Twenty and then Some

Finally, a birthday blog! It has been my lifetime wish to publish a birthday blog with some badass photos to show. And voila, here it is!

This birthday special post is intended to list down twenty four life lessons I have learned the past years. When you are in your mid-twenties, life is starting to become more exciting. Well, at least for me. I took a leap of faith in a world unknown. I never felt this free since the declaration of the 1987 Constitution ( ahem, see the smart joke inserted there ;)).

Hence, let the countdown to twenty four things learn at 24 begins.

Personal Care
1. I do not consider myself vain but I believe in smelling good. As years go by, I have developed a certain obsession to perfumes and good smelling bath and body essentials. You should too. It makes you feel good, look better and just become more optimistic to life ;)

2. Make up does not have to be fancy. A good primer, moisturizer and some BB Cream can go a long way. And if you are feeling extra, choose a good contour and highlight stick plus bronzer to give you that extra glow. Don't forget the beauty mist to lock in all the products!

3. Invest in a quality facial care spa. It is all you need for the rest of your life.

4. Invest in an IPL laser treatment on your underarms. Saves you all the trouble from waxing :)

Fashion and Style
1. Dressing up is part and parcel of your being. It has been a decade long of debate of why we should dress up. It has nothing with how much money you got in your wallet. It has something to do with etiquette and class.

2. Don't overdress nor under dress. Dress appropriately. Two thoughts people often misunderstand. At some point in your twenties, you need to know the difference.

3.Find your style. The trends change over the course of a year, but style lasts forever. That is me quoting Yves Saintaurent. But yes, it makes a lot of sense. You can be hoarding all kinds of off shoulder tops and dresses because thats the trend, but what happens if tomorrow it isn't what is in the trend anymore?

Know your style. What clothes are comfortable for you and the size the flatters you best. There is no need to buy designer dresses. You have to wear your dress and make them fit you. At the end of the day, nobody notices if its a Dior dress or a bargain dress from H&M as long as it suits you. *shoulder shrug emoji*

4. Your shoes should always be on point. Stick to solid neutral colors for everyday wear. And leave a room for a fancy scene stealer pair just in case you need to look bad ass :)

5. Invest in good bags every once in a while. Although department store brands are good for everyday use, make sure you keep something in your closet for special occassions. And if you got more than enough, buy yourself some good Michael Korrs or Philipp Lim.

Friends and Acquaintances

1ure, we are social beings, but choose your circle well. Some people are not there to be your friend. Some just merely lurk around to see what they can tell other people.

Make connections but do not do it just because you have ulterior motives. Make these connections so you will grow. When you hear stories from people who made it or those who are currently at the peak of the career, you will be inspired yourself to keep pushing for what you want. Trust me it works :)

And lastly, you need to accept that you will outgrow people. Remember the friends you call your BFFs at some point in high school and college, they will always be your friends but perhaps not in the same level as it was before. Your life has changed as well as theirs, you just have to know that you will deal with things alone in most part of your life.

Life and Career
1. Focus on yourself. I admit I am guilty of comparing myself to people on Instagram or to those in Facebook who seem to be living the life. I sometimes blur out the line of a perfectly captured photograph to the of the behind the scenes.

And if you are like me, here is my quick tip for you: Leave social media. As you might have noticed, I have become more and more invisible in my social media accounts as I have been working hard on myself and for myself. I want to be more than just that 200++ likes on Facebook, I want to be a real life influencer who inspire others to become better.

2. Your life is what you make it. My post graduate decision to pursue law was something that I partially want. It was my mom's prodding that really made me do it and when it did not went well, I blamed her for it. Now, as I look back to those times, I realize that I should own up to that failure.

Perhaps I was being directed to another place that is why I had to suffer such frustrations post law school. Now I am doing my own thing and I will be a lawyer in no time. Just give me time to mature first and fix my life. I need that.

3. Love what you do. Need I say more?

Love and Dating
I have been compared to the Great Wall of China for being so elusive about my lovelife. I have millions of crushes but all these guys are limited to Youtube and celebrity crushes. We can insert real life guys who are unreachable because of their social status or their circle of friends. And this has led me to believe that I have to do away from these people because there are little similarities. Well, they look good but I know once we get to converse, the topics of interest can really become different.

I have allowed myself to try dating couple of guys that I quite like. But it turns out, it is worse than I thought. Yes there was a spark, yes there was something that is very promising but the journey to discovering such deeper feelings have been very taxing for an emotionally vulnerable human being like me.

And yes it is a great feeling to feel some emotions but the pressure is also there. It kills you to not know if the other feels the same and the fact that there is no assurance that your feelings could be reciprocated. When they tell you not to expect too much... it is always easier said than done. When actions become too showy and when signals have become too clear, you cannot help but expect alot. Only to realize, they just have played the part too well.

And now, on my 24th year, I pray for emotional maturity and discernment to choose the right person for me. This time it is not about the looks or how society could see you.. it is more about how true the feelings are and how much that person would respect you and your principles.

PS- I thought I would reach 24 learnings but I think I have not learned that much. eheh Peace!