Taking chances over choices (A Business Venture Story)

I admit.

I failed a LOT in my life, especially in seeking for business opportunities.

But that doesn’t stop me for looking for one. I am still optimistic that somewhere out there, there is a business for me to cling on.

And so, I’m gonna share to you my story on my business ventures.

I started my business hunting days two years ago.

I’m looking for a business that not just supports me financially but also get a mentor for me to learn from, the knowledge on how I can be involved in the business and the skills I needed to pursue the business in the long run.

It took me longer than I thought.

Then came in the opportunity!

I thought I had the business I was looking for. And so, I sat in and listened.

At first, I thought to myself, “I think this is it. I’ll give it a shot.”

So, I had the choice to take this chance. Since this is my very FIRST business venture of the year.

And, I did. I joined. I listened. I digested all the learning from them. I was doing well in a month, actually.

Then came in another business opportunity!

Now, that is fast. This business came in a month after I joined a business I thought I can grow 

financially and in experience.

And so, I sat in and listened.

I thought to myself, “Hmmm. This is better than the first one, I guess.”

After taking so much thought on it, I haven’t decided yet if I need to join and leave the first one. Or continue the first business and disregard the offer of the second one.

That was hard. And I was thinking that I need to choose from the two on which one I’ll grow better in the business.

Do I need to make a choice? Or just take the chance?

What I did? I took the chance.

It might be the best for me. Or it can be the worst for me.

Either way, I took the chance because I know one way or another, there will be great opportunities waiting for me when I join.

And so, I left the first and joined the second.

After a couple of months joining the second business, I felt dry. I felt no growth both financially and mentally.

“Why is this happening?” I thought to myself without knowing anything that goes well.

And so, I stopped.

I totally stopped from venturing another business.

“It is truly a waste of money and a waste of time,” I said to myself back then.

 “No more business ventures for me this year!” I said to myself while focusing myself in building my 

passion in music.

That was last year.

By the end of last year, I ventured on work from home jobs instead. (You can read my previous blog post about working from home.)

Earlier this year, since my online jobs are just part-time, I can look for other opportunities to grow financially.

Then, I saw a Facebook post that interests me.

It says that you can do it in your free time aside from your work.

Hmmm. I got curious and contacted him.

When we met, it was a business offer.

“Okay, I just stopped pursuing business opportunities two years ago and now it’s here again!” I thought to myself.

I am so sure to myself that I will not be joining a business ever again ever since my past experiences with it.

But, I took the chance to sit in and listen to what he has to say.

“Okay. Convince me why I should join,” showing this kind of expression to him while listening. I think he haven’t notice it yet.

While I was listening to him, there are two words that caught my attention.

Discipleship and teamwork.

That shocked me, really.

I never thought there would be a business opportunity that would offer those words in action.

“I guess, this is the business opportunity I was looking for,” I thought to myself.

Discipleship, by the way, is building friendships and relationships. This is crucial in any kind of business. This means that I need to build relationships so that I can grow in a business.

Teamwork is helping people. This means that when I join, people will help me go onboard the business so that I won’t feel left out. (That was how I felt two years ago!)

Those two words grabbed my attention.

I was still unsure of it at first.

I said to them, “I’ll check if it will work out for me.”

I was given another chance for this potential business opportunity for me to grow, literally.

But still, I have a choice to disregard the offer and get more realistic jobs that I can get. Or continue with the business and see if what future lies for me ahead.

Take the choice? Or take the chance?

It was hard, really.

After thinking so much thought that night, I decided to take another chance of pursuing the business.

And so, I informed them that I’ll join.

Now, this is the best part of joining the business with them.

When I was about to join, the person whom I contacted before never left me. He is there to help me out on everything I needed to do.

Even his colleagues helped me out too!

Wow! Now, that’s teamwork in action!

They ensure me that everything will be accounted for and nobody is left behind.

“I’m beginning to like it,” I thought and smirked at myself.

When I officially joined the business a week after, I never thought that they would immediately train me to do the business.

“That was fast!” I thought.

It was my first ever training. One on one.

I wasn’t even trained on a one on one setting back then.

And in the training, it involves on getting to know me better so that they can help me achieve the goals I have set for the year.

Now, that was discipleship in action as well.

I got so excited when I learned that there is a kind of business that shows discipleship and teamwork at the same time.

So right now, as you read this, I am getting one of my dreams checked in my bucket list:

“Have a business that I can grow financially and would help me grow as a person as well.”

Even though, I’m still new in this business, they would occasionally greet me and ask me how I am doing. Not just in the business but also in my personal life as well.

It took me two years to find the right business for me. J

I wanted to help and inspire people so that’s why I entered in a “discipleship and teamwork” business.

I wanted to get people feel and experience what I have experienced in this business.

If you wanted to get in this kind of business, then don’t hesitate to contact me in Facebook. J (I would love to help you, too!)

Helping and knowing each other better can make the business grow and the people involved in it as well.

 So that’s my story.

