I stumbled upon a quote which I felt has a very timely message and I would like to share it to all of you today. It is originally in Latin and is by a famous Roman Stoic philosopher named Lucius Annaeus Seneca or simply known as Seneca. It says,

Quam bene vivas refert non quam diu.

When translated in English, it means...

It is how well you live that matters, not how long.

This one really resonated hard with me. Over the past years, I saw people passed on—young and old, rich and poor, healthy and sick. I slowly understood how our journey here on earth ends at various timelines and this is something we can't control. We might live long to see our grandchildren or might not even make it. Who knows? Nobody can really tell.

Yet, you know the only thing we can control? It's how well we live this life that we are fortunate to have and how we make the most of our time here.

Dear friends, I hope this truth is enough reminder for us to live a life that matters—a life that we can be proud of when we look back into it one day. Every new day is a privilege for us to do something worthwhile and a chance for us to make a difference in ourselves and in the lives of the people around us.

It doesn't have to be one daily grand gesture but doing little things like being kind to someone you meet on the street or telling your family how much you love them or spending quiet time with yourself—the list is endless but these little things can collectively make an impact.

I know things will not always be perfect, we won't always make the best decisions every time and we would probably mess up once in a while and that's okay. We're humans after all. But while we still wake up each morning, I hope we find the courage to start over and try again. I hope that we find the acceptance to let go of the things that are not meant for us. I hope we find the motivation and the right mindset to only pursue the things that really matter.

And when our journey here comes to an end and we get to see the preview of our lives right before our very eyes, I hope each of us can tell ourselves you did well. :)

2019:Grit

*Dear self, I hope you write more this year. Please bring life back to this once happy place.*

Hi everyone! I am back after spending the last few months trying to get myself together. You may know from my last post how I fell into depression due to work reasons and how I was able to get back up again through my personal faith. With God's grace, I am about to start a new job in a few weeks - an exciting new chapter in my career.

Anyhow, belated happy new year friends!!! Well it's the first day of Lunar New Year here in Hong Kong so technically, I am still on time, right? ;) Today, let's talk about the word that I aim my 2019 to sum up to: GRIT.

Grit in reference to behaviour is generally defined as firmness of character. This positive trait is a product of perseverance and passion to achieve a long term goal. It is also closely related to resilience which is one's ability to quickly get up after a crisis. If we pay more attention to build our grit, we will be able to to follow through our goals, no matter how daunting and at times, impossible it may seem.

Going back to 2019 and grit, well, to be honest, I don't think I am the most persevering person in terms of long term goals. I have always been the go-with-the-flow type. But this year, I am hoping to change that. It is high time to work on those long-term goals with a gritty attitude if we want to fully succeed. With success comes hardships; if we falter upon the very first road block then we will probably be stuck there forever. Who wants that? I sure don't!

image source

Friends, the concept of grit is also fairly new to me. I am still trying to learn it myself. If like me, you are interested to know more, there are lots of resources online that teaches how we can develop our grit. This year, let's aim to be (more) gritty! For sure, our future selves will thank us.

That's it for me today. I wish you all fruitful and happy 2019! See you on my next ramble! :)

Guess it's HELLO 23!

Hello first post of 2015! I have been busy and lazy. :D

So, two days from now, that's March 14, I'm gonna celebrate my 23rd birthday!

Wait, what? 23? Really, I'm turning 23?!

It feels like a breeze! Looking back at those memories that happened a few years back, it seems like it all just happened yesterday. High school and college graduation, my first day at work, my transfer to another company, my travels - most of the memories are quite vague now, all I know is that many things have happened in almost 23 years of my existence. 

The Wanderlust Within

I am so many things, a wanderlust being one of them. Wanderlust according to our friend Wikipedia, "is a strong desire for or impulse to wander or travel and explore the world". It is not until 2012 that I had discovered my desire to travel. Back then, the idea of going somewhere far seemed like a distant star. Thank God for having a job, I can now fund my travels.

Forgiveness

"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you." ~Luke 6:27-28 NIV

When someone hurts us, most often than not our initial reaction would be to strike back, take revenge - perfectly like in the movies. But I have learned that the best way to handle it is to forgive and pray for the person because that will bring you peace and will stop the vicious cycle of hate and apathy. We are only passing in this world, cultivating hatred and revenge in our hearts will bring us no good.

