Archive for 2019

Life blogger advice on life, clarity, and the things you deserve

This is me giving and advice and telling you that you deserve a better quality of life.

So you might find this topic random but let me assure you that you are not alone, in fact, I’m actually sure that this might not make sense at all but I just want to blurt it out anyway.

Those who know me know that I enjoy photography very well, although I can’t say I’m good at it, I know the basic and try at times but not as serious as the others so let’s just say that I enjoy photography in a critic way. When I see a photo, whether it’s in an exhibit or online, I always appreciate it and think about how it was taken (the setting, the lens that was used, angle, and camera). I sometimes zoom in and out and try to see it both in the big and little picture. I appreciate the perfect imperfections of the background noise and texture, the amount of light, its exposure. I enjoy it in an artistic way.

You know what, I’ll let you in a little secret. My phone has been broken almost a year ago, it has dents- more dents than a phone actually. But I can’t seem to replace it for two reasons, 1) I’m saving to get a more durable phone that I can use for years because I think electronic waste is a big no-no; and 2) I’m still not decided on what brand and model to get. If I’m being honest I could have bought a new phone months ago but my dilemma is what kind of phone to get. I’m looking for a phone with a great camera because it is something that I need especially that I want to convey stories. I want it to capture the things I want people to see.

In the other hand, when people recommend a film or TV series that they have, my first question will always be ‘How’s the quality?’ I don’t mean it to sound bitchy or something, it’s just how I am. I just think that watching a work of art is something that should be done in high definition. Of course, it doesn’t apply to all. Sometimes I let it slide especially in comedy films because what the film offers is its humor.

Maybe it’s the Mass Communication major in me and the way we were taught back in college that makes me crave for HD and I think nothing is wrong with that. It’s because I know how hard filmmakers do those - from the production and post-production stage. They are their babies and they should be seen the best way possible.

You don’t have any idea how frustrating it is to shoot a clip only to find out after that the focus is not good! Or how hard it is to stabilize a moving shot without a stabilizer, and if you have it’s not easy to use it because it’s heavy!

It will be a disgrace for the filmmakers to watch their work just on a good level.

I now have backlogs of blog posts that I haven’t posted because of the scarcity of photos. I can’t choose what photos to pick!

What I’m trying to say in this post is that like all the films out there we are all deserving of a High-Definition life. We are entitled to have the best things in life and what we need to do is to reach for it. Sure, life can be shaky or too dark like some films but remember that sometimes it is how the film should be. Sometimes it is the filmmaker’s artistic way, it is their perfect imperfections.

So yes, you deserve a High Definition life with the Creator’s artistic doing.

Written by Life blogger Teresa Gueco from Tarlac, Philippines

Have a break.

- I know that perseverance and determination will be the key to success, but every successful person needs and takes a break once in their lives. Even robots needed to recharge and so do you. You deserve it. Pausing doesn’t mean you are stopping. Pausing means taking your time and gathering all the momentum you need to accomplish your goal.

Listen to the voice inside you.

-Sometimes it’s hard to hear that little voice inside you because you are too hurt and numb about the things that happened in your life. You feel like the things people say about you is what defines you but you are more than just a rumor, you are more than just an issue. So let me be that voice for now.

I am here telling you that everything is gonna be fine. You are enough but you can do more, you can be more. If things are not going according to your plan then make another plan. Whatever happens, good or bad, just remember that someone is rooting for you and you don’t get to give up on that someone. When things are getting rough remember a hopeful and younger version of yourself, don’t let her/him down.

If you can’t see your future ahead, if you can’t see the worth of your present self, then look back and get hope and strength from your younger self who believes in you.

Choose to be happy.

-Life is ugly but there’s beauty in it. It gave us the chance to make it better and to help people have a better disposition. Choose happiness over hatred, choose forgiveness over pain, choose love. Make it a habit to make someone smile every day. Let’s help make the world more bearable.

Choose your battle.

-When you are faced with challenges and difficulties always try to choose wisely. Not all battles should be won because not all battles are yours for you to win. Only meddle with things that really involves you, things that have effects on you.

Some battles are there for you to teach you some lessons but it doesn’t necessarily mean that it should be your own battle. You can learn from others, don’t go chasing wars just for the sake of being into wars.

Science taught us the action-reaction

-When in a situation where you have to choose between being brave or mature, always choose to be mature. Leave if you must because leaving doesn’t necessarily mean losing, it only means you are brave enough to know that some things are not working out. You can be matured by being brave and leave but you can never be brave by being immature.

Make people laugh at you.

-One of the things that get us nervous is when we make a fool out of ourselves in front of many people. It was instilled in us that we have to deliver that speech perfectly, we have to execute all the steps properly, and we have to hit proper notes when singing. We were so afraid that people will laugh at us, at our mistakes and faults. But who cares? Make people laugh at you because it only shows that you are trying to do something. You are being brave to let yourself be seen and do the things that you have to do in order to gain knowledge.

Go on and make people laugh at you because in the end, you’ll laugh with them while remembering how scared you were and how brave you’ve been since then.

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Life blogger Teresa Gueco advice people about their dream

Please remind me of my now forgotten dreams, the light after the tunnel, the goal after the strike, the fruit of a hard harvest.

