Mabuhay! I am JJ Sum

Please let me introduce myself.

“Everything happens for a reason.” — This is my motto in life. And I believe that there is somehow a good reason.. No, a great reason why I write and why here on Medium.

How did I end up here on Medium?

I am from the Philippines. If you know it so well, you may be wondering how I got myself into the Medium Partner Program when Stripe is not available in my country. Well, a very generous and intelligent friend of mine who is also a Medium member found a way to help me use Stripe even if I am living in one of Stripe’s unsupported countries.

Many thanks to Elvie Lins for her resourcefulness and methodical character. If it were not for her, I would not be enjoying the pleasure of reading all the well-thought-out and interesting stories on this platform. Plus, the chance to showcase my stories as well!

About Me

I am afraid that you may only get disappointed because there is not much going on in my life that is interesting. I am a typical mother of three handsome boys aged 12, 10, and 9. I am a Part-time ESL tutor to Japanese English learners. I have been doing this since 2013 and I really enjoy it. As a side hustle, I do research work and data entry jobs. However, due to high competition, I do not get clients these days. This is not a big deal for me though because I want to focus on my family and my new hobbies, reading and writing this time.

Realizations

At first, I was hesitant to write because I could not think of something worthy to share, something that is true and genuine. I do not have a lot of extraordinary life experiences like most of you here. I did not go to a prestigious university. I have only traveled abroad once. I do not have a lot of friends. I do not socialize. I am nobody.

Later on, I realized even famous authors did not have personal experiences to publish their novels or poems. How gruesome would Edgar Allan Poe’s life be if he had experienced what he described in his macabre and mysterious tales? Well, we really do not know for sure.

Definitely, it is not just about having specific life experiences. It is not just about age either. It is also about one’s skill and passion. The skill to imagine how to put emotions into words and relate them to others. The passion to do research and dig deeper to fully understand and be able to share your discovery with others.

Of course, life experiences are a great impact on one’s writing. After this pandemic is over, I am going to enjoy life more hopefully by traveling and welcoming new people into my life. So that is the reason! Being here has made me realize that there is more to life than staying in my comfort zone. To try new things and not be scared to engage with others.

Finishing Touches

Special thanks to Dr Mehmet Yildiz for challenging new writers like me to do the key 15 action items that can help us achieve our goals in the next 100 days.

I am diligently taking the actions step by step and this is just the third. It is getting more fun as I finished and moved to another step.

I am so happy to be here! I am glad to be part of this growing platform and in this welcoming publication ILLUMINATION, and read stimulating stories and poems from great writers from different parts of the world.