My Tampered Bus Ticket

Hello friends! How's your day been? Mine actually didn't started well as I have this very frustrating experience which I will share with you today. This is actually regarding my experience with a certain conductor in a Green Star bus I rode from San Juan to EDSA Ortigas earlier this morning. 

The story goes like this:

I waited for a bus around 7:40AM at Pinaglabanan. Along came this Green Star bus with plate number UVK-468. I boarded, sat and waited for the conductor to take my fare. Everything was usual, me giving the money and this kuya conductor giving me the change and the ticket. I have this habit of checking if the value of the ticket is exact so after a few moments I went on to check the ticket he gave. At first glance, one will find it normal as the big 12.00B is very much readable. We only pay the minimum for the trip so I thought nothing's wrong.  However, I was quite uneasy with the it because it was a little crampled and I saw folded lines already. New tickets are usually smooth and firm. I took a second hard look and voila! Just as my instinct dictated, the ticket was really tampered. If you look at the picture below, you will find the words "TWO PESOS" below 12.00B. I realized that the 12.00B was traced with a pink ballpen and the "1" in "12" was just handwritten. Pretty clever!

With the observations I made, I was firm with my decision to confront kuya conductor as I don't like the idea of us passengers paying right for our fare and not getting exact values for our tickets. That is really unfair you know. So, I waited for him to pass by again and when he did, I told him that the ticket he gave me was tampered because it only says TWO PESOS. You know what he just said, "12 pesos yan eh!", then walked past me hastily. He just literally brushed me off! With his actions, I knew he was guilty - guilty of cheating me, his past victims and even his mother company. I know this is not the first time he did this to his passengers and most people would not notice if they don't bother enough to check if their tickets are valid and not tampered. 

Before alighting the bus, I talked to him again, showing the ticket and told him "Two pesos lang to kuya. Irereklamo kita.". Then I continued to walk but I made sure to take a look at the bus' plate number (so I was able to mention it above). Ha! You think I will not stand up against this trickery huh? Well, this post is my protest.

Php 12.00 maybe just a small amount but if we always let this small act of cheating go unnoticed and these people not reprimanded, it will surely create more trouble in the future. Remember the left and right news about corruption in our country today? Well these kinds of actions are precursors. I'm not trying to be righteous here. All I just want is to remind all of us that honesty is still the best policy. If we can't be honest on small things, how much more with the big ones?

As for you kuya conductor, I hope you will realize one day how wrong your actions are. You didn't only cheated, you also lied. Just deny and deny eh? I feel so sorry for you. I'm really annoyed and I will not hide that.

P.S. I'm so sorry Green Star if I have to mention you. For sure not all of your conductors are as bad as this one but I hope you always instill the value to honesty in you workers. And it's not just me that was cheated here, you were surely cheated also. :)

Mantra: Speak Words of Kindness

Growing up, I have become very much quick-tempered. I get angry easily even on small matters like messy beds and dusty floors. I usually express my frustration and impatience through anger that leads me to hurt those people I value with the very words that come from my mouth. Mind you, I can be very harsh when I get angry even up to the point of cursing already. And as the saying goes, regrets come last. Whatever I say, I can never take back the damage if it's already done.

Thus, I come to a resolve - to practice this mantra: SPEAK WORDS OF KINDNESS. I've been telling myself this over and over since last Sunday after hearing a beautiful homily in the church. Instead of getting angry immediately, I try to take a deep okay, very deep breath - inhale exhale; then I remind myself of my said mantra. By this, I am taming and reminding myself to be careful in my words. I know incorporating this in my being will take a lot of time but I will try my very best to better myself.

I would like to share this with all of you too. Always speak words of kindness my friends because if we  allow goodness to reign in our words, we can make this world a better place for all of us in one way or another. Now let's start it with our very own words.

God bless us all! :)

A Reminder To Hid: LOOK UP

"This media we call social is anything but, when we open our computers and it’s our doors we shut..."

I was browsing through 9gag.tv for some entertainment when I came across this video entitled "Look Up" where Gary Turk is talking about the cons of being too immerse in social media. Since it conveys a very good message, I would like to share it with you guys. Please take time to watch until the end and together let us examine ourselves. :)

P.S. Credits to Mr. Gary Turk of  www.garyturk.com

What I Do When I'm Feeling Blue

Today has been a rough day for me. There are so many things going on right now.

