Matagal ko na talagang gusto maranasan ‘to, kaya sobrang surreal ang moment na pumasok kami. Una, tinakpan ang mukha namin (para surprise talaga). At noong tinanggal na namin ang takip, grabe, hindi ko mapigilan maging sobrang saya at kilig—parang teenager ulit!

Isa pa, proud ako kasi Batch 1. Doon, I met new people that eventually turned friends. Ang isa sa pinaka-challenge? Kinuha nila ang mga cellphone namin! Hindi ko talaga naimagine na nakayanan kong mabuhay na walang cellphone for 3 days! Walang connection sa labas, walang scroll scroll—kami lang, nakatutok sa mga sarili namin at sa mga workshops. At sa totoo lang, ang saya ng feeling na disconnected sa outside world.

Isa sa mga hindi ko in-expect ay kung gaano karami akong matututunan sa singing at dancing workshops. Ang dami kong baon na learnings, hindi lang sa performance kundi pati na rin sa confidence – kahit for 3 days lang!

Kami na rin mismo ang nagluto ng breakfast namin, at natulog sa mga kama na tinulugan din ng mga housemates dati, pinayagan din kaming gamitin ang pool!

Ang saya at ang special ng simpleng bagay na ‘yon—parang parte na rin kami ng Bahay ni Kuya history. May pa Voice Over pa si Kuya sa huling araw namin sa loob ng bahay niya!

Ngayon, masasabi ko na, healed na ang aking teenage dream. Yung dati kong wish na maranasan ‘to, natupad na at sobra kong maaalala habang buhay.

Maraming salamat, Star Magic, sa napaka-unforgettable na 3-day experience na ito.

The post Ang 3-Day Experience Ko sa loob ng “Bahay ni Kuya” appeared first on kimocea.

This is me feeling cute in my Gorilla inflated mascot.

I suddenly got so excited with the inflatable that I literally purchased a lot of inflatable characters in Lazada – dinosaurs, unicorns, lizards, pokemon and just random characters I find cute.

The first brand I thought of was “Cebu Inflatable Costume,” and tried to market it as a cute alternative for PPEs; people were “interested” in me wearing it BUT but no one was interested enough on renting it.

Here’s the first graphics I had for the first brand.

My friends called me crazy. In the time of the pandemic, buying these was a “waste of money”, really. I don’t know but I am happy when I somehow do these “cute things” to make people smile.

Thankfully, Ayala Center Cebu rented some of my inflatable mascots for their Halloween event in 2020. In this time of heightened safety measures, my inflatable mascots were a perfect fit it!

So fast forward when I decided to shift from inflatable to real mascots since no one is really interested in renting it. At first, I am hesistant to start this business given that a quality mascot costs P35k to P40k per piece, but well, I did what I did and bought my first mascot – JJ of Cocomelon.

Undoubtedly, he was and still is the most booked mascots.

I was hesitant due to copyright concerns, but after several discussions of fellow mascot rental owners, I felt complacent as long as we market it as “character-inspired.”

To date, I have 40+ premium mascots from JJ to Peter Rabbit to Disney-inspired princesses, to Avenger-inspired to random characters; until it dawned on me that with this bulk of collection, I need to have breathable warehousing for my mascots. I was literally hopping from one warehouse to another until I finally got a safe space for them – thankfully, it’s near my agency office in Mabolo, Cebu.

It was this February 2022 when I decided to finally do a soft launch for my mascot business now that the quarantine restriction in our city lessened, and gatherings and parties where slowly being allowed.

Here’s to 2 years of “collecting mascots” “wasting money” “investing in useless business” and hearing people telling me it was not a “necessity.”

I have to admit, they were actually right. But look at where we are now – Cebu’s only supplier of quality premium mascots. (wink)

Humility aside, we are getting at least 5 bookings every week, and our income is generating 6 digits per month. Numbers won’t lie, and I am proud of myself for making this crazy decision in the middle of the pandemic. Haha.

I want to make people happy when all of us were in a deprived state during the pandemic. I also wanted to bring the “star struck excitement” to people, especially to kids, by bringing their favorite cartoon characters in their celebrations.

