Showing posts with label thoughts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label thoughts. Show all posts

Cha as an FK Participant

Fredskorpset (FK) Norway is a Norwegian government agency under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. FK supports the exchanges between personnel of partner organizations in order to promote the mutual exchange of knowledge, experiences and skills.

For this exchange program, I am representing the Asian Women in Co-operative Development Forum (AWCF), a resource center and advocacy body on gender mainstreaming and co-operative development. It has members in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.

I will be posted for 10 months in the Credit Union League of Thailand (CULT) as an International Relations Officer. CULT is a secondary federation of credit unions with a membership of 490 primary credit unions, around 800 million individuals in over 77 provinces.

My learning tasks for this exchange program is to:

· Attend basic Thai language courses

· Attend orientations and exposure study to observe CULT program implementation, services and operationsLearn about the credit union movement in Thailand.

· Learn about gender mainstreaming in Primary Credit Unions and CULT

My sharing tasks on the other hand is to develop the International and Public Relations Staff by:

· Conducting English Writing Courses


· Creating a manual on the roles and importance of IR for CULT

· Assisting the IR/PR Staff in the implementation of IR activities and orienting international visitors

· Producing promotional materials

· Translating the company website into English.

After the program, I have to submit a terminal report about the exchange, and do debriefing and follow-up activities for AWCF.

As an FK Participant I am expected to embody and promote the FK values of Reciprocity, Diversity, Transparency, Solidarity, and Equality during my posting.

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The Awesomeness of an Unexpected Beauty

Anawangin, Zambales

The alarm turned on at 5 am... waking us up for an early trip to Capones Island. I was the one who woke up first and my first instinct was to unzip the tent and greet the morning sunshine...

But to my utter amazement, what i saw was the vast sky, proudly hanging like a chandelier lighted with thousands of stars...

"ANG GANDA!!!" (It's beautiful) i exclaimed and woke up Karl and Joanne. I can't stop saying ang ganda ang ganda over and over again while pointing to the sky....

The view was so amazing that I got up and went to sit on the nearby swing... with the cold morning breeze playing with my malong... i sat on the swing staring at the awesome wonder of the sky... not contented enough, i transferred to the hammock right beside our tent...

Lying there, the moon shines through the pine trees, stars lighted the sky... and even FIREFLIES danced around and appeared like floating gold dusts... with tears, I cuddled on the hammock and savoured that awesomeness until it was slowly engulfed by the brightness of the sun.

It was one of those moments that I'm thankful to be alive and see such awesome wonder... It was those moments that fuel me to explore more places and experience life abundantly.

I didn't attempt to take pictures of it and my descriptions is incomparable to its awesomeness...

It was a scenery that you must see and experience for yourself. :)

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The Warrior Between

The Warrior Between

By Gang Badoy


I am a warrior in my sleep. I gather people and lead armies to victory.
I protect women and children and calcify men with inspiration.
Awake, I worry about rent and the gears of my car.

I am a warrior in my sleep. I speak against corruption and stand fiercely steady upwind.
I feed the hungry and balm the hurting.
Awake, I fuss over cell phones and petty cash vouchers that need to be signed.

I am a warrior in my sleep. I draw my sword against those in power and make them do what is right. I calm the anxious and revive my people’s hopes.
Awake, I fret over fashion and what unimportant others perceive me to be.

I am a warrior in my sleep. I fight for this country and embrace it with my blood.
I breathe the air of my ocean and build my roots on its shores.
Awake, I line up for a foreign visa and envy the lucky who have left.

Asleep, I am truthful.
Awake, I deceive.

Now I stand at the split between.


Awake.

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Greatness

To achieve greatness
start where you are,
use what you have,
do what you can...

~~Arthur Ashe, Tennis Champion
(July 5, 1943 – February 6, 1993)

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HEARING vs LISTENING

To hear is to be able to perceive sounds.
To listen, on the other hand, is to hear with a PURPOSE.

Hearing is just physical. Listening enables you to understand that sound. Listening takes attention, to actively listen means that you encourages communication.

