I was talking to my significant other before writing this. I’ve written about quarter-life crisis many years back. But you know, I just realized life is nothing but a constant journey. There are so many things I have achieved – dream, after dream, after dream
I am a multipotentialite. I have many interests and I learn fast. But you know, when you suddenly want to settle down on a field, it could get pretty tough. Companies will ask me why did I leave the Bank, went into Social Media, blogged full time and went back to work for a TV network, and then back to working for an E-commerce company?
Well, I think everything is related. Each of my different jobs were not a waste, they all added up to make my consequent jobs better. I go nowhere but up. I continuously learn and innovate and be creative in problem solving (which every job has a lot of).
So now, I sort of regretted making one career decision in my life. But again, at that time, I thought it was the best decision to do so. And now, I am eager to go back to making a difference to society again. Very eager and excited!
Whatever regrets I have, I must continue moving forward. Always keep going… never give up 🙂
When you’re 30, you have already been through a lot of things. At least, this already filters out what you like and don’t like – in love, relationships and career.
Right now, I am happy where I am. I know what I do not want. And I am very excited for my next endeavour.
I thought about how balance is important to the world. How everything has an equation, where the left and right part of the equal sign, has to sum up the same. There’s a formula to everything I guess. Like LUCK = PREPARATION + OPPORTUNITY, SUCCESS = (variables may vary), And so many things. That’s why Math is very interesting to me! I am no genius but I love to see how everything in this world connects. Okay. Brain function still active and I need to sleep. 😅 good night world
It’s been a great year so far 🙂 Actually, every year keeps getting better and better compared to the previous ones. I hope it continues to follow this pattern for the many years to come.
Quite frankly, I’ve been busy with online and offline things. I’m transitioning to a new job, moving houses, blogging, tending to my heart (lol) and many other things. Everyday, is a great day to fulfill a dream, and to follow my heart’s beat.
I’m writing this at the restaurant Balcony of my hotel in Boracay. Don’t be envious, you don’t know how much hard work I put in to make my dreams possible. Sometimes I don’t get to sleep enough, had to make crazy hard decisions, prioritize and sacrifice a few things to get the things that I want and need in my life. Yesterday, I only had 1 hr sleep in 2 straight days. yeah. It’s because I’m at “work-from-gala” mode.
I’m just happy that today, May 1 Labor Day, is a holiday and i get to relax for real 🙂 And it’s my blog’s anniversary!
I just want to thank all my friends, loved ones, family and partners for making this a happy journey!
– My mom and my family (for all the support – financial and emotional)
– My Nyok friends (Mica, Jehz, Winston, Ada, Maki, Cai)
– Special mention to Jehz for still hosting my site for after 5 years
Mica and Jehz
– Special mention to Mica for being my partner in crime (figuratively speaking) for keeping my secrets and sharing with me yours
Mica and me in Singapore
– To the surfing jugettes (seriously we need to change our name) how about “Salty Sisters” (it’s a real surfer term) Angela and Kristel <3 you gaiz are love .. and the rest of the Boracay team Arthur, Brian, Dell, Mark, Joel, Julius, Ada, Krissca and to the one who didn’t go with us Tere.
– To my best friends in high school (Angh and Andrea) and college (Charm, Roxy and Irene)
– To the PHL 360 family for the unforgettable adventure!
– To NUFFNANG team for all the support with this blog, for giving me lots of opportunities, for the parties – to a great partnership!
– To Smart family – who has been my mobile broadband connection for years and years. I cannot work from gala without you… and also to the people behind Smart for always inviting me to your cool events
– To the Easy Pha-max Wheatgrass team for keeping me healthy (otherwise, I’d be sickly with my daily activities)
– To doc Yanny of Aesthetic Science
– To Digits Trading, Mel and Jeff for giving me gadgets to review
– To Air Asia for inviting me to explore the world
with Tony Fernandez CEO of Air Asia
– To Agoda.com for letting me stay in places while exploring the world
– To Vivere Salon and Nailaholics for my beauty needs
– To the Viviamo girls for the Belle de Jour organizers and BDJ boxes
– To the Jewelmer family for sharing my passion with the seas and being beautiful inside and out.
