Are you a lifelong learner or someone who works better with structure? I have always believed in lifelong learning. It was not meant to be used as an excuse to perform poorly but rather to remind myself to be grateful for being alive at each moment in time. On top of that, it was also a principle I created that there is something to learn from every encounter and situation no matter how small.

It has been four months since my last entry. I have been doing what I needed for my mental health and this meant learning to truly relax after I made a shift in my job allowing me to do so. The last few years has been full of nonstop changes and grinding without the pandemic added. I learned a lot from my previous job responsibilities but the flip side of it was that I was overworked and underpaid compared to the team and dealt with my portion of office politics.

Last month, what everyone worldwide has been taking precautions against, affected my family and me—we caught COVID-19. When the pandemic hit early last year, we all started wearing masks and only went out for essential errands. Those with job functions permitting started working from home. As much as we made ourselves more aware of our surroundings to ensure that we were doing everything we could to keep us and others safe, there comes a point where it escalates easily because of one person.

At a young age, I was the type of kid who sought adventures regardless of accompaniment. A quest could mean climbing up a small hill in the backyard imagining I was on Mt. Everest or wearing traditional Chinese hairpins pretending I was a princess during the Tang dynasty.

I was on a two month trip abroad from October to December of 2016 which made it my first time going on a solo trip as well as my first time traveling out of the United States.

I designed my website over a year ago after taking a web design elective course a semester prior to its launch. Everyone was surprised and questioned whether or not I actually coded my website from scratch because I didn’t study computer science in college as well as reasons combined with other opinions they have of me--

We are expected to play this game in our lives where we need to protect our reputation because that will bring us entitlement (For what? For people to like us? Power?). As the years pass by and we become more modern, we see more expression being done, but at the same time, we “can’t do too much of it”.

Based on Merriam-Webster, ‘Hypocrisy’ is defined as “the behavior of people who do things that they tell other people not to do; behavior that does not agree with what someone claims to believe or feel”. Google defines it as, “the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's own behavior does not conform”.

Halloween is coming up so you’re probably wondering what you want to be for a party, trick-or-treating, or just because. When I was 7 years old, I remember dressing up as a little girl devil every Halloween because it was my favorite costume to wear. I don’t remember the reason why, but I eventually grew out of it when I turned 11 years old. Since then, I didn’t really go trick-or-treating until I met my boyfriend high school. Now I just stay home and dress up with my dog to give out candy to the kids in my neighborhood.

DISCLAIMER: I am not a doctor, health specialist, dietician, or anything of the sort. I am sharing what I learned from my own health and fitness journey and what works for me. Make sure to always check with your doctor and to always listen to your own body for your needs, and, of course, research from reliable sources, and talk to people you know who are experienced in this area.

This is something I have wanted to share with everyone to serve as an inspiration. I tried to wait for the right time because I might not be convincing since I haven’t gotten the “results” yet, but what people don’t realize is that the most important part of getting fit (or in anything you do) is the journey. The persistence. The hard work. How much fucking hard work it takes to maintain your mentality and ignore all the negativity surrounding you.