Hey, hey, hey! What a fantabulous day Hivers! First off, I would like to thank all of you for sparing your time here reading my very first blog. I can’t wait to share with you all the great things and the small wins that made me who and what I am today. My name is Jasper Jay Dionela, I am the eldest of the four siblings. I have a younger brother, and two younger sisters. I am a Capricorn, born on the 29th of December.
I am an extrovert who loves being around with people, loves going out to parties, and loves being the center of attention. Not that I intended to be, but my vibrant and flamboyant personality really stands out in a crowd. I am thirty-three years young, a licensed professional teacher by profession, a former high school teacher by passion, and currently a support ambassador of a BPO Company by choice.
As a Son and Student
Growing up as the eldest in the family, I already have the notion to be the bigger person to my siblings and to give way to my siblings. I should be the role model to my younger siblings as any eldest brother should be. I don’t know but my parents are lowkey putting pressure on me as they are already expecting me to be the best in everything that I do. With all this ideology in mind at a tender age, I strived hard to become an achiever. And so, I did. I was 5th honors in my kindergarten and also was awarded the politest student. A proud moment for my parents as they went on stage and don me my medal and pinned the ribbon in my left chest.
Well, that was just the start, I was first honors in my second grade, fourth honors in my fourth grade, and unfortunately, in my 5th and 6th grade, I failed to make it to the honors list. I felt like I only clinched the honors list when I was not in SPED-FAST section. The SPED-FAST section is like the section where honor students from other sections are being grouped together in the same class. So, it is like the best of the best or the top class. So, when you are an honor student in the SPED-FAST class, that means you really are smart.
In all honesty, I really did not feel smart during my elementary years as there were really a lot of gifted students in those years. You get lucky when you have an award such as most industrious, most punctual, most well-behaved, and the like. I could say that I was mediocre at best, not so smart but not dumb, just average. High school was different. You can be an honor student based on your performance, if you reached the average grade, you can be “with honors”. So, on that note, I was a “with honors” in my sophomore years and junior years.
Now here comes college, where I can definitely say that I have improved a lot. I could say that I am way smarter, compared to my high school and elementary years. I guess that the adage “you become wiser as you age” is really true. I got good grades in college, not to brag, but the lowest grade that I have is only 2.1 which is equivalent to 84.
As a Breadwinner
So, as the eldest, I had to make ends meet by applying for jobs. My very first job was being an ESL teacher. I taught English to Korean students; they go here in the Philippines to study. My training (demonstrations, reporting, debates etc.) during high school years really helped me a lot in improving my oral communication skills.
Back then in high school, being a call center agent was also my dream job. So, in 2013, I tried my luck in the BPO industry and alas, I landed my very first BPO job. I worked as a customer service representative at Teleperformance. Because of this, I was able to send my siblings to school and finish their studies.
As a Child
Photo credit from Google Maps
Photo credit from Google Maps
I was born and raised in the small barangay of La Purisima Concepcion in Bogo City, Cebu where the name of our barangay is the derived from the feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mama Mary which is celebrated every 8th of December, hence our fiesta celebration. I grew up with happy childhood in this neighborhood. I have a lot of happy childhood memories in this barangay where I grew up. I am a friend to almost all of my childhood neighbors. We would scavenge for iron scraps, plastic bottles, metal bars, and copper wirings, and collect them in a sack, and deliver them to scrap stores in exchange for money. Then we used that money to play video games, or buy pirated compact discs at a Muslim retail store.
Photo credits from Google Map
Photo credits from Gregy Romano's FB page
During summer days, I and my childhood friends always go swimming in our favorite creek, called “suba” or in our favorite beach in Banakod. This creek is situated in the mangrove thickets of Banakod where we would mingle, talk about everything, and play silly games. Some of my friends were very athletic, they would somersault on the branches of the trees and dive all the way down. Most of the time, we don’t ask permission from our parents, as asking permission would be tantamount to being grounded, so you end up being in your home getting jealous of your friends because they were having the best time of their lives in the beach or in the creek. So, we do our best to evade them. Then our parents would pick us up with sticks, belts, brooms, or slippers, waiting for our butts to be whipped.
My Hobbies
With the digital age comes different hobbies or pastimes. My hobbies are playing mobile legends, streaming on Netflix, drinking, and smoking. I am not the type of person who is really athletic, or outdoorsy, I just love staying in my room lying in bed while watching my favorite Netflix series. I believe as you mature, your hobbies change. Back when I was still young, my hobbies are swimming, climbing trees to collect fruits, playing in the streets, catching fish in the creeks, scavenging for metal scraps in exchange for money, and so on. You tend to be more energetic and athletic in your younger years. And as you age, your body can only do so much, that’s why nowadays, I spend most of my time indoors−relaxing and just having the time of my life.
So, What Made Me Do Blogging?
Back then, I was really not fond of writing. My penchant for writing was only developed when I was in college. I had a subject or a course on campus journalism, it piqued my interest in writing, and I immediately loved it. My instructor in this subject really helped me hone my writing skills specifically in the field of feature writing, and sports writing. That’s when I discovered that I also have the talent in writing.
Who Made Me Join Hive?
The one who introduced me to Hive was my close friend @heyitsjian. We have known each other since college days. She actually messaged me on Messenger and asked if I was interested to join the Hive. She knew that I would love it since I am very fond of writing, so here I am today writing my very first blog. I figured, why not earn an extra income for doing something you love doing, right?
Expectations from Hive
I am expecting that Hive would not only hone the writing skills of its bloggers, but also takes care of them and treats them with respect and candor. I am expecting to be able to express myself in this platform free from any prejudice or discrimination.
What Can I Contribute To Hive?
What I can contribute is my willingness to improve my writing skills, eagerness to learn new things from other people, and creating blogs that foster positivity and optimism that instill a valuable lesson to the readers. I would like to impart my creative ideas in order to improve the platform if need be.
How Do I See Myself In A Couple Of Years Being In Hive?
I see myself as one of the facilitators in conducting orientation to aspiring writers like me having written a lot of blogs that would inspire people from different walks of life that no matter what happens, there is always hope and that if you pray hard and work hard, God will always provide when everything seems to be hopeless. I would also like to see myself as a successful writer in the future.
As part also of my commitment and dedication to Hive, I have managed to attend the orientation held at Purok Ecology, Bible Baptist Church in Naga City, Cebu despite being so tired and sleepy, since I went straight to the orientation right after my work. Here are some snippets:
Photo credit by @intoy.bugoy
What a productive day indeed! I would also like to thank @chimegipamus for the mouth-watering lunch she has prepared for us. To my ses @heyitsjian for this wonderful opportunity. To @intoy.bugoy for the guidance and tips. I look forward for the great things in stored for me here at Hive. Thank you.