Growing up, I was a dreamer. Was.

I didn’t choose it. It was never my choice to forget all my dreams, to stay inside that dark tunnel, to freeze before I even manage to whip a strike, to give up planting before I can even harvest.

Life is tough. It shatters a dream, hope, and confidence. It kills people without taking their lives. Living without actually living is harder. Maybe that’s why people chose to end their agony, maybe that’s the reason why some people cut themselves, maybe being numb and feeling void is another kind of pain that we are not aware of. A pain that is deeper than cuts and more shattering than a million shattered glasses.

Have you thought about it though? How numbness and voidness can be painful when you technically can’t feel anything? Funny how painful it is, right? But it’s valid. The pain is valid and it is real.

Because of that pain I got scared. I chickened out. I limited my dreams- if there’s still any left of them- and I ended up being a log. A royal log. (Vanessa Hudgen’s pun)

I know I got potential and I’m not even trying to be cocky or what, I just know that I can do something. But as I live the life I’m currently living I realized something was dying, something was missing, and I’m being in pain and getting numb at the same time.

I wanted to write, to inspire, to be worth-knowing, to influence, and be a person with essence. I wanted to be the person my 14-year old self aspires to be and now look at me now. I don’t even remember what I wanted. I forgot what I wanted to be and the things that I wanted to achieve not because I got forgetful but I think it is more because my brain wanted me to forget those things that can no longer give me happiness and hope.

They say that a person’s brain who went on a traumatic experience rewires itself to forget the things that bring them pain. Maybe that’s the reason I can no longer remember what my dreams are, maybe it’s because it brings me pain knowing I fail it. I failed myself. I failed my 14-year-old self and forgetting it is much easier than feeling the pain.

But please make me remember. Help me remember why it is worth the pain, why I should keep remembering those dreams despite the pain, being numb, and void.

Please remind me that no matter how painful it is to achieve my dreams, it’s still going to be worth it. That happiness is worth all the pain.

That the light is always better than the dark, that the goal is to not win but to make yourself do that strike, that it is not always about the harvest but also the part where you get to grow as well.

Tito Boy Abunda said that in in answering pageants’ Q&As you should sound right and finish strong.

Catriona did that and won the Miss Universe 2018.

I think I sounded right here but I can’t seem to finish it strong enough for me and the universe to believe these words. But maybe, just like Catriona, I will be given more time and opportunity to prove myself in some ways. Maybe if I can’t remember, but I can make a new one.

I can dream. I have to. I want to.

I got this.

Photo courtesy of Marcelo Santos, Jr.

Sa totoo lang walang kinalaman ang title sa first half ng post na ito pero basahin mo pa din, nandito ka na eh.

Siguro isa ito sa mga kakaibang uri ng blog post ko hindi lang dahil sa ito ay nasusulat sa lenggwaheng Filipino pero dahil na din sa pagiging espesyal ng motibasyon ko sa pagsulat nito.

Araw ngayon ng sabado at kanina nanggaling ako sa book signing ni Kuya Em. Sa totoo lang hindi ito ang naka-schedule kong event sa araw na ito dahil noong nakalipas na buwan ay meron na akong seminar/workshop na dapat pupuntahan pero pagka-message pa lang ni Ate Karla ay agad ko nang napagdesisyunan na si Kuya Em ang pupuntahan. Wala namang pagsisisi, sulit lahat ang ganap sa araw na ito.

Nakakatuwa na sa tagal ng hindi naming pagkikita nila Ate Karla, Ate Criselda, at Kuya Em ay nandoon pa din yung familiarity. Natuwa ako na kahit hindi ako naging aktibo sa pagdalo ng mga events ay nandoon pa din yung pagtanggap at bond. Ang pinaka na-enjoy ko ay yung pag-uusap namin nila Ate Karla, ako, at Kuya Em sa holding area nya dahil sa pagdala sa amin doon ni Daddy Em.

Natuwa ako na makita na si Kuya Em pa din sya. Siya pa din ang taong hinangaan ko at minahal. Natuwa akong makita ulit sya at makakwentuhan hanggang sa puntong hindi na nga namin naalalang magpa-picture sa kanya doon kahit pwedeng-pwede naman naming abusuhin ang kanyang oras. Ewan ko, pero mas natuwa ako na wala kaming ginawa doon kung hindi ang magkwentuhan hanggang dumating ang oras na kailangan na nyang maghanda para sa mismong event.

Hindi sya artista ng mga sandaling iyon. Hindi sya iyong ‘best-selling author’ na ipinapakilala nila Kuya Jepoy, hindi sya yung King of Hugot, hindi siya yung vlogger.

Siya si Kuya Em.

Pagkauwi ko binasa ko kaagad yung isang libro na binili ko, at natapos ko ng isang upuan, dahil ibibigay ko iyon sa kaibigan ko na fan din ni Kuya Em at ang dahilan kung bakit ako finollow ni Kuya sa Twitter noong October 29, 2013. Paraan ko na din nang pag-give back sa kanya.

Sa librong iyong may isang linya at ang sabi doon ‘iba ang kinakaya sa sanay na’.

