When I was scrolling down my feed, I saw this very interesting contest hosted by @bdcommunity and immediately, I decided to participate. I haven't participated in contests for a while now, but I decided to much more active in blogging again this year, so here I am.
The task is to write a letter to your 10-year old younger self. Isn't it interesting? If you wish to know more of the said contest, check the original post here --> A letter to the Past Contest
... I'm inviting my Hive sister and my bestie @djynn and @akielle to write their letters as well. :)
And now, let me start writing the letter. I'll write some side notes as well so the readers can understand better as to why I wrote these things to my past self.
taken around March of 2011... My bestie and I met up with another fangirl friend and her younger sister...
Hello there, fangirl!
10 years ago, I was a very active fangirl of Jpop/Jrock and Kpop groups...
First of all, I'd like to say that I am so proud of you. A lot of things happened in the past years but look at you now... you're much stronger and happier than ever! I'm glad that you were able to find happiness and overcome your depression. You have to be grateful and give back to people who supported you and never left you, OK?
In late 2009, I underwent a major surgery which made me miss going to University. I wasn't able to attend the second and summer semesters together with my batchmates. And when I went to University, they told me they changed curriculum, so it's either I transfer to another University or study from the beginning under the first curriculum.
Now that you're in another University, you have to adjust to the new environment again. But don't worry, you'll get to know friends who will be with you even years after your graduation. Aren't you lucky? Your male best friend is also in the University, so you can always rely on him... be there for him as well. Also, every time you meet up with your female bestie be it going home together or just hanging out somewhere together, you have to savor every moment. She's going to the other side of the world, so spend more time with her. Well, you can always keep in touch, but for sure both of you would miss hanging out together. :)
I was quite nervous when I transferred to another University. I was not sure whether I could get along with people who have already formed groups since their freshman years. Good thing, my male best friend was there. He's in another department, but we often meet. I also spent time with my female bestie. Even though she goes to another University, we often meet up at the station, have some snacks and go home together. And as for friends? I met a lot of otaku friends who I still keep in touch until now.
Your road to graduation is a really bumpy ride. It won't be easy, but just go with the flow and always do your best. There'll be a time when you feel like giving up, but don't let negativity win against you. Everything would be in place... always focus on your goals and try to help others whenever you can. You'll receive help from someone, so don't forget to show your gratitude.
I studied Nursing in University and to be honest, Nursing school in the Philippines is never easy... physically, emotionally, mentally and even financially. My aunt used to pay for my tuition, but when my grandpa died all the support vanished. Mama and papa had to struggle just to make me finish my schooling. I tried doing my part as well. I befriended my professors so they'd allow me to take the exam even without paying first. I showed good output in my classes and hospital duties to gain the trust of my clinical instructors as well. My hard work paid off. I almost gave up a few days before graduation because of financial reasons... I could graduate, but not attend the ceremony. My mentors and our college dean didn't want me to miss out on this special day, so they helped me... a lot! My college dean even paid for my Nursing pin and graduation shoes for me. She also asked the review center to give me a scholarship because review fees were so expensive. I was saved... and am forever grateful to them.
Soon, you'll be a working adult and would be a part of society. However, don't lose your inner child. It'll save you from stress. Always give time to yourself and love yourself more. It would be awesome if you could be a little selfish at times. Of course, thinking about the best for other people is good, but don't lose sight of yourself. You have to do more things for yourself as well. This way, you'd be much happier in the future.
If there's one thing I want to teach my past self, that is to spoil myself a little. I never treated myself as a priority and now, I feel guilty whenever I try to do something for myself and end up being stressed about it. I realized that being selfish at times is OK... it's not being irresponsible, but rather an opportunity to be a bit happier.
Ohh! I must tell you in advance, you're about to get your heart broken by the group that saved you. I want you to prepare your heart for it because it's going to be a huge blow... especially months from now. I know being a fangirl at this stage has saved you multiple times, so be open for possibilities and never think that all these are permanent.
Supposing that I wrote this for myself 10 years ago on 01/11/2011... I was so busy with school and stuff, but my fangirl life kept me sane. However, around October 2011, my favorite Jpop group lost 2 important members and I remember myself crying whenever I hear their songs. It was a hard pill to swallow and it took me quite a while to recover from it.
Aside from the heartache in the fandom world, you'd also fall in love with someone and get your heart broken by the same person a lot of times. However, I want you to still love the person however you want it... just be ready for the heartache. I want you to experience how to be truly in love with him. It might not end well, but it's one of the greatest feelings ever! Your time with him is going to be limited, so I want you to cherish every moment and leave no regrets! Just be yourself and soon enough, someone will come who will love you unconditionally.
I have experienced heartbreaks both in fandom and in real life, but I don't want to change it. I just want myself to be ready to face these experiences with a more positive attitude and stronger heart.
Lastly, I want you to live the way you want to live your life. Things will never be perfect, but you can always create chances for it to be closer to perfection. I want you to experience all the things I, your future self, had experienced. I just want you to be more ready in facing everything, be it good or bad. Life will never be perfect, but you can always try to enjoy it. Be with people you love, experience life to the fullest, take on every challenge and in times of failures, be ready to bounce back higher! Enjoy life for life is beautiful and so are you! So long my past self!
With much love,
Your Future Self
To be honest, there's nothing that I really want to change in my past because all those experiences led me to where I am now. I might not be experiencing awesome things, but I'm happy and contented... I just wanted to be much stronger to face any challenge that life gives me.
I am forever grateful to everyone who came to my life... most especially to everyone who stayed despite everything. I really consider myself lucky. :)
To end this post, I want to share some pictures of some memorable things that happened the past ten years. ^^
Spending time with family... especially at the beach <3
Graduating from University... and also passing the license exam..
Attending events with my bestie despite working the night before... No sleep for more than 24 hours!!! haha
Meeting him...
Work at the English Academy... <3
Cosplaying with friends <3
Meeting my class during my practice teaching year... They're amazing!! ^^
Graduating from my second course (Education) and getting a teacher's license...
A lot of things happened in 10 years, and what I'm most thankful for is the gift of life. Being able to wake up every day is already a blessing. Being happy and being able to experience a lot of interesting things... facing every challenge with the support of your loved ones... LIFE IS TOUGH, BUT WE CAN BE TOUGHER!
Thanks for reading this post! And thanks @bdcommunity for this opportunity to look back and appreciate LIFE. Have a great one! (^_^)/