I also found out that there is not much of a competition for mascots in the party needs industry here in Cebu. I think there were a few mascot suppliers before, but not much now. This is the reason why I started Cebu Premium Mascots — to provide the Cebuanos quality mascots and quality performances.

I am also very thankful to have a team of hardworking staff and performers to make all our bookings very memorable to each of our clients.

To know more about Cebu Premium Mascots, please visit our fb page at www.facebook.com/CebuMascots.

Celebrate with you soon! Your mascots are waiting!

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You give, but receive less. You give, but you are appreciated just for that moment. You give, but you’re still the last on the list. Don’t worry because I feel you. When your love is not reciprocated, you feel empty. You start to question your worth. Is it still not enough? Am I not enough? So, you continue to give your love, until one day you suddenly realize, there’s nothing left for you anymore. When all you ever wanted was only to be loved in return.

Love passionately, but leave some for yourself. Don’t allow yourself to be drained with doubts of your worth just because you loved too much, you gave too much, and you allowed yourself to be treated as an option for too long. If you have been treated this way, leave without the need to explain. Regain yourself and give that unrequited love you have given away just for yourself. For now, you are your own priority.

But just because you gave in and experience a rather bitter situation like this, please don’t forget to remind yourself that you are worthy to be loved as much as you love, and never regret the love you once give, because in life, what matters most is your generosity, and not what you receive.

My love, I pray that you will meet someone out there who will love you as much as you love them. To make you as part of their life, and their priorities. What is it in loving a person if you just put them on your bottom list? I hope someday someone will find you who will be happy to have you, who will be excited to see you, and who will put you in their plans and their future and make every effort to stick around.

You are worthy of a reciprocated love. Remember that.

If there’s one person who you will give your purest love first, this person should be you – the person who loves unconditionally and true. Invest in yourself first, not with the wrong people.

I hope you find a person that will treat you good and will understand and accept you for who you are, who will not take advantage of you and not question you for being you, and will accept you as you are without standardizing and judging you; and will love you without reservations.

But my dear, when you love, leave some for yourself because sooner or later it is when the well runs dry that you realize that there’s nothing left for you anymore, because you have given too much – of your time, of your effort, of your love – to people who you dearly love but take you for granted.

My love, I say this again, Love, but don’t love too much, and I hope that if you love again, love and leave some for yourself.

You are too full of love to be only half loved by someone.

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I was born, baptized, and raised Roman Catholic. My mama was religious, but my papa was not; My mama brings us all to Sunday mass but my papa was left at home. My mama prays with us every single day but without papa.

I never questioned why my papa was not religious and did not seem to bother. All I know was that even though he was not religious, he was a good father to us, and somehow professed that there is a God — he was agnostic, perhaps.

When I was in Grade 2, I had time with my guidance counselor, Ms. Elena Yee (God bless her soul). She asked me the usual question asked to young kids “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I replied “Ms Yee, I wanted to be a priest.” God bless my good soul for having this innocent decision when I was just 8 years old.

But when I was in Grade Six, I began to get interested in the metaphysical, the paranormal, the religions outside Christianity, the Occult, and the other worlds outside our world. This vastness made me rethink of my reality and made me question my existence, our existence. That in reality, we are just a spec of dust in this universe that bible stories or creation stories can’t justify.

Don’t get me wrong but I was told before by a religious friend that we should not be taking the Creation Story literally. The Holy Bible is full of stories with symbols, and it’s our responsibility with the intellect given to us on how to decipher the messages behind these stories.

Faith and Whys

“Who is the real religion? Aren’t religions just a result of cultural differences that lead to the same awareness? which leads to the same God?”

“Is there really life outside Earth? Are aliens real?”

“If Egyptian Magic was mentioned in the bible several times, Magic must indeed be real. Are there spiritual planes we are not aware of?”

“Who takes care of this planet? Why is the cycle of nature so precise? Do elementals really exist?”

“Is anyone really listening to my prayers?”

“Are prayers just the result of the Law of Universe?”

“When is the End of the World? Many people have already died before me. Is it really near?”

“How can we work with Angels to aid us with our lives? How can we meet our Spirit Guides?”

My questions about life’s mysteries are endless, and being a religious Catholic won’t help me in discovering the answers of my whys and how comes.