Marahil iyong linya na iyon ay parte ng isang tula na patungkol sa pag-ibig pero na-relate ko iyon sa buhay. Minsan sa buhay bibigyan ka ng mga problema na paulit-ulit at marahil akala ng iba sadyang malakas ka lang kasi kinakaya mo, lagi mong kinakaya at nalalampasan pero sa totoo pala ay nasanay ka na lang.

Nasanay ka na lang kasi wala ka namang choice. Minsan talaga mawawalan tayo ng choice sa buhay pero hindi ibig sabihin lagi mo na lang sasanayin ang sarili mo ha? Minsan i-assess mo din yung nangyayari sayo kasi kung masyado ka nang sanay na sobra na yung cycle ng pagiging sanay mo aba baka tama lang na itigil na yang paulit-ulit na gawain na yan.

Iba pa din kasi yung may growth ka. Iba pa din yung aalis ka sa comfort zone mo.

Isipin mo ang sarili mo at tignan mo kung sanay ka na pero may growth pa din o sanay ka na kaya nagse-settle ka na lang sa less?

Why do people get hurt by life blogger Teresa Gueco

I was reading a novel when I encounter a line wherein the hero asks ‘Why do people hurt each other?’ and then I remember a similar question that I keep on asking towards anyone back then and that memory made me write this now.

When I was younger, freshman or sophomore in college, I did this thing where I ask people a question just to satisfy my curiosity and be enlightened. Looking back I think my question has something to do with the books I read back then, If I stay, Where she went, Nicholas Sparks’, My Heart and Other Blackholes, and of course TFIOS. Tear-jerking stories, I know, and I love them.

What’s even funny is that I was bold enough to message some known people just to get their point-of-view and satisfy my curiosity. I ask them this. Why do people get hurt?

I’ve asked friends and I think there was a time where I wrote down their answers somewhere for some reasons that are now forgotten. I remember a friend quoted a line from the book The perks of being a Wallflower for her answer which says ‘Because we accept the the love we think we deserve’

Kuya Em, Marcelo Santos III, was also kind enough to answer this as a book dedication for his self-publish version of his book Para Sa Hopeless Romantic and he said that People get hurt dahil hindi sila natatakot mag-risk sa mga gusto nila.

Kuya Chad, a then student, also answered the question with this very beautiful line. So why do people get hurt? Because they want to get hurt. Pain has its own kind of beauty.

I received different answers but… why do people get hurt?

Years after and here I am still looking for answers. When you think about it Kuya Marcelo is right, without risk there wouldn’t be pains, struggles, and even suffering. We risk because we want to be someone or have something. We risk even though we know that we might fail and get hurt in the process. We risk because it is the only thing to do to progress and to be a better version of ourselves.

We can connect Kuya Chad’s answer too. When we risk we know that we can get ourselves hurt. But we risk it anyway. Pain, indeed, has its own kind of beauty. It makes us stronger and wiser. Because of pain we know how to handle life better, pain coated us with glistening strength that beautifies us.

If you’ll ask me my answer to my own question my answer will be this.

I think people get hurt because we need it and we let it happen because pain is inevitable.

When you decided to achieve something you have to do things to reach that goal no matter what happens. And if you fail, when that time comes, the pain will be there to make you feel and see the things that can make you be better so that the next time you try you’ll be able to soar higher than before.

When you feel pain because of love it only means that you love freely and whole and there’s nothing wrong with that. Pain coexists with love and sometimes it doesn’t mean that the love you have is wrong just because it hurts. The pain is there because you gave too much than necessary. There’s no problem with giving it all in love, the problem begins when you give too much to the point that there’s no more left for you. When you give too much love that you can no longer love yourself, that’s the time you need to think if the person is still worth the pain. Love hurts but it doesn’t need to hurt too much and leave you bleeding to death.

When you feel pain when you lose someone, it’ll be inevitable and no words can cajole you.

To sum it all, pain is part of living and growing. When you tried cooking the first time you definitely got some burns and they surely hurt, but those pain were there because you tried something and you learn from it. When you get jealous because you think your parents favor your sibling more, it only shows that you love them too much and that knowing they didn’t love you the same way that you do just hurts. But just because you feel unloved doesn’t mean you are unloved.

Again, pain is inevitable and later on you’ll realize that it is the thing that will make you into something more than who you are right now. Pain is inevitable but it also coexists with strength and learnings.

So keep on loving, keep on hurting, but most of all keep on learning.

Life advice when you feel like losing yourself

Life blogger on quarter-life crisis and losing yourself.

We’ve heard people talk about having a quarter-life crisis.

A Quarter-life crisis is defined as a crisis ‘’involving anxiety over the direction and quality of one’s life’’ which is most commonly experienced in a period ranging from a person’s twenties up to their mid-thirties- it can begin as early as 18.

Alex Fowke, a clinical psychologist defined it as ‘’a period of insecurity, doubt and disappointment surrounding your career, relationships, and financial situation.

So, let me tell you my story. After I graduated from college I instantly grab the position in the government after a month stint from a private company because I was scared and I was in a rush- it was the best decision for me at that time. I feel like I was obligated to be something. I was questioned by a lot of people about my decision to stay here in Tarlac and to be honest my answer is more personal, aside from its practicality, but I know that deep down a part of me was just scared that I might fail.

I was expected to be in the field of media and up until now I know that people were a bit disappointed because I did not pursue it. Some keep on telling me that I should go to law school, or that I should transfer to a different government agency.

