Let’s go back to January 2025. You were full of hope that this year would finally be your year. You planned everything. You would save more. You would travel. You would finally hit the gym and get in shape. You would go on a diet, lose weight, and be more productive. And then—boom—life had other plans. Reality hit. There will always be things that are out of your control.

The very big news that started my year was losing my job. I lost the job that covered my tuition. I lost the job that was paying for my daily needs. My insurance. My bills. It didn’t hit me right away. Truth be told, I wasn’t that scared at that time; maybe it was because of stoicism, or simply, it hadn’t hit me yet. My employer told me that I’ll be receiving 3 months’ severance pay. Thank God. And also, my older brother reassured me that he’ll cover my tuition fee for that semester and even my insurance. Good, I still have time to find a job or start a business. But reality hit me again, juggling a very demanding program and finding a job really wasn’t that easy. Most especially if you have to travel for more than an hour to school and back home. Add more hours if the traffic is heavy. Or there’s a zombie apocalypse-like scene at the place where you’ll wait to ride a jeepney. Public transportation here in the Philippines isn’t a walk in the park. It will always feel like a daily grind. It was only in June that I finally got a job after endless searching online. I got a role as a content writer. And I thought I wouldn’t be able to enrol for our summer class. But I still did.

Things are working out great, not until our final exam when my boyfriend(ex now) and I had a huge fight over infidelity(girls’ instinct always never fails). Imagine taking a very important exam for Biochem, yes, Biochem. Not a piece of cake subject. Sleep-deprived. Swollen eyes from non-stop crying. Wrecked would be an understatement. Despite that, I still got a high score from both our final lecture and lab exams.

Fast forward to August, a week before my birthday, and all my suspicions were confirmed. I was right all along. I wasn’t just overthinking. My boyfriend really cheated on me. Imagine being betrayed by the person you trusted the most. It felt like a stab. I couldn’t focus on both my job and my studies. But I still chose to wake up each day, attend my classes, and do my job. Could this year get any better?

And yet, opportunities came. A schoolmate invited me to run with them for our department council. I ran for the position of Business Manager. Despite being new, and despite telling myself to stay out of sight, I faced that fear and confidently introduced myself in front of all the dentistry students in our school. I won. We all won as a party list. Looking back, I realized that while I lost the person I once thought I would marry someday, I gained people I never expected to grow so close to my heart.

Now, this year is about to conclude. So many things happened that I still can’t bring myself to share with my readers just yet. Silent battles. Worries. Small wins. From the perspective of a believer, God truly does not give you obstacles you cannot overcome. Indeed, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Despite everything, I haven’t given myself enough credit for making it this far. To myself — I’m sorry, and thank you.