My name is Jam Chan-Cua, a 28-year old, mom to a beautiful baby girl. Iβve been married for almost 2 years already to an amazing husband, and we just moved into our new home about eight months ago. Moving in has been such a crazy, fun, and exciting experience for me! Imagine all the opportunities to decorate, which is why I have been on full home styling mode for the longest time already. Itβs my current passion, among other things I’m in love with!
I know what youβre thinking. Ano βtong new blog na βto? Well, this is me coming out of my shell to share a little about myself, in the hopes of inspiring you to do the same! But first, hereβs a slice of how I got to where I am, and how Iβm constantly growing and learning, and hoping to be better everyday!
I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A DOCTOR!
Yes, you read that right. I was supposed to be a doctor. I actually graduated with honors in BS Psychology from DLSU. So, why didnβt it push through? Well, life has a way of piecing stuff together. I come from a traditional Chinese family, with my mom and dad, and their 2 girls and 2 boys. My sister went off to become a lawyer, and the boys were going to be managing our family businesses. Sadly, my little brother passed away from Leukemia even after a lot of effort for him to recover. This led my parents to ask me to help out in the business instead of pursuing medicine to become a doctor. Looking back, my dad would always say that he saw potential in me.
This change in career path was a blessing in disguise. I learned a lot from my parents, like A LOT. You see my mom was in retail. She has about seven stores nationwide, in Manila, Cebu, and Davao. Her business was all about furniture, mattresses, the works. I worked with my mom right after college, and it was the beginning of my entrepreneurial journey. I worked my way up by dealing with everyone. Right from working in the warehouse, then marketing, operations, and then dealing with suppliers. Ginawa ko lahat from end to end to learn the ropes of the business. So naturally, I also worked with my dadβs company. In fact, I started doing marketing work for my dadβs business after a while.
I was always asking, βWhy? Why is it like that?β
Growing up, I was kind of pilosopo for all the funny and annoying reasons because I always asked, βWhy?β. I questioned a lot of things, from how things were done, to reasons why I couldnβt do what I wanted to do. Sometimes, people thought I was too frank or disrespectful, but Iβm not! I just always loved knowing the story behind things, and trying my luck, risking failure. Individuality was my thing. I believe that people are supposed to make mistakes on their own, so they can learn. If you wonβt fail, how will you learn, βdi ba?
I believe that people are supposed to make mistakes on their own, so they can learn. If you wonβt fail, how will you learn, βdi ba?
So, about four years ago, I started working for my dadβs business, which is in the wholesale industry for lighting, other home products, and industrial furnishings. I was so exposed to a high pressure environment, but my parents were always there. But I always knew I was meant to be different, to make my parents proud, and to achieve self-fulfillment. My mom was my best teacher. Everything I know now, she taught me. My dad naman has always been a big supporter of my dreams. And thatβs exactly why I keep trying, failing, learning, and moving forward.
Paano ba mag-balance ng work and life situations?
I was never afraid of taking risks. Our parents can sometimes be very protective of what theyβve built, which is understandable. But I also know that thatβs just how business works. You have to take risks. Being a part of our family businesses taught me to work hard to protect their legacy, but also at the same time, be ambitious enough to build myself my own identity. For women like me, this is something we always face. βDi ba thereβs always that push and pull whether or not to pursue being a businesswoman or stay at home mom, or focus somewhere else. I know this too well because I too had to go on an early break from my maternity leave. My pregnancy was delicate, so working can be pretty hard. But, that wasnβt going to stop me!
I super get it. I know the situations that women can be in in this competitive work-life balance. But, Iβm here to say that yes, itβs possible! Itβs the 21st century, and we have a lot of communication opportunities at our disposal. Women can do it all. Just because a woman is pregnant, doesnβt mean she canβt take responsibilities anymore. I get it, though! Syempre we need to take care of ourselves too.
Embrace being a modern woman!
This is all about fulfillment. Yes, I am pregnant, and I had to take a break from work. But here I amβstarting a blog, studying an interior design course online. And my hope is that this inspires other women to do the same! Self-fulfilment can come from a lot of thingsβwork, your own business, living up to your dreams, ang dami ng possibilities! This is me sharing the possibility of being happy with what you do, because if not, it will eat us up from inside.
I didnβt study architecture or interior design, but here I am pursuing this passion to be shared. I started interior styling for the retail stores, and Iβm currently the creative director of House of Ital in Uptown Mall. I curate all the products myself, and I design my stores with a team of designers from our company. You see, design shouldnβt be intimidating. It was a struggle for me at first, but then my I learned to just embrace it. Home styling for me will always be a form of investment. After all, your home should speak your personality.
Bye, insecurities!
My blog is your haven to speak your mind, no judgment! From home styling to of course my love for beauty and fashion. Try to ask any of my friends and for sure, they will tell you just how much I adore beauty and fashion. I super love buying the latest, mixing up classic pieces, and really creating a style of my own. This is why I always say that if I werenβt in business, for sure Iβm working for a magazine or a makeup artist. And because I really love all these things, I naturally wanted to start a blog, ever since! Actually, dati ko pa gusto, but I was just really scared about what other people would think or say about me. This is where all my passions, creative outputs, and inspirations will be in.
Iβve always been quite insecure about how people will judge me or talk about my work, but then again I realized that bit by bit, I will work it out! I know that there are a lot of other women out there who share the same problems. I want to learn from other people, and I hope they learn a lot from me too! Iβve got friends who push me to overcome my insecurities and start my blog, so here I am ready to do just that.
Whatβs next?
You can expect a mix of posts here in my blog. Articles, photos, videos, everything that will really represent women empowerment, design, style, and beauty. So, feel free to look around. Drop me a comment below, and share away!
24 Comments
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