Category: Musings

Lost in Your Light

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Cheers to my first post for the year! My site has taken a back seat after all the things happening in my life in the past month. There were blessings and problems on top of another, coupled with endless tears brought about either by pain or joy – or in rare cases, both, as you break down because of intoxication. After all this mess,  life is still good like I always say, for I’m training my mind to focus on the positive. It’s very necessary to take a breather for a while and just spend days and nights out with your friends. Oh, and don’t forget to spend time alone, too!

I am currently feeling the pangs of growing up. The reminisce bump I am feeling is stronger than ever but I am slowly accepting that I am changing, that I am no longer a kid, that I should be in charge of myself when I am alone. The past few weeks have been a testament of my own independence, I’ve been almost anywhere and most of the time I’m all alone.  I feel very independent and free, this means that I am really entering the world of adulthood. Yikes. I’m also in the process of accepting that I’m graduating. Entering a new environment and experiencing something new is not easy and that’s given, I just need mental preparation for all the new things ahead of me. I’m quite excited because graduating signifies that I made it this far and things are already falling into place.

How’s 2018 so far? I’m lost but I’ll find my way out. Things will be better in time!

Photos by Lourdes Dimalanta

18 Goals in the Next 18 Years

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And just like that, the day I’ve been dreading for years has finally come. I am now eighteen. Adult responsibilities are just lurking around and I have to keep in mind that it’s going to be more serious and difficult this time. I was so much younger yesterday!  And since my birth month is not yet over, I want to share with you some of my goals in the next 18 years! Let’s get started!

1.Finish school – I’m on my last year in high school and I absolutely have mixed feelings about it. I have my fair share of regrets like I wish I did better, I wish I joined this, I wish I did that, I wish I wish I wish… scratch that, it’s almost over. Nonetheless, I’ve achieved a lot of things so there’s no reason for me to feel bad. Right now, I am busy with college preparations. I’ve visited various  websites and searched for college tips and also, I’ve printed a number of college entrance test application forms. Ugh, I can’t believe I’m leaving high school. I feel so old! In the months to come, I’m going to take up the ACET and UPCAT. I hope will pass both and I hope I will get the chance to study in Ateneo de Manila University. Ngayon ko lang ‘to sasabihin ha, it’s really my lifelong dream to study and finish there! AHHH, Lord, whatever happens happens. Ikaw na ang bahala, kung saan Mo man ako dalhin, I’ll be happy.

2. Work and earn and SAVE UP – Of course, after finishing school I want to work. AND EARN MONEY OF COURSE. Haaaay, our lives are so pre-determined talaga. Study, work, retire, die. What if gusto kong maging patatas?! Joke lang! Syempre I didn’t go to school just to be a pabigat sa ekonomiya. Hahaha! Work but don’t forget to live! I wonder what’s in store for me though.

3. Be a home-owner at a young age – There’s a part of me who wants to achieve this at an early stage of my life. I’m willing to make sacrifices like not spending so much money on my wants, missing out on gatherings and parties, and working extra hard just to achieve this at a young age. Ideally, I want to have my own space at 25 or 27. I want a house, not a condo or pad or apartment, I want to have a place I can call my own. I’m willing to miss out on other things just to assure na may bahay na ako agad, kaysa naman enjoy enjoy at gastos gastos lang ako tapos pag 30’s na ako, I don’t know saan ako lulugar! Di ba?! Ang gusto ko kasi, magsacrifice muna ako before I enjoy, specially if it’s going to help me in the long run. At least I don’t have to worry later on ‘di ba! #MaturedTalaga #Lolo

4. Have a nice car and learn how to drive – Hopefully, I will learn how to drive later this year during my term break. I am officially 18 and I want to enjoy the different perks and privileges of being legal!

5. Travel local and abroad – Albeit I wanted to have a house at an early age, I also want to travel and explore the world. I just want to see what other places have to offer, you guys know I’m a sucker for lifestyle! Nako, I’ll seriously do anything to travel, willing akong maging flight attendant, honestly! If I were a flight attendant, I can travel and earn at the same time. O diba! Best of both worlds! HAHAHA DI KO NA ALAM TBH.

