Life Guide: How to Survive Life After College

     To say that life after college is overwhelming is an understatement. You've probably thought that graduating college will give you freedom from all other responsibilities, but nope. I would rather say that life after college is just the beginning of the endless roles and responsibilities that you have to deal with. It is the point where to have to face the "real world" where you are expected to be capable of being an adult (and to pay the bills).

     While some might choose to relax after graduation, some eventually set out to find the road that could lead them to the path where they can make a mark in this world. There is no concise path to how we should live our lives, but if you just graduated from college, it would be really cool to spend some of your time being productive. That is for you not to be ready for the new life that you will face, but for you to be prepared. (There's no such thing as being ready but good preparation exists.)

       As somebody who graduated college two years ago, here are some of my "survival" tips on how to survive life after college. This is also for those who have what I and my friends used to call post-college graduation depression. lol aka I don't know what I'm doing with my life/ I don't know where I am heading.

Build Connections

      It is always great to achieve success on your own, but a little help won't hurt you. One way of getting the right help that you need is by building connections with the right people. May it is a brilliant professor that you know or anyone who is knowledgeable in your field, a good connection can give insights that can be beneficial in your future plans. They can also give you recommendations, tips, notes on where to apply, where to study, or even how to get by in the corporate world.

Practice for Interviews

       Many people failed in getting their "dream job" not because they aren't capable, but because they fail at one of the basics in landing a job just like acing in a job interview. I used to think that interviews aren't very significant. I used to think that they are just random questions, but lately, I've found out that each question thrown by an interviewer has a significant role in determining whether you are the right person for the job or not.

      It would really do you good if you know the loops and holes in job interviews. As for myself, I watch videos, read tips and ask for advice before I go for a job interview. And yes, it would be extremely helpful that you research about the company that you are applying for. Also, don't forget to polish your resume and follow the basic steps in applying for a job e.g  proper job interview outfit. Girl, don't show up wearing crop tops and mini skirts unless you wanna be a lgjdfgkfdxdgf.

Commit to Your First Job

      Do your best, not just at first, but to all of your jobs. Build a good platform or base in your life as a professional, but make your first job experience a memorable one. Try your best to be at peace with your co-workers and your employers as well. I just want to highlight this one because I know how easy it is to get caught in a job that you are not passionate about.

      One best example is when you are doing your job only for money. If you are doing that right now, let me tell you, QUIT. Make your motivation an internal one. If your job is your passion, then your work won't feel like work. It may tire you and stress you out, but if you are passionate about it, then you can always find a way to get your work done.

Master the Art of Budgeting

         When I had my first job, I used to be so guilty about overspending. Not all of my money went for nothing, but I still wish I didn't let myself get caught into reckless shopping. One of the main differences between being a student and being a working adult is that you no longer get the allowance that your parents used to give you. If they still do, well, don't you think it's a bit odd?

         At my age right now, I am no master of budgeting or other things related to money. I suck at numbers, but I understand the necessity of it. I cannot give you a thorough detail about how to budget here, what I can only do, at least now, is to remind you to start learning a thing or two about it. I promise I'll do the same.

Don't Stop Learning

         It is important to accept that you're not in college anymore, but it is more important to stay being a student. Don't rely on what you have learned from your college days. Chances are, most of them would be a little bit outdated. Remember, experience will always be the best teacher and you can only meet that teacher once you venture out into the real world.

         Learning a new skill and mastering it is also a big bonus. No specific knowledge is useless if you know how to use it. Application is the key. You'll never know where a new skill would take you.

Focus

         Focus is very important in realizing whatever goals you have for yourself. Be it as simple as shredding some stubborn fat or as laborious as being in a job that you love. (As if losing fat is so easy lmao) I'd like to think that focus is synonymous to discipline; that both cannot exist without the other.

          As much as focus is a vital thing, it is important to project it in a right way. Focus on your self instead of focusing on others. Focus on what you have achieved other than what you haven't achieved (yet). I've found out that others gnaw into discontent simply because they tend to compare themselves to others. And I have to admit, there are times where I find myself in the same situation. However, when I would reassess my personal goals and divert my focus to what I really want, feelings of discontent would slowly vanish. Still, the battle is constant and we just have to remind ourselves where should we properly dwell our focus, again and again.

Relax

        I know exactly how easy it is to get caught in a moment where you ask yourself: "What am I doing with my life?" or if you are more paranoid, you end up comparing your achievement with the achievement of others especially to those who graduated with you. Raise your hands if you are guilty. I am raising mine. Things also get crazier when you find yourself doing something not because you love it, but because it's what expected of you. It's a real bullshit. Really.

   
        Okay sorry was ranting lol What I just want to say is that relax. Trust your own journey as you work through your goals. Each of us has our own unique story. Take your time to write yours'.

