Of Unfinished Chapters & New Beginnings

Another year is about to end and December blues is inevitable. It's that time of the year again where your brain's amygdala go trippin' and mess up with you and your emotions.

Some time last year I wrote a blog about lessons learned and realizations 2012 has taught me. By far it’s one of my favorite pieces. It felt like one of my most honest write ups and there are times where I find myself going back to it, rereading the words that came out from me and somehow, I’d feel OK. I’d feel a little assured that I’m not completely lost.

2013 to me felt like I’ve wandered in the bigger picture. Not literally but in a sense that I was just here – living what life has thrown at me. I wasn’t a fish that fought the current, instead I went with the flow of the sea. I’m not sure that’s a good thing or a bad thing or if I’m making any sense at all. That’s just more of a general description of what has been. The only thing that I know is that I'm OK so far. But being the overambitious modern woman that I am, there’s a screaming voice at the back of my mind telling me when to start another adventure. So it’s safe to say that this year was steady. I worked, I spent, I saved a little.

Without further ado, here’s my 2013 in retrospect.

-It is what it is. Do not search for the deeper meaning. Don’t go all philosophical on something that doesn’t even need any explanations. 

-Being kind all the time is exhausting especially if you’re a realistic (leaning towards cynic), no-BS-kind of person. Biting your tongue to avoid harsh comments from coming out of your mouth is excruciating. Letting the other person win the conversation is a loss you never want to endure. But most of the time it’s for the better. The art of “brushing it off” is so much better. Then you realize you’re getting old (OK, fine. Matured).

-Thinking you’re Superman is not such a great idea. You get tired. You get sick. You get bad days. Don’t go out there thinking you can save the world e.g. work, drink, party, travel, do errands, work, work, work and still feel brand new.

-A miniscule part of me sees the “traditional” way of life for a woman is possible, where I’d be a great homemaker, devote my whole life to the kids, cook a Martha Stewart qualified meal and take care of all my husband’s needs. But it’s like the Higgs Boson to me, having a mean lifetime of 1.56×10⁻²² s. Now the largest part of me is that I am a cyborg and I wanna take over the world, one continent at a time. :P

-Talk to people who are 10 – 20 years older than you. They have something to share that’s really worthy to listen to. Talk to people 10 – 15 years younger than you. They remind you of stuff you have long forgotten.

-Nobody can be Beyonce. I repeat. Nobody can be Beyonce. All hail the queen.

-One of the best feelings in the world: nobody else at the beach, sitting on the sand under the clear night sky, hearing the rush of the waves, buzzed and laughing until your lungs couldn’t handle it anymore with your friends. 

-Thank God for pets. Almost always, they’re the only friends you need.

-Feel the beat. Dance with it. No inhibitions.

-If you really want something, sometimes all you gotta do is have the courage to ask for it.

-Be grateful for the sense of feeling. Laugh your brains off. Cry your heart out. Curse the world. Praise the heavens. Be in utter awe. Love. You’re alive.

-The only time it’s good news that you’re broke is that you’ve spent all your money on traveling. You’ve basically gained more in life at the end of the day.

-Speaking of gaining in life – read. Learn from it. Use it as a means of escape. Immerse yourself into a whole new world wherein it’s just you and the words of its creator. Because when you find something special, it’s one of the things that never really go away.

-Being in the transition of going independent – financially & emotionally – from your parents’ support, you begin to appreciate them more.

-Another best feeling: You, completely alone at the beach on a really small island, sleeping on a nice beach bed as if you own the place.

-Print some of your best photos. Frame them or paste them on your wall. 

-Sometimes you ask yourself "why do I even bother?". You shouldn’t even have to ask yourself that in the first place.

-Forgive those who’ve wronged you. Most importantly, forgive yourself.

-In the words of Abraham Lincoln “I walk slowly, but I never walk backwards”. Breathe in. Breathe out. Enjoy the moment.

-Anais Nin is my gurl! Her honesty, flaws, feistiness & grace are my standards on being a woman. It’s all about the sass.

-Treat yo’self. Buy that dress. Buy those shoes. Buy that damned overpriced coffee. You worked for it. You deserve it.

-As long as you pay for your drinks, nobody can tell you you’ve been drinking too much. NOBODY. :P

-Know where people are coming from before judging their actions. But don’t go to the point on deciphering their every single cell. We don’t even know ourselves completely, how else will we be able to know the others that easy?

-As I get older, I sometimes think about the pains I have to go through. Not in an anxious kind of way but more on out of curiosity. Sometimes it makes you think what life is going to hit you in the face and wonder how you're going to react to it. Most of all, how you're going to surpass it.

-There’s just a lot to learn, see, experience and do! Sometimes it makes you wish that you can control time, have an unlimited amount of money and never grow old or be sick. I know it’s never going to happen but maybe that’s just life teaching us how to hustle. So…

-HUSTLE.  

If you were able to reach up to this point, thank you. You’ve given my stone cold heart a bit of warmth. ;) May your New Year be bright & better. Cheers!