thank you for the inspiration. ♥

this month, "the diary of a supergirl wannabe" turns seven years old!!!! seven years!!!! wow. how time flies. i would like to take this chance to thank every single one of you. thank you! never would i have thought that my thoughts would be of interest to anyone, but with your comments, it really makes me feel like we all have something to learn from each other! we all blog because its our outlet. we read each other's blogs to give us inspiration. a lot of you readers thank me for inspiring you, but really, its me who must thank you for the inspiration.

as promised in a previous post, i would like to celebrate my blog's anniversary by posting your stories. i asked you about one major event in your life that forced you to grow up. that taught you a valuable life lesson. i must say i was in tears reading all your stories. in tears, i'm not kidding! i learned so, so, so many things from all of you. thank you for opening up. it means a lot to me, and will mean a lot to those who will read your stories.

going through all of your posts, i realized one very important fact of life. you are not alone. you may be going through something very difficult now. you may be hurting. you may be thinking how the hell will you get through this. i will say it again. you are not alone. whether you are going through a quarter life crisis wondering what to do with your life. whether you are going through a painful, heart-shattering break up. whether you were out of nowhere diagnosed with a sickness, or suddenly lost a loved one. whether you carry a heavy cross every single day of your life. know that you definitely are not alone.

i hope the following stories of some of my readers help inspire you.



the fresh grad.

kreyah said..


i am a fresh grad and expected to work and earn for myself. but, i'm not working right now, so the pressure is on! everyone is asking "may trabaho ka na ba?" and i was like, "wala pa".. i feel like everyone is on the rush with other peoples' lives..

i admit that after i graduated, i had a lot of plans.. i want to do this, do that, go there and there and there, have this, that and whatsoever.. it is all about "wants"..

but after a few months of break with the expectations of other people, and thinking about what life do i have right now and what life do i want to have after ten years.. everything is clear to me now.. i managed to know what i really want... not what they want me to be, but who i want to be..

i thank God and my parents for letting me, to be a part of an organization that caters for the needs of children with special needs.. in which i take care of two children with special needs for ten days without going home.. it makes me more mature and responsible as well as more sensitive with other people.. it is hard to be responsible with two person who are not related to you, but then it is fulfilling to accomplish the ten days and shared everything you have to those kids.. and the most special thing is I know in myself, that I made those two kids happy by letting them feel how it was to have a family.. to have a sister who takes care of you and look after you for at least ten days.. it was heart warming to feel their hugs and feel that they are thankful to have you even if they can’t say it directly.. I will never forget their smiles.. and because of that, i became more confident and sure of the path that i will walk through.. and that is, i want to continue volunteering and i want to become a SpEd Teacher one day.. and i'm on my second step right now to reach that goal..

i can say that i am blessed and thankful to have parents who supports me and let me have what i know what is right and good for me..



the broken heart.

cathy said...

all my life I have only one fervent wish - to have a family on my own. one that is completely different from what I had then. you see, I belong to a dysfunctional family, my father has been abusing my mother- emotionally, physically and morally for 22 years. I grew up hating him as I struggled to protect my mother and two sisters from his wrath.
despite the troubles at home, i tried hard to make my life right. I even managed to excel in class, graduating top of my class and was able to receive a scholarship to sustain my college education. I choose to do what is right even if at times I really want to rebel and give up. I did all these in the hopes that God will grant me my fervent wish.

I had my first relationship after college. he was from another religion. it came to a point that he had to choose between me and his beliefs. and he chose the latter. he asked me to convert to their religion instead. I was about to do it but in my heart I was not happy. and so, after 3 years of being a couple we call it quits. it broke my heart. I was so depressed at that time that I decided to be a bum for 6months. my dream of having a family vanished in thin air. and it hurts so badly.

I went into another relationship on the rebound. but that too was not going anywhere. I realized it was the dumbest mistake I’ve ever committed. and so after almost a year of living in the dark, I’ve decided to fight back and get out of the pit I am in. I went back to school to get my masters; got a job as a teacher and renew my relationship with God. it was then that I came across Bo Sanchez book “How to find your one true love”. That was dec.15, 2006.

fast forward to 2008, I met my husband to be. there was no initial attraction on our first meeting but from the first time I saw him I knew he is the ONE. as we get to know more about each other, I noticed he possessed all the non-negotiable qualities Bo was referring to in the book. although there was no formal courtship that took place, we just grew more into each other as time goes by. and I realized I love him more than I loved any man in my life. 

and so on February 5, 2009, I had my fervent wish granted. I said I do to the man who will make my wish a reality. as of the moment, Marlon and I are still living the kind of married life I have been working, fighting and wishing for in my life. we are so blessed that on Dec. 6, 2009 we have our early Christmas wish granted- Andre Francis.

when I broke up with my first boyfriend, I thought that all my efforts to be good were in vain. that God is not listening to my call. yet, now as I look back He was just only telling me that He is my biggest santa claus. He grants me my wish and more. I just have to believe, hold on to my faith and leave all my hopes unto His hands- He will definitely answer. And He did grant me my fervent wish.




the unexpected patient.

samantha timbreza said...


