My Quarter Life List

I never thought turning 25 is a big deal until I heard Lore's story of her husband, Nell, jotting down a list of things he wants to do on his 25th birthday. So, since last year I was kind of thinking of what I also want to do on my 25th year of existence, it is, after all my quarter life.

I initially thought of traveling abroad on my own. I specifically wanted to visit Hongkong, the third time around, to celebrate my birthday, just to have a super ME time on MY day. A bit weird, but I really want to experience that. Just you, on a place where no one knows you. But, anyway, since I'll be going to South Korea (hopefully I will be granted a visa) with Renee on November, I cannot go to Hongkong due to financial constraints. I, therefore, dubbed my Seoul trip as my 25th super birthday blowout to myself. South Korea, after all, is a dream for me and how perfect it will be to go there on my quarter life year!

A few weeks before my birthday, hindi talaga ako mapalagay. I really want to spend my birthday somewhere else. Gladly, Renee is available and there is a seat sale in Air Philippines. So, I booked the tickets bound for Cebu. Come July 6-8, I will be spending my first ever birthday away from family and home. I am thrilled with excitement for this something-new. And for the first time, I booked a five-star hotel, Radisson Blu, for this trip. Good thing, Renee is game on this one despite the pricey-ness. :) Come on, it's my quarter life! A little splurge should be justifiable. :)

Anyway, my officemate just turned 25 as well and I read her blog on what things to know on being 25.

1. Job. Now is the time to figure out what kind of work you love to do. What are you good at? What makes you feel alive? What do you dream about?

MY TAKE: I've been wanting to get another job but I am never successful with that plan of mine. I have a lot of dreams that I know I will love -- setup my own restaurant, own a boutique, or work for an events management job. But the thing is I am not doing much to attain these. I am afraid to move out from status quo. What if I don't become successful on this new path?

2. Relationships. Now is also the time to get serious about relationships. And “serious” might mean walking away from the ones that don’t give you everything you need. Some of the most life-shaping decisions you make in this season will be about walking away from good-enough, in search of can’t-live-without.

MY TAKE: I am a certified NBSB (No Boyfriend Since Birth). I really think I'll be an old maid and I will accept that if that will be my case. But of course, I also wish to have my own family. I wish my parents could play with their grandchildren. At this age, I think I am not yet ready anyway to have any romantic relationships because I can't really express how I truly feel. I am poor at my social and communication skills. That's my waterloo. I don't know how to be sweet and all that stuff (even to my immediate family). I guess it all boils down to that fact that I am afraid of rejection so I tend to just hide whatever I am feeling.

3. Counseling. Unravel the knots that keep you from living a healthy whole life, and do it now, before any more time passes.

MY TAKE: I know the knots that keep me from living a healthy whole life but I don't know how to un-knot it. I really need a personality development course! I am really tempted but it really costs a lot!

4. Church. Be patient and prayerful, and decide that you’re going to be a person who grows, who seeks your own faith, who lives with intention.

MY TAKE: This is something that I know I've never gone wrong in my entire life. I know I belong to be a member of the Iglesia ni Cristo. God showed me the way to live the life as it should be lived.

5. Don't get Stuck. Move, travel, take a class, take a risk. Walk away, try something new. There is a season for wildness and a season for settledness, and this is neither. This season is about becoming.

MY TAKE: I know everything has a risk. Sadly, I am a risk-averse person but I am trying to be be adventurous, trying out new things as I journey life. Testing whatever I can just to find out what I can become. I need to settle on how to achieve my long term goals so I have a path to take.

Now.. I think I am way to far to be 25 next week! I still need a lot of sorting out to do. Gee.