Taking chances need great sacrifices. But those great sacrifices can lead a shining light at the end of the tunnel.

Pursue your dreams. I and the team can help you with that.

We can get our dreams when we help each other out.

By the way, you can do it in your free time, earn and learn from mentors.

Have an exciting year ahead!!!

   

  

Work from Home: The First Time

“Work from home? Nah. I don’t think so.”

This was what I thought when I heard it the first time way back.

After graduating from college, my first instinct is to get a job. Get work from a company.

I was doing work in offices the whole day, doing the tasks I was assigned and even get overtimes when needed.

The good part: huge salary.

Yes. That’s what I’m after before. The salary.

To buy and buy more things and ended up with no savings.

The worst part: I relied too much on the salary.

Sometimes, I become a millionaire for days. Sometimes, I get broke.

I admit. I got too caught up with my salary that I got no time to save it.

Then, it hit me last year.

Last year on September, I resigned from my job. My job in a company.

Then by December, I recalled “work from home” from way back.

Although, I attended several seminars and even read books about work from home careers. I wasn’t thinking about it much previously.

But now, I am thinking of trying it out.

One of my new goals this year was to do work from home jobs.

At first, I wasn’t sure if this suits me.

I normally go to work for a company with a physical office over the past years. Working in a company is good but not enough.

Don’t get me wrong. It is good to work in a company because it gives a lot of benefits and friends with bonuses and other allowances.

Apparently, it kills my time.

My time, supposedly for myself, is concentrated more on office works and in the company, travels towards the office and other trainings.

Apart from that, whenever I had nothing to do, I get bored and think of ways to get boredom out by playing games or going out of the office to kill the time.

When I started the journey of working from home last week of December, I researched first on the how to’s.

Ways on how to build my profile. Ways on how to build my resume to stand out. ways on how to apply for jobs online.

It’s a bit a journey.

After building my profile and took some tests on skills, I applied for jobs that could use the skills I have been using for the longest time. These are my software testing and writing skills.

I applied a LOT, really. It took me at least 30 to 40 jobs submissions just to get my first job.

My very first job was amazing.

I wasn’t the one who applied for that specific job. The client was looking for me!

I can’t believe that someone notices my skills even though I haven’t applied for them.

And so, I took the job. It wasn’t easy though because I wasn’t confident yet to start doing content writing tasks.

Yep. You read that right.

Content writing.

It was my first time to do so. And so, I took the chance and grabbed that job.

And after grabbing that one, another client showed up and hired me.

This time, it’s more on the virtual assistance job I was aiming for.

And that’s it. That’s my journey of how I got to be a virtual assistant today.

Currently, I am looking for more chances of winning other online jobs that can catapult my salary and even my opportunities to go abroad. I am so looking forward to that moment!

By the way, what are the perks of doing online jobs at home?

There are tons! But to name a few, here are some of the benefits of working from home.

No more travel time. Yes! It really kills time due to heavy traffic. When I was still working in a company every single day, I travel from home to the office for almost two hours. Same goes when going home, another two hours. There are so many things that I can do in those idle time. Obviously, apart from taking a nap during the travel, I can do more tasks by that time.

No government documents and too long processes needed. Yes! Less paperwork on the hiring process. No more documents to secure. No more added processes to wait for. All you need is a simple test, interview, waiting time (it could take a couple of weeks the longest) and that’s it. You’re hired. Usually the trial period is a month for online jobs rather than 6 months in the companies which is huge by the way.

Payment is directly sent to me. Payments vary for online jobs. I receive payments weekly or based from the sent articles. Payments can also be done daily and is easily transferrable to your account so no more waiting for the 15-30 paydays.

No taxes, I mean government taxes. Yes! That’s right. The only taxes you will receive is from PayPal or from the bank account they are sending the payments to. No more government taxes. No more withholding taxes. That’s great news to hear.

Flexible time to work. Currently, on my online jobs right now, I control my time. I can work on my tasks anytime I like. No hassle. And I can manage time to do other things when I finish doing my tasks online.

New things to learn. This is definitely the major perk of being a freelancer or a work from homer. This is also my first time to do virtual assistance jobs. It was definitely hard to get a client at first since I don’t have any skills yet to become a virtual assistant. But even though I’m getting a bit of experience on it, there are so many things to learn and so many skills to enjoy. It is my first time to do Photoshop editing stuff and it was fun. I wanted to learn new things so that I can be versatile on other virtual assistant jobs when I applied for them.

And there are tons more!

It’s fun to learn more and add new things to your skills set. Every time I apply for a job, there are already quick responses and then hiring processes start.

It’s that fast and easy. Even though I applied I lot doesn’t mean I get them all. It’s like catching Pokémon. Sometimes you can catch them. Sometimes not.

Try to check it out. There is no harm in trying to do work from home jobs. You’ll get a lot of your time doing other things when you do.

New Year, New Goals

2016 was a roller coaster ride for me.

There are a lot of ups and downs.