– To the Vaseline company and people behind it.
– To Expedia family (Yoshke and Jas)
– To Sofitel, Spiral and Vietura family <3
– To TV5 family, I have learned a lot and will continue to help (Ram, Leng, Sheena, Carlo, Ms. Sheila and of course the rest – too many to mention guys you know who you are)
– To Roxy PH for the awesome swim and sportswear
– To the Polecats family, for giving me the best medecine for depression and quarter-life crisis
from zero flexibility and strength – to this!
– To my pole mates – stay sexy!
– To Big Shift studios for letting me experience how it is to join a Pole competition
– To all my blog’s partners
– Last but not the least, to all my READERS — seriously, what would I do without you guys… Thank you for participating in my contests, for commenting, for reaching out via email, for asking advice from me in terms of gadgets, health & fitness, travel, photography, love and life. Thank you for reaching out to me when you feel I am in my lowest of low… you keep this blog’s heart beating… *emotional happy tears*
and to everyone who has held my hand, for the good things and the bad things and the many random things! For keeping this life interesting. Crazy, fun, but responsible.
Did I miss anyone? This brain of mine is not perfect 😛 But if I did forget, let me know if I do, I’ll make it up to you.
Life is all about giving and receiving 🙂 Give love, receive love. Give happiness, receive happiness. Give, what you want to receive. Love is such a beautiful thing <3 Love gives meaning to life. Thank you friends!
Manage your spending. Have a budget, don’t buy what you can’t afford
Don’t spend in excess of what you earn. Live within your means.
Stay within your credit limits.
Pay bills on time. Be wary of your payment deadlines!
Pay your bills on time every month! Avoid additional fees and debt, pay on or before your due date and again, don’t spend in excess of what you earn
Be a SMART SPENDER!
Be on the lookout for new offers from credit card companies. New cards are being offered in the market with features that allow you to earn as you spend
My New Best Friend – the New EastWest Everyday MasterCard
It’s your All-in-One Cash Rebate Card
I have been living on my own for a while now and being independent has a lot of pros and cons. One thing is definitely for sure, you take care of your own self. I don’t have help so I clean my own house, take my clothes to the laundry, do my dishes and pay the bills.
On top of that, I have to do my grocery shopping on my own and take care of my own gas and car maintenance expenses!
I have to be careful with my cash flow.
My expenses could really go out of hand if I don’t manage my cash flow well!
I stumbled upon ways I can earn while spending for my groceries, gasoline, meds and even shopping and travel!
Oh, it’s part of being a lifestyle blogger, you spend for the good life you deserve!
Wouldn’t it be great to get something back from your daily purchases? Well then, EastWest has the perfect credit card for us! It’s the new EastWest Bank’s Everyday MasterCard!
I can get up to 5% cash rebate on my supermarket, gas and drugstore purchases. Unlike other credit cards that offer cash rebates, I am not limited to earning rebates only for gas, or only for groceries, or only for a specific drugstore. This cool credit card is an all-in-one cash rebate card. That means, I can say goodbye to my other credit cards! No more multiple annual fees (more clothing budget for me!) No more juggling with several statements of account (more me time for…me!)
Not only that, the cash rebates are automatically credited to your card once you reach an accumulated rebate of P200.00 monthly for hassle-free crediting! I don’t need to redeem! How great is that?!
So lemme see what I can get for my purchases this month…
3 new tops
2,000
A pair of shoes (with to-die-for heels)
2,500
The bag I’ve been drooling over for weeks
5,000
New eye make up (a set of colors for each of my 3 new tops)
1,800
Total purchases to make me feel fab
11,300
A month’s worth of unleaded gasoline (save Mother Earth!)
5,000
Several trips to the supermarket to fill my faithful ref and bottomless candy cabinet
4,000
Vitamins to keep me healthy (can’t rely only on the doctor!)
1,000
Total monthly purchases for my essential stuff
10,000
Cash rebates earned
500
Php 500! I get Php 500 back?! That’s another top! Hmmm… that means I need to get a new set of makeup, perhaps another bag to match my eyes… then of course I need to gas up to go to gimmicks so I can show off my new stuff.