Being religious means being limited to a set of restrictions on religion. That if you are not with us, you are against us. That if you don’t believe like me, you are not with me.

I was part of a charismatic group when I was a teenager, and it was a part of my life story that I will forever cherish. I was full of the spirit, from the time I wake up to the time I sleep. I do nothing except praise. I stopped watching TV, stopped listening to secular music, stopped wearing black (because they said it was a color of darkness, and that God was light.) I was living a restricted and disciplined lifestyle, but I liked it anyway. I was contented and happy even when society thinks otherwise.

But I stopped and went separate ways with the group. Though Jesus is in my heart, I know that there is more to what I am believing and their set of rules. I was wrong when I said I was contented because I was not.

Journey to Discovery

In my journey of discovering the answers to my questions, I studied World Religion and immersed myself with their beliefs. And to be honest, as I search for answers, I got lost and confused. I wanted to just go back to my religious life but my mind has already been tainted with more whys. It’s like I have eaten the apple that Adam and Eve ate.

For how many years now, I have had encountered many faiths. I immersed myself by becoming a Born-again, a Muslim, a Buddhist, a Pagan, a Hindu, even becoming a believer of the other worlds. But through all these, I grounded myself to the promise that even if I go far, my faith is still with Christianity. My faith is still with Jesus Christ (Mighty is his name.) I will never compromise my Christianity in any way. It was not easy, but it was life-changing and interesting.

One thing that these religions have in common – all religions lead to the teaching of Love, and that most religions somehow originated from a single source that sprouted to become religions on their own. And that through these differences, we are bound to live a life co-existing with other creations of this universe.

My encounters with different faiths made me appreciate the uniqueness of their beliefs. Each of these religions taught me a thing or two on how to live my life pleasing to the creator.

There won’t be divisions of religion in heaven, anyway. And you won’t go to hell for living a good life but believing a different faith. It doesn’t make sense at all. In the end, when we die, it’s how we lived a fulfilling life and helping our fellows that matters, and not much on personal beliefs.

The Complexity of God

I may not completely comprehend God, but I know the higher energy or whatever you call him is here to guide us with our lives. I believe that God is out there, but his or her complexity is far from our human understanding. Even the gender of God I cannot understand. How does God really look like? Is he the usual White-bearded guy in a white wardrobe? or just a ball of bright light? Ah, I don’t know. All I know is God is there above and we owe our lives to him.

That’s is why I prefer being Spiritual than being religious. To cultivate my spiritual life than continue my whys without clear answers to my questions, because it will be an endless search and I had enough.

To Each His Own

For now, my belief system is a collection of beliefs from all that I find beneficial in my life. I still pray my morning prayers, but I also set my intentions to the Universe. I follow the holy commandments, but I also follow the wise sayings of the enlightened buddhists. I believe in God, but I also believe that there is more to human life and this Earth.

A lot of people, maybe including you, may say I am wrong with my beliefs, but this is mine, and whatever gives me contentment, even if it doesn’t make sense to others, won’t matter anymore.

I now understand my father even better. May his soul now in peace. I believe what I want to believe in, and you believe in yours, let’s just live ethical and meaningful lives, and respect each other and continue each of our own unique faiths.

May God gives us all our hearts desires.

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After his call, my 20-year-old self innocently asked him “Sir, why don’t you accept the order? More orders, more money!”

He looked at me and replied, “Young boy, this is not about money. This is about protecting your brand. The reality is we can’t serve everybody. We just can’t accept projects just for the money. It’s not like that.” And that hit me hard.

He taught me this value that I still carry on until now.

In the corporate world, there will always be competition and politics. Competing with each other, and proving to the clients/ bosses who’s the best to make them look worthy than the other.

My point here is there will always be competition, and that is normal. But pulling someone down for your gain is not normal. Even so, as much as we fight for fair competition, there will always be these people, so all we have to do is to be vigilant and be on guard.

My wish to my fellow professionals: Stop unhealthy competition. There is enough for everyone. May we all make our hearts desire. 

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I was a school athlete as a Sprinter during Grade School and early High School, and have always been proud of that. Humility aside, my fastest record was 16 seconds for a 100 meter dash at 12 years old.

