Psyching Thyself

Nell tagged me with this one a couple of weeks ago.  Again, wanting to end this blogging month on a positive note, I decided to complete this tag today, the last day of May… how’s that for psyching oneself? June is just around the corner – keep those positive vibes coming!

Here are the simple instructions: Link to the person who tagged you and then post the rules on your blog. Answer the questions and tag seven (7) random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs. Let these random people know that they are tagged by leaving comments on their blog. And last, let your tagger know when your entry is up.

A period of time in your life when you felt protected. I guess this would be during my wedding day.  The realization of having Keith ”officially” by my side come hell or high water was indeed very comforting and made me feel very safe and protected.

A period of time in your life when you felt unprotected. Hmmm…. probably when my brother and I were left in Manila to handle our household affairs pretty much by ourselves (since our parents and our two younger siblings had to relocate abroad due to our dad’s expat career).  It just felt so overwhelming to suddenly have to think about responsibilities you never even imagined before – house repairs, bickering househelp, relatives asking for financial assistance… name it, we probably had to hack it! Looking back, though, I believe this experience was a very good training ground for us for our eventual “leap” into married life.

The first time you discovered power.  This came early on for me as I was the “panganay” (eldest) in our family – eldest child, eldest apo (grandchild) on the mother side and eldest granddaughter on the paternal side! Though I enjoyed being the “ate” and all the intrinsic “perks” that went with it, I also realized that with this “position of influence” also came greater responsibility.

A person whose life has affected you the most. I have always looked up to my father for taking the “straight and narrow” and for having succeeded – both in the paths of his family life and in his professional career.  His dedication and hard work coupled with a genuine compassion for those in need are traits I will always strive to achieve in my own life.  Throw in his firm belief in God’s providence and crazy sense of humor and the resulting “blend” is nearly perfect!

A book that has affected you the most. “The Gift of Acabar” by Og Mandino for its very philosophical yet real take on life. 

A piece of music or song that affected you the most. I am not much of a musical person but I have always been partial to “old” songs (think Michael Buble, people!) and to inspirational songs with “touching” (aka senti) lyrics.

A movie or film that affected you the most. “Awakenings” starring Robert Di Nero.  It tells of how a mentally ill patient was able to “reclaim” some semblance of normalcy (life as we know it) after being treated with an experimental drug only to fall into the same darkness and despair he was once in after the drug was not able to sustain its “miraculous effects”.   Having an uncle who has practically been institutionalized because of bipolar disorder, I can very well share in the hope this film has sparked – that, eventually, a permanent cure may be found for all the people (and their families) suffering because of this disease.

Well, whaddyaknow? I made it through!

I hope Nell doesn’t mind if I put a certain twist to his tag – instead of “naming” seven specific people, I’m inviting all those who love Michael Buble songs to do this tag as well.

Here’s to a  ”jolly June” ahead!