That’s what I call smart spending!
Know more about EastWest EveryDay MasterCard here:
A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely. ~Roald Dahl
Just a quick thought for today. I’m so inspired about David Archuleta’s positive outlook on life. He brightens up the room. His positivity is contagious. No wonder his fans are very supportive of him. Beautiful, inside and out.
Are you the type who uses digital planners instead of the old fashioned Pen and Paper?
I tried to attempt using digital planners since I have my phone with me ALWAYS! But I’m old fashioned and I stick with pen and paper. How about you? Let me know what you prefer and why…
If you haven’t decided which planner to use yet, here’s a list of the good ‘ol fashion Pen and Paper planners:
1. Entrep Planner 2012
It has business tips like how to register a business in the Philippines.
It includes a Tax calendar.
It also includes success stories and testimonials from renowned business people.
I have always been a believer of being prepared when it comes to school, work, my daily activities, my own health and even with relationships. I have prepared my mind to stay in a very conservative state of mind. I believe that I don’t have the power to control events, other people’s actions and reactions and the opportunities or chances that come and go my way. But one thing is for sure – I am capable of controlling my own self.
The only constant thing in life is Change.
I can only plan ahead, and I like to plan for the worst to happen. I can only be flexible and adjust to the changes that happen in my life. I believe that preparing for change (which always happens) is the best thing anyone could and should do. I got this after reading “Who Moved My Cheese.”
I highly recommend everyone to read this – students, office people, moms, dads, everyone!
My first career as some of you might already know is Accountancy. We studied the art of balancing for years! Am I good at it?
yeah, you can say that I’m good at balancing 😛
On a serious note though, life needs a balance of everything. You need to spend time for a little bit of work (for some, maybe a lot 😛 ), for your hobbies, for your loved ones, and for yourself. You also need to balance your money. Simply put, you need to know how to balance what you’re earning and what you’re spending and of course, what you’re saving. And I know that’s not a simple task.
I think the biggest challenge anyone of my age has to face nowadays is the transition from being Daddy or Mommy’s little girl (or boy) to an independent woman (or man) and totally learning to live by your own means. By the time we hit our 20s, it is imperative for us to learn the ropes on how to survive and manage our lives not just emotionally, mentally or psychologically but all the more, financially.
Case in point: myself. Talk about thinking where I’ll get the money to pay for my monthly bills! – lots of bills! And on top of that, I have tons of expensive hobbies that will definitely exhaust my wallet if I don’t manage my expenses well. I also happen to own a car (a gift from my mom) and I am grateful for such a luxurious gift – but I also have to pay for maintenance and everything else. Most of you ask me – “How do you do it Hannah?”
All the credits go to my mom.
My mom is pretty 🙂 but sorry guys she is already taken!
I studied college without any worries because my mom got me an educational plan when I was born. I have been freelancing for two years now but she keeps on reminding me to pay for my SSS, Philhealth, and Pag-ibig to make sure I have some source of fund in case of the unexpected. She also opened a bank account so that I can put aside a part of my allowance for my needs.
I learned to prepare for the future from my mom. She taught me the value of saving up for my needs at an early age – whether it be in a bank account, an educational plan, an investment account or an insurance plan. I know most people shy away from the word “insurance” right at the minute they hear it but I believe that insurance is a necessary expense. Life insurance, in particular, secures your loved ones future in case something bad happens to you. Imagine, if you were the breadwinner of your family and an unexpected event happens. That will not only take a toll on the bereaved’s emotional and psychological health. It will definitely take a toll on their finances as well. A lot of families have to lower their standards of living just so they can make the ends meet.
But don’t think that insurance is only about death. In fact, there are a number of insurance plans you can purchase as a savings or an investment plan which can give you cash benefits while you’re still living. In fact, there is even a potential to gain higher returns with these than your typical bank savings account.
I learned all about these from my mom, but my mom learned the hard way. When I was 2 years old, tragedy struck – my dad was diagnosed with cancer and needless to say, we weren’t expecting it. Nor did we prepare for it. We were able to financially support the treatments and medications he needed then but it would have definitely helped if we had other liquid sources of funds that time.