My name is Sam and I'm 20 years old. When I was 13, I was diagnosed with a disease called Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, or SLE for short. It's an auto-immune disease and what it does is you know how our white blood cells are supposed to be the soldiers of our bodies who fight and destroy unhealthy cells that may have viruses and diseases? When you have SLE, your white blood cells destroy even the healthy cells causing any of your organs (as in ANY) to malfunction or worse, fail. In my case, my kidneys were the first one affected. SLE has no known cause and no known cure (yet! I like to believe someday, there will be).

It was all so stressful and frustrating. Everytime I'd get better, there'd be hope, only to be disappointed for countless times when SLE would strike back again. Like I said, it has no known cure yet so the best you can do is "deactivate" it. It was hard physically, emotionally and spiritually. While my friends are busy thinking about the perfect dress for prom, I found myself in the dark of my room, crying my heart out, asking "Why me, God?" I got mad at Him. There was a time when I got tired of praying 'cause it felt like He wasn't even listening. I doubted not only Him but my existence in this world. Why can't I just live a normal teenage life like my friends?

Later, I don't know how but I found myself suddenly seeking for Him. It felt like my soul was so thirsty for His presence. It was a struggle, but with guidance from my parents and a few trusted relatives and friends, I got closer to God. And slowly but surely, He increased my faith. He sent a lot of instruments of grace in my life -- even strangers! And then, slowly but surely, miracles were unfolding right before my very eyes.

I used to look at SLE as the biggest pest ruining my life and destroying my dreams. Now, I look at it as a gift. Can you believe it? The one thing that made me suffer so bad, I now see as a gift. Because SLE is something that God seemingly used to shake me, and tell me, "Sam, you're special. I'm going to use you someday, you're going to do many great things that will give your life utter joy and happiness. You're going to live a life of meaning."

God is awesome. He works in mysterious ways. Last year, I got sick and had to check how active my Lupus was. Guess what! I tested negative on SLE! Meaning, it is now inactive. Just one of the many miracles in my life! :)

Because of my journey with Lupus, I now have a different perspective in life and a better one, I hope. I now look at the world and see it in a different light. I have a vision and a mission in my life that I just can't wait to make happen.

So there you go. I know struggles and new challenges will still come, I mean it doesn't end there, does it? But I can say, I'm ready, I'm stronger and will keep growing stronger. I appreciate how in our life, we never really run out of opportunities to grow and take any given moment as a learning experience. :)




the loss of a loved one.

mel said...

I grew up in a simple family, where we didn’t always have the luxury of life, but we were happy just by being together. The year 2004 was my first year as a professional, working in one of the biggest audit firms in the country. I remember those first few months of work, I was so into the job and my coworkers, and remembered my father being all excited for me. Then one morning, three months into being an auditor, I woke up to one of the most shocking experiences of my life. My father collapsed while taking a bath, and we had to literally destroy the bathroom door to get him out of there and rush him to the hospital. I remember he was conscious in the emergency room, but he was so quiet. We all thought it was a stroke, as he suffers from high blood pressure attacks most of the time. But we were not ready for the news that was about to change our lives. After further tests, it was discovered that my father had brain cancer. We were all blind sighted with his sickness, that most of my family just fell numb after doctors told us the news. We never have seen our father that sick, and it was very hard for us. He was the “man” in our lives, the one who has always been strong for us. He went through all the chemotherapy sessions and lots of surgeries. He had good days, but he also had the worst ones. And after 8 months of fighting, my father passed away.

This experience taught me a lot of things. I, being the eldest child in the family, had to be the one to be strong for my mother, and my two siblings. I remember, I only cried two times during the wake of my father, not because I didn’t love my father, but because I knew I had to be the strong one. I think I assumed the role of being the pillar of strength for my family. This experience also taught our entire family to “grow up” in a sense that we had to be stronger for each other, and be able to go through and overcome the pain of our loss. Each of us had to take our own responsibilities within the family, that my father would have normally had done for us. I, for one, have to work hard, to be able to support my family financially. Losing my father was one of the most painful things I had to go through in my life, and I still carry that pain every day. But behind the pain, I am somewhat grateful, for it taught me a lot of lessons in life, like taking responsibility, and being strong for my family.



living a daily challenge.

yuli said...

I’m Yuli. I graduated college at 19, became a licensed professional at 20, and currently having my so-called superhero training in one of the hospitals of the country that cater the largest number of patients.