I love talking… BUT I love conversations more. Conversations with friends, families build relationships. It enables me to share my thoughts as well as listen to theirs. Conversations fuel relationships. Hence, we have all sorts of communication mediums. We spent a great deal conversing with people. It is in our life-blood.

The sad fact though is that sometimes other people forget to listen, actively listen. They are sooo engrossed with their own ideas and what’s happening in their life that they go on talking and talking and talking… Sure they listen” but even if the other person is not yet finish with what he is saying, they already have an idea in mind and blabber about it.

The sad fact is, it can be really tiring when you’re on the receiving end… It sucks out the life in you that you would rather choose to HEAR than to LISTEN. And that you would rather choose to shut up so that the conversation won’t turn into a debate. In debates, there are winners and losers. But in reality, there’s no point in being the winner because you lose the person on the process. (I’m discussing debate on the context of relationships).

Conversations fuel relationships. So do know how to listen and share.

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Ray of Hope

When frustrations cave in due to disgusting situations... you feel like you're in a deep sh*t that you can't be free off...

When frustrations cave in due to unmet expectations... you want to shout till the end of the world, how you hate it...

When frustrations cave in due to horrible people... you want to knock the hell out of them...

BUT there will always be a ray of hope... hope that eventually things will be better... IS BETTER...

AND hopefully be reminded of that RAY of HOPE when frustrations start to cave in again...

Until then, enjoy this moment and be thankful for it.

I just did.
all smiles for the exciting challenges/opportunities to come... :D

kampai!!!

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Slamdunk Those Oreos

OREOS dipped in fresh chilled MILK is heavenly...

Those two are inseparable.

but nothing beats taking chances on dipping oreos in... COFFEE.

I took that chance and the mixture of sweetness and bitterness gave me a whole lot of new experiences.

I also tried it with COKE, ICED TEA and just plain WATER.

Ain't that thrilling? The fact that you don't always have to do the same things over and over again even though you don't get the same results?

Though possibilities are endless, it's also good to know when you have that perfect combination that you can always go back to.

OREOS dipped in fresh chilled MILK is heavenly...

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A Love that Transcends

* below is an excerpt from my friend's blog. I cried a lot while reading this and I want to share to you a story of love. To follow Katrina and Sam's unconventional love story click HERE.

Today, I mourn the death of my first love. He said, I was God sent to him to make it easier for him to fight his battle and to surrender unto His will. We could have built a family together. He left me here on Earth, wondering what to do next. But I remembered, he promised to wait for me. Like Abu said, life is too short no matter how long we live; we’ll see each other soon. Love is not measured how frequent you see each other in person, not by how many kisses and hugs you exchange, not how compatible you are in bed but how you inspire each other to become a better person. Love is despite and in spite of all things. Love is what remains when you have exhausted all the excuses/ reasons not to be together and still choose to be in that same position that you are with him/her.

Too many promises, sweet words and declaration of love were exchanged. I told him to write a book about his life to inspire people. He told me that to inspire people; you have to start one at a time. It is not an overnight agenda. He indeed started with me. And I am sharing you this because I wanted to inspire the next person who will find his story moving.

IN MEMORY OF MY SAM MCDEER (1980-2009).
WHO WAS A PRODIGAL SON, WHO CAME BACK HOME TO HIS FATHER’S EMBRACE.

Much Love,
Katrina Ann

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Making My Move

I am taking a risk… indeed, when it comes to this, there are no guarantees… Who knows this is the “defining moment” that I have been waiting for… OR this could not be it… Either way, I am still taking that opportunity wherein I am growing, learning, making huge decisions for my life. I know it’s gonna be a challenging one… and with the way things are going, I am up for challenges…

There are no guarantees in life… a wise man told me that… But I hold on to one guarantee… that however things will work out, My Creator was/is/will always be beside me.

AJAH CHA! AJAH!

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Weird in a Crazy Beautiful Way

There’s a certain weirdness on how things work…

You know the person but you can only “SEE” him once you started a conversation followed by another and another… building up into moments etched in you.

