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2015

And to be happy, no matter what. And to make my life genuine and not have a difference between my social media life and my real life. To welcome challenges with the belief that God has a purpose behind all of it. To trust that God knows best and to believe that God will never cause me harm. To love from my core and to be unafraid to let down my guard. Not everyone will break my heart and that it’s okay to be unguarded. 
To fully believe that life is as good as I allow it to be so might as well begin believing for the best. 

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Roaring for 2015

It’s the last Sunday of the year and as “Bianca” tradition would have it, I am listing down the most important things I learned this year. I’m grateful for the fact that this year instead of writing this on my blog, I am sharing it on a legit newspaper. So sending out my love and thanks to those who made it possible: Monica, Euden, and of course, the inspiring, Ms. Tessa. God is truly good and I hope that as you close 2014, you are also listing down things that made you happy this year.
Surround yourself with people who love you enough to tell you the truth. I used to be extremely insecure and this is the reason why I don’t welcome criticism of any sort. And while I understand that some people “hate” just to “hate”, they are genuine people who love you enough to tell you when you’re being destructive to others and yourself. Cherish the people who tell you the truth because they’re the ones who will ultimately make you a better person.
Love yourself enough to take care of yourself. For most women, myself included, the battle with our weight is never ending. However, the battle isn’t really with our scales or even our mirrors, but how we are on the inside. Winning the battle has nothing to do with winning over carbs or spending 10,000,000 hours in the gym, but in accepting who you are just as God made you to be and from there, choosing to better yourself in whatever way you see fit. You are loved, don’t ever forget that.
Welcome new people and don’t be afraid to discard friendships that make you feel bad about yourself. We’ve been told to not burn bridges, but if people are toxic or if you’re constantly trying to prove yourself to them, it’s wise to just let certain friendships and relationships go. If you’re not loved for who you are and if you have to look a certain way in order to be appreciated, then it’s best to walk away. In line with this, don’t be afraid to open up to new people. The most unlikely people bring about the best surprises.
You have a choice. It’s safe to say that 2014 brought about a lot of trials for my family and I. There was a lot of betrayal from people we trusted and loved and personally, a lot of rejection from people I’ve held in high esteem. However, these situations made me realize that life is a choice: I can choose to be angry, mad, and bitter or I can choose to find the lessons, apply them to my life, and move on without wishing them harm.
All things, whether good or bad, has a purpose. In line with the last point, this year proved that even though things are the worst they’ve ever been, there’s still something good that will come out of it. Cliché as it may sound, my darkest days (and boy I’ve had them this year) has produced in me a strength I never thought possible. God is good and never would he cause you harm, just trust Him through your dark times and you’ll see the purpose behind all of it one day.

Wishing you all a God-filled 2015 peppered with answered prayers, peace, joy, good health, and most importantly, miracles. The best is yet to come.
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Collecting Moments

The Christmas season has always held a special place in my heart for reasons unlike that of others. Christmases of my childhood were not grand celebrations. From an early age, my brother and I have known that there was no Santa and that there were years when presents did not pile up under the tree. There were no December 25thmorning traditions and gifts were given days before because they were often the clothes we would wear to Christmas day reunions.
Our unconventional holidays, however, did not take away the glimmer and whim of the season. In fact, the simplicity of how we celebrated Christmas in our younger years made it even more meaningful and significant. Because even if there were no Baby All Gone or Hot Wheel presents under the tree, my brother and I were sure of one thing: mom and dad would be there no matter what. That no matter how difficult the year may have been for my parents, they made sure that Christmas was celebrated with a certain glee in our home: table filled with our favorite food or a day filled visiting places we adore. The gifts we appreciated the most were not found in the material possessions but rather in the effort placed to make the holidays significant.
Through these simple gatherings, my younger brother and I knew from early on about the things that matter the most. However, as one grows older and ventures into the world, the meaning of the holidays can significantly change. Having your own disposable income can make you a bit materialistic in the first few years of having a job. It can make you chase after gold and glitter while discarding the gift that matters most: time.
Christmases past visited my thoughts while I spent a good part of my Sunday morning waking up my brain for something to share for my first ever Christmas article. It’s the third to the last Sunday of the year and while things should be slowing down, they’re not. Instead, moments leading up to Christmas have become increasingly busy due to the never-ending Santa list of things to do, people to see, and gifts to wrap. As I caught my first breather in a week, I have come to remember that the most significant gifts I have received have not been the most expensive. In fact, the best presents I have gotten were the simplest ones. Presents become special when you realize the effort placed by the person giving it, and there’s effort in choosing gifts, wrapping them carefully and delivering them. The mere handing over a gift is enough to make one smile.