Despite all these, 2016 was my turning point in achieving my dreams – learning music on voice and keyboard, perform on stage and write songs.

That’s just the start.

This brand new year, 2017, new goals will be set. Goals that have been achieved last year will be continued and goals that have been skipped last year will be done this year.

Some of the goals that have been achieved last year that I wanted to continue this year are the following:

Voice lessons

Last year was the start of something new for me. Beginning of last year was disastrous. I was all over the place. 2^nd half of last year, I improved. But still, there are a lot of things to work on. Last month on the year ender concert, it’s my first time to sing solo and some of applause at the end. That was sick.

But now, 2017, I will continue on my voice lessons. There are still things I needed to know of, learn and improve on. Also, I wanted to learn on theatrics and do auditions.

These are my goals on taking up voice lessons.

Keyboard lessons

2^nd half of last year, I started learning keyboard from the beginning.it enhances my listening skills when doing vocalizations and learn about notes and chords. I am beginning to know about the chords when playing songs, techniques and shortcuts. I also played the keyboard on stage for a couple of concerts and still there are things I need to improve on. I still need a lot of practice.

But for this year, 2017, I will still continue on my keyboard lessons. I still need to learn more about the chords; notes and scales so that I can start composing songs on my own.

Write and compose songs

On the last quarter of 2015, I started to compose a Marian song and it was chosen for a non-profit contest on an album. That was my debut.

Last year, I started to compose Visayan songs and joined a Visayan songwriting contest. I also started attending songwriting workshops so that I can learn more on how I can compose songs nicely and melodically. I even attended a music summit to learn more on ideas of what I can write and compose with.

This year, 2017, I will still continue to write songs. It will still be collaboration with my friend on ideas, tunes, notes and harmonies. I will still need to attend workshops to enhance my songwriting skills.

Blog posting

Last year, I started to do blog posting at full blast. It started with the personal experiences I have recently encountered. Then it continues on and on. Every time there is an event in my life, I write and post them in my blog site.

So in this year, I’ll continue on writing whatever memorable or anything that comes in mind to post them in my blog site.

Serving God through a Community

I will continue to serve God through The Feast and serving the attendees. I’ll continue to be Jesus to them and also to learn and nourish my soul through the teachings and talks from the community.

2017 will be my continuous nourishment for my body, mind and soul.

Time Off with Family

This will definitely be continued this year. Even though I’ll be working from home, I still to have bonding time with my family. This can be done through vacation time, quiet time, meal time and other fun-filled family activities that we can enjoy with as one big family.

It will still be a family year for me this year.

 So, those are my In-Progress goals for this year.

For my new goals, I wouldn’t say them as my new year’s resolutions because they may be continued whole year round and to the years to come.  Some of my new goals this year are the following:

Work from Home

I haven’t tried this one. Last month, I tried to set up my profile and proposals. So by this year, when my proposals are active or accepted, I can start working from the comfort of my home. My proposals vary from proofreading to software testing.

So 2017, I’ll be ready to work from home!

Prayer Time

I have to admit, I wasn’t consistent with my prayer time last year.

Last month, a friend gave me a 2017 Didache bible reflection book. With that, I was forced to pray and read it with the gospel reading. It pushed me to pray daily and to make it a habit the whole year round.

Savings and Investments

Since I will be doing work from home jobs this year, I wanted to start saving up for my future. Saving up for my appliances and furniture since my house will be done this year. So I wanna make sure that all the things inside are ready and fully furnished before moving in my new home.

Also, I wanted to invest on the mutual funds again. I stopped it last year due to some financial need. And also I wanted to try investing on the New York Stock Exchange. I still need to ask help from a friend on how to do this. With these investments, I can save up for my future and for any emergencies that may come this year.

Dance Lessons

I admit. I missed dancing.

So this year, I’ll go for dancing lessons. This will also enhance my theatrics skills as well. I’ll have to decide along the way what genre of dancing will I take up so I’m so excited for this year.

So 2017, I’ll be dancing along this year!

Violin Lessons

Hmmm...

I am thinking to take violin lessons this year.

It might be at the 2^nd half of the year or later this year. But the important thing is at least I can start doing lessons for violin. I really wanted to learn how to play the violin and it will take me a lot of time to make up for it.

Love life

Even though I was hurt last year, I’ll be a new leaf this year!

I’m ready whenever God will give me someone to be part of my life. I’ll have to do extra hard this year to get her and to be with her whoever she is.

2017 will be a love filled year for me! #fingerscrossed

That sums it all.

Based from the goals I’ve listed above, they are a lot to do and this year will be busy for sure.

Amidst all those goals, for sure, there’ll be temptations. So when those temptations come, I think of my goals and the things to do so that I can be busy and distract myself from getting tempted.

This is also one thing that I need to refrain from doing – temptations and sin.

I do hope that this year can make be busy in doing all my goals and not be distracted from all those temptations around me.

Have a blessed 2017!

