jessa

Reflections on becoming

Blog

This is a collection of stories and daily musings.

  • I have forgotten what free play feels like

    One afternoon, while my friend was exploring my tablet’s pen, she said, “Let’s play,” while drawing a hasty tic-tac-toe grid on my notetaking app—no tutorial, no settings to configure—just spontaneous play. We took turns marking Xs and Os, neither of us keeping score. The simplicity felt childish, so my adult self started to scream inside Read more


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  • Committing to a path forward

    For a year now, I have been thrashing out ideas—imagined futures—once I arrive at the inevitable termination of my job contract. I feel like I’m suffocating from a lack of imagination. When did this happen? I remember the nights I spent outside the veranda, looking at the stars sprawled on the night sky, dreaming about Read more


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  • The cycle we can’t seem to break

    Tax after tax without tangible benefits is squeezing the life out of ordinary people like me. And like the people from 20 years ago, we still struggle to break free. Read more


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  • When money can’t fix what’s broken

    You can use money like a salve And slather it on the hurt But it will not cure anything Only bury the hurt deeper Money can never mend a broken soul. It might provide a temporary relief, but money only obscures deeper suffering. I have felt a pain so intense that nothing matters anymore because Read more


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  • Where to go next?

    For years, I have always asked myself where to go next because certain things in my life always have expiration dates. The time constraint always kept me on my toes, always reminding me that before the turn of the year, I should be able to have at least decided where to go next. The options Read more


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