When my cohort members and I were admitted into our doctoral program, conscientiousness* happened to be one of the personality traits for which we tested and that we studied in our leadership theories literature. It comes from the (1b) Big Five psychometric assessment that uses the “OCEAN” acronym:
Openness (or Originality)
*Conscientiousness (or Consolidation)
Extroverion ~ I’ve also consistently tested high for this in the (2) Myers-Briggs (as an ENFJ for Extraversion • Intuition • Feeling • Judging) both when I took it as a psych minor for my undergrad and again in doc school
Agreeableness (or Accommodation)
Neuroticism (or Emotional Instability) ~ the reverse of this attribute as leaders and doc students is ideal to deal
According to the (1a) instrument provided by my doctoral degree program, someone who is conscientious is “achievement”-oriented and “self-disciplined” ~ so this implies that conscientiousness involves intentions (definitely something for which I strive).
Currently, my conscientiousness has stuck with me through school ~ as both a scholar and an educator!
If it (Quality magazine) won’t speak to me, it won’t speak to them.
~ Ms. Prescott, Editor-in-Chief
D for
Down * Dreary * Dull * Depressing * Dismal and * Deadly
Banish the Black * Burn the Blue * Bury the Beige
Think pink * Red is dead * Blue is through * Green‘s obscene * Brown’s too boo
Now I know that my advisor wasn’t trying to flatter me, but her acknowledgment meant encouragement … of the ♥heart.
I challenge you fellow servants and leaders to consider which personality traits that you have in order to enhance your strengths and improve from your weaknesses!
Oldham, J. M., & Morris, L. B. (1995). The new personality self-portrait: Why you think, work, love, and act the way you do. New York, NY: Bantam Books.
Facing east for the moon rise from my backyardgarden … Just another West Texas Friday night!
As much as ☼summer☼ is my favorite season (after all, that’s when my birthday takes place), I’m making the most out of autumn ~ especially going outside for crisp, fresh air!
Our Holy Father has spread joy & hope all around the world leading up to his World Meeting of Families | Courtesy ABC‘s Pope Francis & the People special
¡Biénvenidos, Padre!
“Don’t walk alone, always be encouraged. Walk with courage. Courage gives you joy, and joy gives you hope. Always move with courage, and always move with hope. Ask GOD for these.” ~ Pope Francis tells young girl in Spanish (this translated message transcends to all of us) … Similarly, Bishop Mike advised me to always look at the †cross† to refresh my soul with new hope, ♥love♥ and trust. | Courtesy ABC‘s Pope Francis & the People special
As Pope Francis journeys on his well-anticipated trip to America (Philly to D.C. to NYC)
Pope Francis has addressed the *U.S. Congress* | Courtesy ABC‘s Pope Francis & the People special
Pope Francis has connected with my previous home: el Valle | Courtesy ABC‘s Pope Francis & the People special
We also must consider how we take care of ourselves, in terms of our own †spiritual† health.
Pope Francis lifted up this young man’s spirits for taking care of his family | Courtesy ABC‘s Pope Francis & the People special
Lately, I’ve reflected on my self-centered tendencies and been praying to be relieved of them in order to put my life in GOD’s hands. This hasn’t been easy. Fortunately, more messages have reminded me to get more †spiritually-fit.
Has this already been part of our genetic disposition* or is this something that we can learn**?
CourtesyUnited States Conference of Catholic Bishops
Maryknoll‘s Father Finch uses a molecule metaphor about our spirituality already being part of our †souls, from the Holy Spirit to uncover GOD’s mysteries. By following these “spiritual† genetic instructions,” we serve and leadfaithfully.
en español | CourtesyUnited States Conference of Catholic Bishops
**Spiri†ual Bootcamp
First, we must make sure that we maintain our religious practices for the mind:
Bearing in mind and ♥heart♥ all of the above advice plus last week’s scripture, I realize now more than ever that I’m no better than anyone else in the way that I treat others and ought to be treated; after all, as said every Ash Wednesday:
For you are dust, and to dust you shall return. ~ Genesis 3:19
That being said, let’s follow the Pontiff‘s solid guidance to seek from GOD: courage –> joy –> hope ~ as I’ve studied this leadership practice for several years:
Encourage the ♥Heart♥
CourtesyMaryknoll
Spiritual Sources
ABC. (2015, Sept. 4). “Pope Francis and the People.” [TV special].
EWTN. (2014). Women of Grace “Marian Devotion: For Such a Time As This.”*
Finch, Fr. Raymond J. (2015, Sept. 20). Reflections from Maryknoll.** [Email].
My tiny tea cup cat’s fave hot spots: the windows! Here she is at the window behind my piano peering out into our garden…
Part of our backyard view complete with lush green grass (most definitely the best-mani on the block, hands down)! We’re enjoying the summer ☼sun☼ while we can before autumn officially starts soon. After receiving more precipitation at the ½way point this year following our previous full year’s totals, I wonder how much we’ll get next season?
