I have been wanting to ask everyone about this for a very long time, and I am always pondering with profound thoughts…My philosophy in life.

I am in my early 20’s and I seem to think about myself, my experience, surroundings, my feelings, the people, and the world. And then I think about what I do, what I think, and how I behave every day which are the codes that I have been taught, created, and live by.

My interpretations of how to live a GOOD LIFE:

1) Live and cherish every moment
2) To give love every where you go
3) Help others even in small ways
4) Create and produce something for humanity and for the world
5) To travel and experience new surroundings, culture, and people
6) Learn, keep learning, but use knowledge as a tool to understand and be open-minded
7) Stay humble. To learn how to let go of anger and stay content
8) Acknowledge people and learn from them
9) Stay true to oneself

1) Live and cherish every moment- What I meant by this is to cherish and live that moment. A specific moment, and feel that exact time, and date. And feel the emotions, the environment, and the people you are with. And realize, just being there.. feels good.. As if you had no knowledge of time. I do this a lot and I still remember a lot of the good memories I had by just living the moment…”Vivre du moment.” Sometimes, I stress out because I think too much about my future and my past..then I tell myself.. its okay.. Live the moment right now because you will never experience this moment again. Each moment is unique and different.

2) “To give love every where you go.” At one time, I was in love with this Dutch young man abroad, who had told me this, but the funny thing was…I was already doing this..giving love in small doses. And then he told me this at one point when we were sitting, laughing, and a little bit toxicated from drinking. I smiled.. and always remembered that. I live till this day, to remember to share a little love every where I go whether it’s just feeling what I am feeling, or embracing new experiences, or getting to know a stranger, or saying hello, or helping someone out by opening a door, or petting a cat, or water plants, or picking up a fresh tomato at the market. To give and release that feeling of love to Living and non-living things makes me feel at ease. To give love, is a special thing… and maybe I will fall in love again when the right time comes along. (To the opposite sex that is)

3) Help out others in small ways- This goes with code #2, As part Filipino,(I am Asian American/ Japanese and Filipino) I learned how to help out others from my culture. Filipinos are very hospitable and a lot of Filipinos work in the hospitality, and health care industry. And.. from my mother, who takes care of elders. I learned that from her. I am also an active volunteer, and I have been volunteering since high school and college. On top of that, I enjoy it, interacting with children, or the elders, or volunteering for an event to interact with strangers is truly rewarding. This influenced me to go for a career that is rewarding. My dream is to work for an international relief organization or work in a US development organization. I have yet to hear back from grad schools, and hopefully earn an MPH degree to work in Public Health.. and I chose to live by this to keep me going for my dream career. I am patiently waiting and letting chance give favorable possibilities.

4) Create and produce something for humanity and for the world- I think of this for my love for art. I have been painting for a while, and long enough that I have considered myself as an artist.(Especially, studying abroad in Amsterdam, one of the most creative cities in the world) A lot of the times, I meet people, and get so inspired that I would give my art to them, or just simply be inspired by people. As an artist, I feel the need to produce art, whether it’s painting or photography, or cooking a simple meal. My creative mind keeps me going… and art is something that resonates with me because if I can’t create, then I don’t feel human. Art…keeps me sane, to ease me from going insane. To have the ability to express myself, and release my imaginations. I believe that creations are something to share to the world.

5) To travel and experience new surroundings, culture, and people- I have traveled 18 countries, and every experience was different. I love it, and I would like to keep doing it as long as I live. And learn a whole lot of things, culture, and people. The ugly and the beauty, to feel the environment, listen to the music, and all sorts of language and dialects. Eat and learn the different types of food and cuisines. Observe people’s behaviors. And…learn about myself, and get inspired (artist way of thinking) and take photographs.

6) Learn, keep learning, but use knowledge as a tool to understand and be open-minded- I have always been very curious, and curiosity kills the cat. What I mean by this.. curiosity leads to trouble, mistakes, and learning from that. On another thought,I value the power of knowledge. I always want to learn whether its reading the news, or reading a book, searching things on GOOGLE, traveling, learning about people and their feelings and behaviors, learning about politics and economics, learning vocabulary, improving my skills in art, or enhancing french and Spanish. Those are the things that keep me a float…and motivates me to pursue a degree in Public Health. As My professor, who is now my good friend once said..”Keep learning, read books that you have been wanting to read because when you enter into a stable profession or graduate school, those will keep you from that.”

7) Stay humble. To learn how to let go of anger and stay content- I pray, I meditate, I believe in a Higher Power. And… such as life, can get you. I was very angry and very tempered for a very long time. Now…I take a step back and say..I gotta stay humble so I can remember how to feel content, at ease, and at peace. It oscillates to anger, sadness, laughter, happiness, and contentment. It is something I am still working on. This is human nature, and feelings are natural.

8) Acknowledge people and learn from them- This goes along with the other codes.

9) Stay True to Myself- We live in a world that constantly changes. And, I can also change as I grow older and through life experiences. The most important thing is to stay true to myself, and understand who I am. To grasp my eccentric self, and learn how to manage my active mind and energy. And too never let anyone break that away from me. To always stay humble. (code 7)

Lastly, sharing one of my favorite quotes…

“Life is the Flower for which Love is the Honey.” -Victor Hugo

These are a few of the things that I have carried over..I hope it was not too lengthily for you to read. I would like to hear about yours? Short or long, a few words or a lot of words. Please share me your philosophy in life and Love. I would like to hear your experiences.