I know that they only want the best for me but I was the one who is not yet ready and that gives me a lot of anxiety. The fact that I see people soar when I’m still figuring things out is so frustrating.

My closest friends and parents know this but I haven’t shared it here yet, as far as I remember. Where I am now is not the place I see myself in the future. I can’t see my job right now as a retirement career. This is not something I want to keep on doing for the rest of my life. This is not the job I see myself dedicating my life to.

Actually, I’ve reached a point of exhaustion that it almost messes my whole being. I was exhausted to the point that I can’t make myself write, and as a writer, my greatest fear is the the possibility that I might lose the ability to tell stories, to create, to educate, to influence, to be the voice of the people who can’t voice out their thoughts, and to disappoint my younger self who thinks highly of her future self.

Writing is a big deal for me. I am not a great writer, I make grammatical errors, I question myself if the prepositions I use are right among other things, but despite all my flaws and shortcomings I know that I can’t make myself stop and quit writing.

So you can only imagine how bad I had it when things collapsed. Aside from being disappointed with my life’s current state, the thing I pride myself the most was actually slowly leaving me. I remember the days I was on the way to work and ask myself if it’s worth it. Is the job, the salary, the safety worth it?

I realized that as time passes by something in me is fading, I’m losing a piece of myself. I ask myself, does the thing I’m losing worth the number of things I have right now?

The answer is no.

No material can justify the hollow I had and keep on getting. No amount of money and safety is worth the piece of my soul that is slowly fading. My being is worth much more than that. My being is worth every peaceful sleep, sound laughter, and popping ideas.

I can’t lose myself. I won’t let that happen.

I am worthy of every fight I have in me, I am worthy of all the sufferings and I wouldn’t let it all go to waste. I’m not losing myself, not in this lifetime.

Life advice on taking a pause and gap year

Mt. Ulap, Dec 2018

If you’ve been reading my previous blog entries you’ll realize that most of my introductions start with ‘for the past few weeks/months’ and this post was supposed to start like that as well, but I managed.

Society taught us to reach our goals and to never stop dreaming. Personally I think there’s nothing wrong with that, I just find the fault with not being specific with the process. We were taught that reaching the goal takes up a lot of time, pressure, hard work, and sacrifices but they never let us know that taking a pause is necessary as well.

As I’ve said in my previous post, I try my best to create goals and not timeline and I think that’s how people should start. Give yourself a goal and then start from there, grow from there because you need to do it freestyle.

Coming from a fast-phase the environment I was coded to be a certain type of person. I have to be this, do that, and reach this.

The environment that I was in right now is different from what I’m used to. And when I felt the need to change and adapt I was so disappointed. I was disappointed because I was clueless, lost, and terrified.

I’ve always known what to do because I never ran out of plans but it was different. Pressure and society are the main factors why I can’t think straight.

I was forced to have a ‘pause’ and it felt foreign to me. Yes, I think the last two years of my life are a pause I was not planning to take but had it anyway.

You see, people around me keep on asking if I will take a Masters or even say that I should go to Law school. At first it was kinda bad for my being because I was forced to overthink. I was questioning my decisions and I had a hard time accepting the person that I’ve become because I don’t have the answer when they ask me what my plans are- are you going to Law School, aren’t you gonna take your Masters, how about prof ed?

Yes, for a time I was mad about my decisions because I see lots of my batch mates passing boards after boards, taking masters, and going to law school. I often ask myself ‘what happened to me?’ because I was not okay with the fact that I was missing out opportunities that I know I was capable of achieving.

Thankfully, I learn a lesson or two and that is we should acknowledge the fact that each of us has different timelines. I chose to be this kind of person and I had to be like this for a reason.

To be honest, the glamour of medals, law school, prof ed, and masters don’t excite me right now, I’m not saying it wouldn’t be exciting forever but right now it’s just a no for me. What I learn the hard way in the last two years is the fact that I should be careful in pursuing recognitions and achievements. If I want to have something I have to check why I am doing it and why I am pursuing it. People around me worry about the passing of time saying I should move and enroll now but, to be honest I am more worried that I might get into something and accumulate not just recognitions but the pressure that might weigh more than anything I could ever handle. Being left behind doesn’t bother me but doing something for the wrong reason is what I’m most worried about. I’m worried because the reason why I took it might not be enough to justify the rocks that will be thrown at me, the pain might not be worth it.

I am beyond glad that friends and other people pursue their masters because I know they can do it. I’ve known people who’ve been hiding under their shells and seeing that they are shedding their inhibitions and using their potential makes me happy for them.

I am having a pause and there’s nothing wrong with that. Having a pause doesn’t mean failure, it means pause. I still have plans and goals to achieve and this is not a failure. The last two years of my life were never a failure, it was a learning process that felt like forever but it is necessary for my being.

People, you are not a robot. It might be coded in your DNA to work fast but you need a pause as well and taking it doesn’t make you bad. It makes you human. It doesn’t necessarily mean rest or stagnancy, whatever depiction of the word pause for you is ‘your pause’.