6. Learn a new language – Aside from Korean, I’m thinking of studying French, Spanish, and Mandarin as well! I want to be a polyglot—I know I am already one, but I still want to test my linguistic prowess.

7. Publish a book – A book about life and style. One book dedicated to what I’ve learned in life, and another book for my style essentials and sartorial adventures. I want to see myself signing autographs someday! AHHHH GOALS. ❤

8. Have a successful business – I want to see our family business grow and be known nationwide and eventually worldwide. Someday, someday, someday!

9. Spoil my parents – Being the good son that I always am (wooooow), I really need to return and reciprocate every single effort my parents have done for me. I wouldn’t be where I am or who I am right now without them. I am willing to do anything just for my family.

10. Earn enough to move to New York/ Paris/ London/ Korea – Okay, I know I want to have my own residence in this country but I also want to experience how it’s like to live abroad. I want to have a brief stay—two months will do—in a foreign country to experience their culture, what the country has to offer, how I’m going to survive and I want to live like a local as well. Since then, I really wanted to move to New York or Paris or London or just in Seoul buuuut heck, I need lots of $$$ to do that because that means I’m gonna be jobless for months. LOL.

11. Be healthy – I want to have a “perfect” body too and that entails a lot of discipline and hard work. That means I need to work out and diet to death! I’m claiming it, magkaka-abs na ako. I want to look young and healthy even in my 30’s or 40’s! I don’t want to get sick!

12. Start a Youtube Channel or a talk show – My communication skills should be honed because it’s one of my “assets”.  I’ve done a small number of hostings, reports and I believe it’s a skill I should utilize. I know I can do so much better and since I love sharing my life to all of you, don’t be surprised if I set up my own YouTube channel! Although I still need to acquire the skills needed for that, I will do everything and wait for the perfect timing!

13. Philanthropic efforts – Part of my social involvement would be this. Someday, I want to be a UNICEF Ambassador or just start my own charity. By simply organizing feeding programs, free lessons, clean up drives and others, I do my part in giving these people a brighter future. I want to help others not because I want to, but because I need to. Extending a helping hand is part of my social responsibility; I want to give back, I want to do my part in making the Philippines a better place. This may just be a simple and a small act but I know this goes a long long way already. 🙂

14. Continue to inspire others – Write a book, have a channel, get featured on glossies are all part of my bucket list. But it all boils down to my main goal — inspiring other people. Inspire them and empower them, make them believe in themselves. I just want to be a inspiration, I want to be a role model, I want to be a catalyst of change.

15. Family – Oh god, I don’t really know.

16. Have good skin – Honestly, I want to look younger than my age. If I’m 50, I want to look like I’m just in my 30’s. LOL. Asian genes will work! Of course if I already have the money in the future, I’ll be a tambay in Dra. Belo’s clinic. I’ll get regular skin treatments because I don’t want to age badly. Okay lang na mag-recede ang hairline, basta maganda pa rin ang kutis ko okay na. Gagawin ko ang lahat magmukha lang akong bagets ulit. Haha!

17. Love and appreciate myself more – Oh baby you should go and love yourself. Not too much though, Andrei.

18. Live happily. – Bottomline is to live happily. I wish that in the next 18 years of my life, I will stay the same. Amidst all the achievements and things that have happened and will continue to happen, I hope I’ll keep my feet on the ground and still appreciate all the little things in life. Here’s to a future with positivity, love, and happiness!

I wish you all learned something from this post! Mind sharing some of your goals? 🙂

5 QUOTES TO REMEMBER

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This post is supposedly the last leg of my 2016 Lessons series but I failed to publish it a few months ago because I’m busy with school. Here are some of my fave quotes from last year and they seriously fit my current life situation right now. Haha! No more explanations needed because they’re pretty self-explanatory at para makapag-reflect reflect din kayo. They’re in bold para damang-dama. LOL. 

21. “Remember that sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck.” 

22. “If you don’t ask, the answer is always no. If you don’t go after what you want, you’ll never have it. If you don’t step forward, you’ll always be in the same spot.” 

