☼ under the sun ☼

Burning, Thriving

[jooycebond]

This year got me like...

Exactly ten days to go before the year officially ends!

Since I haven’t been an active blogger throughout the year, I will put the highlights of my year in this one post and hopefully, share with you everything that I have learned in this freaking 2019!

CAN I JUST SAY--2019 defined me. 

I don’t know about you but 2019 has been an exotic roller coaster ride. It’s the year I entered in my late 20s and this year did define what it means to be an adult. In all aspects -- financial, mental, physical, and emotional-- my limits were tested!

At one point, I am broke and then I was so emotionally stressed. One day, I questioned why I am like this and what happened to my belly that I am now size 27? WTF. So, just to give you a quick recap, here’s what happened this 2019.

January 2019 passed by a little bit fast. It was a month of reunions and catch ups. Got my own car. (YAY!!!!) Started teaching again. Attended a wedding of a college friend. Again, lots of reunions with both college and high school friends. It was so fast, I didn’t realize that it’s 2019 already! 

February 2019 - This month was a blur. I just want to put this here so that when I look back -- I’ll have myself to thank for surviving this month. I must say that this is the most emotionally draining February ever. Experienced a huge bump in my three-year relationship. 

For the whole month, I was struggling. I didn’t know what to do. I was so emotionally drained. Everything was so blurry. I was so out of focus because of things that I had to go through and think through. But with all the pain and struggles that I (we) had to go through in my personal relationships, I decided to ground myself and visit St. Francis Learning Center in Subic to remind me of the beauty of life and my purpose outside my current relationships. 

March 2019 - I found myself in La Union with my trusted friends. Still emotionally drained and stressed. I needed an escape and my college friends were there to help me process my emotions. To distract myself from things that I shouldn’t worry about, I made myself so busy with work. But emptiness had its mysterious ways of making a person feel so miserable. I came to a point where I had to cry and drink a bottle of beer for three consecutive nights just to feel okay. I guess waves and deep conversations with my friends helped me a lot during these times. Thank you for gifting me with these wonderful people, Lord.

April 2019. I turned 26. Everything was still makalat. It felt empty (?) deep down. Not just because of what we’re going through but because it felt like I had no one to turn to when I had to face ghosts that I didn’t even know existed!

But being 26, I told myself not to be beaten up by my fears and to trust my judgment. I decided to move forward after what happened and what I have learned. 

Don and I decided to do a last-minute tri-city trip to Bicol. It was so much fun and I enjoyed it! It was one of our most memorable trips together! Not just because the destinations are so amazing but also because we faced a lot of challenges along the way! (ie traffic, van engine problem, difficult people from the tour group) Haha kakaibang trip talaga! It was fun! but #NeverAgain I guess in joining tour groups like that? Who knows.

May 2019. Work got my attention this month. I had one big event with one of my biggest accounts. Occupied with all the work that I had to deliver, super stress drillon si Mumsh. But it all went well. 

We celebrated Don’s birthday with his friends and I got to know them better! I started going to the gym as well! Decided to do this for myself. Small steps and happy hormones!!!

JUNE 2019 We celebrated our third-year anniversary in the simplest way possible. Nothing really special. I had a lot of time with my family. Past years made me spend a lot of time doing work. But this time, I made sure to make a conscious effort to prioritize my family. 

Also this month, I had a mini-reunion with my college friends at Zegen’s baptismal! It was nice seeing everyone again. 

JULY 2019 - Got to enjoy victories with my classes! We won four (4) awards at the NSTP Awarding ceremony! So happy for my students and glad I had the chance to share what I know with them.

But July also tested my patience at work. I had to deal with a difficult account. There were moments when I started questioning my abilities and judgments. I was anxious all the time and felt like it wasn’t really healthy anymore. Super stressed! I was wondering if there could be other opportunities for me to pursue. 

August 2019. Got my first-ever award of excellence at PH Quill Awards! Wuhoo! Just victorious! Congratulations to my clients for the big win! 