My childhood dream has always been an athlete for track and field, specifically competing for Running, and represent the country just like the athletes for SEA Games and the Olympics; until our family doctor advised me to quit due to medical reasons.

I miss the open lot at the back of Collegio de Immaculada de Concepcion where we used to practice every end of class. As the clock striked 4pm, it’s time to change and head to practice.

We, together with my fellow school varsity, felt entitled (in a good way) for being way too spoiled by Fr. Julian Hernando, SJ (then SHS-J – Ateneo de Cebu Sports Head) for giving us all we needed – from branded uniforms to branded running shoes, and overflowing supply of sports drink just for us to win and give glory to the school and St. Ignatius.

I visited once the new campus of SHS-J Ateneo where my 2 younger sisters also graduated, and I was happy to see a track and field oval named after him – The “Fr. Hernando Athletic Field”

I may not have continued what I always wanted when I was younger, but I will always love the field. I will always love running, the sweat, the discipline and the adrenaline to get the gold.

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Joanna Wang is Taiwanese-American Singer-Songwriter and a left-handed guitarist; and of all the other singers that I admire, she is my favorite. She has influenced my life for 9 years now. Her music and personality best describe me and my mood.

All of her songs are well-loved, but the song that I love most is her singing a 1952 hit “That’s All” by Nat King Cole. Her husky and calm voice give life to every melody and words from the song.

Bringing much emotions to me is this verse where the singer assures that there is not much that he is asking in a relationship, but honest love. It goes –

If you’re wondering what I’m asking in return, dear
You’ll be glad to know that my demands are small
Say it’s me that you’ll adore
For now and ever more
That’s all, that’s all

I listen to her song most often, especially when I feel the need to have some dopamine hit and creative inspiration. Her music has always been my comfort. A very classic artist I must say.

Though she widely received positive feedbacks from her album “Let’s Start From Here”, she may not like the whole concept and being called a Jazz Singer was not a thing for her.

“I just want to say that singing less ‘high’ (upbeat) songs doesn’t necessarily equate to being jazzy. That’s a misunderstanding I seem to hear a lot in Asia.”; “I don’t think I am a jazz singer; but unfortunately, I’ve been stuck with this label for some odd reason.” she explained with a little frown in one interview.

Later on in 2019, Joanna found her calling and came back to the limelight with her retro romance album. I still love her nonetheless.

Here is the music video of my most loved song from Joanna. Enjoy the song.

I love you, Joanna. From your number #1 fan from the Philippines.

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My desire for minimalism was triggered when I got worn out with pressuring myself to wear new clothes everyday, even to the point of purchasing substandard outfits just to fill the void.

When I decided to unclutter my closet followed the uncluttering of my things – owning a lot of things that I actually didn’t find practical at all, bought things in the moment and piling it up unused. I then decided to give it all away, leaving me with owning just the basic things that I need. I felt relieved.

For how many years now, I lived in monochrome fashion, and it didn’t matter now when people question why I have always worn black, sometimes gray, brown, and basic earth toned colors in regular days. There is no more pressure. All I have to do is pick any of my shirts and I’m good for the day. Though, I do dress up for special occasion.

I also live a very basic lifestyle with doing and having things that satisfy me – basically surviving while enjoying the beauty of simplicity, and letting things be. And don’t get me wrong, I don’t have a boring life, in fact, my physical fashion may look plain, but my inner world is way colorful and exciting as it can be. As they say – Wear Black, Think Multicolor. I won’t be thriving in the Creative Industry if I was.

There is a proverb by an Indian Spiritual leader named Osho, he said:

“If you love a flower, don’t pick it up.
Because if you pick it up it dies and it ceases to be what you love.
So if you love a flower, let it be.
Love is not about possession.
Love is about appreciation.”

– Osho

Since then, I have just been appreciating things I love without the need of owning it. So, if I decide to have something, that thing is already valuable to me. Much so for love.

Living the minimalist lifestyle has always been a therapy for me, it gave me clearer visions, less noise and more savings. It also made my life more meaningful as I testify to the truth in the saying that Less is definitely more.

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As casual as it is said than done, there is a deep reminder to that phrase. Yes, let’s face the fact – You only have one life to live.