Continuous Learning to Improve

This year, I wanted to improve on my singing. This is the talent that God has given me (not to brag but I do love singing!)

So, I started enrolling in a music school.

For the first half of the year, I enrolled for voice lessons. I wanted to see if there is a chance for me to be a singer someday.

At first, I wasn’t that good.

I admit. I haave a long way to go before I can be good.

Fortunately, my teachers pushed me hard to learn and improve more.

As they say, “Practice makes perfect.”

I also tried to audition for the school’s elite group of singers. It was my very first time to audition for voice. I auditioned several times for PBB (Pinoy Bg Brother) but that’s a different story.

I was a mess after I sang my piece. But still, I continued to enroll and learn more on what are needed for me to improve vocally.

At the same time, I was also learning how to write songs. It was hard at first, though. But learning from the mentor and the classmates from the workshop, I felt that I can do it that I can also write songs.

So I began writing songs. I even submitted my first ever Visayan song in VisPop competition, a Visayan songwriting competition in the Cebu.

It’s a joy to write one. Even though, it didn’t win but the fact that my song was enlisted as of the entries which passed the first round makes me pleased already.

By the way, my very first composition was for Mama Mary’s birthday celebration last year. It won as one of the finalist. That’s why I ventured out on songwriting as well. At the same time, it’s fun writing one. I have a lot of ideas in my mind that I can convert them to possible songs. So watch out for more!

When I joined the Gig on the first half of the year, preferably called as a concert instead, I struggled with stage-fright and I wasn’t that confident back then.

But when the concert started, I never thought that it was so fun! It brought me back my confidence and at the same time, there wasn’t any bit of stage-fright I felt back then. It molded and transformed me when I’m on stage.

So, on the second half of the year, I continued my lessons on the voice. To improve more on my listening skills, I also enrolled for keyboard. It’s one of my dreams to play keyboard as well.

I felt my improvement both in singing and in playing an instrument.

Then I joined the concert again if there are any improvements on my vocals and playing the instrument.

And I did improve! I was now confident singing on stage. No more stage fright. And it was fun! 

Although, there are still rooms for improvement on my vocals but still having my presence on stage was fun! I was having fun!

For the last classes of this year, I enrolled once more. I can’t help but learn more and was thinking that there are still a lot of work for me to improve on vocally and playing the instruments.

This time, I auditioned for the second time. After I sang my piece, Tita Anna was on standing ovation! I never felt proud that I have improved a lot! I never thought that my genre would be more on ballad and soul. And also, it just confirmed that I have a possibility to become an emotional balladeer someday!

That was big!

What’s more is that I have made new songs – the new original compositions that need polishing with my collaborator. I can’t wait to have it be included in iTunes or Spotify someday.

Then, the last concert of the year has come. In this concert, I had a solo performance. I never in my life had sung solo in front of a crowd, except for band gigs.

When the concert started and my turn to sing has come, I felt a bit nervous. But when the song has started, I feel singing it out wholeheartedly.

Several applause were heard from my performance! I never thought I can connect to the crowd with my song!

It was a dream came true! My teachers and Tita Anna were so proud of my performance. One of my teacher said that I should audition for the elite group once more!

What a blessing!

As the year ends, I have improved a lot vocally! I also had improved a bit on playing the keyboard.

But these don’t stop me to continue learning. I will still continue to enroll in the music school, learn and improve.

I am so excited for the next year to come! I will continue to learn and improve and eventually be the artist I really wanted to be.

In this life, we shouldn’t stop learning. We can still learn on how to improve our talent, our work, our career, our relationships and even our spirituality.

There are so many things that we can do in life that we need to focus on what matters most. And once we find that focal point of learning, improve and improve and improve until we get what we really wanted in life.

Never stop learning as long as we live here on earth. And continue to believe that all you’re big dreams back in childhood will be fulfilled when you continued to pursue and learn from it.

Continue to learn so that you can continue to improve.

Investing on Experiences rather than Things

I have learned this quote from Jayson Lo’s book entitled, “Debtermined.”

He stated that it’s more important to invest on experiences than the material stuff here on earth, which is so true.

Anna Fegi-Brown of the Brown Academy of Music implied that, “No matter whether you passed or failed the audition, the important thing is that you have gained experience out of it. So keep trying and learn from your experience.” This is also so true. I can learn a lot from my experiences in the auditions to help me improve more.

Experiences can be more costly than material things. But the effect on a person will be memorable. It will not be taken away.

Let me share you some of my story on this one.

On the financial side, I wanted to learn about stocks and mutual funds. That includes insurances as well.

So, what I did, I self-studied. Learn from the books I read, search for stock brokers or fund managers and attend seminars about financial literacy and on how money works.

I have undergone a lot. I have learned a lot. I even endured losses a lot.

In terms of financial losses, I got bankrupt. I got scammed and continued this one for one whole year.

Yes. You’re surprised, right?

I played along with the scam and tried to see how long it will take me there. Unfortunately, my fuse blew up after a year and discontinued it. Making a lot of money loss including my entire savings and stuff.