The holidays often turn us into grinches because we’re on the edge trying to give the “best” gift while at the same time staying within budget. While these are bested with noble intentions, we often forget in the hustle and bustle that what makes the holidays significant is the time we spend with the ones we love the most. For what is the point of all things that shimmer when we couldn’t share it with the ones we love the most? So more than spending time in the mall and bazaars, spend time with the people you love. Laugh over the year that was, be grateful, collect moments, not just mementos. And as you enter into the chaotic final stretch of the Christmas rush, I wish you moments that will make you smile in the years to come: moments of laughter, joy, peace, and most importantly, love. 
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Daydreaming with the Daykeeper

It’s that time of the year when the weather is a bit cooler, when Michael Buble is played endlessly on the loop, and when strangers next to you in line at your favorite coffee shop asks, “Are you going to use that sticker?”
Ah yes, you know that the Christmas season has begun when you see people from all walks of life carrying around their sticker cards with a look that can only be described as “extremely caffeinated” in jam packed coffee shops. And the craze is quite understandable especially for coffee lovers like myself, I mean hello, you get a nice, shiny notebook to tote around while enjoying coffee? Sign me up please.
The traditional coffee planners were more than enough to jot down meeting notes, endless to-dos, and maybe a quick quote or two but the old soul in me longed for the diary I’ve kept in my younger years. And while some people would be quick to say that this is an outdated tradition, there’s still something different about holding a pen in your hand and seeing your thoughts transform into paper.
This is the reason why I’m grateful to have stumbled upon The Daykeeper. If you’re wondering what it is, The Daykeeper is yes, a datebook where you can stuff your to-dos and appointments but what sets it apart are the photos and blank pages inside that inspire you to see life beyond your checklist.
The Daykeeper is the brainchild of 24-year-old Katrina San Juan, a simple country girl from the south who is quickly making a name for herself not just for her one-of-a kind datebook but also because of her photography skills. Katrina’s love for life and passion for Jesus comes to life in The Daykeeper.
She says, “It’s designed to make you see your life for the grand adventure that it really is, to remind us to make our individual and unique stories count for the good. We lose a lot of things in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, but the little things that make up most of our days, the magical moments that are disguised as mundane, are the moments that shape our lives. The Daykeeper is a journal that hopes to make us more aware of these moments and more intentional about being grateful.”
Its photographs are meant to inspire people to look beyond the busyness of everyday and to simply enjoy the beautiful world God has created for all of us to enjoy.
It is this kind of optimism that makes The Daykeeper different among the rest. I don’t know about you, but welcoming a new year can be quite nerve wracking, but Kat, through the photographs of her travels and verses tucked away in the datebook / journal reminds you that 2015 could truly be your best year ever.
In a world that is uncertain, we need to constantly be reminded of the good that is in the world and that is what Kat hopes The Daykeeper will be for those who purchase it, “It really is intended to foster a spirit of love and gratitude for the lives we live. We are sometimes overwhelmed by our daily troubles and momentarily concerns, but if you actually sit down and take time to count your blessings, you’ll see there is so much beauty, adventure, love in our day to day lives- all we need is a thankful heart, grace and a fresh perspective.”
**

For more about The Daykeeper, please visit www.facebook.com/thedaykeepernotebook. For more on the author, please visit her blog www.carlabiancaravanes.blogspot.com.
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Goodbye and Hello

Less than two hours to go before we enter into 2015 and I would just like to spend time with blog (we’re turning ten next year!!) and just let the whole world know that God has been faithful and has been truly good. At church earlier Sister Shoddy said that even if 2014 was a hard year, God’s goodness still shined through and I believe that is the most important lesson I learned this year.

No matter what I achieved, what I lost, or what prayer wasn’t answered, none of that matters because true satisfaction is found in Jesus. That while I thank Him for blessing me and my family in more ways that I have ever dreamed of or imagined, none of that will make a dent unless I put Jesus first. With Jesus, I truly have everything.

