Are you ready for it?
January 2017 found me working hard to lose all the weight I gained from all the Christmas and New Year celebrations. I guess my first failure of the year is in regard to fitness. Although I made an effort to workout regularly, I just can’t resist to eat more than I should. Hashtag food is life. Lol.
On a more positive note, it was also the month of my first international travel with all expenses shouldered by myself. I treated it as a "New Year's gift" for all my hard work. Can you guess what country I traveled to? Here's a clue:
Yes! Japan, the Land of the Rising Sun. I must say that Japan is a really expensive country. FYI, I just started working last 2016 and only had 9 months worth of savings at that time. It's a good thing that me and my friends (who I'm traveling with) grabbed all the promos available prior to the departure date.
After arriving in Osaka, we immediately searched for the Airbnb and looked for authentic Japanese ramen. Yum! Afterwards, we went to explore Kyoto and finished our trip in Tokyo. It was a very fun and awesome trip because of the cold weather as we went during the winter season. Coming from the Philippines, it was truly a one-of-a-kind experience. BTW, I'm hoping to post my Japan travel blogs soon.
My Japan trip made me realize that traveling is a great learning experience. I got to experience a different culture and tradition, appreciate the people of Japan, and be in a first world country. It also gave me a sense of independence -- that I can go to places and survive without the help of my family. Okay, maybe not that much as I was with my friends. Haha.
From February to March 2017, my only agenda was to work hard in order to recover financially. However, as the days pass by, my interest also shifted to improving my skills and become a valuable member of the team. Every break time, I always had the urge to read articles and tutorials about engineering and IT stuff. Call me a nerd, but I love studying. It keeps you from becoming ignorant as well as preventing you from getting left behind as technology moves so fast nowadays. So yeah, I somehow managed to level up and gain new skills. However, I failed to save enough money as I booked impulsively for my summer travels. Oh, come on.
Summertime madness took place from April to May 2017. Do you know where’s the best summer destination? The Philippines!!! I’m proud to say that my country boasts stunning beaches! Moving on, one of the things I learned this year is to wisely manage my savings. Although I spent a lot on my summer travels, I made sure that what's left of my savings is enough to survive the harsh realities of the world. Lol. In addtion, something happened in the last weeks of May that momentarily crushed my travel dreams. More of that later. It was during summer that I had the chance to reunite with my closest friends who I’ve never seen for months and years. It was the best summer experience I had. Man, working hard and earning money made me capable of traveling and hanging out with family and friends. It’s also the only motivation I had at work at this moment. Anyway, let me share the summer getaways I've been to:
And then the last week of May happened. As I’ve said, one of my goals is for self-growth. Unfortunately, it has became too chill at work (and my tasks became not so technical) that I completely lost interest and dedication. Without any hesitations, I submitted my resignation letter without any job offers from other companies. Scary, right?
June 2017 — I did something bad. I resigned without any job offers from other companies. Multiple questions popped out of my mind. How long will I stay unemployed? Will it be forever? Do I have the skills other companies need? How will I provide for myself and my family? What will happen to my travel goals? I needed to look for answers! I think this was my breaking point. I unexpectedly got lost. It did not make me depressed, it only made me disappointed. But I had to look for something positive out of all these miseries. Good thing that I’m a positive person. The only thing I had so much at that time was TIME. Yes, I used my free time to study, study, and study. I even attended trainings. Plus, I had extra time to workout.
One June morning, I received a text message from an HR who invited me for a job interview for this big company. Fortunately, I passed all exams and interviews. After those challenges, I signed up for that new job. I just wanna thank the gods of time for everything. Lol.
My first day at work was in July 2017 and I had to adjust and learn rapidly in August 2017 to be productive in my new work environment. I met new colleagues and friends. I attended technical trainings and gained new knowledge. I also felt more important and became a critical part of the team. And by the way, there’s free food at the office! I guess it’s this time that I had to say goodbye to my fitness goals. Haha.
My independence reached new heights in August and September 2017. I started having a more demanding work in August. Thus, I needed to step up my game. I tried to work without asking and waiting for someone to help me in order to be more productive and independent. And I think I achieved that.
A fews months ago, me and my friends booked a flight to Bangkok, Thailand for September. We already had everything planned out and booked accomodations and tickets in advance. I easily got my vacation leave requests approved. It was just so unfortunate that my travel buddies unexpectedly got rejected of their vacation leave requests due to important stuff at work. I felt bad that they had to pay for something they won’t be able to use and experience, but I also felt terrified that I will be solo traveling to Thailand. Yes, I still went alone. It was scary and terrying in the beginning, but after landing in Bangkok, I just felt sudden excitement. Maybe it’s because of the adventure vibes I’m feeling. Anyway, I had the time of my life. It was the travel that made me realize that I can somehow do everything by myself and I will truly cherish it.
In October 2017, I started familiarizing myself with cryptocurrency as well as the stock market. To be honest, what got my attention was the earnings I will get if everything works out fine. However, investing money in cryptocurrency can either lead to success or failure. It is also in October that I get older by a year (which I really hate). Anyway, I celebrated my birthday in a simple way and I am good with that. :)
November 2017 brought me back to Japan, particularly in Tokyo. This trip was sponsored by my aunt which is her graduation gift to my cousin who recently graduated from college. I was not a part of it at first, but they needed a “tour guide” so I immediately volunteered. It was a smart move on my part as I only need to think about my pocket money. Hell yeah! It was also our first time to experience autumn, very chill and colorful autumn.
I’m really looking forward to posting travel blogs. I just need to find time. Hehe. Anyway, Tokyo was electrifying. Here are proofs:
It was only this December 2017 that I discovered Steemit. I didn’t want to try it at first as I’m bad at writing. But a man’s gotta earn. I ended up signing up and posting some contents. I’m not sure if they’re helpful or entertaining but at least I’m going somewhere, right? Plus, I intend on using my earnings for future travels and supporting my family. Having said that, I consider joining Steemit as one of my achievements this year and will continue using it as a learning tool.
"Not until we are lost do we begin to find ourselves." -- This quote fits my year like a pair of well-worn Levi's. 2017 will go down in my life’s history as a year of travels and accomplishing dreams.
P.S. This is my entry for @anomadsoul's "My 2017" contest.
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