But you know what, I’m glad I’ve experienced it.

Why? Because now I know the feeling of being bankrupt and how it impacts my life.

Same goes for insurances. I have applied several insurances and top it all off, I wasn’t able to continue a single one of them. This is due to my bankruptcy experience.  I even got scammed on insurances.

Those experiences led me to think more carefully on what insurances will I apply and how will I benefit from it.

I became more careful in terms of my finances. I became more aware of the pros and cons on stocks, mutual funds and insurances. I became wiser and picky in terms of getting money to grow better.

That’s what experiences taught me. 

Material things on the other hand, are forgettable. I am a bit obsessed with shoes, just a little bit. I like to buy casual shoes but I tried to limit the shoes I buy.

Whenever I buy one, I get happy and excited but just for a short-term. It won’t last forever.

Experiences are long-term memories while material stuffs are short-term memories.

In terms of travel, this is the best experience I will cherish forever.

Jayson Lo stated in his book “Debtermined,” that we should travel once a year. He said that travelling can give us new discoveries, new places to visit to and to learn from. He also stated that it can give us a new environment apart from the places we’ve been through every single day. 

Travel can give us a glimpse of nature and traditions we never experienced.

In other words, travel makes us experience other places, traditions and people we can apply when we go back home. And it can give us piece of mind to relax and enjoy the beauty of the places.

That’s why I LOVE travelling.

I’ve been travelling around the Philippines many times already. It’s fun and I enjoyed the experiences I have been through.

I’ve met new people. I’ve been to new places. I’ve eaten new delicacies and new cuisines. I’ve learned new traditions and cultures and a lot more.

Travelling is the best experience ever. It is costly but memorable.

Another experience I am currently investing on is my talents.

I love music and I love to sing. That’s why I enrolled to Brown Academy of Music to learn how to sing and even play instruments.

I just started my enrollment with the school January of this year. I continued until this very month.

First experience was very struggling. I struggle with my schedules and with my investment (I never made this one as an expense since I’ll be learning to enhance my talents) on the school.

Then, I continued until the very end of my lessons up to the Gig or concert. First try was nerve-wracking. But when I continued, it was fun! I enjoyed doing it.

I tried auditions in the school, but to no avail. My last audition was the best so far. Even though, I failed to be enlisted, I improved a lot! Tita Anna even applauded me for my improvements. My teacher even said to me that I should continue doing auditions. And I will do that next year.

This year was fun because of my experiences in the music school. The lessons are a bit expensive but worth it. 

What I have learned from the school is to garner more experience as I become an artist. I even got my songwriting talent from the workshops spearheaded by the school.

I have written several songs now and I will continue learning until I exceeding my expectations on my music career.

Those experiences alone are worth investing. It can never be replaced.

Now, experiences can also be from our failures.

The moment we failed, we tried to get better from it and learn.

Oftentimes, when we experience failures, we get doomed. We gave up. We surrender and move on to the next.

But some will try and try again until they succeed.

Experiencing failures can be a waste of money and time. But learning from those experiences can be worth it.

No matter how costly the seminars, the travel expenses and the learning are, these experiences will be worth it. It will be cherished forever.

So, whenever I planned to travel or learn new skill or continue to build up my talent, I will continue to invest on these even though they can be costly. But the experiences on these investments are worth it.

There will come a time that I might find difficulty in financing my investments. I know God will provide me with enough money to continue with those investments and build more experience.   

The 4-day Conference Experience

This is the continuation of my travel trips from Singapore.

After the connecting flight going to Manila, I will be attending the 4-day conference to be held in SMX Convention Center and MOA Arena.

The whole conference experience was a blast!

Let me share my experiences on a per day basis because each day have lessons that I would like to impart to all of you.

DAY 1

I am so excited to attend the first day of the conference. It’s like the First Day Hi when entering college. I have never been to SMX Convention Center. This will be the first.

As I entered SMX together with my Cebu friends, we’re greeted with so many warmth people to assist us with our registration to the conference.

A simple scanning of the QR code and we’re good to go. Got our kits and proceeded to the hall for the first session.

Amazingly, I’ve bumped to one of my ex-Accenture colleague, Clark, who is documenting the entire event! I never thought I’m gonna see him in the conference and we did a selfie!

At the start of the day, we had worship songs sang and the songs are originally composed by the servants in the conference. The songs were amazing! Harmony of the singers is astounding and not even a single flat or sharp have I heard from them. Simply amazing!

Right after was the talk by Jon Escoto on Think Forward. Its main message is think double, meaning our thoughts will be the basis of our actions. The talk was great! And I learned a lot from it.

Then, the next parts of the entire day is the most exciting of all – the breakout classes. These are classes that I wanted to learn more about.

The first class I attended was the class of Ilsa Reyes on Inside Out (not the movie though). The class is all about inner healing. Learning on how we can resolve the issues within us with the use of the sacrament of confession. It’s great to know on how I can start healing myself from within based from this talk.