SEPTEMBER - First year anniversary in Ogilvy. I got to travel with Don after months and months of being under extreme emotional and career stress. I am just grateful that after all those challenges, we made it! And we’re still here!!!!! ALIVE AND KICKING!!!!

At the end of the day, there are truths that can only be understood by two people who know deep down their hearts that they love each other. There are things that only two people who are committed can fully accept. And this wisdom is what I gained on what I had to go through at the first half of this year. Again, if it weren’t for that moment, I wouldn’t even realize that I have grown into a strong and loving woman.

HANOI was perfect for this celebration!

OCTOBER 2019 - We are all just rushing to end the year. I had the most number of sleepless nights this month; and the most number of beer bottles. But these people made my month bearable:

SHAWN MENDES IN MANILA WAS ALSO A MAJOR AND ULTRA HIGHLIGHT OF MY YEAR =))))

ALL THESE GAINS and I lose one person. Our Papa. :’( All these things happening in my life and life throws me one big -- idk -- lemon? It wasn’t the best news. But we are all relieved that he is in a better place now. Our family is not an ordinary family. We have our own share of struggles and uniqueness. And that is something that I hold dearly in my heart. But whatever we had to go through in the past, I thank the Lord for the life of my father. Without our Papa, we won’t be here. My siblings and I are all grateful. Papa had given us the opportunity to be with a family that is resilient, enduring, and loving.

NOVEMBER, I think is the blurriest month ever. Everything was super fast! I had to rush an event and through God’s grace, it all went really well. Happy to have worked with former bosses!

DECEMBER 2019

We went to Beijing and had the best time there! Also celebrated my second Christmas with Ogilvy fam! 

This year is another fun-filled year spent with one of the best blessings that I ever happened in my life, Don. I will be forever grateful for his love, kindness, and patience with all the things that we had to go through as a couple. We make mistakes and what I have learned this year (with our three-year relationship) is that those mistakes do not define us or our relationship--it is our love and our commitment. I only pray that love will always be the driving force in this relationship. TYL! ❤️

My Ogilvy family is very unique. We may not have the same motivations in life but we have one thing in common: we all want to be the best so we can give the best service out there! 

A lot will still happen in ten days but 2019 did everything it could to remind me of the important things in life:

Family is everything. What happened in the past led us to one another and at the end of the day, it’s the family who will bring you back to your purpose.

Self-care is a must. I stopped being too hard on myself and I have forgiven myself for all the times that I was weak and careless. I can make mistakes. I just need to learn from them and do my best every damn time.

ALWAYS BE KIND. Never forget that character trumps achievements! Whatever you have accomplished in the past, it is nothing if you are rude and ungrateful.

Trust what you feel. ALWAYS. There’s something inside you that will lead you to the right people. Always trust that feeling. If you feel something is wrong, most likely, it is true.

Live it all up to Him. Trust the Lord. There are moments na nakakalimutan ko talaga na may plans siya and that He is a living God. So I tend to follow what I want instead of what He wants me to do.

So I guess life isn’t great all the time and no one said it will be. But one guarantee that life gives us is that it will be a fun, fun ride. Thanks, 2019!

[jooycebond]

Caring Continues

Hence, most of them stopped believing in the future, they stopped dreaming. And that’s quite sad, right? Imagine children without dreams? Children without faith in themselves and what the future holds for them?

For our our first attempt to help them realize that they are important part of our society and that there are people who believe in them, we worked harder to let them join us in UP Los Banos.We raised funds from our own little ways to fund their trip and did a benefit concert* where they shared their excellent talents with the UPLB community.*All proceeds went to fund their immediate needs including supply of food. When I was in college, one thing I was too excited about was to be part of an organization that I like. Not like the usual academic clubs and organizations in high school where we were forced to be part of, in UP, we have the liberty to choose our organizations.

I have many options. I can choose an academic organization that can help me get through my studies; a varsitarian organization that can help me link with people who have the same interests or roots; a debate organization that can give me trainings –there is just too many to choose from.

But I chose to be part of UP SIBOL, a socio-civic organization that helps the marginalized sector through outreach and development-oriented programs.

