Tips to feats of Twenty Somethings

I am in no position to give advises since I am not (1) a doctor (2) Psychiatrist (3) Teacher (4) high profiled individual (5) a mother. But one thing’s for sure, we all pass this way for around 9 years of our life.

Quick revert, everything I will write here is about my own personal experience, the people close to me, the people I know. So should you have concerns regarding this personal blog, I will not take in offense to any of your justifiable reactions so as long as you respect the opinion of other people too.

I am twenty-something, heading towards the oblivious post twenty and no I ain’t scared of getting there, it’s an exciting predicament. 

What I would like to share are the tips that I have learned along the way to get through with being in the twenty zone. I’m not sure if these are useful but these tools are the wide scope of getting your feet together and getting along with life in the future.

1.       Love your parents above all else.

However you argue with them or however you disagree on matters on hand, remember that they passed the way you had. You may often find yourself into situations where you might think you’re right, but most of the time, they are. I mean, the only reason why they do so as not to allow you in certain situations is because (a) they don’t want to risk your safety (b) experiences bring them discomfort to such predicament (c) budget constraints.

2.       You can never truly say “the fault in the stars” unless you base your life story to a fictional character.

I believe in the saying everything happens for a reason but beyond reasons, we all make our life choices, including our lifestyle, the people we hang out with, the direction we choose when we drive, choosing anger over rationality.  Stuff like so. I’m not certain for sure, but should there be karma, its always a good one. I choose not to believe in bad karma since I’m optimistic. Then again, these are choices and we are entitled to have one.

3.       Respect your body.

Do I need to expound this? You are what you eat. You are what you become because of the things you choose to do. It is not about doing work outs everyday; the simplest way to say it is choosing to walk than using the escalator. That will make a difference, unless you are in a hurry.

4.       Choose your weapon well.

Words can be swords and may be harmful to the other person or to you. You will never know when the boomerang hits. What goes around comes around. So ideally, think before we click. We all know young adults like our age are often hyper and sensitive to what people has to say but it doesn’t mean it will dictate your emotional constraint. By the time you grow old and you look back at all your FACEBOOK WALLPOSTS,  you might regret a thing or two and basically ask yourself, why did I do this.

5.       Wear Sunscreen

It protects your skin from ageing. You would not believe what sunscreen can do for you. By the time you grow older, believe me, Baz Luhrman was right.

6.       Don’t read beauty magazines, it will only make you feel ugly.

Well, that applies to me. It doesn’t mean it applies to everyone. But for some reason, we all have our infidelities because we see photoshopped models wearing that cute tank top that you love but when you wear it, it wouldn’t look as appealing as it does in magazines.

7.       Travel.

Its therapeutic, a new environment will help you learn. Try backpacking. Travel without the hefty cash. Ride the topload of a jeep towards Sagada. Try doing something you really wanna try in a different place, may it be local or foreign. Who cares? When you get older, you get weaker and you won’t experience the kind of adrenaline rush as you have in your twenties.

8.       Get a life.

You may love your job so much that you spend most of your waking hours in the office but don’t get yourself stuck. Go out there and enjoy life,  but in everything you do, be cautious still.

9.       Learn how to drive.

A bump car would do so as long as you experience the need to steer the wheel.

10.   Do things that will make you happy.

When you are to start your family, the family comes first, mostly the kids, so you would have less time for yourself (but never no time for self). So when you’re at it, learn a new instrument (maracas would be fine), a new language, go out, whichever makes you happy. It’s your CARPE DIEM sort of thing.

11.   Forgive. Love. Forgive. Love.

It’s a turn around. You can never truly love unless you forgive your past.

12.   Dance so randomly.

Don’t be shy. Give it a try. Dance in the shower (be careful of the slippery floor though), dance in the car (while in the traffic, don’t mind the people beside you, they don’t know who you are), dance in your room, dance alone, with a friend, with an imaginary friend; enjoy the music. It releases endorphins, happy hormones are the best!

13.   Laugh so hard that you feel like you need to catch your breath.

Most people who looked younger laugh the most. Life will always give us problems, trials and all that crap, but remember, it’s never a problem without a solution. This too shall pass.

14.   Be kind to people.

Kindness kills.

15.   We all fail at one point in our life. Learn from mistakes.

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, it will help us grow. But never do the same mistakes again, that would be incompetence. Learn the value of failing, in every battle there’s a winner and a loser. Failure doesn’t make us less of a person unless we do it so often it becomes a bad habit.