Now that football season has kicked off, this sports spirituality book will do just the trick to keep my soul on a roll while I keep working on my own sports study (been investing 12-15h/day on it lately ~ ’til this weekend so I could focus on my Church readings)!
†Fathers† on either side of this †Sister! The one to my right was my student my very first semester!
The †Bishop† in this photo is the father of my student above and a ✌fellow✌ PhD candidate, and the †Father† in this photo is a ✌fellow✌ Pinoy!
Pinoys ‘R Us … The ✌fellow✌ Pinays are mother and daughter, and the daughter was a soloist in our Tosca performance plus is a recording Christian artist now!
double-duty edibles ~ such as coconut oil to substitute fatty oils in recipes plus is my favorite hair conditioner and also moisturizes skin, as well as removes makeup (according to The Sweet Life)
handy healthy snacks (not fast food) ~ such as apples, grapes (I dig mine fresh or frozen), pears ~ the pear or apple crisp can trigger brain juice flow, don’t ya know #DISPObustAFlow
chill your coffee ~ since I don’t drink as much for heartburn prevention, I store the rest in the fridge until the next day
tote reusable containers ~ mine from Starbucks saves me 10-cents per use and conserves resources (great for my next craving, this flavor-of-the-day: the Salted Caramel Mocha Frappuccino to redeem my latest Gold Card Reward*)
My everything store is Target because it offers decent prices on clothing ~ including my designer collablimited editions ~ as well as home goods, some groceries, and is my personal fave place for gift registries
You too can check out these Target en Vogue** photos by scoring a copy and scanning with your Shazam app
Lately, my pleasure reading getaways have been simpler to prevent brain burnout (i.e., pictures for eye candy) ~ so no information overload in this rotation
stay fit as you suds up ~ stretch (with caution) as you reach for body parts to clean, and if you’re seated during a bath, I strongly suggest doing water pilates (think table top position with head and feet raised for resistance as you move)
No believer is ever too busy to †pray† ~ even if we can’t take a ½ hour or full hour to meditate, at least devote a few to several minutes or even †pray† before, during and/or after your activities (my Rosary begins my days, and playing the ♪song♫ jump-starts it!)
* Rewards = another way to $ave (discount$ & FREEbie$)
These guidelines will save you in the long one ~ not only for the aforementioned reasons, but also from embarrassment (i.e., killer breath, B.O.) if you run into someone later… We don’t want to be Finch from the American Pie movies who had to go home from school every time he had to release his macchiato! You’re welcome. ✌
During our ☼Sunday☼ brunch, we reminisced about my own grandparents, my parents’ parents, and since Papa Jun pointed out an article that he came across in the ☼Sunday☼ paper about older figures influencing the youth, I realized some of the attributes that I’ve acquired from each of my grandparents:
Then when we had our merienda, Papa Jun mentioned how his own paternal grandfather told him stories about how he and his eldest son/my dad’s oldest uncle on Papa Ped‘s side served in the Philippine Army together during WWII, when Japan invaded our native Philippines ~ during which my paternal great-grandfather and my oldest paternal great-uncle had survived the brutal Bataan March as they looked out for one another to dodge the Japanese’s weapons. Listening to my father’s account brought me greater admiration for him and the military heroes of our family from generations before and after.
†GOD† bless all ♥Grandparents♥ and our *Military Heroes* ✌ …
& Go, *Dallas Cowboys* who kick off their regular NFL season in ☼Sunday☼ Night Football!
However, my motivation to not shed pounds may somewhat have to do with vanity as some who wish to slim down. While I’ll still tone up and didn’t mind once upon a time when I may have been to-an-extent slim ‘n’ trim/light and tight (yet always curvy ~ even at size 0) ~ I prefer to glorify what GOD gave me, inside and out…
Now I’m not saying that I want to be identified with the likes of celeb beauties complete with their bodacious assets:
Yet I’m more about maximizing my physical fitness potential in what I have than investing efforts on minimizing it. Here are a handful of reasons why:
I actually feel more happy and confident when I’m not going out of my way to limit my eating portions and excessively (once-referred-to-as religiously) exercising ~ I’m not depriving myself, so I’m not moody or irritable
I’m simply cool and comfy in my own skin ~ I’m not trying to be a sex symbol just because I refuse to reduce my blessings of endowment through an abundance of ♥cardio♥ (which simply relieves stress for me nowadays)
I wish to stick with what makes me a woman ~ GOD created me this way, and I’ll take care of this temple to the best of my ability (an added boost from The Sweet Life also helped)
I must take advantage of having this soft yet stocky build while I’m still younger ~ I’ve seen the effects that aging (such as osteoporosis) has had on all of my grandparents☼ and more recently my parents
Yes, I’m keeping it real. I’d much rather keep my T&A any day than give up my lovely lady lumps & rump bumps. #DISPObustAFlow
Now, onto the nitty gritty part of this segment that doesn’t make me happy but in hopes that it may help: I’m addressing heartburn’s
symptoms
solution attempts
speculations of causes
Last Labor Day weekend, despite putting in a full time job’s week-worth of hours on my dissertation
Heartburn reared its ugly head in my tummy
For those of you who’ve experienced heartburn, indigestion, acid reflux or GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease), I’m sure that you can empathize with me in terms of those unwanted abdominal aches and pains.
