For my birthday this year on June 22, I am going to buy the ingredients for either pancit or carbonara for orphans, and my mom, the master chef, is going to cook the dishes. I also plan to bring hygiene kits to the orphanage, such as electric toothbrushes, simple toothbrushes, toothpaste, facial foam wash, and other essentials. I estimate that my total birthday expenses will be around ₱2,000.00, which is fair for someone who is always on a budget.

I continue to pray for everyone. I often say, “God bless,” to people because it is one of the most important parts of my day.

It was actually my mom who suggested that I do something special for my birthday and share my blessings with orphans to celebrate the occasion. I already have the best birthday gift of all: time with my family, including our cats, who are family too, and the simple luxuries in my life, such as receiving parcels from my favorite online shopping apps.

I often reflect on a question asked by a character in the book The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho: “Why ask more out of life?” I believe that life is 1 percent what happens to us, since everyone experiences both good and bad times. Most of the time, we truly have to take the good with the bad, and the bad with the good, to see the bigger picture of life.

I also reflect on and apply something an online friend once told me. It is not necessarily knowledge that is most important, but wisdom, especially in this age of the information highway.

I am almost closing my 20s and entering a new chapter of my life: my 30s. I am stepping into it with an optimistic, happy, and sincere heart. I always try to keep the mindset that the best has yet to come, and I choose hope, contentment, and gratitude.

I continue to pray for everyone. I often say, “God bless,” to people because it is one of the most important parts of my day.