My 23rd birthday

At the beginning of 2017, I wrote in the first page of my planner "Claiming that this year will be a year of bounty". Days went by and my life is filled with petty and huge blessings, though there are frustrations, failures, problems, and hardships. Fast forward to today, it's kinda overwhelming that I am blessed beyond what I prayed for. The year will soon be over. Pero October pa lang, ang breakthroughs, back to back to back na! My 23rd birthday is one of those breakthroughs that I will always be thankful to the Lord.

You won't hear any whining here about getting a year older. I am embracing 23 with open arms and am grateful for each day on this world. I don't fear or mind getting older, probably in large part, because I know that there are more ahead beyond this life. I thank God for the joy and lessons that God puts in my life in the meanwhile.

Not having been able to think of any concrete plans to celebrate my 23rd birthday, my church buddies organized a party five days before my birthday. I'm not gonna lie and say I'm 100% clueless. But, yeah, you can really never be ready for a surprise. Hehe. This is how the first celebration of my birthday started.

October 13, 2017, Friday, Audit Team's Strategic Planning and my 23rd birthday. Swerte ng mga katrabaho ko kasi sila ang pinakamatagal na nakasama ko sa mismong araw ng birthday ko. It was a sunny Friday and the universe is favoring my birthday! HAHA.  Our strategic planning was scheduled in Tagaytay that day. So we have two things to do: to plan and to celebrate. Yay!

My team had a little surprise for me (may pa-cake si Mayor!) They've been keeping the cake and their gifts hidden inside the car for me to not notice. Their surprise went well. Di lang obvious pero ang saya ko talaga. Haha. Making a surprise instead of just giving gifts is actually 10x more remarkable.

Few hours before my birthday ends, we got stuck in the traffic... it's raining cats and dogs... we ran out of gas... we're all tired and sleepy... the curse of "friday the 13th" just came out. Haha. Kaya para di ako ma-stress, natulog na lang ako on our way home. There are a lot of beautiful things that has happened, anyway. I was able to go home by 11PM.

Third and last celebration is with my family at home. Simple yet happy. We just went to church and eat at home together. Time is precious when you are with the people closest to your heart. Indeed, family is everything! No more cheesy lines. But oh, wala kaming pictures. lol

One of the things I learned in life is that we need people. We need friends. We need somebody. But unfortunately, as we age, people in our lives get lesser and lesser. But there's a good thing about this: those that remain are the genuine ones. At this point in my life, I think I am with those genuine people. Looking at all these grand gestures of friendship, kindness, and love makes me really wonder what I ever did to deserve all these. I've always thank the Lord for making these people a part of my life.

I'm blessed, indeed! When you have something good, don't go looking around for something better. Have an attitude of gratitude, always.

With all the happiness that I am feeling right now, I would like to express my sincere gratitude and thanks to everyone who remembered my birthday and spare a little of their time and effort to greet me (not just those featured in this blog). Love y'all with the love of the Lord.

xoxo,

Lou ♥

My CIA journey (Passing the CIA Exams in the Philippines)

I couldn't be more thankful for answered prayers!

I've been so quiet about the progress of every goal I am working and praying for because achieving such is really hard and tough. Aside from I don't have time to blog or post a lot of personal matters online, I also don’t want those who hate me to have the pleasure of seeing me suffer (lol). Up until then that I passed (finalleeeeh! haha) that I wanted to share my journey of becoming a CIA. Anyway, CIA is the only recognized global certification for internal auditors. I graduated with a degree in Internal Auditing so passing the CIA exams shall follow.

It has been three years when I started my first move in becoming a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA). Looking back, after I graduated last 2014, I enrolled at ExcelCIA Knowledge Institute for my CIA review. I really didn't know yet what I wanted to do in life that time. So due to peer pressure, I joined my friends in the review school. It's exciting at first. We prayed and sought the Lord’s blessing and we were so hopeful that this journey was going to be an easy one.

But wasn’t.

Out of curiosity and confusion, I tried working as an internal auditor, shortly after four months in the review school. I suddenly disregard my CIA goal and develop my auditing skills. Half a year after working, I missed studying and feel a little bit frustrated about my deferred CIA title. See how adventurous and careless am I?