Today, there are health and critical illness plans offered by insurance companies that cover for hospitalization expenses and pays out a lump sum upon diagnosis of a critical illness, such as cancer, heart disease and many others.
Take Connie Dizon, for example, a cancer survivor and a Philam Life policyholder. She had everything going her way – she ran a successful business; she takes care of her mother; she was generally happy with her life – until the day she found she had Breast Cancer.
Buti na lang, she bought a plan from Philam Life that helped her with her hospitalization expenses. Today, she is in remission and is back to running their family business.
Like Connie, you can easily prepare and save up for these unexpected events with the right advice and the right plan from the right company. The cheapest health plan you can actually get is Philam Life’s Cancer Life Shield. This plan pays out a lump sum amount, say P1M, upon diagnosis of the illness. This money can definitely help you be on your road to immediate recovery.
Connie is just one of the many fortunate people who benefited from planning ahead. Real people with real plans – stories of those who had the foresight to plan ahead for their and their family’s future. You can read more about them in the links below.
*click image to enlarge and read
I hope you are all enlightened in someway on the value of planning ahead and would soon start your journey towards Financial Freedom. You can take small steps at a time but once you get the hang of it, you can venture to get more out of your money! Remember, you can make your money work for you instead of you working for your money.
So here are a few guidelines on how to start planning for your future. Most are based on my experience, but don’t forget to share your own tips on the comments below!
Be a Financial Flair
1. Be curious, Be aware, Know
This is your life and your future we are talking about. Be curious. Why are other people successful in managing their money? What is their secret?
Be aware that you too can learn how to manage your finances and make your money grow.
Know. Know how to do this, read about financial literacy and learn about money.
Suggested reads:
Fitz Villafuerte’s Blog “Ready to be Rich” – a good friend of mine to whom I often ask for financial and career advice.
Ano ang plano mo? (What’s your plan?) – Philam Life’s Microwebsite about financial planning. Read testimonials of plan-holders who benefited from their Philam Life Plans
BabyPips – Kindergarten approach on learning all about Forex, if you’re interested. I know most online entrepreneurs are affected of forex so in case you need to understand more, it’s the website to read.
2. Make your pet pig fat!
In other words – SAVE! This is the very important part of all – the first step to your financial freedom. Supposedly, it’s just simple to do – but the temptation to spend is a challenge. I cannot stress enough the importance of saving. Think about this (based on my own experience):
If you lose your job, how long will you live with the money you saved?
If I get sick, how will I pay for my hospital bills? Do I have a health card? If not, is my money enough?
If something breaks in my house, do I have money for repair?
If my car bugs down, is my money enough for repair? It is very important that my car is safe for driving so having my car in great shape is very important – else I can die!
These are scary scenarios but they all happened to me at my young age. Start early – if you are a student now, start saving even just one peso a day! and never touch it – ever. Forget about that money you saved. Budget your money and bring enough money you intend to spend for the day.
3. The Need to Want Less
This is related to saving. Separate wants and needs. The more you focus on only the things you need, the more you can save.
When you cannot distinguish between wants versus needs, or if you can’t identify a want as a want, you set yourself up to live in a constant state of craving and disappointment – and you keep on wanting more!
live within your means
live the lifestyle you can afford, else you will be caught in a debt trap
simplify your life
4. Make more baby money!
I took up a lot of investment courses, stock trading and many other financial instruments training all in the hopes of making my money grow. Don’t we all want our money to make baby monies?
I figured with the many things I do, I better let the experts manage my portfolio. If I trade myself, it will be a gamble – because I don’t know how to really do it. I can learn how to, but I have other priorities as of the moment. I know the basics though so I am aware how my money should be working even if I let a fund manager or an agency to handle it. That’s exactly where insurance companies or other asset management companies can come in. Scout for some and look at which ones have established background and a proven track record that you can trust with your hard-earned money. 🙂
I gave up on time deposit and the interest I get from savings account. Yes, it’s a temporary place to keep my money, but again (back to my point on #1) knowledge and awareness is key – that there are better places to put your money too.
