In 2021, I wrote Que sera, sera on Twitter (now X). There are only a selected few who know what I went through in the last two years. I had a series of many highs then suddenly followed by even more lows. In 2023, I persevered and got to where I am right now.

To be honest, I still haven't gotten over many of my losses in the last couple of years. I am still sensitive about the topic and my real friends know to not open it up and ask me about it and I am very grateful for that. When 2023 entered, it all really started with a simple prayer: Please don't let me down this time.

By the start of 2023, I already know that I am moving to a different country. But that was also how I started my 2022, so when 2023 had the same beginning, I prayed really hard that it wouldn't be the same heartbreak over again. So when I talk to people who are helping me, I sound uninterested and unhappy. Maybe it was my way to prepare myself for whatever was coming. I just don't want to get my hopes up again and be heartbroken in the end.

FFW to today, I am now in the UK. Working in the healthcare industry, which I always wanted as a kid. As a child, I grew up wanting to be a doctor that's why I took up clinical psychology. Who knew fate had other plans for me. As I said in my year-ender post on Facebook: Started 2023 with a prayer, ending 2023 with the answer. God's answer this time was a yes.

So maybe, I will start 2024 with another prayer and let the Lord decide on what is best for me.

Happy new year, everyone! Cheers to new beginnings! 

It has been over seven days since I arrived in the UK and approximately a year ago when I first visited the country and decided that it would be good to consider a BIG move. And so, it happened.

It was a pretty bold move for me. After only 2 days in the UK, I already started going to work. At the same time, I am giving myself some space to process the changes both with work and the culture. I have been in a corporate setting for quite some time so I am still adjusting to more physical work. So far, I am learning a lot of things but I must admit that I get anxious from time to time. As someone who is particular to detail and is afraid of making mistakes, sometimes I am hesitant to take initiative. I really hope that in time, I will get over this feeling.

For now, I still spend my off days in bed. I just feel like I went straight to work too soon and I kind of get tired easily. I off-boarded from my last job on the 26th of June and my flight to the UK was scheduled immediately on the 4th of July. By the 7th, I already started training. That's how fast-paced my life has been since then.

Anyway, I can't wait to share more of my adventures in the next coming days. I would really try to do my best to document everything. It is nice to look back on my adventures through this blog after all.

Till next time, luvs!

XO,

Ria

We all wake up daily and promise to be better versions of ourselves. Often, we fail our own expectations and then become cruel to ourselves. I have been in that situation so many times that I lost count. Still, life has its own way of surprising us every day.

In a few weeks, I will be starting a new season in my life and I can't wait to share all the details with you. I just wanted to savor this triumph for a while, without anyone lurking in the background. I am at a point in my life where I just wanted to enjoy things quietly for a while before I share it with the world.

Please continue to pray with me as I work my way towards a new chapter of my life and when I'm ready, I will happily share all the details with you.

Xo,

Ria

Social Media has been feasting on celebrity break-ups left and right. As a swiftie, I also mourned the news about Joe Alwyn and my girl Taylor. But the break-up that strikes me the most is of Moira Dela Torre and Jason Hernandez.

I am not that big of a fan of Moira but I have listened to a couple of her songs. I was of those who reacted positively to their engagement announcement through a music video. I was one of those who shed happy tears in their wedding SDE. So when the news blew up that they were separating, I was taken by surprise. How come this happy Christian couple decided to separate ways? What exactly happened? 

I thought it was long over, that news was so 2022 when the ex-husband decided to post teasers of a random girl, adding fuel to a fire that has been so long over. People thought that he was soft-launching a new flame which turns out to be a teaser to a new song, a new song implying that he was still not over Moira. I was one of those who somehow didn't like how it seems like he is commercializing the break-up but then I realized, Moira wrote songs too about it too. But, it somehow feels so disrespectful to add snippets of the proposal and the wedding on the music video when the other person is trying her best to heal. To make it even worst, people from their life started posting online apparently to break the silence.

I've seen all the posts and started wondering how can anybody justify cheating, especially in marriage? How can people blatantly say that the only mistake of the other party is to listen to the call of the flesh like he just lied about spending Saturday night with the boys? And not just with this current issue, we all have witnessed a lot of celebrity cheating issues, spending time with a friend out of town, and eventually admitting to being a couple. I don't get it. If you want out of the relationship, then leave. 