It’s amazing to me as well at how gracious God has been and that while there are people who are no longer in my life, my life is filled with the ones I wouldn’t replace with anyone else. Truly, our God is good and He knows what’s best. My heart is filled and excited because I know that when the clock strikes 12, God’s blessings will overflow in tremendous ways.

Welcome 2015 with grand expectation that the best is yet to come.

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Christmas 2014

Happy Christmas morning, everyone!! 🎄

Every year, I fervently pray for God to bless me with more than I could ever ask for, hope for, think, or imagine. For quite sometime, I’ve always thought that the something more was to be manifested in my external circumstances. 
This year, however, in the midst of yet again another season of unanswered prayer, I found myself discovering the real answer to my prayers. 
By losing everything I thought I wanted and at the same time, also getting everything I once prayed for (it’s a bit tricky but work with me here), I have come to understand that no matter what I do or don’t have, none of that would matter without Jesus.

I could have the thing I want the most but the only One who brings me wholeness, peace, and joy is Jesus. And while I do look forward to the life of my dreams that made possible by Him, I do know the treasure that matters the most. And with that truth comes the answer to my long standing petition for Jesus is more than I could ask for, think of, or imagine. 
And in Him, I am complete.

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The Two Mentors of Christmas

Almost every successful person has this advice for any straight out of college student, “surround yourself with people smarter than you are”. 

I have been blessed to meet two of my life’s greatest mentors in the person of Yay Olmedo and Grace Chong. I have been writing my entire life but learned about the discipline and structure of writing when I had them both as my professors. To this day, I still message them from time to time when it comes to making sure that my work is acceptable. 
The student in me would constantly ask, “Would Ms. Yay and Ms. Chong approve?” 
I believe I wouldn’t be half the writer or even half the person I am if I wasn’t mentored by the both of them. They have taught me lessons not just about my profession but life as well.
They’re both inspiring individuals who gladly share their knowledge to others through the books they pen, the most recent of which: Now That You’re Boss by Ms. Yay and Grace at Work by Ms. Grace. Both books are available at my favorite bookstore, OMF Literature. 
That piece of advice is true listen to people smarter than you are because they are the ones who truly change your life for the better. 

Thank you Ms. Yay and Ms. Chong for all you have invested in my life. May you continue to be blessed.
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Hello. 12/22/2013

My most favorite part in meeting someone new is the exhilaration you feel the moment you shake hands. 

The first hello is one of the things you take with you, that mystical moment when you feel that maybe this time, it will be what I have always hoped it to be. 
Tomorrow, it will be exactly one year since I’ve felt that way. And in as much as I would like to tell you that I finally got a hello that turned into a forever, I got quite the opposite.
It has been, to say at the very least, a very exhaustive year. And as I write this in church, I couldn’t help but to be honest with you, this year tested my faith and all the things I believed in since I was a child and made me wonder if all of this was for nothing.

I look back to this weekend a year ago and couldn’t help but feel a bit sad for my then 25 year old self. She was so excited, so full of hope. 
Fast forward to a year later and all I have are memories and a despondent feeling that dwindles between sadness and relief. 
Again, it has been a crazy year. 

But as I sit in church and silently weep over what has transpired in the past year, I couldn’t help but feel grateful. 
Ironically, it was that unanswered prayer a year ago that changed my life’s perspective changed drastically. It was what gave me a deeper understanding of who Jesus is and how powerful His love is, most especially on days when I am so angry at Him I can’t even breathe a prayer. Today, the walls came tumbling down and I faced what I tried to run away from all year: my own disappointment with God. 
I know deep in my heart that the answered prayers outweigh that huge unanswered one but as a human being, I can’t help but cry a bit. 
Yet, in all of this, I remain amazed at the true power of God’s love. That despite my questions, my disappointment, and my stubbornness, He has remained the same, my Abba who wants to give me His absolute best. 
And I rest, for the first time in a year, I rest. Because now I know that even if I don’t get the thing I want most, I will be okay because I have in my heart the One who matters most: Jesus. 
And one day, I will look back and say, He truly knew better than me and all of this will seem trivial. 
Until then I keep looking forward to hellos because one day, it will finally be the hello meant for me. 
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Girl Online Made Possible By WiFi Nation

It is safe to say that I am online 24/7. I’m not even kidding you when I say that sometimes I stare blankly at Instagram wondering what people have been doing since my last Instagram follow-ee (not a word, I suppose) posted a photo.