Jeremy Zucker inspires a fan during his first Manila show for Karpos Live Mix 8

“Buti ka pa pa-concert concert ka na lang.” I’ve heard that line a couple of times already and what I found funny is the fact that I only attended two concert as of writing, LANY (Malibu Nights Tour) and Jeremy Zucker (Karpos Live Mix 8).

Yes, I am now able to attend events but that has nothing to do with how easy my life had been. I just want people to know that just because I am able doesn’t mean I had it easy.

Lany was my first ever concert and before the event I almost reach a rock bottom phase because of self-doubt, disappointment, and failures. I just had a year full of unfinished business and failed goals. I actually almost didn’t go because I was thinking of my Lola who just got discharge from the hospital a few weeks before the concert.

For Jeremy, I made some goal deliverables before I can buy my ticket. I tripled my usual goal and I had sleepless night just to make ends meet. I go to work then take an hour or two of overtime and then I go home with a bag full of paper works that I need to check once I settled in. I had a couple of weeks working my ass off and having 3-4 hours of sleep to endure a full work shift.

Saying ‘buti ka pa-concert concert ka na lang eh ako…’ in a belittling way as if you were saying I had it easy is not okay, I take offense especially when you compare your life. I know that life is not easy for you but please don’t put it in a way where I need to feel guilty about something. I won’t say it but I hate it. I respect your pain and I ask for you to do the same for me.

These artists, they are the ones who lifted me up when I hit my (almost) rock bottom. They are the ones who didn’t leave my side when I can’t even ask for someone. They were there without being really there and I’m beyond grateful for that.

To be honest this is not a hate post. This is me telling you that I hope you find your passion, hobby, or artist that will make you do things. That will tear away your inhibition just to achieve what you wanted. Who will give some light and make you a better person.

I hope you find an artist who can make you get out of your box, the one who can make you so determined just for you to see them. The one who can make you tweet and RT endless promotion tweets just to get a Meet and Greet passes without thinking how other perceives you.

I hope you find a hobby that will push you to be a productive human being. The one that can make you throw all your self-doubt and focus on how to be better at what you want to do.

I hope you find something that you can get hope from. That despite having a rough time something good is still inside of you.

This is how a minimalist looks like after a month

This is what it looks like after a month of being a minimalist in the Philippines.

If you read my previous post with regards to my minimalism journey you’ll know that I am not a conventional minimalist. I don’t wear the same kind of outfit every single day, I still have a lot of things that I own and can’t make myself give them away, and I still splurge on myself sometimes.

In this post you’ll know what happened to my life after trying my best on being a minimalist here in the Philippines.

ADDICTION

I think I already wrote something about this on my previous posts but I’ll still include it here anyway. After purging my belongings and cutting my number of owned clothes into half (actually more than half) I can still feel the desire to purge some more.

When I first did my purging I was so heartbroken because I’m very much attached to my belongings and making the decision if something stays or not is a heck of a challenge for me. Aside from the clothes one of the hardest things for me to let go of is my books. Each book I own has a story and connection to me whether I’ve read it or haven’t started it at all. While running through them I can still recall why I bought it and what’s the story is all about and that is so hard.

Fast forward one month after, I already made myself to let go of a sack full of books that I decided to give to my friends and relatives whom I know will like and take them.

I started purging my clothes then went back to my books when I already have the grip of it and the next thing I know is that the only books I have now are those books that can still touch and influence my life at the moment. I already let go of those novels that I used to read but not anymore because life happened.

FALL + BACK (FALLING THEN BACK AT IT AGAIN)

As I’ve said, I still splurge on myself sometimes and those times are the moment I consider my setback. I personally think of it as a setback even though I am not a conventional minimalist because I feel like I’m disappointing my future self.

I want to be better than being a consistent setback.

So after every fall I try to condition myself to be back at it again. Resume where I stop and try to finish the track I’m taking in. So far I keep moving but in very slow motion. I slow down with my progress to minimalism for it to settle in me, the values and such, so that the setbacks will not be a fast-approaching thing and at the same time so that I can control them in a lighter manner.

MINIMALISM IS NOT JUST ORGANIZING

Probably one of the misconceptions people have with minimalism is that minimalism is organizing and making your place white.

If you are using Pinterest you’ll know that when you search for the word minimalist the majority of the results are in white. We thought that as long as your house is neat and white then you are living a minimalist life, it doesn’t matter that all your decors are newly bought.

One of the realizations I had is that buying storage bins or learning organization hacks is not enough because in the end you only hide the things that really don’t matter to you and it still takes space.

I was tempted to buy a shelf because it was on sale and it was aesthetically beautiful but thankfully I did not! Yey, for me. After that I discarded most of my bins and containers as well as the things that no longer useful for me.

This journey has a long way to go. Being a minimalist here in the Philippines is not that easy, I just hope that everything will be as positive as I hope it to be.

Life blogger clean-up drive initiatives experience

When I participated in a clean-up drive the thing that really got me hooked was its advocacy. I want to labeled myself as an eco-warrior and it was the least that I can do- aside from ditching straws, using eco-bags religiously, and trying to influence people from our household.

Looking back I remember my parents’ classic reminder to be careful with the people I meet online- the millennial term for don’t talk to strangers. And right now I just want to give myself a clap back.

Aside from a close friend, Maureen whom I drag into it so imagine my liabilities if bad things happen, I don’t know anything about the people I’ll be with. But I trust them and their advocacy and so I had to do a leap of faith.