16.   Jealousy is a complete waste of time.

Perhaps there are better things in life than pick other people’s greatness or Prada. We are made different so let’s accept defeat. Winners don’t talk about other people, they talk about things that truly matters.

17.   Enjoy the power of youth.

You grow old every single day.

18.     They are your lifeline to the future. Whatever happens, they will back you up when the time comes. Even if you grow apart geographically, make sure you find time to hang out with them. Take a vacation off to see them.

19.   Save mother earth.

We might not know when we all disintegrate because of what we do but as vibrant as we are, the best time to make this a habit is at this point and younger. It is our responsibility to do so.

20.   Quality is better than quantity.

If the price is right, then make the better choice.

21.   Hang out with your siblings.

22.   Call your loved ones.

No need to elaborate. Don’t just sms them, make room for hefty conversations with them, you never know when they will be gone.

23.   Explore the world of movies.

Don’t just watch movies, watch movies with heart. The movies that matter, movies with lessons, movies that make a lot of difference; try La Vida et Bella (Life is Beautiful).

24.   HUGS!

25.   Be reasonable with inflation.

For some reasons, prices will go high accordingly. By the time you’re in 40’s, you might come to realize that the prices back in the day.

26.   Choose your friends wisely.

People come and go and it is indeed difficult to see who stays and who goes. Keep those precious people but they are worth your trouble.

27.   Have at least one quiet alone time.

It will help you think. It will ease your mind from all the clutter. It will make you powerful in such a way that you can bend ideas. Keep a time off your gadgets. Get away from radiation. The quiet time is your avenue for reflection.

28.   Floss.

You wash dishes so well but you don’t floss often. When you grow older, we are all more prone to tooth decay. Take care of your teeth, it is your source to eternal happiness – FOOD!

29.   Pray.

Whoever your god is, whatever you believe, at some point, put yourself in a position where you lay yourself rested to a greater good. There’s no harm in believing unless you practice insignificantly wrong.

So I will stop at 29 because that’s the last 2-ish. I may not have written everything but I guess, I said my piece in a way we so often understand. Tell me what you think of this, shoot me a message or whichever you prefer. I would love to know your ideas as twenty something.

Good luck everyone.

Cheerios!

Xoxo,

Beth

Memory Lane

So here I am, back again in my humble abode.
Waking up in a hot summer morning and counting down the days before my birthday, I realize a couple of things..

First, I am getting older (not only by age, but my virtue). I must say I have done a few things in my life that I may regrets but I am still lucky to be here and experience the world in another time and space. Future is what I mean.

Second, I lost a lot of people but I gained better ones. This is probably one of the best things in my life that I had to be thankful for.

So before I bequest another chapter of my life's journey, let me introduce you my life before.
Backward just a few years back.

People would say, I am a miserable person, simply because I don't talk that much but when I do, I tend to be mean. But not all the time.. I am a rational person and that's why I use my brain more so often than my mouth. I went back to college (after graduating my first course which is something technical - Engineering) and followed my first love and passion - ARTS.

Ever since I was a kid, I have been fascinated by science and technology but in its creative form. I am in love with colors and vibrancy and I have been a fan of extraordinary things. I may not have traveled and conquered the world just yet, but I know I have lived my life that way I should be.

I am a dreamer, always has, always will.. And I will continue to dream and learn and live by it. Every single day of my life. So bringing back memories always makes me smile. The fact that I haven't done this for sometimes (and I need to hone my writing skills more often than I should) and this is my perfect time to rant about it.

I would like to say, well.. I have been in a pedestal for quite sometime. When I was in college, I was so motivated to work hard to earn good grades because I asked my parents a favor of helping me find my dream so taking me back to college was a big feat given that my family only has enough to offer. Oh yes, we aren't that rich. Lemme say, we are of middle class, we can afford things others can't but we don't spend too gallantly as upper class just because we had enough. 

Maybe my college years (in Ateneo) wasn't all sugar and spice and everything nice. It was painful (at the end of the road, given I was the eldest of the bunch). Teachers have higher expectations and my classmates were, well.. I couldn't explain. Furthermore, I cannot guarantee I had the best time of my life (just yet because I couldn't understand how being classmates with all girls mean that you have to chatter everything from clothes, to food that you eat, the preferences, what you can buy, etc..)

If someone is reading this now, I think I know her reaction, it would be that I am as mean and crazy as I can be. And that I am hated by everyone. Not quite no. I don't usually defend my side of the story whenever things get so complex. I talk to one person to express myself and then I let them hate me, more. 