You can also visit www.anongplanomo.com.ph to share your “Sanas” (plans in life) or your “Buti na lang” stories (for Philam Life policyholders and beneficiaries) for a chance to win an iPad 2 and more!
BPI Just recently launched their new BPI Cards site, along with new BPI cards that are adept to your digital lifestyle. With this, they also launched a shopping website exclusive for BPI Card holders.
Our life has transformed and most of us have a digital life. We book tickets and hotels online, shop online, pay apps for our mobile phones and tablets etc. If you’re a conservative online shopper like me, you can’t help but be afraid that your credit cards or bank accounts may be compromised.
We all aim to protect our digital life from hackers, online and off-line thieves, but how do we do it? BPI has come to a solution for this problem. It’s like managing the risk of getting your cards compromised online, when you’re traveling or just on a daily basis.
Let me break it down for you as I am one of the Beta testers to these new products!
The new BPI Card site and profiler
This is the new website of BPI that holds the different cards suited for your digital life.
It is an interactive all-in-one site that hosts up-to-date information on BPI cards features, promotions, and other relevant information. What’s great about this site is that you can apply for a Credit Card or a Prepaid Card online.
If you want to know more details, you know what to do – go to BPI Cards official website:
This website also has the “Profiler” where you answer a series of questions that suits your personality and in the end, it will recommend you the card best suited for you.
BPI Dealmania.ph Shopping Site
BPI is the first bank to launch a shopping site. Dealmania is a special deal-buying site featured at the BPI Cards home page that provide BPI card holders with exclusive access to great online deals. I have tried buying on the website myself and using the new BPI Prepaid card (to discuss more below), it was a seamless transaction.
I got this deal from dealmania.ph 🙂 I really think I need a good body scrub and massage and got it at a super discount of 63%
Buying was easy like that. You can check out other deals that may interest you. Shop online in a safe and secure e-commerce environment.
This is the first ePrepaid card that empowers people to transact online via straight purchase.
BPI My ePrepaid Mastercard is a reloadable prepaid card that empowers everyone to finally buy what they want from the widest selection of MasterCard affiliated shopping stores here and abroad, and even online. What separates My ePrepaid MasterCard from other is its offer of 100% approval, no maintaining balance and no surprising card bills.
I think one of the benefits of this card is that you can also use it with your online transactions.
I have friends who don’t want to get credit cards and they often borrow my credit card to use it when they need to buy airline tickets online. It can be frustrating sometimes when you there are great seat sales and you don’t have a card to use. With My ePrepaid MasterCard, you can do this easy. You just get one, no need of complicated application forms. It’s like how we use Prepaid SIM Cards on our phones. Reload it anytime and use it immediately!
And since this is accepted wherever there are MasterCard affiliated stores, you can also use this to swipe on real stores here in the Philippines and abroad.
Checking the balance of your ePrepaid MasterCard is also easy, you can do it via landline or Mobile phone. Check out how at: http://bpicards.com
BPI Master eCredit Card.
It is the first virtual credit card.
BPI Master eCredit Card is the first ever virtual credit line exclusively designed for online shopping. It now has a modern new look! This companion card of the BPI Express Credit MasterCard enables everyone to shop securely on the internet as it uses different card number from one’s BPI Express Credit MasterCard, with its own sub-limit that can be adjusted as needed.
This is perfect if you don’t want to expose your real card number and details.
I know you have a lot of questions because interestingly enough, I know you also need these for your online purchases and at the same time, require the same security features so that you are protected.
Everything you need to know about these different cards can be found at BPI Cards’ official website. Check it out!
Every since I bought my MacBook Pro as a gift for myself on Valentines, my life has changed – in better ways and frustrating ways. Until now I am not that used to using it as compared to Windows platform which I have been using my entire life. I must say though, it hasn’t failed me in speed especially with photo and video editing which I heavily need – and running multiple applications!
My problem recently is how to sync all of my calendar in different places into one.
That’s what cloud is for right?
I want to be able to use Google Calendar and sync it everywhere – my android phone(s), my macbook, iPad and Blackberry Playbook. And if ever I am away from all of these, I can still access my calendar as long as I see a PC (mobile or desk) and an internet conenction.
