Don’t collect DVDs and movie tickets. Collect film reviews you wrote yourself, no matter how short and shallow.
Don’t collect books that will just gather dust in the shelves. Collect the ideas you developed after you read them.
Don’t collect the pictures you took or posed for while you hung out with friends. Collect anecdotes.
Don’t collect things. Collect memories. Yes, they are fickle, and they get distorted through time. But they weathered and shaped by your own ever-changing view of the world.

And I Wish for Freedom

If there is something I could wish for you and I to have, it would be freedom.

Freedom from grudges--to be able to sincerely smile at people who intentionally or inadvertently hurt you in the past.

Freedom from time constraints--to have the luxury of spending an entire day without needing to check the time.

Freedom from mobile phones and social networking sites--to be able to catch up with friends over coffee, beer or  both, and not just through short electronic messages.

Freedom from what-ifs--to be able to fully accept what the here and now can offer.

Freedom of speech--to be able to share thoughts and ideas without the fear of being judged, labeled or ostracized.

Freedom from prejudices--to be able to find out everything about a person before dismissing him or her.

And most of all, the freedom of love--to be able to love like how a little child would love.

Keep secrets because discretion is fun, not because you're ashamed of your secrets. You don't have to air out your dirty laundry in public, but you don't have to hide things because you are afraid that people will judge you. In any case, other people won't remember your secrets long enough anyway.

Letter to my Twenty-Three-Year-Old Self

When I was twenty-three, I wrote a letter to my eighteen-year-old self. I'm writing a letter to my twenty-three-year-old self now.


Dear Carla,


- Go to law school. NOW. Don't waste time. You've wasted three years already. You don't need to waste two more. You don't need to stay longer in a job you don't actually like.
- All the luho that you think you can't live without--you don't actually need them. You will do fine without them.
- Write and capture your memories. As much as you can. Because five years from now, all you will have is a vague recollection of everything.
- When L asks you if you love him, don't deny it, because it will be the first and only time he will ask. Say, "Yes!" or say, "Absolutely!" or say, "Forever!" even if you know it isn't true. But don't let that moment pass you by, because it will never happen again.
- Never forget that lots of people will come and go. There will be those who will change your life, and they might be gone just as quickly as they arrived, and don't hate them for that. Not all friendships and relationships are made to last forever. What is important is that they touched your life, inspired you, and allowed you to look at the world through their eyes.

Things to Remember

1. In every conversation, the most boring topic is always yourself.
2. Listen to every person's story. There's always something new to learn.
3. Jot down writing ideas. Then work on actually writing them.
4. Share. Be prodigal when it comes to giving time, compliments and love.
5. Let each person feel as if he or she is the most interesting person in the world. Sometimes, it's actually true.
6. Always be grateful.
7. Never be afraid of accepting gifts, most especially non-material ones.

The Best Years of My Life

The days are long and the nights are longer. These are the best years of my life, and ten to twenty years later, I know we will all still be friends. Some of us  may be richer, more distinguished or more successful than the others, but we would all look back at this point in our lives when we crammed and procrastinated together; when we got humiliated in front of class because we  said something miserably inane; when we chose to drink instead of study then we found ourselves collectively praying for a free cut the following day; when our most over-used statement was "Nauubusan na ako ng bala!"; when our greatest glory was passing a subject taught by a professor known to massively fail students; when we have two dozen inside jokes about crazy professors and even crazier classmates; when it felt like someday we would have the power to change the world.

These are the best years of my life, and ten to twenty years later, I know we will all still be friends.

Resolutions for 2012

- To be thankful for the gift of learning, and to not let the weight of formal education make me forget how privileged I am to have parents who fully support me in my pursuit of further studies.

- To be thankful for my job, because it allows me to work comfortably even if I am prioritizing my studies, inter alia.

-  To allot time and effort in helping others, in every way possible. And maybe, hopefully, someday, I can even volunteer on a regular basis.

- To just let it go whenever I feel that I am being unfairly judged. At the end of the day, no one really remembers anyone's opinion of you.

- To be generous with time spent with family and loved ones, and not count the hours and minutes.

- To be generous with expressing admiration and appreciation without fear of rejection. So what if the feeling is not mutual? We can never run out of compliments anyway.

- To be selfless, as much as humanly possible. Because living only for oneself is the quickest way to be unhappy.

- To do away with taking credit for giving, because “real generosity is doing something nice for someone who will never find out.” - Frank A. Clark

- To write down memories as much as possible, before they become vague and distorted with the passage of time.

- To always remember that everything in this earth is precious but at the same time insignificant.

- To sincerely forgive and forget not just everyone else's mistakes, but my own as well.

- And to have faith that people will also sincerely forgive and forget the mistakes I made.