Today's Music: When I See You Smile

Smile is the best accessory one could wear. It has a positive effect on the one giving it and the one who sees it. Research shows that smiling takes fewer muscles than frowning. Thus, one will look younger than the other who frowns. The effect for someone who sees someone smiling is it brightens up one day. Smiles are infectious.

We have seen numerous smiles. We could separate the real from the fake. Personally, there is a certain kind of smile that so powerful, true, and contagious. It could make one believe again in learning, living, and loving life. We will not pass our lifetime without witnessing that kind of smile. I think I have found that smile and the owner of it. I did not see in the most traditional way but I have been moved and inspired the first time I saw it. Surely, I will enjoy seeing that smile as long as I can. I hope the owner of that smile will never run out of reasons to smile even if the reasons do not include me.

Road to 27

I have this odd habit that whenever I am close to celebrate my birthday I get emotional. This attitude could be just hormonal imbalance but nonetheless, I let myself feel all the frustrations, disappointments, and all sentiments my heart is holding on. My close friends know this very much because they have listened and witnessed all predicaments I had during that point in my life. I usually vent those out by sharing a glass or even a bottle of liquor. But this year I am feeling a lot different. I still have those predicaments towards life. For me, they will never go away but thru the years I know how to handle them. I learn to accept that there are endeavors you may lose but there are some you win victoriously. I had failed dreams but failing did not stop to create and chase other dreams. I hate to admit this but this is called maturity. I am able to accept the realities of life.

As I came across this blogpost http://forevertwentysomethings.com/, I immediately agreed after reading this post. As she narrated her life, I can relate to the phases she went through. I also experienced the liberating life after college, the booze stage, and the quarter-life crisis. After I turned 25, I started to really consider my game plan on life. I started to put more importance on savings and investing. I opened separate savings account aside from my payroll, trusted some of my income in a mutual fund, engaged in the stock market applying peso cost averaging, and getting life insurance. Sometimes, I also think of where to settle or live eventually. Buying a house also have crossed my mind but I need to save and very financially disciplined if I will finally decide on this. 

Getting drunk on weekends has not been present on my to-do list. I miss the feeling of being in a crowd and having good fun but I can live doing it once in a very long while. My idea of relaxation would be visiting my parents back home, spending some nice conversations with friends, staying home alone reading,  planning where to travel, or learning new things.  At present, I am learning to speak Spanish. I hope to learn the basics of that language.

As I am nearing to celebrate my birthday next month, I consider myself to be an adult now. I am open to pop culture. I can still sing Dessert by Dawin which is my LSS as of the moment. Being kilig with love-teams still tickles me. I still know how to have fun because I have always been a fun person. I accept change because I am changing, evolving and maturing. Maybe I could say I have left the youth behind me. Life really comes in stages. Everything has its own time. Time has been my friend. Truly, I am over the quarter life crisis. #RoadTo27