 Each of us has a unique way of combating loneliness. What I'd usually do when I feel sad or lonely is to read inspiring quotes or find something to eat or just look at the trees to make to me feel better. But I think the weirdest and vainest thing I do is to look at my pictures, the ones where I'm smiling. Yes, I do that a lot when I feel blue. A picture can paint a thousand words, as they say. Pictures may not be able to communicate directly but just by seeing something positive helps me feel good in a matter of minutes. I find it weird and great at the same time.

As I said earlier, this day had been rough. So I looked at this picture taken in Baguio City. Seeing me smile like this, I feel contentment and freedom from anything negative. Well, this day will end after all. Everything's gonna be fine. Yes, it will be fine.

How about you? What do you usually do when you're feeling blue? :)

"A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort."

(quoted) 

OOTD: Neutral Friday

Hi guys! How have you been? I just wanna share with you my outfit for today at work. Well, because it's Friday, I'm more girly girly today. The colors are neutral with black and brown as the main theme.

I'm feeling really girly when I wear skater skirts. They're fun, they're light and they're kind'a childish and that's what I love about them.

 By the way, I just finished taking a bath when these photos were taken so I didn't bother to comb my hair nicely as they are still wet and that is a bad habit since the hair strands are still soft. You should let it dry (air dry) before combing it. 

 

Thank you Sir Lemz for this shots!

Just so you know, I am not into pricey clothes so I try to scour good finds in sales, unbranded boutiques and even in thrift shops. 

Remember:

You don't have to spend much to be fashionable. All you need is resourcefulness, creativeness and a good eye for art because dressing up is an art more than anything else.

Have a great day friends! ☺

[ootd] black skater skirt by trend_dealer | unbranded brown top with hearts design (rob galleria) | belt by gozum | flats by australia

Sulit.com.ph Now OLX.ph

"Ang hindi na ginagamit, ibenta mo na!"

I bet you already heard this line in televisions and other campaigns of Sulit, an online platform where you can buy and sell items posted by its members (to which I am a member also). Today, Sulit has embarked into another journey as it is now known as OLX.ph. So don't be surprised (like I did!) when your browser will redirect you to olx.ph when you go to sulit.com.ph. This change has been brought about by Sulit being now a member of the OLX network, one of the world's biggest ads network.

Image courtesy of olx.ph

According to the post of one of its administrators, "The objective of changing our name to OLX is to get the attention of every Filipino that now’s the time to make some changes of their own and join the millions of people around the globe like in India, Brazil, and Portugal, who have already used OLX to sell their things.  The name change to OLX aims to inspire Filipinos to re-think what they know about Sulit, and to re-think what they have to sell online. The name OLX originally came as an abbreviation of the phrase ‘online exchange’."

With this, the website's interface is changed to showcase the new brand colors. Noticed the blues and oranges? Their android app is also upgraded to cater these changes. They are also expanding their customer support to attend to their customers' needs even on nights and weekends. 

Kudos to this Sulit team! I mean OLX.ph team! ;)  

Good luck on your future endeavors! 

Disclaimer: I am in no way related to Sulit nor I am paid to post this. All infos are found here.

Why I Love #TeamKramer

If you're an avid twitter user, you probably have heard, read or noticed about #TeamKramer which had trended a lot of times on Twitter PH. Team Kramer is a celebrity family here in the Philippines composed of Doug Kramer (dad), Chesca Garcia-Kramer (mom), Kendra Kramer (eldest daughter), Scarlett Kramer (second daughter), Gavin Kramer (youngest, only son).  Miss Chesca is a celebrity and endorser while Mr. Doug is a professional basketball player playing for the San Miguel Coffee, as of this writing.

From L-R: Chesca, Kendra, Gavin, Scarlett, Doug

Image courtesy of www.spot.ph

I am an avid follower of their Twitter, Instagram and Facebook pages. I believe that what caught the hearts of their fans was the three super-cute-to-the-nth-level children, Kendra, Scarlett and Gavin. The charm these little kids have is just a delight to me and to the thousand of fans they have.  Miss Chesca and Mr. Doug is constantly posting photos and videos about them so I'm quite updated. I would often sneak a peek on my instagram when I am feeling stressed already at work because seeing the family's photos and videos of bonding moments just takes my stress away!

