2016: Investing on myself

Okay, 2016. First of all, how dare you.

You were a cruel year for a lot of people -- especially those whose lives were taken away from various terrorist attacks worldwide, or those victims of (alleged, if we want to be politically correct) extrajudicial killings in the Philippines' failed war on drugs or of the impending reinstatement of death penalty, including their loved ones. A lot of celebrity and personalities were gone too. This year didn't spare Brangelina from breaking up, either. These, among many other things, make you want to punch 2016 straight to the face and say How. Dare. You.

Had to check my privilege while writing this, though, because looking back, 2016 didn't fuck me up on a personal level. Well, not at all, except maybe for a few bad hair days and emotionally and physically challenging ones.

You know what they say about the kind of pressure involved in working for a Bank. You work on various accounts almost simultaneously and literally all throughout the year. Sometimes you wake up in the middle of the night trying to recall if you were able to include this and that in your proposals, or if the documents are complete, or what if an account gets deferred or rejected, etcetera. A lot of times you have to exert extra effort (and extra kapal ng mukha) to deal with rushed deadlines, only to get disappointed because it won't be taken up at your target date of CreCom presentation anyway. Sucks even more when it's caused by things you can't control. Can't say this job is perfect -- oh, God knows how I hate it sometimes, I just cry -- but it still pays the bills, and it makes impact to society. Like I always say, this job inspires. And it grows you, one loan approval and one loan release at a time. Best of both worlds, simply put.

Not only does it pay the bills, it also allows me to enjoy life outside work, usually by travelling to places I've never been to. For this year, despite holidays falling on a weekend, I was able to squeeze in quite a number of memorable trips with my friends and family.

To all my 2016 travel buddies this year, thank you.

It started slow, but it got better one trip after another. There's an overnight trip in Bataan with my fellow Titas in February just to relax before work gets in the way, followed by our family trip to Bohol in March where incredibly cute tarsiers are. Also seeing the Chocolate Hills in postcards before, and now right before your very eyes, well, that's awesome. The Indays went straight from work one Friday night of April to Baler, Aurora where we enjoyed surfing the waves of Sabang Beach. 

I had to rest for a while to space my travels two months after for my big birthday trip to Sydney, Australia in July for my forced leave (i.e., mandatory leave of 5 consecutive days for all employees). While it was short, this trip is nothing short of fun experiences that are very different in the Philippines. Like seeing elephants, koala bears, kangaroos and giraffes (and making   knock knock jokes about it), or not being able to cross the pedestrian lane with enough time, or mingling with new friends from all over the world trying to figure out how different kinds of wine taste like (spoiler alert: they all taste the same to me, thank you very much). It is also my first winter experience, too, minus the snow.

Biggest leap of faith, ever. (August 20, 2016)

I was almost unstoppable with my August trip to Dumaguete/Siquijor with a good friend. Siquijor Island is truly mystical, except not in a bad way. It was a small island which you can explore in just one day without feeling like you are missing out on anything. It also helped that our accommodation (Coco Grove Beach Resort) was the best in the island. I can say that the swing from Cambugahay Falls is uniquely Siquijor, but the ultimate highlight of this trip is the biggest leap of faith in my life so far when I cliffjumped on a 25-feet high, 15-feet deep waters in Salagdoong Beach. Indescribable how liberating this feels like - exactly why this place will forever hold a special place in my heart.

All smiles all the time

The family went to Baguio for a (rainy) weekend after my sister's wedding, followed by a trip Puerto Princesa with my parents. We pushed through with this, despite me being seriously sick the day prior. It warms my heart seeing them enjoy the city tours and the waters of Honda Bay; oh, boy, it was worth every second and every peso, and even if I had to sit out for most parts of the first two days of the tour. I particularly enjoyed the cozy feel of Baker's Hill (plus they have the best hopia and chocolate crinkles!). We also almost missed out on our Underground River tours due to time constraints (we have a 3pm flight to catch!), but we're glad we didn't let this go. After all, it isn't a UNESCO Heritage Site for nothing.