The second class was in the afternoon session. It was the class of Herald Cruz on Family Communication. It’s amazing that the first class can be related to this one. The first class was all about healing on my own self while this class was all about healing within the family. I have learned that as much as possible the family should be open to one another and be honest and truthful so that relationships within can be strengthen more.

The last class of the day was the class of Joen de las Penas and Noel Arandilla on How Money works. It’s basically on how I can start making money work for me. It can be either investing or business. There are tons of ways to make money work for itself without doing much effort.

The day was ended with more worship songs and they sang them beautifully. All the songs I’ve heard that day made me LSS (Last Song Syndrome).

After the worship songs, the last talk of the day was Faith Forward by Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers. 

He’s an amazing speaker! I have never heard a speaker like him before whom he would stress words to emphasize them clearly to the audience. Amazing! His talk is all about finding true happiness through joy.

That ended my first day of attending the conference. It was a grace-filled day for me because I have learned about healing for my own self, healing for my family, healing on my finances and about think and faith forward. The songs were also amazing!

And there’s more! My friends who attended the Laughing Yoga class gave us some exercises on how laughter can heal us physically and spiritually. The exercises are funny but amazingly enjoyable. And it releases negative energy as well. That was fun!

I can’t wait for the next day on what lessons I’ll be learning next!

DAY 2

The next day, the venue was still on the SMX Convention Center. We’re greeted by the new set of warmth people to assist us on our registration for the 2^nd day by scanning our QR code.

The morning was filled by new original compositions sang by no other than the youth! The young people in the house were amazing! They’re in sync and their voices blended with harmony. They are far better than yesterday.

After the worship songs played, the youth shared experiences of their past and how they ended up serving the Lord. It’s amazing how the youth of today can be more open with their sharing and how they can impact other youth as well. I applaud them for that!

The breakout classes are resumed after the sharing of the youth.

My first class that I attended was about Healing the Whole Being by Dr. Didoy Lubaton. I can never forget what he taught us back then. He said, “Stress is the number one disease in the entire world.” He even shared to us how to treat the root cause not the symptoms by using the WHY formula. He even ended the class with the words, “Do not worry about tomorrow.” That is so true! Because tomorrow will worry for itself.

The second class in the afternoon sessions was on the Spiritual Freedom on Addictions by Fr. Bob McConagahy. He said that addictions are distractions from our misery and interpersonal relationships. There are even excuses we made to not let people know of our addictions. Addictions are treated as emotions over intellect. Sometimes we need to accept the fact that we needed help on this one.

The last class of the day was on What the Single Person needs to Move Forward by Pastor Dennis Sy. It was a fun talk. The big message of this talk is finding purpose as a single. It doesn’t mean to change status of relationship and to find a partner. That’s a bonus. But what’s most important of all is to find my purpose here on earth. Should I be for celibacy, marriage or single blessedness? That’s the purpose I need to find out.

The day ended with more worship songs originally composed by the servants in the conference. And still the youth sang those songs masterfully.

Then, Daddy O talked about Move Forward. He said, “Life is a struggle. Struggle is life. Yet move forward.” In everything we wanted to do, when we add the word “YET,” it means that there something we can expect from it and it will come eventually. I got teary-eyed as Daddy O continued to share about this talk. It’s a touching talk for me.

Then Bo Sanchez awarded the youth for the contests winners on Bible Quiz and on Camp Calye designs. What’s more amazing is that the 15 year old Bible Quiz winner was awarded a Holy Land trip next year! How cool was that? it was jaw-dropping and shocking at the same time!

The 2^nd day was grace-filled as well. Me and my friends discussed on how we can apply everything when we go back home. It was a fun day because the youth are leading the worship and they even shared their past experiences as well. That amazes me.

I’m looking forward for the next day on what’s in store for me.

DAY 3

This will be the last day of having breakout classes. I’m gonna miss the talks.

The venue is still on SMX Convention Center where we are greeted with a new batch of warmth people who assisted us on our registration for the 3^rd day. They’ve scanned the QR code and we’re good to go.

But this day is special. Today is the Youth Conference. It’s a whole day event especially for the youth. I don’t know what to expect from their conference even though I wasn’t included in that conference.

The day began with more worship songs originally composed by the servants in the conference. The worship was led by George Gabriel. It was so powerful and amazing. Singers are almost in sync in harmony.

After the worship, Bo Sanchez shared that,” We’re pregnant with a mission. ” He even shared about how we can start our mission by a simple Feast video. The Feast video is just a video presentation with 10 – 12 members of the household watching a certain topic and share experiences based from the video.

What struck me most and got me teary-eyed is when a maid and a person with cerebral palsy shared their experiences on starting the Feast Video. On that point, I cried tears of joy for them because I never thought that someone like them can start it. I wanna do it as well because they touched me deeply.

Afterwards, on to the first class of the day. It was about standing in the gap by Anthony Pangilinan. It was an interactive talk. We even got chances to choose choices from the screen using the audience response gadget. That’s a first for me.