Being in a vehicle with no clue with who they are was a liberating experience. I remember my favorite writer (Ate Trisha of P.S. I’m on my way) and can’t help thinking how proud she will be of me for finally having a brave heart and doing it. She is my life’s peg and I want to be like her but not really like her- I want to be like her but still be me if that makes sense to you.

Meeting people during these kinds of activities is much easier than meeting people in school. In school, it feels like it is required to be there but with these kinds of activities you’ll know that these people you are with shared a common goal with you.

The lesson I gain from this is to trust people. If I didn’t maybe we wouldn’t make it to our very first meet up- someone from the group volunteered to fetch us in the terminal to go to the meetup place of the rented van that drove us to Zambales. If I didn’t give any trust we wouldn’t be home at peace and ease as well- the same people who volunteered to fetch us also volunteered to accompany us to up to the terminal where we can ride a bus going home.

People, it’s not wrong to be careful. Living in this kind of world, living with the kind of government and society we have right now is very dangerous. Being careful is something we have to be with us 24/7 but being careful doesn’t mean you don’t need to trust people.

Being brave is not just being risky. Being brave is knowing everything could be wrong and acknowledging that life and people are not perfect but you embrace it anyway. You embrace it because you know how to dissect if this will bring mishaps or will do you good. Trust is indeed a strong word and only strong people can use it best, use it wisely.

Life blogger Teresa Gueco letter to graduates

When I was still studying I often hear my higher year Ates and Kuyas who already graduated from college rant about how hard it is in the real world. I keep hearing things like life is much more different in real life and stuff like that.

To be honest, I didn’t understand them. I was thinking what possibly can be harder than what we’ve had in college? I mean we were forced to do crazy stuff just to make ends meet so an eight hour office job will be just fine, right? It’s freedom- we’re finally free!

But little did I know.

During college we were forced to learn and adapt how to stay awake and efficient with just 3 hour sleep, and some days we even have less than that, with a quiz or exam that same day. Personally, I’ve experienced having to go to school for my 8:30AM class without sleep, aside from power naps that I feel guilty having during that time, and then go home at 10 in the evening to repeat the process of my non-existing sleep for more couple of days.

That time I keep saying that I can never be more tired than this, not possible. I can’t understand our working friends rant because all I ever wanted that time was to get the hell out of college and get done with studying. But I was wrong and so I would like to write a letter for the graduating students about the things I wish I knew when I was about to finish college.

Dear Graduates,

To be honest I am not sure if I want to congratulate you or send you a warmest hug for I know you’ll need it soon.

It might seems like a book’s index or glossary but trust me it’s just a chapter’s summary and there’s still a Unit Test that you need to pass before going forward. You’ll face questions that seems like not part of the previous chapter but you have to answer it anyway and I am here to tell you to answer it patiently. Think about it. Is it A, B, C, or D? One question but can either make or break you.

Friends, life is not a race and you don’t have to speed up, but to be honest I’m not even sure if your speeding up process has anything to do with your own decision or just a mere pressure from the people around you. I can’t blame you. With the kind of society that we have it’s almost impossible not to be pressured because most of us has a tendency to feel like what we think right is right.

But hear me on this, you are your own. If you really want to grow then decide for yourself. It doesn’t matter if you decide to be practical and choose a path that is way out of your career path for a greater good, what matters is that you keep your stand. Human up and face it. Who cares if you need to choose pay grade than your passion? Who freaking care if you only have enough to make a living while doing the thing you are passionate about?

If you are here reading this to seek advice to help you choose between your passion or being practical then I have to disappoint you. I will not imply an answer to a question in which you can only answer. We have different kind of life and sometimes what is best for others won’t be best or even good for you. If you choose passion then by all means, go and be happy because I’m happy for you. If you choose to be practical and leave your passion aside then it’s fine, I’m still rooting for you and all I ever wanted you to know is that I hope you are happy, if not I hope you become one along the way.

If you are those lucky human being who doesn’t need to pick between the two then I am very much happy, I hope you shine and grow more and help others too because whether you like it or not people or your friends will get jealous of the life you have and I hope you are there to make them see that you are all different but are equally talented and good. You might not notice it or like it but there will be people whose pain will come from your happiness and success. You’re not at fault and you don’t owe them anything but I have to ask you to be there for them. Cheer them up, affirm them because there will be times where it’ll be hard for them. So be that tiny hole- that whistle on a pressure cooker- and don’t be a heat that produces pressure for they have too much.

Graduates, the next couple of months will be hard for you. The training wheels will be taken away and you’ll have this mental clock that will keep on ticking, making you want to speed up the process of growing. But remember this, you are your own. Do not let yourself drown by the sound of the clock because it’s all in your head and that ticking sound is just a mere pressure that you keep on getting and forming are just inside your mind.

You have the power to silence it and adjust the melody for you are the master of your own.

Graduation is not the answer or an escape for you are not done, not yet. The challenges and sufferings will not stop, the pain will actually intensifies and I will tell you to keep on holding on and keep fighting.

What I learn from the past few years is that you will only age in number and in physical form but you will never be old enough to break down or be ready to any problems that will only intensify as you age.