Helping the marginalized? It seems ambitious. As an ideal college sophomore, I had that level of ambition to contribute to something bigger than myself. Something that I think I can achieve through UP SIBOL.

And yes, it helped me. A lot.

When I got in through a process that felt like hell, prime motivation was still aligned with SIBOL’s mission of uplifting the lives of many communities through little ways of a student-led organization. We have several outreach programs that cater to the kids, indigenous peoples, mothers, and many more sectors that needed attention.

It gave me something to look forward to. It provided an avenue for my passion to serve the community.

Joining means you care

I am no rich kid. I came from a middle-class family that happens to encounter financial struggles every now and then. But I grew in a family of givers — no matter how small, we should always share. That’s what my mom taught us when I was a kid and she continues to influence us ’til this day.

When I joined UP SIBOL, it felt like I am finally leading a life with purpose.

I remember so vividly my first activity as a newbie in my organization. We had our annual Street Kids initiative where we held a Christmas outreach program with the abandoned kids of Laguna.

It was a fulfilling first of many.

I can still remember the night before our outreach, we were too busy preparing food items and collecting Christmas gifts for the kids. With no decent sleep the next day, my heart gained tons of happy cells and energy when I saw smiles from the kids when they received their Christmas gifts.

We had so much fun. I had so much fun and it felt really good.

And that was the beginning of my journey of sharing a part of my self to the people I think we have to give our attention to — the poor and the marginalized.

Deeper, meaningful programs

Our programs expanded from catering to the street and abandoned kids, to providing opportunities for mothers to receive alternative learning.

It was one of the things I really liked about SIBOL — arms wide-open — we are ready to extend assistance in any possible way that we can as a student organization.

And when I got back from my study program in South Korea, I was too happy to know that we are finally touching more lives of not just kids but IP kids.

The Aetas of Zambales gave us another opportunity to extend our hands and hearts to the community.

AETAguyod is a brainchild by one of my seniors (also one of my early mentors in the organization), Sonny.

When Sonny was elected President of the organization, he had a chance to pitch the program to the members and alumni of UP SIBOL.

Sonny envisioned it holistically address the immediate needs of the indigenous kids in a school run by Franciscan nuns in Zambales. This school provides IP kids an opportunity to receive primary education for free including daily meals and lodging. However, like any other social institution, the school lacks sustainable funding and has difficulties in many aspects.

Sharing a piece of ourselves

More than helping them receive donations and immediate supplies, we wanted to empower them. That is for sure.  We believe that it is always more than the material things.

As most of the resident members are development communication students, we did series of community analyses on how we can help. We have personally learned from them their views and perspectives about our society as a whole.

It dawned upon us that more than the material things that we think they are lacking or haven’t had the privilege to enjoy, I personally felt that, what they lack is the confidence to face the world with their roots and culture. They are not proud of who they are.

They never felt that they were normal people experiencing discrimination on a regular basis. This made them feel like they are inferior individuals and that being an Aeta is something to be ashamed of.

Hence, most of them stopped believing in the future, they stopped dreaming.

And that’s quite sad, right?

Imagine children without dreams? Children without faith in themselves

and what the holds for them?

For our our first attempt to help them realize that they are important part of our society and that there are people who believe in them, we worked harder to let them join us in UP Los Banos.

We raised funds from our own little ways to fund their trip and did a benefit concert* where they shared their excellent talents with the UPLB community.

*All proceeds went to fund their immediate needs including supply of food.

They had fun and the people enjoyed every performance.

They were applauded and supported by the community.

We were touched by the fact that there are so many students who are willing to share a part of themselves in making the Aeta kids feel loved and valued.

On my own little contribution, when Sonny asked me to host the program with Bryan, I immediately said yes. It was surreal.

They thanked us, numerous times. But in reality, it wasn’t us who helped them. It was them who helped us realize so many things in life.

They weren’t just the ones with new dreams  — we learned to dream bigger as well, not just for ourselves, but for them. I think that’s the best thing I learned to treasure in my heart over the years. I won’t stop dreaming for others.