While I may argue that I stay updated for work (which is true 80% of the time), I simply stay connected for one simple reason: I like knowing what’s up with people I care about (or you know, Ansel Elgort).  This may also be because I came from a time when internet access wasn’t freely given or evenly distributed. In high school, we had a really bad prepaid modem that took forever to connect so I relied solely on Netopia to be able to connect to reliable internet and check if my crush finally wrote me a testimonial on Friendster. In ways teenagers these days won’t be able to relate to, I agonized and hoped for the day to have free internet at my disposal 24/7.

Ten years later, the dream is finally coming true. However, not everyone in the country has the privilege to experience this (believe it or not, mobile data can still be quite expensive), and we’ve all been part of that population of users at least once or twice. You know the feeling when you have to connect to the internet because your boss is looking for you or you have that paper to submit or you simply want to hail a cab hassle free. This is the reason why we constantly hope and pray that the establishments nearest us would finally foster a free wifi environment. However, for reasons unknown to once upon a time internet leechers like me, a large percentage of public places are still (gasp!) wifi free.

So I was doubly surprised when one of my favorite people in the entire world (hello roz, the girl with the red glow) introduced me to WiFi Nation. It’s basically everything we’ve dreamed of, to have a nation that’s WiFi capable, but only it’s better because establishments (all kinds, imagine that, from restaurants to hotels and what not) get the chance to not just serve their customers but share as well through the very tough ball currency called the internet.

I’m not a technical person at all and rarely see the world in technical black and white so defining terms can be quite difficult. To describe WiFi Nation in the most simplistic way is this: you get to have free WiFi at their partner establishments courtesy of the establishment that they have partnered with. WiFi Nation is basically on a mission (yes, my rhyming game is still on point!) to have the entire country (or Metro Manila, for now) to be online 24/7 by encouraging businesses to share just a part of their WiFi with their Consumers.

I couldn’t help it so I tried it myself:

So now that I’ve connected with WiFi Nation through the ever reliable Facebook, I no longer have to spend the first ten minutes in a establishment looking for a connection simply because all the hotspots are already made available to me. Now, isn’t that one less thing we have to think about?

I know I know what people say about things being too good to be true, but believe me when I say that while WiFi Nation is indeed to good to be true, you have nothing to fear because just unlike most things and people in our lives, it doesn’t come with any hidden strings or agenda, it’s just there to serve and make all Instagram stalkers like me happy.

Buti ka pa, WiFi Nation, maasahan unlike some people I know, alas, that’s for another blog entry all together.

PS: Don’t forget to download the app now available on Google Playstore and soon to follow on the Apple App Store.

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I’ve always prided myself as the girl who at least tries to do it all. I’ve always wanted to become my own version of superwoman – the girl who works eight to nine hours a day, goes to the gym for three while maintaining vital relationships and staying updated on the current trends. This on top of making sure that I have my eight hours of sleep a night.

In a weird way, I absolutely like getting things done – whether at work or in my personal life. It’s safe to say that I can be quite ‘controlling’ and like scheduling every single moment of my everyday to squeeze in everything that I have to do. But you know what they say about working too hard and not having enough down time to just relax. Basically today, my throat (though not as painful as yesterday) is not at its best (meaning I can’t eat all the sweets I want) and my body is crying for me to rest! 

You see my body’s been telling me this for quite sometime now but I’ve been arrogantly ignoring it saying I have all the vitamins in the world to sustain me while at the same time also arguing that there’s just not enough time for that.

Well today, I realized that I am not superwoman and never will be. I’ve been spreading myself too thin and not investing on what or rather who matters most – Jesus. Because of my busy hours I haven’t been spending enough time soaked in the truth of who He is and it became a downward spiral from there.

So today, aside from resting my physical body, I am also resting my soul because at the end of the day, my favorite verse comes to mind, what do you benefit if you gain the world but lose your soul?

So signing off to laze in bed and just be.