HI,

You never liked to sugar-coat things, so I’ll tell you this directly: you will end up in UP. A bit hard to believe, I know. Trust me when I say that it’ll be one of the best things that ever happened to you. And trust me even harder when I say these next few bits.

Don’t be complacent, for a start. College is only the beginning of the episodes of hardships you’ll encounter in your years, so best if you get off that couch. Don’t begin to think that your study habits in high school are still going to be with you once you step into UP because believe me, they’ve gone out the window a long time ago. You’ve only started building these habits, I know. You need to start molding yourself again because everything is going to be different.

Second, keep focus. With all honesty, you will be as unmotivated as ever if you don’t set your priorities straight. For weeks you will completely have no drive to finish requirements and go to classes, because day after day you will be tested and no one else is to blame for that if you didn’t come prepared for it. Remember the people who sacrificed too much to bring you here, okay? What would they think if you gave up on your own?

Another thing I have to remind you of is your self control. No one is going to be there to stop you once you leave home, and it holds all the things you’ve ever wanted and the all the ones that just aren’t good for you. You like saying no to almost everything but to yourself. Try to silence that voice inside your head while you can so won’t wind up broke and frustrated like me.

All that aside, you’ve really done good. As self-depreciative as you are, give yourself some credit for making it this far. You’ll be doing many things you’d never imagine to do and it’ll be fun and at the same time challenging. You’ve always wondered how it’d be like to step out of your comfort zone so let me tell you right now: it’s not that bad! You’ve always been a tough woman, so be tougher. The last thing I would want you to do is hold back, and you’ve already been doing that all your life. Learn to love the process 🙂 Everything really just falls in to place 🙂

The year has blessed you with too much, right? It’s still overwhelming up until now. But don’t be a dumb-dumb like me; go and pray more 🙂

Every single thing that you have dreamed for years back is all here. All I ask now is that you keep that smile on your face. It still looks good on you. Even when you end up crying, there’s nothing wrong with seeing the bright side of it.

I really hope you won’t end up like me after these reminders. Get them through your head. You won’t like feeling palpitations at 3 AM with barely anything in your stomach. And I don’t want you regretting not studying because you have to take the finals, because that’s definitely me right now. So I have to go.

The year will be great, don’t worry. No regrets like you always say, diba?