Perfectly said

"Silence does not always mean yes. It may also mean no but it’s better left unsaid. Anger does not always mean hatred. It could just be a means of coping. Laughter does not always mean happiness, sometimes it’s just a mask. Tears does not always mean sorrow, it may also be an outlet of joy. Staying away does not always mean it’s the end, it may also mean the best beginning. And life, though is so complex, it’s always beautiful."

YOLO

You only live once. 

For some, they may take it as maximizing whatever life has to offer, to the point of being reckless. 

Admittedly, I may have subscribed to the same mantra when I was younger. 

Come to think of it, I may actually have been the classic case of a devil-may-care, risque' person a few years back. 

I partied so hard that my friends and I can shame younger people because we can stay up in Prive' until almost five in the morning and head out to Recovery Food or the nearest Chinese restaurant for breakfast until 7. 

I have a record of out-drinking several of my guy friends who were twice my size. My biggest record so far is out-drinking my husband who happens to be well-trained in downing whiskey like there's no tomorrow. 

Drunk driving? Guilty. I scratched my car not once, not twice, because I was intoxicated but I had to drive myself home.

Overspeeding ba kamo? I was the queen of overspeeding in EDSA when I had one too many to drink.

No, I'm not proud of it. In fact, I don't want my daughter to even know. 

On a lighter note, I'm quite adventurous as well with things I want to do. I took on surfing, I love heights and sky diving is still in my bucket list. Wanderlust is very natural to me. 

I was also risque' in romance and relationships. Trauma is not in my vocabulary. No matter how many heartaches I went through, I took the blow, yes, but I always dusted myself up and tried again. 

Looking back, I was one of the poster children of YOLO. 

Am I as rogue as I was when I was younger? 

Not quite. Somehow, I managed to tame myself and behave. Things are not what they used to be. 

The mantra still holds true for me, though. 

You only live once. 

Therefore: 

Try to make the best of everyday. Make a dent - big or small. 

You only live once. 

So live everyday like there is no tomorrow. Call your parents. Say I love you to people you care about. Do everyday things with your purpose in mind. 

You only live once. 

Do things with this at the heart: Integrity. 

Integrity is the cornerstone of a person's truth. It's one of the virtues that makes us try to do things right, at least most of the time.

This is a realization that will come in every person's life, eventually. As some of the wiser people ahead of us would say, it is one of the virtues you will stumble upon and learn to value once you "see the light." 

I'm glad I did. 

 YOLO.

Yes, I still subscribe to the mantra, but hopefully, with more substance this time around.
 

Tiis-ganda: When hard work pays off

I have not been drinking a lot for the past 2 months now. I've stayed away from alchy as much as I can. 

No more binge-drinking, drunk driving and Prive' party nights. 

All for the love of better health...and fabulous prenup photos. 

I liked our Jakarta prenup shots in August but I felt like my arms there were humongous. My legs were pamalo ng dalag and I had double chin. 

I work out regularly and I try to eat healthy. 

My nemesis is really my alcohol intake. 

As such, I made a resolve to shun alcohol as much as I can. And if I can't, I made an effort to drink moderately. 

What used to be a bottle of wine over dinner became 1-2 glasses for me. An all-you-can drink mojito night is ROI'd by just 2 glasses. 

IT WAS A LOT OF SACRIFICE, considering that my stress-buster means cocktails or wine nights at Barcino with my ladies. And yes, Barcino has missed me so much for the past 4 months. 

Lo and behold, the hard work paid off. 

I'm happy with the results of our Manila prenup shoot. And I feel less guilty. 

No more binge drinking! 

And I will actually add that to my 2014 resolutions. 

=) 

Day 2 of House Arrest: Confessions of a Workaholic

Day 2 of house arrest. I'm still alive - without the restlessness and fidgeting. 



I feel guilty when I take a break and push work stuff in a corner.

I feel bad putting off things for the next day --- even if accomplishing everything on my list will kill me. 

There. I said it. 

Skye is right. I do not know how to relax. I wish for it, I crave for it, I dream of it. 
But when I get a day or two's break, I don't know what to do. He actually said that he'd be a much better houseband and will reach that goal faster than I can be a housewife.

I get lost without the structure of a to-do list, because truth be told, there's so much to do!!! 

1. Work-wise, I have to build a major platform that needs to be up and running by next year. 

2. That is just one of the hundreds of things I need to do at work. I don't even want to go into mentally enumerating them. 

