Miss Chinatown Diary Entry No.2: Homecoming Queen

The first stop right after my coronation is of course, to bring back honor to my Alma matter where I practically grew up in, Makati Hope Christian School. Before the coronation, I visited my school where my former teachers gathered up to pray for me and they have given me unwavering support ever since and until this day. Growing up in Makati Hope, I felt really lucky because of the teachers whom we have grown really close to and how they see what’s so special in each of us and they create an opportunity to hone that uniqueness and help us find opportunities where we could shine and become the men and women we were meant to be.

And of course, I got to make a short tour around the school where I got a stampede of kids as my welcoming committee where my cousin (the little girl I'm carrying) is one of them. A little girl even went up to me and said, "Youre so beautiful!" then gave me a kiss on the cheek! Such precious moments. :)

Another amazing thing about being Miss Chinatown is how my grandparents accompany me to these events and I get to meet their old friends from way back when. And along with their encounters, they enumerate the legacy of my grandfather so I get to relive their accomplishments and in turn be proud to be their granddaughter as well :)

Writing my homecoming speech, I asked myself: "What advice would you give your 16 year-old self?", since I would be speaking to the high school students, and I came up with the following:

1. Find yourself and do it on purpose Find your 'thing' that will make you feel like a more complete person. This could be a sport, theater acting, hiking and being in touch with nature, photography, maybe bits of everything! You could start by making a "bucket list" of these things and really set a date for it cause you really need to make it happen! Do not be afraid to try all of it so that even if it's not for you, at least you are sure that it really isn't your 'thing' and you could move on and look for the next thing. 2. Love can wait. Spend this time to find yourself for this time is crucial. Instead focusing on getting the attention of that one boy, fill yourself up with activities and extracurriculars that would help you get to know yourself more. Join study tours (I honestly regret not signing up for China study tours when I was in high school), sign up for summer workshops or become a church volunteer! his is the best time to focus on yourself and widen your circle of friends. Stretch yourself and build on your confidence and self-esteem by doing things you won't usually do. Put yourself out there!

3. Be yourself Seriously? You're the best at being yourself. And you are a completely unique creature because of the stories you can tell about everything you went through in your life! From your saddest moments when you didn't even want to wake up, to your shining moments when you felt most beautiful.

You are your own brand. So figure out your brand (suggestions cited on item no.2 Love can wait) and build on that brand. To find yourself, you need to do it on purpose.

4. Life's biggest decisions will not have a clear answer.

Pray. "For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11, this verse from the Bible basically got me through everything I'm facing in life.

5. Listen to your parents. They literally have "Been there, done that". And when we don't listen to our parents, they give us the best advice anyway that help us get back up. At 16, we want a lot of things and at the same time we don't really know what we want all we know is we want a lot (if you know what I mean). So my parents have always been there for me to help me put things in order and figure out what I really want. They'll even throw in free pieces of advice. That's why I constantly open up and talk to my parents becasuse they're basically masters of life (okay I went a little over-the-top so I could score daughter points haha).