Now, my problem is – how to sync iCal with Google Calendar?
I know I can sync the calendar to my iPad – but not on my mobile phones… and I don’t want to use multiple calendar platforms – I want to use only 1 Google calendar.
And thus the question: How to Sync iCal with Google Calendar?
If there’s a will, there’s a way! And here is the solution:
And I am syncing all my calendars because I’ve gone crazy with my schedule. I use multiple calendars (the physical notebook planner and digital) and it’s a bad habit! So I put my calendar into one server but at the same time I can access it everywhere!
Also, I am going to have a new job which I am very excited about. But I know for sure that it will be a stress fest – but it’s one that I need to channel my creativity and extort my workaholic mood. So this calendar, is a start!!!
Banks have been thinking of better, safer and smarter ways to accommodate the needs of your normal daily spending activities. As a full-time blogger, I need to keep on satisfying my shopping, food tripping and travel needs 😛
Else, what am I going to blog about?
I’m pretty sure all of you are spenders as well but are you spending smart?
As a frequent traveler, I find it hard to trust my surroundings – especially when I’m in a foreign area. I once traveled ALONE to Malaysia (yes all by myself!) to meet a few of my blogger friends there. I took a budget flight and you know how late the flights leave in Manila and arrived at a very awkward time – 12 midnight!
I didn’t think through my transportation mode much when I planned my trip. Trains were already closed. I didn’t know how to ride a bus there. So imagine… I hired a cab with a sleazy driver who kept asking me if I’m married, why I’m in Malaysia and for how long (gosh he’ll know where I’m staying), where I’m from etc… I’m not sure if he’s just being friendly but it creeped me out! I was holding on the the cash I have in my bag.
I am deeply reminded why I don’t like taking cabs here in the Philippines as well. I’ve heard horror stories of my friends getting robbed or held-up with either a gun or knife… The best way to do to survive is to give what they want right… Give the bag. give the money..
DANGEROUS and Crazy world!
Edumacate Me!
My accounting and finance skills will be for nothing if I don’t give you some little bit of coaching on how to protect, keep track and use your hard-earned money the smart way 🙂
It’s time I introduce you to – VISA Debit Cards!
Quick round-up of what a Debit Card is:
looks like your ordinary ATM card or credit card but is an alternative payment method to cash and checks.
it is usually linked to your checking or savings account
upon use, funds are immediately withdrawn from your bank account
you can spend only what you have in your account
Benefits of Visa Debit Cards
It can be used anywhere, even around the world, that carry the Visa logo
There are no monthly payments or debt accrued **
Debit cards can be used in ATMs to withdraw cash just like an ATM card
Use it as a financial management tool. So I suggest these steps: Budget >> Spend >> Monitor!
**while this helps keep you out of debt, you need to monitor debit card purchases closely and stick to your budget so you don’t overdraw your account
yeah… so imagine at that time if I had a Visa debit card when I was traveling that would give me some peace of mind. I don’t like estimating how much money I bring when I travel because I either overspend (because I have to use up all the cash I exchanged) or overspend (coz I lack money and I withdraw money from my ATM).
Still, be responsible guys. It is your own hard-earned money – not mine… You have to take care of your finances yeah? 🙂
Here are more tips when you use your debit card.
Practical Tips When Using Debit Card
Keep sales receipts as reference
Remember to account for any bank fees that may apply
Review statements carefully. If you suspect a mistake, contact the bank that issued the card as soon as possible
Always follow up with a confirmation letter for the bank. This would eliminate suspicions of identity theft
I’ve been taking creative writing class with Aileen Santos at the Modern Academy at Burgos Circle, The Fort 🙂
I always love writing – hence I started blogging. And even I was a kid, I always kept a journal or a diary. And I had a notebook full of made-up stories. I don’t know where it is now because we often moved houses.
This class really helped me put structure to my writing. I love free-writing but I believe that my readers would appreciate more if it has more flow 😀
Anyway, our first assignment was to make our own Fairy Tale story. I will post that on my blog too soon… but for now, here’s a parable I wrote on my own. It’s our second assignment!
I can’t believe it! I’m writing stories now!
