The Gift

When I was younger I didn't get a chance to spend my birthday in school because I was born in April and that's usually the start of summer vacation. Most of the time, my classmates forget to greet me even if I'm named after my birth month. I always have wondered how it would be like to spend it in class with my friends. Would I get more greetings or more gifts if my birthday falls on a school day? Would I feel more special?

Now that I'm working, I get to spend my birthday... working ha ha!

This year, I got a wonderful surprise from my colleagues. I arrived around 8:45 am and found this mess on my desk...

All the post-its contained hand written messages from people all over my universe- relatives and friends. It was as if I was hearing them talking to me while I was reading each message one at a time. In fact, I needed time to stop in between to hold my tears from falling. In my mind these messages was already enough to make me feel really special that day. But the surprise was not yet over until I opened that nicely wrapped box with red ribbon.

The box was filled with several items covered with confetti. I was like a kid going through an exciting treasure hunt. It had a very nice notebook, because they know I like writing and scribbling; a cook book for healthy eating, because they know that I'm into healthy lifestyle now; a set of metallic pastel because they know I like to draw and paint; and some things for my "kaartehan" like eye-liner, facial mask and nail polish. I was amazed on how each item was well-thought of. I felt that they were really paying attention to what I really want and what I would really appreciate. And that was the greatest feeling of all!

Giving gifts need not be expensive, you just have to pay attention to the little things. Spend time to get to know the people you love and give them gifts that will last a lifetime. A beautiful memory. A moment of love. 

  

 

Not Your Average 14 Year-old

2014 started with my first trip to Dubai. I had full six days to admire the city and appreciate its magical appeal. It was like Disney's Aladdin, my favorite cartoon of all time came to life right before my very eyes. It was a city with the most audacious projects in terms of infrastructure. Each and every turn you'll see something majestic and grand. They have the Burj Al Arab (World's tallest all-suite hotel), Burj Khalifa (World's tallest tower) and Dubai Mall (World's biggest mall) just to name a few. 

My personal favorite was this view of the Atlantis Resort in Palm Jumeirah. 

And as they say, all good things come to an end.

Coming home little did I know, another twist of fate is about to happen. From a very euphoric state to extreme despair. A very heart broken me. It was a problematic time, I was not performing well, I was not getting along with people and I was not myself. This continued on for several months and I can't figure out what went wrong. I don't like what I'm doing, I don't like what I'm getting and simply don't like to do anything. It seemed like everything that I'm trying to accomplish was failing every single time. I was on the brink of giving up.

Until one afternoon, I was spending time with my 14 year-old niece in her bedroom. She showed me a photo of a grafitti she saw near her school and it says "I love you (my niece's full name)". So asked her what if the person who wrote that was not her type, how would she react. She told me with her exact words "Ok lang yun tita at least may nagka-crush saken" (That's ok at least there's someone out there who likes me). "Be thankful for what you have" she even added.

This girl never fails to amaze me. I then realized I must stop complaining and start moving forward. Stop dwelling in the past and appreciate whatever or whoever is around you even if you may have wanted something else. There is always a reason why some things in our life stay and some go, most of the time you don't fully understand why but sooner or later you'll definitely know, you'll definitely grow.

"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened"- Dr. Seus