Caring continues

The concert was just the beginning of our journey with the AETA kids. We had several outreaches in the community. Conduct of learning experiences about proper nutrition, culture appreciation, livelihood making, and a lot more! We did our best to transfer knowledge that we have to their community that we think will be useful for them someday, or somehow.

UP SIBOL have been instrumental for me to realize that opportunities are limitless when it comes to giving and caring. I can always be an instrument in making someone’s life a little easier and lighter. I can’t sponsor a child (yet) but I know I can always try to be an inspiration to them to dream big and conquer their struggles.

There is a Chinese proverb that goes: “If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody.”

True enough, many people have claimed that the road to happiness is actually the road traveled by givers and carers. Happiness is found in caring for others.

I guess what I’m saying is this: I know for a fact that these things are so little compared to all the big battles we are all facing  — poverty. But I know for sure that if caring continues for these people, slowly, we are letting them know that they are not fighting the battle alone.

To know how you can help, send @UP SIBOL a private message on Facebook or talk to me (we have something exciting in the pipeline).

[jooycebond]

If it ‘sparks’ joy, keep it

KonMari has been so popular these days that so many people are starting to rethink their lifestyle and how they put their “shit” together. Thanks to Netflix, for mass introducing the Japanese minimalist way of life.

If you’re wondering what KonMari actually means, it is safe to introduce you to the infamous Japanese decluttering expert — Marie Kondo.

Thanks to this charming Japanese lady, all of us now are striving to keep this planet a better place ONLY for the things that elicit happiness in us. Her new show is a cultural phenomenon.

Cos why not? KonMari is such sa beautiful thing. The thinking inspires people to let go of the the things that do not spark joy and to generally keep things tidy. The method looks easy but it is not. Keep only the things that “spark joy” in you and everything else, you should let go. As in trash them. That Zara blouse you bought for $80? Let that go.

I think this is somewhat fantastic not just in tidying up our home, workplace, or any other space. It could be useful in rethinking our life ahead. If people and habits, spark joy in you, then keep them. Otherwise, let them go.

Even before the KonMari phenomenon in Netflix, I have been a fan of the Japanese minimalist lifestyle. As a Christian, I have subscribed to the idea of keeping things that you need and detaching one’s self to the material things in life. And for that, I think Marie Kondo is heaven sent to humanity. Letting go of the materials things and focusing on what it can bring out from us — I think it’s hilarious!

[jooycebond]

Ordinary

Most of the time you will see stories of champions, leaders and the like but you rarely see stories of those who put these champions into the spotlight, those who worked their asses off to let someone shine.

Maybe, this post is something for those people — those people who are happy in the background, almost always forgotten, almost always the regular team member.

I am not here to convince you to pity those who chose to keep it low key. That’s how I view them – low key people.

I don’t want you to feel sorry for them because I am here to put some of my boxed feelings into words, into a beautiful narrative of how I appreciate those people in the background who actually make things happen.

This topic is no stranger to me. I, myself, is part of this pack that I would like to call as the “unseen” pack.

I remember one time when my professors decided to give out some recognition to all the hardworking tutors and team leaders for the Winter English Camp when I was in South Korea for an exchange program.

They called everyone except me. They forgot my name! The thing is — I was part of the team who actually bagged the title during that camp. Haha! It was funny because it was not the first time that people actually forgot my name! As a shy girl, I told them that it is actually okay.  Okay lang talaga, lol. No hard feelings.

As early as that, I know I am not “remarkable”.

College groupings.

Successful org events.

Team accomplishments.

A boss congratulated the team but forgot that I was part of it.

Things like that.

It happens all the time.

Sometimes, it is frustrating. As part of the generation where validation plays an important factor on how I view myself, this little thing makes me feel less at times. Maybe, you’re also feeling the same.

And true enough, I heard a lot of same stories of the best people I know who actually felt the same way. Most of the time, their efforts weren’t recognized. Sometimes, I feel bad. But most of the time, I have just accepted that it is part of the game.

There are people who shines with their brightest lights and there are people who have to dim theirs for others to shine.  But dimming your light doesn’t mean you’re not good and not enough. Sometimes it means you don’t need to measure the light that you have. Instead, you try to see how you have made use of that light.