Reality Hits Hards

Sometimes, reality hits me hard when I start staring blankly at the ceiling, pinching myself and telling myself “tao pala talaga ako” (I am really human); adding to a bittersweet reality of “Kumusta kaya ako pag tanda ko?” (How will I be when I get old?) and “Mamamatay din pala ako at mawawala sa mundong ito.” (I will also die and get past this world.) These thoughts in my head running in circles reminding me that I am temporary in this world.

Though I am not afraid of death, I am afraid of not achieving what I want to achieve, and not to be able to give back given this lifetime.

Superstitiously, I hurry to look for a wooden surface and knock on wood to avoid bad luck. I calm myself with the assurance that I am going to be alright. Now, I am back to reality – with a deeper purpose.

Life is not fair

Life may be unfair, but there isn’t much we can do about that. Some people were born prosperous, while others were born with just enough. But this isn’t an excuse to live with just a mediocre life.

My pet peeve – Never blame your parents for who you have become. Though parental support is important, they have already given their part to give you life. Your parents will keep on providing until they can’t anymore (but hoping they still can). If there comes a time that they can’t anymore, find a solution together than putting them to blame.

Who you will become is your responsibility, explore this world until you finally find your purpose and live it with excitement because #YOLO.

Also, we are so busy growing up and distracting ourselves with selfish ambitions, while we tend to forget that our parents are getting old too. Have you been giving back to your parents lately? Because if not, you should start now.

Love Yourself More

At the end of the day, you have no one but yourself, so better take care of yourself and be decisive with your plans in life; Yes, I am a big fan and as Lady Gaga would have said in the prelude of her Marry The Night music video “I’m going to be a star. Because you know why? I have nothing left to lose.”

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When we were younger, our parents and teachers discipline us through the concept of Delaying Gratification. Remember the time when your parents won’t give you your candy if you haven’t cleaned your room? or challenged you to buy you your favorite toy if you get good grades in your test?

I remember one time when I was in Grade 5 and was chosen to be one of the finalist for the school’s “Battle of the Brains” in SHS-Ateneo de Cebu. 3 of us were chosen to compete for the class. We weren’t the kids from the “smart section” so we didn’t mind if we win or not, but we prepared and studied basic knowledge of a few subjects.

My papa challenged me that he will reward me with 5,000.00 pesos if we won champion. I was aiming for the money, so I tried to do research. I thought for a while “Does he really think we won’t win that’s why he’s rewarding me with that big money?”

Long story short, we won champion. The fifth grader me got his cold 5,000 pesos cash. A huge money for my age. My papa dropped his jaw when I showed him my gold medal when I went home. “We’re Champion. Give me my money!” I teasingly told my papa. It was during that time when I valued more the reward system. At first I really didn’t mind, but when my papa offered me a reward, my focus changed – and it was a good feeling. Having something after a job well done.

When I grew up and earned my own money, I honestly lost that concept for a while. It’s easy to buy things or do things if you earn your money. You all have the freedom and the control, which makes it hard for discipline. As I grew older and my priorities and responsibilities have changed, I started to revisit this concept, now with a defined term – Delaying Gratification.

It was hard at first, but as soon as I try to discipline myself with this concept of “Suffer now, Enjoy later” concept, I felt challenged in a good way. That I know I can afford it now, but I will wait for the right time for me to enjoy it. It was a struggle until it became a habit.

I always reward myself for every finished projects or assignments I do. Maybe a movie at the end of the week, a weekend trip or dine in a good restaurant. It is always a rewarding feeling that for every stressful week or day, and as soon as you finish your work, you give yourself a pat on your back, treat yourself and say “I deserve this.” But with caution that you don’t over limit how you treat yourself. Treat yourself in moderation, because Discipline comes in pairs.

But I can’t deny that I sometimes struggle from it. I occasionally do things in a single whim just because of an unwanted day – we’re humans, we also have days when we are down – but every time I feel blue, I always promise myself to go back on track. That’s the important thing – to always get back on your focus.

We’re not late to change for the better. Delaying Gratification thought me a lot about self-discipline – the most important ingredient to success as told by a number of successful leaders. Change your focus to be better. You can do it.

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