Lucky Girl
By Hannah Villasis
A girl always thought she has an amazing gift! That is, a gift of luck. She couldn’t complain, but often wondered why she’s always so lucky. In almost every situation, she gets what she desires. She got the lead role for the play, got elected as class president and was cheer captain of their squad. On top of that, she has many friends and has always lived a positive life.
At last, their final results for the exam are out. Failing the exam means one cannot take the course and must shift to another. As she approached the bulletin board, she saw some friends weeping.
She let the board clear before she searched for her name.
Of course – she passed! She’s lucky.
The teacher passed by and said “Congratulations.”
“I feel bad for my classmates who didn’t make it,” said the girl. “Why can’t they be as lucky as me?” she asked.
The teacher replied, “There is no such thing as luck my dear. I’ve seen your passion for everything that you love to do and the hard work you put through every role, every task. You make your own luck. It’s like making a wish – but you yourself made it happen.”
She paused and reflected on what the teacher said and it took her a moment to realize that the teacher was right.
——–
In case you are interested in taking Aileen’s creative writing class, check out their banner below 🙂
Sleepless nights, uncertainty, lack of purpose, thinking too much about the future… And you don’t even know what’s wrong! Oh yes, the much dreaded quarter-life crisis. I’ve been ranting about it on my blog since December just to let it out of my system and I’ve been depressed and it was dissappointing for me how I could see other people get affected by my dilemma. So to all my friends and loved ones who held my hand when I was feeling down – Thank you!
It’s that stage in your life where you’re too old to depend on anyone, but you’re not wise enough yet. I feel like I had no direction and I wasn’t going anywhere.
I’m sure I’m not alone in this. A few of my friends are also feeling this way. We even thought of seeking for professional help. When you think you need this, maybe you do need one and there’s nothing wrong asking for help with your problem. Even the big hollywood stars have their own therapists. Props to Demi Lovato who voluntarily admitted herself to a rehab facility – not because of drugs, but because of emotional issues.
And what is up with people asking me “when are you settling down?” Or “when are you going to get married?” It izzzz none of your business, trust me… asking me that question won’t make you rich… and it doesn’t help me neither >.<
Dancing Again
I have always been happy when I dance. I have been a dancer since elementary and high school and at that early age, I had small gifts on my classroom desk from “fans” from the lower grade. Thinking about that always makes me smile. It’s one thing to have male fans, but to put a smile on a kid and inspiring them is a great feeling! I felt like I was Hannah Montana lol. (but she didn’t exist yet at that time) I danced pretty much everything: from hiphop to cheerleading, ballet, jazz and even Folk Dancing. We would compete in Literary NOPSSCEA competitions.
Good ‘ol days… But, one dance I don’t seem comfortable doing is anything with sexy moves @_@
College came and I danced for a year. I had to stop on my 2nd year for a very shallow reason. It was the year I turned 18 and allowed myself to have a boyfriend. I hated myself everytime I think about this. My boyfriend then (now my ex) didn’t want me to dance especially cheerleading because he doesn’t want other guys to see me dance and he doesn’t want guys to catch me when I do my stunts and stuff. >.< I was so immature and I don’t know why I found some logic to that… I vomit just thinking of it again. Girls, if your boyfriends bring you down from your crown, LEAVE THEM! They are no good for you! Surround yourself with people who allow you to grow as you wish. At that time, I also got busier with my Accounting course so I stopped.
Graduation day, I cried… because I didn’t get the award for “Dance” 🙁 and I looked back thinking I can’t bring back the years I stopped dancing.
Dancing makes me Happy
This year, I decided to follow my happiness and dance again! not only that, I dared myself to dance the only dance I don’t do… something sexy, something challenging!
Pole Dancing
I have been wanting to try this for so long. I just got caught up in my web of excuses because I was feeling down. My boyfriend supports me of course a 100%! All it takes is finally DOING IT! both excited and worried at the same time, I made my way to Polecats Manila at Gen Studios.
I started Pole dancing mid April and I was so delighted to know that they will be having a recital! I signed up immediately because I wanted to feel the euphoria of dancing on the stage again – performing with a real audience! I found out that there are more benefits to joining Pole classes: new friends, great teachers, fun way of keeping fit and developing strength, I feel young again, I felt more confident – happy and wait a minute – I don’t feel down anymore. I have been Pole Dancing for a month and a half now and I completely feel great!
