Unsolicited thoughts on the PhP 299 engagement ring: What went wrong?

Would it be fine if your long-term partner gave you a PhP299 ($5) engagement ring?

Some may be ok with that but others won’t. And, both cases are valid.

But, is that really a question to answer there?

When I first heard it from a friend I genuinely didn’t know that it was going viral. (Context on the viral post: this anonymous girl posted about the engagement ring that cost PhP299 ($5) her 8-year bf gave her. She was disappointed and felt like the bf didn’t make an effort to show her worth because of the price of the ring but hesitant to confront him about her feelings).

Whether this is a true story or not, I wanted to give my unsolicited thoughts here. Not because I am an expert but because…why not. LOL.

What went wrong there?

Lack of communication.

If after 8 years of being together you are still not comfortable to share your feelings or thoughts to your partner, then you should reassess if you are with your “person”.

Having issues with your partner is a part of the relationship journey. If your main goal is to be with this person for the rest of your life, you have to be transparent to him/her especially with stuff related to your relationship. That person should be your confidant and safe place.

Life has its difficult parts already and you and your partner should make it less difficult by talking about it with respect.

5 Things you can do in Los Baños, Laguna for a day

Los Baños is one of the municipalities in the province of Laguna in the Philippines. It is surrounded by mountains and there’s a lot of hot springs around.

If you have a whole day or two the 5 things below are possible to do:

1. Visit the University of the Philippines-Los Baños campus

It is a beautiful campus to visit. The buildings are surrounded by trees and other plants. During the regular semester you will see a lot of students walking around. You can get some dairy products close to the Baker Hall. Attend a mass at St. Therese Parish Church or walk around the Baker grounds and see the Carillon tower. If you were there during Valentine’s week, you can attend the yearly Feb fair at night!

2. Trek Mt. Makiling

A day won’t allow you trek a lot. But, if you are done with your campus tour early you can ride a jeepney that is bound to the mountains. Not all jeepneys drive there, some will put a sign that says FORESTRY but most of the time you will have to ask the driver by using your hand and pointing your index finger upwards like signaling #1 and confirm to the driver if they are going there. You can stop by close to the college of forestry library and walk around, see large trees, smell the forest, and hear the birds and cicadas.

3. Try the buko (young coconut) pie and espasol

Los Baños is known for its buko pie and espasol. I personally like Lety’s and Original buko pie. You will have to be early in their stalls as they sell out pretty fast and the line is usually long. You can also try the cassave cake if you are too lucky and the pie sold out before your turn. You can get them for yourself or as pasalubong to your loved ones.

4. Do street food crawling

Being a kind of suburban town, this place is busy with so many people especially during rush hour. With that, you can expect a lot of street food around and do the street food crawling. You can try grilled food like chicken intestine and feet, or fried calamari or proventiculus, or banana cue/camote cue. You can also spot bibingka and puto bungbong in the streets even during the regular months of the year.

5. Dip in a hot spring.

There are public hot springs you can spot that requires you to pay a small fee. If you had a tiring day, this hot springs will help your body relax.

That ONE decision that changed my LIFE – I jumped off the cliff without a parachute

I was not born from a rich family nor a jobless set of parents.

But, I grew up in a neighborhood surrounded by poverty. When I was a kid I still ate 3 times a week and even attended a private school. I did not know poverty back then. Then, my family hit rock bottom in terms of finances just before my 11th birthday.

I experienced poverty. I had to walk an hour to go to school. I could not afford the food my classmates buy in the cafeteria. I mostly had thrifted or hand-me-down stuff. We could not afford to get our house fixed – and in a country that gets typhoons with heavy rains, every year we would have dripping water inside our house, get anxiety because the typhoon may destroy our house or we would have to evacuate somewhere because of flood.

And then I wrote in my journal: I wanted to own a new house for my family that is at least not situated in a flood-prone area. A goal I thought I could get with a simple job after college.

I studied because admittedly I believed the classic saying that it will give you good fortune.

I worked while I was studying so I can have extra money to help my family’s finances. But, we were still struggling a lot. Always anxious whenever a family member got sick.

If you grew up in a place surrounded by extreme poverty, your mindset will be simple. You will just want to eat in a day and not get sick. My goal was to finish school and get a job. Because my thinking was we struggled and survived long enough so why do I have to raise the bar and struggle for more? I did not dream big back then. I became scared of making a mistake because I could not afford to lose my job.

I graduated. I got a job enough to pay the bills and help my parents. But I grew up scared of going out of my comfort zone and make mistakes because I could not afford to not have a job even for a week especially that we pay a lot of medical bills every week and my parents stopped working already! I feel like at that point I was contented being able to help in the bills and provide our basic needs.