And also, I got to meet someone who seated just next right to me. A half-breed, half-Filipino and half-foreign (no idea where she’s from exactly) but surely, she’s pretty. On the instance, I blushed and got stiffed without even asking her name or number. I got totally shy on that moment. Anyways, the talk was all about making solutions between gaps. It’s all about engagement. Embracing the chaotic world, anger management, competency, an eye on details, anticipates the wrong, getting real and exposing others to stand in the gap. That was a blast of wisdom from the speaker. I learned a lot, really.

The second class in the afternoon session was about rediscovering God’s gift by Dra. Susan Balingit. It her talk, she shared the benefits of nature to our health. How nature can help us grow naturally without the needs of complicated medicines and other stuff.

The last class of the day was the most amazing of all classes I’ve been through. It’s all about the 4 personality types by Jayson Lo. There I learned about the Dominant Eagle, Influential Rooster, Steady Carabao and Corrective Tarsier. I never thought that I myself am a Steady Carabao. Not in a hurry, lazy and takes time to decide. Well, that’s me for sure. And also, that was the time, I bought a book for the whole duration of the conference. I learned a lot from this talk.

We closed the day with more songs of worship. It’s amazing that I got drowned in the songs they’re singing and I loved it!

We even got a chance to hear from Tintin and Julius Babao on their experiences as a family. It’s really amazing. That was the first time I saw a news anchor in person.

At the same time, we got free books! Courtesy of Bo Sanchez! He gave us his new book entitled, “How Good People like you can become Rich.” I can’t wait to read it!

At the end of the day, we got pictures from the speakers and other guests.

By the way, during the classes, the whole floor was in earthquake mode. It’s because of the youth conference! It was so amazing how they praise and glorify God in their worship and we were shocked on the impact they gave us.

That ended the conference proper for 3 straight days. It was amazing and fun-filled. And I even got to meet her. I just hope we can see each other again (fingers crossed!) it was a blast!

I can’t wait on the very last day of the conference! Looking so forward to it!

DAY 4, Final Day

This marks the finale of the conference I attended.

The venue was held in MOA Arena. It’s also my first time to be in this place. A lot of firsts for me!

 Then we entered the arena starting with a long pile of lining going inside. It’s like I’m auditioning for PBB! (I did audition for it several times now.)

When we got inside, we got a spectacular spot in the Lower Box section. We can see people below and above us. What an amazing place to be!

The program started with a mass concelebrated by Fr. Dave Concepcion. Even his homily was touching and wonderful that I can apply those I’ve learned from it. The communion was also organized.

After the mass, a production number from the K5 was performed. It was so amusing to watch them crack jokes and having fun singing a song.

Then, Bo Sanchez shared about the theme of the conference, Forward. The big message of his talk was “You are different now.” No matter how long we get to go back and forth and back and forth, we managed to become different along the way.

After the talk was some sharing from people who were saved by their continuous perseverance and always moving forward.

The closing worship, or shall I say the closing concert, was jam-packed. Glowing lights brightened the whole arena while singing worship songs. It was an amazing sight to behold. The atmosphere was grace-filled and was covered with drowning love while singing the songs of worship.

That was the best worship concert I attended so far.

That 4-day conference was worth it. It was a blessing and a healing for me at the same time.

I was even looking forward for it next year! Til the next conference!  

A Solo Backpacker Experience

Just this month, I had my first ever international flights as a solo backpacker.

Yes.

Mind you it would be great to have company when going to another country. It would be fun and exciting especially there’s someone to talk and share experiences to.

But being alone in venturing and exploring new countries is much more fun and exciting than being a pair.

Why? I‘ll share you my story.

On the first half of this year, I got an amazing reward.

It’s a gift certificate of 3 days and 2 nights stay in a hotel on any places listed, either international or domestic.  By the way, this gift certificate is good for two and I took the liberty to be alone in this trip instead. (You will know why.)

And they are free of charge! What a reward!

My first glance was not on the domestic routes but on the international ones instead. So I took the Malaysian route, Kuala Lumpur.

I planned my trips ahead and even made a quick stop in Singapore for a day before going to Kuala Lumpur. Then I made a detour in Manila to attend a four-day conference.

As I planned my plane tickets, pocket money and all, I made sure that everything’s well prepared and nothing is forgotten.

My Singaporean Experience

Since this is my first time to go out of the country, I was so nervous when I checked in for the international flight going first to Singapore. And to top it all, I was alone. So my nervousness heightens. But that doesn’t stop me to explore a whole new horizon even if I’m a solo backpacker.

When I arrived in Singapore early morning, there are NO phone signals. So I got a bit worried since I don’t know how to communicate with Chuck, a community friend, who will be my tour guide/guardian for the day.

After passing through the Immigration, Chuck is already outside waiting for me.

Thank goodness! What a relief!

If it wasn’t for him, I dunno if I can tour the country all by myself and it would be much MORE expensive than what I have planned for the trip.

