This compass has a lot of sentimental value on top of it being an antique. It used to belong to a family friend who fought in World War 2. But I also had this compass with me during my first Awakening retreat. To me, it symbolized my life taking off in a new direction. My journey in 2014 was a lot more interior than exterior. It wasn’t until July that I realized that. I spent the year looking for exterior... Read more
One of my favorite movies to watch this time of year is It’s a Wonderful Life. But I’ll tell you a secret: I really cringe at the part where George Bailey sees what his life would be like if he was never born. Not only because I find the fact that Mary’s worst case scenario is that she’s an old maid, but because I tend to get uncomfortable at the sight of angst. I know that conflict is what drives... Read more
Today is Taylor Swift’s birthday. Little known fact: Taylor Swift is exactly one month older than me. She was born December 13, 1989. I was born on January 13, 1990. This isn’t the first time I talked about Taylor Swift on this blog and it probably won’t be my last. Here are the Top 13 Reasons Why I Love Taylor Swift. Why Top 13? Because 13 is her lucky number (as well as mine). She writes all of her songs.... Read more
June was the month when I started trying new things. I started taking walks as part of creating an exercise routine. I went on a diet. I was writing a lot of poetry this year and June was a time when I was compiling them together. I was a group leader for my church’s Vacation Bible School. And with all the new things I was doing, I was starting to not recognize myself. Or rather, started seeing different parts of... Read more
May was a majorly awesome month for many things, but one thing stands out even now: Comicpalooza. This picture will forever be my favorite picture from Comicpalooza. The only thing I regret was not holding my right arm high enough so the stake could really be seen in the picture. This is one of those pictures that is actually worth a thousand words. The last time I went to a convention was in college for anime-related cons. I went with... Read more
April began with me getting over my disappointment in shows I didn’t want to watch anymore. I also met with my spiritual director while attending a vocations-related event. I spent time with my friends preparing for another Awakening retreat in September. But the coolest thing that happened during the month of April was when I traveled to California for my cousin’s 18th birthday party. In Filipino culture, a girl’s 18th birthday is the equivalent of the American Sweet 16. The last time... Read more
The theme of the second week of Advent is peace. Peace seems to be something a lot of people talk about but not do, especially lately. And the news and people involved in these events advocate peaceful protesting, but on the other side of the fence, there are always rumors that even the peaceful protesters are being targeted. Why is it that, for all the talk about following Dr. Martin Luther King’s legacy, the idea of non-violence seems to be swept aside... Read more
I love the holiday season. I really do. But even a nostalgia lover like me has her limits. So, following the example of 2 of my favorite internet critics, I am going to list my Top 12 Least Favorite Christmas Songs. This is a subjective list. If you like the songs, I won’t hold it against you. 12)”I Saw Three Ships.” I am a stickler for lyrics (most of the time) and I just don’t get the lyrics of this song.... Read more
March was the beginning of Lent. My Lenten resolution was to pray the Liturgy of the Hours and the Examen and to do a series of Lenten blog posts. Due to a confidentiality agreement, I can’t go into detail as to what I did during the young adult retreat I staffed at, but I will talk about what I learned there. (Yes, even staff members learn things from retreats. Who knew?) One thing I learned from staffing a retreat is that... Read more
February is associated with love. I’ve written on this blog about how there are many types of love and for this photo reflection, I’ll talk about how I experienced each of the Four Loves (as named by my favorite author, CS Lewis). Storge: Although Storge is more associated with family, the definition of storge is affection. Once a week, I teach Catechism to a class full of kids in my parish. One little moment that I felt stood out for me... Read more
Monique Ocampo Writes
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