"My 2017: Achievements and Failures - The Rollercoaster Kind of Life"

Hello everyone!
This time, I'm going to share to you how my 2017 went. This is actually in response to @anomadsoul's My 2017 Contest. The first part of this contest is to share the achievements and failures we had this year.

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Where do I start?

Every year is a surprise. Another bumpy road to take... another course which is full of twist and turns.

For the record, my year didn't start well.

As you can see on the pictures above, I had a problem with my ISP (Internet Service Provider). Normally, it wouldn't be a problem, right? However... this is where we get our source of daily living. I work as a home based online English tutor, and having this kind of problem really is a big deal. The said problem went on for months. And since I couldn't work at home, I decided to live in my aunt's house which is in the other side of the city in order to continue go back to work. I actually stopped working for more than a month and it was really hard for my family, especially in the financial aspect.

Still, we didn't lose hope... As I was away from my family, I worked really hard so I could come home for a few days. And yeah, my life in another person's house (although they're my relatives) wasn't exactly good. They might be family, but there's always this gap. It was really hard for me but I survived for the most part.

Well, it wasn't really a "failure" if I may say... It's another way of "Learning through experience". I learned to be stronger as a person. I learned to value time and family even more.

Luckily, my father was also trying to look for a solution to fix the internet connection at home.. and around July, I was finally back at home.

Saying Goodbye to Bestie

This one isn't a failure, but another challenge that I faced this year... I have a really close friend who is like a sister to me. She has been with me through my ups and downs and I love her so much. However, this year, she and her family got a letter from the embassy approving their migration to the US.

It was hard for both of us, but luckily, we managed it pretty well. Our friendship was strengthened by the distance and the time difference. We both realized that no matter the distance, no matter the time, we are besties and nothing can ever change that!

The World is round... you might be sad now, but it'll surely change...

Around mid-July came a really important event. My friend who is also a co-teacher in that online school introduced Steemit to me.



These two piggies above are what I bought using my first cashout on Steemit. Now, they're 3 months old. It was a great investment for me and my family. Steemit has done wonders to my and my family's life. It has helped us a lot! So I'm really glad I'm part of this platform. Aside from the monetary rewards that I got here (which really is a big help to solve our financial problems), I felt rather fulfilled and happy.



Steemit, also gave me a chance to meet great people in the area. I am actually an ambivert, and I usually don't really like get togethers... but meeting these people was fun! I'd love to see them again...

Aside from Filipino Steemians, I became a part of the Whalepower community here on Steemit. I love the people in WP. They have been supporting me ever since I started here.

Another achievement I had in 2017 was being able to get back and improve on my craft. I love drawing and writing, and this year was a big leap for me in those fields. I can actually tell myself, you've done well! BUT, you can still do better... ;)

The Year Hasn't Ended YET...

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The year is ABOUT to end, but it hasn't ended yet. Great sadness has occurred in my family just this week... Special people bid goodbye for good. One of my grandfather (mom's uncle) died... We just visited him last weekend, and I'm so glad we did. We would've regretted it a lot if we didn't spare time to see him.

Another grandfather (dad's uncle) also died last week. Dad went to the countryside today to attend the funeral. I was a bit close to him because we used to live near them when I was in high school. So, it's sad... T_T

And just yesterday afternoon... my bestie's dad passed away. T_T It hurts me so bad, but I feel so hurt even more for my bestie. I hope she could come home (which is a bit difficult to do since she just came back last month)...

LIFE is unpredictable, so we have to make the most of it!

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Before this year end, I'm facing yet another challenge which will become an achievement. I enrolled myself for a TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). This certification will allow me to teach English anywhere in the world. I've always wanted to do this, so it's about time to live my dreams... Why? Because life's too short to be wasted.

The topic that was required should've been about achievements and failures, but I don't see any failures in my life. I guess it's just the way I see things. Failures don't exist, but EXPERIENCE and LEARNING do. Some people might think that everything ends when you fail... but that's a BIG NO!!! EVERYTHING ENDS WHEN YOU GIVE UP... So, don't believe in failures... take them as your experience and learnings... as your STEPPING STONE to DO BETTER in LIFE!!!

Thank you so much for reading!
Love lots, @tegoshei