Thirty-two

Marching into my ‘lapas sa kalendaryo’ era. It’s not a shameful thing, but something to be celebrated. After all, life is a gift.

To celebrate my coming-out-of-calendar, here are a few nuggets of wisdom I learned and advices that I would like to share:

1. Get off of social media. This is a huge one especially in our digital age. Social media, with all its benefits, is mostly inhibiting our growth and happiness. It teaches us to seek outside validation, compare ourselves with others, and lurk on other people’s lives which further fuels envy, instead of focusing on ourselves and our growth. Also, it is such a HUGE waste of time. You won’t believe how much you can accomplish if you go on a social media detox. It will also improve your mental health.

2. In relation to number one, I suggest that you get a hobby, or rekindle old hobbies. Pursue your passion—whether it’s writing, cooking, designing, whatever it is—if it keeps you off of wasting endless hours of scrolling on social media and contributes to your growth, do it. You will be glad you did. Also, I recommend reading good books and listening to self-development podcasts as it motivates you and allows you to move in an upward trajectory in your life.

3. Establish a routine. Not all of us has this but morning or evening routines, for example, keeps us disciplined and organized. In my case, establishing a morning routine helps me be consistent with my devotion/ bible reading and improved my prayer life, which keeps me grounded no matter what I’m facing and in life. Routines help us cultivate good habits, which is an essential especially if you want to be a responsible adult.

4. Embrace changes but as much as you can, strive to be the best version of yourself in every season in your life. Are you a student right now? Be a good one. Are you single? Use that time to improve yourself so that you’ll be ready to attract what you want. Are you a janitor? Be the best janitor who keeps hallways squeaky clean. Wherever we are in life, I am sure we can give a great contribution in our own ways.

5. Keep your life private. Not everything needs to be shared. Keep a few trusted family and friends to share your goals and hopes with because sadly, not everyone is happy for all the blessings in your life.

6. It’s okay to outgrow some friends. All of us have different paths to traverse, and we all change. Sometimes our values and interests no longer align, and it’s not the end of the world. Just be grateful for all the memories you shared and always wish them the best. They once added color to your life.

That’s all for now, folks. I’m getting a bit nauseous in this flight haha. Thank you all for the greetings and may God bless you all.

Two Sides of a Coin | Repeating History

This scene from the film Hunger Games eerily parallels the socio-political situation of the West (which is slowly creeping on the more conservative shores of the East). You think that by killing Snow, the people of Panem would welcome a new society devoid of the tyranny of the previous dictatorship. But Katniss knew that Coin is just like her name–the other side of the coin–coated in virtue but really, she is just the other end of the spectrum of the same evil. Same as what we see especially on Western society in terms of (reverse) racism; fourth wave feminism (which is really just misandry), and gender ideology which seeks to erase women. That and much more issues, just flipped on the other side. It’s really just going back to the same old rotten culture, only with a new face. If only, like Katniss, we can put an end to a new era of evil before it even begins… but I know that a utopian world is magical thinking and we are living in this world tarnished with sin. What we can do, really is call out evil for what it is, and speak The Truth. Not the subjective truth relativist spew but the absolute truth. Even if you will be labelled as a bigot, a hater, or whatever label people put on you just because you think differently than them.

On Diamonds and their cheaper alternatives

Like any normal lady, I guess—I am fascinated with the engagement ring my fiancé gave to me when he proposed. Who wouldn’t? It is a symbol of his love and dedication. A reminder of his hard work and effort. My fiancé really need not give me that; he could have just asked and I would have eagerly said, ‘Yes’. Still he presented the beautiful ring made of real diamond, sapphire, and gold which he himself designed and had commissioned to be made just for me. Although I am not obsessed with such fine jewel more than the gift of our love itself, I did got curious about these gemstones so I made a research about diamonds…

First of all, diamonds are dearly expensive and naturally so, because of its properties. They are the hardest known mineral, highly durable and are resistant to scratches. The brilliance of diamonds are enchanting to the eyes of those who love the finer things in life. However, I also discovered something quite interesting. Untrained eyes might be fooled by this other gem whose brilliance is more intense than diamonds itself: this type of gem is called a moissanite.

A moissanite has a “distinct lustre that sets it apart from other gemstones. It has an intense and vibrant sparkle, giving Moissanite an enchanting presence.” Look at this table of comparison I got from the Lucce Rings website:

Perhaps this thought was prompted by a post I saw from a woman, flexing her big ‘diamond’ engagement ring. It was so brilliant with rainbow lights that I easily spotted it as a moissanite. It was beautiful but it was not real diamond. Not that it mattered.

I was only reflecting on the moissanite’s flamboyant sparkle which constrasts that of the modest but enthralling sparkle of a diamond. Yet when it comes to composition and cost, diamonds are way more expensive—triple the cost of moissanites.

It got me thinking of some people. It is the ostentatious ones who feel the need to shout to the world, “Look at me, look at what I got!”. They tend to overvalue themselves. Meanwhile, the truly wealthy ones do not feel the need to show off, because luxury is an every day lifestyle that is not new to them. No need to show off because they are secured with their insane wealth. It is like the nouveau riche (moissanites) versus the old money (diamonds).

Now I am not writing this to make people feel bad that they have moissanite instead of diamond. That is a superficial concern. Moissanites are beautiful nonetheless. It’s just amazing how something we can observe in nature such as gemstones can be a parallel to real-life situations.

*****

This was originally posted here.

Can people not???

When I was single for a very long time, I get bitter seeing couples on social media especially during Valentine’s Day. It pains me that I still haven’t found the one while everyone around me are celebrating. Yet I kept my mouth shut and reminded myself to be happy for others because we do not know their story and it is bad to be bitter for something like that. Same with FATHER’S DAY.

Look, it is not your fault if you didn’t have a father or father figure in your life. I understand. But please do not hijack the celebration with your petty posts. Let those of us who want to publicly honor our fathers on this one special day, celebrate in peace. Perhaps take inspiration and do your part, whatever it is, to share the importance of fathers in the lives of their children so we break the cycle of fatherless homes.

Hugs to everyone who are proud of their dad, lost their dad, haven’t seen their dad, whatever it is—I hope you find joy and peace on this day.

Above all, be reminded that our Heavenly Father loves you.

And oh, happy birthday to our provider and protector, our solid rock—papa Boyet. We are so blessed to have the best dad ever!

*****

This post was originally poster here.