Feliz Compleano, self.

**** Disclaimer – This is a late birthday post, but it’s still August anyway :)

It has become an annual tradition for me to write about my birthday. I awoke around 3 a.m. because my alarm clock kept beeping. When I checked my phone, birthday messages had begun to pour in! My mother sent me birthday greetings with the question "When are you getting married?! ”. Great! Excellent! Hahaha. My sister came next, with all her well wishes and the ever-popular question, "When are you getting married?" Come on guys, are you in a hurry?!  

How quickly time passes. As I get older, I notice that each year passes faster and that life moves faster. I can say that despite my age, I still look young (hahahah), but I honestly feel old on the inside. As soon as I finish my work, I want to go home and lie down, read books, watch online movies, or surf the internet –  that sort of things.

Life is good, but I feel old – mentally, emotionally, and physically. My body felt different – I gained weight, my blood pressure slightly increased, and I had back and shoulder pain. Don't laugh or roll your eyes; it's true! Now that I'm a year older, I'm ready to face new challenges. I've experienced life's highs and lows. I overthink. I get nervous. I compared myself to others. I cried. I laughed.  I fell in and out of love. With all of this happening to me, I decided to treat myself - not by buying anything fancy for my birthday, but by giving myself a break.

While travelling to La Union, I'm scribbling a "what I've learned" list on a purple post-it note, and here's a portion of it.

You cant please everybody, so do your thing.

I used to be a people pleaser. I don't want people to be upset with me just because I didn't give or do what they wanted. But as I've gotten older, I've realized that it's not the case! You can't please everyone. Whatever you do in life will still be criticized, so do what makes you happy. Don't let them deter you. If you listen to every negative comment from those people, you'll end up feeling sorry for yourself. Smile.

        Let loose.

Stop worrying so much. It gets you nowhere. Stop overthinking. Worrying is pointless and, yes, stupid! Try to take a deep breath and appreciate the wonders of the world. Cry if you have been hurt by someone. But don't stop there. Give yourself a break. Have fun.

Be nice. Don’t be a bitch.

I understand that we all have those moments when we are grumpy, cranky, and annoyed – and those around us suffer as a result. That is normal. We all have those moments, but don't let it become a habit. You can't be a jerk all the time. Be pleasant and smile. You had no idea what the other person was going through. He may have needed a hug or a simple smile, but you yelled at him or rolled your eyes at her. Being a bitch is the most horrific thing in the world. Let us spread love and positive energy.

 Give yourself a “me time”.

As the saying goes, "all work and no play makes John a dull boy." You deserve some me time at least once a month. Get a relaxing foot spa or a body massage. Get a new look. Paint your toes red. Get that hot red lipstick. Doing these things is extremely therapeutic for me. Believe me, it is!

Love never fails. People Do.

We all get hurt. We all feel bad after a failed relationship, don’t  be bitter about life and about love. Love’s one of the best gifts given to us. People are not perfect so don’t look for a perfect love story. But hey, there’s one best love story I knew – John 3:16.

Those are the top five items on my list. I have a few more, but I'll save those for my next post. Anyway, my life has been bumpy, and it isn't as #flawless as it appears on my social media accounts. I simply choose to post positive things about myself in order to spread positive energy. I, for one, do not want to see negative content in my newsfeed, so why should I post it? But, hey, the hashtag #blessed is real, because I am and always will be blessed

Oh, by the way, let me share you my birthday experience, up north! 



Day 1 La Union.

• Gapuz farm
•  Ma-cho Temple
• Halo-halo de Iloko
• China Sea beach Resort

Grape picking is now off my bucket list, yay! We had a fantastic time at Gapuz Farm. Our next stop is at Ma-cho Temple. You can say a prayer and light the incense sticks for free (you can donate btw). We had lunch at Halo-halo de Iloko, where we ordered papaitan, pork binagoongan, and their famous fiesta halo halo. We arrived at China Sea Beach resort in the late afternoon. We haven't been able to enjoy the beach because the weather has been extremely bad and swimming is unsafe. But we had a great time swimming at the pool.

Day 2 Baguio.

• Naguilan Road View Deck
• Café in The Sky

This is our first trip down Naguilan Road. I was nervous and tense because the road to Baguio is narrow and steep. We finally saw this magnificent view after more than an hour! Wow! It's absolutely breathtaking! It piqued our interest, so we pulled over and took a few photos. I'll always love Baguio - the cool breeze, the scent of vanilla and pines, and this panoramic view.

After a few minutes, we took Mt Cabuyao Road and arrived at Café in the Sky around 3 or 4 p.m. The area was covered in fog, and it was raining! Hahaha. It could have been more beautiful if it hadn't been raining. I had visions of a sea of cotton clouds – haha. But it's not what I expected. Nonetheless, the experience is priceless. We left at 6 p.m. and returned to Manila.

My takeaway - I'm sure life will throw me a lot of challenges; I'll still have ups and downs, but isn't that the grand traverse of life? I'm confident that as I get older, age will be just a number. Cheers to living for today, without regrets, comparisons, or insecurities. Thank you for making my life so wonderful.

Love,

Ash xx