       I'll leave you all my love and this wonderful quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson: A man is relieved and gay when he has put his heart into his work and done his best; but what he has said or done otherwise shall give hint no peace.

I hope you'll find this post helpful. Do you have any tips on how to survive life after college? Please do share it in the comment section below. I will be more than happy to read it :)

Good luck!

love lots,

Tin

Working with Your Dream Fashion Designers

  I just closed the tab which led me to a photo gallery featuring the cast of my favorite local fairy tale series. I always feel amaze by their costumes so upon knowing that the famous Filipino fashion designer Francis Libiran created some of their gowns, I was dumbfounded.

     I always wanted to someday wear a gown designed by my favorite designer. I am sure some of you here who loves fashion aims the same thing too. It is already given that any clothing, be it a gown or just a simple dress created by a talented designer would be costly. I'm not entirely sure why but perhaps, aside from talent, a designer's popularity affects the price of the clothing too. Needless to say, to have your money's worth, you have to choose the right designer who will fill your hands with your dream outfit. Of course, your choice is also affected by your personal style and the designer's forte.

      It's quite tricky to choose the best designer to work with but with a committed platform just like StyleWe, everything will go on smoothly. StyleWe is an online shopping platform that doesn't only give you fashionable clothes, but also gives you the chance to create a unique fashion product with a designer of your choice. StyleWe can introduce you to various independent fashion designers worldwide such as Aporia.As. Though they are not crazily hyped like Valentino, Channel, etc., they are capable of bringing you original, high quality, and exclusive fashion products that you don’t want to miss.

      I haven't availed their service yet, but as I browse their platform, I have learned to love some of their designs. I can only hope to work with them someday.

P.S I apologize for not visiting your blogs lately. Been a little busy with my new work and still getting by with my new duties. But don't fret, I'll try my best to talk to you on weekends. And yes, I am very happy with my job right now. 

Have a blessed day always and thanks a lot for inspiring me like you always do :)

Avalanche Ice Cream Shop Cebu

“There were some problems only coffee and ice cream could fix.” 

             I have already shared to you guys how much I love coffee and I believe some of you are also in the same boat as me. What I haven't told you though is that I also love ice cream. Though not as much as I love coffee, but really, who doesn't love ice cream? If you're lactose intolerant then I'd probably spare you. lol

               Recently, Philippines experienced drought and believe me, the heat was unbearable. Though it's usually hot in our country,to suffer from drought is still crazy. There were even times when we (my family and I) woke up very early just to store water. But that's another story because what I'm going to focus on this post is an ice cream shop that I have visited last summer. (fyi summer here in the Philippines is on April and May)

               It was a very hot afternoon when I visited the Avalanche Ice Cream shop. I have heard about the shop before, but I haven't been there, so I decided to visit them and check their products. The shop is known for their all natural ice creams and smoking brownies. I went to visit their shop partly because I was curious about their "all-natural" ice cream froze by liquid nitrogen and partly because the weather was too hot and I felt like a great ice cream would make the heat bearable.

      Avalanche ice cream shop looks like a decent place. The only problem is that it is too small. I mean, the place isn't enough for their target customers considering that they are located in a somewhat busy area of the city.

      I don't know if they have another branch somewhere, but I think it would be good for them to transfer somewhere big. To give you an idea how small their shop is, I have to wait for almost half an hour just to have my own seat where I can enjoy my ice cream.

     There's nothing special or cool about the interior of the shop, but I do like how cute their chalkboard wall looked like. The place was generally clean and Avalanche's staff are very friendly.

    As much as I would love to try all of their ice cream flavors, I simply couldn't do that. Instead, I just opt for the one that I was most curious about. I bought one serving of their Milky Basil Ice Cream which costs 75php for cup. I love it!

     The ice cream tasted a bit weird, but in a good way. It's expected because lol imagine basil haha. Anyway it was really good, not too creamy and the basil, although it's there, it doesn't overpower the whole taste of the ice cream. Although their ice creams aren't mind blowing, they are a must try if you want to have an ice cream adventure.

      I also tried their infamous Smoking Brownies. It is literally smoking but not because it is hot or really cold. It was a bit cold but the smoke is from the liquid nitrogen which was served together with the brownies. According to Avalanche, you have to dip your brownies into the liquid nitrogen first before eating it. And you're not suppose to dip your fingers into it. I don't know why but maybe it's dangerous? I don't know. It didn't kill the brownies so maybe it wouldn't kill my fingers hahaha. I didn't dip my fingers in it though lol. If you know something about liquid nitrogen, let me know about it in the comment section below. I would love to know more about it. How does it tastes like? The liquid nitrogen didn't taste anything aka tasteless so when you actually have the brownies, all you can taste are the brownies. By the way, you'll have a cup of liquid nitrogen and 4 slices of brownies for 78php. Not a bad price for an experience. 