When you feel like giving up and feel like the next summary chapter is way beyond your reach, if you feel like you are stuck, if you feel like you already suffered enough and can’t take any longer, just look back and see the journey you took and the challenges that you surpassed. You are here now, you already suffer enough, ngayon ka pa ba susuko?

Congratulations on your graduation! You are not done, but it also doesn’t mean that you can’t start something new.

Life blogger Teresa Gueco share tips in becoming a minimalist in the Philippines

If you are new and starting the journey towards minimalism, here are some tips starting minimalist should keep in mind.

THERE’S NO SINGULAR FORMULA IN BEING A MINIMALIST

The common misconception of other when they hear that someone is a minimalist is the fact that they either wear same clothes and that everything is black and white. While this is partly true, I want people to know that being a minimalist is not limited to a certain color palette.

Using a certain color palette does help but it’s not a must. As I’ve said, there’s no singular formula or rule to being minimalist. The goal that you have to mind is that you have to limit your belongings only to those that make you happy. The goal of minimalism is to lessen distraction that hinders you to have the peaceful life that you deserve.

I don’t have a certain color palette in my clothing but I consider myself practicing minimalism in terms of clothing since I don’t spend that much with branded clothes. As I’ve said, no singular rule as to how to adapt minimalism.

Back then, I tend to hoard clothes since I always buy cheap ones and it has accumulated along the way and some ended up not being used at all! Now, I think I only have less than a 90 pieces of clothing (I know it’s still a lot but I’m still working on it, don’t worry!) and for some, I might not have done proper purging but I am proud of what I’ve accomplished.

I learn to accept and realize that not everyone is the same and that’s fine. I don’t have the same shirts that I use every day and I don’t have a color palette that people associate with minimalism.

IT IS A PROCESS, IT DOESN’T NEED TO HAPPEN IN A SNAP OF YOUR FINGERS

As I’ve said in my previous post about my journey to Minimalism it took me some time before I jump to it and even more time to be on the process. I said to myself ‘Okay, enough reading and researching. Do it now!’ but it didn’t happen in a snap of my fingers. It took me three weeks before I achieve a lighter room. To be fair I only did the work during the weekend since I have a day job during weekdays.

During the first week I went and throw all the unnecessary items inside my and Lola’s room (we share a room). My Lola is a hoarder and you can only imagine how dusty it is underneath our bedframe where she keeps a stack of flimsy Tupperwares, the pasalubong containers, and I was even shocked to find planks! I also started purging clothes this week and I already purged a full suitcase.

During the second week, I decided that I still have a lot of clothes and so I purge once again. Yes, it took me the majority of the day since I also clean the cabinets. After purging I ended up with an additional box full of clothes.

I was pretty proud of myself knowing loads of stash are going to be discarded.

The third week was hard, I decided to give my attention to my books and papers. After I clean my bookshelf I separate the books into three categories, the one I’ll surely keep, maybe pile, and let go pile. I told myself that I need to be brutal about my books since it takes up too much space and it’s not healthy since I don’t have time to read that much. I let go of the books that mostly just pick my curiosity but is not my genre and the one that I bought because I thought I’ll be able to read it.

As of writing, I folded my clothes just earlier and upon doing so I purge ten more pieces. Minimalism is a journey, not a race to discard all your belongings.

IT’S NOT ABOUT HOW YOU ORGANIZE, IT’S THE HABIT YOU DO AFTER EVERYTHING IS ORGANIZED

For the past weeks, I realized something and it was so simple and yet I was blown away by how it can affect my current state, a make or break deal to be honest.

It’s how you put the things after you use them.

Pretty simple right? Indeed, it is simple but it does make a lot of difference. I notice that half of the reason why our room is a mess is because of how I put my stuff after I used them. For instance, after I went home from work I discard my uniform and put it on a corner pile (not proud of it but it’s true), and then the next thing I know is that I have a bunch of mixed clean and dirty clothes.

It’s also the case with my desk. One moment everything is organized then I need to write something so I’ll get a pen and a paper, then the next days I can’t see a single pen anymore because of I didn’t put it back to where it was placed.

We’re not done with shoes yet. So technically most of my shoes have boxes and it’s not that I change the kind of shoes I use very often so I keep them under my bed at the end of the day, and then when a certain shoe wouldn’t complete an outfit I have to use another and the next thing I know is that all my shoes are now under our bed while their boxes are carefully stacked and empty.

You have to keep telling yourself that certain things must have a certain place to stay with. In doing so, you wouldn’t just improve your organization skills but it’ll also help you ease daily struggle in terms of finding pieces of belonging that you needed.

And I know it’s hard but trust me when I say that it’s all worth it.

RESPECT SOMEONE’S PLACE AND BELIEF

As I’ve said earlier I’m with my Lola and she is a hoarder. It is hard on my part because she keeps putting back the things I wanted to let go of. Even though I’m 110% ready to let go of things she just keeps on getting it from my pile and carefully hides it together with her other clothes.

