on the Verge of

Last Sunday, June 25, Keen and I ran at the 17th Shrine Hills X-Challenge. I ran the 5K as a beginner and James the 15K. Keen was a pro in running, having ran 50K last year at Cagayan de Oro City. He helped and convinced me to do this run. After all, it was part of my new year's resolution to run 10K this year. I didn't know what to expect. I knew it was going to be difficult since Shrine Hills-GSIS was no easy terrain, even for Keen. I had mixed emotions before, during, and after the run. Initially, I was nervous because I had little training. I had my period just before the run so I wasn't able to train properly prior to the event. But I was also excited because this was our first run together as a couple. The run was difficult for me. As I went past the undulating terrain of Shrine Hills, I contemplated and learned the following lessons. Don't be pressured: Run at Your Own Pace Keen's gunstart was earlier than mine by 30 mins. When I finally started at ...

2016 had very few long weekends since most of the Philippine holidays fell on a Saturday or Sunday. This 2017 looks more promising though with at least nine confirmed long weekends for the year. This means more opportunities of travel and discoveries. It's never too early to plan ahead and book a flight. Just make sure to fully enjoy and make the most out of these long weekends. Here's my personal travel guide for the upcoming long weekends of 2017. April 13-16: Holy Week For Catholics, Holy Week is an important period of repentance and recollection. With the 4-day holiday break, try a Visita Iglesia in Cebu and visit one of the city's oldest and most renowned churches: the Basilica Del Sto. Nino. One may also take a short pilgrimage to the Birhen ng Simala and offer intentions to the miraculous statue. On Easter Sunday, cap off the trip with a swim at the beautiful Bantayan island or try the famous canyoning activities that will trek Alegria to Kawasan falls. ...

I just cleaned my room for four days, the longest and most exhausting room cleanup I've ever done in my life. I have been lazy and busy for some time due to all the work and activities for the past few months. After my last day of work, I revisited some neglected corners of my room and realized how I have accumulated so many stuff throughout the years. I've been postponing my general cleaning because I knew it would really take some time. Good thing I did because I was able to spare a long time to clean up literally everything. Here are some of the clutter hidden in my tiny room. Paper Hoarder I am very much guilty of hoarding a lot of papers. From college notes to book photocopies, I've been keeping them in a box and bag promising myself that I would be sending all of them in a buy-back fair. I was actually able to do this once. I rummaged through my papers and gave them away in a buy-back fair in Abreeza mall. However, that was only 30% of what I had been keeping. I...

The new year gives us a sense of fresh beginnings and hope. I'd like to take advantage of this by motivating myself to create my 2017 goals. For my goals, I am using the SMART criteria. This is an acronym for Specific, Measurable (I'd like to use Motivational as well), Attainable, Relevant and Timely which a popular mnemonic used in effectively setting goals. Goals should not be vague and subject to interpretation. It has to be feasible and relevant to one's priorities. With this, I will be posting here some of the goals I have set for myself this year. I hope this will constantly remind me of the things I need to finish before the year ends. My 2017 Goals