"Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice.
It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved."
- William Jennings Bryan
I was browsing through my old files today and I came across a project that my barkada and I did when we were in fourth year high school. We made a book entitled The Odyssey. It was a collection of essays and short stories about our college application experiences, our advice to fellow teenagers on choosing a course, tips for acing college entrance exams, and our visions of the future.
As I was reading our visions of the future, I was struck by this line I wrote five years ago: "I always imagined myself to be the editor of Seventeen magazine, or to go local, Candy magazine." Until today, I had completely forgotten I wrote that.
I read the entries of my other friends, too. Back then, Jaclyn saw herself as a corporate lawyer, but later decided that law wasn't for her. April was set on becoming a CPA-lawyer, but later dropped her accounting classes. Ruth wanted to take up Journalism, but graduated with a degree in AB Psychology instead. Line knew then that she wanted to be a cardiac surgeon, but after a few years in med school, it looks as if she might just change her mind. It's funny how at the time, I was so worried and confused about what I wanted to do with my life, and it amazed me how my friends seemed to know exactly what they wanted to do with theirs. But in the end, I'm one of the few who actually ended up doing exactly what I wrote there (okay, so I'm not exactly the editor of Candy, but hey, I have to start somewhere! I also wrote that I wanted to work for NASA and be the first Filipina on the moon, but maybe I'll save that for another lifetime!).
I guess even then, I knew in my heart what I wanted. It's the reason why I turned down the other jobs I was offered in the fields of marketing, advertising, and finance. I know it's cliche but things really do happen for a reason. There was a reason why Ms. Bau (who is now my boss) became my English teacher in high school, why I chose Comtech as a course, why I had my practicum at an ad agency, why I stayed in ACLC for four years, why I went to Singapore after graduation, and a multitude of other things that have somehow led me to where I am today. Well, the road still stretches ahead of me and I know there are other adventures to come. I'm sure there are many more twists and turns on this road that I cannot see at this point in time, but I have faith that God will give me courage for the journey and see me through to the end... as He always has. :-)