It is all about how you view things.

And to put things into perspective, imagine how many people helped our heroes to achieve freedom? But these people are often not recognized.

Imagine how many other people worked hard to make the first landing in the moon and yet, only Neil Armstrong has the greatest spotlight. Most of the time, only one shines over the countless of people. But those countless people are as important as Neil Armstrong.

So to you, who can relate to this, don’t be sad! They wouldn’t make it without you. After all, success does not lie in the recognition; it is in the relationships you have built and the lessons you have learned.

And that’s how you shine not for yourself but for other people who appreciate your hard work.

Cheers for all the people who made things happen and cheers to you, the silent and low key achievers of the world.

[jooycebond]

This is not a drill, I’m 25.

NAKAKALOKA.

Thank you for all the birthday wishes and all the love!

The idea of celebrating my 25th year makes me want to shut the door and just stay asleep in the coming weeks. It makes me anxious, honestly. It reminds me of all the things that I need to finish. As a deadline-oriented person and an Aries (char, joke!), being 25 makes me worry about the life ahead and the missed opportunities. It is as if I have to submit something remarkable on my 25th, like a terminal report.

Some may say, I am overreacting. Maybe, yes. While 25 is relatively young, believe me, most of the people my age today ask the same questions, ANO NA BA KO? Nasaan na ba ako?

Maybe, things happening around us and all the young people making it big at the very young age makes us all worry about our current state and our future. Parang napapagiwanan ka. And I am no different. I want to this, visit that, buy this, and be like that. The list goes on. I have my insecurities and worries, just like your typical millennial.

We always think that something is wrong about us even if we have a good job with a good pay grade, good bosses. Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO). That’s it.

That’s the thing about my generation, I guess? We all want to be someone. We all want to be significant. We all want to build our own thing, our own ‘brand’. We all want to be like this and like that. We want to have something to be proud of ASAP. We all want to be successful and it makes us so stressful. We often fail to wait.

The idea of having a deadline in life has to stop.

While there is nothing wrong about being sooo competitive in life, we need to manage our expectations about ourselves and the things we want to achieve. We have to wait. We have to enjoy the journey first. Sometimes, we become so stressed with what’s happening because we’re not prepared for it. I still believe that we need to be exposed to various vulnerabilities before becoming a great person. After reading several biographies of great people like Barack Obama, Abraham Lincoln, Mark Twain, John F. Kennedy, Hillary Clinton, The Beatles, Bill Gates, and the likes, I think all of them took the time to learn and wait for their turn.

See? Char.

Naks. This sounds serious na a.

But really.

To all my fellow anxious *young* professionals, I think we often miss the opportunity to be genuinely happy because we are too busy scrolling the feeds of other people who we think are more “successful” than us, who we think are “living the life.” We are so busy looking at other people’s successes and we forget that we have our own timeline. That everything in social media is just a projection of the happy side of things. You cannot see tons of payables posted on instagram. You can’t see the scratches and the ugly surface published on facebook.

What I am saying is, don’t be blinded by the idea that other people are not struggling like you. Go, take your time. That is why this year as I celebrate my 25th year, I dare to begin a journey of becoming a person with a quiet and gentle spirit. I will begin a new chapter with renewed hope of appreciating the people around me more and just candidly celebrate life!

It’s okay not share everything in social media. It’s okay if it takes a lot of time to cross one item on your bucket list. It is definitely okay not be like her or like him. It’s okay to sleep, be steady, enjoy a book, and chill. You just do you.

Having said all that, I hope I can celebrate the joys of this world with all of you candidly. Cheers to 25 years of existence and unconditional love! Para sa marami pang sablay sa buhay!

Details on how I celebrated my 25th will be up soon!

[jooycebond]

Beyond grateful

“You can be aware of your value and be humble, simultaneously.”

If there is one thing I learned this year, it would be this. I have learned where to place my self, how to value my feelings, my dreams, and the people that I love without being too much.

I mean, there’s nothing more precious than being contented and enjoying what you have, right? Almost 12 months had passed and I am happily satisfied with how I spent my whole year! Three things I am proud about: 

I passed Beda law but decided not to go because I think I need more time to think. So this year, I spent the whole year enjoying my current career first.