Today, I will not talk much about Mama Chesca and Papa Doug because they are already as famous as they are. I will talk more about their three angels which had totally captured my heart. 

Kendra, the eldest, have grown to be a pretty and witty little lady as showcased when the whole family guested in Vice Ganda's show, Gandang Gabi Vice, recently. Kendra, aka #kendrasuperstar totally blew away the audience with her confidence and adorable cuteness. I was laughing really hard with that episode as Vice was no match for her. Haha! I believe the #TagalogTime became popular (correct me if I'm wrong) because Kendra is being taught Tagalog words and her parents would post videos of her speaking cutely.  She has the celebrity potential as she is really confident in front of the camera aside from the fact that she is really pretty too. Look at that face! 

Uuuugh, I love you, Ate Kenken!

Image courtesy of Team Kramer Facebook Page

 Scarlett, aka  #scarlettdoll  is also called "Dolly" by her parents and fans because she really looks like a doll. She is a little "pilya" but is really sweet and shy too. And she has this enticingly kissable cheeks! For sure, she'll grow up as beautiful and as lovely as her ate Kenken and Mama Chesca one day. By the way, try to dig the famous video of Scar making "away" to her Ate Kenken. When their mom asked her "what did you do to Ate? ", Scar then pretended to be asleep. Hahaha! What a clever little miss this baby girl is!

Hello there, baby Scaaaaar!

Image courtesy of Team Kramer Facebook Page

And then, there's my baby boy crush Gavin, aka #gavincredible, the youngest and the only son of the family as of this writing. I just looooooove this little mister gwapo! His innocence is heart melting, really. And mind you, this boy will grow up a heartthrob one day. Just look at those tantalizing eyes! See now what I'm talking about? I hope he'll not break too many hearts though. Hehe.

Kisses, Gaviiiiiiiiiiiiiin!

Image courtesy of Team Kramer Facebook Page

So back to the question, why I love #TeamKramer? Simply because they are a wonderful wonderful  family. The parents do their best to raise their children in a very good way and they are very grounded on their faith which is really very important in raising a family that's God-loving and God-fearing. I so much love and adore this family and I hope I can be as good as a parent as Ms. Chesca and Mr. Doug one day. 

Thank you so much Team Kramer for sharing your family with all of us. May you continue to inspire the thousands of Filipino families through your good works and deeds!

If you want to know more about Team Kramer, follow their Facebook Page, Team Kramer.

Sorry for murdering the word "cute" here because they really are. I cant even! Cuteness overload!!!

PS :  They will be holding a #TeamKramerAtGlorietta meet-and-greet event on Sunday, March 30, 2014 at 1-4PM. They will be giving 400 exclusive tickets for their lucky fans. Visit their facebook page for more info.

I Don't Know About You, But I'm Feeling 22

It seems like yesterday when I celebrated my 21st birthday and now I'm 22! Cliché as it is, but time really flies so fast. Back when I was young, I honestly see people in their 20's as old. But time has proven me wrong. I mean look at me, do I look old in 22? Lol. Life is just getting exciting as I see it now.

So yeah, how did I celebrate my birthday? There's nothing elaborate about it aside from the fact that for the second time around, I had a birthday cake (my first, as far as I remember, was on my 20th when my college friends baked it for me). During past years, there used to be no celebration for my birthday as March was the time for final exams so the burden are quite huge for my parents. This year, thanks to my Asiatype Family, I had two birthday cakes! Yeeey!

Thank you, RF family!

Thank you, Miss Maribeth! 

My only wish when I blew the birthday candle was happiness and good health for everyone that I love and that no matter how tough the odds will be, we may overcome it all. Of course, I visited EDSA Shrine to offer thanksgiving to my greatest Friend and Creator. I thanked Him for giving me another year to live and to enjoy His blessings and wonderful creations. Life is a beautiful gift and I will live it to the fullest for His greater glory!

Big big thanks to all of you who remembered my day! I was teary-eyed reading the messages and greetings. I am so blessed to have you all. :)

I'm so excited to discover new things, meet new people and create new memories in my 22nd year.

♫♪♫

Uh oh!

I don't know about you

But I'm feeling 22

Everything will be alright

If you keep me next to you

You don't know about me

But I'll bet you want to

Everything will be alright

If we just keep dancing like we're

22

22

~ 22 by Taylor Swift ~