It was around 2 months ago when I was still an ordinary human creature. I sleep late, wake up lake, eat brunch, surf the net, movie marathons, then sleep late, wake up late again… it was a cycle of worry and stressless lifestyle. A Bum Life! Things were so simple.


Everything changed when I started to save lives and joined this hospital training. I have to wake up before the sun shines and be very mindful on how I spend my 24hours. When I step in the hospital, it was like there’s a transfiguration in my whole being (like how cars transform into robots in Transformers). At 20, I am forced to act like a real adult. In my career, there is no space for weak links, no errors should be committed, I have to work efficiently and accurately, in short…close to perfection.


There were couple of times when I witness people fighting for their last breaths, there were also some instances when I need to comfort patients who were informed that there’s no cure for their illness and they just have to wait for their doom. I’ve also seen some people crying their lungs out as doctors pronounce that their loved ones already left them. In my head, I would ask myself, What in the world is going on? Isn’t it, it was just few months ago when I was so carefree? And in a sudden, I’m standing on the real world, pretending to be adult, compressing chest to assist the heart on pumping blood, teaching parents how to take care of their sick children, inserting needles on veins for fluids, and during my free time I still have to read about the medical cases that I encounter and familiarize the medicines that I give. This whole situation is frenzy, It's emotionally, physically and intellectually challenging. But this is how I choose my life to be. Although I agree to you that at 20’s, we're confused on what we really want in life. I myself want to do a lot of things too, like pursuing photography, writing books, travel the world and study philosophy. I think, when you decide do something, you really have to make a commitment to stand by to that decision, no matter what it takes. I decided to become a superhero, and if I have to grow up fast to become a hero, then I will.


Life can teach us lessons in brutal or weird way. God does not throws things on us that he knows we can’t surpass. So whenever were on a plight, I believe we are still blessed. We should keep thinking positive because for sure, he is preparing us for something better and greater out there.



growing up is hard to do!
it is!!!!
nobody said it would be easy.
but nobody said that you have to go through it alone.
thank you all for the inspiration. ♥

roco learns how to play peekaboo!

one morning here in manila, early evening in san francisco, my 10 month old godson roco suddenly discovers how to play peekaboo!!!! technology is just awesommmme!!!! the happiness in ninang bianca and lola ofel's face cannot be denied! :p



call me biased but i swear roco is the cutest!!!!!!!!!!!!

i love you roco! can't wait to see you in december! ♥

ten years ago, my life changed.

it was september of year 2000, exactly ten years ago, when my life took a slight detour. little did i know then, that detour would change my life forever!

you know when people say "GoD has a plan"? whether you go through something good or bad, whether its something that makes you extremely happy or devastatingly sad, our faith teaches us that everything happens for a reason and GoD has a plan. there is a plan. :)

i was a simple comm arts freshman in ateneo then. i was nerdy, shy, i kept to myself. all i wanted to be then was a writer and director for film. just like many other "discovery" stories, i was walking in the mall with my sister when i was approached by a caster asking me if i wanted to try out for the pantene healthy hair quest. they were looking for "real people" with "real hair stories". i really didn't think i was cut out for that kind of thing and so i pushed my sister, who then had long black hair to submit an entry. they took my picture as well saying, since i was there, might as well. fast forward to the final casting one week later, and i found myself the winner of the search.



never would i have thought in a million years that i would ever be in my own commercial. never.

i liked the set up of working as a model and studying at the same time. it taught me time management. it taught me the value of hard earned money. it opened my world in a way i never thought possible. i met so many people from executives to make up artists to photographers to stylists to editors. my network of connections and circle of friends grew. more doors started to open. i took more detours. i took more chances but also turned down some. i grabbed more opportunities. i got my heart broken one too many times, both in my personal life and work life. i was the subject of so much criticism and my character was attacked. i found comfort and support in the arms of my loved ones. i just continued to dream and work hard and do my best. i took time to enjoy traveling. to enjoy quality time with my family and friends. i rewarded myself. i saved money. i learned new things. i enjoyed life.

today i find myself in a place i never thought in a gazillion years would be possible. never. never in my wildest dreams did i think i would ever work in shows and have advocacies that would be able to influence and inspire people. never. but, here i am. i find myself still in awe thinking about how my life turned out. sure enough, like they say, GoD had a plan for me.

i am 27 years old. and i would have to say that this is the most important lesson life has taught me thus far. that GoD has a plan for me. GoD has a plan for you, GoD has a plan for every single person you love, GoD has a plan for me. whether something good or bad happens, it all works out for the best in the end. your life may take detours you don't want to happen, or detours that make you fearful, but it is only in time that you will understand why your life had to take that detour.

trust and believe.

keep the faith.

just be the best you that you can be. ♥