Saved money. I was able to manage my finances this year. I am slowly getting the idea of investing for the future. Little by little.

Confidence in what I am doing. I gain a lot of confidence in my work and thanks to my exposure to ASEAN events! 

Beyond everything that I have achieved, I am grateful that I can do what I want and I know I can achieve anything with focus and hardwork. 

[jooycebond]

PH has one ‘creative city!’

While we might agree that the Philippines is a land of creativity with wide-ranging world-renowned creatives, Baguio City is the first one in the country to be named as a UNESCO Creative City as part of its Creative Cities Network.

Known for its cold weather and chill vibe, the Summer Capital of the Philippines is among the 64 newly-declared creative cities by the international body after it has passed rounds of screening.

With its inclusion under the Crafts and Folk Arts category, Baguio will join the network that aims to foster innovation and creativity as key drivers for a more sustainable and inclusive urban development.

UNESCO Creative Cities Network was established in 2004 as a global initiatives that sees creativity and innovation as essential drivers in achieving sustainable development around the world. It also aimed to foster cooperation among the network in promoting creativity and innovation across societies. It covers seven creative fields: Crafts and Folk Arts, Media Arts, Film, Design, Gastronomy, Literature, and Music.

The old city boasts known artists which include Ben Cabrera and Eric de Guia as part of the prestigious Baguio Arts Club. The city is also a known haven for artists across the country.

Baguio is also a home for many crafts created and curated by our folks from Cordillera. One of which is the famous Narda’s handwoven arts and crafts owned by Narda Capuyan. Capuyan was known for her tie-dyed fabrics. She was praised across the world for making Cordillera traditional craft known and lived by folks up until this day.

“Where do broken hearts go?”

Many of which find the city comforting. Known for its night market, many folks go up the mountains to buy imported clothes at a very cheap price. Not only that, one of the famous romantic film, That Thing Called Tadhana, also featured Baguio as a stop for those trying to mend their broken hearts. With wide-range of cozy and artsy restaurants and coffee shops, Baguio remains a go-to place to relax and unwind.

If you haven’t been to Baguio for a very long time, make sure you visit it. Surely, it’s among the many Philippine cities that showcase Filipino ingenuity.

PS. I hope next year, another Philippine city will make it to the list. I am personally eyeing Quezon City as a creative city for film while Angeles City for gastronomy! *fingers crossed*

[jooycebond]

Sunsets are the best view for me. It’s a beautiful reminder that everything must go -- ugly or beautiful. This one was taken in Boracay Island, Philippines. 

[jooycebond]

I visited Taipei with the love of my life! Hooray for our first *unplanned* trip abroad!

[jooycebond]

On top of my list

There are lots of things that we want to achieve each and every year that we have. For this year, I will keep my list short and simple. I will give myself enough time to enjoy life and stop doing things just for the sake of crossing it off my bucket list. Here are the things that hopefully, I’ll get to accomplish by the end of 2017!

Goal #1: Enter law school. I have always wanted to take up law. It makes me feel excited whenever I think about the endless stuff that I can learn and all the challenges! I promise myself to get enough courage this year and take those law school entrance exams! Update: I took the Philippine Law School Admission Test (PhiLSAT) and I passed! Hallelujah!!

Goal #2: Publish at least 5 articles. Yeah, I am trying to become a legit writer right now. To build a better a career in the field I should start investing in my writing styles. Need to publish articles as many as I can while I have access to people and platforms. Stay tuned for my articles at Business Mirror’s Export Unlimited every Wednesday. 

Goal #3: Learn more about Adobe Photoshop. Ugh, I need to start upgrading my skills. Most of the communication graduates these days are not solely news producers or writers, they are also good in graphics. I am lagging behind that skill. I need to catch up!

Goal #4: Travel abroad. I promise myself to at least travel once abroad for this year. As you know, I do not travel as often as before since time is really limited with all the work that I have to do.

