I was a planner. I plan everything even since I was a kid. I knew what I really wanted and so I tried to stick to the plan.
I said to myself that I want to be a doctor.
I want to have my own garden.
I want to sing beautifully.
I want math more than science when I was in high school.
I always wanted to escape research work done in the laboratory.
I want to study in UP (Diliman or Manila) for college.
I want to have my first boyfriend after I finish my studies.
I want to watch NBA live.
However, life is ever full of surprises. Today, as I look back to my "wants", I realized that I had a total life turnaround.
I always prayed that I wanted to be a doctor. Now, I realized how important it is to be specific in prayers. What I really wanted is to be a medical doctor. :) Maybe God has interpreted it the other way around and thought that I wanted to be a doctor---of philosophy (PhD). I tried hard to get to medical school but there are just so many hindrances. Not that I am not determined enough, it is just that maybe I was not really meant to go to that direction. On the other hand, there is an overflowing opportunity for me to be the other one. I swear! Most of the time, opportunities come and are handed right into my hands. It seemed that the everything was in the right order at the right time.
I wanted to have my garden. Ironically, I am not gifted to have the green thumb and so I ended up appreciating gardens of friends and enjoying their harvests.
My father is a very good singer. He is my idol. I wanted to have that talent and so I called myself the sensational pop singer. But again, life is fair. You cannot have everything. I still sing. It's a good thing that I have my family and friends who can tolerate my ambitious voice.
When I was in high school, every time I join a contest I always wanted to be a part of the mathematics team. I never succeeded though. Not even once. Also, for our research project, me and my partner Han thought of a research topic that will not entail laboratory work. Lab work is tedious and time consuming. I do not like that. And so we ended up utilizing computers to have a research project output. But now, who would have thought that I will be a scientist in progress, a lab rat, and a research and development enthusiast? Now, I really enjoyed long hours of work in the laboratory and staying up all night doing experiments. I love to study microbiology, biochemistry, and biotechnology.
After high school, I always wanted to study in a school far away from home. It is either UP Diliman or UP Manila. I got in. However, there are a lot of things that happened and I ended up studying in UP Mindanao, where I found kind-hearted and caring people to accompany me in my journey as a university student and in my journey in life. Up north to down south it is.
Before, I said to myself that I will have my first boyfriend after I finish my studies. Now, I am 24, college graduate and still single. I think he wasn't able to find me (or I just did not notice him coming). And I realized that I told myself to have him after I "finish my studies". I never told myself to have one after college. Since I went to graduate school and earned another degree, then maybe my "studies" are not yet done. Do I need to earn my PhD degree first? hahahaha!
One of my childhood dreams is to watch the NBA LIVE. I even wrote it in my bucket list. 2013 came. SM announced that it will host the first ever NBA game in the Philippines. But I want to watch it in Staples Center! Nonetheless, I still bought that ticket to my NBA live game. It is just amazing how dreams come true but in an unexpected manner.
As I write these thoughts, I realized that indeed life has so much to offer. It can turn you upside down. It can make you. It can break you. One more thing, be specific in your dreams and in your prayers. ;)
As one author said, life may not always be wonderful but it is always an experience full of wonder.
And so, as of now, this is my life unexpected. It turned out that I like my life more today than to what I originally planned.
