Habits determine your future. I admittedly have lots of bad habits I am trying to change into good ones. But things you built up for years are hard to change overnight. It is detrimental to our mental health to think that you can be a different person in a day or a week or even a month.

Nothing is impossible. The universe has fully convinced me that people are limitless. What restricts us is our mindset. A weakness we created over the years which we have to strengthen up to its core. It is not easy.

Over the last years, I have been wanting to be a changed person my future self will thank my past self. I made efforts but I keep coming back to those bad old ones. I needed to be less harsh and forgive myself but it is becoming a dark rat wheel for me. A cycle that I have to break.

Maybe I need to be more harsh to myself. Push more. And do not give up when things become hard. Persist. Commit. Get disciplined.

Be hard to yourself. Try again and not fail a day with your routine. Do not give in to the temptations. Maybe life is supposed to be difficult to enjoy the easy.

We all wanted to pass for sure but sometimes we don’t. This post is for those who will feel like they are losing hope when they fail the LEA.

The first question you should ask yourself first would be why do you need to pass the exam?

Are you aiming for a permanent government position?

Are you a fresh graduate and wanted a permanent position in the government?

Or someone who wants to add something on their CV/resume/portfolio?

If you failed the exam, the first thing you have to do is to process it.

It may be saddening or frustrating because you gave your best and you have been trying for the longest time. However, the results are out and your name is not on the list of passers is something that is beyond our control.

Failing in one exam does not mean failing in life.

What you can do is see the results and your weakest subject/s and start studying those subjects now until the next board exam date and TAKE THE EXAM AGAIN! Take it until you pass it.

Unless, you are a third-time taker, you will need to take a refresher course in the field/s of Agriculture where you failed and have it certified by the authorized school official that you completed the course. Then, you can take the exam again.

If you need it for a government position and you do not want to take the LEA again, you may consider taking the Civil Service Examination instead. Depending on the government position you have, you may opt to do non-profession which was for me a bit easier than the professional level.

In case you just want extra boost in your resume, you do not need the LEA to get that boost. Just gain experience in the field that you wanted especially if you are aiming for private companies or industry – they usually want someone with experience in the job and do not care much about the LEA.

The beauty of life is that you are allowed to fail and try again and again and again. You got this!

Whether you have an upcoming trip or are planning for next year’s, a cheap airplane ticket is something you would want to get. Because who does not want extra savings? Here are some things the internet and personal experiences have taught me when looking for a plane ticket to book.

1. Plan and do not book a few days before.

2. Choose a flight on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Saturdays.

3. Avoid booking flights on weekends.

4. The incognito mode is your friend.

5. Make sure to clear cache and cookies.

6. Use VPN from countries with cheaper flights.

7. Kayak and Skyscanner may help you.

8. Use your miles.

9. Look for student discounts.

10. Find promotions.

11. Book when it is not peak season.

Why? See below:

1. Plan and do not book a few days before.

I booked a roundtrip ticket in January for my December flight from US to the Philippines and it cost me $1700. And then, I booked the same route first week of December for my friend for mid-December flight and it was $2700! A thousand dollars is a huge difference so make sure to book as early as you can.

2. Choose a flight on a Tuesday or a Wednesday.

Flights are cheaper during these days. I do not know why but my speculation was that it is the middle of the week when majority of the people will not book a flight because they are working. But, it is working so why not give it a try.

3. Avoid booking flights on weekends.

Opposite to the previous one, the algorithm knows that people usually would be looking for flights on a weekend for you know “weekend getaway”. So make sure to have some time before the weekend comes to find cheap flights.

4. The incognito mode is your friend.

It hides you from airlines detecting that you are looking for a cheap flight. If you can’t beat them, hide from them.

5. Make sure to clear cache and cookies.

The same reason as #4, we do not want airline to know our search history as they charge higher.

6. Use VPN from countries with cheaper flights.

It is like the site knows where you are. If you are in a developed country, chances are your flight ticket would be more expensive compared to you being in a place with lower cost of living. Booking from the Philippines would give me cheaper quotation for flights than from the US. Therefore, I would use VPN in countries with lower plane ticket pricing.