Then, my contract in my job was about to end. There was an internship offer abroad but no assurance of me having a job after 8 months there nor in the Philippines. It was both scary and exciting because for the longest time a tiny speck of dust like me would be able to experience the vastness of the universe.

That time I had to make a decision – to jump off the cliff without a parachute. It was a move without any back up plan nor someone to pick me up if I get to crash myself into pieces. I had zero savings and an ounce of optimism in my heart.

But, that jump was the decision that CHANGED MY LIFE drastically. It gave me an opportunity that I never thought I could possibly have. It was not easy though. I still need to work hard on myself to have a better mindset and get things done very well.

Although I am not rich yet, I can say that I am now in a better place as well as my family.

I am debt free. I have my own car. I can buy food I crave. I have stuff that I bought brand new. Although I do not own a house, my apartment is located in a place that is not flood prone and has no dripping roof and can thrive strong winds. I am experiencing a new life I never imagined in my wildest dreams possible.

I still have a long way but I am confident now that all the decisions I made brought me to where I am now ,and it is truly fascinating to see the growth I have made and I will make in the future.

Going out of our comfort zone is never easy but it will be worth it in the long run.

Jobs for agriculture graduates in the Philippines

Are you a new Agriculture graduate in the Philippines? Or, graduated years ago and trying to be in an agriculture-related job?

Here are places you can apply in if you have a degree in agriculture:


1. Agriculturist in the government office

Government offices like Department of Agriculture or Philippine Coconut Authority or Bureau of Plant Industry are usually offering contract or permanent positions. They post the job offerings with the description that your CV may fit in. Do not get your hopes high too much with permanent positions though especially if it will be your first time applying in that deparment.

2. Agriculturist in the industry

As in government offices, specific industries have specific needs. The good thing in the industry is their benefits especially the health benefit if they have one. The places you can try would be big industries like Bayer, Pioneer, San Miguel, Nestle or Unilever. Or start-up and small agriculture companies.

3. Agriculturist in the academia

Universities offering Agriculture degrees or other STEM related programs usually have research projects that hire people with agriculture skills. You can be a technician, researcher, instructor or field worker or even go back as a graduate student. Depending on your specialty and what you want to do, academia is also a flexible place to work at as an agriculturist.

4. Agriculturist with a business

If you are a business kind of person, why not start your own? You can have your own agriculture supply shop. Or a soil-less garden and sell your produce. Or have a farm for crops or livestock with the goal of making it into a business. You can have an 8-5 job and a business as well. I did that. It was not easy but I had fun!

4 places I want to experience the 4 seasons

I used to live in a country that has wet and dry season all year round. And, because of that I wanted to see the changes from winter to fall.

Poof! Dreams do come true! I made it! I’ve been seeing winter, spring, summer and fall for the last 3 years in the US, and I haven’t gotten tired of them.

However, I still wanna see these seasons in a different light.

The four places below are where I wanted to see each one of them aside from US.

1. Winter – somewhere in Europe (Either Switzerland or Iceland. I wanna see a Christmas village and Aurora borealis.)

2. Spring – somewhere in Japan (Osaka for sure. The peak of the blossoms and the castles and temples.)

3. Summer – somewhere in South America (Either Brazil or Argentina. To see the rainforest or Andes range!)

4. Fall – somewhere in Canada (Maybe Alberta? I wanna try their maple syrup!)

12 books for 12 months of 2024

They say don’t judge a book by its cover but I still did. Here are 12 books that I am planning to read each month based on some bookstagram accounts and friends’ recommendation. I based the selection by its cover. LOL.

January: The Secret History by Donna Tart

February: What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

March: Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

April: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

May: The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V.E. Schwab

June: What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

July: A Stitch in Time by Amanda James

August: Loving Kindness by Sharon Salzberg

September: Yellowface by Rebecca F. Kuang

October: Little Women by Louisa M. Alcott

November: The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

December: The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel A. van der Kolk

Here’s an online spreadsheet to track your reading goals (email me if you want access to this for free!): https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1PM67Jq_plNEtuqeVEEcyYn7IEckPtRzYt1VaiLngYfY/edit#gid=0

December 31: thank yourself (you were amazing in 2023 and you will be in 2024)

As I am writing this, it will be few hours before we bid goodbye to 2023. before we finally leave this year let us thank ourselves for the overall growth we gained in the last 12months.