    In totality, Avalanche is not very special for me, but it's worth a visit. Not because they do have the best ice cream, but because they have cool ice cream flavors in an affordable price. Not to mention their dramatic presentation of brownies. lol Other than what I've said, I don't see anything else that you should check out. But I would love to try their other ice cream flavors.

Avalanche is a great place if you want a good ice cream especially on a hot weather. If you have visited the place already, let me know what you think about it on the comment section below. 

Also, are you an ice cream lover? If you are then what's your favorite ice cream flavor? I don't have one because I would eat any ice cream regardless of its flavor hahaha

Avalanche Ice Cream Shop is located at Anita's Building, Osmena Blvd. Corner J. Llorente St., 6000 Cebu City, Philippines

It is open daily from 11:00AM - 11:00PM

You may visit their Facebook page or call them at this number: (032) 416 0345 for more info.

love lots,

Tin

Lessons From the Wild (What I Learn from Disney's Zootopia)

I always have this manifestation that just like books, movies can also give us insights and inspiring thoughts that can guide us in living our lives to the fullest. Well that depends on what kind of movies you're watching because ehem there are those films that are, I don't know, shall we just say irrelevant?

I do spend my time watching movies when I don't really have anything serious to do or simply when I am just bored. Lately, while I was still waiting for the date to start my new job, I found myself watching Zootopia 2016 with my little brother. I was a bit hesitant at first to watch the film, but upon finding out that it has a really good rating at RottenTomatoes, I didn't mind heeding to my brother's request and watch the film with him.

I don't have any particular expectation about the film but I was very surprised to learn so many things as I watch the film jump from one scene to another. I was very happy that I was able to watch a very eye-opening and entertaining film that I got so excited to list down all the quotable quotes that I find worth keeping from the film hahaha And of course, because I love anyone who reads my blog, I decided to share what I learn from Zootopia by scribbling down my musings into this single blog post.

Lesson no.1

Life is complicated and change starts within us.

"Turns out, life’s a little bit more complicated than a slogan on a bumper sticker. Real life is messy. We all have limitations. We all make mistakes. Which means, hey, glass half full, we all have a lot in common. And the more we try to understand one another, the more exceptional each of us will be. But we have to try. So no matter what kind of person you are, I implore you: try. Try to make the world a better place. Look inside yourself and recognize that change starts with you."

     Need I to elaborate more on what Judy (the main character in Zootopia, a bunny) said on the film? What she said hit me hard. When I was a kid I always thought that as long as I have some friends to play with, I don't have anything else to worry about. But as I got older, it seems like things got more complicated. Sometimes even messier than what I expect them to be. I also thought that perfection exists but it doesn't.

     Talking about change, it is easy to say that it always starts within us. But what we usually fail to recognize is that it is also something that we have to work on, all the fcking time. If we want change, an open mind is also needed. We need to be able to recognize our strengths and weaknesses in order to understand what are the things that we really need to change. Not everything needs to be changed.

     Truth is, when I decided to pursue a career in teaching, all I thought was making change. To change the bad things that I have witnessed in this world. I don't even have a clear picture how to achieve such an ambitious goal but I guess I can only create change one step at a time starting with my self. And it didn't take that long for me to realize than I can never achieve such kind of goal alone. I need everyone else around me.

Lesson no. 2

Dreams don't work unless you do.

"Life isn’t some cartoon musical where you sing a little song and all your insipid dreams magically come true. "

      Sadly, we cannot just dream and dream and let everything settle on where we want them to be. No matter what we dream of, we have to take initial action to pursue. If you want something badly enough, then go for it. I bet no successful person would tell us that they didn't do anything for their dreams. Some of them may have received help, but I would never believe that they didn't do anything to achieve their goals. If you don't start the engine, your car won't move anywhere.

Lesson no. 3

Listen to the right voices.

     Sometimes we feel defeated just because we listened to the wrong voices. And whose voices are those anyway? In times where almost everybody wants to talk we have to be careful who we should really listened to. Not because we've heard something doesn't mean what it says already matter.

     Funny how sometimes we have to toss even the ones uttered by the one we love. Just like what Judy did when her parents told her to quit her dream to be a cop in order to submit to the norms of their world, that bunnies don't become cops. I can really relate to what the character of Judy went through as I have been into many situations where I have to defy what my parents and my siblings said just because they do not contribute something to my dreams.

     I'm not saying that we should completely not listen to our parents or to anyone, what I was trying to say is that sometimes, in order for to us to grow and to move closer to our dreams, we have to forget what others are saying and listen to what our hearts say. We need to trust into what our guts is trying to tell us. It may not lead us to where we really want to be, but at least we've tried right? Moreover, I'm pretty sure that whatever the outcome is, our family and everyone else who love us will never leave us.

Lesson no.4

We all make mistakes and we have to own up the ones we've committed.

