How is everyone? It’s been a while since my last blog post and my last version of Life Lately. So, this is the update that no one asked for. (lol)

There are lots of things that have happened since last year. We experienced a pandemic and lockdown which until now, everything is not yet back to normal. There are still some restrictions, minimal movements, and wearing a mask is still mandatory. But despite what happened or what is happening, we can still cope up, right? We can still be able to pay our bills, we still have the chance to travel if we follow safety protocols, and we can still find happiness amidst the global pandemic.

A lot of changes take place, people come and go, friends and colleagues saying goodbyes. But that’s how life rolls. All we must do is to keep moving forward and carry on. There are ups and downs, twists and turns, heart-breaking moments, failures, but there are also small wins that deserve to be celebrated.

Here are the highlights of my 2021 so far.

My best friend got married. My best friend for a lifetime already got married last January 10,2021. We have been best friends since high school. I have seen her heart broken and I have seen her cry as well for so many times but she’s still able to open her heart and to love again. She is so dear to me so I am beyond happy that finally she found his partner that she can share her life with. I wish the best of marriage life for them. And I know that although she is already married, nothing will change between us. Besties for life!

Happy Endings. Just like what I shared in my last blog post, Happy Endings I have already resigned to TeleTech which has been my home for the last 7 years. TeleTech is the first and last BPO company that I’ve been with. This company enhanced both my professional and personal skills that I can use in my future endeavors. I also met a lot of people in this company whom I became good friends with and still part of my life up until now and with that I am forever grateful.

New Beginnings. It is always a good feeling to start anew. I read a quote before saying to not afraid to begin again since we are not going to start from scratch, this time we are going to start from experience. And I couldn’t agree more on that. Since I resigned from my previous company, I decided to try being a virtual assistant. Several of my friends are already into it and because of the pandemic as well, it is much safer to work in the comfort of our own homes. I will miss the office life but who wouldn’t want to binge-watch Netflix on the side while working? I started to send my applications online, take assessments here and there, attended so many zoom interviews, got rejected on some, and luckily, got hired last April. I am working on two clients right now and both are for part-time positions. I am still learning how to do well in this new job of mine and I am also getting new skills to get more clients. Hustle hard and do more!

“Never underestimate the power you have to take your life in a new direction.”

― Germany Kent

Living on my Own. Since I started my home-based job, the internet is the basic requirement for that. We don’t have any internet connection in my parent’s house where I currently live since the area is not serviceable yet. At the start of the pandemic, we rented an apartment together with my cousin because of the lockdown. It is so hard to travel from one place to another given that there are a lot of restrictions before. Things happened; the mom of my cousin’s boyfriend also moved in with us, so the place got a little bit crowded. I need a place that is more comfortable because of the nature of my new job, so I moved out. I looked for a place of my own and I found one. I would say that I am living quite independently now, paying my bills and rent but still trying to figure out life.

Tattoos. Mid-2020 and early 2021, I got my tattoos- three in total. My tattoos are on both arms, two baybayin, and one sunflower. Some people asked me why I got a tattoo. HAHA There is no particular reason, I just want to have one (well, in fact, three LOL) Getting a tattoo is painful, and of course, you have to think about what kind of tattoo you would like so there will be no regrets at all. The original plan was that I wanted my first tattoo to be done by Apo Whang-Od but then lockdown happened so, when my team leader got a tattoo, I decided to get one as well. And no, I am not planning to have another set of tattoos, not at this time at least. Hehe

Podcast for my Blog. I just discovered recently here in WordPress that you can create a podcast for your blog posts. There is an option to automatically convert the blog post into audio or you can also record that yourself. I created an account under Anchor for my podcast and it is also available on 5 platforms -Breaker, Google Podcast, Pocket Casts, Radio Public, and of course, Spotify. You can always find all the links of my podcast on my Anchor profile, at anchor.fm/flory-anne-catamora. 

One Piece. I got hooked to K-Drama before, binge- watch American series on Netflix and now I started to love watching Anime. I am currently into One Piece, the Straw Hat Crew- Luffy and his gang. I love the storyline and the characters. Some episodes brought me to tears like the Ennies Lobby Arc, the appearance of Going Merry again, and Fire Fist Ace death. My heart got broken into a million pieces in these episodes.

I guess these are all the happenings in my life so far that are worth sharing. We are already halfway through 2021, and I believe that there will be a lot going on. Be it failures, challenges, victories, and everything in between, always find the courage to go on and face life with positivity. May you find happiness in everything that you do. Roads may be a little bumpy sometimes, but I know that in God’s grace and in God’s perfect time, we can achieve what we aim for. For now, enjoy the journey and the people that you will meet along the way. Be happy and live in the moment -it is all that matters.

How is life for you? Share your thoughts!