7. Kayak and Skyscanner may help you.

If you type anywhere, it will give you flight options that are under $100 of flights you may want to explore. But, if you have a specific place you wanna go, it will give you cheap flight options as well.

8. Use your miles.

I am telling you it will not gain interest so better spend it to cut the cost that you need to pay for your flight before you forget you have them.

9. Look for student discounts.

Actually I have not tried this but if it will work let me know!

10. Find promotions.

Back home the airlines have what they call “piso” fare. Meaning one peso for a flight. It sounds too good to be true and yet it is but this promotion will give you savings. Although it says one peso fare, you may end up paying $50 instead of $200! Still a steal!

11. Book when it is not peak season.

I got a round trip ticket to the Philippines for $1400 I booked 2 days before my flight in October! Although the reason behind my trip was not for leisure this allowed to discover when to have my vacation!

Disclaimer: I took my exam in 2014 so I am not sure if this still applies to the present board exam.

Direct answer: 75% weighted general average from all the subjects

But, you should not get a grade lower than 60% in any subject.

Meaning: you can have at least 60% in 1-2 subjects given that you have an average of 75%.

However, if you got 75% on average and obtain less than 60% in any of the subject/s, you can take a removal examination ONCE for that subject/s.

Therefore, if the total number of questions in each subject is 100, you need to aim to get at least 60 questions answered correctly in each subject and an average of 75 points for all the subjects.

Below is a cropped image of my own examination results in 2014.

GOOD LUCK, TAKERS!

With Christmas being around the corner, advent calendars are popping up. From books to make-up! But, how about a good habit you could not stop thinking and kept putting in your New Year’s resolution? Let us not wait for 2024 to start building a good routine. Begin now and track your progress!

Here is the link of my free tracker you can modify or use as is to have that habit that you always wanted to build.

As cliché as it sounds, but life is like a marathon. I recently finished a half marathon (13.1 miles) and realized why people keep saying that life is a marathon.

Here are the 13.1 reasons why life is a marathon:

1. You can start now or later

When we went to the venue, there was a long line of people about to start the marathon. There were people close to the start line, and others were in the middle or even the end. But you get to choose where you wanted to start. In life we always have a choice whether to start living now or maybe a bit later.

2. Have a plan

Some wanted to get to the finish line first, others planned to do it in 2 hours. If you trained, you can plan to run all the way or if not be slower and do 5 minutes running and 2 minutes walking. The fast-pacing world gives us a lot of anxiety to finish a lot of things overnight but having a plan could lessen this anxiety and makes us more efficient and productive.

3. Age does not matter

There were people of all ages during the run – kids, young adults, adults, and oldies. Some of these runners ran faster than I did regardless if they were younger or older than me. It was not because I was the slowest but because we had different paces. Your age does not matter when you want to live your life to the fullest.

4. You compete with yourself or others

I was tried to compete with people I did not know to keep me running. I marked them so I kept running fast whenever I got behind. In other moments, I just competed with myself by trying not to stop to run for 5 minutes. These tactics worked for me. We can compete in life but not with the life of others but use the life of others and yours to improve your overall well-being.

5. Having a partner or group is fine

I saw people running in group or with a partner and they made it together. They created a pace that suited the group or their partner. This way it made running more fun when you have someone. They say no man is an island and the people around you could help you make your stay on earth enjoyable so allowing them in your life will be worthwhile.

6. Being alone is fine too

That marathon had so many participants that running alone is fine too and you won’t feel lonely at all. Although you are running alone you see other people running and it may inspire you seeing how they strive with their capabilities to get to the finish line. Most of the time we feel like we live alone but we have to remind ourselves that we are never alone in this journey.

7. You are free to feel anything

At first I was excited running on the pace I could maintain. Then a little bit sad seeing others go past me even if I was doing the best I could. Feeling what you are feeling is the most liberating thing everyone should be able to do. There will be a thousands of different emotions that we will feel in our lifetime and suppressing them will just drag us down.

8. You will get frustrated

By the 10th mile I was getting a bit frustrated because 3 more miles felt like forever. When will I get to finish this? My feet were too painful to keep running but I wanted to finish the run. Life may give you a lot of pain before you get to a wonderful destination. Be persistent.