We often look forward to have a fresh start at the beginning of a new year because maybe we are disappointed with all the stuff we set early this year and we feel like we did not successfully done any. Or the plans we made did not go well. The bottomline is we feel like 2023 was not good or we were not enough.

Stop.

Think again.

You made it to this day alive! It’s a huge achievement! Thank yourself. Be proud of that.

Most of the time we are so harsh to ourselves appreciating other people’s achievements and not seeing any of our own.

Close your eyes for a sec. Ask this: What are the wins did you make in 2023?

This is not only the time to jot down your New Year’s resolution but also the time to give credits you owe yourself from the wins you made from the old year. Small or big wins are worth celebrating.

You deserve all the best the world offers you every year. Happy New Year to your wins and the future ones!

12 simple 2024 New Year’s Resolution

I am a firm believer of setting goals as high as the Mt. Everest. However, setting simple good habits can make a big difference and can help us attain our big goals. Below activities may look simple but incorporating it to your daily routine will create a huge difference in your life.

1. Get up at the same time

Whether you’re a morning person or a night owl, it is important to have a consistent time to wake up. You will have to assess when you usually wake up and will initially have an alarm clock and you will eventually notice that you will not need an alarm clock anymore.

2. Make your bed

Making your bed is like a switch to the brain that tells it that you are ready to start your day. If this is not in your routine yet, you can begin by organizing your pillows then next day your blanket and later on you will see yourself doing this automatically.

3. Meditate

This will help you relax and breathe properly. Start small – you can try 30 seconds on the first day then add 30 seconds everyday until you reach a number of minutes that will fit your lifestyle. Do this after you get up and before going to bed.

4. Exercise

Strengthening the body will give you more energy in a day. Try easy exercises first like 5-minute stretching and then increasing the intensity everyday. Look for exercise that you enjoy doing for longer time.

5. Hydrate

Our body is made up mainly of water and therefore hydrating will make our body happy. If you are drinking on average per day of 5 glasses, add one more glass every other day. Or have a container that can monitor how much water you drink in a day.

6. Read

Reading is an exercise for the mind and soul. Grab a book and start reading for straight 5 minutes do not go beyond that even if you get excited. The next day make it 10 minutes and then add more until you find the duration that will make you read everyday.

7. Cut sugar

Your internal organs will thank you now and tomorrow. Slowly, you can stop drinking soda. Then, reduce eating sweet candies and chocolates. Or, changing your milk tea intake from daily to weekly to monthly or even once ever 6 months..

8. Less salt and fat

Your internal organs will also thank you if you start doing this. Start by removing the crispy yummy chicken skin of your fried chicken or reducing eating in fast food. Avoid areas or restaurants that will tempt you to have the good tasting evil salty and fatty food.

9. More fiber

Your tummy and butt hole will love you. LOL. If you are craving for sugary, salty or fatty food, grab an alternative that is high in fiber. Sugary food – get fruits. Salty food – cucumber with vinegar and a pinch of salt. Fatty food – make your own fries with potatoes cooked in an air fryer.

10. Reduce screen time

In this past-pacing tech world, we get afraid to feel left out if we are not scrolling through our phones. But, it is not healthy for our brain and eyes. Start by setting your phone to limit your usage of the apps by half or your usual usage then reduce that time by 10% every week.

11. Journal

It will make you track your life especially your emotions. Allocate 5 minutes of writing in the morning what you are grateful about and then another 5 minutes at night of what happened to your day and what you learned. Increase this time by 1 minute everyday until 15-30minutes.

12. Rest

If you get up at the same hour, try to go to sleep at the same hour as well and your cells will be thankful. Try not to look at any bright screen 30minutes before sleeping. Go to bed at the initial time you set and close your eyes and relax. Your body will tell you that you are not sleepy but, do not give in. You can count if there are so many things running in your mind. Aim for 7-8 hours of undisturbed sleep.

December 29: gratitude (what are the things you are thankful?)

If someone ambush interviews you asking what are you thankful for in 2023, what will be your fastest response?

During our darkest days, it seems that the world will never be our ally. We lose sight of what we have which are often more than enough for us. Having a grateful heart can drastically change your life by switching your perspective.

Everyday we have a lot to be thankful for. From the moment we wake up to getting rest at the end of the day. We often do not pay attention on these mundane things but to get up in a comfortable bed is something someone should be thankful for. The food. The stress we get. The friends who never give up on us. The opportunities we have.

In the next coming years, darkest days will come but will not last. Being thankful despite these moments can create sparks in you. They say that there is always light at the end of the tunnel but why not be a lighted tunnel for you and other people by being thankful for wherever life has taken you?