27 Things I Am Embracing At 27

I can't believe it! I'm 27 years old today. It doesn't feel so long when I was just a giddy little kid who envied her friends who had Polly Pockets (I never owned one), and a nerdy student who spent her lunch breaks in the library reading I Wonder Why encyclopedias and books on arts and crafts.

To everyone who knows my life, it's been one rollercoaster ride indeed. And if I were to name the seemingly endless hills and loops of this rollercoaster, it would be rebellion, repentance, redemption, and restoration. 

I have long struggled to be where I am today. Now that God, in His perfect timing, brought me here, I want to continue to embrace my evolution, while also diligently weeding out and replacing a couple of bad habits that's been left here and there.

Here are 27 things I am learning to truly accept about myself, now that I had been blessed with another year on this earth. 💖

• That the true me is an introverted dork, not a (pa)cool, party girl. 
• That my Friday nights will never be about dressing up to look hot for another debauchery at some club. These days, Friday nights are about playing the perfect spa playlist on Spotify while getting a deep, full body massage. 💆
• That my ketogenic way of eating is here to stay. There's no way I'm going back to consuming sugar and processed carbs like rice, pasta, and bread. The other day I ate some xiao long bao dumplings for comfort from my 4-day strep throat and flu, and I suffered 2 hours of excruciating headache and brain fog because of it. UGH. 
• That my favorite snacks (a.k.a. "junk food") are the typical merienda of the Titas and Lolas of Manila—kasuy, almonds, Arce's sugar-free cheese and mantecado ice cream, and hard-boiled eggs.
• That I can appreciate rap music, as long as its lyrics are about biblical truths, not misogyny and violence. (READ: SHAI LINNE'S SONGS)
• That my body is not as young as it used to! From needing only 8 hours to recuperate from a night of dropping extacy and heavy drinking, these days I need AT LEAST 24 hours to recover from a full day of work (shoots and/or public speaking). These activities take so much energy, I tell ya!
• That I don't need to go full glam every time I decide to wear makeup. Sometimes, kilay, concealer, mascara, and lip + cheek tint are enough. 💋
• That I don't have to show too much skin to look gorgeous.
• That cooking is an activity that my heart and soul delight in. 

• That my family, most specially my twin sister, is my life's most valuable treasure.
• That I may never have 100k followers on social media, and that's fine. My current following are people who resonate with MY SOUL, not just my curated feed of "insta-worthy" photos.
• That my fitness journey isn't going to be flawless or perfect, no matter how hard I try or force it to be. There are some days when I need to listen to my body and adjust if I have to. There is no need to beat myself up when I skip workout days due to illnesses or work or whatever it may be.
• That waking up and sleeping early is GOLD.
• That I will always be an addict, and I am just grateful that through God's grace, He has allowed me to channel my addictive behavior to go hard after beneficial pursuits (such as studying the bible and working out).

• That spending way too much time on social media does not and will never do my soul any good. 1-2 hours a day is all I need before scrolling and getting updates become too toxic for me.
• That purposefully NOT owning a television is one of the best life decisions I've ever made. Living life without being immersed in pop culture and mainstream media has done wonders to my mental and emotional health.
• That as much as this breaks my heart to admit, I am still not ready to be a cat mom (financially and spatially). :(
• That the way I see men now are as BROTHERS, not potential prospects to date or to fulfill my lustful desires. They're human beings, not emotional messiahs who I can use for attention whenever I'm bored or lonely.
• That I never ever have to emphasize or amplify a certain part of my personality to make myself attractive to someone I like. Heck, I don't really ever have to do anything but be myself (and maybe pray. LOL).
• That one of my heart's deepest desires is to be a wife and a stay-at-home mother someday. 
• That as long as I'm in this body, I am a wretched woman, and the fact that I have been given yet another year to live shows me how merciful and graceful God truly is.
• That no matter how many times I rebel, stumble, and fall, the truth of the matter is, I HAVE BEEN REDEEMED BY THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST, and nothing I do in this lifetime can ever change that.
• That I really, truly, and firmly believe that the Bible is THE TRUTH, no matter how many "intellectuals", atheists, and non-believers laugh at this.
• That I the only book I really need to finish and study in my life is the Bible.
• That I can rest and trust in God's plan for my life. There are times when I hinge my worth on my accomplishments, but God's definition of success is different. All I need to do is obey Him.
• That choosing to live for Jesus will cost more that I'd expect, but it would also be worth more than I had ever imagined.
• That even if my past is full of cringe-fest moments that make me want to peel my skin off sometimes, ultimately they just magnify God's grace and love in my life, and His promise that He has plans, and that what the enemy meant for evil, He can use for the good. ➕