Hello Hive! This is Happy! Enchanted to finally step into your world.

It is one of those serendipitous moments in my life to have been finally introduced to a certain platform where I can post and publish my thoughts in words and not just isolate them inside my brain or in the quietness of my paper and pen. Special thanks to my college classmate and friend @hanyabee who reached out to me and believed in my potential and to @indayclara for the onboarding webinar.

HAPPY – is a word that’s too common but not too common for a name. Sometimes I wonder why I was born to be named Happy but as I grew older and became wiser, I finally get to unfold the very little reasons why I am christened with such a name – a name that simply means fortunate, contented, untroubled, blithesome, euphoric. Although, for some, it is petty to believing in luck with bearing the distinction of names, I personally believe that names have a great impact in our past, present and future.

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FORTUNATE

I am fortunate to be even born twenty-six years ago in the year 1997. I am a lucky child. It was two months past my mother’s due date that I was born. They thought I wouldn’t survive it or my mother wouldn’t survive it because the moment my mother was already in labor, the doctors found out that I no longer had a heartbeat inside my mother’s womb. So they did labor induction just so I could come out of my mother’s womb and as my mother was telling me that one of her most memorable stories, I could feel her pain. That was for her a matter of life and death. Luckily, we both embraced life instead of death at two o’clock in the morning of May 9.

Have you ever wondered why I was named Happy?

Well, my parents never really thought of any name for me when I was still in the womb. That’s why I don’t have a “would have been named” name. It was my aunt (my father’s cousin) who was present in the hospital that time who named me with such. She decided I’d be named Happy since I survived and they were happy when I came out alive.

They may think I am a miracle, but for me, THEY are a miracle. And for that, I am FORTUNATE.

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CONTENDED

I am contented for I am living a simple yet fulfilling life. For all the years of my existence on earth – from living in a low maintenance and slow-paced type of life in Medellin, Cebu to teaching kids in the mountainous place of the opposite side of the province (Santander) – I can say that I have lived in contentment with the universe. Although I have not yet come into reality with my biggest dream of becoming a published writer, I am still contented with the profession that I have right now for I am able to teach my favorite subject which is English and I get to know diversity of people and interesting stories from this small town.

Yes, you read it right. This is just a small town – too small that you can roam around the whole town in just less than half an hour. Everyone knows everyone.

One of the things that amazed me when I first came into this town was that you just have to say the family name of the person you are looking for and the stranger that you will be asking will tell you the name of the barangay or certain place in town where you can locate the people living with such surnames and voila! You get to finally meet who you’re looking for.

I have lived in this town for five years and counting and living in this peaceful with lots of such greenery and a taste of wonderful views from the ocean, the mountains and the beautiful view of Negros Oriental give me such satisfaction that no one could ever take away from me. Ever since I stepped foot on this town, it has always felt like I belonged here and I am destined to be here.

This is one of the picturesque spots I have to cross everyday whenever I travel from where I resided to the school where I am teaching.

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One of the abiding beauties of Santander and the overlooking views of Negros Oriental which made me love living in this small town more.

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UNTROUBLED

Many a times I have been tested by the inevitable circumstances of time and the world. I know it is a cliché to say I also have my ups and downs but I guess we all have those and we will not be fully human when we haven’t experienced ups and downs even for once in our entire lives. But being the Happy that I am, whenever problems come my way and challenges try to fit in my most hectic of schedules, I always make sure I have to stay untroubled.

Being untroubled does not mean we have to become the strongest. It just means we are pliant. We bend readily and flexibly in times of trouble but we always stay un-stormed thereafter. Personally, that is one of my greatest armor I can always bring with me as I face everyday life.

My first ever waterfall experience in Tumalog, Oslob, Cebu

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BLITHESOME

I could always remember when people asked for my name and when they’d know it is Happy, they would always say “bantog ra sige og smile kay happy diay ang pangan” (“that is why you are always smiling because your name is Happy”) and even though I look at myself in the mirror every day, I couldn’t get to see how other people see me but I guess hearing those statements make me evaluate myself that to people, I have this cheerful disposition that is somehow contagious.

Having a blithesome personality is what gravitate people towards me and this has become one of the most important ingredients of my adventures for I am always up for them no matter how weird or exotic they could be for I am a naturally curious person and often carry this sunny disposition. These adventures do not only circulate to places and things but also to people. I love hearing people’s stories. I also love going to places that are not too mainstream for I love the idea that I will be one of those pioneering individuals to discover the beauty of a certain place no matter how low key it could be.

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Whenever I travel from Santander to Medellin and vice versa with my motorbike named Noah, I always get amazed with this view which I called “The Abandoned Bridge of Asturias” and thought “Why don’t I take a picture with this breathtaking scenery?”

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EUPHORIC

This word – this very word – is the perfect adjective to describe what I am feeling the moment I was introduced to Hive. I always dreamed of becoming a writer or to just write and have a wider scope of audience to read my stories and words and of course, practically speaking, to be able to make a living with my passion.

I am euphoric for I can finally get to publish my stories to people who have the same interests with me – to people who can help me grow in writing and fulfilling my dreams – to people who know how important writing is to everyone – and I am euphoric because finally. Just finally! I no longer have to isolate my words in the four corners of my room. I can already share a lot of things to the right people and I couldn’t contain my excitement and happiness for this one of the biggest “finally” of my life.