Goal #5: Save up for future funds. I was really thinking of how to save more money for my future use. I don’t know if my full time work is enough for me to save the amount of money that I will need in the future but I will try my best to at least save a large portion of my income.

Goal #6: Finish at least 4 books. Yes, I have to get my reading list going! With so much happening in the digital sphere, I am almost forgetting my actual book reading list.

These are my priorities this year. How about you, what are your priorities?

[jooycebond]

Expectations matter

Yes, if it is not for the expectations of others, I wouldn’t mind spending the whole day bumming at home. Lol, kidding. BUT. NOT. REALLY.

They say you should live your life the way you want it. Yeah, perhaps, I agree. But for me, expectations of other people matter. Why? These push me to strive harder, to work harder and to achieve my goals. After all, naturally, humans are competitive. We work hard because we want to impress and make people happy. In my case, I work hard not for myself but for the people around me expecting me to perform better. 

However, sometimes (actually, most of the time), it becomes so frustrating that I end up exhausting my self. I push everything to the limit and I do a lot of self-competition. I hate self-competition, you know? I have the urge to do better, to come up with the best even if i don’t enjoy the whole process! Anyway. I also find peace whenever I beat my old self. So, yeah. Life.

My point is, for me, expectations matter. They make me feel like I have endless goals that need to be achieved.

[jooycebond]

I would like to believe that this is a beautiful story; that this is something that is worth keeping; that this is meant to be. I would like to believe the positive side of it, the beautiful thoughts surrounding the love of my life, the unseen future of us together.

I’ve been wanting to keep someone like you for the longest time. I wanted to keep hugging you, kissing you, and loving you because I know you were made for me. We were made for this. I hope you feel the same way too.

[jooycebond]

I don’t think I have to know that you love me.

What I have to know is if you love me enough ---   Enough when everything gets tough;   Enough to carry me sometimes when I am so weak;   Enough to listen to me when I’m stressed and losing hope about life’s beauty;   Enough to lend me your hand when I couldn’t reach my dreams;   Enough to give me brighter perspectives when all I see are the ugly things, my rough skin and my cloudy thoughts about the world;   Enough to hold my hands when I’m about to give up;   Enough for me to feel that I am loved, that I am not alone -- even if you’ll end up leaving me;   Enough for me to know that brighter days are coming, that this world has something much more to offer;   Enough not to hurt myself for the lack of love, for almost failing you at every moment that you expect me to be the best, to be the understanding, and to be the person that you love;

I want to know if your love is enough to endure the pain that I might cause.

[jooycebond]

A month ago, I visited Palawan with the love of my life.

I had so much fun since Don is a fun company. It’s actually our first flight together! 

We had 3 nights and 4 days to tour the city of Puerto Princesa. We visited some of its famous places such as the Underground River, Iwahig Firefly Watching, and did some Island Hopping (Cowrie, Luli, Starfish and Pambato Reef). The best for me among those, was the Pambato Reef where we had a chance to see a portion of the beautiful marine life of Palawan.

Don got skills in bargaining tour packages haha! Expert! We did a lot of DIYs during our visit and we think we got some of the tours relatively cheaper than those published online. I also think that people who spoke to Don during our tour loved/liked him so much. Crowd favorite? LOL

Overall, I think Palawan offered us a lot of good places and the people were all accommodating. It was a hassle-free tour for the two of us! I hope to explore more of its places such as El Nido and Coron.

And definitely, the best things in Palawan aren’t included in these photos. Things we really liked are the food especially the Tuna Steak from Kalui Restaurant, fireflies welcoming us at the Iwahig Firefly Watching and the beautiful rock formations inside the Underground River.  And of course, I have to mention the people who made our stay wonderful - Kuya Dong, our reliable tricycle driver and Kuya Fred from Microtel by Wyndham.

[jooycebond]

Life lately

Hi!

It's been a long time since I wrote something worth reading. I haven't updated my blog too. Remember the promise that I gave when I started blogging again last January? That "I will, at least, post an update once a month".  I guess life's surprises lately occupied most of my time and haven't given me an opportunity to talk to you via letters and words. That's not a sad thing, don't you think?