Another thing that concerns me is forgiveness. "You're both Christians, why don't you just forgive each other, work it out, and move on" is what I always hear from people who wanted to help couples work it out. It pisses me off somehow because how do you just repair a trust that has been broken? And also, trauma after trauma, how does a person heal?

I am deeply sorry for this couple -- it's hard to heal and I know that, what's harder is they have to deal with it with everyone watching. I just pray that in time, they will both find peace in whatever path they will choose to take in life. Right now, I just wish that people around them will just shut up.

Ria

Hey there! Just a quick check-in here. I'm sure you've all been doing great, but I'll let you know how I've been doing. ⏩I've been in a slump for the past few months and it feels like no one cares. Does anyone still read blog posts btw? 🤔 Hehe 

Anyhoooo, I'm not sure if you've heard, but I turned 31 a couple of weeks ago. But, do you ever feel like being your age? Sometimes or most of the time rather, I still feel like I just turned 21! Maybe because I watch too much Disney. 😅 I had a small celebration—I just went out to dinner with my family 👪, and it was really nice. Then a couple of weeks ago, I went to eat out with some of my college besties 👯. I missed them so much! 💜

Aside from catching up with some friends, I'm finally catching up on my reading! 😃 I've been enjoying some interesting books 📚 lately. I'm currently reading Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover. I've been a CoHo fan since I finished Ugly Love and even before Kathryn hyped It Ends With Us. Though I wouldn't want to be in those kinds of Toxic relationships, tbh! 😖 I am also currently reading Empathy in Action by our beloved CEO, Tony Bates. We got free hard copies! Yay, employee perks! 💛

It's almost July! 🤯 I can't believe it. 🤯 Where did the time go? 😃 I'm just going to blabber here for a minute: in the next few months, I have a couple of plans lined up that I hope will make me a better person and help me live my life more authentically. 👍

So, yeah—let's do this!! Self, I'm rooting for you! 👍👍👍

XO 💗

R

I can still remember the time when I started blogging, we always put our age in the "About Me" section. Lol. Well, I don't do that now. Which reminds me, I think I need to check mine if it is still stuck with the " A 20-Something *insert adjectives here*" intro because I am no longer 20 something. Yep, based on the photo, I recently turned 31. 👩

XO,

Ria

Muni-Muni - reflection/reflecting, pondering.

While I'm writing this entry, I am almost done with all my meetings for this year. Unless another one comes up in the next two days. We are actually given time to have a break and I honestly need this well-deserved break. What a year it has been! I don't know, it is a year that has played with my mental health, physical health, and my emotions. I don't how I made it, but somehow I survived - with flying colors. 💛

It may be because we're stuck at home since March 2020 and the only places that went to were groceries, hospitals, etc. Or maybe because I haven't seen anybody else for over 12 months. Maybe I miss eating at my favorite fast-food restaurants that are not available nearby. 😢 Probably because losing a loved one all of a sudden is the hardest -- or losing another one a few months after maybe harder. 😢 I don't know but with God's grace, I am still here -- alive and kicking and writing this entry. Or is it because I still got sick despite staying at home most of the time? My faith was almost shaken and I wanted to give up right then and there. Or was it because of people with judging looks on their faces? Not knowing what you're going through, not knowing how you managed to survive and sustain the needs of everyone who relies on you. 2021, you were pretty hard on me. But somehow, I am here. 

Despite all of these, seeing the smile on the faces of the people I love is worth every teardrop I have shed in the last 12 months. 💛 The wagging tails of my dogs is enough reason to keep going. The dreams that nanay left all of a sudden are enough to keep on dreaming. 💛 And all the battles that I have won are enough to keep on fighting. 💛 I may not still understand why I had to go through all of these but someday I will. I will look back with a brave face and tell myself that it was worth it. 💙 Thank you, dear self for fighting. 💙 

And in a couple of weeks, my dear you'll be in a better place. 🌙 Everything will make sense one day, all you have to do for now is to live one day at a time. 💜 Make mistakes but bounce back! Break your heart but never settle. By now, I truly believe that with everything that you went through, you've learned your lessons. 👩

To everyone who stayed, thank you. To those who believed in me, I appreciate you.

And to those who loved me, I thank God for you.

Xo,

Ria💕