When we went to Chuck’s home, we got to ride an Uber car. It was my first time to ride it and the driver seat is on the right side. How cool is that?

And so, we toured around places after settling my things. Bought some chocolates and key chains with promo rates as souvenirs.  We ate different cuisines, toured around Marina Bay areas and even walked around the underground tunnels to explore other places. We even went to Suntec City to attend a prayer gathering and met new people there. It was fun!

What’s more amazing is that there Wi-Fi connection is so fast that I can download or stream movies in minutes unlike in the Philippines. There are NO squatter areas and NO traffic! The places are clean and orderly. The people are much disciplined as well.

My expenses for the Singaporean day trip were much lesser than the budget I have prepared for! If I had a travel buddy joining me in this trip, chances are expenses would be bigger than planned. So it’s just right to have taken this trip solo and probably the two of us wouldn’t be accommodated in Chuck’s house since it’s a bit small.

On my whole day trip, I was so eager to ride a double-decker bus. I was so looking forward to it that all the buses we’ve taken are just the normal ones. By the way, buses and trains use cards as tickets for the rides. Meaning, fares are cashless. Even for Grab and Uber as well.

Before going to the bus terminal which I will be taking my Malaysian trip there, I was so excited when I got to have a chance to ride a double-decker bus before leaving Singapore! It was a dream come true!

My Malaysian Experience

After a 5-6 hour bus ride from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, I finally arrived in Malaysia! The second country I have visited for the very first time.

I arrived in the bus terminal very early in the morning, so I took a cab going to the hotel for my free 3-day and 2-night stay. And note there are still NO phone signals so the only thing I can rely on is the Wi-Fi connections.

As I have arrived in the hotel, it was SO early and I have to wait for 6 straight hours before I can check in at my room.

So what I did is that I walked around the outskirts of the KL Sentral area, which is just near the hotel so that I wouldn’t get lost. As I looked around, the places are more likely the same in the Philippines. There are beggars lying around the streets, some establishments are old and wretched and there are lots of construction sites around specifically near the river going to Chinatown or Central Market.

My plan was to roam around Chinatown or the Central Market when the goods are affordable and where I can buy a nice pair of shoes.

When I looked at the map and walked around, I got lost. I went to places that are not even close to the destinations I will be heading to. And so, I went back to the hotel and waited there for the remainder of the time.

Being lost at that time made me realized that I got to discover new places and explore around them. 

That’s why it’s a good reason to get lost sometimes.

When I finally checked in at my room, I settled everything, took a bath (I haven’t gotten a bath after arriving at the hotel) and relaxed on the bed watching TV.

My brother-in-law toured me around Chinatown and Central Market after his work. We ate Chinese and Arab cuisines. We even bought souvenirs including a pair of shoes, perfume and watch. We even bought chocolates in Central Market which are affordable as well. Even my brother-in-law bought a pair of shoes and shirts that night which he wasn’t planning to buy at all.

On the whole morning till afternoon of the next day, I just stayed in the hotel watched movies and TV series using their fast Wi-Fi connection.

The room that I stayed in was more organized and clean than the other hotels I have stayed in the Philippines. Even the compliments and towels are replaced on the next day and all are arranged accordingly. The room is cozy and relaxed that I stayed there for the whole morning till afternoon.

After my brother-in-law’s work is done, he toured me again. But this time, we went to the Petronas Towers, the so-called Twin Towers of Malaysia. We got to ride different trains to our destinations. The trains there are more spacious and chilly than the MRTs and LRTs of Manila.

When we went got to the Pertronas Towers to have pictures taken, we also got an amazing opportunity to watch the dancing fountain LIVE!

It was so cool and amazing! It was like watching a theatrical musical in water.

On my last day in Malaysia, I readied myself to go to the airport bound for Singapore and have a connecting flight bound to Manila.

My expenses for my Malaysian trip were once again much lesser than the budget I have prepared for! If I had a travel buddy with me, chances are we won’t be lost and won’t be able to discover new places. Expenses would be high on food, souvenirs and tours. And I won’t be having a ME time in the hotel if I had a travel buddy with me.

My realizations of being a solo backpacker

When I have arrived in Changi airport for my connecting flight bound to Manila, I have realized some things.

It’s thrifty when I go solo even on international trips. All the tours I had are all unplanned and even though I haven’t explored all the tourist attractions in the country, I got to have my ME time and chill.

I even got time to meet new friends and get lost to discover new places. I even saved money from my trips abroad. I got to enjoy the places I have visited on my own and had a time to discern and reflect on my next plans. These are just some perks of being a solo backpacker.

Prior to my international trips, I been to places on my own and it’s amazing to be just myself and enjoy.

Sometimes, we need to be on our own to reflect, discern and meditate on the things we need to do when we get back home. Sometimes, being alone in a foreign country can give us a boost of confidence and explore new heights without anyone judging or making comparisons.

So take a time off and go to places on your own. You’ll discover more things than having a companion.