Take the risk and if you fail, at least you've learned. Life, nonetheless, is all about taking risks.
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P.S. Been busy for the past months. feeling rusty doing the craft again :(
As we have sailed for another year of forming and serving every Inhinyero and Teknolohista in the university, holistically we have reached farther distances that truly signified progress and growth in the college. This has been TSU College of Engineering and Technology Student Council A.Y. 2017-2018, who have equated student servant-leadership with positive change, signing off! Maraming salamat!
I’ve been to Ilocos already, but only to its popular places and cliche tourists’ destinations like Calle Crisologo at the heart and Paoay Church up north. This time as a post-birthday celebration, together with friends, we raided Ilocos Sur again for a day. We planned itineraries on our own, aiming to go to Ilocos destinations we never been to and do some beach and nature spot hopping.
First Destination: Suso Beach, La Union
The welcome arch of Ilocos Sur when coming from La Union
Second Destination: Sta. Maria Church, Ilocos Sur
Sta. Maria Church or Our Lady of the Assumption is the parish church of Sta. Maria in Ilocos Sur. The church was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on December 11, 1993 as part of the Baroque Churches of the Philippines. It has a unique structure with a diversified architectural design of bricks and mortar. It was built on top of a hill not only as a lookout and a citadel but as a religious center during the early administration of the region by both the friars and sodiers of Spain.
Third Destination: Pinsal Falls, Ilocos Sur
Pinsal Falls, the largest waterfalls in Ilocos Region, is a group of plunge and cascade waterfalls falling from a 300 ft wide irregular shaped river ledge the highest of which is a drop of about 85 ft. Upriver are several smaller waterfalls with their own natural pools.
Fourth Destination: Quirino Bridge, Ilocos Sur
This bridge is widely praised for its fine architecture and engineering. It was once partly destroyed by a super typhoon, hence a different-looking third quarter portion.
A year has just begun. January, one of my favorite months of the year, is on its halfway to end, which means I’m turning a year older again. I’m still questioning myself if my 18 years of existence in this world is that meaningful, as I somehow ends my adolescence period. Well I really don’t know tho, I’m not even sure if I have become the eighteen year old me I envisioned myself when I was still playing toy trucks or while I’m already studying elementary algebra. But anyhow` those 18 years have taught me different things that has formed and makes me who I am today. Just listing down 18 sentences seems that easy, but enumerating and reminiscing the lessons from your past experiences is even harder because of, you name it,nostalgia. 18 slots cannot suffice the life learnings I have earned already, but here I listed down just some that are memorable.
Everything is temporary.
Everyone is different, learn to accept each other.
It’s really a small world after all.
Excellence is better than perfection.
Hustle, but do not overwork.
Everyday is a miracle, always be thankful.
You cannot please everyone.
Appreciate the little things.
Do not compare your beginnings to others’ successes.
Always rinse-off negativities.
Believe in yourself always.
Do whatever your heart tells you.
Dot not ever take for granted the people beside you.
Physics is hard and Calculus even harder.
Grades doesn’t define a person’s abilities.
Work in silence, let your successes be your noise.
Failures are ladders to success.
Life goes on but remember God has always the best plan for you.
As I write this, mixed emotions fills my heart, a funny thought intrudes my mind, “I’m turning 18 now, I can be put up in the jail already haha”. I remember the experiences of my eighteen years, a roller coaster ride indeed. In my younger years, honestly, I tried not a lot of things, I’m afraid so, but those even being few, still majority of which I failed, but however I was still able to accept those failures. Eighteen years of committing mistakes, of achieving successes, making choices that turned out into worse outcomes, and rushing into a lot of decisions without taking matters seriously into consideration, or even stopping for a while to contemplate on how the result will be. But nonetheless, I never regret the things that happened in the past for they formed me and I have become the person that I know to myself today.
I think it’s normal to feel depressed seeing people and hearing news about your friends that are of your age achieving great things and doing good so far and there you at the corner, still figuring out how to ask for another pitcher of service water at a restaurant. It seems unfair tho.
By this moment that I am about to turn eighteen, I am slowly accepting my fate that I am not a child nor a teen anymore soon, heavier responsibilities awaits me, and I am also preparing myself for the turmoil and amount of pressure I am about to dive into. By this age, I became eager and ready to experience greater days, explore beyond known boundaries, discover new things, and just be out there and enjoy the remaining days of freedom that after sometime soon I will need to give up.