3. I've got a wedding ceremony and party to organize. Although I'm halfway there, it's no reason for me to silently panic. 

4. 2014 is just around the corner and I'm nowhere near touching my vision board. 

5. I have to account for all my mortgage payment if I want to sell one of my real estate properties. 

Had I not gone on a quick break, I would probably be suffering a panic attack right now. 

I know I'm trying to alleviate my guilt by opening my lappy, going online and trying to be productive by 9am - but it is a slow and good start for someone like me. 

I need to breathe. Yes, I keep telling myself that. 

It's okay to breathe. 

On success

So, so, so true!

2012, In Retrospect

According to Feng Shui, Snake-born people were not supposed to be lucky in 2012. Career was supposed to be on the down-low, money luck will be subsiding and lethargy will get in the way of big projects.

On the contrary, I HAD FUN IN 2012! I had a blast!!!

True, true --- things were not perfect. The year carried with it some glitches, but I must say that I pulled through with grace.

I cannot count one by one all the blessings that I received. That’s how much generosity I got from the heavens --- there’s way too many to count!

I returned to the Philippines with a better and brighter career. I am definitely happier and more fulfilled in my not-so-new workplace. I was scared of my comeback since I was filling up BIG shoes, but I did prove the weight that I can carry and the contributions that I can bring in.

I have so many windfalls to be thankful for, too! Money was supposed to be dry but the Universe was just way too generous. I’m not swimming in money, so to speak, but I can say that I have more than enough. For myself, for my family and for what I can share to others.

I lost my one great love, but I’m thankful that in this lifetime, I can say that I was able to experience and find it. At the same time, I’m even more blessed and more grateful to find a new love, a second chance to fall in love again with a great guy who adores me.

2012 had so much to offer. I’d like to believe that there’s both heaven and earth luck, but I probably tided over the trials and tribulations of the year because of my perseverance and persistence aka bonggang-bonggang kakulitan, hard work, strength, courage and resilience aka kakanta ng “I will survive.”

Most of all, it was my faith in God that held my hand. I knew I can make it because of my faith. My darkest hours became my finest moments because He was there --- the entire time. JC, I cannot thank you enough for embracing me in your grace.

So to all the survivors and to all the blessed, cheers to a spectacular and blessed 2013!!!

I’m looking forward to another great year ahead!

A tribute to Rita Levi Montalcini

I once wrote about her in 2009.

Nobel prize winner Rita Levi Montalcini passed away yesterday at age 103. 

Aside from her ever-famous quote that I held on to during difficult moments of my life, she is a woman who was way ahead of her time. 

While every girl was a wife and a mother, she became a doctor. And a scientist to boot with a Nobel prize tucked under her belt. 

I am saddened by the news that today, we lost a great woman. But with all her achievements and at 103, she must have lived a very full life. 

Hats off to you, Rita. All my respect. Thank you for the inspiration. Thank you for the encouraging words of wisdom.

Sharing with you the article from I Fucking Love Science: 


"Today we say goodbye to Nobel prize winner Rita Levi-Montalcini, who passed away today aged 103.

Levi-Montalcini enrolled in medical school in 1930 despite her father's objections (who believed that the role of a woman was to be a wife and mother, not an academic). She earned a degree in medicine and surgery, but her post-graduate career was cut short when Mussolini issued his "Manifesto of Race" which barred those of Jewish descent from professional careers. Rather than fleeing the country, Levi-Montalcini chose to stay in Italy and continue her work alone. She built a small research unit at her home and installed it in her bedroom.

She spent time on her research and as a physician during the war, and then returned to academic life afterwards. In 1947 she joined Washington University and became a full professor there in 1958. In 1962 she established a research unit in Rome, splitting her time between there and St. Louis, and in 1969 she became the Director of the Institute of Cell Biology of the Italian National Council of Research.

In 1986, Levi-Montalcini and Stanley Cohen were awarded the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for isolating Nerve Growth Factor from tumor cells.

Although she officially retired in 1977, she never truly stopped working as a scientist or an educator. Eight years ago she founded the European Brain Research Institute (EBRI) in Rome. She (with her sister Paola) also founded the Rita Levi-Montalcini Foundation, which focuses on the education of girls and young women in Africa. In 2001 she was appointed an Italian Senator-for-life.

Levi-Montalcini was truly an inspiring woman and she will be greatly missed."

Watch an interview with Levi-Montalcini here: http://bit.ly/ZMklM3
Read more about her life and work here: http://bit.ly/12QFbs8