#2013TaughtMe

Approximately 3 more days ‘til a new year actually begins., and as they say a new year = a new you, but then I wouldn’t want to jinx (yes I believe in jinxes) anything about the coming year…So I’d rather write something more personal. Since #2013TaughtMe’s been trending the past few days, I’d like to list down some of the biggest lessons and blessings I learned because of 2013. And yes for the first time, I’ll be speaking for myself…

2013’s been one of the most emotionally challenging years. Bridges were burned, feelings were hurt, and most of the time I caught myself being stunned and speechless with what’s happening around just cause I never expected nor saw most of the things coming. When I asked for surprises, I should have been more specific with saying “good” surprises, and there goes my first lesson:

LESSON #1 Be careful what you wish for, cause you just might get it…there’s nothing bad about wishing, because most of the time wishes are what motivates us to work hard, but then I learned to be explicit about my wishes. I learned to be specific, because more often than not, wishes do come true, but they may come in unexpected shapes and sizes, so might as well be specific. If you want someone.. wish for that person.. If you want something, wish for it. Don’t be vague about it cause you might end up getting something secondhand, but a little warning…wishes don’t always come true.

LESSON #2 It’s okay not to be okay… I ‘ve always been bad at expressing emotions. I’m good with coping with my feelings but I’ve never been good at showing people my emotions, just cause I’ve been so afraid of what people might think, but then this year, I took a step forward and learned that it’s okay not to be okay. I learned to stand up for some things, to cry when I’m sad, and to be cold when I’m mad. I’m not a robot, well I used to think I have my robotic tendencies but then I was proven wrong by my fragilities. No matter how strong of a person you are, there are those who can still make you feel weak, and the bonus side is that there’s actually nothing bad with it! Only proves that you are a mere human being, capable of getting hurt but also capable of standing up!

LESSON #3 Moving on is a state of mind and trust me it is J may it be from that haunting long test that you explicitly imagined that you already failed the moment you passed your paper, or from that person who’s been haunting your sleepless nights… it all starts in the mind.  It can be bad at some point, but it won’t be bad forever and it has to hurt at some point because better days would have not existed if it were not for the worst days. Moving on is also about saving yourself, it’s not about being selfish but it’s more of having the dignity to actually save you.

LESSON #4 No matter how hard you try, you cannot please everyone… just cause no matter how hard you try, there are still those who are cringing to see you fall, but then you don’t have to work extra hard for them to love you. I learned to accept the fact that I was not made to please everyone. I have my flaws and I still have them but then, others have flaws too, and take it or leave it…I don’t have to stoop down to others’ criticisms just cause I do not fit their idea of  “perfection”, I just have to be me and cross my fingers that someone out there, will understand me for me.

LESSON#5 We meet people for a reason, they’re either a blessing or a lesson…need I say more?

LESSONS #6 JUST ENJOY THE RIDE, it won’t be perfect, no one said it would be anyway. The ride’s going to be hella’ hard but that does not mean it would not be fun. I made mistakes, and I’m honest about that. Compared to all the other years, 2013 was a big “lesson learned”, but that does not mean that it was not fun to begin with. This year I learned to discover myself in a different perspective. I was pushed to my limits, moreover I was questioned for my beliefs, but then I guess without all those, then this year would have been boring. 2013 was DIFFERENT…too different at times. I saw myself go through a lot of sleepless nights, unexpected breakdowns, and endless confusions, but then at the end of it all, I saw myself grow. I am still the same old me.. but bigger, better and ready to face the coming year!

Why It's Anybody's Game

“Don’t hate the player, hate the game” has been one of the most overly used lines when it comes to what people say as the “game of love” but what exactly are the odds of winning in this game? Especially, when there are about 6 billion people living in the world and about a hundred you encounter every single day, how is it even possible that there is indeed only one for each one of us?

Hide and Seek

Before the so-called “game” begins, we are all honestly playing an unimaginable game of hide and seek. No matter how many times we say that we are all busy, too pre-occupied to even wait and look for the “one”, let us admit to ourselves that somehow, somewhere we are crossing our fingers that we get to find the “one”. They say that some are hiding, while some are seeking, but the truth is we are all just waiting for the right time to be found by the right person in the right place. But let me tell you an ugly truth…that though there may be times that we successfully find someone, sometimes it may be the wrong person or the wrong time. Indeed, timing is everything, but the game does not end there, just when you thought you already won, things can get even more complicated.

Guessing Game

Then comes the guessing game, the hardest if not the trickiest of all games involved. Of all the games, this is the one that is most crucial just because there is no finality. It is a mind game, and just when you thought multiple-choice types of games or tests were already complicated, be thankful enough to appreciate the choices present, because in this game no choices are involved, only feelings, doubts, and a ton on uncertainties. Guessing games often do not include yes or no’s (maybe for the lucky ones they do), but for the rest, before you actually get an answer, you’ll have to go through a lot of realizations, a lot of confusions and a whole lot of sleepless nights. There are even times wherein you thought you already got it right, as if you already knew who the killer was in that board game called Clue, but then something or someone will surprise you along the way and turn your decisions or answers upside down. This is even harder than charades, because more often than not, not enough syllables are stated for you to end up in making a decision.

Snakes and Ladders

 Because this game of love is more like Snakes and Ladders, you roll dice, try your luck but you do not always get what you want. Sometimes, just when you were enjoying your few steps forward, a snake a.k.a a problem comes along then suddenly you are back to square one, though you can also get lucky. You get lucky when you roll your dice, try your luck and suddenly end up in a position where a ladder is present and you get to a better place. The game is open to everyone, but it is only played by the ones willing to see their luck along the way, besides you get nowhere when you do not roll the dice.

Cops and Robbers

Love is cliché. it is supposed to be that way. We cringe at the thought of anything too cheesy, but let us admit it; it is a big game of cops and robbers, robbers who steal others’ hearts and cops who continue to chase for the ones who stole hearts. Sometimes cops run after these robbers to claim what was once theirs, but there are also the ones who let these robbers get away with their priced possession, trusting them to take good care of it. More often than not, there are even those who steal each other’s hearts but there are also those who continue to steal, ones they can never have. It gets complicated, too complicated as they say, when you let someone steal yours, but who knows? You might be letting someone steal your heart because you believe enough that they deserve it more than you do, that they might be the ones to actually carry it in their lives with much care and compassion. Sadly, there are those who continue to run after their robbers, believing they could regain what was once theirs but end up not only giving a piece of themselves away, rather giving every piece of themselves which leaves them at nothing.

Candy Crush

But just when you thought, your game was over, an extra life comes along…Falling is part of the whole deal. Sometimes we stumble, we get wounded, and we get scarred, but stand up and learn from the pain because in this game, there is always an extra life. It may not be with the same set of candies nor may it be the same type of patterns, but you will get through it. You will stand up, and you will successfully surpass the level.

They say love is a game, and indeed it is, but I must say they got one thing wrong, because in love everybody wins. Sometimes we lose, not because we failed, but because maybe it just wasn’t our turn yet.  Love is not about the odds of winning it is about believing that we are all meant for someone, and trust me, there will come day when you will win but the fact that you joined the game is already a milestone to be congratulated for, because this is a game for the brave. This is a game for those who are willing to lose along the way, believing that an extra life will come along so that one day, when the right time comes, there will be no more guessing games, and no more hide and seeks, only robbers who get away with the hearts that they actually want to call “theirs”