34 years and counting

Hopefully, many many more 34 years to go.
I spent the birthday quietly, at home, in front of my laptop. Slaving away to meet a deadline. Not a bad thing at all, not as bad as some people with fixed jobs would probably think. Having work on my birthdays has always been something to thank God for. Earnig a living while celebrating life.

Sadly, though, the "earning" part has yet to come, when it comes to the stuff I'm working on now. Developmental, um, purgatory. Test of endurance and perseverance ito. Okay lang, Lord. I've slacked off quite enough. I understand.

So many things to thank the Lord for. My early thirties has been a landmark period. I became a wife, a mother, gained another family (my husband's), grew up in so many ways, more than I ever have at any period in my life.

In my early thirties, I discovered something really wonderful about myself. That I still had (have!) the capacity to be interested in new things, to LEARN new things, to become other things.

At 31, I discovered financial literacy.  I stumbled upon a book, and that became the start of a personal journey. I got interested in investing, saving besides the conservative way. Thinking of financial security, retirement, even health. I read up on mutual funds, insurance, special time deposits. And  after learning, I took action. I dove in as soon as I had understood what I needed to know, because (as they say) the best time to prepare for the future is now.

Thank you Lord. Because I know, stumbling upon that book was no accident. You had a hand in it. Thank you, for giving me that gift. Because ten years ago, I didn't even understand the concept of saving. At least, not the long-term, for-old-age kind.

At 32, I got interested in self-improvement. Kikay stuff, stuff that I had only read about, stuff that up until that time I'd thought only artistas could get their hands on. In a way I had fulfilled a longtime secret desire. (But, well, hindi ko pa naaachieve yon hanggang ngayon. Kaunti lang.) And because it was, well, costly, I turned my new interest into a business so that I could sustain my little "vice".

At 32, I learned about something new. Nearly everything about that something new, and it was the first time I had given a thought about my health. Because aside from the vanity part of it, it was also healthy. Yes, not natural, but healthy in many ways. Because of its antioxidant properties.

(So can you guess what that "thing" is now? Don't even count on me to mention it here. It's my little open secret! Haha)

But more than gaining that new knowledge, I had also delved into something beneficial. A business! It was small-scale, just reselling, really. But it's a little step towards my financial goals. Earning 300, 400, 500 per item that I resell has augmented my income somehow. And has enabled me to afford life's little luxuries without damaging my savings. Hanggang ngayon, kahit hindi na ako kasing-active as two years ago, buhay pa rin ang maliit kong business na ito. Thank you Lord!

Then at 33, I fell in love again. With baking! I bought myself a cheap convection oven, and from there a sizzling affair in my kitchen began.  Taking on baking has contributed a lot to my life, to my personhood. It's fulfilling in so many ways. It's creative. It's challenging. It's therapeutic. During my honeymoon days with baking (the first 3-4 months), it was all I ever wanted to do. The same way I had felt about writing, when I was just starting to fall in love with it twenty years ago. I just wanted to write and write, because there were no pressures, no expectations, no deadlines or duties to fulfill. I wrote for the joy of it.

At 33, somehow that joy had significantly diminished, because writing had become a job. Well, i'm not complaining really. We have our ups and downs. you don't have to enjoy your job all the time. That would be too ideal. Masyado ka namang swerte non.

Anyway, back to baking, in a span of 7 months I had tried maybe about two dozen recipes! Cakes, pastries, baked meat, roasted meat. My rule for choosing what to bake is simple--if I like eating it (or someone I love likes eating it), then I'll bake it. In a way, baking has brought out a new kind of creative person in me. It also brought out the conventional wife and mother in me. It brought out the giver in me, because it's such a joy baking for others, it makes me happy when other people eat the stuff I create. Baking is twice as pleasurable for me when I do it for friends and family, for people I love and care about.

And then, at the tailend of my 33rd year, another interest came up-- blogging. Okay, so I've been blogging since i was 24. But this time, I created a new blog for business purposes. With the intention of creating online content that would attract ads. I've read about bloggers who make tens of thousands of dollars MONTHLY on ad placements, and yes, that inspired me. Right now, one of my most inspired dreams is to be able to earn a nice sum of money (in dollars/euros!) monthly by blogging alone.

Tall order? Well, marami pang dapat aralin sa totooo lang. At competitive ang market ng bloggers. But the good thing about me right now is, well, I'm fired up! I'm determined! And when I'm determined, I do stuff. I move. I make things happen. If I want something, I really try my darn best to get it, do whatever it takes. Even if it means having to learn something totally new.

Note: Sorry for the immodesty! (since I just turned 34, pagbigyan na!)

Lots of things to learn about still. But another good thing about this new venture-- it combines two of my passions: writing, and cooking! Actually, well, three! Including Eating! And given that, I can write on and on for as long as I'm cooking and eating.

And just a month before I turned 34, another passion has emerged! The healthiest of all-- JUICING! This I don't know where it started. Honestly. I just realized one day that juicing was a good idea to get fruits and veggies into me without having to go through the ordeal of eating those greens. And yes, I wanted so badly to lose weight.

So this one is just beginning, and I'm really hoping that I could maintain this habit for life.

Naninibago ako sa sarili ko, just looking at the past three years. Kasi at 28 I had felt so passionless. I didn't care about anything, did have the urge to get into something new. Kung kailan naging 30 something ako, doon naman narenew ang aking hunger for knowledge and experience. Ganito ba talaga?

honestly, nagsisimula bawat interes sa pagiging gullible ko. Madali akong masway. At pag napaniwala na ako na maganda nga ang isang bagay, na it's going to be good for me, dun na nagsisimula ang interes ko. In fairness naman, wala namang naging ningas kugon sa mga personal endeavors ko since I had turned 30. I'm still into the same things. Nagmumutual funds pa rin ako, I still  bake, I still do that "kikay" thing (though not as often as before--magastos kasi!). I'm still a believer of all that, and looking to believe in more good things. Opening my mind and heart to more new healthy and happy passions for the next many years to come :-)

Passion is the keyword. I hadn't thought I still had that! Thank you for my early 30s Lord. I hope life gets even better from here on. I'll try to do my best to pay forward and give back for the rest of my life.

Cheers to being 34!