Love, Lily

"Saan tayo?" This question lead people to many unexpected places and sudden adventures.   Now I'm being asked the same question. Dear Folks, Me and my friend, just finished our college requirements, but we didn't expect it to be this earlier. And who wants to go home right after that? Some already went to their hangout spots but we're still here outside university, both have no idea where to go. Summer's hellish heat sucks and malls are surely crowded. Beach isn't an option for now, first because of long way there and our money is far from enough. But then an idea we both thought came. It's decided, we're going to Arayat, not just there but Mt. Arayat National Park. Mt. Arayat is a mystical mountain because it's said to be the home of Mariang Sinukuan, the kapampangan sun god of war. Whilst the park is considered as one of the most accessible national park from Manila. There are various activities you can do to have fun in the p...

                I went to a psychologist to get help and I am not ashamed of it. What’s to shame? Dear Folks,                  I always wanted to be open about my mental health. Talking about it makes it less painful, less difficult to accept, and more bearable. Addressing the struggles and accepting that you have fragile parts of yourself you didn’t choose to have is not a weak decision to make . It was hard at first to embrace this fragment of me. I even tried to hide it in my deepest senses, tried to locked the concept of it off my mind to forget soon, and tried to live a more normal life. But it came back more damaging and delicate, and always will. When I first stepped in to the university, I never really thought that it could be that diverse and not welcoming at all, it scared me. It was as if it’s certain to make someone feel small and less. The buildings, ...

Dear Folks,                          I remember It was one of those manic days of my teen years when I suddenly thought, “What If I apply for a PWD ID?” Later, I started researching about it, if I or rather we are indeed qualified.   I actually got the idea when I was working as a cashier at a certain fast food. I learned there that not only senior citizens get discounts but PWDs too. I encountered one with an ID indicating Mental Illness. That’s when I got curious. But, hey ! I didn’t want to have one only to have some discount in restaurants. As a person with mental health issues here in the Philippines, we all know that we lack not only support and understanding but enough mental health facilities and services. That’s why the majority of us choose to stay silent about their suffering, to not get the help they need. The cost of psychotherapies, checkups on p...

It's too early, the sun yet to rise but you woke up full of life flowing in your veins. Suddenly you felt the fire in you that was long dead, now flickering with hope and courage.  You want to show the world that you can do anything, and no one, not a thing can stop you. Dear folks, That was me yesterday, now I feel burned out. I think if not all, most of you probably felt the same way.   It is normal to feel very happy and sometimes depressed but with bipolar disorder, every emotion of its episodes is intense, too much that you may want to just feel nothing at all.   It's exhausting indeed, but I found a way to somehow manage the upheaval of emotions, to make something good out of the negatives, to learn from it. It's by journaling that I make the aforementioned possible. Every day, whichever time, but mostly at night I write on my journal. Whether I was in between episodes of bipolar (means my feelings are at balanced), or nothing worth remembering happ...