Fastfood... my Savior!

Growing up, I always ate home-cooked meals.  My mother would always make sure that breakfast had either eggs (cooked to your liking), crisp bacon strips, freshly-baked muffins (sometimes toast), oatmeal from fresh oats, pancakes with maple syrup topped with butter or strawberries (or raspberries, my favorite).  What's for lunch?  Baked fish, steamed or stir-fried veggies, beef stew or pork chops -- these were all eaten with jasmine rice, the best white rice ever.  And dinner was always the meal we all look forward to.  This was where a major entree was served and the dessert was always delectable because my mother always came up with an original.


Then I went on to study outside town as a teenager.  I stayed in a dorm and the food was average compared to mother's cooking.  They took canned meat and mixed them with vegetables and called it "corned beef with vegetables soup" or "pork and beans with bokchoy leaves".  The weekends were days I always got excited because I would go home to my mother's cooking.


When I went on to college, that's when I did grow up.  My school was thousands of miles away from my home.  I was left on my own.  My parents just gave me an "allowance" that would pay for my expenses in school, transportation, and yes, food.  My world suddenly became so fast-paced and hectic.  I had study groups, out-of-town retreats, homework, projects, reports... I barely had time to socialize with my friends from high school.  Amidst all this chaos in my life, the daunting reality about food made my life even worse... I DID NOT KNOW HOW TO COOK!


After I survived the "denial" of this reality, which lasted for about 10 seconds, my love affair with fastfood began.  I discovered hamburgers, cheeseburgers, french fries, ice cream, frozen dinners, chips, chili fries, ramen, and Chinese food-to-go.  Fastfood saved me from starvation.  It has enabled me to cope with my lack of "cooking talent".


To this day, I continue to be grateful to MacDonald's, Carl's Jr., Jack-in-the-Box, Wendy's, Burger King, El Pollo Loco, KFC, Popeye's, just to name a few.  Also, thank you to the numerous Chinese fastfood joints.


I still do miss my mother's cooking...

Hello...

Hello... my name is Rowena Lejano.

I was born and raised in a small country in Asia -- the Philippines.  I went to schools (from elementary to College) that were run by nuns...that makes me a devout Catholic.  I did graduate in 1982 - Bachelor of Arts in Communication Arts.  Armed with a good education, I started out onto the "real world" in the hope of finding the perfect job for me.  I started as a College instructor (lasted for three months); advertising and promotions supervisor for a movie production company (18 months); and speech and presentation writer (three years).  I migrated to the United States in 1991 and just took on whatever job that I got accepted to -- bookkeeper, clerk, pharmacy technician, biller, marketing consultant, human rights representative, pharmacy supervisor, front-desk manager.

I am married now to the same sweet man for more than 23 years and we have three lovely boys who are now all above 21.  Job-wise, I have been working for St. John's Regional Medical Center in Oxnard as a pharmacy technician for more than three years now.  I am very happy at my job because it provides me with, not only, financial support but also it gives me this sense of personal satisfaction that I am able to provide health care to others.  There is this extraordinary self-gratifying feeling that what I do everyday means so much to somebody else.  This same thought carries me through in every day, especially on those days that are more physicaly stressful than others.

My daily goal is to be the best version of myself as I deal with whatever comes my way... professionally and personally.  In this commitment, I am in school, part-time, taking basic courses so that my brain stays "refreshed" thereby deferring any development of Alzheimer's disease, so to speak.  Kidding aside, I do want to pursue another career in healthcare, maybe nursing or radiology technology or healtcare administration.  Right now, I am taking pre-requisite courses.

Beside seeing my three boys settled in their own families and living their own lives as good citizens, my long time dream (ever since I was a little girl), is to have a school of my own.  I hope to realize this dream in the next 20 years.  I believe I have this innermost desire to mold young minds so they become positive forces in society.  I foresee this school to be located in the Philippines where a majority of kids are deprived of a good primary education.  I really hope to fulfill this journey hand-in-hand with my husband and leave on a legacy for my children and grandchildren.
 
As I live in this circle of life, I can say that my past defines how I deal with my present... and my present allows me to realize a future.