MY JOURNAL (GSELF 7101)

  The dog in the story "The Dog and its Reflection" This may sound funny but indeed I have related myself to the dog in the story “The Dog and its Reflection.” This short story is among many short stories I’ve heard of back in my childhood days. I find it quite memorable for it taught me a valuable lesson in life – to avoid being greedy. This can be seen on how the greediness of the dog had led him to his death since he fell into the stream in pursuit of the larger bone of the dog in that stream which is his own reflection (the version of the story that I know is that the dog died in the end because he drowned; a child-friendly version of this is that the dog managed to swim up the stream but still, he lost his bone). Clearly, the shadow archetype reflects this character and I can relate myself to this character and the archetype itself at some point in my life. Sometimes I am being overrun by my selfish needs and desires or the “dark side” of my psyche . And just like t

For this journal, I have provided below poems as creative depictions of my chosen issues present in our society nowadays. Also, I used my personal experiences as basis for creating these poems from the social, economic, and political issues I have selected.  Palakasan in COVID-19 Vaccination Vaccination of the Selected People Vaccines are our way out of this pandemic; it is a must It should be made available to all, for it is just But the vaccination process seems to be not fine Because if you’re related to someone high-profile, you’ll go first on the line What will happen now to those who should be first? To students like me, whom face-to-face classes we thirst? My learnings will be put to risk; it can already be seen It feels like I’ll be waiting for a decade to receive a vaccine To those deserving should vaccination be administered Not to the authority’s relatives, whose slots were already reserved We agreed to “No palakasan,” it is for all But it turned out to be a vac

I'd like to start by stating that I only have one social media account - and that is Facebook! I really don't see the use of the likes of Instagram or Twitter because their functions could also be done on Facebook; hence, I don't use them. It's actually like minimalism in a way, hahaha! My Facebook Profile Picture Why did I set this as my Profile Picture? The number one reason why I have set this picture as my profile picture is simply because this is, for me, the most perfect depiction of myself and how I want others to perceive me in the digital world. There are a lot of things in this picture that say something about me. First is the frame I used which is the frame designated for the students of Saint Louis University – STELA under Bachelor of Secondary Education Major in English. It simply implies that I am a proud Louisian; I want to flaunt it to my digital world! Second, I think that, somehow, I look attractive in this picture (in my opinion). I admit to s

 My Most Prized Possessions These are my most prized possessions: my gadgets for online studying, my grooming/hygiene materials, clothes, and my pet dog! Reflection on my "Material Self" Seeing these possessions I have, I realized that my material self has a message for me to convey. It reminds me that I am so blessed by God. Not only do these reflect who I am but also manifest God’s love for me. I learned to accept these things I own as an extension of myself – especially my pet dog. My collection of clothes makes me feel satisfied while my grooming items attend to my most cathected body part – the face. Probably, losing maybe one of these stuffs I had will make me feel like something is missing in me. "How good something is should never be determined by its cost, designer, origin, or its perceived value by others."   - Ashly Lorenzana

  Dear 14-year old me, It’s been a while since I’ve taken a look back at you! Now, I have lots and lots of stuff to tell you about! Remember the time you got bullied because of the pimples and acnes on your face? Or how about that instance where everyone teased you for having a big butt? I saw how your self-esteem had been affected by all these things and how it led you to become ashamed of your own body. I really can’t blame you for that. Body image dissatisfaction had plagued you for a long time. But worry no more! I’m here to tell you that I have now learned to accept these things in a positive way. Don’t fret on those pimples! Through body adornment, like how I use facial wash for men, they will cease to multiply until you achieve a smooth-looking face like what I have now. Still thinking about what other people would say to your big butt? Don’t mind them! Just think of your butt as a blessing from God and an instrument of joy and laughter to others. Oh! I also remembered tha

 Let's have a little throwback of my past journal entries, shall we?  Journal Entry # 1: PLATO'S 3 ELEMENTS OF THE PSYCHE Journal Entry # 2: SENSE EXPERIENCE   Journal Entry # 3: MY STRONGEST SOCIAL INTEGRATION Journal Entry # 4: MY CULTURAL FAVORITES Journal Entry # 5: REAL SELF VS. IDEAL SELF My Short Reflection As I went through the different disciplinal perspectives of the self, I have encountered its contributions to me in terms of understanding my “self.” I have come to realize in the philosophical end that I have strengths and weaknesses which I've learned to acknowledge and accept in me. Moreover, my everyday experiences contribute to molding my “self” as well as my actions for “I am what I do.” I also got to understand the society I belong to and how it gives its share in the concept of my “self.” Friends, family, and my society as a whole were indeed vital in knowing that my self is embedded in the group I interact with, and not just an identity on its own.

 Upon reflecting on the idea of the real self and the ideal self by Carl Rogers, I have come up with these comparisons of my real self to my ideal self. I used Venn Diagrams for these. A Short Reflection Upon seeing these comparisons of my real and ideal self, I have come to realize that it is indeed perfectly fine to have an ideal self, just like what Rogers said, in contrast to that of Horney. For me, it serves as a motivation to try to reach the goals of the ideal self while still acknowledging the real self as still present. These two should co-occur in order for me to be a psychologically healthy person.  I still acknowledge the fact that some of these aspects of my real self is unchangeable, like my physical characteristics which I consider a gift from God. But the rest, like talents, achievements, career, and social life all have rooms for change and improvement. This further clarifies the essence of the real and ideal self -  that these two should overlap in order to avoid risi

 Creative Depictions My Favorite Family Tradition A horn being blown to signify the arrival of a King/Queen Let me give you first a brief background regarding this image. During the medieval period, in order to signify the arrival of a king or a royalty, a horn is being blown loudly. I have chosen this as a creative depiction of a favorite family tradition of mine since it has something to do with an arrival.  I consider as my favorite family tradition the arrival of my cousins working in Manila here in our hometown - Guimba, Nueva Ecija , to have a break from their busy lives. Their 3-day stay in our house marks a yearly tradition of other relatives' homecoming to welcome my cousins as well, followed by a bounty of food served on the table. The best part of this was the 2 nights of sleepovers with them (they usually leave for Manila during the third night). We all enjoy hours and hours of doing nothing but teasing each other and exchanging queries regarding different issues in our