In the CIA exams, the examinee will be the one to decide on when and where to take the exams. That's why there's no pressure to me at all. I can take the exam whenever I wanted and whenever I'm ready. But really, we can never be ready. We can only prepare.....but never be ready. No matter how much time we allot to study and pray, there's is still a possibility that we may fail. The agony of passing the CIA exams grew inside me and the time that passes day by day made me even more frustrated. That, eventually, made me leave my work after half a year and devote my time and energy once more in achieving that CIA title.

Parts 1&2

Parts 1 & 2 of the CIA exams cover the Internal Audit Basics and Internal audit Practices. I advise that the reviewees study these parts simultaneously since the topics are interrelated. During my review, we used the Wiley, Hock, and Gleim materials. From these materials, I find Gleim the most helpful and comprehensive. Their questionnaires and online test preps are comparable to the questions I encountered during the exams. May konting twists lang.

I tried to review for eight hours a day, with 15-minute break every hour. I distant myself from distractions like watching movies, surfing the internet, knitting, etc., which are the things i love doing the most! Delayed gratification muna every weekdays.

Discipline. Ito ang key, hindi lang sa pagda-diet, kundi pati sa pagrereview. After months of preparing, I was able to finally schedule my exams for the first two parts!

I took Parts 1 & 2 , respectively, and fortunately passed both.

Part 3

Part 3 covers the Internal Audit Knowledge Elements. It consists of Parts 1 & 2 matters, Accounting, Information Technology (IT), and Business Process Management.

I had a hard time in studying the IT part. I'm half-way there! But passing Part 3 tested my faith and perseverance. After months of reviewing for Part 3, my story goes like this: I took the exam. I failed. I took the exam again. I failed again. Yung feeling na YOU'RE ALMOST THERE, then you realize na ALMOST IS NOT ENOUGH talaga. May eksena pa akong, 'ginawa ko naman lahat, pero bagsak pa din, ano pang gagawin ko sa susunod?' These circumstances broke my heart to bits and pieces. I got depressed and frustrated. Sumabay pa yung pagkakasakit ko at pagkawala ng boyfriend ko. I was physically, mentally, and emotionally tired. What to do with a failing career? Failing exam? And failing relationship?

But yeah. That's life. Pag down na down ka na, dun mo matututunan kumapit sa faith mo. I had been looking to find my significance, in my work, my actions and my performance. I think I defined myself by these things. It was crushing when I failed and incredibly empty when I failed again. Perhaps Jesus wanted me to rest in His finished work and in the identity I have in Him.

I decided to stop reviewing for a while and find a job. I was hired by a private real estate company as an internal auditor. I worked for about a year before deciding to prepare again for the CIA exams. This time, I surrendered everything in the hands of the Lord.

It was my first anniversary at work when I decided to pursue again my CIA title. Since my office hours is up to 7PM, I tried to manage my time to study at night from 8:30 to 10:00 PM. I did this for a month. It was never easy. Everyday, I got physically and mentally exhausted. Pero ganun talaga eh. Gusto kong pumasa. Discipline. Discipline. Discipline. Isa pa, mahal ang exam fee. I can't afford to fail this once again. I prayed hard and worked hard. I took a week off at work to focus  on my studies. Isang linggo na lang mag-eexam na ako. Fast forward to a day before the exam, wala ng pumapasok sa isip ko. So I just used my remaining time in asking the Lord for wisdom and for His guidance upon me during the exam. Exam day came and yes, prayers really work, I passed. Thank you Lord!

Testimony
In the first part of this blog, I wrote that I'm being quiet about every goal I'm about to achieve. So why am I writing and posting this? This is not to brag, but to show the world how faithful God is to His promise: he will make everything beautiful in His time! And now is my time to become a Certified Internal Auditor! Everything by God's grace and mercy! One day, all our failures and hardships will become part of our lives' greatest testimonies. Keep the faith!