Is this an end to my QLC? I really do hope so.
I met miss Yoga Jane yesterday at an event and she told me she just saw my Pole Dancing recital photos. “Seems like you found the right thing for you” oh yes! I still think about my future sometimes, but I don’t worry anymore. From now on, I just keep on “DOING”
End your Quarter Life Crisis!
If you are going through this, here are a few tips based on my personal experience: (I am not a doctor nor an expert on this, it’s just my opinion)
1. Do the thing that keeps you happy and invest on it. It’s your hapiness, you deserve it!
2. Surround yourself with positive people, people who grow with you
3. Feed your mind with positive thoughts. Read books about personal help,
4. Avoid negative ideas. Avoid watching movies that doesn’t teach you anything especially horror, gory films that will only provoke fear and terror in your heart. Avoid people who put you down. When you’re undergoing QLC, you are more sensitive to even the littlest things.
5. Don’t sweat the small stuff. So what if you missed a deadline? So what if you failed at something? So what if you humiliated yourself for some reason. Who cares? You’re driving and someone cut on you – so what? it took away 2 seconds of your life.
Book recommendation:
Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff by Richard Carlson
It’s all about simple ways to keep the little things from overtaking your life.
One of the best books I’ve ever read that really helped me a lot!
6. Stay pretty! don’t forget to take care of yourself. Dress up, go to the gym, pamper yourself. Vanity is not a sin, Laziness (or sloth) is! If you don’t take care of yourself, you will just feel more horrible.
7. Smile!
8. Keep healthy and fit. You might be clinically depressed and your body might lack the nutrients it needs.
9. Seek professional help if needed
10. Move on. It’s something that I learned from reading Miss J Alexander’s book “Follow the Model” No matter what happens, MOVE ON!
These tips are not only for my readers, but for me as well – as a reminder to myself how to keep moving on. Who knows, QLC is a biatch and it might come back, so I’m prepared with this!
Also, you might want to buy Meg’s June 2011 🙂 They had an article writen by Aileen E about Quarter Life Crisis. Also, I am in the pages of Meg’s June 2011 as one of the 25 young achievers they featured for their 13th anniversary issue!
Novelty shirts are a bona fide mainstay in the “light-hearted options for fewer than 20 bucks” category of gifts. But the overarching category of “novelty, or “cool” (interchangeable) is not itself always a safe bet when choosing the right fit. They come in all sorts of varieties with all sorts of pop culture references (the one unifying factor in all such shirts is the graphical and/or textual shout-out to a facet of popular culture.) Anything from cereal mascots to ancient political campaign slogans can make their way onto a graphic T.
So choosing the right one for a nephew or a brother or a friend can be difficult because you want to make sure it’s not only the right size, but something they’d feel proud to brandish. You can count on the truth being that if they don’t like what’s on the shirt the only time they’re going to wear it is when they hang out with you. This is why I suggest vintage t shirts as the particular novelty shirt you should be browsing when picking one otherwise randomly. There are many reasons why but mostly because vintage t-shirts fall into a relatively safe category where they can either be cherished as beacons of a long lost entity of childhood ñ to an adult wearer, or a hip throwback to a time when things were simpler and less fake ñ to a teenager or young adult.
Other reasons include the decreased likelihood that what you’re going to pick is offensive or otherwise off-putting. A classic movie graphic or a corny pun about a forgotten personality or cherished character is far less likely to incite a confused response or never get worn in the first place. Even if you’re not a fan of history, history that can be brought to life even if it’s just a silly pop culture reference animates an inherent desire in us all to carry on traditions. Young and old t-shirt wearers are going to love to be able to “represent” a retro concept, for their own individual reasons but also because we simply like to keep those kinds of fires burning in the human timeline.
If you’ve settled on getting a friend or loved one a cool shirt but haven’t decided on what kind of cool shirt, I highly recommend vintage styles. They’re safe and always entertaining. Most importantly, they’ll actually get worn!