Just a few weeks after, in November, I went back to a different part of what was tagged as the Best Island in the World, this time in El Nido, with two of my closest friends at work. We're not supposed to take a leave all at the same time, but we did anyway, so you can only imagine how controversial this trip was. The place is pretty laid back, which we enjoyed. Truly a paradise.

I needed to let go of our trip to Cebu (Bantayan Island, to be exact) with my best friend and her family, as I have a CreCom presentation. But there's no way we're not taking a beach trip this year, so we booked a Cruise ship tour to Camaya Coast in Bataan.

My sister's wedding (October 8, 2016)

In between these trips are chill weekends spent sleeping for at least ten hours or more, aircon on, with nonstop Spotify playing. As you probably know by now, we decided to finally move out of our place in Navotas to a smaller (rented) place in Malabon. It's still rather far from the office, but it saved me at least 30 minutes of commute time per way. This moving out thing made me appreciate how much less you need in life. This move shall only be temporary, though, as we are just waiting to finally move in our new house hopefully in 2017.

On top of my #bunsoproblems, I now have to deal with #onlychildproblems, since my father still plans to work abroad for at least three years more before staying here for good, and since both my sisters moved out already to have a family of their own. My sister got married last October, and I wish her and Gem a happy married life. Until now I don't understand how mature people make life-changing decisions like settling down -- I don't even know what to eat and what to wear later -- but I'll figure that out soon. It's still a little sad I can no longer annoy her at home while I tell how my day went, even if she's not interested. But it is an inevitable change most people go through. Good enough that I have her cabinet, the car, and the bed all to myself now.

Considering all my travels, and a somehow expensive, high-maintenance lifestyle, I always make sure that my personal finance is always under control. This year is not any different, I've managed to successfully fight the urge to get a credit card, so that all my purchases are paid in cash. Proud to have started young, I already completed one full year of payment for my life insurance/ mutual fund investment, bought a few shares of stocks for an oil company, signed up for pre-selling of a housing unit, and invested in government securities. All is well. But if it's not too much to ask, we hope to finally receive what has long been pending from last year.

Not only did I invest financially but I can proudly say that I focused on investing heavily on myself this year. I enrolled in formal swimming lessons during the first few weeks of August, mostly in preparation for our trip to Siquijor, but also so I can learn a new life skill which can become especially useful for my (survival) future travels. I also managed to squeeze in at least 30 minutes of exercise at home consistently for a few months before I finally signed up for a three-month membership to a gym near our place. I choked though, and it didn't really motivate me enough, so I would need to find a different activity that will help me to at least maintain my weight and my health to its current state. I was unusually sickly this year, so I might as well consider improving my lifestyle even further. After all, I am not getting any younger. Lastly, I finally decided it's about time I learn how to drive, mostly because I'm already paying a small share for the car amortization (haha), but also for my personal convenience and some life upgrade, probably.

Can't say how exactly, but I believe I've grown a little this year, without losing that playful attitude and fun disposition. I get less easily frustrated on things now, knowing there are things I cannot control. I learned how to think things through before doing anything that may turn out to be stupid anyway. I curse and cry less, too (I think). For next year, I have to work on being a little less assertive, less demanding, less reactive, less clingy, and less sensitive. But that won't probably be me anymore, so maybe not. (Kidding) Lastly, I have to feel less responsible trying "to fix" people. Simply because I can't. #adulting #roadtomaturity

Few of my friends think I have everything figured out in my life -- I don't. In fact, 2017 is still pretty vague for me, but it is equally as promising. I have a few trips booked and a couple other plans already. My dad is coming home again for my second sister's wedding in January. And well, there is an overwhelming pipeline of loan accounts waiting for me to finish. No drastic change ahead whatsoever, at least not that I know of. Bonus if we can find some luck in the dating department, but that is not at all the priority. I still haven't decided whether I will take further studies anytime soon either.

Hopefully the new year will bring new hope for everyone. I hope it serves as a great start-off point for those who have lost. I pray that we can achieve the genuine change and peace and love we have long been fighting for all over the world. I am positive that this coming Year of the Rooster will continue to bring me not only good luck, but more importantly wonderful experiences and life lessons to live by as I create and tell everyone my story. Cheers to the new year, clean slate, and great beginnings.

From your favorite ategirl with love, Kim