I will not miss it for the world: you know, writing about the year my life changed forever...
The year I joined THE. BSP. (Goosebumps, to be freaking honest.)
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Thank You, Lord! From "One day" to "Day One" ♥ |
It was mid-2021 when the whole application process started: pre-employment exam, interviews, and submission of documents, among others. It was as if everything was going so smoothly in the span of about 2-3 months...and then a LOT of waiting came after that.
I thought I was cool with waiting. This experience, however, was different. My life was literally put on hold, not hearing from anyone for about seven more months. Believe me when I say: seven more months of being in limbo, not having clear direction, and pretty much feeling lost...WAS. CRAZY. Even to me who's been pulling off the delaying gratification mantra since forever. To some extent, I felt defeated.
There was also a lot of crying randomly at random times of the day. Any update no matter how small would make me jump off my feet in anticipation, only sometimes the excitement would turn into frustrations. And the frustrations would build up into bitterness. It had me asking myself: is this the right dream for me? My prayer during this time was simple—and I remember this very vividly—to understand why, and to have a clear cut answer whether this is really meant for me. If not, I would have gladly stayed with DBP. After all, this has been my home and comfort zone for the past eight years.It took a little over 10 months in total. AND AT LEAST EIGHT YEARS BACK. This is the first time I'm telling this story openly. While everything is progressing, I can't help but look back at my many conversations with friends since 2013. Happy to share some in here, primarily so we can be soft together.
To say the least, THE DREAM HAS ALWAYS BEEN BSP. A dream NINE years in the making. TYL for making 2022 the year my "One Day" turned into "Day One"!
I want it, I got it. My heart lowkey kept yearning for it. Fast forward to May 2022 when I officially joined BSP. It is not the dream employer/institution for most of us in the banking industry for nothing. I can personally attest why with only eight months in. People are not only professional, they are evidently competent especially considering the technicalities of bank supervision. You see, the role is completely new to me, despite supposedly having a background in both economics and banking. Being the newbie is indeed quite humbling. Lacking the institutional knowledge about regulations, my emotions would spiral every time I am assigned one bank engagement after another. Fortunately, CATSD has so far been welcoming and accommodating with even my most basic and probably stupid questions. Grateful as well for new friendships!
5 rallies, 2 mall walks, 1 HQ gathering, 1 H2H |
Another dream of mine is to live a life that I genuinely enjoy. Obviously for me, this involves less about material things and a lot about travel and other experiences. Guess I was plain lucky this year. Domestic travels include Baguio with the entire fam, a liberating solo trip to Cebu City, and at least three separate trips to (drumroll, please) MY Boracay. I also got to see my favorite artists perform in concerts—Jeremy Zucker in October, LANY in November, and Ben&Ben in December. Indeed, beach trips and live music keep me alive. Looking forward to more this 2023.
To cap it all off, my sister, cousin, nephew and I went to one of the world's dreamiest destinations to celebrate the holidays. Oh, New York. New York was amazing. Concrete jungle where dreams are made of, indeed. Hate the tipping culture, though. My favorite would have to be Central Park where nature and urban life coexist, in all its picturesque glory. Of course, we also went to the Statue of Liberty, which I jokingly refer to as the Statue of Kimberly in social media. It was likewise pretty emotional to watch Hamilton as my first-ever Broadway show, and in the greatest city in the world, at that. In terms of food, nothing was super exceptional to me, except for sure for the Michelin-star Peter Luger steak in Brooklyn. Aside from NYC, I likewise stayed in Los Angeles for a week, with my solo visit to Disneyland as the highlight. That fireworks display in front of the famous Sleeping Beauty castle was spectacular and simply so pleasing to the eyes. I'm not even exaggerating when I say my always-emotional self felt all possible emotions all at the same time.
Concrete jungle where dreams are made of! |
For 2023 moving forward, my wish is to not mishandle what I prayed for. Easy to say I've chased some dreams this year. But not without some hurdles. I'd be happy to know if at least one person will be inspired by this story. That what is meant for you, won't pass you by. Amidst all the waiting, my key takeaway from this year is simply that waiting seasons are not wasted seasons. The universe, and ultimately God, is preparing us to receive the fullness of our heart's desires.
Let me end with what one of my closest friends shared with me: a relevant quote from the poem Desiderata by Max Ehrmann, "And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should."
Trust me. Chase that dream. I'm happy I did.
Happy Chinese New Year!
Love, KRTRT