Everything comes to pass. The day that you pass the exam, people will talk about it, but afterwards it will be gone like an old song never to be revived. Same is true with failing. So unless we allow the praises and criticisms of people to define who we are, passing or failing doesn’t make any difference. But what is important is the learning that we had during the race and every gem of lessons we take along the journey. There is always an element of God’s favor. God rewards those who acknowledge in themselves the need for Him. Yes, we may succeed by our own, but fulfillment only comes from Him.

"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" -Philippians 3:12-14 NIV

The process of the journey is the most important part. I used to think that if God would just illuminate the path like a runway to show me which way He wanted me to go in life, then I would be so happy to follow Him. But, I really believe that He makes life the way it is because He wants us to seek a relationship with Him. That’s not just part of the process, it’s like an incredibly integral and important central piece of that puzzle. I look back often at how it was not the way I wanted that storyline to work out, but how thankful I am that God didn’t answer the prayers the way I wanted. It’s been a very fun journey because we’ve seen the Lord answer our prayers differently than we hoped and we’ve also seen Him very specifically answer exactly what we were praying for just in the nick of time.

 
xoxo,
Lou ♥

South in a bit!

"Buti pa ang biglaan, natutuloy." My circle of friends is the living example of this quote. Due to conflicting and busy schedules, we rarely hangout and see each other. Saturday, February 26, 2017, we planned to have a coffee and catch up with one another. The next day, we were able to pull of a quick getaway in Tagaytay.

  We first went to Starbucks Twin Lakes, which was said to be the most beautiful Starbucks Store in the Philippines. Oo, dumayo pa kami ng Tagaytay para lang magkape at magkwentuhan. See where those "biglaan moments" can take you?! Coffee in Starbucks Twin Lakes offers no difference in any other Starbucks stores. So I'm not really going to blog about the coffee, but rather the unique interiors of the store, the ambiance of the place, and the enjoyment I had with my friends. So to not prolong this blog, let me share some pictures from my phone during this short wander. 

Twin Lakes is located along the main highway in Tagaytay-Nasugbu road, beautifully situated in a gently sloping terrain with a breathtaking view of Taal Lake. Its surrounding landscape offers an ideal atmosphere for meditation and perfect for taking IG-worthy pictures. Haha. If you are a coffee lover and merely loves going to Tagaytay, this is a great coffee retreat you wouldn't want to miss. Indeed, this is the most beautiful Starbucks store in the Philippines! :)

Our next stop is Memory Lane Tagaytay. It is a blue old-school fancy-styled restaurant located in Magallanes Drive Tagaytay.

The foods in Memory Lane are kinda pricey so we decided to grab our (late) lunch in Sky Ranch Tagaytay na lang. Nagpicture na lang kami sa place. Hahaha

We Ate at Leslie's Restaurant, which is just in front of the famous amusement park. Foods are  not as pricey as Memory Lane's yet taste really great. We ordered Kare-Kare, Bulalo, and a bowl of rice. Tatlo lang kami, pero pang limang tao ang order namin. Gutom beshie eh.

Time for our Sky Ranch adventure (and pictorial)! Again, age is just a number. :)

"A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." Proverbs 18:24 (NIV)


xoxo,
Lou ♥

Here's our 1D Tagaytay trip itinerary:

09:00 - 11:00 Travel from Manila to Twin Lakes (DLTB Bus at Gil Puyat, fare is 115php)

11:00 - 12:30 Coffee at Starbucks Twin Lakes

12:30 - 01:00 Travel Twin Lakes to Memory Lane corner (Jeep, 10php)

01:00 - 01:15 Walk to Memory Lane

01:15 - 02:00 Pictorial at Memory Lane (HAHA)

02:00 - 02:15 Walk from Memory Lane

02:15 - 02:30 Travel from Memory Lane to Sky Ranch

02:30 - 03:30 Late lunch at Leslie's Restaurant, Sky Ranch Tagaytay

03:30 - 05:30 Sky Ranch adventure

05:30 - 05:45 Jeep to (Alvarez) high way

05:45 - 07:30 Travel from (Alvarez) highway to Manila

Disc: Photos are taken from my iPod touch. CTTO of the first and fifth photos.