In reality, he can be just like the others whom you know… He can just be filed in your memory bank as a person who crossed your life…

BUT those conversations [moments] made him not just one of the many stored memories you have… He is and will always be a part of your life…

There’s a certain weirdness on how things work… BUT weird can be a good thing… in a crazy beautiful way…

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Random Thoughts @ 23

My random thoughts... but still, I got a lot of unspoken and unwritten things in my head that can't form into words yet.

* Regret[s] is a waste of time and energy.

* Don't take God at face-value... Seek, question, challenge, do anything, just be sure that you process it within you and not rely on what others tell you about Him. -- which resulted on my faith in Him.

* Don't be afraid to go out of your hole. There's a big playground called EARTH for you.

* You don't have to put up with people who just "takes"... zapping all of your energy.

* Life is NOT a box of chocolates, sometimes, there are Skittles, too... and even Nerds.

* Hindi porket pinagpapawisan ang kamay, eh kinakabahan na... minsan pasma lang yan... [or pwede ring kinakabahan lang talaga].

* Don't settle for anything less than what you can really have.

* Innovate. Strive for new things, whether on skills, learning, talents... just go beyond what you are now.

* Family will ALWAYS be FAMILY... even if they [sometimes] pisses you off.

* Hindi ka pa lubos na nagmahal kung di ka pa naging tanga... but there are limits... pag di mo binigyan ng limitasyon, malala na yan at wala ng patutunguhan.

* Thus, respect and love yourself.

* Nothing beats conversations with friends.

* Live a life that resonates even after death.

* You are entitled to your own foolishness.

* Time is ticking, life is moving, live it like a child playing in the rain.

* Solitude can also be a good thing. Never be afraid of silence, of being alone. Sometimes, that's the only way you can truly listen.



*Michael Jordan is one of my idols and I'm glad i'm wearing his number...

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A Very Curious Case

Warning: May contain spoilers.

I just watched "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" with Kuya Chito. We both enjoyed the film.Two-thumbs up . I didn't even feel that the film was almost three hours in length (I'm glad that it was that long because there's just so much to take in).

For me, it is more than just a movie worthy of accolades... it held a special memory of mine...

I had a dream before that has the same premise like that of the film... the difference though is that I'm the one who is getting younger...

*back page of my journal entry, dated September 10, 2004. Do forgive my scrawny drawing and the "cheesiness" of my writing because I wrote it when I was just 18 years old My regret though was that my journal entry wasn't as detailed as it should have been.

Excerpts from my journal entry:

"I dreamt of meeting "The One", as in the guy meant for me... Ours was a perfect love story that no one can destroy, ours was just pure love. We had a fun time together: just laughing, hanging around, doing goofy things..."

"Eventually we got married. Ours was a marriage made in heaven. The twist of the dream was [that] when I reached a certain age, I will get younger. [My partner will just go through the normal ageing process]."

I often wondered how my dream would end... how our love story would end. For more than four years, I never dreamt of it again or anything related to it. That was why I was sooo excited when I saw the trailer of the film because it was like that of my dream (having Brad Pitt play the role of Benjamin Button is a huge plus )

The film gave me one of the possible endings of my dream.

It also made me realize that in the end, all I ever wanted was for someone who will look at me and will be able to remember the life and love we've shared before he closes his eyes...

Note: I also wrote in my journal that if ever I have lots of money, I'll make our love story into a movie because I'm sure it will be a blockbuster. Now, my wish came true because it is now made into a film with very high ratings except that I still don't have lots of money hahaha

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Mr. Moon Is Smiling

Guys!!! Look at the sky, Mr. Moon is smiling with his twinkling starry eyes cute!

--> That was my message to everyone last night. I was on my way home to Karl's place in Proj. 7 when a lady was telling me "tingin ka sa langit! ang ganda oh. nakasmile ung buwan". I was hesistant at first because she might hypnotized me and get my valuables BUT the stubborn me looked up anyway.

And i was like... "waaaaaaaaaw!!! -with my huuuge smile". I took out the cam but sad to say it wasn't able to capture its beauty. Just goes to say that somethings are meant to be seen by your own eyes.