I’ve seen a video of a girl tidying up her mom’s place, a certified hoarder, who went out to do some errands. The caption says that her mom keeps accumulating things and she wanted to help and so she tidies her house for her. But I think it’s not right. Being a hoarder ( a little bit haha) myself and growing up with Lola who typically keeps all the things that she thinks that she’ll be able to use someday is a lot of work. For me, what the girl in the video did was way out of the line and uncalled for. If you wanted people to respect the way you live then you should also practice respecting their way of living. You don’t go throwing people’s stuff away just because you wanted to help, you can help them but at least as for permission to do so.

Now, in our room, there is a corner full of clothes of my Lola (we used to share that corner) but even though she went on a vacation for more than a month I didn’t try to discard her clothes or belonging even though I know that half of the clothes were not even used for years because if that will be done to me I’ll be pissed and will probably spitfire.

Just because we live a minimalist and meaningful life doesn’t mean you are right and that everyone will follow suit. It just doesn’t work that way.

IT’S HARD UNTIL IT WASN’T

This, I can attest to. It took me months of reading and being curious to the world of minimalism and I keep asking and wondering if I can pull it until I decided it’s time and just jump into it geared with knowledge from my reading.

To be honest, it’s really not that easy. It’ll hurt you and make you doubt if you are still doing the right thing. You’ll contemplate if letting go of your things will all be worth it or just a crazy phase that you’ll outgrow in a couple of months.

But the only thing you can do is move forward. Keep purging and hopefully you’ll feel the lightness lift off from your chest and the next thing you know is that you are regularly purging through your belongings.

After 4 major weekend purging I was surprised when I realized that I was getting good at this. Every rest day I go through my belongings and declutter one or two pieces. My books that are under my ’maybe pile’ keeps on decreasing while my ‘to-go pile’ keeps on accumulating. I realized that I crave the lightness I feel when I maintain the space of our room.

It is indeed hard until it wasn’t anymore.

For what it's worth, where learning happens is as important as how it happens. For a young learner to receive the best possible learning experience, it is essential that every aspect of the learning process is taken into consideration.

As stakeholders of learning, teachers, parents, and the communities supporting young learners all play a vital role in shaping their future and nurturing them to become healthy, challenged, engaged, supported, and safe. Programs designed empower and enable learning professionals, everyone from teachers and administrators to school staff, are integral to the well-being of every young learner, and any effort at improving the support they provide to learners benefits the whole school as a community.

Holistic education pertains to the total development of a learner's intellectual, social, physical, emotional, artistic, and creative capacities, shaping them into responsible individuals, whole persons who understand their role in helping build the nation forward and face the challenges of an ever-changing world.

As a philosophy, holistic learning involves helping a young learner find meaning and purpose in life through connections, from the classroom to the community, with nature, with society at large. With guiding values like compassion and peace, holistic education brings forward a shared passion for learning that aims to uplift everyone and help transform the experience of education into something that one can cherish for a lifetime. This is done by implementing fresh strategies that help emphasize hands-on experiences, letting young learners learn by doing and challenge their capacity for critical thinking and develop their problem-solving skills. Setups that enhance learning from group work and encourage social interaction to collaborate on solutions are intentionally designed. With this approach, both understanding and action are prioritized over rote knowledge, hence facilitating and emphasizing cooperation rather than mere competition. This also means that throughout the learning process, the assessment and evaluation of a young learner's progress is dynamic, and every aspect of the curriculum designed to help create life-long learners.

With the campaign for progressive education through the Whole Child initiative, holistic child development has become one of the primary goals of schools. With this kind of learning philosophy, young learners are provided with personalized support, safe and secure environments, sound health, and learning opportunities tailored for their unique, individual skills and talents. Through this approach, both the traditional academic aspects of learning and the non-traditional side are nurtured, enhanced, and supported. This means that not only learning professionals are involved in creating a holistic learning environment, everyone is: parents, industries, and local communities. All play an important role in ensuring that every child grows up to become a Whole Child, supported, equipped, and ready to face the challenges of the 21st century.

The effort to create a holistic learning environment is marked by several features. This transition is characterized from a predisposition towards academic achievement at the fore to a more dynamic perspective of learning as something that prioritizes and nurtures a person's character for long-term development and success. By connecting and communicating with education professionals and linking them with families, community members and policy-making bodies, supporters of this effort for the Whole Child such as REX Book Store aim to help every person involved see the true value of holistic education. With enough effort, young learners will feel supported by the school and by everyone in the learning community, giving way to their personal development and growth. This means that if we are to continue nurturing the Filipino learner today, it is also important to provide professional development services to help schools, teachers, parents, and administrators address today's challenges in education and enable them to transform and achieve more in a shifting horizon of education.

Enabling every educator to be able to create and innovate solutions that will help nurture every Filipino learner and bring our nation's education forward. By hosting conferences and symposiums to help educators learn about new tools, techniques, and learning pedagogies they can use to provide holistic education to learners at every level, REX helps support the continuous professional development of the Filipino educator. With exclusive seminars and workshops designed from results-oriented and research-based learning programs, REX helps educators learn more about specialized topics that are relevant to their professional practice.

At REX, we hope to transform these humble efforts with helping Filipino educators into a realization of the Whole Child initiative as a sustainable and productive campaign that will help build a globally competitive nation from the seeds of a fruitful collaboration between all stakeholders of education.

Read here to learn more about how we help engage and enable learning professionals in supporting students: http://www.rexpublishing.com.ph/whole-child-initiative/supported/

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