My Heartburn (and Similar Symptoms) History
After visiting my paternal grandmother, my beloved ☼Mama Eufemia‘s death bed (during which I reached the utmost humility by bathing her once-healthy-turned scrawny body), only to return to the Bay to bury her a couple of weeks later, I went back home to wrap up my students’ first summer session and prepared myself to take my second round out of three written candidacy comprehensive examinations for my PhD (I already took my leadership test, had my management next, followed by my research then my oral/spoken exams to become a PhD candidate) ~ the night before test day, I felt sharp sensations along the left side of my chest, and upon consulting my sister, a RN-turned nurse practitioner, she wondered whether I was having a heart attack, so I checked into the ER and (eventually) was diagnosed with and treated for GERD … Since I had an overnight stay in the hospital, I didn’t make it to my exam and was able to make it up
Before and during most of my menstrual cycles these past couple of years, I tend to cramp way more considerably, coupled with dull crumminess between my breastbone and waist ~ double trouble unpleasant combination
After Mami Aya cooked her special scrumptious southwest chili a week ago and took our family to Miguel’s Mex Tex for my Airman cousin’s birthday, I underwent the infamous inflammation that lasted several days and led to sleepless and vomit-induced= nights *yikes*
My Heartburn Attack
Chili Ziti: This hearty recipe combined with penne regate, boasts healthy goodness, including ~ wait for it …SQUASH! {YUM} I love the spice, but unfortunately, my tummy didn’t.
Loosen my clothing* to prevent confinement when I already felt like I was going to burst (into flames) *ouch*
Pop in those TUMS (I dig the Smoothie and Tropical Fruit flavors) ~ NO more than 6/day ~ I, of course, wouldn’t want to be chemically dependent on quick-fix pills
Chew chicle**+ (gum *yum*)
Consume calcium ~ like drink milk or eat yogurt (I’m partial to Dannon Activia)
Consume aloe vera+ ~ I’m all about this (I personally love Alo-Drink)
Drink lemon-infused water (I’ve done this yet wonder how it matches up with the next tip, as it has citric acid)
Avoid heartburn triggers, such as: caffeine (there goes my coffee and tea); chocolate** (see y’all later, my Nutella, candy and cookies); fatty*** (e.g., fried) food (until next time, my smiley eggs, among other YOLOs); spicy*** food (adíos, my Mexican comida); tomatoes** (say it ain’t so, my Italian cuisine), other acidic content and alcohol** (so much for drinking to help me snooze smoothly)
Stand or sit up straight* instead of slouch ~ so my stomach doesn’t slosh all of those acids
Sleep in an elevated position*** ~ with my head and torso raised, possibly with wedge pillow(s) (laying down flat only leads to more pain)
Sleep on my left side** to alleviate bowel movement in my intestines
Last resort: =up-chuck/throw up/hurl/barf (most definitely not my favorite ~ especially since I’m not one to binge and purge ~ yet absolutely vital to relieve myself of toxins)
Overall, adjust my lifestyle to only include some of my fave foods that trigger heartburn at a minimum level.
The Mini Ravioli & Breadstick are from Trader Joe’s!
My Heartburn (and Related) Causes’ Guesses
I kept my stress bottled up and felt like I needed to explode ~ losing my last surviving grandparent with whom I was close while studying for the biggest test of my life at the time was a real low point; the events that followed all involved my new form of test anxiety: my dissertation
With the exception of my time of the month, the other events ~ that ranged from moderate to severe levels ~ all involved me indulging in YOLOs (wild wings, battered [_fill-in-the-blank_] topped off full of spicy flavor, to be exact)
Let’s face it: chowing down on crazy combinations doesn’t suit my bod very well ~ hence feeling bloated on the inside and like all of my clothes fit tightly on the outside
Welcome/Mabuhay/¡Biénvenidos! I am a USAF brat who was born in Germany and grew up State-side while celebrating my Catholic and Filipino heritage. ☼Sunny☼ DISPOsition Elaine’s Eye Candy/DISPhotos ~ I love GOD & His creations, so I take photos @ any given opportunity. Elaine DISPOrts ~ I am passionate about sports, which is my research focus on my ... Continue reading →
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