I lingered for a while then continued walking home while looking at the sky from time to time. I passed by the lady who told me about it and saw her telling everyone to look at the sky. It also shows that somethings are meant to be shared.

The funny thing was, my friends had different reactions towards it. Some thought that something was wrong with me, others thought I'm in love -- haha loko kayo ah. I told them I'm serious and just look at the sky.

SAD for the others because their part of the sky was cloudy. -- areas in Davao, CDO, QC, Las Piñas and Solano. -- ang nasabi ko nalang: "Ay! Sayang. Ganda pa naman".

Others gave me info, like Jam and Davie: the two stars that formed the moon's eyes are Jupiter and Venus.

Heggy might just have the best experience since she lives in Batanes. I told her na dapat kasama niya si "boyfriend" punta sila sa burol ng Batanes, humiga at tingin sa langit. I had a laugh when I read her reply: "Aynako.. Ganun nga ang balak... Andun na kami sa park kanina, kaya lang di nakisama ung motor, flat tire.. Bitin haha..."

Last night was a night of awe, wonder and savoring the beauty of creation for me... Hope you enjoyed Mr. Moon and his twinkling starry eyes, too.

*photo courtesy of: Mr. Ravi Dixit.He also made this entry to give smiles of hope to what is happening now in India.

--> it just shows how such beauty can unite people, paint smiles of hope in a world of chaos... Let us continue to pray for our fellow brothers and sisters in India, that no further harm will be upon them and also those who are in Thailand.

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What is in a Name?

Everything. Your name accompanies who you are or how people perceives you. A name gives you identity so do your character.
It is embarrasing if you happen to forget a person's name. I am sure all of us, at some point, pretended to know the name of someone. At the start of the conversation, we listened but at the back of our mind "ano ulit pangalan niya??? Kilala ko to eh. Saan nga ba kami ulit unang nagmeet?". And as the conversation progresses, we are hoping we can get hints and clues on the person's name or even constructed questions that will lead to his name.
Example: (During my college years)
Naglalakad ako sa Dorm Complex going to the Navs Tambayan:
Unidentified Friend: "Ui Cha!!! Kumusta ka na?" (beso-beso)
Cha: "Ei! Ayos lang. Kaw ba?" (mental blocked--- kilala ko to eh... Classmate ko sa Kas1. San nga ulit nagstart name niya???)
Unidentified Friend: "Ayos lang din. Thesis mode ako ngayon eh." blah blah blah...
Cha: "Ah, talaga?! Kaya mo yan. Ajah!" (still mental blocked--- kilala ko to eh... Classmate ko sa Kas1. Ano nga ulit nagstart name niya??? ggrrr Ano naaaaa.... alam ko na...)
Cha: "Ano ulit pangalan nung seatmate mo sa Kas1? Ung kakulitan din natin?"
Unidentified Friend: "Ah, si ********. Di ko na nakikita un eh."
Cha: "Ako din eh. Di ko na siya naging classmate ulit. Diba may tawag siya sayo???!!!"
Unidentified Friend: "Hahaha!!! Oo, lagi niya akong tinatawag na ********".
Cha: (yes! eureka! That's it!) "hahaha funny nga un!!!
Unidentified Friend: "Ui, sige cha, punta pa akong Lib. See you around!"
Cha: "Nice to see you *******. Godbless sa thesis. Ajah!"
-------
Another example is when a person knows you by someone else's name.

My boss is really bad in remembering names. Add to that the confusion between Cha and Jam. In fairness to him, he is not the only one. Our Director would sometimes call Jam "Jack" and me "Cham" (waaaw! pinaghalong Cha+Jam). Even my close friend Bettie would mixed our names. --- Ang layo naman ng Cha sa Jam aaaahhh!!!!
Our boss sent a Thank You email to those who were assigned at the Manila Hotel Event for the Hope Christian Alumni Homecoming.
I was not included in the list but Jam was (and she was not assigned to that event). To put a stop to this, here is my email to my boss:
Hi sir!
I would like to let you know that I am Cha and not Jam =)
and his reply:
ha ha ha :) (I) am hopeless
When I entered his office to get a fax, he asked me "You were the one who sent me the email?"
I answered, "Yes, Sir" then smiled.
He said: "Damn." and even punched his table.
The next day, I was surprised with what I received from my boss:
Hi..
Hope I got this right this time around...
Regards,
*******
the attachment:
*a picture of me during the event. hahaha forgive my look. Harassed na yan.
6am call time and we weren't able to eat anything till 3pm (and no time for sitting).

