NOTE TO SELF: STOP BEING SO AFRAID

{MDS top, H&M skirt, Michael Kors bag, Christian Louboutin pumps}

One of the things I've noticed about myself (yes, I like to introspect. a lot.) is how I have become less and less brave. I used to be fearless. I wasn't afraid of risks, making big decisions wasn't as overwhelming, and I faced conflicts head on. Along the way, I let other people's directives make me second guess my choices and question my instincts. I was primed to be cautious and just be afraid of the evil world out there. And of course, getting older means having more responsibility. While I'm not advocating recklessness and not taking advantage of other people's wisdom, if you keep ignoring your gut, eventually, its strength will fade away. Your strength will fade away too. If you keep second guessing your abilities and what you can and cannot do, you won't be able to get anything done. If you let your fears - fears that have been externally conditioned to you - stop you from even trying, how are you gonna be able to move forward? If you don't drive around Metro Manila, from Quezon City to Paranaque during rush hour, you won't be able to claim that additional amount of independence. If you don't make a decision, you will lose time and maybe even both options. If you keep ignoring the cracks, it will eventually burst and drown you become harder to fix. And aren't *those* scarier!?

"There is a tide in the affairs of men. Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune. But omitted, and the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and miseries. On such a full sea are we now afloat, and we must take the current when it serves -- or lose the ventures before us."

-William Shakespeare (as quoted by Lucas Scott)

"A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for."

-J. A. Shedd

Here's to being cliché brave and facing life head on! STOP BEING SO AFRAID!!! You are gonna make mistakes, you will fall short and you won't be able to please everyone - it's all part of being alive. Embrace life and all its possibilities. Let it happen to you and make it happen for you.

PS- Photos from last June. Oh my god, where has time gone??!!? And where has my red hair gone?! It faded nanaman. Haha! I really need a proper dye job. Maybe this weekend? YAY LONG WEEKEND!!!