As I turn 18 this 20th, memories of the past fuels me to face the uncertainties of tomorrow that awaits for me. There’s no assurance of what may happen in the future, we don’t know of what we may reach of the endless possibilities, but two things are for sure, I’m eighteen now and everything will fall into place.
YOUNIVERSE: You Are A Desideratum In This Universe 🌝
“You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. “ - Ehrmann, 1927
Maybe even once in your brain’s lifetime this thought struck your mind out of something or even just because of nothing; that you are only a literal dot (.) in the whole universe...
This thought may seldom or always let you feel small, really small that you loses your self-esteem and confidence to face the giant reality of the world.
But being a dot may seem a negative image for some, a dot is an essential and still an important thing to treasure. Geometrically speaking, it needs a dot to build a line, it needs a line to build a 2D figure and it needs more than two dimensions to build solids or the 3D figures, so tracing the equation, it needs a dot to build everything. You are still a desideratum!
Desideratum means essential, important, an indispensable thing, that can also be spelled as Y-O-U! Do not be discouraged for being a dot, being a dot also has its own purpose and meaning in the universe that I think people nowadays take for granted. Everyone has to know, that we are all dots in this world, no powerful, no poor, just dots. Even the mighty sun that is 695,700 km in radius, is also only a dot in the universe. Do not ever feel that you are a disgrace in the universe, without YOU, you cannot spell YOUNIVERSE, you have a right to be here!
I know a poem that is one of my faves that I read time by time when I already don’t know how to drive my self anymore, and it always stir my soul when I read it. It is entitled “Desiderata” written by Max Ehrmann in 1927. It’s sad that in his lifetime, his piece was not particularly well-known, it just became a huge hit in the 70′s when someone made a poster of it. This poem is a guide on how to live happily and contently. Among its beautiful words, my favorite is the 6th stanza. This poem has been always an inspiration for me.
Desiderata by Max Erhmann
Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.
Medium:
- Simballion Watercolor
- Berkeley Sketch Pad
P.S. Honestly, I had a hard time doing this watercolor hand-lettering just because I ran out of watercolor paper and I used a sketch pad. It’s so hard to control the water and fading of colors because the texture of the sketch paper absorbs the water quickly. Even I know that sketch pad is not really apt for watercolor, that’s a lesson learned, to never use watercolor on sketchpad again, ever! 😁
Personally, I like going outdoors and do recreation and feel the happiness the world can give me. But going outdoors means exposing myself to different dangers out there.
The Philippines having a tropical weather, means that many kinds of insects surround us, even indoors. Being a bit health-conscious person, I hate risking my health just only for fun or even just doing my normal stuff. But since then, I’m using a product to assure my protection against those disease-causing insects, OFF Lotion! The Lotion That Keeps You Off Insects –especially mosquitoes.
OFF Lotion is a product of Johnson, the No. 1 Family Care Company. The benefits that OFF Lotion can offer, will make you feel safe and still comfortable. Just think of yourself bringing electric insect killer racket just to go for recreation haha.
I always put on OFF Lotion everytime I go especially when going to travels and adventures. I try to make sure that I am safe doing my favorite things like on-site sketching/lettering. OFF never fails to protect me against mosquito-borne diseases even I’m sitting on the grass, walking on the woods, relaxing on the shore, roaming around the city etc.
I like putting on this insect-repellent lotion because it lets me not to always wear pajamas when sleeping, and pants when going outside. Personally, I like to use the OFF Lotion for Kids, I like its skin-safeness and long lasting tropical fresh fragrance. OFF Lotion can also repel even Dengue Mosquitoes.
OFF is dermatologically tested. Now, I feel safe everytime and everywhere I go. The 50 ml bottle is worth the price. An apply lasts for about 3 hours. Don’t hesitate to buy OFF Lotion for your everyday safety against insects especially mosquitoes.
OFF Lotion has been an essential for me, whether I stay at home or go outdoors. It is very useful for every person, no matter what age you fall in. Even those in office jobs, mosquitoes are just beneath your desks, so OFF Lotion is truly an essential, a lotion in the same way, a protection!
OFF is ideal for everything, for school, for playtime, for camping or even just for everyday activities. More than pens, notebooks, extra shirt etc. inside my bag, OFF is always with me.
Now, you don’t need to risk your health to do your everyday tasks. Living life to the full because you’re safe from disease-causing insects sounds great right? Isn’t it OFF is a major turn on? Now you can have protection while smelling good and with less hassle, through OFF Lotion: The Lotion That Keeps You Off Mosquitoes. So what are you waiting for? Get yours now!
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