#012: How do we encourage ourselves to keep trying?
The Olympics, mga masasarap na kakanin at meryenda, heykebe stationery, and more tiny yet precious life moments
Hey, friend! Thank you for being here. This is a Sunday newsletter! It may be or may not be every Sunday, but this OK to BE email will arrive in your inbox anytime on a Sunday. At the moment, you will receive musings about relatable everyday adventures, more silly than serious stories, and some tiny yet precious moments of life (well, mine, mostly) in between. If anything here touches you in any way, I encourage you to write back or leave a comment—and I shall reply! Also, this is a public dispatch, so feel free to share with a friend or two. Enjoy! :)
The 2004 Athens Olympics was the first Summer Olympics I followed. One memory that remains clear to this day is my dad and I watching the Marathon event, in which Filipino long distance-runner Eduardo Buenavista competed. (The Olympics was aired on free TV then, so it was easy to access, lol.) My fourteen-year-old self wasn't an athlete nor someone anybody would call sporty, but even then, I didn't think being these things were a requirement for anyone to enjoy sports. Or the Olympics, at that.
Four years later, I would be taking photos of the 2008 Olympics countdown at the Hong Kong airport, and then four years after that, I would be passing by the Bird's Nest in Beijing, scrambling to get snaps of the Olympic stadium. In 2010, I would find myself enrolling to cycling, boxing, and other sports and sustaining that ~habit in the next ten years. If that’s a trace of some sort of Olympic spirit, I highly doubt, as I did it all mostly for fun. (Wow, strenuous physical activity for fun. Who was I?)
In 2012 (London) and 2016 (Rio de Janeiro), I would set my alarm to wake up at strange times to watch my favorite events. (Again, they were aired on free TV, so it was easy to access.) I cried witnessing Hidilyn Diaz snatch that silver medal in the Women's 53kg weighlifting, and best believe I also did as I watched and cheered for our Filipino Olympians competing in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. COACH YARN? NO! I'm actually the parent.
The 2008 Beijing Olympics is 13 years old TODAY!
No, it’s not your eyes. This photo, which is the best one I have, is blurry
The pride and joy I feel watching Olympians, especially our Filipino athletes, perform in their events, regardless whether they get a podium finish or otherwise, isn't anything profound. It's very familiar, in fact, as I feel like anybody who has ever had any goals would see themselves in any of the athletes. The struggles, the yearning, the victories, the relief... everything seems so relatable, which makes it more compelling. The big difference is they are doing it on a much public, worldwide-reaching scale, with so many eyes on them and so much riding on their shoulders. (Kind of like Miss Universe, which I follow too, even though I'm not a beauty pageant queen.)
Watching Eduardo Buenavista finish 67th (out of 81) in his event back then seemed sad to my teenager eyes. But now that I know life better (do I really? Lol), the very fact he was there, and that he tried and did his best was already a victory in itself. (And if it’s awards and recognitions anybody actually needs, take a look at the list of records he holds!) Which was a hard lesson to learn, especially in a society where only the victors are revered. I, for one, did not really have that habit of talking about my failures and rejections, because: 1) embarrassing, and 2) who cares? But as I lived more, I’ve grown more comfortable sharing about my processes, misteps and all included, because: 1) why should I feel embarrassed for trying?, and 2) somebody out there cares, somebody out there is looking for someone who understands, somebody out there, even it it's just one person, gets it.
In my growing up, I've forgotten a lot of things about me that have always been there, so it is nice that I keep finding things, like the Olympics and the latest BTS song, reminded me of my fourteen-year-old self who believed I didn’t and don't need permission to try or enjoy things. That, I think, is already big champ energy, and I won’t hear otherwise from any dream buster out there.
What is one interest or passion you have returned to or have been exploring?
Fitness
Wow, it has been such a loooong time since I last updated this section, but I’m so grateful that I can, especially with this news: I’m fully vaccinated, finally. I hope you and your loved ones are too, or that at least you have already been scheduled for an appointment. Also, don’t get this doodle of me wrong—I will never not wear a face mask. I will continue to wear a face mask every time, practice social distancing, sanitize, and stay at home. Let’s help keep one another safe and protected.
More doodles @kbsteps
Food
Isang malaking shout out sa lahat ng masasarap na kakanin at iba pang meryendang Pinoy! *mouth waters* These are from one of my favorite kiosks at the grocery store. Can you identify all of them? (Spoiler: one of the pies is durian.)
If you’re anywhere near where I live, check out this page for one of the yummiest banana cakes and sugar cookies you’ll ever eat.
⭐ Featured
...People: These are creator friends from my Accountability Club and Crew, and they have been helping me SO, SO MUCH in terms of sustaining energy, combing through bajillion ideas, listening to the call of Rest, and essentially, TRYING~
...Newsletter: Books on GIF on Substack!
…Book: This is by Doodles by Sarah, a Filipino doodle artist and YouTuber based in Sydney, Australia. I have been waiting for a long time to get a copy of this book so imagine my excitement that I finally have it! (Full disclosure: I am friends with Sarah so this is a support-Filipino-creators and support-your-creator-friend kind of thing!) Copies are rare to come by so if you want one, I hope you buy or request from Fully Booked right away.
@bibimangki #thereadingmonkey also approves and recommends!
…Book sleeve/shield: You may remember @grounding.co from this issue, and I’m happy to once again share that they now have padded book sleeves/shields! Every purchase helps their partner seamstress who lost most of her clientele due to the pandemic. More designs available on Shopee. (Meanwhile, #OKtoBEzine Issue 1 is still available here!)
…Stationery: OK, these are not yet available BUT they are coming soon, so I thought I’d share! All designs by @xiaomeibymilish, who is also a part of the Bookbed team and who created the cutest bookmarks and sticker sheets for our 11th year! If you think these are cute as well and want to avail of some, let me know. (I’m looking at you journaling and paper enthusiasts, hehe.)
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That’s it for now! Thank you for being here. I hope you picked up something fun or useful! See you in the next one. ☀️
If you enjoyed this newsletter or have any questions, let me know. I appreciate your effort in growing our connection!
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Just had my second rejection for an anthology submission. I'm not a stranger to rejections, but there's no denying that it still stings no matter how many times you've gotten one 😂 I'm taking a step back from the craft for some time to think and rethink of things while preparing for another submission.
We kinda follow the Olympics too, most especially with my Dad. So this is the first Olympics I'm not seeing on TV and without Papa so this is even the first time I wasnt able to tune in both the opening and closing. But anyway... I dreamed of becoming an athlete but I wasn't comfortable and confident about myself so back in high school and college try-outs, insecurities get the better of me. That's why watching the Olympics (or sports generally) always remind me of the hard work, effort, time and discipline athletes pour out (same reason why I've been into ~kpop~). Mas lalo na for our Filipino athletes, kasi feeling ko lagi underdog. Kulang talaga sa support. I have even seen our facilities for training them, sana mas maayos na this time or sana ayusin na nila after our best Olympics performance yet.
After two months of not painting so much, I'm again watercoloring. I realized how fun it was to just focus on doing such without allowing distractions to get on the way.