WARNING: LONG POST AHEAD

Wake up. Get off your bed. Grind. Prepare yourself. Today’s the day you’ve been waiting for. Today is the day. But wait, you start thinking about your life goals. You get the “Where do you see yourself in five, or ten, or fifteen years?” questions popping in your mind and you slowly overthink about the future. You get the endless what-if feelings and you hate it. But wait, calm down, just think of the present and try not to worry too much. This is just a phase, it won’t take forever. Think about your dreams. Think of the goals you’ve set for yourself. Are you doing something for them to happen? Will they be worth it? Will you be able to achieve them in no time? You wanted to give up, but you suddenly remember the reason why you started. It’s never easy, but it’s going to be worth it. This is for yourself. All for You.

To say that the past four years have been nothing but remarkable is an understatement. It was indeed life-changing and moving on to the next chapter was a whirlwind journey.  I’ve met different people and experienced new things that a normal teenager would do, to say the least. Problems come in different forms. There were friends who stayed and some who left; moreover, I also had detractors. And for the latter, we’re just not meant to be on each other’s lives and I want to thank all of you for making me continue doing my thing without minding what others might say. Thanks for enlightening me about respect that no matter what they say to and about me, no matter who you are or where you’re from, respect is all I can give. Thank you for making me realize that respect really begets respect .   Despite all the hardships (in school or at home) I’ve faced, I made it through today. Congrats, self.

My body has been running on caffeine and less sleep for the last month of school. I managed my time well despite all the endless paper works, shoots for this subject and that, going home late and leaving early, to name a few. Never have I ever thought that crossing things off your task list was this fulfilling. Never in my wildest dreams that I thought I’ll get out alive.

If it weren’t for the K-12 program, I’m just two months away from college. Imagine that. Two months. This is probably my first time to see two digits of the same number on my patch.  But because of the shift, we are all  required to stay in high school for the next two years. And college for another four years or so. Brb, (stu)dying. With that said, I won’t graduate this year. We will be called ‘completers‘ as we finish Junior High. (Aside from the sheer disappointment I felt, this had me asking, “What the actual heck, DepEd, why?”) Apparently, I will graduate high school at the age of 18, yikes.  Maybe God wanted me to remain in high school because I’m still enjoying it, or maybe He wanted to give me ample time to decide which course I’ll be taking for college? Who knew? What’s next? All I can do right now is to accept the fact that Senior High is looming and I have to do better in school.

It’s not all about keeping up the “good” grades after all. School is, and should always be about learning. I’m not saying that you should derelict your duties,  just keep it balanced, you understand?  Some students are just so keen on academics that they forget to take care of themselves. Sadly, I feel bad for those who are so driven that they purposely outweigh others just to get ahead. Stop competing with others just cause you have “something” to prove. There’s always someone better than you so compete with yourself instead.  So what if you failed an exam? So what if you got a low grade? Buhay ka pa naman di ba? Don’t fret over a single piece of paper. What matters is you learned something from your mistakes. Don’t be afraid of failure. You’ll make mistakes – countless mistakes – and it’s inevitable. People, it’s just school, there’s so much more to life than that and it doesn’t end there. Listen to me (and understand where I’m coming from), never trade sleep for a school work. Never take it too seriously. Prioritize your studies but don’t forget to take care of yourself.

One day you’ll look back and things will never be the same again. True enough.  Things have changed, and will always, always change. High School is definitely one for the books and nothing will change that. Now that I am moving towards my next chapter in life, which is Senior High School, I hope that it will be a memorable one as I’ll be with a different set of faces after nine years. I wish we will all get along. So much surprises are waiting for me and I can’t wait any longer. There are so many questions running in my mind as I type this. Wondering if I’ll still belong to the same circle of friends or will I be able to meet new ones? Am I prepared for this? Am I going to excel in this strand knowing that – from the bottom of my heart –  I’m just forced to take it? Will my future self be thankful of what I am doing right now? Am I really doing something that will be worth it in the long run? Will this help me hone my skills or am I on the verge of letting go of my art prowess? Am I just torturing myself?  The questions seem to never end but I am excited for all that’s ahead.

Juggling blogging and academics was never easy. It was terrifying and exhausting. All the grueling efforts I give for blogging might hinder me from doing my best in school and vice versa. I promised myself that I will continue blogging because it’s my own outlet. My own site. All mine. Blogging is my go to activity and I can’t imagine my life without it. School, on the other hand, is also my number one priority. Mahirap mag-aral pero mas mahirap ang walang pinag-aralan at kung nahihirapan kang nag-aaral, paano pa ang nagpapa-aral sa ‘yo? Right?

As luck would have it, I managed to bag one award at the end of the year. I didn’t see it coming, to be honest, because I expected the worst. I know I’ve failed exams and I hate to admit that I didn’t exert that much effort on other requirements and yet I made it. (But how?!) Thank you, Lord, for making me survive. It’s all because of (and for) You! Belonging to the top 40 of the batch while juggling blogging and everything in between is something I’m really proud of. Time management is key, guys. Great things really happen when you start believing in yourself more that no matter how complicated things may seem, simply think that you can and you will. And always think positive as it has a great effect on you. What you think is what you become so erase that negativity off your mind! It’s going to be alright! Believe me guys, everything I say is tried and tested.  You got this, Andrei.

Hoping for the best, but expecting the worst. Something’s brewing and it’s gonna be great. SHS, hit me with your best shot!