Celebrating Small Victories

There are things that we would love to learn and explore if only we had the time and resources. There are also a lot of long term goals that we would want to achieve that it is almost easy to disregard the little things that equally matter in the long run.

Enter our small victories.

It may feel like it is nothing huge and it is just a normal occurrence to some, but there is nothing wrong with celebrating small victories. No wonder people love posting on social media about the dishes that they cooked, or the distance in which they’d biked or trailed, or a selfie of them waking up.. and we let them because we’ve all been struggling in these trying times and every source of joy still counts as joy. And we all needed that joy and distraction especially these days.

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I have always wanted to learn to play the guitar since high school. I didn’t have the luxury to practice all the time and I only managed to learn to strum the basic chords but that is more than I could ever hope for. Now everytime I play, it brings back joyful memories of jamming to our favourite songs back then during our break or after the classes are done and we are about to head home.

I remember singing along to Spongecola’s Jeepney, Hale’s The Day You Said Goodnight to Parokya ni Edgar’s songs and so on. Can you believe Michelle Branch has released her critically acclaimed The Spirit Room record twenty years ago? TWENTY YEARS AGO!??? Time sure flies. She was one of my musical heroes. She has also inspired me to learn playing the guitar. My musical heroine is most definitely Urbandub’s bassist, Lalay Lim (now Geronimo) though. I just find it so rad that she can rock the world with her talent, especially in this male dominated field of work.

I remember hanging out with my friends after class, relishing the free time by jamming and dancing around the school grounds, sitting on grass fields, looking at the clouds. Life is simpler and not so overwhelming. We are just carefree youngsters. Such good ol’ days.

Recently, I have also learned to play a ukelele and although there is still a lot to be learned, I am happy. Where did I get my ukelele? Here’s the little story:

My friends and I used to host a Christmas dinner pre-pandemic and last year is no exemption. (We did follow necessary health protocols and only stayed for lesser amount of time than we would normally spend together) It is my first time to organize a Monito Monita event via an online picker website (I didn’t even realise that it is possible at first) and it is safe to say that it’s been a success. My Monito also gifted me exactly what I have listed on my wishlist: a red ukelele. And so I have been practicing on my free time (one of the things that occupy my weekend if I am not baking, writing or basically doing other things)

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THE 2021 SAVINGS CHALLENGE

This is one of my small victories that I am totally proud of because it is very beneficial for the future. It is also a proof that saving doesn’t need to feel like an obligation but a normal part of our daily lives.

Getting to save money can feel like we are always dealing with adulting stuff and responsibilities so here’s a way to find it extra enjoyable.

When you’re a fan of a boy group or anything, one way or another you’ll be tempted to consume their official merchandise and stuff. Albums, photobooks, special release DVDs, plushies, home equipment and all the kinds of merch that you can think of (and can’t think of! You will be surprised by the varieties). It can feel like an endless pool of expenses (from one merch to another) if you don’t know how to plan or budget your resources well so I kind of found a way to still get to save up while enjoying every content and somehow match the expenses with some earnings.

K-pop idols used to post a lot of selfies and updates, right? So I came up with a challenge of sorts where in I would save up a certain amount every time a member would update with a photo, video or even conduct a livestream and so far it’s been good.

BTS, for example, has seven members and some of them are really active online and that’s all in favor of my challenge.

Here’s a sample:

I put the highest amount to the entries with the lowest probability of occurrence and so because of that I am yet to unlock the VMIN VLIVE (5000php or 100USD) on my savings’ challenge list. It has been five years since their last unit live together so… who knows?

So far I have 11 videos, 8 solo/group VLIVE streams and a whopping 53 selcas on my tally and that amounts to almost 140 USD, not to add the savings that I got from the other members separate savings challenge.

See, while anticipating for their social media updates, I also get to add on to my personal savings. This money is then being kept on a separate bank account. Aside from this on-going challenge, I am also keeping 20php or 0.40 USD every day as a part of the 365 challenge and then waits for the perfect time to invest in on some crypto money. It maybe is just a small amount but starting off small has so much potential to make it even bigger in time. We just got to trust the process, as some would say.

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One of my short term bucket lists is to finish knitting a sweater. I….. am not quite there yet, unfortunately but I’d gladly show you some fruits of my labor.

I only get to learn how to crochet/knit this quarantine season because as you may all have experienced, every day life in the longest lockdown in the world can feel like a routine of waking up, eating your meals, working from home, sleeping and so on…. So I tried a lot of other things to occupy my restless mind. I tried baking and I tried doing crochet projects. So here are some of the things that I have finished (most of them are coasters, but that counts as progress, right?)

It is easier to learn whatever you needed to learn these days as a lot of tutorials are readily available in streaming sites like Youtube. I would usually just search “How to make a basic crochet square” and the next thing you know I have knitted a simple project that can be used here in our house.

Knowing my impatient nature, knitting is such a test of patience, to be honest it surprises me how I can sit and knit for so long without being bored. The end products are most definitely worth it.

Sometimes I would also search for the basic cake/bread recipes and try them on. The finished goodies may not be good at first but there’s still more to be explored. I would search for some ukelele tutorials as well as piano and guitar lessons and those are making me appreciate technology even more.

What are the things that you have accomplished recently? It doesn’t need to be huge, but as long as it has brought smiles to your faces then it is more than enough reason to celebrate it.

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Forever grateful to the lovely sponsors! You are all amazing! Hopefully you’d get to learn or appreciate a thing or two on my spin on this week’s prompt by Jonica Bradley.

To participate in this week’s prompt, you just have to follow these simple rules:

1. Write anything about The Fruits of Labor

2. Write 100% original content

3. Write at least 600 words

4. Submit your story to the PromptlyJonica community

5. Tag  @JonicaBradley

6. Have fun!