Anyway, so, what's up life?

The last time I wrote a letter for you guys was when I was still with the Department of Agriculture as a sort-of technical staff. For the record, I resigned after three months. I had the urge to do the right thing - go with what I really want to do.

Right now, I am with the Department of Trade and Industry as a Communication Officer-slash-PR Officer. I handle press releases, media relations and other communication-related activities of the Undersecretary for Industry Promotion Group. It's been eight months! So far, I am having fun and I am enjoying every bit of my job although sometimes, I find it frustrating. Frustrating, not because I hate it, but because I think I lack the ability to come up with good outputs. Good thing is that, I am surrounded by great people with the passion to inspire other people. Thank heavens for Sir Ed! I consider him as my ultimate mentor and his wife is my #UltimateCareerGoalz. I'll try to make a post about that.

So, life lately is generally wonderful! Beautiful, to be exact! It has been a roller-coaster ride but it is all fun for me! Half-way through the year, I have achieved what I wanted -- do what I love, and be with the one I love.

I do what I love. I know I am not good at writing, but I am pretty happy because I do a lot of writing for the greater good -- for public consumption. It is where I wanna grow. I do news releases about government initiatives especially in the economic segment, and I am, perhaps, happy that I am able to give back to the people and this country through that little contribution. Government work has always been my goal. It feels good to know that I am finally doing something not just for myself but for this country. It sounds mushy and cheesy, but that is how I feel. Right now, I may not be the best writer-journalist, but the fact that I am trying my best to make a name in this field is somehow a great achievement for an average communication graduate like me. Someday, I know everything will bear fruits! It may or may not happen but I know for sure that my perseverance will help me achieve a pinch of that dream.

I am with the one I love. Eww. Mushy. If you have noticed (via tweets and instragram posts), I have been a little bit open about the feelings that I have towards someone. I am guilty of not entertaining guys (well, romantically) for the past 3 years. Just recently, I finally had the courage to take a leap of faith to someone really strange to me. I guess, the years that passed were enough for me to conquer my fears. I am happy and scared at the same time. But I am giving my one-hundred percent to this or maybe, even more. I am giving my everything to this. I don't care if he'll end up leaving me, I don't care if it fails, what important now is I DID WHAT I HAVE TO DO -- give it a try.

To sum up, life has been really beautiful lately with rainbows and unicorns all the time. I thank God for surrounding me with good people and for providing me the things that I need. 

Love always, Kate  💖

[jooycebond]

Isn’t it funny when you imagine someone to be the father of your future children?

[jooycebond]

hi, new  person in my life.

I may be a writer but I don’t have the right words with me to tell you how much you have changed everything. It has always been rainbows and unicorns whenever I am with you.

There are billions of people in the planet and how amazing it is that your first message sent to me was: “found you!” I guess I have to thank the Gods - both old and new - for heading you towards where I am. I am more than glad that you have found me. Salamat!

I don’t want to call it fate or destiny as it will really sound cheesy - but you really did show up out of the blue, eh? I hope you know how you’ve put colors to my relatively neutral life and gave me some reasons to believe to those butterflies in my belly. 

To be honest, I have tried to push you away. But I don’t even know how you managed to be like a wave -- always coming back with stronger current. I don’t know what magic spell you used but when we’re together - I am always paralyzed. LOL You have your weird ways of penetrating my thoughts and I really can’t stop my heart from feeling excited whenever we’re together. What is this? I am sooo scared right now.

You asked if I think about you too (?) No, thinking is not enough to describe my almost everyday struggle to distract my self of my thoughts about you -- if you really do exist and if all of these is true. Thinking of you is an understatement. I want to pinch myself and wake up from this beautiful dream - I don’t want to believe it. cos it feels so beautiful I don’t wanna believe it - our should I?

You are so warm, gentle, and sincere. You are so annoying in so many beautiful ways. You are the reason why I can’t focus staring at the moon and look at the stars instead -- wishing I could make one last wish. Lord, please make this real???? Oh life. Because of you - for one last time, I really want to believe.

So, if you feel like leaving right now...

Don’t, stay.