write? It is now January 27 and every day this month I have thought to myself, “I should start writing.” I’ve spotted motivation here and there. For one, I’ve been reading more. I’ve been reading best sellers thinking to myself, “I could totally write this shit!” Full disclosure, in reality, I probably can’t. On the other hand, it solidifies my belief that novels do not necessarily have to be literary works of art for people to grab the books off the shelves.

I also began watching Loudermilk on Netflix. The main character, Sam Loudermilk (played by Ron Livingston), is a former writer for the Rolling Stone who is a recovering addict. The show is freaking hilarious, by the way! The writing on the show is well done and it is evident in the plot and dialogue which is something that I can appreciate.

Lastly, I stumbled across my old blogspot and I laughed at some of the memories that I documented. I am happy I did not delete that blog. Anyway, these are some of the reasons that I decided to start exercising my writing abilities again.

So here I am. Attempting another blog with no real niche, just wanting to document moments, share my experiences and insights with those who care to read. Let’s see where this thing takes me…

A few things about myself:

-I am 2nd generation Filipino-American. I reflect on my Filipino-American experience quite often. I feel like this can be another blog post for another day.
-That being said, I am daughter of immigrants. My dad served this country for 23 years in the United States Navy. My mom graduated from the University of The Philippines and came to America as a nurse, but quickly learned that she had an entrepreneur spirit and began her career in real estate.
-I have a younger and an older brother. My eldest brother lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and my younger brother lives in SoCal. I could not ask for a better set of siblings who are not only fun, but also supportive of what I choose to do in my life and also what my kids choose to do.
-I am happily married to my best friend who says I am his only friend. It took me about 15 years before I finally decided he was my best friend. Anyway, he’s the best. We’ve been together for 20 years and married for 14. We met at a UCSD party with some mutual friends and when we shook hands, I felt like time stood still for a brief moment. We had a few more run-ins because of mutual friends. I was visiting my parents house one weekend and he came over with his friends and cousins. He saw that I was reading “The DaVinci Code” and he started talking philosophical to me. At that time, I was interested in people who were high thinkers so immediately I was drawn to him. Not only was this guy a looker, he was Catholic, and he was intellectual. I messaged him on Friendster like a stalker with the single line, “Holler.” (Kids, Friendster was here before there was Instagram and Tic-Tok) He replied back, “For a dollar.” I jokingly replied, “Foo, I’m broke.” And he said, “There once was a girl name Kat. She wanted me to holler, but where her number at?” So then I went to my local Verizon and my roommate and longtime friend, Lynn, had to cosign me because I had no credit at the time. All this work just so I could talk to this guy…. I cringe at myself, but here we are now.

-I have two kids. A teen and a tween. Needless to say, being a parent comes with a whole lot of adventures. They are my greatest blessings in this life and I know there will be no other role that is more important than being a mother.
-I was born in the Bay Area and lived there until the early 90s. Then I moved down to SoCal where people freak out when there is a single drop of rain.
-I moved to Santa Monica and lived there for about 2 years in 2003 then moved to the Pomona area with my boyfriend at the time (who just so happens to be my husband now). -I lived in the greater LA area for about 5 years where I was an aspiring writer while working full time, going to school full time, and working part time on the weekend.
-I work in HR with job functions specifically related to payroll processes. I can’t say it’s my passion, but I can say I go to work ready, willing to learn, with a good attitude (for the most part). I also like to do things to make work fun for myself, such as set “Personal Records” for how fast I can run a process (OK, I gotta keep myself motivated somehow). I also like to think I boost office morale which can be very necessary when we are up against a deadline. It helps that I enjoy the people I work with too. The best thing about work is looking forward to my PTO and the weekend.

And that’s all I have to say about that.