Now, let's talk ages. My oldest brother is 31, the second one is 29, then comes my sister at 25, and the next is 24. This age gap is the reason they tend to baby me a bit too much, and honestly, I don't like it. 

So, here's the scoop on me - I was an accident. My mommy and daddy were already on the older side when I came into the picture. Only Mommy and I were left in the house when I was still a kid. Sometimes, visitors would drop by on Saturdays to check on my mom and dad. Every time, without fail, they'd ask me, "Asa imong lola Fe or asa imong lolo Ernin langga?" And, of course, I'd just laugh and answer like it was the most normal thing in the world. 

Fast forward to the present, and here I am, a "tita" to relatives who are older than me. On my dad's side, where there are a dozen siblings, it's a bit of a puzzle. We just exchange awkward smiles every time we see each other. Who's a cousin, who's a pamangkin, who's the tita? It's like a family guessing game, and I’m just playing along with the mystery.

─ -ˋ °. • ⚘ •. ° ˊ- ─

At first, I thought, "Okay, I'll just represent Davao Region, and that's my victory right there." I knew I was up against tough competition, especially being the only junior among seniors. Unsurprisingly, I didn't clinch a spot in the top 3. But you know what? I'm still incredibly grateful for the opportunities that came my way during that experience. It was a game-changer for me, and hey, in Panabo, we believe: "Basta Panabo, Panalo!"

My makeup journey began with just a Fit Me concealer and a Pink Flash lippie, but oh boy, did it escalate quickly. Now, I've amassed quite a collection of makeup goodies. It's safe to say, I'm hooked!

I'll admit, during the defense, I was in shock. Just one super short question? I was on the verge of tears, thinking, "Is this it? Am I about to lose?" But lo and behold, when they announced the top 5, I found my name on the list. Cue the happy dance! 

Now, here's where it gets interesting. During the awarding ceremony, I decided to follow some pamahiin. You know, tapping my feet on the ground before entering, wearing a red panty, sliding a 5-peso coin into my shoe, and refusing to step foot in the CR. Call me superstitious, but hey, it worked!

Guess what? I snagged the biggest awards - Best Research Paper and Best Presenter for the individual category. It's funny how I used to think research competitions were this exclusive, high-stakes thing, but looking back, I realize maybe I had a bit of beginner's luck on my side. Always keeping that memory as my lucky charm!🦋🧿

On a not-so-fun note, I've had my fair share of visits to the hospital because of UTIs. Yep, multiple times. Oops! 😅 Gotta watch out for those tempting treats, right? Health first, they say! 😇✨

Cue the tearful days and even crying during the practice for our graduation. The teachers had heart-to-heart talks with me, and eventually, we decided it was time for a change. My family was all in for switching schools; my friends were sad about the bullying and encouraged me to consider Ateneo. Enter my money-conscious side - lots of pondering and rethinking. My brother, always nudging me, offered to help, so I applied, albeit a bit late, for the GIA scholarship. Feeling desperate to lighten my family's load, I threw in an application for the top 500 scholarships.

Since Ateneo only accepts the top 8 students and I ranked 9th, I felt desperate for the scholarship at Ateneo. To my surprise and relief, Ateneo emailed me as a reserve because many didn't pursue Ateneo. Grateful doesn't even begin to cover it. Then, another email came in - the Batch '67 scholarship. Pure joy! Here's a little quote to sum it up: “You must be the change you wish to see in the world. - Mahatma Gandhi.”

But here's the plot twist: Yep, now I'm the assistant finance officer of the Ateneo Young Scientist Club. And soon to be the Finance Head Officer. Woohoo! (๑>؂•̀๑)

But, oh boy, the plot twist! The day before our grand performance, our class moderator, Sir Ghen Sobrevega, supported us he brought with him not one, not two, but FOUR boxes of big pizzas and some drinks! 🍕🎉

The next day, we squeezed in a bit more practice and tackled the last 4 minutes just moments before the actual presentation. No pressure, right? And guess who ended up at the very front? Yours truly! I remember thinking, "It's okay if we don't win; we had a blast, right?" The nerves were real, but the important thing was having fun. Lo and behold, not only did we have a blast, but we also snagged the title of CHAMPION! 🏆 Can you believe it? And to top it off, we got a perfect grade for PT.

Lesson learned: Sometimes, last-minute pizza miracles can lead to victory on the dance floor! 🍕💃JOKE kapoy masyado mag cram :((

Despite sitting far away due to last-minute ticket purchases, the energy and camaraderie of the crowd made it an unforgettable experience. There was this funny moment when we jumped during the concert, causing a brief pause as the wooden floor beneath us felt like it couldn't handle our excitement. We were scared. Oops!

Attending their concert on a Sunday and taking my first exam at Ateneo on Monday made for a memorable, albeit slightly stressful, start to the week. Ah, the adventures of a fangirl!

(づ๑•ᴗ•๑)づ♡

██╔══██╗██╔════╝██╔════╝██║ ██╔════╝██╔════╝╚══██╔══╝██║██╔═══██╗████╗ ██║

██████╔╝█████╗ █████╗ ██║ █████╗ ██║ ██║ ██║██║ ██║██╔██╗ ██║

██╔══██╗██╔══╝ ██╔══╝ ██║ ██╔══╝ ██║ ██║ ██║██║ ██║██║╚██╗██║

██║ ██║███████╗██║ ███████╗███████╗╚██████╗ ██║ ██║╚██████╔╝██║ ╚████║

╚═╝ ╚═╝╚══════╝╚═╝ ╚══════╝╚══════╝ ╚═════╝ ╚═╝ ╚═╝ ╚═════╝ ╚═╝ ╚═══╝