Cute ni sir, bumabawi.

For reference: This is ChaJam a.k.a Cham :)
*our Kopi Roti moments with Sheena and Bettie :)
Note:
They say that in order to remember a person's name, look into his eyes then repeat his name on your mind thrice. Hmmm...

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Usapang Chicken

Did your mom ever tell you that it was impolite to stare?!? Well my mom didn't so I would usually stare at people (not in a disrespectful manner though).

Since I was alone that night, merrily strolling in Glorietta/Greenbelt, I would usually glance (o sige na nga stare na talaga) at people's get up or attitude in general. I would say "Check" on my mind if I saw a nice ensemble that I would also love to wear. Sana lang I can have a marker and put a biiiig check talaga --promise waterbase naman siya (for sure gusto rin ito ni Sheena).

From my "checking" spree, I realized something...

Hot Chick vs Cool Chick (eto na ung usapang chicken)

I would rather be known as the cool chick --- No offense meant to hot chicks out there.

The chick who is one of the boys, cowboy (pinasosyal na kaladkarin -- hehe pwedeng kaladkarin kahit saan)... not mindful of strict diets (waaaaw all those mouth-watering food!) but should also watch out for her health -- hhmmm dapat di tumitigil sa physical activities (hehe sana di na ulit ako tamarin).

The chick who can be your big time friend through and through without malice.

The chick who loves adventures - doing things I thought I can't and things that really challenges my capacity.

The chick who wants to build up her strength but is also not afraid to show her vulnerability.

The chick who can pull off a printed top, pants and chucks -- waaaah I lost my white chucks. I need replacements.

The chick who doesn't live in some ridiculous boy fantasies but who lives in a tough world.

Well, I have my girly days too and I also love dressing up from time to time. But it still feels nice to go to work wearing slippers instead of heels.

P.S.
I love hot and spicy chickens though

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OSU (Karate Kid: Diary 1)

D
Did you watch the Karate Kid series?! If you haven't, you missed a great chunk of your childhood life (bwahahaha). As for me, I enjoyed watching almost all the martial arts films there is. I especially love watching Karate Kid when I was in grade school. I will never forget Mr. Miyagi's face (played by Mr. Pat Morita).
It seems fun to know all the moves and cool to watch someone do it. But as they say: no pain, no gain.
My muscles are all sore but I don't mind. I'm just glad that after all the hesitations and laziness of deciding , I finally enrolled at a Karate Class (it took me 4 months before I went to the Dojo)
There is no such thing as a beginner's phase (well of course they teach you the basics) because my first night of training was intense already. They haven't given me my training manual yet so I just followed what Sensei/Sempai did and even the words he spoke.
I had an overview of all the punching and kicking techniques. Karate requires a strong center so I did push ups & sit ups for the front and back (just glad they didn't punch my stomach while doing the sit ups since bago palang, as for the others, they got both). Sensei/Sempai also stepped on my stomach while I was lying down then kicked my sides afterwards. I never had a strong upper body (I so admit that) so I was shocked when we have to do hand stand with our body straight up (glad again my classmate hold my feet while I was turned upside down).
BTW, I had cute little classmates. There's this chubby little boy beside me whom Sensei/Sempai is fond of and I suppress a smile everytime he held the kid's kimono to help him finish the sit ups. Our class is composed of kids, young adults, yuppies and even parents (meron pang buong pamilya talaga hehe cute).
I am also learning Japanese since they usually use that for instructions and counting.
OSU!!! A word you always hear in a Japanese Dojo. Everytime you say the word OSU you have to cross your arms then drop it to your sides while bowing. At first, I can't clearly understand what it is but through observation I learned that OSU can be used in different things:
when you enter or leave the Dojo
when you greet the Sensei/Sempai and even your classmates
when you agree to Sensei/Sempai
when you have to do what Sensei/Sempai instructed
when you finished arranging your kimono after every set
when the training is over
it is also a form of respect (these are just my observations, so corrections are highly appreciated)
...to further understand it, I searched the net and found useful articles regarding OSU.
*White belt are for beginners. Our promotion is quarterly so I do hope I will be able to do all my trainings (and sana makayanan ko! ajah!) ... hehe gusto pang hingin ni Sheena ung future yellow belt ko nyahahaha

