June post got nectlected it appears.

🌊 I just noticed that I only published a single post for the whole month of June 2026. 😅 Since June is my birthday month, I’ve always felt like it serves as my personal "New Year." 🥳 Naturally, a whole lot of thoughts, reflections, and big ideas come to mind whenever my birthday rolls around! 💭

During this time, I usually reflect on my life plans and what I want to achieve in the future—where I want to be, the places I want to visit, and the financial position I want to reach. 📈💰 You would think having all these thoughts would fuel me to write a lot, so looking back, it feels a bit sad that I only managed to share one single post throughout the entire month. 📉💔

💼 Giving Myself a Little Grace

However, to give myself a little bit of grace, June turned out to be quite a busy month! 🗓️💨 Between going on a day hike, handling RTO (return-to-office) transitions, and tackling heavy workloads, my hands were totally full. 🎒💼⛰️ Since I planned a two-day leave for my birthday, I wanted to make sure I didn't leave any unnecessary work behind for whoever was covering for me while I was away. 👨‍💻🙏

Beyond work, I really wanted to carve out time for some soul-searching and journaling. 🧘‍♀️✍️ I had so many things I wanted to figure out, and I felt so blessed to be able to take a solo 2-day, 1-night trip to the closest beach near Metro Manila—Batangas New Yorkers Resort! 🏖️🌅

🚲 A Quick Note on the Travel Details

As a quick side note about my choice of beach, my research definitely needed a bit of fine-tuning! 🙈🔍 The location wasn't exactly the best, and the tricycle fare was quite high at ₱350. 😅 I know high fares are fairly common in Batangas, but the rates I saw online were around ₱250, which feels 100x better than paying ₱350! 💸🚫 It turned out I traveled a bit too far to reach this particular resort, and I feel like there are better options out there. 🚲🧭

(Anyway, that is beside the main point! If you want to see the full fare breakdown of how much I spent, you can check out the description link on this video! 🔗📹)

🪼 Ocean Swims & A Jellyfish Encounter!

Nonetheless, I still thoroughly enjoyed my stay! 🏊‍♀️☀️ I got to swim in the ocean on the day I arrived and again the following morning. The only downside was that I didn't get the opportunity to film the jellyfish floating around. 🪼📸

Speaking of jellyfish—I actually got stung on my forehead! 😳⚡ I was laughing on the inside because at first, I didn't feel a thing. I guess my forehead is a bit thick! LOL! 😆🤪 But I knew I got stung because the skin turned slightly red, looking almost like a termite tunnel line across my forehead. 🐜🔴 The sting on the back of my neck, on the other hand, was a completely different story—that one stung even until the next day! 🩹😫

🐠 Underwater Wildlife & SkyFlakes Dreams

Overall, I was genuinely happy to see some underwater wildlife! 🌊🐢 I brought my basic swimming pool goggles, and I kid you not, I actually saw a few fishies swimming around! 🐠🥽 It reminded me of a video I saw online showing that if you crumple SkyFlakes crackers in the water, the fish will swim right up to you. 😮🍪 I'm definitely trying that next time—just wait for me, fishies! 🐟💨

Since I don't fully trust how long I can swim or float in open water, I was afraid to venture too far from the shore. 🏊‍♀️⚠️ Fortunately, my first dip in the ocean happened during low tide when the water was only waist-deep—and seeing those little fish swimming around made me sooo happy! 🌊✨😍

📖 My First Solo Trip at 38

Aside from swimming, I brought my big notebook along to journal all my thoughts and dreams, reflecting on why I took this vacation in the first place. 📓✍️ Mind you, I am 38 at this point, and this is actually the very first time I’ve ever done something like this! 🥳🎉

The tricycle ride going there was honestly the scariest part of the trip—it scared me to death! 😱🚲 But thank God, everything turned out safe. 🙏 I felt secure overall, enjoyed my stay, and had a great time. I did get a little paranoid being alone in the room—to the point where I barricaded the door with a long table 🪑🚪—but I feel like that’s just good practice, especially when traveling solo, just for your own peace of mind! 🔒🛑

💡 The Power of Unloading Thoughts

When it comes to the journaling itself, I feel like it requires a bit more time because I haven't fully found the solutions to all the ideas in my head just yet that time. 🧠💬 In fact, even though I journaled, I think I still need about 3 more nights of solid writing to figure out what I really want to do in life! 🌙✍️

But that's just how I am—I'm a thinker, and I genuinely enjoy the process. 🧐💡 Analyzing things helps unload a lot of weight from my mind. Once I figure out even just one thing—like knowing the step-by-step process or simply how to start—it instantly makes my head feel lighter and gives me something to look forward to! 🚀🌟

❤️ Looking Ahead

So, having said all this, June might have only ended up with a single post—which is quite sad, honestly! 💔 I apologize for not putting out more content. I fondly remember doing birthday posts in the past, like "28 Things I Learned at 28" and similar themes! 🎂

Even so, I am deeply thankful. I got a much-needed vacation, made the absolute most of it, and refreshed my mind for the road ahead. 🏖️❤️🔋

That is it for now! Thanks for reading all the way. 🙌💖