But it wasn't all that bad in college. I can say that there are some good stuff. First, I was able to learn a lot of things. This that I use in PR today. I took a summer training in IAFT (International Academy for Film and Television) during my last summer year in college (Red Tape Productions) and I was lucky few who was able to use dollies and stuff. (but no, I don't have photos as it was prohibited inside the Bigfoot) but I accepted the challenge and be gone.

And oh yes, before graduating, I was the first who joined the short film category for Metro Manila Film Festival. Alyssa, made the pre production idea. We came up with this short film about sisterhood, genre : HORROR/SUSPENSE. For some reason, we want to make them but not really a big fan of horror flicks. 

  
 These photos were post production photos coz I can't find the rest. We had 8 shooting days (for an actual 20-min film), 5 post production days, 3 pre production meetings only. I know, we should have longer plans before production but because of our busy schedules, we weren't able to meet. Most of us were graduating students and had some responsibilities so it was a tight call. Anyhow, we passed, got into the cut but we never made it as far as the gala night. Simply because there are a lot of better productions but I am glad we tried. I mean, there's no harm in trying right?

And that was just fun.
I may not have continued it for now, but in time I will push it.

I love doing all sorts of crazy, especially adventure and sports. You see, when I was younger, I played baseball (softball) and basketball *for my height, I know its quite unusual*

So I while I was in Davao, when time permits and budget fits, I would.

 So I thought wall climbing was hard. Since I do trekking and mountaineering, it was a breeze. I mean, not really but I'd say, I did it faster than the average joe.

Ok, so I don't have all the shots in the world since we didn't really intend to do all these.. so I gather you understand. hahaha.. well, yeah.. these are some of my friends. Most of them guys who wants to try extreme sports too. The last photo was from our wakeboarding escape. 

My first year back in school was a lot challenging. I met few people and become friends with some. Back in my first school (MSU-IIT), I made kind of a noise. I was so involved with extra curricular and got one of the highest position in an organization. I was the college Governor (president for some universities) and I was also a debating team, member of the publication, joined all the Literary events and also a cheerleader. But I decided to lie low in Ateneo. I don't want to break barriers because I already finished all the crap and the drama of politics and orgs.

I was able to join the publication committee in FYDP though. During my first year in college, I was tasked to join a Ignatian Cup Essay Writing contest for English. I really didn't expect to win but I did so that was the reason why I was a committee member of this publication, we call it YEAR ONE, its a freshmen thingy and since I started all over again in this school, I did what I had to do. 

It was fun. 
I love major classes in school. I love writing and events organizing, TV Productions, making music videos, making advertisements, shooting videos and doing radio shows. It was fun. Too fun for me I forgot how it was in the outside world.

 I was involved with Media and the Arts. I wrote for publications and newspaper but only for a short time. 
It was fun because I dealt with my strength. My passion for film came out later. My love for writing started when I was younger and I was able to hone it in college.

Ateneo was a fun environment for socio-political propaganda. During my final year in college, I was able to experience all these in a high class university. I realized that these people are not your average Joes too. A lot of them are fun and dedicated and were good with what they do. Some of them are, sad to say, arrogant though. Maybe it comes with a package. I'm not saying all though... there are alot of good men and women in Ateneo.

MAGIS! Men and women for others and AMDG (Ad Majora dei Gloriam) comes so quickly amongst fellow Ateneans.

These are people outside my comfort zone. I took classes outside Mass Communications Major which was Business Management and Finance. There I met my international friends. Since Ateneo was a top school and it also has programs that suits your needs (hahaha.. advertisement)..

And finally, the last photos were memories.

We had this project and we adopted this community in the local area. These kids are orphans and are also sick. It was very touching to experience what it was like to have nothing. We also had another community exposure but I wasn't able to include it here. This was my favorite though coz I love kids.

Porchers and Sec officers. In my last college year, I became a Sec. But it wasn't as 

active as it was before. 

Radio DJ-ing with Mushy Marj.

Awards nights. 2 Semesters of Awards nights. :) Oh yes, I have awards.

First recollection! I miss recollections. Back in High School, we have all sorts of these stuff because I also came from this Catholic School. :) 

These are my friends. Team Rhyge (originally). Named after the only guy in the group.

Soooooo.. that's just part of my story.

I'm tired now so I better get some sleep.

Good night world.