#turning40others

[2024and40]

Reposting this because I feel like it captures the theme of this personal project. This could be a pivot year. Or at least a reminder of the kind of life I’ve wished and continue to work hard for. Yung saktong relaxed lang huwag masyadong maligalig at madaming kaganapan lol

Thank you for the beautiful words, @briannawiest ❤️

[2024and40]

Been thinking about how I can really celebrate life with this project. I don’t want it to be just a supercut (in the words of the singer @lorde). I really hope to capture the messy, the imperfect, the unfiltered and everything that makes life truly rich and beautiful.

I’d like to honor my family, my friends, my workmates, my dogs, my books, my movies, my food, the routines I’ve kept, the trying moments, the small victories and all the joys that has sneaked in from the interstices. Because that has been what life is for me and I feel blessed.

Hoping to figure things out and post more in the coming days/weeks. 💕🙏

[2024and40]

My final 40 things list.

It started as a laundry list of ideas though. I found people who were doing the same thing and I was inspired by some of the things they included on their list. Some were very specific to their particular context and geographical location so I chose the ones which are more generic and which I could relate to and then eventually filtered the list to 40 items.

The initial list is below if you're interested.

[2024and40]

This year I’m turning 40 and I’m celebrating with this little personal project: I am going to document the year.

When people think of 40, they think "old". I don’t know if I feel old. I remembering turning 30 and feeling very anxious. I felt extremely pressured about my life. I kept comparing myself to others and every single time, I ended up feeling very small. Like I haven't accomplished much, I haven't done enough, and there's nothing to show for my life. Surprisingly, this time, turning 40, I don’t feel that way. Maybe I am suppressing all those negative feelings? That's my fear. But maybe the years have also calmed me? For some reason, I feel much lighter now. I might still be less compared to many people. But I think I'm in a good place. And most days, I really like my life.

So I'm taking this year as an opportunity to reflect on the years that passed, the experiences I’ve had, the people I have met along the way, how the things I like, believe in, and value have changed over time, and maybe somehow figure out what kind of person I was then, what I am now, and how maybe I can become a better version of myself in the future.  

[2024and40]

How has it been 10 years already? Where does time go?