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STUCK

I hate being afloat... hovering through life. I just miss the passionate Cha. The Cha who is so certain with the things she loves to do, the Cha who knows what is it that she wants and go after it. The Cha who designs, sketches, climb, play, be the adventurous person she can be.

Now, Cha is worried. She can't even define things in her life. Fears are starting to build up, slowly suffocating her. She is just doing things for the sake of getting it done. Not excelling, just trying to finish it. Cha is trying to fight back, trying to give meanings with the things going on with her. She just misses the Cha who wrote passionately in her journal with words of praises, of emotions, of certainty.

She is clamoring for more.

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Fixated Inventors

Well, I've been getting Filipino Inventors to join one of the shows that I'm handling. And menh, ang hirap nilang kausapin. Most of them are old and quite makulit. But I patiently (?) call them for feedbacks.

I blurted to my boss: "Sir, ang hirap nilang kausapin eh!". Then he answered, "You know why? Because they are so fixated in creating something that is not originally there". A ratio of 1:100... Only 1 inventor succeeds from 100 struggling inventors. If they do become successful, malamang di ko na sila makakausap like Bill Gates. The Inventors that I'm contacting are the ones who are still in pursuit of discovering or even harnessing the things they've discovered. They don't have enough funding from the government (whew! what else to expect). That explains why even at a low cost, they still want to be sure what they're getting at.
I'm caught by the word fixated. And I imagined myself being fixated/obsessed/focused on something. If I'll be an inventor, I'll be fixated on:
1. Transport Zoooom: this is a personalized channel that connects you from your origin to desired point of destination. Hay, para hindi ko na maranasan ang traffic dito.
2. Windang Clothing Line: Clothes made from fabric that goes with the weather. In a day, we can experience extreme heat and coldness... So minsan di mo na alam isusuot mo. With these clothes, the fabric automatically makes you cold when it's hot, and warm when it's cold. :)
3. Wait... marami pa akong gustong inventions... but no time to type already... with this, Read Type Me: the computer automatically detects your train of thoughts and starts typing.
..................................
ay walang nagtytype... Sheeeesh.... I should really be a fixated inventor... ;)

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Kamote Fries and Everything Nice

tummy aching fun
we just have so much fun
despite our rants
despite our helluvah angst

shared dreams
shared problems
shared food
just pure fun

different personalities
different ideas
different BFFs (!?!)
difference with a twist

The MAE's are here
The MAE's in a craze

Chari-mae Picache, Jackie-mae Blanco, Bettie-mae Fea, Sheena-mae Hortaleza

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A Letter to the Future

As humans, we have the capacity to think ahead and think back.
As I write to the Future cha, I felt really nervous... I will be receiving my letter to my future self on Januray 29, 2016. Yup! That will be my 30th birthday. (waaw! how scary that seems to be from now). There are so many things I want to tell Cha at 30... Thus the incoherency of my letter... I jump from one idea to the other...
Well, I just hope that when I do receive it, I will be at a very good mood as I turn 30. Why did I choose that??? Because at the big three-O, people are at a crossroad. People mostly try hanging on to what was left of their youth (as they face a scary "old" life) and slowly accepting that they are now in a different ball game.
As humans, we have the capacity to think ahead and think back. ~I am sending a letter to the future cha... and by the time I received it, I will be looking back to the day I wrote it.
*If you want to try, just click http://futureme.org
Happy writing to your future self!!!

=(n_n)=

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