9. It can be tiring

Several times I wanted to go the short route because I was exhausted. Why not? It will still bring me to the finish line. But, life is not about taking the short path. It is about persevering and fighting because life may seem too long to endure but really it is short and fast.

10. But you do not quit

When things become hard our brain would like an easy way out. In a marathon especially if it was your first time with no training, your brain will want to quit. But, no, convince yourself that you will finish this. Never quit in life. You are way more powerful that what you think!

11. It is a long journey

The 13.1 mile is a long journey literally for a body of a first-time runner with no warm-up. But once you start enjoying the process between the start and finish line, you will be surprised that you are so close and in a blink you are there. Romanticize your life from start to finish and you will never feel it a long journey.

12. You can rest and then keep going

Mid way the run, I saw people stretching or stopping. It may be more painful in the long run but what I realized was that you are allowed to rest to gain energy to keep going. If you feel like your life is too tiring, pause, rest, gather all the energy you need and then keep going again.

13. Nothing is impossible

I was feeling hopeless that I may not finish the marathon because the pain in my feet was too much. But I saw this grandpa, running-walking-running and was so determined to get to the end. Often times I felt a lot of things that I do not deserve nor believe I would achieve but the universe will tell you that it is just in your mind and you are limitless!

.1 You will arrive to the finish line and have a reward.

At the end of the finish line, I got a medal for finishing the run. Aside from that we got to have snacks, massage and beer. However, it was soooo painful and those perks did not take away the pain all over my body! The reward was finishing the marathon despite a lot of times thinking of not making it to the finish line, and knowing that you can do everything you set your mind with.

Nakakulong sa rehas

Kung tawagin ay bilanggo.

Maaring literal na rehas.

O, di kaya ng ibang bagay.

Bilanggo ng pagibig.

Bilanggo ng salapi.

Bilanggo ng trabaho.

Bilanggo ng nakaraan.

Bilanggo ng kalungkutan.

Bilanggo ng kahirapan.

Bilanggo ng digmaan.

Bilanggo.

Tila madaming kahulugan.

Ngunit iisa ang hantungan.

Pinipigilan na lumago at magbago ang kaisipan.

Hindi matanaw ang kinabukasan.

Nagtatanong sa araw at buwan.

Kung makakalaya ay kailan?

Kasagutang hindi matanaw.

Bilanggong mananalig sa bahagyang ilaw.

Balang araw makakamit din ang kalayaan.

If you have been reading my post in the past months you may know that I am currently out of the Philippines to work. Home is home and if I get to save enough, here are the places I would buy a property and why:

1. Gumaca, Quezon

Aside from being my father’s hometown, I love how the sea and mountain is so close to each other. You can have the calming sound of waves or the song of birds.

2. Los Baños, Laguna

Needless to say I studied here and it was 30-min drive from home. I love that this is a small city and a quiet town at once. You can also do coffee shop hopping as there is a lot around the area.

3. Sipalay, Negros Occidental

Again, mountains and sea meet – I will be your market! On top of that who will not want to be here and see these islets? How about a location close to a beautiful ruin!

4. Guimaras, Iloilo

It is a small and beautiful island that is a 10-min boat ride to the main island of Iloilo. The sweetest mango in the world is here and living there you will have access on that every year!

5. Guinobatan, Albay

I came first 10 years ago as an intern for 3 months and it became my core memory. Having agricultural lands is one of the investments you could start with on top of the calmness it offers.

6. Siargao, Surigao del Norte

If you are into coconut farming this is one of the places you may want to live in. As you can see, the common denominator here would be that mountains and beaches keep me alive.

7. Mamburao, Occidental Mindoro

If you are into a simple life, this is a place to be. This place is rich of commodities like onion, rice and corn as well as sea life such as different kinds of fish and shellfish!

8. Argao, Cebu

This place has all of the above I guess. Mountains, sea, farm lands and sweet mangoes. Plus, old churches, calm and happy neighborhood.

9. Malaybalay, Bukidnon

One of the reasons why I wanted to work abroad aside from the better pay was because of cold weather. This place is cool literally and figuratively, and vegetables grow better around this area.

These places are top 9 in my head whenever I imagine myself starting buying properties back home (although I am far away from even buying a half hectare of land but let’s go! MANIFEST!).