23. “If you give up too soon, you’ll never know what you’ll be missing. Keep going and never quit.”

24. “It is what it is, it was what it was, it will be what it will be. Don’t stress it.”

25. “Surround yourself with the dreamers and the doers, the believers and thinkers, but most of all, surround yourself with those who see the greatness within you, even when you don’t see it yourself.” – Edmund Lee

LIFE LATELY : Post Grade 11 + New hobby + My future career?!

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IT’S SUMMER!!!!!!! Yes, it’s the start of my loooooong break! I survived the first year of Senior High and that’s something to smile about because it means I made it this far and I’ve accomplished everything on time! On another note, it’s just sad because the coming year will be my last in High School and I still haven’t figured out which course to take and which school should I attend. I know, nakakastress talagang tumanda. Why can’t I be in High School forever?! The future is seriously scary and exciting. Bahala na! It’s going to be okay in the end. Well, now that school’s over, I’m back to business and back to blogging! So life lately has been all about:

  • Online Shopping – What do you do after surviving 10 months of school? Treat yo’self. This was actually a result of my boredom. One night after doing school work, I got curious how COD works and I also wanted try online shopping by myself so I checked Lazada and tadaaaa, I just discovered something. I now have a new hobby! *evil laugh*  Personally, Lazada has the fastest service because your order arrives within 48 hours….right at your doorstep. I ordered some skin stuff and it arrived one day later. That is just uh-mey-zing.
  • Post-school cleaning – I’m ready to let go of my notes and my bad memories with them so I’m about to set them on fire. Joke lang! Of course, since school is over, I have to keep these old goodies (no matter how much I struggled with them) because I might use them later on. (I have a separate post for this, watch out.) If you’re reading this right now, keep your damn notes and books and never ever throw or sell them. You’ll thank me later.
  • Hosting stints – The past two months were all about getting out of my comfort zone by hosting events. I had three stints in just one month and I actually enjoyed it because I met new people and it made me more confident. Future career maybe?  It’s fun and I’m actually looking forward to hosting more events soon! School events muna, baby steps pa lang. LOL. I’ll get there soon, slowly but surely. (Fun fact: the photos above were from one of my events!)
  • Addiction to skin care – After weeks of stress and puyat, I’m de-stressing myself by slathering on all sorts of skin products I can use. I have a few zits right now and I’m afraid that they’ll get worse by next month or so. Knock on wood! Let’s be honest, I’m willing to spend lots just to get good skin.
  • Healthy eating – Since I don’t want to break out just like what I’ve experienced last year, I’m all for healthy eating. I avoid junk food at all costs because I believe they were the main culprit of my worst break out period before. I remember myself binge-eating ice cream, potato chips and sweets last summer and little did I know that they were the ingredients for a major acne breakout. Bye flawless skin. Now that I learned my lesson, I’m into fruits and ~healthy~ food now because I do everything in the name of good skin and it makes me feel healthy  af. When it comes to acne, prevention is key.
  • Travel Ideas – Travel kuno, wala naman akong pera. I’m really really itching to travel because it’s summer and I know we all deserve it. Mommy, daddy pleeeeeaaaaaase! Let’s go out of Pampanga naman, I’m dying to go out of the country or just somewhere new because I believe that experience is far more valuable than money and life is not meant to be lived in one place alone. (Oh ano, laban?) Life is too short to not enjoy it, rightttt? I have a list of places I want to visit this summer and visiting them is actually ~possible~ because they’re just 30-45 minutes away from home. Philippines muna before other countries, if traveling abroad can’t happen. But I’m not closing my doors to any possibilities of traveling this year! Who knows?
  • Catching up on sleep and Kdramas – and movies!!! Okay, I’m not a big fan of movies but I want to watch Beauty and the Beast because I heard it was good, and Emma Watson is Belle and it’s from Disney so it’s a way to relive my childhood memories. Summer is all about sleeeeeping late and waking up late, ugh wtf. At least I get to rest for two months. It’s also a way for me to catch up on my fave Kdramas because I’m so busy with school that I don’t have time to watch anymore.

Photo by Lucas Gantioqui