Our friends are people who we can be crazy with. But not even them are perfect. As human as we are, we all make mistakes, even the ones we love do just like our friends. And if our friendship with them is built on a very solid ground, then forgiving them won't be a difficult thing to do.

     Growing up, one of the things that I've learn is that forgiveness is not something that can easily be given away. Just like respect, we have to earn it. If we want to be forgiven, we have to take a stand to admit our mistakes first. We have to sincerely ask for forgiveness, should we want to be forgiven, just like what Judy the bunny did when she unintentionally hurt Nick's feelings. (Such a tearjerker scene scene by the way :p )

     Owning up our mistakes is also one of the first steps for us to learn something out of our mistakes. I know that it's not easy, it always takes courage to do that. The best time to find that is in the part where we realized how much the person means to us.

Lesson no.5

Be brave and never quit.

      As cliche as it might sound just like the rest, it won't hurt for us to be reminded of these simple things right? In this very pragmatic world of ours' , it is very easy for us to get caught into temptations that could lead us to unnecessary fears and worries. We fear of making mistakes without even trying. The worst part is when we throw all hopes that we have just to achieve a more secure tomorrow even though none of us could ever be sure of what tomorrow brings.

       I would be a hypocrite to say that I never have my fair share of fears and worries with me. Truth is, I can't even sleep so well at night without having to worry about tomorrow, about the things that haven't existed yet and of the endless possibilities. I'm such an over thinker and I couldn't just help it. What I could help though is to control my fears and try to focus on the promises that I have planted in every tomorrow of my life. It is definitely not easy for a pessimist like me to be an instant optimist, but I could be a realist. Reminding myself over and over again about the use of being brave would really do me so much favor and it is surely the same for any of you too.

       I'd like to go back to one of my mantra in life which goes 'I'll try anything once'. I fear to have regrets in the future and not taking the chance of at least trying to fight for my dreams. Contrary to what other people think that I am someone who can do almost anything, no, I'm not. I am someone who needs constant reminders and pep talks just to move forward.

       I still have this constant fear and my little worries within me, but for my dreams, I shall never quit!

Oh yes Carrot yes, let's hustle harder!

Side note:

I don't know why but I feel so kilig over the friendship of Nick the fox and Judy the bunny. hahahha They aren't even depicted as lovers in the film. lol Their friendship makes me feel like having a Nick in my life lol hahahaha

Thanks a lot for reading my blog. I hope you find my list of lessons relevant. If you have watched Zootopia already, what do you think of it? Did it it you hard to the core too like it did to me? If you haven't, then please watch it. 

Have a wonderful day. It's always too early to quit. Let's all conquer our fears and our dreams together. Carpe diem!

love lots,

Tin

Aizilym Enterprises Earrings Haul

       As a young girl, I used to collect stickers and paper dolls. They used to invade my bedroom and I can still remember how I used to play with them (my paper dolls) once I arrived home from school. Ugh childhood nostalgia! 

     Now that I’m older, I still have the urge to collect things. But instead of stickers and paper dolls, I now collect fashion accessories (and bottle of tears) chos! You may have seen my post about my fashion rings collection and I am proud to say that they are doing fine in their box. I think collecting things is one way of showing how much we admire or value beauty.

     I graduated from collecting fashion rings though but my hobby of collecting beautiful things still exists. Earlier this month I found myself shopping at Aizilym Enterprises. If you are a thrifty fashionista living in Cebu City, you’ve probably know the place. It is a store that sells various items from fashion accessories to gift items. They usually offer huge discounts on their items making them one of the most beloved stores for some shoppers here in Cebu.

     Some of the things that I bought from them are fashion earrings. (Fashion earrings are not genuine; just a fancy fashion jewelry) Even though their earrings aren’t real, I still feel so stoked seeing them because of their very unique designs. I couldn’t even find jewelry designs that their accessories have. Another thing that I love the most about the earrings that I bought is that they are very affordable. Believe me or not, all of the earrings that you will see in this post doesn’t cost more than a dollar! Yes, they are all less than a dollar. A smile bringer for a thrifty person like me right?

     I bought five earrings from them, but I gave one to my sister so I can only show you four of the earrings that I got from Aizilym.

Golden Pegasus

30php

Silver Cats
30php

 Audrey
30php

For the Romantics
35php

      If you want to buy yourself some fashion accessories or any gift items too, feel free to visit the Aizilym Enterprises at 37 Lincoln St, Cebu City, 6000 Cebu. You may also contact their management using this number: (032) 256 3573. If you are a tourist who plans to visit Cebu, I think you should visit the place too. Aizilym is definitely in my go-to list if I am looking for a place to shop for fashion accessories or any other cute items.

What do you think of the earrings above? Do you also have a favorite shopping store that sells fashion accessories in a very reasonable price? Let me know your musings on the comment section below.

Love lots,
Tin